Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Flexible and made to last.

Meet the Other Phone.
Flexible and made to last.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Worried my 2.5 year old is overweight?

125 replies

Snaggysnoo · 07/04/2021 13:01

He’s 2 stone 11 pounds. He’s quite tall for his age too and most people think he’s 3. He wears size 3-4 clothes.

OP posts:
Original poster
Snaggysnoo · 07/04/2021 14:41

He’s extremely active. Doesn’t stop and we live in a very rural and hilly area, a couple of miles up a hill walking with his dad doesn’t phase him!

OP posts:
CecilyP · 07/04/2021 14:42

He's just below the weight of the average 5 year old. BMI puts him on the 99th centile. Are you sure he's only 94 cm?

Original poster
Snaggysnoo · 07/04/2021 14:43

We had his 2 year assessment the other month and HV didn’t seem concerned. He’s always been on the higher centile for weight and height. I breastfed him until he was around 1 and he was always chunky on breast milk.

OP posts:
Original poster
Snaggysnoo · 07/04/2021 14:45

@CecilyP maybe 96cm, but not much more. He’s about 3ft 2 or 3.

I just don’t understand it, he’s so active everyday and barely eats, he’s so fussy. It doesn’t make any sense!

OP posts:
4PawsGood · 07/04/2021 14:50

If he is 96cm and 17kg he’s about 99th centile for weight and 98th for height, so, fine.

Someone else maybe check that though, I’ve just looked quickly.

CecilyP · 07/04/2021 14:55

If he is 96cm and 17kg he’s about 99th centile for weight and 98th for height, so, fine.

No, it doesn't work like that. The 99th centile is every weight above a certain level. So the lightest children on the 99th centile will be fine whilst the heaviest on the 99th centile will be very overweight. Even at the revised height, his BMI is still on 99th centile.

nimbuscloud · 07/04/2021 14:59

I just don’t understand it, he’s so active everyday and barely eats, he’s so fussy. It doesn’t make any sense!

But you say he eats everything in nursery and asks for seconds. Is he there 5 days per week ?

raspberryjamlove · 07/04/2021 15:01

Could he be due a growth spurt? My little one a few months older than yours was also on 99th percentile. He is a big eater (healthy thankfully) and very active like your little one. He had a big tummy and I was worried! But suddenly he's shot you in height, tummy gone and looks suddenly a lot older and slimmer! I need to check his weight again but he looks much better now!

Original poster
Snaggysnoo · 07/04/2021 15:03

@nimbuscloud 2 days a week at nursery

OP posts:
Fembot123 · 07/04/2021 15:06

If he doesn’t look overweight, the health visitor didn’t flag any issues, he doesn’t eat much and he can walk for miles then I wouldn’t worry about him or what people that can’t even see him think.

Crystal90567 · 07/04/2021 15:11

He'll be a big adult. You can tell from toddler years.
Humans come in all shapes and sizes. He'll probably be 6 ft plus. 6ft plus men are normally 18 stone but fit with it.
BMI charts aren't everything.

Fembot123 · 07/04/2021 15:14

It’s funny as my DS was nearly 10lb at birth but didn’t carry on in that vein, it must have been my sausage roll addiction.

Makingnumber2 · 07/04/2021 15:17

I think it's only concern if his weight and his height are tracking on widely different centiles.
Your son's height seems to track on 25th centile and his weight around 75th so that is a big difference.
www.rcpch.ac.uk/sites/default/files/Boys_2-18_years_growth_chart.pdf

Thatwentbadly · 07/04/2021 15:21

In a healthy weight child you should be able to clearly see him ribs when he is naked - can you?

SleepingStandingUp · 07/04/2021 15:24

@CecilyP

If he is 96cm and 17kg he’s about 99th centile for weight and 98th for height, so, fine.

No, it doesn't work like that. The 99th centile is every weight above a certain level. So the lightest children on the 99th centile will be fine whilst the heaviest on the 99th centile will be very overweight. Even at the revised height, his BMI is still on 99th centile.

Using the link above he's 98th for height roughly, so not in that over 99th vagueness and he's 91st for height which would mean he's broadly in proportion
Worried my 2.5 year old is overweight?
gallbladderpain · 07/04/2021 15:37

I think he does sound very overweight that is over 17kg? My DC is 5 and weighs 14.5kg and is 101cm tall and is on the lower end of the healthy weight range for their age.

Tash6000 · 07/04/2021 15:41

It's hard to judge toddler weight, you need to look at his red book and track his centiles.
For reference, mine are a girls and
my nearly 7yo is 2st 11
my nearly 5yo is 2st 9
And my 2.7yo is 2st1
So despite at least 2yrs between them they're all in the 2st range! My eldest is extremely active, my middle and toddler are active but not like the eldest.
We had a HV review the other day and she said they like them to be around the 2st mark but that is so subjective when it comes to height too. My eldest was and is still small, but my youngest is quite tall for her age.
If he has a healthy balanced diet and gets a good amount of exercise every day then I'm sure he will be absolutely fine. My 3 don't really snack much but do eat 3 good meals and they must literally run for about 3-4 hours minimum each day going mad around the garden/on trampoline/on climbing frame etc.

CecilyP · 07/04/2021 15:53

Using the link above he's 98th for height roughly, so not in that over 99th vagueness and he's 91st for height which would mean he's broadly in proportion

Do you mean 98th for weight? It looks just over. While the height looks a bit under 91st. I don't think that does make him in proportion.

SleepingStandingUp · 07/04/2021 15:56

@CecilyP

Using the link above he's 98th for height roughly, so not in that over 99th vagueness and he's 91st for height which would mean he's broadly in proportion

Do you mean 98th for weight? It looks just over. While the height looks a bit under 91st. I don't think that does make him in proportion.

Yes sorry Cecily I meant 98th for height. Just over 98th and just under 91st is still less than 2 percentile lines though, which is what they'd consider out of proportion
SleepingStandingUp · 07/04/2021 15:56

God damn it 98th for WEIGHT

loggybear · 07/04/2021 16:13

how much does his weight change? My three-year-old hasn't put on any weight between the ages of 2 and 3. He hit 15.5kgs at 2 but was only 15.6 at 3......so he might stay at that weight for a while. DS is also quite tall and is probably around 102cms at 3 and has obviously grown over the last year while his weight stayed stable.

NormanStangerson · 07/04/2021 16:14

Can you share a disguised photo of his build? Some parents don’t see what others see.

But he may just be a heft. My nephew is a huge unit but not fat. He’s very, very heavy and weighs considerably more than his much older sister. But he’s lean and muscly. It’s odd and we’re all different I guess.

Original poster
Snaggysnoo · 07/04/2021 17:06

Covered his face

Worried my 2.5 year old is overweight?
OP posts:
Hankunamatata · 07/04/2021 17:13

Can you see his ribs under skin? That's what I go by to gauge weight. If u can see them then weight is ok.

Flowerlane · 07/04/2021 17:16

My son has always been on the heavy side. Weighed more then he should have but could see ribs etc. When I mentioned it a few times to health visitors and doctors they all said he was fine and no need to worry. Was told by the doctor weight wasn’t always a big deal as long as they wasn't under weight or so over weight they struggled with day to day activities 🤷🏼‍♀️

If worried I would ask your doctor if they say everything is fine then great if not then go from there.

Swipe left for the next trending thread