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.

@PineappleUpsideDownCake theres no need to feel terrible.

She might be overweight but she sounds very active, once those activities open up again she will naturally slim down as she grows. It might take a bit of time but being overweight temporarily will not do any harm.

Youve done the best you could, you obviously needed to sheild so you dont let yourself feel guilty.

I've noticed this too, it's one of those sad visible effects of lockdown. Dd1 has put on weight - she isn't overweight but has a bit of a tummy and asked me if she was fat the other day, which just about broke my heart (I told her she was perfect). We're an active family and dc walk and play outside every day but it's nothing like the level of exercise (and fun!) they get from tearing around and playing games and sports with their friends. I think most children will be fine and the weight will drop off when they're back at school.

My sons haven’t gained at all because they are like their father and will be eternally slim, irrespective of food consumption.

My daughter has gained though. She used to dance and swim, but hasn’t done either activity for months.
We have done daily long walks as a family but nothing that’s really got her out of breath.

She’s not fat by all means but noticeably chunkier.

Yes my son is now overweight. Was feeling guilty as we haven't been out exercising every day which has caught up with him.

He's also been suffering emotionally from not seeing any kids his own age for all this time. Lots of emotional outbursts. This lockdown has really effected our kids and if there is a lockdown again in September I will be so mad.

I decided to sign him up to a summer club for last two weeks of August. To help with his mental health mainly, but will be good for him to get to play with other children again and get some exercise. So glad he's got that starting tomorrow.

Everything that kept my children active was swept away from them in one fell swoop in March and most of it hasn't returned yet. It is no wonder they have put on weight. Yes, we have been able to replace some of it, but in nothing like the amount they did previously.

My drainpipe Ds with Adhd has noticeably gained weight , we did address it and in a week I can also notice a noticeable difference in the right direction .

He is now moving more, and we have no crisps, biscuits or chocolate in the house.

It can be reversed but will take effort .

With our DD (8) we’re trying to make it mostly about being fit & healthy, having lots of energy (I.e. not running out of breath after running up 1 flight of stairs), & having healthy teeth. DH has terrible teeth, & FIL had all his teeth out in his 50s. DD has a distinct sweet tooth. In contrast I don’t, & haven’t ever needed any dental work except for my wisdom teeth.

DD’s MH has really suffered too. We’ve contacted the school as we’re waiting for formal ASD diagnosis. She’s stopped talking some days, & toilet training, accomplished slowly & with great difficulty, is going backwards.

Not at all surprised by your observation OP. Kids have been very much at the back of the queue throughout the Covid crisis. DD is only 2 so I’m not facing this scenario myself thankfully, but when I’ve been out and about recently it has struck me now few children I’m seeing - even the parks and playgrounds aren’t as full as I’d expect them to be.

My local leisure centres are all either still closed or not admitting under 16s (luckily I’m a member at a private gym where I can take DD swimming) and obviously there are very few clubs and play schemes up and running for kids. There’s also very little incidental exercise going on with schools closed, ongoing social distancing and people avoiding unnecessary visits to shops etc. I think a frightening proportion of children must still be spending the vast majority of their time cooped up indoors, and weight gain will be an inevitable consequence of such a sedentary lifestyle.

@lazylinguist

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.

That’s fab, I know some families like this too. Mine haven’t gained weight as I could be flexible with work so made sure they got plenty of exercise. Sadly not canoeing or paddle boarding though, we don’t have the funds for that as I couldn’t work in lockdown. Some of my friends who had to both work full time from home while also attempting to keep up their children’s school work at evenings and weekends really struggled with having the time to get theirs out to exercise though, and some have noticeably gained weight.

I don’t know about other kids but my previously underweight child is showing a bit of chub on the tummy, actually a good thing but partly caused by boredom eating. Then once on computers/iPads they refuse to go out. And my god they whinge when out. Going back to school will be a relief and has to be top priority.

Parents working at home with kids home too, it was inevitable we’d be struggling not to gain weight. Its boring, tiring and a lot of people have (needless) anxiety about leaving the house.

Yes DS14 was solid before this happened, but is now noticeably overweight as he couldn't play rugby or go to the gym. We didn't buy much rubbish food, but he will simply eat too much bread or cereal if he can't get access to anything else.

He has now been out playing football with his pals for about the last six weeks - this is still against official guidelines in Scotland as more than 5 of them and football pitches still officially shut so they have been effectively breaking in. He has lost the awful pasty look, but he's still tubby.

I hope getting back to a regular school routine with the additional incidental exercise will help. One tiny covid related blessing is that they aren't opening the break time and afterschool tuck shop, so that's one source of temptation removed.

And being overweight as a DC or teen really does matter. It means they are more likely to be overweight as adults.

But hey ho only covid matters, even if playing games outside is shown to be a low infection vector, better to be safe than sorry. Except the safe means our DC have had no access to sporting activities and are setting themselves up for a lifetime of obesity.

Oh and mine are young but they definitely don’t sit at desks all day at school... one has a step counter on her watch and she clocks up on average 17,000 steps in the 6 hours she’s at school! Then of course things like gymnastics/dancing/swimming lessons on top. I did find that level of activity difficult to replicate at home.

I’ve noticed this too and find it very depressing OP. Mine have been fine because we are a very outdoorsy family, I’m a SAHM, they’re young so don’t have a choice but to come if I say we are going hiking, etc. But I was shocked to see how much kids have on average got bigger when the playgrounds etc reopened.

Everyone saying it’s temporary - but is it? I really hope so, but we’ve already had an email from school saying that per govt guidelines (Scotland) PE has to be taken outdoors and, if weather is inclement, the kids will do ‘related’ activities in the classroom, whatever that means. A lot of the kids’ sports clubs up here are not open yet. Of my daughter’s three sports, two haven’t opened and show no sign of doing so and the other has opened in a very restricted manner. It’s much easier to stay slim than to put weight on and lose it.

Anyway, I really hope I’m wrong and that it’s just a temporary blip.

Both of mine have put on weight and one is definitely overweight. He goes for dog walks most days but he’s missing all the school sports and training. In normal times he’d do hockey 3 times a week, plus badminton and PE lessons. Plus all the walking around school, to and from the school bus etc. And he’s eating more out of boredom.

I am feeling very guilty about this, I am very worried although DH thinks I am a drama lama and she is fine. But I have just had to change my 6yo daughters school skirt to plus size! She has always been very solid in relation to her brother but she is now at the very top of the healthy BMI range.

DH loves to cook and bake and he has been in the shielding group so working from home. There has been a bit too much food and not enough exercise.

Can’t wait to get back into a normal routine and I am so glad some of her sports clubs are back. Also have a trampoline on order!

My understand is that we should try to keep her weight stable and let her grow into it rather than lose weight.

@HermioneWeasley

Children have been completely abandoned through this - they have been left without education, exercise and in some cases food (parents using school meal vouchers to buy booze or selling them on eBay). Older children have been treated appallingly in the A levels fiasco.

They need to get their lives and futures back.

Yes! That £15 a week was life changing! Party Central here 🥳 🍸 🍾

Not really. It did what it did in the majority of single parent households. - relieved the pinch and made the weekly food bill a little less challenging.

Oh and my kids put no weight on at all

My DS6 has grown up and out. He's always been very tall for his age but I'm having to buy 8-9 clothes to fit him. I'm making him do C25K with me for some exercise!! I'm glad the pools have reopened too.

This is heartbreaking.
My 6 year old DD has definitely put on weight. I haven’t weighed her, but she’s “softer” with a definite tummy.
We’re normally an outdoorsy, active family. We walk to and from school (2 miles each way), she plays hockey, does gymnastics and dancing. Plus just running around with her friends.
We don’t have a garden, she’s an only child and DH and I were both wfh while trying to home school. I know we did our best, but I also know we’ve let her down. And I’m worried that when she goes back to school next week, she’ll be slower than the others who do have gardens and siblings to run around with and it’ll turn her off exercise. Permanently.

I noticed my 3 year old was looking a bit chunky in May.. realised we’d been giving her treats left right & centre to try compensate for how boring her life had become! It’s been easily fixed. We bought a trampoline, got out to larger parks & took a picnic so she could run around all day & cut 99% of the crap. Snacks are back to fruit & crackers. She looks perfectly healthy again now mid-August.

I’m sure most kids will shift the weight back at school & being more active again!

same- both gone from five exercise sessions a week plus normal activity to...much less activity.

still they'll pick it up again soon. (hopefully)

@NoAprilFool you have NOT let your child down! You are loving parents who have done your very best in almost impossible circumstances. I take my hat off tp any parents who have been wfh and trying to homeschool through all this. I'm sure your dd will bounce right back into things when she's at school.

@Bol87 I was also guilty of giving the dc treats to compensate! I went into a baking frenzy when lockdown started - we had cakes for pretty much every occasion I could think of!

My son and I weigh the same usually (even though he's about 4 inches taller) and he has put on about 2 pounds (but may also have grown upwards a tiny bit as well as outwards). Thank goodness strict lockdown ended when it did and he's been going out with his athletics club 4 days a week. Next Monday our swimming lessons restart and although I am not keen I will go back as I want him to go back too (we go together but different ability lanes).

Totally agree that the kids have been badly treated throughout all of this and then people have the cheek to call them selfish for not wanting to be part of covid testing groups or for going out with friends (outside).

Unfortunately most of us have, a few pounds in my case. I know we were comfort eating. I've stopped buying cakes and biscuits now but in March /April it's all we had to look forward to. Kids will burn it off and if combined with sensible eating at home it's not going to be an issue, I would prefer they are happy for now

My six year old has put on weight. He was doing a lot of sport pre-lockdown. He attends a private school where sport is a very big part of the curriculum both during, before and after the school day. It was impossible to replicate during lockdown.
Really hope he starts to slim down once he goes back to school in September. He only drinks water and has no sweets or other snacks between meals.

Any evidence for that claim @HermioneWeasley? Why bring that into it? Because you want to absolve the government of any responsibility?

At the end of the day, the lack of natural exercise has been difficult and we’ve had to find new routines to make it happen. But not to the same level as they’d get at school and with activities etc.

This government has prioritised pubs over schools. It’s appalling.