So what happens when baby goes off the centile charts?!!!

[Lisa78]

DS2 after initial concerns over his weight, is zooming along the 75th centile quite happily. As dad is 6ft 5, I thought I'd get his length done today and he is 73.5cm at 6 months, which puts him bang on the 99.6th centile - ie another half cm and there aren't any centiles for him!!!!!???
Whats that all about then!!!???

fimbles - i have had the same about ds's weight...very rude and incredibly hurtful at times...

Hi popsy, yes I've read your threads about this topic and charts before. How do you reply without getting really annoyed?

Sister in law just had her son measured, appartently they can tell how tall he will be when he's finished growing, hes nearly 2 looks about 5, by the charts reckoning he will be 6'7" when he stops growing...sil is 6'1" and bil is 6'4", hes only just started walking and doesn't talk yet. I supose he's put all his effort into the growing side of things...

good question fimbles

the comments don't happen so much these days - DS is now 21 months and is on 91st centile for both weight and height and is, I think, beginning to slim down.

It bothers me that people feel free to comment about larger babies..oooh isnt he huge.....what do you feed him on etc etc, but wouldn't dream of saying thigs about smaller babies eg oooh isnt he tiny - you really aren't feeding him properly.

For both big and small babies, very often no amount of feeding makes a different to size. I would never make any comment on another person's child so would prefer people not to comment on mine!

As for what I reply....I have gradually grown immune to it. I have tried sarcasm and joking with them - but that just made me feel bad.....
i tend to say something like - he will be thankful for all that when he is a 6'4" 20 year old.....

or something
I do tend to just let it wash over me now though - it took a long time to get to that stage though.

Burn the charts!!

This brings back some memories. My mum actually made a jumper for ds1 which said "I'm only 2!" And we used to let him wear birthday badges all year round.

Just to encourage you - it does get easier: DS1 still looks much older than his years (he's off the scale for height again) but it doesn't matter so much - the difference in expectations is less. Also he tends to have a narrower social circle: school, Beavers, swimming, church ... so everyone knows him and knows he's only 6.

Also there are some advantages too ... he's almost tall enough to go with me on the biggest rides at Alton Towers (thanks for my free tickets Mumsnet)

popsycal, people always make that comment no matter what size they are. I'm always getting "Isn't she a tall girl" comments about the sluglet even though she's actually below average in height for her age. Go figure. I think it's probably because she's so slim (God knows why, she could eat for England)

Sorry to go on about this again, but we have just come back from the park and I have just had to listen to the same remarks/sniggers/whispers once again. Because dd looks so much older than she is, everyone including the children expect her to be talking properly, instead when she opens her mouth it is the odd few words mixed with baby babble.

People think she is backward, I can hear them talking, look at her!!! poor thing.

Gosh I never expected it to be like this, feeling like we stand out, everyone staring. It's like there is no other tall child except mine in the whole area.

oh fimbles we get the same thing. dd2 is only 20months, her clothes are age 3-4, her shoe size is 7, and nappies, well we can just get her into extra large ones. people look at you in shock when u say their real ages. We just had to repalce the car seats after a crash. i would preferably like dd2 to still have a 5point harness, but those seats have a weight max of 40lb. dd2 is almost that. so she is in a high back booster, which shouldnt be used b4 the age of 3, but her height and weight make her perfect for it. the only downside is that when she falls asleep she doesnt have the neck support and lolls around. I am trying to decide whether or not to buy another car seat for a couple of months use. I could always get a 2-way one then if i ever fall pg again we can use it for the baby.

My dd was 9lb 10 at birth and at 18 months is 29lb 12 and 85cm. Has to have 3 year old clothes in Gap due to her long legs.

I am about 5'10" though and her dad is 6'4" so she was never going to be small. I get 'how old is she did you say' ALL the time as if I put her on a stretch rack and force feed her all night

My youngest is also "big" for her age, but with delayed development - so her developmental age is a lot less than her actual age which is a lot less than her "size" age. She is 4 1/2 years younger than her brother but is only 2 shoe sizes smaller (she is 2.5, brother has just turned 7, she wears size 9 1/2 H shoe, brother wears size 12).

I find it very hard to deal with strangers who do not know her, do not know she has delayed development and judge her on her size as to what she should be doing - she only says minimal words, her co-ordination is not very good, etc. etc.

I am only 5'4", her dad is about 5'8" and she is 95 cm and weighs 18 kg (just under 40 lbs). Is in big size nappies - no where near toilet training - and it is very hard to find clothes that fit - she is not fat, just tall but built to go with her height.

She had a MRI brain scan (to check for any damage) but the hospital were also checking her pitituary gland to make sure she isn't secreting any hormones that are making her grow so fast - although she did sleep for 20 hours a day up to the age of 8 months - this means that she spent a lot of time growing and not much "developing".

They are also sending her for a bone scan as she is so big, and are going to do a lengthy development check in the summer so I will be given her (a) actual age, (b) development age and (c) bone age.

BUT at the end of the day I wouldn't change her for the world - she may be big, behind but she is so loving, sociable and lovable.

dh and I have been rather concerned about ds1 who has just turned 2. He is on 99% for weight. He is not fat, just has broad shoulders and is a very stocky little boy. However, trousers for his age NEVER EVER fit him. 18month - 2 year clothes are still too long for him still . As far as height goes he only just touches the 50%ile.
Do most of you find that trousers meant for a particular age fit? I am 5ft 5" and dh is 6ft. Perhaps the little lad will be stocky with short legs Love him!

bumblelion, is 95 cm tall for 2.5? I would of thought that was almost average. my dd of 23 months is 97cm tall. Who has suggested that she needs all these checks?

ds is 21 months: 89cm and over 31lb
gorgeous
when they are big there is more of them to love

regarding fit of clothes. My lot just don't match whatever they are designing for - tops are always in a size bigger than their age, but the arms are too long - trousers always in at least a size too young, and legs too long (and if I put in disposables then they fall off altogether and I have to dig out the ones they grew out of ages ago - then the legs are too short !)

EvanMom - try lots of different shops, they do have different standard measurements. Try some shops you wouldn't normally use.

We have the opposite problem: DS1 is tall and slim. We've found Asda and Next trousers fit him; M&S, Tescos, Woolworths and Adams just fall down.

Fimbles, she is a "big" girl for her age - the little boy that lives next door to me was actually born on the same day (in the same hospital but only moved in last summer). She is about twice the size of him. She wears "large" size nappies - but my health visitor has said that once they are too small for her, they (HV) can provide me with nappies as she is currently having lots of help, portage, physiotherapy, occupational therapy (still waiting first appointment!).

She didn't walk until she was nearly 18 months and couldn't fit into the "first size" shoes - her first pair of shoes were a size 6.

She wears age 3-4 clothes. Dresses/skirts/tops are not too bad, but trousers are a nightmare - always ankle swingers. They either come up too big on the waist (she is not exceptionally fat) but skim her ankles.

Hats are a nightmare - she couldn't even fit into an age 7-10 baseball hat - has funny shaped head, another story completely.

The hardest thing I find it trying to buy clothes that are suitable for her (in an age sense) rather than "fashionable" clothes. I like nothing more than traditional T-bar shoes but they are so hard to find to fit her feet because of her size - she is more like a 5/6 year old in shoe size.

The trouble is with children this young, when you go shopping, you can't try the clothes on - no way would my DD let me try all different sizes on her.

my dd wears a 8 1/2 G size shoe, so your dd's feet don't sound that big in comparison. Is she still growing or has she slowed down. In fact does anyone know when they generally stop growing at such a fast rate, or is it continous until puberty (which is what I have heard is the norm for girls anyway).

Sorry to hear your dd will have to go to all those appointments. Hope everything goes well for you all.

She was only 7 lbs 15 oz when she was born (slightly bigger than average but not grossly so) but then started growing rather fast and has been growing fast ever since. She shot up to 75th centile fairly quickly and is now at or around 99.6th in height, weight and head circumference.

are they worried as she has 'jumped' lines so dramatically?
They seemed really worried about dd2 as she has jumped so much she is off the charts, in fact she is well above the charts. she is around 95cm tall, her weight (guessing this as havent had her weighed in ages) is around 35lb. She is showing no signs of slowing down, her speech is a bit slow (just learnt to say milk today tho yippee, no more her coughing at the fridge).
I have given up trying to buy her hats, just bandanas for us here. so much easier than trying to find ones that fit and stay on.

Your little one sounds exactly like mine misdee. They are a bit concerned about her growth (that is why she is having the bone scan, checking her pitituary gland, etc.) but I think she is just meant to be a big girl. She has very few words but each time she learns a new one it is just wonderful.

i know i should speak to the gp about her growth, but the HV was going on about diet sheets, watching her milk intake, make sure she was eating healthily etc, made me feel like a crap mum. dd2 is actually very picky about food, and rarely finishes a meal. The only things i know she will eat with no problems is yogurt and porraige.

I don't really see much of my HV any more as DD has been referred to the development clinic at my local hospital and they keep a check on her weight/height, etc.

My DD doesn't eat that much and what she does eat is mostly healthy (although she does like a biscuit or two) but normally through choice she will have a banana or a yoghurt (her favourite).

do they really think something is wrong? or are they just being caustious? cos i'm sitting here thinking maybe i should get dd2 checked 'just in case' but she is being referred to the hospital anyway as she has problems walking (falls over a lot, loses balence easily, has been walking since 10months tho), i dont think i could cope with anythibng else as well.

cant i just rejoice in my lovely big little girl? with her big brown eyes and curly hair she is adorable.