Where am I going wrong? Weight gain

[makingmiracles]

So dd seen by dr for another issue at beg of sept, weight = 3st, she’s not had the most unhealthy diet but resolved to be very mindful of what she’s eating to ensure e it doesnt climb higher (76th height/97th percentile weight) age 3.

So we’ve cut out all puddings(genrally ice poll/yogurt/fruit) and bought a sectioned toddler plate to help with portion size.

So she’s been having bf:porridge or bel vita filled bf biscuit
For nursery she has matchbox size piece of cheese in cubes, a large Chunk of cucumber, a frube, a tiny pot of cheese savouries(crisp/cracker things) And a piece of fruit

Dinner is whatever everyone else is having, so shepards pie and veg, fish fingers, pots and veg, curry and rice, etc I try and limit carb heavy meals to once a week eg rice and pasta.

Drinks are water and extremely diluted squash.

DEspite this, She seems to have gained 3lbs since beg sept.

HELP, where am I going wrong?

The sugar guideline is for added sugar, not natural sugars in fruit (which our bodies process differently as other elements of the fruit soften the sugar hit, like fibre).

Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater. Fruit isn't evil and is a great source of vitamins and fibre.

Ok, so don’t count the sugar in fruit as such?

There's a website www.toddlebox.ie that my friend was recommended after concerns about her toddlers diet. Might be worth a look? It can be really hard to be sure you're doing the right thing.

You should count it , but I’d much rather take my sugar intake from fruit than processed foods. I think though your DDs diet just needs a few tweaks so don’t worry ...who eats a perfect diet?!

If your GP is concerned can you ask to see a dietitian?

You want the weight to slowly normalize, so to slowly come back to similar percentiles not for her to loose weight, she is tall so she will weigh more! If you're just looking at weight it doesn't work well. Have you put the measurements into nhs bmi calculator? It does it for children and does some compensation for weight and height.

My DC was a little over weight up to being 5 years but we encouraged sports clubs, swimming and not too many sweet snacks and now he is a normal weight for his height. He's quite muscular and has a big frame but over the last year you can see more muscle definition in his abdomen and you can see his ribs, so I think he is right for his frame if you can see what I mean. He will never be a skinny child but I think he's not built that way.

Does she look a lot fatter than other children at nursery?

Try not to worry too much, give her some sports clubs/swimmimg to do and make sure she doesn't eat too much sweet snacks etc and she should come more in line. Do check her BMI.

For single portions of porridge I find the microwave is great - one small measure of oats and two of milk in a bowl, microwave for 3mins, chuck in some frozen blueberries (they defrost in the porridge and cool it down at the same time) and leave to stand for a minute or two. I also put frozen fruit and natural yogurt into a pot and it thaws by lunchtime - cheaper and healthier than buying fruit yogurt. As PP have said don't worry about sugar in fruit but watch hidden/refined sugar like a hawk!

What about little egg muffins for breakfast or lunch? Kids love them as they can be eaten with fingers, but they’re also very nutritious and filling. You can make them in advance too. It’s possible to be quite inventive with fillings, e.g. cheese, tomato, ham/bacon, asparagus, broccoli, fish, even diced liver (fantastic and cheap alternative to a multivitamin!)

I also agree that the biscuits, porridge, crackers and frubes might be worth swapping out for alternatives. Kid yoghurts are shockingly packed with sugar these days! Try her with plain, full fat Greek yoghurt. In my household we prefer Greek yoghurt to natural yoghurt as it’s thicker and creamier, and tends to stave off hunger for longer. Again fruit is full of sugar and mostly water so in reality contains very little in the way of vitamins and minerals - if you’re looking for sweetness how about chopping up a chunk of 85% or 90% chocolate into her plain yoghurt? Avoid store bought granola as those are sugar bombs too! would she enjoy veggie sticks with cream cheese, houmous, peanut butter, guacamole?