Babies on the 90+ centile - your experiences

[sarahloumadam]

My 6 wk bf baby is mahoosive. He currently weighs 13lbs 6. Neither me or his dad are particulary tall or large. He is happy and healthy so I am not complaining but I wondered if his growth will slow down? Any similar experiences? His size was brought home to me yesterday when I went to the first post-natal group and he dwarfed all the other babies, some of whom were much older than him!

DS was a big baby - 12lb 12 oz at birth so off the chart. He stayed "big" but panned out on to the 99.6 line by the end of his first year. But his height followed the same line. He was BF to start with then on to formula. Now at 19 months he's 88 cm, and goodness knows how heavy (too much!). He's not fat in the slightest, if anything quite lean, but obviously very tall - he wears age 2-3 clothes at the moment, his feet are a size 7. It doesn't often bother me but more frequently now people are starting to talk to him and expect him to reply or at least completely understand them - whereas of couse he doesn't even though he is on track developmentally for his age. I often find myself saying "he's only 19 months". I'm 6ft and DH is 6ft 3 so he was never going to be tiny!

Weegle I have to do the same thing even now! People have always assumed he's older than he is!

cornsilk - I'm bracing myself for this battle throughout his childhood. He'll be young for his year but probably the tallest so I think he could struggle with this. Does your son find it hard? I found it hard as a child but wondered if maybe it's more normal and socially acceptable for a boy to be much taller?

My DS was the most tiniest ever in the whole wide world newborn. then at 3 months there was like this massive massive spike on the chart and he grew. and he grew. and he grew. He is now 4 yrs old and the size of a big 6 year old. doesnt help that DH and I are 6' a shot. my DD has picked up a diddy gene, well... average gene. I keep waiting for the spike, but so far it hasnt come.

Not sure there is anything we can do about it, just accept and be happy. xx

We also struggle quite a lot with people thinking DS is older. He isn't quite 3, but looks about 5, and is physically very able for his age - can climb high climbing frames and runs like the wind. He is also a great little talker, but emotionally, he is still a toddler, which can cause problems in the local playground with other parents / children thinking he is a bit silly or rough 'fro his age'. He is the youngest child at nursery, and by far the biggest. I was a very tall child, too, so I am quite aware of the problems it can bring, although it's nothing that can't be overcome.

Ds1 was. He is now 14 years old. He is 5ft 9, as skinny as a beanpole with size 11 feet.

Whenever he wanted picking up, I would say how heavy he was so once he started talking he used to put his arms up and say "I want a heavy"

my dd started out on the 90th and continued along line til 6months (exclusive bf) then gradually dipped down and down til now her weights less than 25th!!!! she is like a little bird, a very bendy little bird.

IME my babies are big bfers so have great round baby cheeks then small solid eaters so they end up tallish and thin.

So your dc may change yet, he's still very tiny and by that I mean young!

My DS was 90th Centile for weight for first two years. Didn't help being under the 50th for height though. He's 3 next month and has dropped to just over 50th Centile for weight now. Reason? I think exercise every day and a good healthy diet. He's just burnt off the baby weight and is now a strong little man!

okies ds1 was 7lbs 11oz at birth, he was 14lbs by 6 wks, he fed from me constantly.
He levelled out and was very very tall also. His height and weight have always been even.
He is now 13 and still in the 90th centile.
Never had any comments aside from how beautiful he is.
He is still gorgeous

All my dd's have been in the 90's on the centile chart!

dd1 is almost 8 and is now slightly below average height and is very slim and healthy.

dd2 is 4 and is below average height and still a chunky little thing

dd3 is 6 months and is between 91st and 98th line (exc BFed)

I'm not concerned about any of my beauties

Yay for chunky monkeys

saffy202, that so made me laugh 'I want a heavy!'

Ds was a big baby and always top of the charts, not so much with weight, but with height. He was born at 9lb 12, at 13 weeks old he was top of the 99.6th chart at 67cm. He is now 3 and looks much older.
When he was around a year old people would chat to him expecting him to be really chatty back because of his height, and he wasn't even talking yet!

My ds2 is on 91st centile. HEs 16wks on Sunday. Now weighs 17lb 140z. But Sarah i dont think even he was so big at 6wks!lol.

My ds was born just under 25th centile and they wanted to induce me for small for dates. Its ironic how big he is now. I keep looking and thinking why is he so massive, im slim and so is his dad. DS looks 6mths old. Everyone keeps asking if he was born big cos of his size.

OH God ive just read that i want a heavy! lol lol

All the kids in my family are mahoosive - 98th percentile, till about two, then they all, without fail, drop down to the 50th percentile. They are all fiendishly tall as well. My daughter is 14 months old and as tall as most three year olds. I'm not tall, my husband isn't even particularly tall. We blame the agrichemicals (we live in the sticks) for our 'high yield' kids

My nephew was a huge baby (born on the 50th percentile then rocketed to the 98th). My sis didn't worry too much cause she was breast feeding so no chance of over feeding.

Now age 8 he is quite (but not excessively) tall for his age and very skinny.

I love big babies! My ds was only 75th centile, but seems one of the biggest now he's 2. My dd is 91st centile for weight and 98th for length and I gotta be honest - it makes me proud! I especially love her thighs!
From mine and friends' experience: 1, big babes crawl later than the skinny ones - more chub to lift off the ground? 2, second babies are often bigger than firsts.
Enjoy cuddling yours!

DD born 2 weeks early on 50th Percentile - rapidly went up the percentiles & has persistently been at or around 99.6 percentile evr since (exclusively bf to 6 months - still bf now at 16 months)

I must admit I have worried about it a little - she is now 13.6kg & hasn't changed for about a month so maybe this is the slow down..

My DD is big too - though now at 2.9 her weight is starting to level off, she is still extremely tall for her age. She is absolutely fine, very bonny and healthy, and very steady on her feet.

I haven't seen the HV for ages, but when DD was younger I was often given the third degree about what I was feeding her, and I don't think they believed me that I was exclusively breastfeeding and not giving her gallons of formula. They don't seem to take height into account, and just assume that if a child is heavy that means that they will become obese. DD isn't fat though, just average build but very tall!

Like LoveAngel we struggle a bit with other parents and children assuming DD is older. She always gravitates towards children the same size as her when we're out and about, they are usually a year or two older than her so are very puzzled by her behaviour and the way she talks! She doesn't understand waiting, or that sometimes other children don't want to play - so I get funny looks from other parents quite often, and I am constantly having to explain that she's only 2.

I do worry about her, especially as she is due to start pre-school next term, but I try and keep it all in perspective - after all, she is healthy and happy, and that is what matters.

Dd was a big baby - 9 lb 13 oz. By 6 mo she was off the charts but still only bf. She has levelled off a bit - but at 2.5 she's stil very big and quite chunky. I'm hoping she will slim down by school. I often see kids a year older who are smaller than dd. Neither dh nor I are very big at all - must have had some enormous ancestor lurking somewhere.

Both my two were big babies ...
DS was 10lbs at birth and stayed big until he was about 3 - he then began to level out. He was a chunky little toddler - lovely to cuddle but now at 8 he is of average height and all ribs/knee caps and elbows. Not weedy skinny though, he is strong with very defined muscles in his legs and arms, rock hard bum and even a sixpack on his belly (he had a toddler tummy until about 5) - if he stays in shape he will be a lady killer at 18 - lol
He is of average height though. Many of his friends are taller than him.
DD was 10lbs 10oz (98th percentile ) and I have to say at nearly 4 is still big but more tall than chubby. She is very tall and strong. She is losing her baby chubbiness but has sturdy legs and arms and towers over the fairy princess types of her age.
I am not bothered - she isn't fat, she is healthy and strong, hardly ever has colds and is the picture of health ...
Although DH and I aren't particularly tall, we aren't short either (he is 6' and I am 5'7") and we both have height in our families (My sister is 5'10", DH's sister is 5'9", my aunt is 5'10" and my grandfather was 6'5") so there was always a chance at least one of my children was going to be tall ...

My son was born 8lb 4oz but 6 weeks he was on 91st centile for weight and 98th centile for height. He has now dropped to 50th centile for weight weighing 19.04 this week. He was a breastfed baby for 5 months, but waking 5 times a night for feeding, so I couldn't cope!! Whereas my daughter (who is now 2yrs 10mths was born 7lb 7oz and was underweight for 7 months only on the 9th centile, which she still is. Her height is average! Totally different builds and the mo .

My 5th was born on the 91st and now at 2 has remained there. She is very big and heavy, tall also.

My other children are 25th -9th centile, but were all at 91st at about 6 weeks then it dropped off..

The baby is a skinny, skinny thing, even though he was well over 8lb at birth.
I too have no idea where her size comes from.

It is a complete novelty to me to have a larger than 'average' child

DS1 stayed around the 91st centile line for height until he was 2 and is now on the 75th centile. Weight was always around the 75th but now is about 50th.

DS2 however is HUGE at 7.5mo. He is 99.6 centile for weight and off the chart for height. He is lots bigger than all similar age babies I have seen and is bigger than most 12- 15 mo.

DH is 6 foot 8 so I never expected my children to be small! I must say I do worry about people teasing DS2 for being so tall when he is older. However DH says I shouldn't worry (how can I know what its like to be tall when I am only 5 foot 8 ) he loves being tall, was never really teased about it though people do comment, that it makes him stand out in a good way etc. What will be will be I guess.

Ds1 was not particularly big when he was born (6lbs 10) but piled the weight on, shot through the centiles, bf like your ds, and remained a chunky toddler - when he was about 3 1/2, to slim down, and I got comments like - "hasn't ds grown into himself" and other euphemisms for "gosh, your baby was fat, but he's not so bad now" . It's his 7th birthday today and he's a little taller than average and a complete string bean. Dd at 4 is still quite toddler shaped, big tummy, strong thighs, and I did worry for a bit as she was quite a chunk compared to her friends. Funnily enough, ds2, who was the biggest at birth (8lbs 1), is tiny and has remained stubbornly on the 30th centile for weight and height since he was about 4 months old. It's quite a change from the other two who were nearly off the chart for weight.

Well my husband was 6 lb born and is now 6'8"!!