to be upset about getting a letter telling me my ds is 1lb overweight?

[Redazzy]

My ds (aged 5.5)was weighed and measured at school in March and I got the letter today telling me that he is 1lb overweight. I feel unreasonably upset. I have isshoos with weight myself and really ensure that my children eat healthily and are active. Ds is very slim and does not look overweight. I have told a few people this morning about the letter and they were horrified that he could be called overweight.

Please tell me I am being unreasonable and help me get some perspective on this. Or indeed, tell me what I should be doing (if anything) to help.

If people don't want their children labelled as underweight or overweight, then why sign the consent form?

Having said that, I didn't sign and they weighed my DS anyway.

ROFL at a child being described as 300g overweight!

and I thought the OP's one about 1lb overweight was mad!

Actually yes keep the letter as a souvenir, it will be considered hilarious in half a century.

Like those Mother's Union membership certificate, where you didn't actually have to be a mother to join, you just had to be married. (You couldn't join if you were an unwed mother and therefore not a "proper" one.) These sort of anachronisms will be extremely amusing for your DS's grandchildren.

redazzy dont know if someone has mentioned this, but childrens growing patterns mean they put alot on then suddenly grow upwards.
so he can be 1lb over weight this week, but next week he may gain an inch?

my school always told my parents i was severly underweight, however now the charts have changed and i would have been mearly skinny rather then worryingly underweight.

try not to worry too much, just keep an eye on him, if he weighs 4lb over weight in a month then maybe address the diet. in a month he may have grown and be in the middle of the percentile and not be overweight at all!!!

DD aged 11 yr 6 was weighed and measured in April and we had a letter from the NHS today giving us her height and weight and BMI. Her BMI is on 47th centile which is healthy.

The letter says the healthy range for BMI is from the 2nd to the 91st centile. Only above the 91st centile is considered overweight.

Not read all the posts, but can I just point out that BMI is rubbish.

It's just not a very good ratio as it totally disregards body type and waist size.

Good, that's done then.

The thing is you see that studies have shown that the parents are the last to spot that their child is on the cuddly side. I suspect that what this initiative is trying to do is arrest weight issues before they become huge (no pun intended). A 1lb excess at 5 may seem trivial, but if unchecked could mean he is many more stones overweight by age 15. This doesn't mean to say that as a concerned parent you would not do anything about it, but they are trying to make sure people are aware of their child's potential issues before they become too hard to manage easily.

Redazzy- re children and BMI. A primary school child should not have a BMI above 17. What is normal at age 20 (ie a BMI of around 18-24) would be very overweight in a primary school child. I shall try to find the links I tracked down some time ago about that.

oh and those damn charts... the thing about averages is that NOT EVERYONE IS AVERAGE! There is usually spread across the range that's why it's a range.

Someone has to be at the top and someone at the bottom for there to be a middle.

the charts are a range, it is if you go outside that range that it is flagged up ie
the range was 2nd to 91st centile which is a huge range of about 3 stone in DD's case for her age and height

that should of said
the range that was considered healthy was 2nd centile to 91st centile

actually
that should have said not of

It's not a nice thing to confront, and I hate the whole nanny state thing but we do need to recognise that obesity is a real problem now. DD2 weighed in as the maximum healthy weight for her age and height, and I know she eats loads - not junk but she loves her dinners and seems like a bottomless pit. It has alerted me to monitor her eating habits a bit more closely and guide her more in choosing healthy foods and playing outside more. Instead of being outraged it made me examine all of our habits regarding exercise and food and has had a positive effect. I was amazed at how quickly she adapted to a new routine of outdoor activity and fewer snacks - she never seemed to miss any of it. If your DH is slim and active, I really wouldn't worry, some people just weigh heavy.

Sorry, just realised that sounded patronising. I meant that many people can be deceptively heavier than appearance would suggest. It doesn't mean anything - health is the only issue worth bothering about where weight is concerned. If you're healthy it doesn't matter what you weigh.

Aren't percentiles for children's BMI more meaningful than using raw BMI scores, or can BMI %tiles be quite deficient measures, too?

The govt. has a public health duty to try to do something about both monitoring child obesity and trying to warn parents of at-risk children.

Bruffin, I'm glad you made your point, too, about ranges (although I don't think anybody wants to hear it).

Razzy, I'm sorry I YABU'd you now I realise that you were worried rather than indignant.

The children's BMI obesity threshold at 95th percentile is a reasonably accurate assessment for DS (who looks and is a nudge on the tubby side).

Maybe they measured him wrong and he's actually an inch or so taller. . Seriously though,these letters are computer generated using set parameters (hence the letters saying you owe tax man 7p). Nobody actually monitors them before they are sent out. Don't worry .

Sorry-should that be inch or so SHORTER-hence the overweight for height. Sorry-head is all over the place tonight .

Redazzy YANBU. This letter is completely pathetic - it sounds as if it is designed to make a mother doubt herself. Ignore it.

tearinghairout have you actually seen the letter ie assume it is the NHS National Child Measurement Programme one. Everyone whose child is weighed and measured under the scheme gets it whether their child is overweight or not.
It basically tells you
Date Measured
DOB
Height
Weight
and Percentile for BMI

In my case it says that she is a healthy weight for age,height and sex and points out that the healthy range is between 5st5lb - 8st 3lb.

I assume if the letter says the OP son is 1lb overweight it is 1lb over the very top limit not just 1lb over the average weight etc.

It is very clear and does nothing to make a mother doubt herself. Everyone gets it whether their child is underweight/overweight or spot on.

I refuse these weight checks too.

A boy in DDs class was crying when queing up to get weighed The girls also went home and weighed themselves in case they were 'fat'. Not healthy.

Do they weigh the children fully clothed? How is that accurate?