Is my toddler overweight and should I be worried?

[JimJammum]

My ds is 2.6 and is chubbilicious! He is according to the nhs website, obese. He has outgrown his 2yo clothes and is now in 3-4 yo size. I am tiny, but his dad was a very chubby toddler/child, who hit puberty and shot up to 6'2 and is now spot on weight/bmi wise acording to our Wii.

Do I worry or assume it's "in the genes"? He has 3 meals a day, semi skimmed milk, and excercise everyday (park/softplay/swimming etc) - he never sits still. He loves his food and usually hoovers it all up but I don't think his portions are any bigger than normal for his age. He has no snacks in the morning, but ofter a biscuit in the afternoon or a bit of my cake if we are out which I am going to stop. He drinks nothing but water and never has fast food.

If he is obese and I do need to take action, what do I do? His diet is good - I am always careful to ensure 4-5 fruit & veg a day, and a balanced diet eg no sugary cereals etc. Should I reduce portion size?

I am really worried about this - I knew he was heavy to lift but assumed he would be because of Dad. Now I feel like I might be being judged that I am feeding him badly etc.

It sounds like you have a good handle on things.

How are you judging portion size? That seem s to be the only possible explanation, but it might just be genetics as you say.

I would speak to your HV or GP just to be sure.

I can relate to your situation. My DS is 2.9 and had always been a chubby little man up to about 2.5.

You sound like you are doing all the right things and especially getting him to exercise lots.

Does he get two hot meals a day, if so perhaps swap one for lighter foods e.g wholemeal sandwich, fruit & yogart. I also stopped taking the push chair on short trips into town to encourage him to walk more.

Try not to worry too much, you sound like a fab mum

What you should do is check that you are giving him the correct portion sizes. It's amazing how many people think they know what a portion is, but are way off!

I read somewhere that it is one tablespoon per year of age. (1 tablespoon of each different part of the meal)

there's something good here

I should have added I took him to the HV when he got to 2.5 as like you I was concerned. She reassured me that I was a good mum and just to try and encourage as much exercise as possible. She came to my home at lunch time to see what kind of food he was eating too. She was lovely and very supportive.

He has lost weight but does still have a tummy on him but then alot of toddlers do.

1 Tablespoon

No wonder poor Dd doesn't eat her dinner...

Is he v tall? Ds is 32lbs at 2.2yo, but also v tall with it, he's in 3-4 yo clothes.

Sounds like you are a great mum, but I would check you are not over-feeding. My niece was chubby at two (nicknamed Sumo and wearing clothes two sizes bigger). She is now ten and frankly enormous - it's a pity her mum didn't act sooner, trying to slim down now, but proving very difficult. Her problem was more obvious - lots of biccies - sounds like ds has a pretty good diet though.

His meals fit into one of those segmented plates by covering the bottom only, or the bottom of a cereal type bowl. He eats Little Dish meals if anyone knows those. Only has cheese/beans/hoops on 1 slice toast or 1 pitta pocket and a petit filous for lunch. He will eat more if it's there, so if we go out for meals and they're large, I take them off him when I think he's had enough.

Thanks for all help so far.

You really sound like you are doing all the right things. You could swap sugary Petit Filous for Rachael's Organic's baby yoghurts which are sweetened with apple juice. But other than that it sounds fine. I would suggest keeping a food diary for a week, and speaking to a HV if you are concerned. But it may just be him getting ready for a growth spurt!