AIBU to visit GP regarding over weight child?

[Onepuddingisneverenough]

Hi
I’m looking for opinions. Please don’t flame me.
2 of my DC are only separated in age by 13months. They attend the same school, do equal (infact the same except 1) activities, eat the same food and portions yet one of them is very over weight

I’ve monitored portion sizes, put them on packed lunch to control what is being eaten etc.

Both are very active football Monday, rugby Tuesday, gymnastics or dance Wednesday etc yet one is significantly overweight

I know genetics come into play etc but for contrast the aged 10 child weighs 5stone 5 and the 9 year old weighs 6stone 6. I’m struggling to find clothes that fit etc and the weight seems to have piled on over the last 2 years.

They eat an ok diet is fruit or porridge or whole grain cereal for breakfast
Lunch is usually whole meal wrap cold meats sliced veg and a yogurt
Dinner is generally homemade from scratch white fish or meat occasional nuggets and oven chips with beans
They do snack because they are so active and are generally allowed a treat once a day - think like a lot kat or maybe a bag of crisps. No fizzy drinks except for special occasions ie birthday or family holidays

So I suppose my AIBU is Aibu to take the overweight child to see the GP? I do not wish to, nor have I ever made a direct ref to their weight and obviously if I went the GPS for advice DC would be present and the weight would be mentioned. I know I can dress it up as being healthy etc but I think the GP would be quite frank in front of them and I do not want them to ever feel uncomfortable about who they are or their weight
Will the GP be able to assist really? I’m not sure what I think they will do except give advice which I can find online for healthy eating...

TIA

*UK

YANBU. Definitely a good idea.

If that comes up blank, bear in mind that the other child may well be eating the same, but could just be one of those annoying people whose bodies take what they need and just let the rest go.

Some kids eat too much and don't get fat.
Some kids eat too much and do get fat.

It's very rare for kids to not eat too much and still get fat, though there are medical conditions which can do that.

Hi op are you taking about a dd or a ds? We're in a similar situation but without the close in age sibling ( 8 year gap here ) and we've recently been to the doctor.

Dd is 8.4 yrs and 7st. She is tall though I'm not sure of her height. Her summer dress is 12-13 and is just above her knee.
She was pretty skinny until she was 5 which means she's put quite a lot of weight on in 3 years.

Doctor has suggested a couple of things to me. One is her drink intake. She drinks a lot and even though it's decent juice etc it's full of empty calories and sugar. We've cut the juice right down.
Second was snacks. It was like morning snack/afternoon snack and then we ended up with a bedtime snack and it's way too many snacks, however healthy.

Lastly, dd has asthma and was diagnosed a week after her 5th birthday after suffering for years. Once she started the Clenil brown inhaler we started to notice the weight gain. Obviously, she has to continue with this but doctor did say that some children do have a rapid weight gain with steroid inhalers.

I don't often mention dd's weight on here to be honest but feel like you need to know you're not alone. Dd is also active like your dc. I absolutely do not want her having a complex over her weight but it's bloody hard getting certain clothes for her and apart from one other in her class, all of her friends are teeny tiny.

We are currently doing a food diary to see in black and white what's really being eaten.
Good luck

I think it's probably worth getting them checked out. It sounds like you are doing all the right things. It's probably down to the younger one not being quite as active as the other one, even while doing the same activities, and probably not being as active in terms of running around at school. You can lead a horse to water... Perhaps he will always be stocky?

Kids are all different even in families. DD2 is 5'0" already in Y5 and weighs six stone odd, one of the tallest in her year and always has been. DD1 is nearly 4 years older and only 3" taller, and 8 stone. Both normal BMIs. Nearly all DD1's friends are all my height, 5'7" so she seems pretty petite among them. DD2 has a friend who is a year older and the same height and is more than a stone lighter.

Look at the parents though - DD2's friend has tall, very slim parents. DD and I are both on the tall side and not fat but a more sturdy build. Both DDs are slim and healthy, and lighter than I was at their age, but they were never going to be waifs. When I would question changing behaviours is when the child seems a very different build to you.

Nearly all DD1's friends are all my height

or taller I meant to say.

If that is genuinely their diet and they are as active as you say then yes, a GP needs to rule out an underlying medical issue.

The fact that your child is relatively short though becoming overweight is a definite reason to take them to the GP. If you have siblings with different metabolisms it would be more normal for the heavier one to be growing a bit earlier. The possibility of this being weight gain pre-puberty prior to a growth spurt is also much less likely.

Definitely see if you can get a telephone appointment, have their height and weight handy so the GP can record them. It could be a really good way to have the discussion and then take your child in for a general checkup. From what you describe, it could be appropriate for the GP to run a few blood tests to check for thyroid and other problems, that you'd want to rule out before assuming it was all about diet and exercise.

Could you request a phone call from your gp in the first instance or go on your own and just say you would relay her not talk about the child in front of them. Other than that take the child and put some headphones on them with a movie for distraction.

Hi OP. When I posted years ago on here asking for advice about my daughter who was 8 at the time, someone kindly posted me a link to this and I found it useful and informative:

rebelfit.co.uk/blog/2017/when-girls-gain-weight-advice-for-parents?fb_comment_id=1173641616089180_1174853585967983

There's loads of good advice from posters on this thread about portion sizes, etc.. but the above info helped me get some perspective when I was worrying about DD's weight. We never went to the GP (though with the conditions others have mentioned, maybe a blood test is a good idea just to rule things out). DD shot up in height by the way and seemed to naturally slim down.

IF THEY ARE SHORT AND FAT PLEASE TAKE THEM TO YOUR GP!

Sorry to shout but it is really important that underactive thyroid is ruled out as a potential cause. Excess calories alone tend to make children tall and fat so it is very unusual to be short and fat as a child. I’m particularly suspicious of this given how health conscious you are as a family and that your child has no real opportunity to eat more food out of the home. Please make a GP appointment and insist on getting thyroid function checked.

I’d think about the doctor too given you are very aware of activity and your children are such different sizes.

My son (6) is very tall and muscular so quite heavy but not at all fat and he has considerably more to eat that your children and does less exercise too.

liliesandchocolate and yet, jelly is delicious so there's that.

Agree check thryoi

I’d be very depresssed if I could only have a “treat” once a week! Surely it’s everything in moderation? Plenty of healthy nutritious food, plenty of exercise and fresh air. If a child is gorging on high sugar foods daily then it’s a problem.