BMI charts and percentiles - helP

[Bakedpies]

Bloody confused.
Just weighed DD, she wanted to jump onthe scales as i just did.
Potted her BMI and shes in the 99th centile and ' overweight'

Shes a tall child for her age, i had been advised by the doctor to opt out of the school programme as it would come up bad for her, but she would be being peanilised for being tall. Indeed when i alter her age on the nhs bmi calculator, to make her more in line with her height... then her BMI goes down to normal.

Plotted her on the NHS gov, red book thing ( found online and shes also just over the 99th centile for height

So her weight corresponds with her height.....

Doesnt much matter, i know shes fine and we eat well. Just knocking the xmas chocs onthe head, but, should i be worried, or is it just a thing, like the doctor says, because shes outside of adverage?

But BMI takes height into account so how could she be penalised for being tall?

What are her height and weight?

If she's taller than average and heavier than average then surely her bmi shouldn't be higher as the height and weight will even out so to speak.

How tall is she and how much does she weigh?

But when plotted on the charts the NHS use, her percentile is over 99 and her weight is on the 98th centile.

So both her height and weight are around the same.

The doctor said the bmi wouldnt work great on her, because shes so tall for her age, so, like i said, if i make her a few years older ( and so her height reflects the adverage height of a child that age) then her bmi is actually ok... while the height and weight havent changed at all.

shes 141 cm tall, age 7 ( 8 in a few weeks) and 6 stone 10.

childrens ones work a bit differently to adults ones, as they also have an age factor in it as well.

While adults just have height and weight.

Which is why i was advised to opt out of school measurements. I cant change her height.
She fits in clothes that correspond to her height too, with no issue.

shes also got size 3 feet.

shes just big all over.

6 stone 10 sounds quite a bit - DS is 139 cm and weighs about 4 stone 7 I think (although he is 10) and is on the thinner side although not very skinny iykwim.

I hadn't properly considered how age would be incorporated into bmi calculations.

Just played around with the NHS bmi calculator and it's weird - if your DD were 11 she'd be a healthy weight but at the age she is she's very overweight.

Are you and your dh tall? Because that is very tall and pretty heavy. DS is 7, 8 in May and 2nd tallest in his year (tallest boys mum is 6ft, dad 6'8), but we are 5'10 and 6'3 and calculating ds's height from that keeps him exactly on the line he is on. And matches his adult cousins heights.

Ds is currently 133cm tall - not sure of current weight, but nowhere near 6 stone and he is solid muscle.

Children who are overweight from an early age do get taller than expected - but still top out at their genetic height which is why the NHS bmi calculator takes age into account

yep,i know. which is why the doctor told me to opt out of the school thing, like i said upthread, the childrens one takes into account age as well. So, dd is peanilised for being taller than she is old. If shes the age which corresponds to her height then she is fine.

So my DD is taller than your son at 3 years younger.... And shes a girl.

ive no doubt shes on the chubby/ solid side as i have eyes ;) we eat well, maybe not so well over xmas, and exercise. And im sure we can both drop a few lbs quite easily. It just shocked me terribly when i did her BMI this morning and wondered why there was such a disparity.

I also feel bad for DD as she cant help being so much taller than everyone else, and shes already aware shes bigger than her friends (most of her friends are still in a size 10 or 11 shoe for example)

DS was 8 in Nov. He's 140cm, has size 3 feet and weighs 4st 6lb. He is quite skinny though.

MirandaWest, I think that you'd expect an 11yo to weigh more than a 7yo of the same height wouldn't you? Their body shape is starting to change by then so you have to allow for that - my 11yo niece is no longer flat chested.

OP, they come in all shapes and sizes. You are happy that she eats healthily and does not look chubby which is the important thing. It's definitely something to keep an eye on though. Maybe you could keep a food diary for a week (not showing her obviously!) as a reality check that she's not snacking more than she should be?

Im short, ex husband is 6'5 and all of his family are massive, even the women are over ft.

Shes the tallest in her class by a long way, and taller than most of the years above her. She gets mistaken for being a lot older than what she is, for example, in the summer before they went back to school a lady in the shop said to her ' you must be looking forward to starting high school' DD got all flustered. She was starting year 3.

Having had a play with the BMI thing online, for her to be a healthy weight at her height and age, she would have to drop 2 stone almost. There is no way she has an additional 2 stone on her as i can see her backbone. half a stone, yes, but 2 stone no way. She also tends to get round before a growth spurt, so it could just be that. Anyway, treats are down in any case.

i had a talk with a nutritionist a while back, as they were at achool for an open day and i always want to check these things, knowing dd is on the heavier side. We went through it all and she said its clear im very clued up and we eat well, and that children do not come in one size fits all.

DD is 8 and has a friend who's always been tall - they were both 8 in September and DD is 129cm and her friend 138cm I think.

DD is pretty average - her shoes are 13.5 I think and most of her friends are similar.

There is no "school thing"

Schools are merely a venue for the national Child Health measuring programme (which falls under the Dept of Health), and if bigger children aren't measured it skews the population norms.

Your doctor sounds like an utter arse, who misunderstands much about child health surveillance.

BMI for girls is stunningly complicated I'm not a doctor (although I am a scientist) and I'm not going to attempt to get my head round this graph on my phone.

However, it does show what I've found with my DDs, age of puberty must be taken into account.

By 12.5 DD1 was absolutely a young woman, she was 5'5" and a size 12 (at 15 she's a touch taller and still a size 12)

DD2 is almost 13, she is still a child. She's just getting breasts, but doesn't wear a bra. She fits 11-12 clothes perfectly (except they are getting short) 13-14 fall off her waist.

In fact adult size 6 often fit best.

(I'd love to know what my DDs weigh, but given two of DD1's DFs issues with food, I don't get the scales out).

I always work on the premise that you should be able to see their ribs a bit. I was a bit of a butterball as a child and hated it.

My Dd has size 3 feet and is the tallest by far. She is yr 3 and a bit chubbier than she should be. I will pop her on the scales later.

DD is starting puberty with n doubt. We have had smelly arm pits for a while now and her breasts are changing as are her nipples ( sorry if tmi)

I dont think my doctor is an arse, i think he said it to protect DD who already feels abit odd as to why she is so different to her friends, further pointing it out to her isnt going to make her feel better.

Even down to the shoe thing, i cant find nice, pretty school shoes for DD in a size 3. they are all grown up styles, Start right only did two styles, one a plain ballet pump with a strap, one a brouge. Neither of which dd wanted when all her friends have little butterflies and things stitched on theirs. Noone wants to create a bit self esteem with her feeling so odd against the others.

My DS is also 7 he is 8 next month and he is a similar height to your DD at 143cm. He is tall for his age and has size 3.5 feet, however he is 4st 11lbs and is by no means skinny and has an athletic build. I do think that 6st 10 is far heavier than average for a girl and whilst it may even out longer term it is in no way guaranteed and you may have to consider building in more exercise into her routine to offset any further weight gain.

She already swims and horse rides, doing both once a week. Plays outside ( weather permitting) Usually walks the dog for 30 mins or so a few times a week too.

We have a few wii games, so i said we could do those once a day ( like a game with her and me, but set to ' sweat' mode)

I think its more smaller portions than being more active really as she does a fair bit.

My dn is on the 98th for both a and always has been. She is very fit and not overweight. If your GP isn't concerned, don't worry

When you say she swims, do you mean a lesson, or serious swimming lengths?

Because tbh, thats not that active really.
You could start with both taking the dog out for a brisk walk everyday, a good long walk at the weekend (like at least an hour), maybe a family cycle ride. My ds has really enjoyed swimming lengths now he can, so we do 400-500m in a swim session and have some fun doing races etc.

I think its ribs not backbone you are supposed to be able to see

have you tried the change for life programme?

Hi It's tough to accept but those BMi calculators are reasonably accurate.The aim for children who are in the upper weight range is for them to grow into their weight.So you should be aiming for her not to gain any more weight.You can do this by watching her portion size,and getting exercise and healthy diet.What centile was she born on? They can be a good indicator give to take of where she should be.You can ask yor gp or school nurse to put her name forwards for a mend group locally.They are an excellent way to focus on the whole family's attitudes surronding both diet and exercise.I cannot emphasise how important it is to deal with it now while she's young before habits become ingrained and it's much more difficult to deal with.
Portion size is really important too.She should not be eating adult portions of food She needs about 1200-1400 cals a day have a little think about how many cals she is eating.Im not advocating putting her on a diet this is just to give you a rough idea of how much she is taking in compared to how much she needs.
Children's weight is a really sensitive issue,lots of parents become really defensive about it.Try if you can to keep an open mind and things will improve overtime.

she was born at 99 and 98 centile for weight, so shes just followed the way she was born.

Cant take the dog for a brisk walk every day, shes too old, and i dont have time anyway as i work and by the time we get home its dinner time, homework then bed.

the weekend is more active, her dad regulary takes her for 3-5 mile cycle rides, or we do something active.

There isnt anything wrong with her diet as we have already spoken to a doctor, a nurse and a nutritionist ( from a local change for life programme ) about this.

so- today she has eaten: an apple and then some greek yoghurt with honey. For lunch some home made veg soup and two slices of bread. Dinner is Lean beef meatballs in a tomato and veg sauce on spinach.

You cant tell me there is anything wrong with that.
Thats a typical diet. Christmas was different as there were tons of cakes and things, a desert might happen one every two weeks, else its just fruit if shes still hungry. She doesnt snack at school as she doesnt need it, after school snacks tend to be fruit. or a bit of cheese or something.

I'm a little surprised at how many posters are saying there is a problem. As you say, she is just following the centiles she was born on. Someone had to be near the top of those charts.