Crap. Dd is "extremely overweight"

[Allisgood1]

Off the back of another thread I weighed and measured dd (3.0) today. She's 89cm and 15kg. According to the NHS calculator she's in the red, "extremely overweight".

Now I know you have to look at diet and portion sizes, but dd is currently doing that thing that three year olds do and not eating.

For example:
Today:
Breakfast: 1/2 scrambled egg
Snack: breadsticks and apple (water) at nursery
Lunch: 1/2 peanut butter sandwich and organix carrot stix
Dinner: 1 homemade chicken tender and 3 pieces of red pepper.

She did have a treat of two celebrations today.

This was a typical day. She doesn't get treats everyday. She drinks 1/4 fruit juice (not squash) to 3/4 water. She usually doesn't eat dinner because she refuses and has maybe 1/2 apple. She doesn't eat "normal" crisps. Snack at home is usually a naked bar.

What do I do? The child barely eats, although this is a rather new development. Do I go to GP or wait and see if she evens out? How do I cut anything "bad" out of her diet when she's currently being so bloody picky??

You can't cut down if she isn't eating much, so you need to increase exercise, instead.

Your GP might be able to help, too, but the advice will be the same really.

Are you sure she is age 3 only 80 something centimetres?

Yes, I'm going to increase exercise. When the weather was nice we walked the school run and went to the park. Now it's crap we drive and no park. I'm taking her to soft play once a week and nursery twice a week. From Jan will be nursery 3 times a week and will try signing her up to gymnastics or something.

Perhaps she is due to shoot up - dd used to get a little big pre growing but this is pretty heavy for her height. Food is tiny so unless she isn't getting any exercise I'd go to the GP.

Dd is 4 107 cm and 34lbs - today she ate savoury pancake and banana for bf, fruit for morning break, cheese roll and cake for lunch, wrap with soft cheese as a snack after school, kinder bar, pasta, 2 rich tea biscuits and a slice of toast. Lunch is school lunch.

She ran around at school but also goes to dance/ swimming with us or karate every night.

Agree look at exercise not food x

is that huge? my 2.5yo is maybe 14kg or so and about the same height. she looks like a skinny rake and is fine in her red book -or was a few months ago--

I second comment above re her height. Are you sure you've got that right? DD is just 3, still in 2-3 clothes and is 98cm. I wouldn't have said she is tall for her age either.

A few cm can make a big difference to a child being normal or overweight.

My first thought is that she's really not very tall rather than that she is very heavy.

I haven't got a growth chart to hand but 89cm is def towards the bottom of the chart.

I don't want to alarm you but one of the things to consider if a child is short and overweight is hypothyroidism (under active thyroid). Typically young children who are overweight are tall as the extra nutrition drives vertical growth first so your dd is a little unusual. I would double check your measurements then take her to your GP.

I measured her with a normal (DIY) tape measure. That could well be the problem. She isn't short compared to her peers so perhaps I've got it wrong.

She is not overly heavy- dd is 2.4, average height (just gone into 2-3 clothes) and got weighed last week and is 16.2kg!

Are you sure you measured her height correctly? My very small 4 yr old (much smaller than peers and in age 3 clothes) is 1m tall and would have been at least 95 cm at 3. He weighs 15kg and is skinny.

Checked the charts, 89 cm is 2nd centile for 3 yrs, 15 kg is above 25th centile so some discrepancy. I'd recheck the height if you think she's not the tiny end of the scale. Maybe go see the HV and get her properly weighed and measured?

To measure her height, get her to stand next to a wall with her feet against the wall. Get a ruler, and slide it over the top of her head, so it is touching the wall. It should be perpendicular to the wall. She can walk away, then, but you must keep the ruler in place. Make a mark next to the ruler. Measure from the floor to the mark with a tape measure.

Go on looks. A three year old is podgey but does she look obviously overweight?

If she is eating well, I wouldn't stress. My podgey 3 year old is now a tall slim 12 year old. She is still heavier than many girls but when I look at her she has really muscly calves, broad shoulders etc. she has grown into her natural frame.

No she diesnt lol obviously overweight. She's chunky but not worryingly so. Will re-measure tomorrow.

*doesnt look. Damn autocorrect.

Sorry to put you on the spot but why are you feeding your kid processed junk several times a day?Why give her crisps/organic stick/naked bars on top of fruit juice which is a big sugar hit. Even the breadsticks will be white refined wheat with little nutrition.

If she's eating little of her main meal, drop the snacks completely. If you have to snack feed her oatcakes, veg sticks with homous, home popped pop corn, nuts.

The child is obviously eating more then enough as otherwise she'd be thin or an average normal weight.

Get her properly weighed and measured by your HV or GP before panicking.

I think you've misread something - 25th centile is nowhere near red zone for overweight, are you sure you were looking at the right chart? I recently panicked thinking dd was off the scale for weight and I was reading the old 0-12months chart!

Nice supportive post Pelican

Definitely remeasure as 89 cm does seem small. I use a cereal box, upright but sideways on to the wall iyswim, then if you lightly rest the bottom of it on the top of her head, but the (thinner long) side is against the wall, you know it is perpendicular. Get her to 'duck out' from under the box once in position, and put a pencil mark on wall.

I think her diet and quantities seem fine.

Use the charts on this page www.rcpch.ac.uk/growthcharts

WHO evidenced based charts which are in the red books.

If you go to your GP there will be a set of scales and measure available but as your DD is under five I would honestly just make an appointment to see the health visitor before you change her diet.

How does she look? Is she in proportion? Is she energetic?

I gave up on the charts a long time ago. A lot of 2/3 year olds are stocky and then they thin out.

One of my children is skinny (age 5) and eats way more than the chunkier 2 year old (who is slimming out and 90th centile for weight). They both look in proportion and well so I don't worry about it.

Remeasured. She's 94cm not 89!