Chubby 3 year old.

[Ruby27]

I have a 3 year old daughter who is a little bit chubby (not overweight yet) despite my best efforts of eating very healthily. Most of her is in proportion but she has actual "boobs" which is worrying me. They arent breasts as ive checked for breast bubs, but she looks like a little budda! Her tummy is just normal toddler sized, and she has skinny little legs and a bum. But cute chubby arms and a face. Shes around 3 foot tall and 32 lbs. Its the boobs that are worrying me...it doesnt seem to be very common and i feel a little bit alone? Am i worrying about nothing?

Don't know! However, my DD has always had slight breasts, every since birth. At birth they said this was due to added female hormones from me, they are less distinctive now but she is not very flat like most children. She isn't overweight at all (15kg and 4 years), so maybe our children just don't have flat breasts like some others?
Other than eating healthily are you making sure she is very active?
I'd speak to GP or health visitor but I expect it will be fine, especially if you are giving her a good, balanced diet.

Hi there

Thanks :) Yep shes got a varied diet, very healthy. I very rarely give treats. Shes very active, goes to swimming lessons, kindergym etc. Never stops running around, even if we are just in the house shes jumping around, playing on her scooter or her trike etc.

Its interesting what you say about the added female hormones...no one has ever said that to me!! Im very "busty" (34G) and i had a bra at age 8...so i guess she is going to follow in my footsteps. She maybe (like you daughter) just got some extra female hormones.

thanks :) xx

Have you checked her BMI on the NHS calculator? I just tried her weight and height (guessed at a date of birth) and it does suggest she is overweight.

Maybe portion sizes are the problem if she is active and eats healthily?

Hmmm when i checked her BMI on the nhs one the other day it came up as healthy...but it was at the higher end?? Maybe i was wrong with the 3ft...shes 91cm....?? She seems to be the same height and weight as her nursery friends...well so they said when i asked them!

Funny u should say that about portion sizes....i give her portion sizes out of a childs plate/bowl....the sort you are meant to use. She never gets pudding, only fruit for pudding. Generally blueberries. She doesnt get juice either....only water. Sometimes milk if she wants it. BUT i had noticed grandparents giving her too big portions and spoiling her. Now one set of grandparents has her on a monday...and the other on a wednesday when im at work. Only 2 days...but enough it was bothering me. So i had words with them last week and got greeted with utter denial and "i only give her healthy meals" and i tried to explain its not what they are feeding her...its the size of the portion. Again..denial. So i ended up buying them all a childs bowl and plate and telling them one portion in that bowl. That was it. Now none of them are talking to me but have grudgingly agreed.

If it is their portions that are doing it....im really upset about it. I do everything at home to make sure she eats healthy. Im currently on slimming world and have recently lost almost 4 stone so all meals that are cooked in this house are extremely healthy and she eats what i eat. I dont have sweets or chocolate in the house and its not like she could even sneak food as all the food is in the upper cupboards. Sigh :(

Shes not a fat kid....its the little kid boobs that seem to be the issue here. She still wears age 2-3 clothes. xx

sorry i mean 93cm!!! xx

Sorry, must have put in the details incorrectly before - it does come out as a healthy weight! I wouldn't worry too much about the boobs then, probably just a bit of puppy fat.

It maybe is puppy fat...and she hasnt had a proper growth spurt in ages so it might all just even out. Cant help but worry tho about the little boobies lol. But hopefully tackling the grandparents will help but its very frustrating when you see loads of other kids getting lots of treats, meals out and it doesnt seem to affect them in the slightest...and my daughter cant even have slightly larger portions twice a week without it causing damage! Guess shes inherited my tendancy to gain weight the poor thing!!! xx

A very rough calculation of children of average height for a 3 year old make her 14kg - 30 lbs. So your DD is pretty average, it just seems the weight is not evenly distributed!

The calc I used we used in A&E for sick children too ill to weigh is this...... age + 4 x 2 = Its surprisingly easy and accurate!

Answer in Kg of course!

Everyone's fat is distributed differently.
I've noticed women with enormous bums and stick-thin legs before and some women can be very overweight but still have quite a slim-looking face.

If she's in the healthy range and you are 100% that she is eating healthily and getting plenty of exercise then it doesn't sound like anything to worry about.

Thanks everyone :)

I suppose when shes 16 and big chested like me and her friends are moaning about being flat chested....she will probably thank me. I know i thanked my mother!! Shes my first child and you cant help but worry if something doesnt look quite "Normal". But yes, im sure shes eating very healthily and is always outside running (if you gave her the choice of staying indoors...or going outside....its outside every time!). Shes getting a little scooter in the next couple of weeks and starts pre school after the summer so we will be doing plenty of walking every day up the hill to pre school etc.

Thanks :) xxx