Obese children "set" before the age of 5 - how to tackle it

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So, the latest research indicates that 90% of excess weight is put on in girls before the age of 5, and in boys it is 70% before the age of 5.

One mother thinks that parents should just be told, straight, that it is down to them to ensure that this excess weight gain doesn't happen - but will this work?

There so often seems to be a backlash against the "nanny state" when parents are put in a culpable position for their children's weight issues - which then gives people an excuse to say "I'm not being told by any Government how to feed my children, they're my kids and I'll give them what I want to."

What do you think? Will people backlash against it or take advice to help their children?

it kind of makes a mockery of JO's food for schools campaign doesn't it?!!

seemingly so, but I hope people don't take it that way! JO still did a good thing and even if children aren't obese by the age of 5, eating the school crap food that was generally available would have made them so anyway!

Did I mention that 1 in 4 children are now obese??!

seemingly so, but I hope people don't take it that way! JO still did a good thing and even if children aren't obese by the age of 5, eating the school crap food that was generally available would have made them so anyway!

Did I mention that 1 in 4 children are now obese??!

good point

..I have noticed that I seem to be the only mum round our way who does not push round a pram with several packs of "mini cheddars" in the carrier bit.
I began to wonder if they were mandatory round our way...but that kind of no nourishment, lots of calories food seems to be shovelled into kids from 1 year onward, and the poor buggers are always strapped in cars, not really surprising that they get overweight is it?

not really!
But how do you think those mums would react to being told that minicheddars aren't ideal scoff for their LOs, and perhaps an apple would be better?

Not doubting these new stats at all but it does seem to go against all my experience. When they start school most of my DC's little friends are normal/slim (with a few inevitable exceptions) but the ones that get fat tend to do so from Yr 2 onwards.

Not arguing that bad habits can get inculcated at a very young age of course.

OrmIrian, same round here. TBH I am stunned at just how fat a lot of the kids round my way are. There parents tend to be slim but just keep shovelling crap into their DCs faces. Feel very sorry for them.

It is shocking fox. DD had a climbing party for her birthday last year. Of the 10 girls who went only DD and one other was slim. The others were all overweight. One girl turned down the invitation - later I found out that it was because she couldn't fit into trousers and was too embarrased to come. Poor little mite

how old is your dd, Orm? that's terrifying statistic

fwiw there aren't any overweight children in dd's year (2).....can't see any of them porking out, but suppose you never know

the stats come from an Earlybird study, due to be published in the american journal Pediatrics.

Orm, it might be that where you live, there are less obese children generally?

is it an American study?

My ds2 loves mini chedders, he is underwieght and will usually only eat fruit, so when he started munching on mini chedders i was thrilled, it makes a change from apples! he had a go at twiglets the other night too

Hope you dont judge me for having mini chedders in my shopping trolly

She's 9.

no compo it isn't.
here is the link to the bbc story that gives the details - the study was done in Plymouth.

Vinegartits, you are clearly not under fire in this circumstance!

In the town where I live there it seems nearly every child is in a pushchair until they go to school. My dd is 3.9 and goes to nursery. Some of the children are over 4 and are still wheeled into the nursery every day.

And if they're not in the pushchair, they're in a car seat. No-one walks anywhere.

Oh, and McDonalds is always packed, every day of the week.

You can eat "crap" and still be healthy and slim, its about "balance" in the diet.
DD is three, she will eat crisps / chocolate / MacDonalds but the MAJORITY of the stuff she is eating is fruits, vegetables, pastas, rices etc etc.

Oh and she walks everywhere, pratically refused to be in the pram past being about 18mths, runs loads, and is really energetic with the other children and at home. People look at her and say "oooh, she doesn't stop does she, I'm exhausted watching her!"

How to unpick what the causes are must be v tricky.

This worries me no end.

I have two ultra-skinny boys, but my 6-yr-old girl is noticeably overweight. Always has been. She was a fat (even when exclusively breast-fed) baby and has never slimmed down. Everyone always says, 'Don't worry, she'll grow out of it,' but it seems that's not so likely . She is frankly rather greedy with a very sweet tooth which I constantly have to thwart -- but if anyone knows how to do this more successfully while simultaneously not making her worried about it or stoking an eating disorder for later, please let me know.

The big difference between her and the boys is what you might call background activity level. She sits still unless prompted. They constantly twitch, jiggle, stick their feet halfway up the wall, hop on one leg -- and that's just whilst reading a book. We walk to school, go swimming and ride bikes. Seems to have no effect whatever...

I find that hard to believe. In my DS's Reception class (so 4-5 years olds) there are no overweight children.

In DD's class, Year 3 (7-8 yo) there are two chubbyish children, but not grossly overweight or anywhere near obese. I only notice because I help out for swimming lessons, btw, so see them undressed. In normal school clothes I'm sure I wouldn't even realise they are chubbyish.

There is one 7 yo girl who is overweight. She has SN, her weight could be linked to her condition, I'm not sure.

This is a state London primary. Can't imagine the mix of children is that different to the rest of the country ????

Lancelottie, I know a little girl like that. Mother is very slim and I'm sure she knows what her child shouldn't eat, but her dd is always looking for more food.

My dc are normal weights but that's not all down to brilliant parenting! I'm 'lucky' that they're sidetracked easily and think of food when they're hungry and not all the time.

I think that 'thinking about food all the time' gene definitely exists. My Dad has it!!! My mum has to wrestle food out of his arms or he'd have a heart attack!

the point was made on t'wireless that healthy eating in school is still a good idea, as obesity is something that can be reversed pretty easily in children. So Jamie not out of a job yet.

I know, if one in four children is obese, where the feck are they all? My children at a state school. No fat children. ONE child who is a little plump in my dc1's class.

In my nieces class there is one little boy who the scholl called social services on his parents becuase he was 3 and was really obese, his thighs started bleeding where they were rubbing together.......... but with the help of the school and ss he is now a healthy little boy and is a normal weight, he started school in September.

I think parents should be responisble but schools should take and active role in teaching children about healthy eating to.

That woman who stuffed chips and burgers through to the kids in school after JO's campagne made me really mad, what the hell she though she was teaching those kids i don't know!

We don't have may overweight children round here, my ds is on a high fat diet despite him being on the top centile for weight and bottom centile for hieght but beucase he has cf they insist he has alot of fatty food, i try to make it up with cheese and milk and yoghurt rather than chips and crisps although he does like a McDOnalds on the occassion.
I get some really filthy looks from other parents though when he is in the pushchair (becuase he is breathless) becuase he is 4 and can walk well and its worse when he is bolting a sausage roll (not Greggs)