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Behaviour/development

Talk to others about child development and behaviour stages here. You can find more information on our development calendar.

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Original poster

Calling parents of Seriously Skinny Kids!

72 replies

MamaG · 06/02/2009 12:31

DS1 is SO skinny. He put on a pair of pants the other day size 18-24 months and they fit him - he'll be 5 next month. You can clearly see all his vertebrae and his ribs, his arms are thinner than BabyG's arms (he's 13 weeks old!) and his face just looks gaunt.

However - he eats like a horse, almost adult sized portions and snacks in between. I have had him checked over and he's healthy but I do fret about his skinniness.

I know I'm not alone

OP posts:

Are your children’s vaccines up to date?

Set a reminder

mrsdisorganised · 07/02/2009 11:32

Sorry for the hi-jack but....

DD2 is very skinny and has stopped growing, she's nearly 7....very worried but don't want to make a huge thing out of it. She was diagnosed Coeliac about 3 years ago and has been on a gf diet, although she is still getting 'sore tummies' and looks like a panda eyed ghost.....

Anyone with any further experience of getting children to eat would be good!

LIZS · 07/02/2009 11:46

I've also got skinny kids - dd doesn't even register in the Underweight zone on wiifit !

CrackerNut · 07/02/2009 11:48

Dd1 is tall and skinny and eats like a horse.

I was looking at prom dresses for her on ebay yesterday and according to her measurements she need s a dress for a 6 yr old. She is 11.

plus3 · 07/02/2009 11:49

actually just did the BMI chart and is on the 37th percentile, BMI 15 therefore healthy!....the blue in the pool still freaks me out though!

CarGirl · 07/02/2009 12:04

dd2 & dd4 are my skinny ones, it's bad enough getting trousers & skirts for dd2 but dd4 is even slimer for her height - I try not to despair.

dd2 is always "a little bit hungry" and can eat volumes and volumes of food.

Original poster

MamaG · 07/02/2009 13:09

Argh just did that BMI thing on skinny DS1

Based on the height and weight entered, the BMI is 12.1 , placing the BMI-for-age below the 1st percentile for boys aged 4 years 11 months. This child is underweight and should be seen by a healthcare provider for further assessment to determine possible causes of underweight.

OP posts:

Original poster

MamaG · 07/02/2009 13:12

I really shouldn't hav done that

OP posts:

giantkatestacks · 07/02/2009 13:31

hmm am not going to do that BMI thing.

What are you going to do - its not like you can feed him anymore or stop him running around - as someone else said, better this than the other way...

Miggsie · 07/02/2009 13:33

DD is skinny, eats loads, bags of energy, she swims, horse rides, does dance so you can see these fantastic muscles up her back and really well shaped legs...just thin!
She has worn the same ballet leotard for over 2 years, it was massive, now it nearly fits, and it's the smallest size...I use adjustable waistband trousers all the time, I just take them to the smallest size, and she wears them 2 years and I don't need to adjust them...
DH says he was skinny when young. It's just her body shape...she was a plump baby but then the weight went away...

cakesaregood · 10/02/2009 00:34

My DS1 is a rake too, and DS2 is the same width (?) as him.

The good thing is that I only ever have to take out one spare pair of trousers (they just look like shorts on DS1).

The real problem is that as far as babies are concerned chubby is good!

That statement may not be true, but it's what our grans believed and that has rubbed off on us in some shape or form.

And we're programmed to worry...

Phoenix4725 · 10/02/2009 06:45

i have skinny and dd and ds and 2 more well rounded , dd being small and skinny but dd being tall and skinny, but have to say try next for trousers find there trouserss seem be slimmer fit , dd is plesed becuse can fit in 4-5 there shes 6 but elsewhere we buy 3-4 nd they have room to grow

Frasersmum123 · 10/02/2009 15:02

My DS 1 is very skinny - has 'twig' arms and 'Sparrow legs'. You can feel all of his bones and see his ribs too. He is 8 next month and still in 6 year old trousers, pulled in as tight as the elastic bands will go and he still has to wear a belt.

He too eats like a horse, and wouldnt stop if it was up to him. Im just jealous though!

DS2 takes after me!He is a chunky monkey

steviesgirl · 12/02/2009 02:57

My 2.9 yr old dd is very skinny as well. Sometimes it concerns me, but she is happy and full of energy so she obviously eats enough.

She is just above average for height so she's growing fine. She weighs 26lb which I guess isn't very alarming for her age. She was 6 weeks prem and only weighed 4lb 7 at birth. She eats 3 meals a day and some snacks, so I've come to the conclusion that it's just the way she is.

TheInvisibleManDidIt · 12/02/2009 03:24

Both my ds's are wee skinny things (but incredibly gorgeous ).

Ds1 has just had some tests done as he is very small for his age- they think his bone age is possibly younger than his real age. I'm still a bit confused by this but we're back at hospital start of next month to get test results so we'll see.

They're both very active, happy, boys, and they eat loads.

nooka · 12/02/2009 06:37

I have a skinny ds too. He's coming up 10, and has always been thin, with nobbly knees and elbows, ribs all sticking out and vertebrae too. He has a huge amount of energy and eats like a horse. The only thing we have to watch out for is that he runs out of energy quite easily, and he can get cold with no fat on him. He is also very pale (like me) and when he goes blue it is quite interesting! We just have to make sure he eats regularly and take snacks when swimming (or stick him under the shower every now and then). Being quite tall makes the skinniness more extreme looking I think too. But he is very healthy, and quite strong (he has a good six pack for example) and both dh and I were thin as children, so it's obviously genetic. dd is very tall but slightly more stocky, she just looks two or three years older than she really is. Both children had health checks last year (it is a requirement for US schools) and the doctor was delighted with them

We had to watch our language with him. I used to call him "skinnybinny" and then realised it was probably a bad idea. On the whole he is quite pleased with his shape (good for getting under things he told me, and he delights in his trousers falling off) but every now and then he gets self conscious "I'm all skin and bones". He is quite uncomfortable to have on your lap at times!

I think I would only worry if they were often tired or lacked energy, appeared depressed or were frequently ill.

Gemzooks · 12/02/2009 13:58

oh God, I was this kid! Other mothers used to give my mum accusing looks because my legs were so thin, they really thought she couldn't be feeding me! Also teachers kept wanting to talk to me about whether I was eating enough, had eating disorder etc.. I ate loads but was just very very thin.. nothing you can do about it! My mum fed me a lot of fatty, sugary foods to compensate, but I don't think that was terribly good for me..

PussyNoMore · 12/02/2009 22:04

I have one of those! DS 9 is so skinny it scares me. Seriously.

sundew · 12/02/2009 22:21

I have a really small, skinny dd1 (I do feed her honest)- who despite doing 5 hours of gymnastics every week and being incredibly strong and far fitter than I could ever dream of being still looks really thin. DD2 on the other hand is normal height and 'normal' weight.

I really struggle to find trousers for dd1 which are the right length but fit round the waist - they are normally much too big. Any suggestions please let me know.

suwoo · 12/02/2009 22:25

DD is a skinny malink too. She is 7 and weighs 2 stone 13 and can fit in all DS's 12-18 months trousers

sweetkitty · 12/02/2009 22:37

DD1 is 18 months older than DD2 and a pound heavier.

I got the same message mamaG, that she is underweight and should see a HCP

morningsun · 12/02/2009 23:36

i hate to be negative but my dd was very thin and petite did not think too much of it, but she was diagnosed with crohns disease later at 14 and its quite a silent ,under diagnosed disease in children .She ate like a horse too,still does but keep an eye on the growth charts that they are not underweight which might need investigation,and look out for bowel symptoms.

nooka · 13/02/2009 02:16

If you are worried do get an opinion from a healthcare professional. Even if all they do is reassure you, it is nice to know that everything is OK. Oh and it makes a nice change for the doctor who sees a lot of overweight children (at lest that's what our NYC doctor said). It is also worth thinking about what the family genes are like, and whether the skinniness is a new thing. We try and make sure ds has lots of protein (not hard with him!) and gets lots of exercise, as I don't want him to be self conscious, and it will probably be easier (as well as healthier) for him to grow muscles than fat.

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