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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:
Tbortb · 07/04/2021 18:17

OP, to me he doesn't look overweight at all! If you continue to have concerns, speak to HV but personally, he looks like a normal little boy.

PolarnOPirate · 07/04/2021 18:18

OP he sounds like my boys. They are so DENSE. Very heavy. Can see their spines and ribs. Run around all day and eat nothing so I don't understand it. They do wear the correct age clothes though. I'm not worried. He'll probably have a growth spurt and even out.

ladyvimes · 07/04/2021 18:23

It’s really difficult with small children. My ds has always been around the 20th centile for height and 75th for weight, which makes him sound really overweight, but he is super skinny, you can see his ribs. He’s also very muscular and strong. If the health visitor wasn’t concerned and he really does eat what you say he does then I wouldn’t worry for now.

Subwaysalad · 07/04/2021 18:33

My daughter is 3 next month. 3 foot 5 and 3 stone 7. She’s always been above 99th centile for height and weight

Subwaysalad · 07/04/2021 18:34

@Subwaysalad

My daughter is 3 next month. 3 foot 5 and 3 stone 7. She’s always been above 99th centile for height and weight
She’s also in age 5-6 clothes despite not being 3 yet
pappajonessecretchild · 07/04/2021 18:36

OP, he looks fine from those photos! i would have thought the HV would have pointed out if any concerns, especially with them knowing so much more about child obesity now. Honestly, if i saw a child like yours in the photo at the park, i would not register him as overweight.

InglouriousBasterd · 07/04/2021 18:39

He looks fine to me OP. It’s difficult with kids that young, they chub out then have a massive growth spurt, they often have little tummies. He eats (when he will - remember that phase Grin) well and he’s happy and active. If he was disproportionately large the HV would have brought it up. At the end of the day, someone has to be 99th centile or it wouldn’t exist.

10brokengreenbottles · 07/04/2021 18:39

GoToSleepBabyPlease Child BMI charts are appropriate from 2. See these growth charts.

A child who is 98th centile for weight and 91st for height will always be classed as overweight regardless of the fact their centile lines are close together. As shown on the link 4PawsGood posted.

Whoscoatsthatjacket · 07/04/2021 18:41

My DD is 5.5 and weighs 2st10 and is 105cm tall.
My DS is 7 and weights 3st snd is 115cm tall.
Hope that gives you some idea x

porridgeface · 07/04/2021 18:41

He looks like my DS who is 2.5. He also barely eats at home but cleans his plate at nursery apparently. He's on the go all the time so not lazy. I can see his ribs/ spine, he's just tall and solid; currently wears age 3-4. His dad is big so I imagine he'll grow up to be like him.

GoToSleepBabyPlease · 07/04/2021 18:45

I agree that you need to ask someone who knows what they're talking about if you're concerned rather than going by what people on here think. You'll get posters who have small/average sized kids thinking your DS sounds enormous and then you'll get people with bigger kids thinking he sounds OK. Because he's on the large side, the former will outweigh the latter as relatively few people will have a child his size or bigger.

My kids have both been above the 90th centile for weight and height throughout infancy and no HCP has had an issue with it. My eldest is coming up on 3 and she's now dropped to the 75th centile for weight but is still in the 91st for height. The only comment I've had is an instruction to speak to someone is her weight drops any lower (she's a fussy eater who is growing like a weed).

High centile doesn't necessarily equal overweight, just like low centile doesn't necessarily mean malnourished. Ask a HCP and don't go restricting food or anything based on the opinions of mumsnetters.

FrankButchersDickieBow · 07/04/2021 18:53

My dd was nearly 10lbs born. Rolls upon rolls and she remained chubby.

I made purees and stuff from scratch and was so careful about what she ate, but she was still a little chubster. I ended up having to see a peadiatrician with a food diary and all that.

I was devastated because I certainly wasn't giving her crap to eat, or over feeding her. We were discharged after one appointment.

She started to lose her chub around 4/5 years old and is now a healthy, very long legged, tall, 12 year old. Normal, healthy weight and always has been since she started school.

GalesThisMorning · 07/04/2021 18:59

Your 2.5 year old weighs about 5 pounds more than my 5 year old OP. My little one is at the very bottom of the centiles chart and we see a peadiatrcian regularly to monitor his growth. He's fine btw, he's just very small.

I think that the same level of support and monitoring should be offered to children who are overweight. How are you meant to know how to help him if, as you say, he already eats normally and gets plenty of exercise? It's not like you can put a toddler on a diet!

I would speak to your GP

Pythonesque · 07/04/2021 19:01

Measuring height accurately is still quite difficult at that age. I agree that toddlers can be chubby prior to "growing into" their weight, normally. (as opposed to the overfed children who grow taller, earlier than they should). Both of mine had little bellies at that age and would have been perceived as stocky; by 3.5 they both weighed more than the average 6 yr old. At school start I suspect we'd have had "the letter" about both of them had they been in state schools, and I'd have ignored it. By 6-7 they had clearly slimmed down as all normally growing children do.

Now teens, DD is a bit taller than average, very slim and muscly, and I've never needed to be worried about her weight or eating habits. DS is tall, again not as tall as I expected when he was younger, and also slim. Could do with a bit more muscle probably but that'll come :)

OP, growth trajectories over time are the most useful guide, I suspect you don't need to worry too much. Especially as your child has entered a fussy eating phase - normal for age and development, and maybe that's why younger toddlers need to get "chubby" first! By all means talk with your GP or HV, but don't create worry from elsewhere.

Pythonesque · 07/04/2021 19:03

Oh yes, meant to say, clothing 2-3 years ahead of "age" was standard in our house, but also what I expected as that was how my sister and I grew too. Only becomes a problem when 12-13 is too short, a little too wide, and girls' stuff often doesn't come in "14-15" :)

Kitkat151 · 07/04/2021 19:07

My grandaughter is 2.5years...she weighs 1st 11lb...I think she’s a bit chubby...but her sister is 5.5years and Was the same but now weighs just Under 3stone and looks very average....so maybe your Little one will slim down.

loggybear · 07/04/2021 19:07

honestly, looking at the photos I would say he is podgy (please dont shoot me but you did ask). However, he is 2.5 and so being podgy is totally normal so he may well just keep on growing but without putting any weight on. i would suggest that you just give him food the usual meals and two snacks...but never insist that he finishes it all. if he doesnt want lunch - he might not be fussy, he might just not be hungry.probably limit totally empty calories i.e. sweets/crisps...but other than that he needs to eat as much as he needs to as he is a growing child. so long as he is not offered food all the time and you aare happy for him to not eat lunch or breakfast and skip meals i.e. because he might genuinely not be hunry then it should be ok

CecilyP · 07/04/2021 19:09

I think all this focus on his weight at such an early age is I Howarth and unhelpful. Don't let people on here wind you up into a frenzy. If you are genuinely concerned speak Tina doctor/health visitor. Do not let Mumsnet diagnose him

The only diagnosis that Mumsnet can make is to plug his height and weight into an NHS BMI calculator and get the result 99% very overweight. What would a doctor or health visitor be able to do differently. You can also use the calculator for a 2.5 year old - there is no disclaimer saying, 'not to be used for the under 5s'.

hotcrossbun83 · 07/04/2021 19:17

My son was 99 percentile weight as a toddler, also very tall. Looking back at pics, he was v chubby. But he had a healthy diet and ran around a lot so I didn’t feel there was much more I could do, I wasn’t going to restrict how much healthy food he could eat. Instead I made sure I took him out a lot and put him into sports clubs etc. He’s now 7, tall and slim and very athletic, loves his sports. Still very heavy but not an inch of fat on him

CecilyP · 07/04/2021 19:18

Measuring height accurately is still quite difficult at that age.

Judging by the photo he looks a little stocky rather than very overweight. I wonder if you have another stab at measuring his height he might come out as a little bit taller.

GoToSleepBabyPlease · 07/04/2021 19:19

@CecilyP

I think all this focus on his weight at such an early age is I Howarth and unhelpful. Don't let people on here wind you up into a frenzy. If you are genuinely concerned speak Tina doctor/health visitor. Do not let Mumsnet diagnose him

The only diagnosis that Mumsnet can make is to plug his height and weight into an NHS BMI calculator and get the result 99% very overweight. What would a doctor or health visitor be able to do differently. You can also use the calculator for a 2.5 year old - there is no disclaimer saying, 'not to be used for the under 5s'.

Measure him properly and accurately, for a start. It can be quite tricky to measure a toddler's height without the proper equipment
WeWereOnABreak10 · 07/04/2021 19:27

Every child is different Op. As long as your child isn't eating unhealthy then don't worry.

GrumpyHoonMain · 07/04/2021 19:28

As he’s 2 his appetite should reduce because he won’t grow as fast now as he did before. So in my opinion I would get rid of snacks - that should make him a bit hungrier at meal times too.

Exhausted4ever · 07/04/2021 19:57

@Snaggysnoo please please please do not feel bad, even if he is/was overweight it sounds like he has a healthy diet and lots of exercise. For sure if he was unhealthy the hv would have mentioned it. It's hard to tell in pics of a clothed child with nothing for size relevance, but I don't think he looks even chubby let alone fat.
Do not worry about the opinion of strangers with no medical information /knowledge

GreenSlide · 07/04/2021 20:04

Can't say I'd be too concerned going by the pictures. He'll probably stretch up but stay the same weight over the next year. If you know he's not eating too much and he gets daily exercise then don't stress. He's still young and they do fill out then stretch up from time to time.