School uniform for overweight 5 year old

[Camelia22]

I am new on here and know this is Mumsnet, but I need urgent advice for my overweight grandson.
He is obese and I cannot get school trousers to fit him (he is nearly 5) . I would like to get elasticated trousers in bigger sizes. Have tried Marks but they do not fit.
Does anyone know what would happen if I cannot get a uniform to fit when he starts school (I would have to send him in, in black joggers), or anywhere that I could get advice now it is the school holidays.
Any help appreciated

Just checked and Tesco have generous fit trousers available online. I’ve always found the Tesco uniform to be really good and it lasts well.

My older DS was very solid at 5, we got all his school trousers from Zeco. They do some called sturdy fit, they look like normal school trousers at the front but are elastic at the back.
For what it’s worth, he is now 20 and at Uni doing a Sports Degree and is incredibly fit. A child’s size at 5 does not determine them.

Please don’t just blame your DIL make your son take some responsibility for his child too!

for going to school I would look at getting some shorts may be easier to find school shorts for him.

You have a good three weeks op. Keep him with you for as long as possible. Keep up at the better diet and get him out every day without fail for lots of movement. Swimming?

Presuming he isn’t “force fed” and this is a case of piss poor parenting by feeding him a diet of junk and no exercise… the OP needs to step in and address his diet and fitness. Today.

She's doing it and hasn't asked for help/comments on this, so presumably it's going quite well.

She just wants school trousers for the poor boy... who btw is also dealing with an ill parent in hospital so some compassion is called for.

If you wish for posters to stick strictly within the confines of your precise question then…

”recommendation for plus size school trousers” would have been better than “obese almost 5 year old”

Sainsbury do plus size trousers for school

Have you looked at the sturdykids website? It's online only i think but they cater for children like this.

Christ, what were they feeding him for him to be obese at that age?

Genuinely shocked a 5 year is so overweight/obese that you can’t get school trousers to fit 🤯

I genuinely hope he continues to lose weight with you, and stays that way. I don’t understand how parents (your son included) can allow a child to gain so much weight to get to this predicament at such a young age. Your grandson will no doubt be bullied in school, poor thing.

You’re doing your best for him and I applaud that. I hope you find suitable trousers, and I hope you continue to help him lose weight.

My dd was despite no family history of obesity and having a healthy diet . We never got to the bottom of it and even had SS involvement at one point. She was huge from about 6 months - 4.5 years. Was unusually short too for our family , had a massive growth spurt and had slimmed a lot by 5 then by 5.5 was really slim. Never found out why

I was obese at your grandson's age. The problem - I think - was that Mum was unwell and allowing me too many sweets as a coping mechanism and Dad was contributing by giving me some of his dinner when he was on shift work. (He'd starved during the war.)

Mum bought me clothes intended for older girls and took them up. I lost the weight after a doctor scolded my mum - eating sensibly and normal growth sorted it out.

I have no idea what my weight was, but I've seen the photographs...I recall Mum saying that at one point my measurements were 28-28-28.

At the age of 12, I was able to wear one of the skirts that Mum had bought me when I was 4...she just had to let the hem back down. (I was 5ft 7 by then.)

You're doing a grand job, OP. Your grandson will thank you for it some day.

Amazon.

Not helpful!

I got the next plus size school trousers for my ds when i needed them bigger in the bum to accommodate his nappy.

FFS!! The OP is his grandmother, who is looking after the boy whilst his mum is in hospital!! What the actual fuck!! How bloody rude and insensitive are you??

Please don’t overly worry if you can’t find something, despite all the good sugggestions, the school won’t mind plain joggers in the correct school colour as a ‘reasonable adjustment’ just email ahead of school starting and let them know. It would be good for them to be in the loop so they can support around him missing mum etc. anyway.

I think this has mostly been answered now and I really think getting the school trousers sorted might have become a bigger source of stress than it really is (understandable in stressful times!) Would definitely say that Asda are quite generous size wise and it might be worth sending him to school in shorts just for September- the shorter length seems to give them more "give" around the bum and hips iykwim, especially if he has slightly chubby thighs. I hope your DIL gets well soon and that your son is able to step up with keeping meals healthier when DGS returns home. 😘

My lad who wasn't great at buttons and zips wore jogging bottoms in the same colour as the school uniform trousers for a couple of years and no-one batted an eyelid or mentioned it once. I don't think I even sought official permission!

Hope everything works out for you all - best of luck!

Most of your responses on here have been brilliant and so helpful. I have just ordered some school shorts from Lister Schoolwear, so hopefully they will fit better.
geoger I managed to get him polo shirts and t-shirts fine, it was just the trousers I had difficulty with. I have also ordered him elasticated waist shorts as I think that will be easier for him.

Thank you all once again for your help, it has given me a boost.
As some of you have said I do not need it pointing out he is overweight, I was on here to talk about school uniform. Some people are very insensitive and would not like it if it was them. Most people have been so nice and supportive x

Lemonadeat8
No child should be obese no matter the circumstances.

I actually call bs on that, surely metabolism and build wise some children are different- my brother was always a rugby build (he’s a rugby head and marathon runner now as an adult) and would have looked bigger than a number of people in his class. I’ve also known a number of kids that lost puppy fat and filled out as they turned into teens or conversely athletic kids that put on weight in teenage years. I personally don’t think anyone should judge overweight children or their parents.

‘Reasonable adjustments’ apply to those with disabilities. Having said that, uniform is not actually compulsory or enforceable so joggers would be fine, although the child will stand out compared to everyone else. If the lovely grandma keeps going as she is, then the child should be able to lose a fair bit of weight by the time of starting school, making things a bit easier.

Puppy fat is definitely different to being obese, especially to the point you’re struggling to find trousers.

When my mum was challenged over my weight, her tearful response to the doctor was: "I thought that it was just puppy fat."

The reply was: "There's no such thing as puppy fat!"

I tend to agree with you, however, Blank1234. When I think of "puppy fat", I think of just a little bit of chubbiness. I've seen pictures of myself when I was 4. My double chin had a double chin.

I didn't have to starve to lose the weight - just cut out the sweets from Mum and others plus the extra portions that my dad had been giving me as a misguided act of kindness. Normal growth took care of the problem and I was a normal weight for my height by the time I was 7 years old.

Clothes were a problem when I was an adolescent, however, because I was already the height of an adult.