Skinny 8 year old?

[OITNBfanclub]

My newly 8 year old daughter has been slim since about 3 years old. I feed her as much as I can 😂but she simply doesn’t seem to ever get bigger. She hovers between 9th and 25th centile, only dropping if she’s had a virus that means she’s off her food for a few days.
my friend took a pic of her today and her legs just look so thin in them ☹️I often get comments about how pale and thin she is (and she is very pale but always has been). I’m on my own and my health anxiety is kicking in tonight and I just need someone to tell me her legs aren’t worryingly thin ☹️for reference she weighs 22.7kg which I know is on light side for 8. She’s about 25th centile for height so a bit below average. thank you in advance

totally fine, same as my DD at 8, who is also on the 9th-25th centile

Take her to the GP and get her checked out! I’d have thought though if she’s always tracked along the same percentile it’s probably nothing to worry about but I have absolutely no medical training!!!

She looks fine. Healthy proportions.

I wouldn't worry. By all means you can check with GP or nurse and voice concerns.

But i was super scrawny growing up despite all the chocolate. Same as my brother. Soon caught up with me in teen years 😂 some kids are just smaller or burn it off if they are super energetic.

As long as they are themselves and eat well.

My son is 13 and been like this his whole life. He was even a skinny baby! He wears 9-10 but he's healthy and has no eating issues. His legs are way thinner than the pic too. I wouldn't worry at all. Though people passing comment is irritating. Would they do the same for kids that were heavier?

I don’t really want to take her to the gp when she’s well in herself just because she looks skinny, she does see doctors for normal viruses and they do comment on how thin she is but never speak about referrals / further action other than to keep offering full fat milk/foods etc so I don’t think it warrants a gp appt but I’m just in a worry wart hole tonight!

I most admit the comments hurt. I feel like they think I’m not feeding her enough! Sadly she hears them too and asks me why she’s skinny and pale and that hurts me
for her ☹️

Thank you for reassuring comments fellow slim children mamas! She wears clothes 2 sizes smaller than her age 🤷‍♀️

The problem is that we're in the middle of an epidemic of childhood obesity, which has reset how people think children look. So normal healthily skinny kids are seen as too skinny, when they're actually healthy.

She looks fine to me. I was a skinny child, a skinny teenager and a skinny late 20s, it's just how I was.

As long as she's eating well and getting plenty of exercise, she'll be fine I'm sure.

My lad is pale too. He's the product of a Scot and a ginger. If she seems well, I wouldn't give it a thought. Consistently fair is not the same as suddenly looking washed out and peaky.

One of mine is a very similar size, slightly lighter. We've seen dieticians due to other medical issue and they've never been concerned.

There's a few the size of my DD in her class so she's not unusual. I do agree with @nocoolnamesleft though. I think people are getting bigger which leaves those who are actually a normal size being seen as 'so skinny'. As an adult I get the same sort of comments but I'm actually a perfectly healthy size.

Obviously if you are genuinely concerned though go see your GP.

My girl is pale and always been slight. Full disclosure she is autistic and anxious so has had bouts of food issues and lost weight then. Best thing she's done is start going to work out at the gym. She's still thin but she tries to eat more protein to gain muscle and she looks healthy. Your girl looks just fine to me.

She's perfect.

My son is the same age as her and has always been tall and thin - his legs are like sparrows ankles next to hers 😂 but he eats well and it's just how he is.

I was the same at her age, mum had me in the GP constantly over it, it was just who I was. For the record, I'm most certainly not slim and gangly anymore and have a good few curves 😂

Unless she's sickly or there's something 'not right', I wouldn't worry about it.

Try not to worry, some people are just naturally slim, my 17 year old son is classed as 'underweight' & was referred to a dietician (he's 6ft 2" & 9 stone 4) but he has always been very slim. He's healthy, - dietician said his diet sounded fine & it's just probably how he's built. My son wasn't happy though, the GP said she had a duty of care to refer & then proceeded to grill him (in front of me) about how he saw himself when he looked in the mirror. He gets quite offended by people commenting about his weight!

Oh! And just to add - I always look and think my kids are looking a bit pale.

Product of living in a country with the grimmest weather - come summer time they have little 'street tans' - what we call it when they get a nice glow from playing out with their friends when the suns shining. (For all of a week 😂)

Have to say, I've never thought of it like this but there's a lot of truth in that.

her legs look perfect size to me. If she looks pale I would take her to a GP just because iron deficiency is so common and can cause issues. The visit will likely ease your mind at least.

That's exactly what my son said to the GP, he said it wasn't because he was 'too skinny' it was because a lot of other people around his age were bigger & if it was 20 years ago or so, he'd have been classed as 'normal weight'.

I think it'd definitely true that chunkier kids are seen as 'normal' and non chunky kids are seen as 'too skinny' nowadays.

People comment about my DS being "petite", skinny, dinky etc. I don't think he is, he's of similar size to his classmates, and the paediatrician that he saw a couple of weeks ago didn't raise his weight as an issue. He's just slender.

My Mum worried about me being a skinny wee thing when I was born. I weighed 5 1/2 pounds. I grew up and took part in many sports, winning medals..I was never ill and ate like a horse.
OP, don't worry. Skinny is normal and healthy unless a child shows other signs of .illness.