Dd in bigger clothes than her age. Does it really matter?

[Karleeb30]

Dd is 6. She's 122-123cm tall and weighs just over 4 Stone. She is in mainly 7-8 clothes and some 8-9 yet she still has some clothes in 6-7 that fit. Depends on the fit and style. It's mainly because she does have a little tummy so does need things a little roomier plus 6-7 is usually way too short on her!! She's had a massive growth spurt since the first lockdown . Went from clothes being too long to now too short.

Mil works in a clothes shop that sell kids clothes (won't say where). She's asked if Dd needs anything, I told her she needs 7-8 or maybe 8-9 and she seemed disgusted implying that my daughter was huge or something!

I know some of the cute clothes Stop in 5-6 or 6-7 so she will have to look in the older girls section... but does it really matter?

we all know that kids are not all built the same! Sizing for an average sized kid of their age. Dd is quite tall so anything smaller than 7-8 is just too short and often a little tight around the waist. To think all 6 year olds would fit into one generic size is madness.

Plus it really depends on the shop. Some shops come Up crazily small and some bigger. H&M is my go to atm. Dd wears their 6-8 or 7-8 years clothes and fit perfectly!

She definitely has my body shape and tall like me!

She doesn't necessarily look big compared to her peers, maybe a little but not massively bigger.

My youngest daughter has always needed higher age clothes than her actual age because she was so tall. Adjustable waists were our friend. She was born on the 99th centile for length and was over 10lb in weight and she just carried on. She was the tallest in her class until she got to secondary but is still the tallest in her class now. She started her periods age 13.5 and is now 6’ and a size 8-10.

She is however surprisingly heavy for her size. She has very dense bones probably because has drunk a pint of milk every day from being very young. It also means she has only had one minor bone break despite doing many contact sports.

@PlugUgly1980

My 7 year old is wearing 8-9 and some 9-10. She's very tall and slender for her age, so we struggle with waistbands as I always need to to take them in, but other than that she needs to older ages for length. I have struggled though as she still likes some of the younger girls/cuter stuff which they stop around age 6.

This is my frustration. Everything past age 6 tends to be cropped or too grown up. H&M is good though I find or next!

If she's got a visibly fat tummy then she could do with slimming down, children shouldn't be carrying visible fat, and you should be able to see her ribs.

Pop her on the scale, measure her weight properly. Then go from there.

If you're very overweight you might be modelling poor dietary choices or larger than normal portions, which you could address as part of a family health drive rather than singling her out.

@Ozanj interesting - I've seen it mentioned so many times on here that it's the height in relation to other children that's the problem, with no mention of parental height. I have no doubt that if I'd been a child today there would be letters home about my weight.

Other peoples opinions do not matter.

@Sirzy

It sounds like she is at the bigger end of average so probably no harm just keeping an eye on portions and activity. Better to keep a close eye now and make small changes that she won’t even notice than for it to become an issue later

Yes agree with this, by your own omission she has a small tummy and of course don't want to make a thing of it or cause any sort of complex but wouldn't hurt to keep an eye on portions etc.

Ds just turned 7 is in 8-9 9-10 for length as he's tall
Perfect bmi according to hospital they did it recently for other reasons
All children are different don't worry

Obese children will grow tall first as babies toddlers and then become obese in weight. That’s the pattern of ‘front loaded’ growth that GPs and HVs watch out for - especially if the parents are shorter than average. This can happen from birth. Babies of very obese mums are often taller.

There are some great BMJ articles on this. The early years frameworks and nutritional guidelines at nurseries and schools uses some of it which is where my knowledge comes in. We get taught to recognise some of the patterns in under 4s to prevent obesity later - but it requires parents to be on board. And many think they’re just going to have a tall child even when they themselves are short & don’t take action until they have been obese for a while.

Thanks, I will have a look at those. I don’t have any concerns about DD’s weight (haven’t weighed her for a while but can see ribs, spine, shoulder blades etc very visibly), but I do want to remain conscious about it because I’m overweight myself (although I wasn’t as a child).

I don’t think it’s unusual that she’s tall, I’m 5’10”, DH is 6’4”, my dad and brothers are 6’5”, sister is 5’11” so there are tall genes on both sides. I do want to remain aware though.

I don't think it's a problem that she's in bigger clothes if it's because she's tall. I'd be very concerned about her having a belly though, she's very young and we know that around the belly is the most dangerous place to accumulate fat. You should be able to see a child's ribs which in this day and age sounds wrong as we are so used to seeing kids who aren't skinny like they should be.

Just because you have a belly and are normalising it you shouldn't be for your young child.

Op don't stress it. DS is the same age, he could do 5-6 in height but needs 6-7 in length. BUT I've brought 3-4 shorts today and he'd totally fit in them. Meanwhile his twin brothers we t into 2-3 years at about 15 months and are still in them at 21 months because they change shape alot

I'm pretty convinced most clothes shop pluck their measurements out of thin air - for child and adult clothes alike. They're all so drastically different! I'm get a bit confused remembering what size DS is in different shops so tend to stay with Matalan because they seem spot on for him.

@MrsColon

If she's got a visibly fat tummy then she could do with slimming down, children shouldn't be carrying visible fat, and you should be able to see her ribs.

Pop her on the scale, measure her weight properly. Then go from there.

If you're very overweight you might be modelling poor dietary choices or larger than normal portions, which you could address as part of a family health drive rather than singling her out.

I have weighed her? As in op she's just over 4 Stone.

I carry a little extra weight but nothing extreme. I lost my childhood weight in my late teens. I've have had 2 kids so I'm not really skinny but I'm okay. Her dad is very slim. We have a pretty healthy lifestyle.

My DD is 5 and in 8-9 clothing. She is really tall for her age.

Doesn’t matter. My DS(13) is in 15-16 clothes and they’re not loose. He’s in the 98th-99th percentile for his height and has always been a size or two above “normal” range.

His older brother is 16 and is also in size 15-16 clothes. Scuppered my thoughts that I could use some hand-me-downs to save money! Kids come in all shapes and sizes.

@Ozanj - is there any reason why you're not answering my question?

Are you a doctor?

You know your child. If you have concerns about her weight then do something about it if not then she's fine. My just turned 6 year old is in age 7-8 (top end of) and is 125cm. I don't weigh her but she's fairly lean. My dad is 6'5 so I'm not surprised she's tall. I was always tallest in my class at primary school. You know your child best and it sounds like your MIL is very critical. I would be more worried about the bad influence she could be on your dd. Positive body image is important for self esteem, especially in a world that is constantly telling women to shrink. X

I have always bought 1 or 2 sizes up and both mine are average to slim for their age. I just assumed shops sold them on the small side to make sure people bought new clothes more regularly. Mine hate clothes that are even slightly tight though.

For Dd it really is a mix of being tall and being slightly bigger than average I think! I tried on a skirt in 6-7 and it's like a mini dress. It did fit well around her waist this time though...

Maybe she's just out of proportion as she has real tiny feet (size 10) 😅 pretty small hands too! Around her chest suggests she needs 5-6 clothing, her hips are suggesting 6-7 and her waist a little more and her height in next clothing needs 7-8. Unfortunately for her she has got my exact body shape 😩

Don't worry about it op. My kids are a couple of sizes ahead because they are tall -DD is almost 9 and I buy 10-11 or it would all be too short. DS is 6, I buy him age 8 for length. Both children are around 50th centile BMI. It is weird to assume every child will fit in the same size clothes. Also, shop sizes come up so differently. I bought DD age 10 school skirts in Sainsburys as they are up to 140cm (she's 141cm). They are huge - I could fit two of her in them and I had to pull them to the tightest they would go. Long too. Just get your DD what she needs so she is in comfortable, well fitting clothes. Also remember mumsnet is obsessed with weight and can't get enough of telling people that their children are tall because they over-eat and soon will be obese. My children are tall because they have tall parents, that is the reason.

I have the opposite problem with DD, it’s only a guideline size wise. BF always thinks I should be buying clothes sized her age, they don’t fit!

At age 6, 4 stone and 122cm tall, the NHS bmi calculator states that your Dd is at the 81st centile. This is at the high end of healthy weight. Does she eat healthy food? Is she active everyday? She is average height, so not tall for her age.

My 4 year old is in size 7-8 school trousers He's tall but also very thick with chunky thighs and bum. Every pair of school trousers we tried were skinny fit even if the tag said regular. He could just about get age 5-6 on, but then couldn't bend down without the back sliding down and showing his underwear. I don't think formal children's clothes are cut very well as children need to bend and stretch even in smart clothing.

I have two girls… my oldest is 8 but tiny and wears clothes in 5-6 or 7-8. My second is 6 but tall, and wears clothes in 7-8.
My oldest was small at birth, a small toddler, a small child and is still small.
My second was much bigger at birth, stayed on the same centile throughout babyhood and toddlerhood, and is still bigger than average at 6 (still has a healthy BMI). Both fed the same diet, both do the same amount of exercise. It’s just the way they are!