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Original poster

Can a 6mo be fat?

26 replies

ManchesterMummy · 25/04/2008 10:50

I ask as my mother has described my dd as such. I'm really with her. DD is 6.5mo and is on the 75th centile for both weight and length. But her thighs are these lovely, squishy, chubby things and mum's commenting on it now. I have major hang-upd about my own weight thanks to my mother and I'm now worried that dd's fat.

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sleepycat · 25/04/2008 10:51

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Dynamicnanny · 25/04/2008 10:54

She's not fat xx She's a baby

Original poster
ManchesterMummy · 25/04/2008 10:56

See, thing is she keeps doing this - little comments that make me paranoid!

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sleepycat · 25/04/2008 10:58

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Original poster
ManchesterMummy · 25/04/2008 11:00

That's what I'm worried about - my mum told me I was fat when i was little and I a) don't want her to come out with the same things to dd when she can understand and b) would like dd to have a healthy body image.

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sleepycat · 25/04/2008 11:01

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Original poster
ManchesterMummy · 25/04/2008 11:04

But surely too dd will slim down when she's more active?

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oxfordmcboing · 25/04/2008 11:08

does your mother have her own issues with her weight?, her comments are perhaps thoughtless and may seem more hurtful because your lo is a girl. my second baby is a boy and has always been huge, (length and girth) and i've never seen cellulite like it before and people always comment on the size of him...thing is he doesn't have rolls of fat round his neck etc...he just looks really solid. i've never been to concerned...he doesn't eat any processed type foods so hes growing fast through excellent nurishment....although i was a bit embarrassed when he spent most of the first year off the chart. thing is you are an adult now and your mother has NO control over you, so you could and should say that comments like that are unhelpful and unneccessary

Sunshinemummy · 25/04/2008 11:10

Agreed MM. Most babies go through that chubby, bite their thighs, stage before they start moving around and then gradually get leaner over the next year or so. I think it's a lovely phase of development.

TillyScoutsmum · 25/04/2008 11:12

Tell you mother she is NOT fat. She's a healthy, bouncing baby

My dd was on 97th centile for height and weight (and still is) and my mum made similar comments

oxfordmcboing · 25/04/2008 11:14

he was 10lb 8oz when born and has never looked back...75th centile is not fat!!!! imsgine hv looking at you going hmmmm the dot should be somewhere on the table.....at 11months he weighed the same as an average 2 yr old (ie 50th centile) his big brother is nearly four and there is only 3kg between them..and lo is now 14months and does eat the same as his big brother...but it is all rather healthy things so i'm not going to restrict his intake

Original poster
ManchesterMummy · 25/04/2008 11:14

She has issues about MY weight. The only time she's been happy about it was when I was in my early 20s and frankly too skinny.

I don't think we're overfeeding her. She's ff now but was mixed fed until three weeks ago. Has around 28oz of formula a day and a few spoons of food at breakfast and lunch. FYI, she also thinks we're weaning wrong as we should have started with sweet stuff, be offering baby rice and not giving her toast soldiers for breakfast!

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Habbibu · 25/04/2008 11:16

That is just ridiculous - she's in proportion, ffs! dd was 99.6th centile for height and weight - starting dropping down a bit as she became more active. But you are right - it's important you nip this in the bud and have a very strong word with your mother.

TillyScoutsmum · 25/04/2008 11:18

You're not overfeeding her - babies are pretty good at letting you know when they've had enough. If she doesn't need the food/milk, she'll not take it

There'll probably be days in the future (if dd is teething/has a cold etc) where she will hardly eat/drink. Its great having a bigger baby because you don't tend to worry as much when they go through these "phases"

VacantlyPretty · 25/04/2008 11:20

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Meandmyjoe · 25/04/2008 11:22

That is silly, all babies have chubby legs! Or at least all the ones I know have! My ds is on the 98th centile for height and weight which means he's big but not fat or overweight. She sounds perfectly in proportion. When she gets crawling and walking her little legs will slim off and become more toned. Don't worry, she's fine and certainly NOT fat!

VictorianSqualor · 25/04/2008 11:35

Baies can be overweight, but it's not very likely she is and as everyone says chunky thighs are the norm.
If you're worried ask your HV/GP that way you'll be able to tell your mother that you've had a professional opnion and she isnt overweiht so can she kindly STFU.

Tapster · 25/04/2008 14:55

I had this DD born on 91st percentile and remained until she was one - I had so many comments, she was BF and had hardly any solids until she was 13 months as she wasn't interested. MIL etc.. all told me to stop BF her so often -sigh sigh sigh. Ignore them, I have read its the shape that they are at 2 years old that will probably stay with them, but who knows. I was a very tall and sometimes a bit chubby as a child. I am now only 5ft (same height I was at 11) and weight 8 stone.

pinata · 25/04/2008 15:09

so annoying when people make comments like this about babies - i was on here a couple of weeks ago about HV's shock and awe that 4.5mo DD is on the 98th centile for weight and started banging on about her having heart problems in the future.

DD is completely in proportion so i asked the stupid woman to measure her and she refused - i left almost in tears, so i know how you feel

however, thanks to helpful MN someone very kindly supplied a link to the world health organisation height for weight charts (www.who.int/childgrowth/standards/cht_wfl_girls_p_0_2.pdf here), which IMO are how babies should be measured. On here DD is completely average weight for her height and on the 50th centile

take a look - it will hopefully reassure you and give you some ammunition next time people try and stick their beaks in.

pinata · 25/04/2008 15:12

herr herrrm... with link done correctly this time

so annoying when people make comments like this about babies - i was on here a couple of weeks ago about HV's shock and awe that 4.5mo DD is on the 98th centile for weight

and started banging on about her having heart problems in the future.

DD is completely in proportion so i asked the stupid woman to measure her and she refused - i left almost in tears, so i know how you feel

however, thanks to helpful MN someone very kindly supplied a link to the world health organisation height for weight charts here, which IMO are how babies should be measured. On here DD is completely average weight for her height and on the 50th centile

take a look - it will hopefully reassure you and give you some ammunition next time people try and stick their beaks in.

intravenouscoffee · 25/04/2008 15:16

Lovely little chunky thighs being considered fat? Has the world gone totally mad? A baby is only fat if it's flying off the chart and then there's quite often a good reason for it. Babies should be as podgy as possible at this age. My DD is a little barrel and I couldn't be more thrilled. I'd much rather have a bouncing baby than panic about them not gaining weight as one of my friends has to. Ignore your mum. She's talking nonsense and as many have said seems to have issues of her own.

BouncingTurtle · 25/04/2008 15:25

Babies are supposed to be chubby! That's what makes them so lovely to cuddle. I love ds's chubby arms and legs and to me it is a sign of a well fed, healthy baby!
Growth charts her

MindingMum · 25/04/2008 16:19

My MIL said the same about my DD2 at six months and she was exclusively BF!

I'm a size 24 and she said I obviously had high fat milk!!! (yes, she's always been an intellectual )

lotuseener · 25/04/2008 21:01

My baby was very big! He weighed 18 pounds at 3.5 months old and my stupid cow of a mother in law actually told my husband to tell me to stop breast feeding him so much because he was too fat!!!! How can a baby be too fat??? She really wanted me to put him on a diet!!!

It was her obsession for months, every week when she'd ring she wanted to know how much the baby weighed. Finally when he was six months old my husband told her to stop obsessing over the baby's weight in a rather stern way.

Now she obsesses about my weight, which has always disgusted her!

Sorry to hi-jack.....

oxfordmcboing · 25/04/2008 21:29

lotuseener..i hope your dh tells her to naff off in no uncertain terms about your weight