Post by periwinkle on Sept 10, 2013 14:08:13 GMT -5
I'm putting this here because other than DH and my mom I really don't have anyone to talk to about this and am hoping to maybe get some advice.
Yesterday we had DD's 4 yr well check up and the doc has concerns because her BMI is in the 90th percentile. Doc just wants to do a weight check in 3 months, which I'm fine with. If she still gains she's going to be put through tests/blood draws to make sure nothing is medically wrong. Holding her for the shots was brutal, I DO NOT want to put her through blood draws for nothing.
She is short for her age, 39 inches, and she weighs 40lbs right now. She does not look fat at all, she has a little kid belly but she's in 4T sizes. I do everything in moderation, she rarely gets juice, I try to be as healthy as possible while still allowing her to be a kid and have junk food from time to time. Snacks usually consist of fruit or yogurt. She will frequently complain about being hungry, I can usually tell when it is for attention and when she's really just hungry. If so she gets fruit or a cheese stick or carrots. I'm not loading the kid full of cookies and cake.
DH is being very supportive and we are going to work together on this to try and regulate her weight (Doc wants to just maintain current weight while her height catches up). I'm just upset and feel like a failure.
Has anyone else gone through this with their kids? If so, did their height catch up? I'm hoping it's just the case of her being so short. I'm not tall myself (5' 3) and looking back at my baby book (lol my mom still has it) it looks like I went through the same growth ratios. Still, it really sucks to hear from the doctor.
Post by Wrath0fKuus on Sept 10, 2013 14:15:36 GMT -5
Are all kids supposed to be thin these days? Back in my day, kids came in all different shapes and sizes, and except for a few outliers, that was okay.
I have no advice, but you are not a failure. You obviously love your little girl. I hope everything evens out soon and this is just a small bump in the road
well, my kid is 39 lbs and 41 inches and not yet 4 years old and if anyone tried to get me to put her on a diet, i'd bitchslap them.
i think you KOKO with your current "feeding" habits since your kid will probably grow. what is she, like 80% percentile for height maybe 85-90% for weight? sounds proportional to me.
Post by revolution on Sept 10, 2013 14:23:34 GMT -5
Has the doctor had concerns in the past? Is it possible she is about to grow an inch or so?
Honestly, at this point, I wouldn't worry or do anything different. You seem to be making good choices. Get out to the park and play if you don't already because well, that is good for you and fun for the whole family.
My guess would be that she is going to grow an inch or so. Mess around with the BMI calculator posted above - there is a big difference in BMI when you add an inch or 2 or take away a pound.
Post by lizard1131 on Sept 10, 2013 14:24:03 GMT -5
This is interesting to me. DD just had her 5 yr well visit today and is 3'9 and 49 pounds. She is in the 90th for both height and weight. She always has been. Her doctor wasn't concerned at all. YOU ARE NOT A FAILURE! She will be fine. You are being proactive.
Mine is in the 90s for weight and 70s for height. The doc told us that she's technically overweight.
We have her in a ton of activities, although she's a picky eater. We definitely keep an eye on the junk and sweets, but I'm still sneaking pureed fruit and veggies into our meals.
I don't know. She's such a healthy kid and I hate that weight is already an issue at 5. BMI is such bullshit, man.
Post by thebuddhagouda on Sept 10, 2013 14:25:28 GMT -5
My kid weighs 40 lbs, and he's only 3. My doctor has never suggested even the slightest worry. That seems awfully gun jumpy to me, but he has also been in the 85-95% pretty much since his 3m well visit. Was there a drastic shift in her percentage between 2y and 3y?
Post by karmasabiotch on Sept 10, 2013 14:25:44 GMT -5
I'm in your boat. My DS just turned 5 and we are dealing with the same thing. He's a short kid. Very active. Snacks are limited to healthy options with an every once in a while treat. He drinks ice water between meals and for dinner. Fat Free milk for breakfast and lunch. High protein low carb meals. No real junk food in the home.
It sucks.
ETA: My DS is in the 50% for height and the 100% for weight.
well, my kid is 39 lbs and 41 inches and not yet 4 years old and if anyone tried to get me to put her on a diet, i'd bitchslap them.
i think you KOKO with your current "feeding" habits since your kid will probably grow. what is she, like 80% percentile for height maybe 85-90% for weight? sounds proportional to me.
This. We have the opposite problem at my house (BMI of 12), but I'm trying to focus on her being in tune with her body and setting good food habits. I would definitely suggest reading about the DOR by Ellyn Satter. ETA - by "good" habits I mean things like eating when she's hungry and stopping when she's full. Since she was FTT and we kind of forced her to eat for a long time I really want her to listen to the cues. We eat pretty healthy, but I don't believe that limiting types of food or amounts does anything positive when they're young.
We had the opposite problem. 99th for height and we finally got up to the 15th for weight. Kids grow the way they're supposed to. I wouldn't worry about it if there's no medical reason.
Post by thebuddhagouda on Sept 10, 2013 14:27:05 GMT -5
I understand that childhood obesity is such a problem, and doctors are trying to be proactive, but it seems like something you can't really address with a kid under 5. There is still so much baby pudge at that age.
Post by AHappierHour on Sept 10, 2013 14:32:30 GMT -5
DD2 is 3 is 36 inches tall and weighs 33lbs. My Dr isn't worried at all about her weight. She had always been in the 75-80 precentile for weight. He says its just her build. He said if she was always around 50 percent and jumped up to 80 he might be worried about her diet.
Does her weight follow a usual pattern? Like Jack has always been in 90 percentile for height and weight. So even though it is 90 percentile we have never worried because it is consistant.
He looks like skin and bones but is a really solid heavy dude.
It sounds like you doing great with eating. Make sure she is getting a lot of physical play. Otherwise KOKO.
both of my uncles were stringbeans. on my dad's side, they did all sorts of early "weight gain" stuff (like eating raw eggs and chocolate and stuff) that is totally bizarre and not like any normal person's diet. that uncle was morbidly obese by the time he was 20. on my mom's side, they just ate normal foods and made sure to keep him active. he's healthy and has always been slender/normal weight.
so, what's more important? hitting random ass ideal numbers under the age of 7, or learning lifelong dietary habits?*
*yes, i know these stories oversimplify it. i just hate to see kids so young get caught up in food wars.
DD2 is 3 is 36 inches tall and weighs 33lbs. My Dr isn't worried at all about her weight. She had always been in the 75-80 precentile for weight. He says its just her build. He said if she was always around 50 percent and jumped up to 80 he might be worried about her diet.
This is exactly what mine has said. He's always been that big and has stayed proportionate, so no worries unless something jumps drastically.
both of my uncles were stringbeans. on my dad's side, they did all sorts of early "weight gain" stuff (like eating raw eggs and chocolate and stuff) that is totally bizarre and not like any normal person's diet. that uncle was morbidly obese by the time he was 20. on my mom's side, they just ate normal foods and made sure to keep him active. he's healthy and has always been slender/normal weight.
so, what's more important? hitting random ass ideal numbers under the age of 7, or learning lifelong dietary habits?*
*yes, i know these stories oversimplify it. i just hate to see kids so young get caught up in food wars.
YES. I have anecdotal evidence of this too. OP, you sound like you're on top of it. I would just keep doing what you're doing.
40lbs at 4 years old doesn't sound like anything to be worried about. Honestly, I would take your child to another Dr. for a second opinion before you go doing any blood tests.
Post by firedancer49 on Sept 10, 2013 14:42:42 GMT -5
DD is proportionate, but we got that talk at her last appointment. I left their crying, feeling like a failure. Then I actually stepped back and looked at what she ate, and realized I'm not feeding her crap and she is very active. I also posted a very defeated post here and got a lot of responses that you are getting now.
Mine is in the 90s for weight and 70s for height. The doc told us that she's technically overweight.
We have her in a ton of activities, although she's a picky eater. We definitely keep an eye on the junk and sweets, but I'm still sneaking pureed fruit and veggies into our meals.
I don't know. She's such a healthy kid and I hate that weight is already an issue at 5. BMI is such bullshit, man.
Wtf? She looks perfectly healthy and proportionate from the pictures you've posted. Sometimes doctors need to step off.
I know it. It's so dumb. Add me to Team I'm A Failure.
well, my kid is 39 lbs and 41 inches and not yet 4 years old and if anyone tried to get me to put her on a diet, i'd bitchslap them.
i think you KOKO with your current "feeding" habits since your kid will probably grow. what is she, like 80% percentile for height maybe 85-90% for weight? sounds proportional to me.
She's 30% percentile for height and 80th for weight. she's a peanut compared to the kids in her class.
I got the BMI is high talk at my DD's 4 year check. I don't recall how tall she is exactly but she is slightly over 40lbs. She wear mostly 5/6 clothes. But the thing is, she is not a fat kid. She is more solid than anything. I mean, looking at her, you would never guess she weighs that much. I just shrugged off the doctor saying that. She eats pretty decent for a kid and I'm not worried. I am working on getting her set on good eating habits so she won't feel the same ways about her body that I have felt about mine my entire life. But really, she's a kid. She's not obese and she gets plenty of exercise.
I really wouldn't worry at this point. And I think it's stupid that it's even mentioned at this age when they are clearly not obese.
Post by periwinkle on Sept 10, 2013 14:58:35 GMT -5
Thanks so much for all the replies! I really hate BMI, it just seems really ridiculous to compare weight vs. height across the board. She is an active kid, we just started soccer so that should help too.
She does seem proportionate to me and her weight has been steady, no real jumps. The kid just grows so damn slow! She was 18 inches at birth and she's been behind ever since.
I'm so glad I'm not alone here, I figured I wasn't but man it really was tough to hear yesterday.
I got the BMI is high talk at my DD's 4 year check. I don't recall how tall she is exactly but she is slightly over 40lbs. She wear mostly 5/6 clothes. But the thing is, she is not a fat kid. She is more solid than anything. I mean, looking at her, you would never guess she weighs that much. I just shrugged off the doctor saying that. She eats pretty decent for a kid and I'm not worried. I am working on getting her set on good eating habits so she won't feel the same ways about her body that I have felt about mine my entire life. But really, she's a kid. She's not obese and she gets plenty of exercise.
I really wouldn't worry at this point. And I think it's stupid that it's even mentioned at this age when they are clearly not obese.
Yes, she's not a string bean. Just not built that way but neither am I.
Are all kids supposed to be thin these days? Back in my day, kids came in all different shapes and sizes, and except for a few outliers, that was okay.
To be fair, half of those kids grew up to be overweight/obese.
I would feel the same way if someone told me that W was overweight, but I don't think the doctor is out of bounds for saying something. That's part of their job and it's a medical diagnosis/concern based on facts and figures. A lot also depends on her personal growth chart. It's easy to say that someone is only in the X percentile, but if that's not keeping consistent with their growth chart and if it's an ongoing trend then I can see where it would be a concern. Does that make sense?
If her eating habits are healthy and she has a good amount of activity and then all you can do is KOKO and, if desired, see if there is a medical cause that is contributing. Hopefully things will even out and this will just be a thing of the past. You aren't a failure in the least!
Are all kids supposed to be thin these days? Back in my day, kids came in all different shapes and sizes, and except for a few outliers, that was okay.
To be fair, half of those kids grew up to be overweight/obese.
I would feel the same way if someone told me that W was overweight, but I don't think the doctor is out of bounds for saying something. That's part of their job and it's a medical diagnosis/concern based on facts and figures. A lot also depends on her personal growth chart. It's easy to say that someone is only in the X percentile, but if that's not keeping consistent with their growth chart and if it's an ongoing trend then I can see where it would be a concern. Does that make sense?
If her eating habits are healthy and she has a good amount of activity and then all you can do is KOKO and, if desired, see if there is a medical cause that is contributing. Hopefully things will even out and this will just be a thing of the past. You aren't a failure in the least!
Sure, half probably did grow up to be at least overweight, especially after 1998 when "normal/healthy" was redefined as "overweight". Only those who were underweight in 1997 and stayed that way were safe from the dread fat.
Post by dragonfly08 on Sept 10, 2013 15:30:00 GMT -5
I'm in "camp don't worry." Our ped really isn't concerned with BMI. She's more interested in whether the girls are growing on a smooth curve, and staying proportional. DD #2 has almost always been big for her age...at 7, she's only an inch shorter and 4 lbs. lighter than her almost 10 year old sister. Height is 75th-90th%, weight is around 80th-90th%. But that's the same pattern she's followed since she was about 9 months old (she was a peanut at birth which didn't last long!) so her growth chart looks fine.
Both of my kids (#1 is the opposite of her little sister, 25th% in height and weight, usually the smallest kid in her class) can eat whenever they're hungry. But they have to start with fruits, veggies and healthy proteins. I know when they're eating out of hunger v. eating out of boredom because with the latter, they'll say no thanks and go back to playing!
Are all kids supposed to be thin these days? Back in my day, kids came in all different shapes and sizes, and except for a few outliers, that was okay.
To be fair, half of those kids grew up to be overweight/obese.
I would feel the same way if someone told me that W was overweight, but I don't think the doctor is out of bounds for saying something. That's part of their job and it's a medical diagnosis/concern based on facts and figures. A lot also depends on her personal growth chart. It's easy to say that someone is only in the X percentile, but if that's not keeping consistent with their growth chart and if it's an ongoing trend then I can see where it would be a concern. Does that make sense?
If her eating habits are healthy and she has a good amount of activity and then all you can do is KOKO and, if desired, see if there is a medical cause that is contributing. Hopefully things will even out and this will just be a thing of the past. You aren't a failure in the least!
Yes you make total sense. I'm ok with the doctor saying something, I really love her and she's not the alarmist type. Her growth chart has been relatively consistent, her height has always been lagging behind the weight. And hey, if we need to do tests to make sure nothing is wrong I'm ok with it.