Worried about DD's weight.

[mamawanabe21]

Last night, I ended up in the Emergency Department with DD, due to an allergic reaction. They weighed and measured her - she's 4 and a half, 3ft 9 inches (114.3 cm) and weighs in at 4 stone (57lbs)!!
The nurse didn't comment, neither did the doctor, but I'm very concerned that she's overweight (according to the NHS, she is very overweight).
I've always been really strict with her diet, but I have noticed lately I've been a lot more relaxed and been buying her sweets and cakes during the week. During the week she eats school meals, and comes home and has whatever it is we're eating (whether that's one slice of bread cut into 2 sandwiches, some fruit, carrot sticks etc).
I keep looking at her, and she's not even podgy...just muscular and 'solid'. You can see her ribs, and there aren't any 'rolls' on her legs or arms. Her hands are big but again don't look over chubby to me. She does have a round face...but I'm afraid that's hereditary.

Any tips on how to get her to a healthy weight and maintain it? We walk 20 mins to school every morning, and she's always running around. Perhaps I need to sign her up to some active clubs? She loves being active.

Meal and snack ideas also welcome
Thank you.

 

[hellohefalump]

If she is muscular ; muscle weighs more than fat.

My girl (10) had a letter sent home from school saying she's very overweight. I calculated her bmi myself and she's actually in the normal range. She does gymnastics and runs around so she is muscular too.

My advice is don't turn it into an issue just yet.

Also my daughter always puts on weight before a growth spurt.

 

[mamawanabe21]

If she is muscular ; muscle weighs more than fat.

My girl (10) had a letter sent home from school saying she's very overweight. I calculated her bmi myself and she's actually in the normal range. She does gymnastics and runs around so she is muscular too.

My advice is don't turn it into an issue just yet.

Also my daughter always puts on weight before a growth spurt.

Thank you. I think because I’ve had weight issues and an unhealthy relationship with food my entire life, I’m worried she’s going to experience the same. She’s in mostly 6-7 clothes, but mostly that’s for length (long legs and torso) because the waist bands are always too loose on her.
She seems very happy, she doesn’t get out of breath - she can run for ages - so I’m not concerned fitness wise. I’m worried it will reflect bad on my parenting though if everyone starts to think I’m making my daughter overweight

 

[CaptainMummy]

She sounds very tall (my almost 7yr old is 122cm, and still wears 6-7 clothing) so I don't think she sounds drastically overweight for her height.
I have a 4yr 3mth old who is just above 2nd centile for height... yet she is around 50th for weight (so apparently overweight for her height) but there isn't an oz of fat on her. She is extremely active (overly so) and you can see her calf muscles just when she stands. She has the tiniest little legs ever so how on earth she weighs what she does is beyond me. I do believe she and her sisters are 'heavy boned', as they all weigh alot more than they look, so think it must be a genetic thing too (plus they have big mallet heads that probably weigh a good bit on their own!) Dd1 is very slim and muscular, extremely fit with amazing cardio, but weighs a ton! So maybe the same applies to your girly. Try not to worry, sounds like you are doing a fab job x

 

[Babybum35]

Hi. I don't fit here yet but wanted to give some thoughts. When we think about food and relationships with food as adults it's tempered by media and other family members thoughts on what is considered ideal. My dd is short and still average for weight so she looks pudgy next to kids who might weigh more but are average height or above. I personally thin our parents give us the complex. I think if you cut back on snack foods and just encourage continued activity it will be fine. Screw what others think you know your kid and her likes and dislikes. I personally refuse to force my kid to eat things she doesn't want or like. She's pretty disposed to weight issues from my side but I don't want to make it worse by not letting her eat what she wants (within reason). It's hard but don't feed into that thought process just trust if it was an issue you could and would make dietary changes for the family and not isolate her for her weight. Good luck

 

[jessmke]

It sounds like she is just fine, but if you think she would enjoy it then I would absolutely get her involved in some active clubs. If she does have a bit of a weight issue then it will help sort it out, and if not then it will keep her fit and healthy and help solidify healthy habits from an early age. My nephew was considered overweight as a young child, although like your daughter it was more his body type rather than an actual weight issue. My sister got him involved in martial arts and he is now a super lean and muscular 8 year old.

 

[SophiasMummy]

I wouldnt worry too much but would probably sign her up for a few sport activities after school.

I had kind of the opposite problem my daughter is tall and skinny. There was literally nothing too her and i was worried because she didn't have good muscle mass would struggle to pick up and peddle on her bike. So i got her a membership at my local sports centre, she now does swimming lessons, indoor climbing wall and did gymnastics for a while and currently looking at trying mixed marshal arts. It helped so much building up muscle now she's so much stronger climbs ropes and all sorts. It's great for their confidence too

 

[SarahBear]

That does sound quite heavy. Also, I think obesity on children looks different than obesity on adults. Therefore, I think that some parents really don't necessarily notice when their kids are overweight. However, you described a healthy activity and energy level as well as the fact that she doesn't get out of breath. It sounds like she's likely physically fit and that's what's important. I can't see your child and I'm not a doctor, so I can't say whether or not her weight is truly a concern. However, since you're concerned, I would ask to have a conversation with the doctor about it outside the earshot of your daughter. If the doctor isn't concerned, I'd keep doing what you're doing. You could always sign her up for an activity and cut back on sweets, but if the doctor isn't worried about it, I wouldn't be either. If the doctor is concerned, he or she can help guide you to ideas for helping her.

 

[Natsku]

How much running around do you think she does in a day? At this age she needs to be active enough to get out of breath, sweaty etc. for 3 hours every day so if she's not usually doing that much then getting her into some active clubs would be a good idea.

Try and cut down on the sweets and the cakes without making it too obvious (so all of you cut down gradually so she hopefully doesn't notice)

 

[mamawanabe21]

Thank you everyone.
I've talked to DD about what we eat and how some things are better than others, so we should try and make the healthy choices to fuel our bodies. She seemed pretty switched on, so now when she asks for a treat from the shop, I let her choose between a fresh piece of fruit, or some sweets, reminding her that we can have sweets as a treat but the fruit would fuel our body better. She's gone for the fruit every time.
We're starting Martial Arts next term, which she's excited about. Today I took her to a jungle gym, and she ran around for 2.5 hours straight and she looked flushed but not out of breath or anything.
I think we're just going to be more active and aware of our habits etc and will encourage a healthy lifestyle. As long as she's happy, and healthy, that's all that matters I guess