25kg and going to High School

[KThnxBye]

I’m a little concerned about how my DD is going to manage at High School. I’m looking at buying uniform ready for starting and everything is huge and baggy. I know they grow quickly in year 7 but she understandably wants clothes that fit. 30 inches is the smallest blazer size they do and she looks like she is wearing clown clothes. More concerningly we have tried on the smallest size of compulsory gym shorts they do and they fall straight down without her even moving. But they are also very short shorts in length because she is very slim but an average height (148cm) I could maybe take in the width but I’m not the best sewer, how do I fix the length? We have some sensory issues too about things that are baggy or don’t fit and I have no idea how to find the four pairs of shoes she needs either but that can wait til august!

Anyone else have a lower weight child and how did they manage in the crowded corridors? Or with the heavy bags? She will have a 2.3 mile walk to school and the same again home so I need to get her a good bag but even that seems problematic (all the ones that fit aren’t cool obvs)

I think you have either her height or weight wrong OP. If she looks reasonably well I don’t think she can possibly be as underweight as your numbers suggest. As I said my DS is under consultant care and he’s between 1 and 2 centile BMI - at 25kg your DD isn’t even first centile.

It might be where you are but it isn’t where I am. And we have 3 large comps and 3 private schools. I leave for work at 0730 and the odd child I see in the half hour I take to walk is going to one of the private schools.

Because OP set out the journey by bus takes about an hour. So the poster you replied to was saying she would have to leave at the same time

Walk, takes about an hour, perhaps less. Bus takes about an hour. You take your pick

I dont think its particularly unusual either.

if you live rurally probably not, in the large town I live in, children are not leaving for school at 0730. If walking takes the same time as the bus, then they will be leaving at 0730 regardless.

I really think you need to double check her weight and height OP - if they are both as you think she's definitely in seeing a doctor territory - she'd need to weigh more than 20% more to even be on the 3rd centile.

Re clothing, I think taking it in at home or finding someone local to do it will probably be the only option.

Re getting to and from school, totally recognise the walk is normal but I think my concern would be whether it would be stopping her from putting on weight. It may be worth considering if cycling would be quicker and easier as the bus sounds quite inconvenient.

your child is very underweight, you could see a nutritionist about it, I’m sure they would recommend higher calorie foods and not walking this distance while trying to add weight.

Please recheck her height and weight OP, and if she's really only 25kg at that height seek urgent medical attention. That is in the territory of needing hospitalisation - she would likely be very unwell if those are really her stats.

@KThnxBye you may have misread one of the figures and if you have, that's great. But when I worked out your DD's weight for height (they don't use BMI for children) it was 65%. My DD was hospitalised for 9 days at 69%< had to use a wheelchair until she was 80%, wasn't allowed to attend school until she was 85%, and wasn't allowed to do PE until she was 90%.

Her weight is a medical problem. She needs taking to the gp asap.

Keep a good diary of everything she eats in a week inc portion size and weights of foods.

Is she vegetarian? You didn't mention any meat in her diet.

How about getting her a bike, OP?

If you are correct re: height and weight, she is seriously, and potentially dangerously, underweight. Below the 1st centile. I would be making a GP appointment to investigate/refer to paeds/refer to dieticians, and asking the school for a referral to the school nurses.

And yes, I would be worried about a child who was that underweight with no explanation walking 40 minutes to school and I’m usually very encouraging of children being independent and active.

@Lougle ...my dsd was same...hospitalized for a year ..and not allowed to walk anywhere until up to 80% weight for height.

I'd double check that weight op. Dd10 is about the same height, maybe a little taller and slim to the point we have a nightmare getting leggings long enough that aren't baggy at the leg and waist. Can't remember exactly her weight but it's significantly more than 25kg. The fact you are having no issue with leggings suggests she's not as slim as you're saying. If she is however then I'd absolutely be concerned about that walk. I know you say other dc do it but they aren't massively underweight.

Op you don't need to look at height weight charts. She is severely underweight and should be on some kind of supplements. You need to see your GP urgently as she could well have long term impacts on her health. Puberty will put an extra strain on her body.

My son is on the tall skinny side, no blazer fortunately so just a jumper that we “got away with”. He’s year 11 now and has gone through senior school without once wearing the prescribed school trousers. They simply don’t make them in his size. It’s never been questioned. Pe shorts and trousers were drawstring fortunately.

height and weight measurements are from the school nurse, the child health monitoring programme. We got a letter home with them on and yes she was flagged as under weight but that means they rang me and said, she’s under weight, does she eat well and seem well, I said yes she eats fine, sleeps normally, and I have no other concerns. They said that’s fine they just needed to check and if I was worried or she had anything else wrong to take her to the gp. But I didn’t need to if she was otherwise well (which she is) So yea I will recheck her height and weight.

I would be taking my child to the doctor in your shoes - especially if she used to be 3-5th centile and is now below 1st centile as it seems may be the case. It’s good she seems well in herself but it’s still not great to be so underweight and as a pp says it may well affect future puberty and growth. Is super skinniness a family trait, were you or her dad the same as children?

So the school are actually calling you because she is underweight and your main concern is her uniform ? 25kg is under 4 stone and she is cross country running and you want her to walk miles to school also. Something is not adding up here.

I think you should recheck her weight definitely. Good luck.

My 12 year old son is 31kg and 145cm tall, he is under a nutritionist to try and get his weight up as they are worried he is too skinny. She needs to see a doctor!

I have an underweight child, I was worried and contacted school nurses who checked him, agreed he was underweight but said he's active, bright and doesn't appear unwell. Just very slim. He's still in primary so gets away with wearing shorts with adjustable waist. Hoping he bulks up a bit by secondary.

Speak to the school first regarding if there are any suppliers that could help, if not, contact a Taylor to do some alterations. I wouldn't stress too much about the blazer though, they all go in with enormous blazers.

It really isn’t a long walk. Mine did this every day or cycled. I did this every day to get to work for a few years too. Took about 30 mins.

Yes but we’re you 25kg?

That would give you a walking speed of 4.6mph (circa 7.5km/h) which really isn't a particularly standard walking speed.

My child in Year Three weighs about three kilos more than your dd. He's second tallest in his class at approx 135cm, a reasonably muscular and broad lad, plays sports etc, obviously not a direct comparison in any way, but even so....? 25kg seems so extremely small at her height and age.

In my option she's too small to do the long walking unless at least a third heavier in bodyweight. Please promise you will take her to the doctors! Does she have any issues like fuzzy body hair, pressure on her knees and hips when sleeping, pronounced forehead at the sides indicating very low body weight?

She could be even lower in weight, as school weigh her fully clothed, and maybe even shoes on too. Could she be secretly not eating all of her food? Does she have packed lunches? Do you eat alongside her? Is she anxious or struggling with anything? Are you, her parents, tall and slim?

@KThnxBye if as you say she's always been 3rd-9th centile and she is now on/below 1st centile this drop down the centiles needs investigating

If the height and weight are correct