How much does your 4 year old weigh?

[JC17fj74]

I measured my nearly 4 year old today and he's 112cm tall and weighs 3st 11 pounds.
He doesn't look 'big' he's really tall and has a long body but I was surprised at the number in the scales! You certainly would t look at him as overweight at all.
I know it doesn't matter at this age, I just wondered in comparison what other children around the age weigh?

Mine's nearly 5 and 17kg (sorry I'm not sure about stones).

He's half Filipino though so has a 'slight' build.

Also don't know stones but she's nearly 5 and 16.8kg. But she's quite short for her age. And a girl. So maybe not that helpful to you!

My 3 year old girl (4 in the summer) is approx 107cm and about 19kg. I know she’s tall compared to her peers.

@JC17fj74

I measured my nearly 4 year old today and he's 112cm tall and weighs 3st 11 pounds. He doesn't look 'big' he's really tall and has a long body but I was surprised at the number in the scales! You certainly would t look at him as overweight at all. I know it doesn't matter at this age, I just wondered in comparison what other children around the age weigh?

He doesn't sound overweight just clearly well built and is very tall for his age. Have you looked at the charts in the red book? His height is well above average so it makes sense that his weight is too.

Mine is a similar age, 8kg lighter but also 8cm shorter and very atheletic, muscly build but not a big bone structure. So it seems like the weight you said may be on the higher end of the spectrum BUT he's very tall too. It he also has a broad build and eats healthy food, doesn't have fat on his body, does lots of exercise and doctors have not highlighted any issues I'd assume he's just a tall, well buillt boy?

Your DS doesn’t sound over weight at all. He’s very tall so will carry his weight easier. My DS was 4 last November, he is 111cm and weighs just under 3st.

Your son is around 98th percentile for height at 112cm and weighs 24kg so this puts him just above 99th percentile meaning he is proportioned for height and weight. Unfortunately because we use BMI to measure whether weight and height is considered healthy he will probably come up as overweight but is well in proportion and will continie to grow and adjust as he gets older! Try not to worry!

Unfortunately because we use BMI to measure whether weight and height is considered healthy he will probably come up as overweight but is well in proportion

This makes no sense. BMI measures weight in proportion to height so surely if they're evenly matched he wouldn't come up as overweight? Or is it calculated differently for children?

My son was 4 last Sept and is 110cm and weights 2st 13lbs. He is tall and slim, he eats really well and loves fruit and veg. As long as your child is healthy I wouldn't worry too much.

@ladybirdlamp

Just to say that I am talking from my own experience i am not a doctor or any kind of expert in childrens growth.

My daughter is 2.5 now and when i put her in the nhs BMI calculater, she comes up at overweight. Her height is 91st percentile and her weight is 90th. I called the doctor with my concerns and he said that BMI is quite inacurate for children until around the age of 8 or 9 for girls and slightly later for boys. When I had my daughters 2 year old review with the health visitor she repeated this information and said that as long as their weight and height corrilate to not worry too much about the BMI charts.

The key here i think is making sure that your child has a blanced diet with correct portions for size and gets plenty of exercise. If you can honestly say this and your childs height and weight correlate i think things should be fine

My DD is 4 and 2.9 stone and 104cm tall.

My DD is 4 in May - 99cm tall, weighs 14kg. There is really a lot of variation at this age - she is small and slight because she has my genes, eating habits and activity levels. I think if you are happy that his portion sizes, diet and activity levels are appropriate, he should be fine, just keep an eye on it.

My DS is 5 in March. He is 109cm tall and just under 18kg. Your DS does sound very heavy, regardless of the fact that he is very tall for his age. You say he doesn’t look overweight but I think many of us have lost sight of what normal weights look like. Children are supposed to be skinny.

@dinogreen

With those numbers your son falls below average for a 5 year old for weight, (somewhere around 45th centile) and just below 75th centile for height. So above average height.

It is quite wrong of you to say "Your DS does sound very heavy, regardless of the fact that he is very tall for his age. " as this is a direct contradiction of how we calculate a healthy weight. A man who is 6ft tall is going to weigh a lot more than a man who is 5ft 5. OPs son is top of the centile chart for weight and height and therefore growing apropriately for HIM.

OP i think asking for comparisons of other children is a sure fire way to create more anxiety for you. If your ds is following his growth lines and you are giving him the right portions, balanced foods and lots of exercise you are fine and so is he!

@Hpsaucey77 the OP’s DS has a BMI of 98th centile which is defined as obese. BMI takes into account height and weight so it means even accounting for his height he IS overweight. I’m not trying to worry the OP. My DS used to be a right chubster and his now slimmed out as he’s got older, but I did need to keep an eye on his portion sizes and snacking.

OP I would suggest you discuss with your GP or HV, your DS may just be sturdy. But he sounds very heavy to me and if there is a problem then better to try and address it while he’s still young.

Depending on body type some kids can be heavier without looking particularly overweight. I wouldn't worry too much at his age but do regulate portion sizes, snacks and treats to ensure he's not eating to excess.

Children of the same age can differ wildly on the centiles. Our fraternal twin girls are 6 in a few weeks, one is 117cm/20.3kg the other 111cm/19.6kg .

@DinoGreen BMI is not an accurate way of measuring wight and height proportionately for children under 8 years old. This is why we use percentile charts

@Hpsaucey77 BMI is how the NHS will measure your child’s weight.

digital.nhs.uk/services/national-child-measurement-programme/

www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/bmi-calculator/

For children it’s adjusted to percentiles rather than using the adult numeric figure. Not appropriate for babies, but by 4 it’s pretty accurate and is how your child will be measured in reception (although it’s been cancelled/postponed this year due to covid). OP’s child would be getting a letter home on his current weight.

@DinoisGreen

Yep your right on that one! And then presumably his mum will follow the letters advice and go to the GP who will be an actual human being looking at every aspect of the child and the gp will not be in the slightest bit concerned if his weight centile matches that of his height, which it does!

Im well aware that the chart is used for children after the age of 2 but after putting my own childs height and weight in and her coming out at 91st percentile meaning she falls just in the overweight catagory, i called the gp and he wasnt the least bit concerned as he said 8 years for girls is when they would use the bmi charts in actual practice as that is when they become a bit more accurate. The HV confirmed this when i also raised it at her 2 year old review.

Just because you have a very lean child who actually falls well below the average at 33rd percentile I dont think you should be comparing your child to hers. The range of childrens percentiles is so varied and that is why i advised the OP that comparisons will only put her less at ease.

My DS (4 years 3 months) weighs about the same as yours. He’s also tall for his age.

@Hpsaucey77 we can agree that comparisons aren’t helpful! And I did suggest that the OP consults her GP or HV to get a sense check on it. There obviously are children out there who, like yours, are heavier than average but aren’t visibly overweight and OP’s DS might be one of them too. But it’s also true that there are a huge number of overweight children out there and that parents aren’t always the best judge of whether a child is visibly overweight or not. And that’s why I said if OP’s DS is overweight, it’s better to address it when he’s younger. BMI might not be perfect but it gets it right in the majority of cases, I think.