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???

I do think that most children eat more than they should. Portion control is key. Our 13 year old is 1.65 and 52 kilos or 5'5 and 8 stone. He is slim but not skinny.

I agree that all children have fat on them and the claim that these overweight kids “don’t have an ounce of fat on them” is rubbish. I just weighed and measured 4yo DS1 today and he is 105cm and 2st 5lbs which apparently is underweight, only just. He does still have some fat on him! Just not as much as most kids apparently!

I also agree that some kids are built differently, DS1 has always been on the smaller side even as a baby and people used to comment on how small he was. DS2 is now 15 months and we can already tell he is built differently, he has more obvious chub on him and has done since he was a 2 month old ebf baby. My point is that two children can be on the same diets yet different centiles

@megletthesecond I think being able to see a child's rib cage sticking out & clearly visible under their skin whist just standing still would indicate they are a bit underweight if anything?! I'm a size 6/8 and 5ft 1, 8st & my rib cage doesn't stick out through my skin if I move yes you can see it as you can see my spine if I bend etc... but I think I'd look anorexic if my bones were poking out all over the place!
As pp have stated perhaps the only way to know for certain if a child is overweight then it's best to seek professional advice from their GP etc.

GP's aren't generally the best. I can both my DC's ribs when they're standing still and they're both pretty much in the middle of a healthy bmi

The best at dealing with children's weight I mean, obviously GP's are the best at lots of things that I'm rubbish at

BearRabbitPants You are an adult woman though. The healthy bmi range for a child depends on age, but is lower than that of an adult. Young children are meant to look slimmer than adults. My 13 year old DS is 5ft 0 and 40kg, he would be underweight if he was an adult but he is a perfectly healthy weight for his age.

My daughter does "look anorexic" - all bones and ribs, but is 16, a size 6 and a gangly 5'10 so she would...

But she is lean, fit, healthy and sporty - a distance runner. Her BMI is healthy - exactly in the middle of the range - yet so many people do the skinny shaming - "you need some meat on you" - no... she's fine.

This is my ds, he was classed as overweight and on the 94th centile. I can't really see that he's overweight. As I said earlier in the thread though the letter is in the back of my mind and I'm extra conscious about what he eats and making sure he's always active.

To me he looks overweight. I do see hundreds of children a year though so can probably recognise it more than most people. You have accepted the letter though and by considering his diet and exercise you're doing the best for him.

Without being horrible, he's certainly not slim! Sorry. Well done for accepting it.

@Squiz81 I would never have looked at your ds and thought "he's overweight", because he's certainly not fat.

However, I am starting to realise that perhaps our perceptions are a bit skewed these days and that kids should be thinner than that. So for that reason, I'm going to say that I think these school weigh-ins are good. Well done for taking it on board.

My youngest son is what I would have considered "very thin" and I worry about seeing his ribs and him being too thin. What I have taken from this is that he is most likely NOT too thin.

DD is 11, 1.65m tall and 43kg. She has fat on her, but is still very slim. Off the chart for height (over 99.6%) and around 80% for weight.

She trains for a sport 5 days a week and is muscular.

@Squiz81

Wouldn't say he is overweight.

Is he short?

Squiz, that photo has been taken from quite a flattering angle. If he was standing in a more natural position and the photo was taken head on rather than from above then he would probably look different

@Squiz81 it's hard to know from that stance as he's stretched out. He looks like he may be a little squishy when he has his arms by his side. Well done for making changes.

He’s overweight squid. Look at the tops of his arms and thighs, they’re chubby.

I think the angle is quite slimming but honestly he looks bigger than the average kid to me even so. I think it's awesome you are being mindful of the letter and what he eats.

He looks ‘solid’ for want of a better word. Not plump, but I’d believe he’s heavier than he should be.

@Squiz81 As a good indicator, when a child his age lifts his arms, you should be able to count each rib. You cannot from what I can see. Your child is definitely overweight.

Is there a better option than the BMI charts? Or do we accept that it’s flawed but it’s what we have got.
Because parents looking and judging their kids size certainly doesn’t work.

Look at the tops of his arms and thighs, they’re chubby.

The only time I didn't have noticeable chubby arms or thighs waz when I was suffering from anorexia or when I was doing a lot of drugs and not eating . At a healthy weight for my size and a size 10, I still have chubby upper arms and thighs. That's just where my weight goes, not to my tummy. It doesn't necessarily make you overweight.

You’re a grown woman, your fat distribution is different to a child’s. I image the muscle wastage would have contributed to the chubby arm look too.

And seriously, it’s just stupid to bring anorexia into it when the child is obviously not.

Children’s bodies are not the same as adult bodies, they’re not short adults.

Squiz that pose is not a great example is it?

A more natural 'arms down standing normally' pose would be better.

But his arms, legs and feet do look a bit on the 'padded' side for an active child.

@Squiz81 I am a qualified nutritionist and PT.
Obviously I'm not giving a professional opinion here, based on a photo-as we all know how pictures can lie, but I don't think your DS looks overweight, certainly not enough to consider any major changes.

With children, unless there are immediate dangers or other health issues, it's better to carry on feeding them the same amount (providing his diet is nutritionally rich already), increase exercise a little, but don't up his calories as he ages, so that he naturally, gradually slims down.

There are a whole list of things you can do to measure his weight in better ways, waist to hip would be a good start and a better indicator than both BMI and what people think based on a photo IMO.

@QueenOfAshes if you are indeed qualified, you really need to brush up on your knowledge on young children. waist to hip ratio is valudated for adults, NOT for children. A child that looks overweight is usually waaaaaay past overweight. a healthy weight child looks skinny. childrens‘ bodies are very different from adults and older children (past puperty)