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Sizes amongst your kids?

7 replies

mimumm · 18/08/2023 10:11

I have a 20mo DS. He grew very fast was born big too (9lb 3) so was a little ‘chunk’ until he started moving. He was in 12-18 from about 8 months until he was 17 months now is in 18-24, 2-3years in tighter stuff like leggings !

so he’s still very tall (99th centile) but weight wise has steadied out over a year

i am pregnant with DD due in a few months and I wondered did your kids grow the same rate we’re they similar sizes? Or did you have one bigger baby who was a little ‘chunk’ per say and then a smaller baby or baby who was average growth/weight wise?

I feel a bit sensitive. I don’t know if it’s because I’m having a girl this time and I suffered with an eating disorder as a teen after being an overweight child. So I’m nervous if she does grow like her brother does the comments people would make (mainly DH’s family who wouldn’t stop commenting on how DS was a bit bigger) again I’m probably being silly but I’m just a bit sensitive I don’t want either of my kids to go through what I did. Which was yesrs of low confidence from a young age then an eating disorder

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PerspiringElizabeth · 18/08/2023 10:15

My third is my chubbiest baby but my lightest. She’s the only girl, but I’m not sure that makes a difference.

My boys are solid and strong (DS1 could hold his head up from birth) but always been in the right size clothes etc.

Im not sure any of it really means anything. Someone has to be 99th or 1st centile. It’s when you’re above 99th or below 1st that it’s a problem I imagine.

PerspiringElizabeth · 18/08/2023 10:17

yesrs of low confidence from a young age then an eating disorder

Also I deffo relate to this. We don’t make our kids clear their plates, dont have good and bad foods etc. We’re just back from a family holiday and my mum is all about how little the kids eat, how her kids always cleared their plates etc… I just say ‘well look at us now!’ (We’re all fat so her parenting didn’t work so well).

KnackeredBack · 18/08/2023 10:19

Hi OP. So to answer your first question, my 3 were as follows (all are now adult):
DS1 - born light (2 weeks early), stacked on weight very fast and by 15 months was a chunk. By 4, the only thing heavy about him was his head and he's continued in the same vein. He's now very tall and slim.
DD1 - born on 50th centile and stayed there until teens. Bit heavier now, but medication doesn't help that.
DD2 - average weight, but like her DB, packed on the weight. Now tall and slim.

Our rule for weight/'fatness' etc was essentially we don't use the fat word, but instead always used fit/staying healthy. Healthy diet, healthy exercise. Any relatives who used fat/weight words were immediately challenged and stopped, no exceptions. I am an ex-anorexic, so am very much aware of the comparisons/words used by my own DM between my Dsis and I. In no way was it my DM's fault, but I no longer use the word fat in any sense really and my DH doesn't either. We make a point to not comment on it, unless essential to the conversation.

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KnackeredBack · 18/08/2023 10:21

I ought to say, I only challenged fat. chubby, chunky etc, once old enough to understand it. I think that most people would lovingly describe rolls of fat on a beautiful chubby baby and I did not start challenging at that age.

SoCentralRain · 18/08/2023 10:22

I have 4 DC, all teens/early 20s now. But yes they were different sizes and still are. 2 chunky babies/toddlers (one was a girl) and 2 skinny (boys). They've all averaged out now though.

Try not to worry. We're all different shapes and sizes, as long as you feed them a healthy diet and they're active enough they will be fine, chunky or not.

thirdistheonewiththehairychest · 18/08/2023 10:37

In my experience people are too obsessed with the size of babies. I had a very dinky second child and used to get so sick of people commenting on how small she was and trying to reassure me that she would 'catch up' at some point.

Person: Ohhh she's so little, bless her!
Me: Yes she is quite small.
Person: Ohhhh, does she not eat very well?
Me: She eats fine.
Person: Ohhhh well I'm sure she have a growth spurt.
Me: Or she might always be small, like her Grandma, and that would also be fine. We are very happy with her size. (Now go away!)

SpaceJamtart · 18/08/2023 10:38

I have 3 girls, twins and a younger singleton. The twins are identical have always been small, bottom of the percentiles since birth, they are 5, nearly 6 and still wear 3-4 in some clothes. They have been checked over and are fine, just short with a small build, most of the women in my family are short (4'11/ 5'2).
Their sister is already getting taller than them despite being 4 and was always around the 50-75th percentiles. She seems to take after the women in my partners family who are all about 5'8/ 5'9 she is perfectly healthy and very average among her peers at nursery but looks bigger in comparison to her sisters. People ask sometimes if they're triplets or if the youngest is really the big sister.

The girls have not made comments about it yet but I shut down comments about weight and size from our families when they were very small as I don't think they are helpful and I do worry that they are going to always be compared to each other or have comments made. People can be cruel and I am worried about them getting it in their heads that there is anything wring with any of them.

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