To think my toddler isn't fat but wellies don't fit him!

[OriginalUsername3]

DS is 16 months old. He's always been a beefy boy, built like a rugby player.

I cant get bloody wellies on him! I don't buy him stiff clothes so I haven't noticed it with his clothes. He has extra wide feet.

I guess I'm asking 2 things.
1 if standard wellies don't fit is he too fat, I've always thought they all come in their own sizes and all that but it doesn't seem like anyone makes wellies that fit over his calves!

1. Does anyone know of good brands for wellies for wide calves?

Baby bogs are great wellies - they are neoprene rather than rubber so a bit more flexible and they have velcro fastenings too. They are also much warmer than normal wellies.

At 11 months old I needed to buy wellies for chubby DD. She couldn't walk in wellies, so I bought waterproof ankle boots from Ricosta instead

I bought ankle wellies from Jojo Maman Bebe for my DD as she had calves like tree trunks. She's 3 now and fits normal wellies fine!

Boggs are the ones to go for.

Kindly, “beefy” sounds like a euphemism for overweight. Toddlers aren’t meant to be built like rugby players. But obviously I haven’t met him—have any health care practitioners expressed any concerns?

A 16 month old shouldn't be "beefy". And I say this as my now 4 year old was chubby until he was 2, mostly because he didn't walk til then.

I would say #1 is more a question about weight and diet. How much does he actually weigh? How tall is he? I have to agree with @OverCCCs ; the signifiers you’re using - “beefy boy,” “built like a rugby player,” “extra wide feet” - could mean that he’s well over the 99th percentile for the weight for his height, if you’re worried about this. If you have tried several brands of wellies and none of them fit around his calves, then I recommend you weigh him. Unfortunately, overweight children do often start as overweight toddlers. This is when they learn eating habits. BUT likewise, it could be that he’s NOT overweight at all for his height, which is why you need to know. Also, please be aware, weight can affect the width of one’s feet. My feet became “extra wide” when I gained a lot of weight whilst on steroids. I came down a full shoe size when I lost it. But also, some people can have very thin, wide feet (usually these are quite easy to spot, though). So there’s just no way for anyone to tell, you included, unless you know his actual weight and height. His age is a bit immaterial for these things (unless you’re worried about huge amounts of growth - if he’s much too tall AND too large for age). Perhaps he’s very tall for a toddler so you need to get him wellies for a child a year older.

But whether he is or isn’t overweight has nothing to do with whether he needs wellies - of course he does - so I’d second the recommendation of Bogs Footwear (Baby Bogs), as they close with Velcro.

Wellies are pretty loose on the calves so if they don't fit I would suggest speaking to your health visitor to find out if they are concerned about his overall height /weight or whether he's carrying excess on his legs. Toddlers aren't meant to be beefy or built like rugby players but because so many are overweight it's been normalised, we no longer see moderately overweight as even fat now (I saw that as someone myself in that category.) get professional help not from us who can't see him

My boy has the other problem - wellies come up massive on his legs. I got him some George Pig wellies from Regatta that have a drawstring on the calf. Maybe that would help you?

It's all very well the concern expressed above about his weight, but you need to find a solution to the welly problem regardless!

We used Stonz which are waterproof but completely flexible soft boots combined with waterproof trousers, as both my late walkers couldn’t walk in wellies for ages.

I found that the brand grass and air wellies fit my chunky boy. Also clarks wide fit wellies

He is probably overweight, just like others say it's now normalised as most are and they are called 'beefy' or 'chunky' instead. Some are lucky and as they grow it evens out, most aren't and remain overweight.

Try the other brands others have suggested. Hopefully they fit him.

Also my son isn't overweight, you can see his muscle tone and feel his ribs and he has leaned out a lot more now he is 3, but he was an early walker so at 10-20 months I struggled with wellies specifically he also has flat feet which makes them wide. He is 99th percentile for height and weight, never had any concerns from dr or hv

And to challenge some of the comments, young toddlers that are high on percentile can mean they are thicker then you would expect as they are wearing 2-3/3-4 clothes at a much younger age and these wellies are made for older toddlers/children so don't fit right. My son was in size 7s at 18 months old

BAIYOU Unisex Baby Wellington... www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B077N25LCV?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

I have a chunky 18 month old with the same issue. These are great. Plus they are lightweight and flexible. They run large though ( he only just fits the size they describe as 4.5 now)

I'll look at the suggestions, thank you! He's followed the 99.6th line for both height and weight since he was born. He was previously on the 95th before being born.

Heath visitors were very adamant that he was fine. No doctors have mentioned any concerns.

He doesn't have fat rolls or folds, never has. And he's bloody strong! Walking from 8 months. My head says he's fine but the welly problem has kinda thrown me off and now i have a niggling doubt in the back of my mind

He's also a size 7, bigger than my niece twice his age.

You've answered your own question calling him beefy 🤷‍♀️

Frugi

Good luck with the suggestions OP. As for those saying a toddler shouldn't be chunky - there are outliers who are, who aren't heading for obesity. One of my DC had legs like tree trunks despite having a thin stomach, hips and no fat elsewhere. I found ankle boots worked better.

DS was always skinny but has a high instep (like me, like my mum....) and just never could get wellies on.

I remember his school used to take them for walks to a nature reserve and had school wellies for the kids (small school), they used to have to put him in ones several sizes too big to get them on and then they wondered why he couldn't walk in them!!

Wet Wednesdays bubble boots are brilliant for wider calves - they also last ages as they have a removable liner that gives an extra shoe size up, and so far haven’t split like all other wellies seem to do after a while.

I have never found wellies that fit me until I bought cut off wellies. I am short of leg and have calves a professional cyclist would be proud of. Some of my family who are farmers cut down their wellies so they are less restrictive. If he is the same weight as height centile don't worry.
This thread will only panic you. It's the same as the size 14 thread. People making assumptions about people's size based on their own limited knowledge.

My nephew was a big baby/toddler, the HV said he was too overweight and there was a bit of consternation/worry. By 4 he had stretched out, now he's 14 years old, 6'2 and extremely lean.

So went to a proper shoe shop today, rather than buying online.

Seems the problem is that his feet are big and he's still only small (for a person, you forget when they're big for their age!). She said they're built different when they're young and they don't actually stock full length wellies below a 7 because they rarely fit. We've got him some shorter ones and they're fine. So not a fat toddler, just feet bigger than his legs 🤣

It actually really got to me the worry and all the comments that he is overweight. I knew I should have followed my own mind that toddlers just come in different shapes and he's fine.

Thanks all! Just wanted to update for anyone else that has the worry.