9mo dd has been referred to a dietitian...

[mama2mooandbabymoo]

Because she weighs 23lb 7oz.

We see a paed because she had a flat head when she was younger. This is now fine.

He has also found that she has a heart murmur.

But, because she is big he has referred us. Her diet is -

8oz bottle of Cow and Gate follow on milk
Breakfast some days - Small bowl of baby porridge (if she wakes late she wont have breakfast)
Lunch - 7mo Hipp jar and fruit pot. Maybe a few Hipp carrot crisps
Tea - 7mo Hipp jar and yogurt
8oz bottle before bed.

She is crawling.

I know I should give her fresh food but with a toddler and a part time job I just dont have the time to cook.

Any thoughts or advice?

Her diet doesnt seem excessive at all and I've noted that the baby jars are quite lowish in calories. Where is DD on the centile charts, is she very tall and in proportion. To feed her any less would be starvation especially as she's crawling.

She should be eating what you and your toddler are eating- why do feel you need to cook separately for her?

OTOH it doesn't seem like that much calorie-wise. Was she always following the same centile?

Just had a look and she's on the 97th percentile. How tall is she? If she's tall, I wouldn't worry, in fact I would't bother going to the dietetician.

what does your toddler eat? surely the baby should be eating the same as the toddler? (maybe a bit less but the same stuff)

If her height and weight are both at the top of the charts then there will be nothing to worry about as she will be in proportion but if they are disproportionate then no harm in going to see the dietitian.

I appreciate with a toddler and a p/t job you are busy but why can't your 9 month old eat what you and your toddler eat? By 9 months they can eat most things.

She is 73cm.

If I cook a cottage pie or veg etc then dd2 will have some mashed down but its always the same amount of a jar IYSWIM.

She was 8lb 13oz at birth so was on the 75th centile. She has jumped up recently.

Will they check for thyroid problems? I cant see how I can change her diet without her being hungry.

my ds was 21 lbs at 5 months so was probably much heavier than yours by 9 months. You couldnt put a baby on a diet anyway. She doesnt sound like she overeats and she isnt taking that much milk either.

She's between 75 and 90 percentile, it seems- hmm, maybe a bit chubby then? Not extremely, though.

Maybe it wouldn't hurt to check for other stuff- I don't see how what you're feeding her is too much, tbh.

You might find that this is pre-emptive. It could be that your DD is one of these children that puts on the weight - has a growth spurt, then puts on weight , has a growth spurt. If they go through what you are giving your DD now, then in 6 months check her weight/height centiles again and she has grown you will probably get discharged anyway. If not, they are there to help.
I waited 2 years for my DS to get a dietician's appointment, during which time his weight and height fell from 95 - just above 50. I would have bitten their hand off to have got on their books before this happened.
They would not keep you on the books for any longer than they thought appropriate - if at all.

My DS was a pound heavier than your DD when he was seven months, OP, and he's now eight months and still gaining I think. He's also hardly having any solids because we are doing throwing food on the floor baby-led weaning. He's breastfed on demand so not sure how many ounces he's having, but my health visitor says he's within the normal range (ie not off-the-chart chubby).

So I'm not sure why your DD's diet is an issue. It doesn't seem like she has an excessive amount of milk or food.

Still, as others have said - worth having her checked to make sure everything is ok. It does sound as if she's just had a growth spurt. Please don't worry too much.

I think people are just suggesting that it would just be better for your dd and less expensive too if you just fed the children the same thing.

The dietician is probably for you, to teach you how to feed your child, other than jars.

My ds was born 10lb6 and is 25.5lb now at ten months. He is bloody huge. In 18-24 month clothes. On 98th centile. I know he is big but he eats the best foods (but I don't limit amounts, I let him him eat as much as he wants). I would rather big than being worried they aren't gaining weight.

Maybe you should have it checked out though as my ds eats an awful lot more than your baby. It'll put your mind at rest

Quint Not nice... the poor mum is worried about a baby with a heart problem. It's not fair to make that sort of comment.
mama All sorts of things can affect weight and a lot of chubby babies shoot up and even out (the growth spurt comment is very apt), you are certainly not overfeeding DD. Family build, medical history etc are all factors which affect weight.

Thanks all. Its good to know that its not unusual for babies to be 'bigger' then average!

She has fresh food when I get the chance to make it. Usually 3/4 meals a week but not for every meal.

She has just had a massive growth spurt. Maybe I will take her the baby clinic for the next few weeks for a weekly weigh in.

She isnt fat at all but chubby. Im very interested to see what the dietician says. The paed said she should be having 5 meals a day at her age?

Ds1 was around that weight when he was 9 months old. When we had his 8 month health check the HV raised an eyebrow when she discovered his weight was on the 99th centile but then she measured him and found that his height was also on the 99th centile.

When I look back at photos he was very chubby, much bigger than ds2 is although I fed them both the same.

Ds1 is now 6 and he is a skinny little thing (under the 50th centile for weight) still eats well but is very active and seems to have a fast metabolism.

The paed is most likely referring your dd as according to the centile charts she is higher than the 'average', this does not mean she is necessarily overweight.

Her diet does not look excessive, in fact she probably eats the same amount as my 9 month old. The majority of jar foods are perfectly acceptable these days so i wouldn't worry about that.

The dietitian will most likely just look at her weight on the centile charts and her dietary intake including quantities. So it is a good idea to take along a detailed food diary if you can. A baby should be having 3 meals a day (baby size) like us and a couple of healthy snacks. Babies never get put on diets unless its for a specific medical condition.

I would not be worried though as at this age babies often grow into their weight. its just good that you are aware of it.

Hope it goes well.

Gosh my dd was that weight at 6 months.

But it's never a bad thing is it. If there's nothing wrong then nothing to lose, if there is a question mark then you've been appropriately referred. Just use it as an opportunity.

My dd was at the top of the charts for weight and height but weight was slightly higher (only marginally) until she was more active.

Sorry if I've missed something, but why is she having follow-on milk at 9mo? Wouldn't normal formula be fine?

Obviously there's nothing wrong with jarred foods (DS wouldn't eat anything else at that age) they're just bloody expensive is all :)