My DD is almost 8.5. Until about 6m ago, she was a tiny thing and has been since birth (she was on the 25%ile and struggled to put on weight).
About 6m ago she developed breast buds and her hips widened. She's now using deodorant every day and has 2 or 3 pubic hairs. We've seen the GP and she's been very supportive. DD is just going early, a bit like I did. I started my periods at 9 and it seems likely DD will too.
So, she has also put on weight, especially around her tummy too, but not got any taller. My Dsis reassured me, saying it's the body storing fat up for full-on puberty. DD seems hungrier than usual but doesn't eat more sweets/treats than we have always allowed at weekends etc. She usually stops eating when she's full and will leave food on her plate. She does lots of activities, netball, swimming, horse riding.
However, I'm stressing as when I was 9, same thing happened to me and then when I was of an age that I started to shoot up in height/lose the puberty weight, my dad had 2 massive strokes at a young age and I took up comfort eating and have been overweight every since.
DH thinks I'm being a bit obsessive about this as I'm monitoring everything she eats and stressing about sugar too much. We do eat heathily as a family and DH was a chef, so he cooks most nights. Sometimes I want to just chill and not worry but I can't. I don't ever voice my worries to DD but I'm worried I'm just getting things wrong.
Do girls put on weight just before puberty hits?