dd2 has had another growth spurt and now her hip bones are visable

[misdee]

how do you keep weight ON a child? she is very tll for her age and slim. her stomach looks like she does sit ups, its completely flat. her legs are skinny but solid iykwim. her hips however are jutting out a bit.

she eats well.

on the other hand i have dd1 who is overweight slightly and chunky.

how can i feed dd2 up a bit, jus to get some covering back on her bones, without dd1 getting bothered about her own weight. or will it even out again soon?

[msdemeanor]

Notanotter, I think your ds has a really normal teenage boy body shape! I am sure the girls love him! (I grew up in an era where Nick Cave was the ultimate man )
Misdee - I do think they slim down as they grow upwards, then their weight catches up. It has definitely happened to dd1.

[msdemeanor]

Go on, did you look at my Peter and Jane link? I think he looks like a teen version of that.

[NotAnOtter]

they do look much thinner than modern kids msdemeanor!

ds looks unhealthy his bmi is 15 or 16! he eats TONNES though!

[nooka]

My kids look pretty much look like that. ds is a bit skinnier. I think this is what children should look like to be honest. They should be so busy racing about that they have little fat on them due to burning off energy. All ds's bones stink out (he is quite uncomfy to have on your lap!). My hip bones stick out too though (I carry my weight on my bum).

ds also complains about getting cold at the swimming pool. We just have to keep him stoked up with energy, I don't think in general "feeding up" children is a very good idea.

Tortoiseshell and misdee I can't see that any of the pics of children on your profiles look particularly skinny. Although that pirate cake is fantastic!

[NotAnOtter]

i mean peter and jane pic!

tortoiseshell that cake is IMPRESSIVE

[nooka]

Oh, and we had annual checkups recently (we are in the States where this is more or less compulsory) and the doctor said that she was very pleased to see such healthy children, as so many of the kids she sees are overweight.

[misdee]

nooka, i dont have any recent ones of dd2 atm, those ones were from when she was shorter. about 6months ago.

[nooka]

Sorry yes, I meant Peter and Jane pics too.

[nooka]

Ah, ds has always been skinny, pretty much from babydom. dd was a fat baby and is now nicely proportioned.

[tortoiseshell]

nooka - the pics don't really show the skinniness - ds1 sometimes makes you gasp with his thin-ness. And sometimes he's fine. But as I said above, he is a 'light' build - very narrow shoulders, waist, hips. I think he is underweight, but not unhealthy iyswim.

Putting that another way, he is 7, 25th-50th centile in height, 2nd or so centile in weight, wears age 2-3 shorts/pants, because they are the only ones that fit his bottom. He and his baby brother can share shorts, and ds2 is thin. He goes blue in the swimming pool, blue on a mild day in autumn. If he was lethargic then I would worry, but as he is fairly hyper most of the time, I think he is ok.
Looking at the Peter and Jane link, I think that is really interesting as a 'what kids are like'. Looking at Peter, he is obviously thin, but I think the main difference with ds1 is the build. Ds1 is an altogether narrower build, and is then skinny as well.

nooka - I know what you mean about 'feeding children up ' - in ds1's case we simply try to ensure he has enough calories to stay healthy - he burns them off so quickly as he never sits still - he doesn't watch a huge amount of tv, but even when he does he is doing handstands, cartwheels, climbing on the windowsill. He is never still for a moment! I'm certainly not trying to fatten him - just keeping him healthy! And he is the sort of child who will get ill quickly from not eating - he is a very fussy eater, and has had long spells of vomiting in the morning from hunger.

[tortoiseshell]

and thanks for the comments on the cake!

[Marina]

Interesting thread - agree with all who say that siblings eating the same varied diet can metabolise it very differently
That pic of Peter and Jane is thought-provoking. Ds and dd are both that sort of build, come to think of it. Ds eats like a sparrow, dd like a gannet. He is short for his age, she tall for hers.
And like Msdemeanor, our house enjoys cake and veg, home cooking and the occasional pizza...plenty of good calories available.
Every time I see snaps of your dcs TS I am reminded how gorgeous they are

[tortoiseshell]

marina - you should come and visit us and meet them!

[nooka]

Ah, I can see why the fussy eating would be an additional worry. My ds eats pretty much everything put in front of him - in fact he eats a ton. "I'm hungry" is probably his most frequent phrase. He is also inclined to go blue at the pool unless I keep him moving, or give him something hot to eat every hour or so.

ds only really looks skinny in swimming clothes or shorts (he has fantastically knobbly knees). I don't do centile charts any more, but ds is now lighter than his younger sister (although she is very tall). However both dh and I were skinny at his age, so I think it is just genetically the way he should be. He also never stays still.

[tortoiseshell]

Yes - with a child who is very thin already, you can't really let them 'lose' weight iyswim. Dd is much easier food wise (as is ds2). I think ds1 is genetically a thin, small build child, and as misdee said in the OP, after a growth spurt can look worringly thin - because he is stretched!