Obese babies

Love_Is_My_Fuel

I was one of those mom's for my first baby. Everytime she cried I'd feed her and she got fat. She was up to 32lbs. by 8 months old. Once she started walking she just kept getting taller and didn't gain any weight and she is now 30 lbs. at 3 years old. I understand how it can happen and you just want to make your baby happy but YES SHE IS DOING SOMETHING WRONG IF HER BABY IS THAT BIG!!! I learned my lesson and for my second one and he's a happy and healthy 18lb. 7 month old.

honeysprinkles

I think some babies are just naturally big and some are naturally small. I worked in the 1 year old room at a daycare and there was this one baby who was so chunky and he ate so much more than any of the other kids at snack time. He had an older sister (maybe 4 or 5) who was pretty average sized and tall parents who were also pretty average. If I had to guess, I think he'll grow into his weight like most babies/kids do.

I am not a fan of worrying about children's weight, unless (as the parent) you KNOW that your child is adapting unhealthy behaviors that cause it...and even then, I would introduce more exercise in a fun way and try to provide better meals for the child but never limit how much they eat of it or make them aware that they are heavier. A lot of kids are chubby and they grow into it, or they grow into chubby adults and I think that's fine too. You can't assume that all chubby kids have unhealthy diets or poor exercise, just like you can't assume that all thin kids eat well and aren't lazy. Sometimes it's just how the kids are naturally.

BeachIron

My daughters have always been at the bottom of the weight charts with their pediatricians being very happy about that. They're quite active, eat well, and are incredibly healthy. I usually laugh at the comments about them being "skinny," as they're usually from people who are obese themselves and clearly clueless enough to make such a comment in the first place.

Linli_Anne

My husband, due to severe colic, reflux and undiagnosed formula/milk sensitivies was fed "traditional" formula, with corn syrup and powdered milk etc. Anyway, he was 40 ish pounds by the time he was 1. But, he didn't gain any weight after that and just continued to grow taller - at 4 he was only 2 pounds heavier.

My own children were completely different from each other. My daughter, was 8 lbs 5.5 oz and just shy of 20 inches at birth, was 17 pounds at 6 months, and about 22 pounds at 1 year. She has always been on the 50th percentile line for both height and weight. Even now, as being almost 7, she is about 50 pounds and 4 feet tall.

Her brother was a bigger baby, 9 lbs 11 oz and almost 23 inches at birth, and by the time he was 6 months he was 22 pounds, and he was almost 30 pounds at 1 year. He slimmed right up between his 1st and 2nd birthday, gaining only 2 pounds but a LOT of height. Now at 4 he is only about 3 inches shorter than his sister, and weighs about 45 pounds.

Children grow in completely different patterns, and a weight that early on does not indicate a lifetime of obesity. I too feel a pang of concern for children whose parents are only buying treats and no fruits or vegetables, and I hope that they will be able to get an exposure to a healthy lifestyle like my children have, but I do not know everyone's situations, and more than anything I just want those children to know love, to never go to bed wtih an empty stomach and to not be shamed by society because of choices someone else made for them.

HeidiCooksSupper

Most recently research is linking consumption done by the mother while pregnant with the programming for obesity in infants. I think a few years from now, we will have quite different ideas on the proper diet for pregnancy than we do now just as we now have a different idea about alcohol's effect on the fetus than we did in the 50s. I still remember joke cocktail napkins my parents had portraying drunken twin fetuses. Sure wouldn't be funny now.

jaznon

Just spoke to my cousin the other day. Her baby is 6 months old, 24lbs. and in 18 month clothing...I was a little shocked.

honeysprinkles

One fat baby is not a symbol of... well.. anything really. It's just a cute little bundle of love

I like this and I completely agree

ldrosophila

Um, I'm not sure you can call a baby obese unless it's feed juice and soda all day or has a medical disease. Some babies are larger and some are small compared to their peers and it has no relation to excessive calorie intake. Babies have a higher fat to lean body mass ratio for protection, and they even have the metabolically active brown fat. Oh, and if a baby plots at the 95th percentile from birth and continues along that is healthy same if the child plots at the 5th. It's changes in growth that worry doctors if they are crossing lines.

Most children are very good at regulating their food intake. I would never call a child under two obese that's just silliness.

Also if anyone reads this and is concerned about having a fat child...DO NOT EVER PUT A BABY ONTO A DIET!

zytah

i was a natural big baby. ive noticed that the bigger babies around me are all being made to be big. i see them being fed baby cereal way before it should be introduced. i hear people give bad advice such as putting baby cereal in their bottle with the formula/bm to keep them fuller longer, so they pass out at night so you can sleep, etc. smh. i just hope those kids grow up healthy. its really no use to voice your concern to the parents either. im sure they know or at least their doctors should be telling them. its not my job to parent people on how to parent their children.

lmbame905

I had a baby in January. She was born at 8lb 11oz. She's still in the 90+ percentile for height, weight and head circumference. This is typical of my older 2 children, as well one who is 16 and 150 lbs at 5ft7.5 the other who is 11 and 4ft 11 and 80 lbs. So, for me, if my children were not in the 90+ percentile for height and weight up to about 2 years, I would be a little concerned.

I think trying to become upset over what a BABY's weight is, is just silly. Chubby babies are cute, and healthy. Baby fat is a good thing to have. It's the chubby toddlers and school agers that we must worry about. we must teach our children that our choices of food determine our health and weight. And we must guide them to make healthy choices.

k8blujay2

Most recently research is linking consumption done by the mother while pregnant with the programming for obesity in infants. I think a few years from now, we will have quite different ideas on the proper diet for pregnancy than we do now.

Perhaps that's why my DD doesn't eat much... I physically did not want to eat anything... I wasn't hungry... it was so bad my OB told me to drink nutrition shakes....

tigerblue

I DO hate to see obese children. it is so preventable. But with that being said, I`m not sure how the baby thing works out! both my children naturally ate what they needed as infants. If they finished the bottle I would offer a couple ounces more until they stopped eating. Neither was fat, actually they were both slim. The oldest was very tall for his age as well. It was difficult for us because as a 2 year old, he looked 4 (not fat, just tall and muscular). Of course he ACTED like a two year old. I dont know how many strangers would stop and tell him, ""Youre too old to be acting that way" when in fact he was acting just like he should for his age, not his size. Also, even his pediatrician thought that he was too muscular--sent us to a nuerologist thinking that he had Cerebral Palsy. Nope. now he is a very strong and muscular 15 year old! Still slim too with no body fat. (Life is not fair--he eats like a horse!)

So, just saying this to remind us all to be careful what we say to moms, and how we judge them. It is hard to be a parent these days!

ThisCanadian

Um, I'm not sure you can call a baby obese unless it's feed juice and soda all day or has a medical disease. Some babies are larger and some are small compared to their peers and it has no relation to excessive calorie intake. Babies have a higher fat to lean body mass ratio for protection, and they even have the metabolically active brown fat. Oh, and if a baby plots at the 95th percentile from birth and continues along that is healthy same if the child plots at the 5th. It's changes in growth that worry doctors if they are crossing lines.

Most children are very good at regulating their food intake. I would never call a child under two obese that's just silliness.

Also if anyone reads this and is concerned about having a fat child...DO NOT EVER PUT A BABY ONTO A DIET!

Thank you for speaking common sense.

sleepingtodream

I think what is most important is for babies and toddlers to eat a variety of fresh, healthy foods that will help them make good food choices as they grow. Alot of families don't seem to focus on the importance of eating well at a young age and wonder then why there 6 year old won't eat (or even try) vegetables. My pediatrician asked my 4 year old what her favorite vegetable was and was suprised when "french fry" wasn't on her list. Why can't we focus on promoting healthy eating and staying active as opposed to labeling 10 month olds as obese!

I think that judging the weight of an infant is ridiculous, though, since growth spurts can plump or slim a baby within months and you really have no idea what they child is eating. Typically breastfed babies will be heavier than formula fed infants and, while anecdotal, I have seen many, many children who were plump little one's and grew to be slender/average.

Maybe I'm being too sensitive though...I guess I didn't realize that people would assume my just turned 4 year old daughter who is 41 lbs was obese. haha...since 5 year old boys are typically 34 lbs? Or how about my son who was 9.5 lbs when born...he must be clocking in at 40 lbs at 2, huh? He's actually a scrawny 21 lbs now:)

I'm not trying to be snide because I get your reaction it just seems a bit misdirected as "fat kids" instead of health/nutrition/parents:)

lazytolight

I'd be careful judging if you don't know the situation. My godson was really sick his first couple months of life. He was actually a pound under his birth weight at his 3 month check in when they finally decided to admit him to the NICU for observation. They discovered he wasn't digesting breast milk and so they put him on a super powered formula. From there his weight exploded and he got super chunky, but he was also well nourished. He started eating solids around 10 months (doctor's advice) and from their my best friend, his mom, has been working to keep him healthy. He's 20 months now and a big boy (I don't know his weight and %s off hand)!! But he's never touched processed sugary junk food. He's a very strict and healthy diet because of his digestive condition. She doesn't let him drink juice (a major cause of infant obesity!), he gets the fruit if that's what he wants or water if he's thirsty. He's been completely off that formula for about 6 months now. He's super active--to active if you ask my friend who has to constantly chase him down.

While I do think infant and childhood obesity is sad, it's not black and white, and it doesn't mean they are all bad parents.

JenX15

Apparently CDC has a BMI calculator for kids and teens. I ran my son through it ... he is morbidly obese. I almost fell off the chair laughing. He is almost 7, 4'3" tall and weighs in at 73 lbs - he is really stocky, has no chubb on his body and is at 95th-98th percentile for both his height and weight according to the pediatrician - perfectly healthy boy. He outweighed his sister (also tall) who is 2 years older by the time he was 4.

Only a doctor can diagnose obesity in children, especially babies - but as parents and future parents - we should be concerned with what we are feeding our children - ultimately it is our responsibility in terms of what we put on the table in front of them.

I am trying to set a good example by taking charge of my health now, hopefully when my kids are teenagers and younge adults they will know how to make better choices and stay healthy and active.

LeilaFace

I am shocked by your reaction, not by a fat baby!

Some babies grow in spurts, getting fat for a while, then growing tall. That's how my son is - he weighed just about 30 lbs at one year old. I remember because I thought it was so funny that the car seat guide said the child had to be both 20 lbs and one year old to turn them around - we were well past that 20 lb mark! At 6 years old, he was up to 60 lbs, and looking chunky. Now 1 1/2 years later, he weighs the same, but has grown more than 3 inches in height. The clothes I bought him when he was 6 are too big around!

My daughter, on the other hand, is petite like a little fairy. She is 4 1/2 and weighs only 34 lbs. They eat the same foods, and in similar quantities - this is just body chemistry at work.

One fat baby is not a symbol of... well.. anything really. It's just a cute little bundle of love

This! Just like we shouldn't compare ourselves to other people don't compare babies to each other what is wrong with you?

Morninglory81

Both my boys were born at 7lb 9oz 21" long. They were exclusively breast fed till 6 months. My first was 23 lbs by 6 months and my second was 19 lbs by 6 months. They are now 3 @ 37lbs 3'2" and 1&1/2 @ 28lbs 2'11".they are active healthy and like all children go through a bulk and than growth faze. Please stop judging babies weight.

ThisCanadian

Maybe I'm being too sensitive though...I guess I didn't realize that people would assume my just turned 4 year old daughter who is 41 lbs was obese. haha...since 5 year old boys are typically 34 lbs? Or how about my son who was 9.5 lbs when born...he must be clocking in at 40 lbs at 2, huh? He's actually a scrawny 21 lbs now:)

I'm not trying to be snide because I get your reaction it just seems a bit misdirected as "fat kids" instead of health/nutrition/parents:)

I don't think you're being sensitive. My 3 year old weighs 32 and she is in the 42% for her weight at her last check up. The OP is claiming that is this the average size for a 5 year old? That isn't correct. Also, Just because a 10 month old weighs 32lbs does not guarantee that the trend is going to continue. And it certainly does not mean the baby will weigh 100 lbs a couple years down the road. And diabetes by age 8?

Pretty sure the OP is trolling.

snookie918

It could just be the way he grows too. My daughter was almost 30 lbs when she turned 1 (28.5 or 29 lbs, can't remember now). However she was not walking yet and is at the top of the chart for height (which does make a difference). She is now 4 and 37 lbs. She grew a lot her first year and slowed down and slimmed out the last 3, which hopefully will be the case for this little boy too.