My DS has lost weight he says he is fat.

[BigOfNoorks]

I cant think where this has come from he is age 4 and he keeps saying he will get fat belly if he eats his dinner. The only place I can think where this comes from is the schools recent healthy eating drive they did just before school broke up.

He was on the 50th centille he is now on the 25 and has lost about 2lbs since I weighed him six months ago. My ds is very tall and skinny anyway. His BMI is still healthy but he is right down the bottom of what is healthy now.

This has been happening for a few weeks I tried ignoring his refusal to eat food but he still kept refusing so I have tried sitting down and saying that healthy food (fruit and his dinner) will not make him fat but eating to much sweets will. But that he won't get fat because he does not eat to much. But he is still refusing to eat he is eating but barely anything. Advice please and I have recently name changed.

Do you get on/know your health visitor? I wonder if she could talk to him about needing lots of healthy foods to grow tall and strong. I'm thinking someone official telling him as he's not listening to you?

I got on with my old HV but I have recently changed so I have not seen her yet I have to take dd for vaccinations tomorrow though so yes I could ask her to have a word and find out if we get on thanks.

DS went through this a bit at nearly 4 (the comments, not the losing weight) -- I talked to nursery and they were horrified; they couldn't think where it had come from except possibly mention of Santa having a big fat belly. They were very good and worked in some good positive messages about food in circle time, and he seemed to stop worrying about it.

I would try to talk to the school as soon as term restarts -- at this age what school tells them often seems to come with more authority than what you tell them, so if the root of the problem comes from school then that will be the best place to get it corrected.

Or possibly a HV/GP etc. who will be seen as another authority figure could help?

My son did this. I had to bang ON and On ABOUT HOW A HEALTHY DIET HAS everything IN IT AND MEANS NOT BEING HUNGRY.

get his teacher to explain that eating his dinner is healthy. show him what his weight 'should' be and explain that he is below this weight now, so it's important that he eats his meals as you are his mum and you love him and would never give him an unhealthy meal.

I am glad it is not just me that makes me feel like maybe I am not that bad a parent. We have broke up now for the six weeks so it will have to wait till September. But I will definitely try the scales thanks. I will keep enforcing that healthy eating means eating lots of different food and that he won't get fat.