To be horrified the NHS classes 5yo DD as overweight?

[mommathatwearspink]

DD (5) had her school night and weight check at school earlier in the week. Received a letter today saying that she is on the 94th percentile and classes as overweight for her age and height.

Im horrified! She doesn’t look overweight, does gymnastics and swimming each week, doesn’t over eat, treats are limited and I cook healthy meals from scratch most days. What the hell am I doing wrong???

The NHS BMI calculator says a just turned 5 year old would have to be 4ft 6 (the height of a 10 year old) to be 5st and not overweight.

Nowadays we get used to people looking bigger and eventually come to see that as normal.
Children should actually look quite lean.

Yes BMI takes height into account but the centiles don’t - that’s my bloody point.
I think they do , they are comparing weight to height ratios of children born on the same day

I’m amazed at reading what some people are eating! 2 jacket potatoes, a whole large pizza and a tub of ice cream has been mentioned.... for a CHILD!

We are a family of four, two over 50, one 21, one 16. Last night we had two large pizzas from dominos between us and there was enough left over for DS and DH have two slices each for lunch. The problem is portion control in most cases I think.

@CecilyP I meant when she was measured at 5, and again in year 6. That's when she was in the 95th centile I think, so over NHS recommendations.

My dcs have always been sporty. I have just 90 minutes of kayaking. Ds is doing 2 hours 2 or 3 times a week. I ache all over. Dd rides, I ride, it's hard work. I don't think the charts take into consideration different childrens muscle mass. Ds is a little powerhouse. He has a proper chest on him, long, toned limbs, he's got a long body. He physically looks older than the average just out of toddlerhood 5 year old. His friend at the same age is tiny in comparison. Ds even has big hands.

Some kids are fat. Some are thin. Some are skewing the charts because of their lifestyle. In our house we have a shoe rack, a boot box and a rack for drying wetshoes. We have allotment gear, watersports gear, riding gear, outdoor gear.

If your dcs have specific kit for various activities that they actually attend regularly they are probably fit despite what the nhs charts say, as long as they don't live on nuggets and chips.

Research shows how generally rubbish parents are at recognising that their child is overweight. It’s much easier to blame BMI and say it’s not important. But if all these children who are classed as obese are supposedly ok, wouldn't that make the children with healthy BMI ‘underweight’?
I’ve got 4 children, 3 with healthy BMI and the eldest who is now an adult is morbidly obese, she has a chromosome disorder and is on anti psychotics which doesn’t help. I tried very hard as her parent to keep her weight healthy when she was young, so I do understand - but I always recognised she was overweight.

Agree with those who say we’ve forgotten what a healthy weight looks like.

I was browsing photos of a local teen festival recently and was really shocked by how many of the teens are overweight. About 80% of them were very clearly overweight. I thought “when the hell did this happen?” And then I thought about all the teens I know and realised that it was round about the same amount that were overweight. I’ve just not realised because it’s so common. We forget what healthy looks like.

My 11 year old has only just gone over 6 stone so a 5 year old being 5 stone, this is concerning.

swap some of the food he eats for lower calorie alternatives, say if you are going to cook pasta, do some veg instead.
Better safe than sorry.
I wouldn't control portion sizes as such but just offer more fruit and veg. With kids you don't really want them to loose weight but to continue growing without putting on more weight.

Okay OPs son is not 5 stone, but he is on the 94th percentile, which means he is fat
Generally speaking, between the 85th and 95th, percentile is a less accurate measure than above the 95th percentile if my memory serves me.

So a child between 85-95, could actually be healthy if they are active, eating well and measuring accordingly (and other factors taken into consideration). Above the 95th percentile, there is much less chance that this could be true and it's likely that a child is significantly overweight, even if active.

It's impossible to tell from the OPs post which category her DD falls into. I do agree parents can be unwilling to admit obesity in their DC. On the other hand, telling children they are fat according to a scale and so need to lose weight is contributing to the rising obesity levels in the first place and encouraging yet another generation of yo-yo and fad dieters.

With kids you don't really want them to loose weight but to continue growing without putting on more weight.
^^this is really good advice for most children.

My DD is low end of BMI and fairly tall. Out of her class, only 2 girls and 1 boy is a normal weight, the rest have rolls of fat, breasts and uniforms bursting at the seams. DD is 10.

She is bullied constantly and I am also bullied by nasty comments from parents.

She is now obsessed with putting on weight because of the bullying and would not attend her end of term show as it involved her wearing a crop top.

Until now, she has eaten loads and everything, fish, meat, salds, fruit etc and only healthy food and at least 7 fruits and veggies a day. I am so angry and sad.

And no, I do not meet her from school and stuff a processed ham roll in her face.

My point is, 'thin shaming' is a thing. Sick of people spouting' fat shaming'

she is on the 94th percentile and classes as overweight for her age and height

OP, unless the figures are incorrect, you need to accept that she is overweight.

Anyone who tells you otherwise is a fool.

Okay OPs son is not 5 stone, but he is on the 94th percentile, which means he is fat

The OP has a daughter, not a son, and it's worth repeating for those at the back that her daughter is not 5 stone (not that the OP has told us anyway).

Why don't people read at least the basics of a thread properly before giving their opinion?

Not read whole thread but has op clarified what weight and height percentiles the child is yet?

My 6 year old ds is 2.5 stone. I'm really shocked at a 4 year old weighing five stone!!! @ToffeePennie

I think my DS is probably going to be classed as overweight on charts, he's nearly 27lb at 15 months but his height is off the centile charts, he eats healthy homecooked food, good range of proteins, fish, veg, healthy grains, fats, fruit! He is only still when he's sleeping and is already in 2-3yr clothes but I'm sure on a chart he would be classed as overweight. He's never been a chunky baby/toddler though, never had rolls on his legs like some kids do!

His dad is built and over 6'5 And I'm broad and 5'10 so when I get one of these letters (which I'm sure I will) I'm going to put it in the bin!

X

@Ruby your child is 15 months!! He is a baby and will look very different as a 5 year old.

As said so many times, height is a factor in BMI.

If he’s a healthy weight for his age / height then you have absolutely nothing to worry about.

There's no getting away from it we are all headed for a life like the people on the film wall-e!!!! Seriously though things have gone a bit mad, take clothes sizes I just bought 2 tops from tesco size 10, I am not a 10 as was before vanity sizing. Madness!!! I think we can have a warped sense of what is a good size/weight.

Whats supermarkets are the worst I think! Especially for he dc. My dc can't wear supermarket bottoms because they're all too big round the waist. It's ok with the adjustable waists but dd can't get leggings from any of them as they're all huge!

I agree - as a teen, I was size 10-12. I am 5'6"", weight was then around 7.5 stone, but I am long, with broad hips and shoulders, size 10 didn't work for my bone structure.

Now I'm late 40's, about 9 stone, same build but with a lot more flesh. And I'm wearing size 6 shorts from Next! Crazy sizing!

For pp who said BMI is a good tool I disagree. It doesn't discriminate between a kg of fat and a kg of muscle. So no it isn't a good tool for everyone. And u can show as healthy BMI but it they analyze your body fat it can show that you have a high fat percentage....

My first work skirt from 1986 was a Next size 12. My teenaged daughter wears it for work experience - she is a "size 6".

plobsalt 2.5 stones is 15kg that's the average weight of a 3years old. I don't know if you made a mistake or Ur son is really small... But 15 kg is not even included in the weight growth chart for 6 years old, which average(50percentile) should be around 21kg... Every child is different and the focus should be to keep them more active and eating healthier