Is it possible for 4 yr old to overeat healthy food?

[orchardgirl4]

I've just had the height and weight letter from the school measurements that they do in their first year at school. I put the numbers into the NHS BMI calculator for children and it came up as 92nd percentile overweight. I was shocked, and then I started to worry about being blind to my child's weight and any future physical or psychological issues my child might have.
We eat so well at home, so I feel in denial it's anything we are doing, and that the weight is even an issue. Everything is cooked from scratch, lots of vegetables, fish once a week, meat once or twice, low carb, meals are often based around lentils and beans. Breakfast is a grain-free granola with natural yogurt. Pudding is twice a week e.g. homemade fruit crumble (with crumble topping made with ground almonds, seeds, oats) with custard, a small serving (3 child hand fists in total maybe). We eat bread once a week, small portion as toast with breakfast. Sweets are occasionally eaten (we get so many from school), 2 haribo from the packet for pudding, then the packet disappears into the cupboard and doesn't come out again. Snack time is straight after school, 3 dessert spoons of yogurt (Bio & Me vanilla, which has no sugar, just natural yoghurt/kefir). Sometimes with a piece of fruit too.
However, at school I think there is a lot of food. But it cannot be the reason for being overweight as it's only been nearly 4 months. Food at school: snack time is fruit, or raisins, or carrots. I think sometimes she is given two portions. The school meal is usually jacket potato with cheese, followed by sponge cake. Then lunchtime club the teacher often gives fruit and raisins to the children. Then forest school once a week there is often hot chocolate, or waffles, or pancakes, or chocolate banana in foil, marshmallows with fruit. Sometimes they get two portions. It all adds up though?
Could it be a school issue, or is it a home issue I am in denial of - I always believed children inherently ate the correct amount that they needed (of healthy food, that is). Maybe I don't realise the portion size is too big. Do I need to put more limits on home food?

My daughter is tall for her age and has always been on the higher end of the percentiles

We don't eat as many puddings but our diet sounds similar. I won't be allowing them to weigh my daughter, I will be raising this with the preschool she goes to and the school (she's almost 3 so isn't going to school yet). She's still breastfed and I encourage her to listen to her body for when she's full, we did baby led weaning. I don't think you can go much wrong if you do this.

Be honest, do you really think your child is overweight?

I know mine isn't and if I won't be having some unethical inspection of her weight take place. It shouldn't be allowed at all, disgusting practice.

Exercise won't make that much difference, although I think her activity level sounds quite low for a 4 year old. Her diet sounds good but of course small children can be overweight (and I am not convinced that refusing to be given this information as per PP is a sensible approach). Portion size and snacking are the likely culprits. I also think it can take a while to get out of the mindset that children should never be hungry (babies are another matter). It's ok to feel hungry for an hour or so before dinner.

I got that letter and it went straight in the bin. We eat very similar to you. My son (4) is tall for his age, very fit and strong and walks 3 miles a day to and from school. Their bodies self regulate at the age.

She's quite short compared to some of the other girls, not the shortest though.
I don't think she's overweight, I don't want to be blind though, so really she probably is, something to talk to a child nutritionist maybe in a few months if concerns are still there.
I think everyone that commented on the activity amount are right, I hadn't considered it before and I think she does need to do more running around/outdoor play. She is always saying she's hungry, so I probably do end up giving more food than she needs. She was breastfed and baby led weaned too, so that combined with the book I read lead to me forming beliefs that she would self regulate naturally. For now, I'll keep a limit on snacks, reduce pudding size, reduce breakfast size, increase activity, and see how it goes.

My 6 year old sounds very similar.
When she was weighed and measured in Reception she was 85-90th, I can't remember exactly but it was just on the cusp of healthy/overweight.

She looks chunky and solid rather than 'fat' but in comparison to my other child who was 50th centile she's a lot bigger.

We eat pretty healthily at home and I am very conscious of ultraprocessed food (eggs for breakfast, plain yoghurt only, homemade bread and pasta sauce etc) but she does have a very healthy appetite and loves to eat.

It clearly isn't true that children 'self-regulate' as there are a lot of very overweight and obese children around! And it's bad for their health.

But I think if your child is just on the cusp of overweight and is active and eats well, it's not something to worry about too much.

The pudding portions are far too big. 3 child fists plus custard? That’s loads. More than I would eat. And I certainly wouldn’t have a portion three times the size of my own hand.

A child shouldn’t really be eating granola, it’s very high in sugar unless you specifically buy sugar free versions. Also yoghurt is healthy but very high in fat so a fairly small portion has a lot of calories. Swap for porridge made with milk and sprinkle some chopped nuts and seeds on top.

Not sure why your child is having the same lunch every day? If that’s all that school offers then send a packed lunch with more variety and more veg. That lunch of jacket potato and cake has very little nutrients and lots of calories.

Meant to add that our school offers JP every day but also has several other options, always a meat and veggie option. Will she have those instead?

If you are worried I would see if you could get a check over with the district nurse/ GP keep a food diary for a few days before hand and get her weight and diet assessed.

I was concerned about my daughter being overweight when her height dropped from the 25th to the 1st percentile but her weight has stayed around the 50th, when I plotted it one the BMI chart it came up as overweight as there were more than 3 percentile differences between the height and weight. I spoke to her dietitian about it and she was happy with how she looked and that she seemed in proportion. She is a poor eater and already on a limited diet so I wasn't in a rush to introduce more changes. Her weight gain has slowed and she has dropped to the 25th percentile for weight and her height has come up to the 2nd percentile which is now only 2 percentile differences so what her dietitian and paediatrician deem health. It only took a small change in her weight and height to go from potentially overweight to normal range.

Self Regulation for kids is not possible on a diet of ultra processed sugar and fat laden, easily digestible food no.

I am very inclined to agree with this and honestly wish my DS's hadn't been weighed in year 6.

They are 4 years apart, but their growth patterns are very similar.

They both put on weight in year 6 and were slightly rounded, however come their growth spurts aged 12, shot up and both actually became tall and skinny.

The school letter said they were both overweight/obese in year 6 which obviously shocked us rather with DS1, however by the time we got to DS2 we know it wasn't a problem, but rather their growth pattern.

It is such a blunt instrument and I for one wouldn't allow it again.

I know my children and whether they eat sensibly and healthily.

@orchardgirl4 please don't take too much notice, follow your instinct

DS is very active eats well but just around the middle for BMI. I absolutely agree with your views on school, he comes out with sweets a couple of times a week I mainly say no or give him one or two from the packet then distract. They have pudding everyday, and it's not the healthy things that get touted on here today it's chocolate rice Krispie cake last week a Maryland cookie, so not low sugar hidden veg. They don't give veg unless the child asks and it's compulsory school lunches packed lunch not allowed until juniors.
DS isn't putting on weight in the same way but where he always ate loads of veg and fruit he's starting to ask for sweet things and refuse to eat veg at dinner time.
He goes to after school club and last week for his 'light tea' they gave him 4 quarters of jam sandwich a piece of chocolate cake and a flapjack!! He then didn't want dinner because he was full of junk and sugar.

Self regulation comes down to the foods. There have been studies in mice that show if you offer them a sweet food they eat a normal amount and stop. If you offer them a fatty food they eat a normal amount and stop. If you offer them something that is sweet and fat containing they will not stop eating.
It's why you could easily eat a full tub of ice cream but a bag of sugar or a tub of butter are less appealing! Something magical happens when the two are combined and it's important to be mindful wrt portions of products that are sweet and fatty

What were the numbers? The nhs calculator on some websites does not take account of partial kilograms and rounds down, e.g 16.9 kg gives a wildly different result to 17kg. Just thought I’d mention

Just be careful OP, I would be less worried about the letter and more worried about how this could effect your DD. Think about the world we are living in and they will be growing up in, we don't want our daughters thinking their worth is attached to their weight or god forbid performing for the male gaze like my generation (millennial).

Eating disorders are on the rise and the children are getting younger and younger.

I read a book on feeding children, that they self-regulate calorie intake if you set them up right.

They do until they are about 3 then social pressures take over.

They have also done studies that if you let children eat junk for nearly 2 weeks at the end of it they will decide themselves to eat the healthy food. It misses out that you can't eat healthy food e.g. fruit and vegetables if you don't have a taste for it.

You need to rethink what you are feeding her, right now her diet sounds an awful lot
like what middle class ladies who are on diets and live in warm climates eat. This is not good for a growing child who lives in the UK

She needs lots of protein, carbs, veg and fruit, it sounds like there is not enough protein , carbs or veg so poor kid is going to overeat naturally as she won’t feel satiated.

that's good to know. I've always presumed she would lose her baby pudge when she has a growth spurt.

This does happen, there’s a lot of advice on this thread op, and it’s great, but nobody has seen your child so we don’t know, and some children are naturally broader and may (or of course may not) grow upwards instead of out, and children need eg carbs and the vitamins and minerals you get in eg cereals etc. Just perhaps tread carefully and don’t do a knee jerk reaction that could lead to you all being paranoid about weight, you sound like you’re too ready to attack the situation when it may just need more of a tweaking approach

@Reugny thanks! Makes sense if it's only up to a certain age.
@RedRobyn2021 that is a real worry. It's why I try to make sure no food is forbidden or bad, try to keep it all balanced as best as possible.
@SgtJuneAckland sounds similar to here with after school club when we use it. Jam on toast is standard.

With school dinners... they give the same portion to tiny year Rs and the adult sized Yr6s. Mine only had a light tea in infants... they didnt want any more.

This is a concern for us too (see user name!) and we have taken advice from relatives including a dietician and doctor.

To the extent that there is a genuine issue, they suggest not cutting down portions etc but keeping them constant and not increasing them as your child gets older, so it never feels like a diet or creates a problem.

Fwiw they consider scales to be a poor measure and the key thing is to look at your child in the bath. Are they carrying fat or can you see their ribs? Do they look overweight? BMI doesn't work well for children who are growing quickly and tend to get heavier before a big growth spurt.

Hard though when you get a letter like this!

Is she generally sitting doing sedentary activities when at home or haring around? I would focus on activities more than food. Can you add in another sport, preferably swimming + brownies/ rainbows?

Exercise is on the sparse side from what you describe. i have a child who likes food and eats big portions of healthy food, but he is extremely high energy.
He does:

• walk to school and back, about 45 minutes together
• Pe at school (twice 2 hours per week)
• school does two 30 min outdoor breaks per day, in any weather. they are encouraged to be active during breaks.
• a 45 min sporty after school activity 3 times per week (streetdance, tap, general activity club)
• 2 hours sport (dance lessons) on saturday, and we walk/scooter there and back (thats another 1 hour of a activity)
• a long walk (1h plus) and at least another hour playground on sunday, plus swimming.

That is a lot, but he is slim despite eating huge portions.

In what world does her diet sound "awful" actually went back to read the original post

Her diet is not awful at all, quite the opposite.

Are you sure you’ve done it right. My DD is 95 centile for weight but she is 98 centile for height and the dietitian was perfectly happy with her. I can clearly see my daughter’s ribs. This is apparently a good indictor of being a healthy weight.

This isn't the case in reality anywhere I've worked. The little ones get given slightly less. I just don't think for a second the issue is school - the servings are very small. The fruit sent to schools is tiny for example. Two servings would not be a lot. When I read your overview of a day OP, my first thought was that it sounded like a lot of food at home rather than at school.

It's interesting you describe baby-like shape in places. To me that sounds like a slightly overweight child. Slightly overweight children tend to have similar wrists and ankles, for example, to babies. By 4 they really shouldn't have a toddler shape any more.

Are you and your husband tall? It's worth considering her height. Overeating can also lead to growing taller before puberty than you otherwise would which, ironically, makes you shorter in the long run.

Ultimately OP, I think the fact you're even considering bodes very well for your child. Awareness is surely one of the major factors in a child being a healthy weight.