Many kids have noticeably gained weight

[Lazt]

We’re a few days back in school now and I’ve really noticed that many many kids have put on weight since March, quite a number are now noticeably overweight. We’re in a reasonably affluent area where I would’ve said pre lockdown the slightly overweight kids were very much in the minority.

I include my own kids in this who were pretty slim before are definitely chunkier but not overweight.

It’s just so shit. This is not a judgement on parents, just the terrible situation we’ve put our children in.

It is shit. My kids are used to being with their friends almost daily and exercise happens as a consequence of hanging out or playing with their mates. Being made to come out on daily walks with their parents did not float their boat at all.

I noticed my son was chunkier the other day. He has been cycling to school but not doing swimming, other activities and definately spending more time on a screen.

Yes my son is overweight now. I look at photos a year ago and I'm so sad. I have really struggled tried to enforce daily exercise (whilst working at home for NHS so super stressed and busy). But he is not naturally sporty and all with activities cancelled that he enjoys and use up energy have led to this. No walking to school or around school to lessons adds up to.

Agreed it’s shit. Leaping around on playground play equipment, or at soft pay, or even just playing out with friends is all such important exercise for kids that was taken away. Going for walks with mum and dad or even just playing in the garden won’t be the same. Not to mention we ALL snack more stuck in the house all day. I hope it will even out again over time.

They're back at school now - they're kids - they'll soon burn it off. I think we're all a bit chunkier than we were. Still, at least we've all made it this far - thousands haven't. I won't be giving my kids a complex about it, that's for sure.

My youngest has as well. Hes chunkier despite the fact I take him out everyday for walks, play football and bike rides etc. He is inevitably sat around alot more being in the house so much and is constantly asking for snacks. I was chatting to some nursery mams the other day and they said the same. We met with some of my eldests school friends last week and some had visibly put weight on. Its crap, I hope once they are back in a routine it will drop off

Agree - seeing them now tear around outside with their pals is just not comparable to a daily walk and half arsed attempt at a joe wicks session.

School now has PE three times a week where I’m sure it used to just be twice, so that’s something at least.

(I’ve also pilled on the pounds, but I’m an adult and should know better!)

My youngest has put on lots of weight. He's usually super active and all that was taken away from him. He did daily bike rides for weeks but eventually got bored of them and who can blame him.

I am really hoping that being more active back at school will help it drop off. I am really gutted about it for him.

I'm sure as they get back in the routine of being back at school (more active, less snacks) the weight will fall off. We have been in a way lucky, as dc have been in school every week since lockdown began (they broke up for summer hols 4 weeks ago) and have been very active at school, so they haven't gained any excess weight. It worries me though what the effect of the pandemic will have on both the mental and physical health of children. I saw on the news too so many children are late receiving routine immunisations too.

For most hopefully it will drop off. We had one lad round the other day who we used to see a lot of pre lockdown, and he was constantly asking for food, I felt bad saying no but he’d had plenty, multiples of my own. Not sure how quick it’s going to drop off him, his appetite had really increased. And he’s just so little still.

It's pretty understandable, isn't it though. Stuck in at home for months, no RL interaction with their friends, reduced opportunities to run about (for many of them, depending on how large a garden they have, if any). Increased opportunity to snack frequently, through boredom etc. My DD (8) has visibly put on weight - she looks ok when dressed, but underneath she's distinctly chubby now, she wasn't before. I'm finding it very upsetting TBH. We've had a family discussion about how we're all going to get healthier together as she realised her tummy sticks out a little bit, when she tried her uniform on. Fruit is the only thing she's allowed to eat without asking in between meals now, & we're all having a salad meal together at least twice a week. (As well as salad or veg on the side at other meals.) It doesn't help that I'm disabled & DH also has significant mobility issues, so we can't just take her out for lots of walks or to the local park (3 miles away, no car).

I am hoping she will quickly shed it once school reopens. She's usually running about like a crazy thing.

I suffered from ED starting at about her age. It's like an addiction, I will never be truly "free" of it. I am determined she will grow up with a positive body image which is why we're trying to be really sensitive & positive about it.

It's awful, both parents working full time, no holiday time off this summer as work so busy, daily walk isn't cutting it when we are used to pe a few times a week as well as swimming, gymnastics, dancing, soccer, parkrun. Kids have been totally forgotten about during this.

It's completely rubbish, isn't it. Both of my DCs are super active and are used to doing a sporting activity five days out of seven, plus PE and general running around at playtime. My older one found some alternatives to this during lockdown (cycling, skating), but my younger one has resisted so it was a real struggle to get him moving. Neither of them are overweight, but they have a softness now that they have never had before. Football has resumed and their stamina is noticeably reduced. They have friends who would now definitely be in the "overweight" category.

I'm really really hoping that once they go back to school In September they will just naturally get back into shape. I'm not sure how / if school will be able to run after-school sports clubs, though, and I'm going to assume there'll be no borough competitions for a while.

I'm so sad about it all

My ds 15 has put some on.

I've gently been chatting to him about when it when I noticed.

TBF he doesn't actually over eat.

He used to swim train 10 hours a week and was gcse year.

He didn't stop and he ate huge amounts and was very muscly and iron board stomach.

Swimming and school stopped. He went from having 2 hours max free a day from training or studying to not even being out the house for 2 hours a day.

He was eating much less as I noticed food was lasting longer (a bit of cereal a week rather than 3!)

I agree it's shit. But I think as long as we note and change things and think about what we are eating and why we can actually also teach them about healthy eating and amount of movement etc.

Ds just started back swimming 3 hrs a week and starts college in September. I'm going to make sure he doesn't think he needs to eat as much as he was just because what he's doing returns because it's still less than he was doing in February - by a long way!

(I’ve also pilled on the pounds, but I’m an adult and should know better!)

Same here. I think most people have pandemic pounds.

We just have to remember we are having to adjust our lives and give ourselves time to adjust.

Who cares really
When it's temporary ??? Weight gain in a pandemic an issue ... seriously?? ... it's their mental health that I'm really concerned about and it's not today or tomorrow we'll see the effects .

Temporary weight gain wont affect children at all.

Once they are back to more traditionally active lives they will slim down. Really i wouldnt find it too upsetting if your child has gained weight.

Ours haven't but I am not surprised many have. We were lucky, we have a garden with a trampoline and a pool, we have empty beaches nearby and lots open spaces to explore. But without a garden and when people were only able to go out once a day then of course many children were going to not be getting enough exercise

My eldest has actually lost weight somewhat surprisingly. He's always been slim but after discovering secondary school dinners last Sept, he'd put on a tiny bit. But he's actually gone really slim again being at home.

But my dc have definitely not being getting as much exercise. Before the lockdown they were both doing swimming lessons, football, Scouts/Beavers, Parkrun. Their grandad would take them swimming often, we'd go to bowling, soft play, trampolining. Then it all came to an abrupt end. Only now have some of those things started again.

The government go on about obesity but they haven't seemed to prioritise healthy activities in their opening up.

“ parents using school meal vouchers to buy booze or selling them on eBay“

Wow. That’s quite some Daily Mail stereotype right there.

And yes, children have been abandoned in all of this.

Yes I know it's our responsibility as parents. But when you are having to carry on working throughout as many of us have, it's hard to enforce enough exercise always, especially when you've got children different ages with different exercise needs.

My daughter (8) is probably overweight now. I only realise how much when we met up with her friends and Im feeling awful about it. I've got an ED so last thing I want to do is for her to feel like we're dieting or restricting.

She was in the swimming club /then other activities trampolinging/gym and we then shielded so she wasnt outdoors. We've been trying to take her to parks and watching her run around all day shows what she'd been missjng. I am disabled too and cant do it though.

I feel awful.

I found pictures of her befire3xmas and she looks strong but not overweight. Its def this year :(

I haven't noticed this at all tbh. My dc have been doing more exercise than normal as we've been doing longer family dog walks when they'd normally be sitting at their desks at school all day. We've all got faster at walking and better at doing longer distances. Lots of the kids we know have been constantly out walking or cycling with their families, some canoeing or paddleboarding. I don't think I've seen any kids locally who have noticeably put on weight. Some have shot up height-wise though.