Chunky toddlers means chunky later on?

[TravelingGal]

Date: 6/22/2010 4:45:47 PM
Author: lili

Date: 6/22/2010 4:37:02 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 6/22/2010 4:27:34 PM

Author: FL Steph

I don''t necessarily think being a chunky toddler means they will be chunky later in life, but I do believe that''s where parents can establish healthy eating habits that hopefully stick with the kid. A was in the healthy range at 67%. A few weeks ago at the same weight at his doctor''s visit, he was in the 50th percentile for both height and weight. I am kind of surprised he is that high on the scale for BMI because he is pretty long and lean...I have to either put a belt on most of his pants or buy ones that have the band inside that can be adjusted. He has always eating pretty healthy and I''ve had him involved in team sports since he was 2. TGal, as long as your pedi isn''t worried about her weight, I wouldn''t worry either. If you do want to broaden her food horizons though, I would suggest doing things to make the food fun for her. Like making or buying healthy dips to go with fruits and veggies. Andrew will literally eat anything that is dipped. Also, does she like yogurt? There are these tubes called gogurts which generally gross me out because you eat them from the tube, but it makes it fun for them to eat, and Andrew reaches for those a lot for snacks. We buy the Simply Gogurts b/c they are all natural. Disney makes cheese cut up like characters. You can get mini cookie cutters and cut some sandwhiches on whole grain up into shapes. Maybe loosen up the healthy strings just a tad bit and let her have baked chips or fruit dipped in a tiny amount of dark chocolate or fruit sorbet. This method of making things fun has really worked with A. He eats most anything including sushi!

I give her baked chips (or - gasp! - even normal tortilla chips in small doses) and water crackers because her treat is salt (she loves saltier foods). And I''ve tried dips...no dice. I keep trying because tastes change every day. She used to like yogurt, but that''s changed. She dislikes anything sweet except fruit. I recently tried yogurt dipped cookies as an experiment, and she didn''t even chew the first bite...spat it out. Used to like graham crackers but no longer. For snacks, she likes string cheese, dried fruit (cranberries especially) and nuts/crackers.


I''ll take any and all other ideas...I keep plugging away at this kid.

Did you try the new TJ yogurt stars?
Ok, not the best thing in the world, but sure is packed w/ calories.


If A likes pasta, you can try it w/ one of TJ pesto sauce.
J is not a huge fan of tomato sauce, but will eat pasta plain or any sauce.

Bought that too...will have to try again, but it bombed the first time I tried that.

I swear, I get fat just eating what she doesn''t so it won''t get wasted. I stopped doing that about a month and a half ago and along with good eating and exercise, I''m dropping weight.

 

[steph72276]

Date: 6/22/2010 4:41:06 PM
Author: janinegirly
Tgal: I suppose C does have the toddler chubby legs and cheeks (seems like they all have the bellly!), but her legs are thinning out. I like it though, they are looking strong and longer now, but not by A''s standards I''m sure!


FlSteph: team sports by age 2, really? Wow! I like your suggestions on healthy dips...I hear toddlers love dipping, any suggestions on which ones or where to find the healthier versions?


My LO is actually a pretty decent eater but she does go through phases and gets bored if I make the same thing over and over. For me pasta always works at least if it''s with a sauce. She''s good with cheese, fruit, some meats and sometimes broccoli. Avocado is an easy win too. I''m not strict on pizza (we recently went to a restaurant that makes it with all natural ingredients from local farms etc), and C has always loved it. I think the biggest issue for me is distraction or repetition...once she''s bored, she wants out! Oh and my very mediocre cooking.

Hi

Yep, we started him in soccer at the Y at 2. They didn''t actually play games, just learned how to kick the ball and do drills with mom & dad(it was a good workout for me too

). Since then, he''s done group swimming lessons, and t-ball, soccer, and basketball through our church league...these were all really laid back where they didn''t keep score, so now that he''s entering kindergarten, we''re signing him up for a city league so he can learn to lose gracefully

.

As far as dips go, A will dip fruit into some fage mixed with honey. Or occasionally I will buy the little packs of lf caramel dip, but it has a lot of sugar, so I don''t do this often. For veggies, he loves ranch dip. I buy the light version and don''t put that much. I also make a homemade honey mustard dip for chicken.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 6/22/2010 4:53:49 PM
Author: lili

Date: 6/22/2010 4:49:31 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 6/22/2010 4:45:47 PM

Author: lili





Did you try the new TJ yogurt stars?

Those are the exact ones I tried with her...she looked horrified. Damn, I love em though!

LOL....J couldn''t get enough of them.
After the initial nibble, she popped the whole star in her mouth and asked for more.
After 5 stars, I told her that she''s got enough and save them for tomorrow.
She then asked for the bag ''I want to look at the bag''.
And stupid me, let her see and hold the bag, and before I know it, she''s got her hand in there and retrieved 2 more cookies.

They are SO good. I have them in my pantry right now. A miracle that I haven''t gobbled them out, but I am eating them slowly when I need a treat. I''ll try again. I bought them for partly the reason you mentioned...Amelia could use the calories. And I''m just floored most of the time that she won''t eat processed sweets, so from time to time when I remember, I dangle some sweets in front of her. I''m not complaining, but I am a big believer in moderation so I wouldn''t mind introducing her to the concept of a sweet treat so she''s not that kid later who is stuffing herself with cookies because she''s deprived!!!

 

[curlygirl]

I'm not sure how I feel about this whole thing. Since I have two children whose bodies are completely different, it's hard for me to not compare them but they are both incredibly healthy and happy.

Lily is 3. She has always been just above average but nothing unusual--60s-70s in terms of percentiles for height and weight. She is 38" tall and 35 lbs now. Her legs are long and thin (no more chunky thighs) but she still has a bit of a belly. To me, she looks like your average kid. No longer a baby nor a toddler, more like a little girl. The chart claims that she falls into the "healthy weight" category.

Lucy is almost 21 months. She's a giant and has been from birth. She doesn't eat an unusual amount, she's just a bigger girl. She weighs about 32 lbs. and is something like 33 or 34" tall. Off the charts for height and weight. She has thigh rolls which have thinned out considerably but they're still there, her belly isn't that big but she is bootylicious and has big cheeks. To me, she looks like an older toddler but not particularly fat or freakishly large. She is incredibly active and generally "dances" from point A to point B.

DH is 6'3". I'm 5'2". We are both fairly slim (besides my muffin top) and take pretty good care of our bodies. We don't limit what our children eat but we make smart choices for them right now. A dinner might consist of grilled chicken and peas but we'll let them have a cookie for dessert. They try pretty much whatever we're eating, even at restaurants. They don't have to like everything but they definitely enjoy "copying" what we're doing. I've spoken to our pediatrician many times about both girls' weights and she says we have nothing to worry about based on our history. But it really will be interesting to see how they turn out because as TGal mentioned, kids today are much more sedentary. We keep them as busy as we can (both girls are doing soccer on weekends and they take dance class at preschool) and don't spend much time in front of the tv but I don't know how that will change as they get older.

Yet another thought-provoking post, TGal!

 

[lili]

Date: 6/22/2010 4:56:25 PM
Author: TravelingGal

Date: 6/22/2010 4:53:49 PM

Author: lili

Date: 6/22/2010 4:49:31 PM

Author: TravelingGal

Date: 6/22/2010 4:45:47 PM


Author: lili






Did you try the new TJ yogurt stars?

Those are the exact ones I tried with her...she looked horrified. Damn, I love em though!

LOL....J couldn''t get enough of them.

After the initial nibble, she popped the whole star in her mouth and asked for more.

After 5 stars, I told her that she''s got enough and save them for tomorrow.

She then asked for the bag ''I want to look at the bag''.

And stupid me, let her see and hold the bag, and before I know it, she''s got her hand in there and retrieved 2 more cookies.

They are SO good. I have them in my pantry right now. A miracle that I haven''t gobbled them out, but I am eating them slowly when I need a treat. I''ll try again. I bought them for partly the reason you mentioned...Amelia could use the calories. And I''m just floored most of the time that she won''t eat processed sweets, so from time to time when I remember, I dangle some sweets in front of her. I''m not complaining, but I am a big believer in moderation so I wouldn''t mind introducing her to the concept of a sweet treat so she''s not that kid later who is stuffing herself with cookies because she''s deprived!!!

Man, we have to hide our sweets.
J''s got eagle eyes when it comes to snacks. She''d be busy doing something and as soon as she hears the rustling of a bag, she''s all alert and asks to try some.
Since now that J can open the pantry, she''d go in there and get the snacks.
We moved them to the upper shelves and she''d use the stool.

That''s great you don''t have to worry about A having a sweet tooth.
I''m curious, did you eat sweet when you were preggo w/ A?
J seems to like alot of the snacks that I eat.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 6/22/2010 5:00:05 PM
Author: lili



Man, we have to hide our sweets.
J''s got eagle eyes when it comes to snacks. She''d be busy doing something and as soon as she hears the rustling of a bag, she''s all alert and asks to try some.
Since now that J can open the pantry, she''d go in there and get the snacks.
We moved them to the upper shelves and she''d use the stool.

That''s great you don''t have to worry about A having a sweet tooth.
I''m curious, did you eat sweet when you were preggo w/ A?
J seems to like alot of the snacks that I eat.

I can''t remember, but I generally have more of a salty tooth than a sweet tooth. I don''t care for desserts too much except pie (I love pie!) and would rather eat fruit. So it''s possible she''s like me, but it seems unusual to me that she doesn''t like sweets. However, I am 100% POSITIVE that will change. I have never met a 5 year old who did enjoy a cookie!

Amelia is curious to eat...if she hears the rustling of a bag, she''ll come running too. Then she''ll look deep in thought as she mulls it over and then will say, "No."

 

[lili]

te:[/b] 6/22/2010 5:04:40 PM
Author: TravelingGal

I can't remember, but I generally have more of a salty tooth than a sweet tooth. I don't care for desserts too much except pie (I love pie!) and would rather eat fruit. So it's possible she's like me, but it seems unusual to me that she doesn't like sweets. However, I am 100% POSITIVE that will change. I have never met a 5 year old who did enjoy a cookie!

Amelia is curious to eat...if she hears the rustling of a bag, she'll come running too. Then she'll look deep in thought as she mulls it over and then will say, 'No.'

[/quote]

Have you tried pies?
Some homemade apple crisps?

 

[sunkist]

TGal - not sure if you are looking for just any foods that A will like and eat or if you are looking for foods to put a little more chubbiness on her, but you hadn''t mentioned whole milk, so I thought I would. Little kids need the fat for brain development and their fast growth.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 6/22/2010 5:06:51 PM
Author: lili

Date: 6/22/2010 5:04:40 PM
Author: TravelingGal

I can''t remember, but I generally have more of a salty tooth than a sweet tooth. I don''t care for desserts too much except pie (I love pie!) and would rather eat fruit. So it''s possible she''s like me, but it seems unusual to me that she doesn''t like sweets. However, I am 100% POSITIVE that will change. I have never met a 5 year old who did enjoy a cookie!


Amelia is curious to eat...if she hears the rustling of a bag, she''ll come running too. Then she''ll look deep in thought as she mulls it over and then will say, ''No.''

Have you tried pies?
Some homemade apple crisps?




I''ve tried strawberry pie (nope), cake (nope), chocolate chip cookie (preschool gave it to her for a bday party and she didn''t take so much as a single bite), animal cookies (she''ll eat one), yogurt cookies (spat out).

I have not tried ice cream. Homemade apple crisps...this means I have to make it, right?

I''m not trying too hard, I''ll admit. I don''t see the point of most of this stuff at this age. She''ll like it sooner or later, I am sure. But I do like to give her things to taste at this stage, so that''s what I''m doing.

Btw, sushi was a BIG flop.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 6/22/2010 5:09:29 PM
Author: sunkist
TGal - not sure if you are looking for just any foods that A will like and eat or if you are looking for foods to put a little more chubbiness on her, but you hadn''t mentioned whole milk, so I thought I would. Little kids need the fat for brain development and their fast growth.

Thanks sunkist. Amelia is still on whole milk even though she can now have 2%. She needed the fat and the ped says as long as we don''t have cholesterol issues in our family, that is fine. I thought of moving her to 2% but TGuy asked to please keep her on the whole. We are sticking with whole for awhile, plus she absolutely loves it.

The only thing I do not give her even though I know she would probably like it and it would give her lots of calories is juice. I''m waiting until she''s over 3 to give it to her. She gets it in preschool though.

 

[TravelingGal]

And sorry for hijacking this thread! Kind of funny it''s about chunky toddlers, and here I am asking for advice to make her chunkier!

 

[KimberlyH]

Date: 6/22/2010 4:45:30 PM
Author: janinegirly

Date: 6/22/2010 4:40:41 PM
Author: KimberlyH
I think our view of normal is skewed, 1/3 of all children are overweight now. I don't necessarily think a chunky toddler means an overweight kiddo, as long as parents are feeding the child healthy foods and the kid is active he/she should be fine.

My LC made a comment that we were going to make a rolly polly breast fed baby out of my very petite little girl. At almost 4 months she is no where near rolly polly and I doubt she will grow to be. It's funny how strongly people react to her size. Everywhere we go it's 'She's so small!' which she is, but I also think it's because so many babies/kids are so big. It makes my husband crazy, he lies about her age to strangers because he's tired of hearing about how little she is. It will be interesting to see what happens as she continues to grow and develop.

I agree...whch is why I don't pay attention to the growth charts/percentiles as much as I used to. If many babies are fatter these days, then really what's the measure for the norm? My one friend has a DD who is 4 months and 17lbs which is 5lbs or so less than my 20 month old!

That kid would squash my daughter! I don't trust WHO charts, because they also take into consideration those babies in 3rd world nations who are malnutritioned (is that a word?) I think. So I just figure little miss is growing and developing, happy and eating and that's what matters.

 

[packrat]

London and Trapper are both pretty good eaters, and tho I would call London a little underweight, she''s not boney/skinny, she''s tall and lean. Both kids have good muscles, but Trapper more so. He''s built like his Uncle-muscular and stocky. Both are incredibly active. I don''t go so much by the BMI for myself or the kids. I think it''s useful in some ways, but not as a be all end all.

When my brother called a recruiter to talk about joining the Navy, he was told he would never be accepted b/c of his BMI, until my brother explained he was a bodybuilder w/minimal body fat!

 

[lili]

Date: 6/22/2010 5:13:39 PM
Author: TravelingGal
And sorry for hijacking this thread! Kind of funny it''s about chunky toddlers, and here I am asking for advice to make her chunkier!

LOL....I was just thinking that!
I think A is perfect.
She seems alert and energetic.
The less sweet, the better.
If J were like A, then I wouldn''t have to worry about taking extra care to brush her teeth at night.

 

[steph72276]

Tgal, have you tried smoothies? You can use fruits, whole milk and a little yogurt.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 6/22/2010 5:20:44 PM
Author: FL Steph
Tgal, have you tried smoothies? You can use fruits, whole milk and a little yogurt.

Yup. And nope. She didn''t like it. I''ll try it with milk though...didn''t try that. I think I need to have a thinner consistency.

 

[Mara]

Date: 6/22/2010 4:40:41 PM
Author: KimberlyH
I think our view of normal is skewed, 1/3 of all children are overweight now. I don''t necessarily think a chunky toddler means an overweight kiddo, as long as parents are feeding the child healthy foods and the kid is active he/she should be fine.

My LC made a comment that we were going to make a rolly polly breast fed baby out of my very petite little girl. At almost 4 months she is no where near rolly polly and I doubt she will grow to be. It''s funny how strongly people react to her size. Everywhere we go it''s ''She''s so small!'' which she is, but I also think it''s because so many babies/kids are so big. It makes my husband crazy, he lies about her age to strangers because he''s tired of hearing about how little she is. It will be interesting to see what happens as she continues to grow and develop.

I agree normal is hugely skewed, I also think that chart for baby growth is totally skewed to make parents feel ''ok'' about their kid''s weight and height whether the kid is big or small. When people see J they are AMAZED, like open-mouthed amazed at how big he is and yet he is only 50% weight. They also say things like ''what are you feeding him, miracle grow''...

. opposite of what you have to deal with, Kim..! But he doesn''t eat that much and he''s active for a 4.5mo old. So I don''t worry, but I am sure it''s harder when they are older. We will just try to encourage veggies, fruit, water, and activity.

 

[Tacori E-ring]

lili, that is so interesting b/c I am very short and fairly small boned but my super ideal weight would be 115. Maybe I am more curvy? If I was down to 100 lbs I would not look healthy. I think 110 would be pushing it.

Says T is a healthy weight. She is stretching out. Kinda makes me sad.

 

[qtiekiki]

I haven't read the article yet, but read all the posts. I agree with what everyone had said that BMI is not a good gauge because it only takes into account the weight and height. Yes it's a good general starting point for pedi to look at, but that's it.

Meena was a chunky baby, but had slimmed down a lot since she was weaned from BFing. She slimmed down because she doesn't drink her soy milk, which has lower fat content to begin with. But she was happy and eating, so I wasn't worried. I am also a bad mommy; M had have all the junk foods that I eat. Both DH and I are both snackers, so it doesn't help. We just control her portion.

And compared to M, Jaron is definitely a skinny guy. He is gaining weights much slower than M. People comment on what a big boy he is when we are out, but I am like "really?" He has no rolls and he isn't that tall, just under 50%tile. So I don't know if my view is skewed because M was a chubby baby.

Tgal
I also think Amelia is perfect.
But here's some more things that come to mind since we are talking about it. Had you tried nuts? M loves all kinds of nuts, but her fave is candied walnuts (the one in Honey Walnut Shrimp dish) and pistachio. As for dip, spinach artichoke dip and guacamole are big hits. It's weird that she likes guacamole because she won't eat avocado. How about fatty fish? M likes grilled salmon. Don't know if you want to go this route, but M loves nutella sandwich. And since I am talking chocolate, M loves Pocky sticks.

Janine
M was around 16.5lbs at 4 months and almost 21lbs at 9 months. She was CHUBBy. Then at 12 months, she was a little over 20lbs.

Oh I am 5'3" and I am considered underweight at 110lbs, but I look healthy.

 

[KimberlyH]

i think living in a bigger is better society impacts the general view on this (excepting weight of adult females) as well.

mara, jane is third percentile all around, adjusted for gestational age she''d be tenth i believe. we get lots of is she healthy/normally developing type questions and the answer is no, she''s a bit behind, but if you go by gestational age yes and her pedetrician says she''s doing perfectly. and while the small questions don''t bother me the development questions do, in part because i''m sensitive about the fact that she''s not hitting milestones "on time", but also because it''s no ones business. and i don''t want to repeat the whole story about the end of my pregnancy over and over again.

now i''m hijacking, tgal.

 

[DivaDiamond007]

I didn''t read the article, but I have read all of the responses here.

James will be 2 on Jule 2 and is 37" and about 32lbs. He is "off the charts" at the pedi''s office for both height and weight. He was born early (36+4) and was a full pound heavier than expected, and was also tall at birth. He''s just a tall, skinny boy! People ask DH and I all the time what we feed him since he''s so big. J is a good eater and loves fruits and veggies. Sometimes we are bad and feed him McD''s nuggets but otherwise he eats a toddler portion of whatever we are having. As someone else pointed out, when he''s not hungry he just won''t eat. Some days he''ll eat one good meal and other days he will eat everything in sight. J does not watch any tv and plays outside most days of the week so I''d say he''s pretty active.

I am 5'' and usually weigh around 115, but I''m pregnant now so I''m not too concerned about my weight these days. DH is 6''1" and around 240. He needs to lose weight and knows this. Our regular diet is pretty good - whole grains, lean meats, fruit and veggies but my preggo cravings have taken over at our house and we''ve been eating too much pizza and McD''s.

All in all I think chunky toddlers grow out of it. My sister was a FAT baby. Rolls on rolls on rolls and now she''s sooo thin in her mid-20''s (no kids for her yet). I''ve always been on the smaller side and weighed only 100 when I got married 5 years ago. I think I looked great then and too fat at 115 or even 110. Grrrr....darn body image issues! Realistically I know that I''m a normal weight, but when I look in the mirror I just feel fat fat fat.

I''m really going to need to eat well and exercise after this baby is born!

 

[Blenheim]

How interesting. George is at the skinnier end of things (I think at his last appointment he was 90th for height, 45th for weight), but he has a little pot belly and he looks "normal" to me. I can see parents getting desensitized to variations from the norm if they see them every day. I was a little shocked at reading that more health care professionals didn''t mention concerns to parents, but then I realized - I don''t think our doctors have ever said that he''s skinny or really said much of anything about his weight. They tell us what percentiles he''s in, and then say that he''s steady enough on the curve that they''re not concerned, and they''ll review diet with us. I can see some parents not putting two and two together, if told only raw numbers or percentiles.

Date: 6/22/2010 5:14:27 PM
Author: KimberlyH

Date: 6/22/2010 4:45:30 PM
Author: janinegirly

Date: 6/22/2010 4:40:41 PM
Author: KimberlyH
I think our view of normal is skewed, 1/3 of all children are overweight now. I don''t necessarily think a chunky toddler means an overweight kiddo, as long as parents are feeding the child healthy foods and the kid is active he/she should be fine.

My LC made a comment that we were going to make a rolly polly breast fed baby out of my very petite little girl. At almost 4 months she is no where near rolly polly and I doubt she will grow to be. It''s funny how strongly people react to her size. Everywhere we go it''s ''She''s so small!'' which she is, but I also think it''s because so many babies/kids are so big. It makes my husband crazy, he lies about her age to strangers because he''s tired of hearing about how little she is. It will be interesting to see what happens as she continues to grow and develop.

I agree...whch is why I don''t pay attention to the growth charts/percentiles as much as I used to. If many babies are fatter these days, then really what''s the measure for the norm? My one friend has a DD who is 4 months and 17lbs which is 5lbs or so less than my 20 month old!

That kid would squash my daughter! I don''t trust WHO charts, because they also take into consideration those babies in 3rd world nations who are malnutritioned (is that a word?) I think. So I just figure little miss is growing and developing, happy and eating and that''s what matters.

I actually prefer the WHO charts, for us at least.
WHO chart methodology
CDC chart methodology

Snippets from the WHO chart information:
"The MGRS (July 1997¨CDecember 2003) was a population-based study that took place in the cities of
Davis, California, USA; Muscat, Oman; Oslo, Norway; and Pelotas, Brazil; and in selected affluent
neighbourhoods of Accra, Ghana and South Delhi, India...

"The study populations lived in socioeconomic conditions favourable to growth and where mobility
was low, ¡Ý20% of mothers followed WHO feeding recommendations and breastfeeding support was
available (de Onis et al., 2004b). Individual inclusion criteria were: no known health or environmental
constraints to growth, mothers willing to follow MGRS feeding recommendations (i.e. exclusive or
predominant breastfeeding for at least 4 months, introduction of complementary foods by the age of
6 months, and continued partial breastfeeding up to at least 12 months), no maternal smoking before
and after delivery, single term birth, and absence of significant morbidity (de Onis et al., 2004b).

"As part of the site-selection process in Ghana, India and Oman, surveys were conducted to identify
socioeconomic characteristics that could be used to select groups whose growth was not
environmentally constrained (Owusu et al., 2004; Bhandari et al., 2002; Mohamed et al., 2004). Local
criteria for screening newborns, based on parental education and/or income levels, were developed
from those surveys. Pre-existing survey data for this purpose were available from Brazil, Norway and
the USA. Of the 13 741 mother-infant pairs screened for the longitudinal component, about 83% were
ineligible (WHO Multicentre Growth Reference Study Group, 2006d). Families¡¯ low socioeconomic
status was the most common reason for ineligibility in Brazil, Ghana, India and Oman, whereas
parental refusal was the main reason for non-participation in Norway and USA (WHO Multicentre
Growth Reference Study Group, 2006d). For the cross-sectional component, 69% of the 21 510
subjects screened were excluded for reasons similar to those observed in the longitudinal component."


The CDC charts were developed using "nationally representative" surveys, with fewer exclusions (such as very low birthweight infants). Since we''ve been following the WHO feeding guidelines and fit into the other categories that were used in developing those charts, I''ve figured that they''re probably a slightly better fit. And the funny thing is that he''s been dropping weight percentiles somewhat on the CDC charts but has always been steady 50% on the WHO charts. But I agree that growing and developing is the most important - looking at the baby instead of the charts.

 

[KimberlyH]

thanks so much for sharing that, blen. i''ll have to look in to who info when i''m not on my phone.

i''d be curious to see averages from the past as well.

 

[Haven]

I was a chubby baby and toddler. Then I discovered sports, and I turned into a thin child.

I teach young kids in a Saturday gifted program and I''m always sad that there are so many overweight children. I agree with Kimberly that our perceptio of normal is skewed nowadays. I see SO MANY heavy children.

 

[Jennifer W]

TGal, your Amelia is just under a quarter pound heavier than mine and that would put her at the 50th percentile according to the UK charts. Is it different in the US?

How tall is she? My A is 85cm, so not terribly tall, although she''s 50th percentile for height here too.

Jen

 

[hawaiianorangetree]

My daughter was above the 97th percentile (off the chart actually) for everything as a baby and as a toddler. I definately would have (and did) call her chunky. Now she is nearly ten and has definately grown into it. She is tall and lean and eats whatever she wants.

 

[TravelingGal]

Date: 6/23/2010 5:18:30 AM
Author: Jennifer W
TGal, your Amelia is just under a quarter pound heavier than mine and that would put her at the 50th percentile according to the UK charts. Is it different in the US?

How tall is she? My A is 85cm, so not terribly tall, although she''s 50th percentile for height here too.

Jen

She''s 37 inches, and it''s her height that''s the factor in her underweightness (I don''t think that''s a word, but you get my drift). It''s using the BMI calculator that''s putting her in the 0-5% range that classifies her as underweight.

 

[MonkeyPie]

This is interesting. DH and I were both thin as children but gained weight as we got older. I was extremely chunky as a baby though - rolls galore and huge cheeks! (I didn''t think I looked grotesque, though.) Micah is long and thin, and most people think he is older than he is (also because he can sit up mostly unassisted already). I think it really depends on the kid, and no chart is going to tell me whether my kid is "normal" or not.

I think it''s interesting that Amelia doesn''t care for sweets, TGal. I''m sure that will work to your benefit later! Even now Micah will lean towards me if I am holding a fudgesicle. (At 60 calories a pop and mostly water I looooove them.)

 

[partgypsy]

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2009/03/090318113612.htm


I haven''t read through all the responses so this may have been brought up before, but it seems parents are actually pretty bad at perceiving whether their children are overweight. The heavier the parents, the more likely to misjudge what is a healthy weight. That is, everyone''s norms are not the same.

I think it is good for the pediatrician to measure bmi and give feedback on that, as they may be more objective than the parent may be.


I think of all toddlers being naturally "rounded" with big cheeks, butt, stomach. So within the normal range, yes those things do go away when they get older. I love my youngest daughter''s chubby shapely legs. I am disappointed to see they are stretching and slimming down, as I was really hoping they would keep that shape and be more like my husband''s legs (versus my stick-like versions).

 

[partgypsy]

My two kids have very different body types but have been very consistent, other than them both being on the smaller side at birth, but gaining (especially in height) with age. My oldest daughter (7) also started around 50/20? height/weight and is now 95-97% height, 50% weight. Very slim but healthy. She eats very well but already self-selects healthy food for herself (doesn''t like alot of traditional junk food). Youngest (3 1/2)was first 50/50 height/weight and now around 70/70 height/weight? She is very curvy but underneath the babyfat is solid muscle. She likes to eat everything (even salad). She is so strong for her size we are going to have to watch out for her! When she was 2 her 6 year old boy cousin referred to her as baby" and before we could react she said "I am NOT a baby" hitting him in the chest causing him take a couple steps back and open his mouth in pain.