Obese babies

honeysprinkles

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.

And on the opposite side of this, I have three younger siblings from my dad and stepmom. My stepmom is naturally very small and does not eat healthy at all. My 3 siblings have always eaten lots of processed foods, soda, juice, etc. and they are all very skinny. They naturally do not eat a lot and are really active, but I can guarantee that there are chubby kids out there who have much healthier diets than they do! For kids, I think it usually just comes down to genetics.

Vivian06703188

I know my circumstances are different than the average bear but that being said. My son when he was born weighted 8lbs and 9 oz. He grew at an astounding speed and was quite chunky when he was a baby. He was very close to the 32lb weight at that age. He was already walking he had 6 of his upper teeth and 2 lower teeth and was completely bald at ten months old. I was concerned and talked to the pediatrician about his size and the extreme speed which he seemed to be progressing. He was my first child and I didn't know what was right or wrong. The doctor told me everything was fine he was happy healthy and he needed that fat to grow. At that time the doctor did a height projection on my son and told me that when he was full grown he would be 6'8" tall. That's right 6'8". I am tall for a woman at 5'11 and a half. My husband was 6'2 inches. The doctor told me not to worry about his weight it was just baby fat and he would slim down. As he started growing he started slimming down. By the time he was six he was trim and fit. He is now an adult and 6'8" tall just as the doctor had predicted. Kids grow at different rates and while our nation as a whole is obese I don't think babies should be judged. Boys weigh more than girls. Babies come in all different shapes and sizes and just because a baby is chunky does not mean he will be fat when he grows up. I do not think 32lbs is too much. Watch the Maury show and see the babies that are 60, 80 and 100lbs those are the babies you should be worried about.

mfpseven

Granddaughter in question, she's not tiny like you guys are assuming. Add 15lbs and you would still just say she's a bit chubby? That's almost twice the weight of this healthy little girl, I don't see how that wouldn't be shocking.




On the way out the cashier said to me her doctor had told her to stop feeding the baby in the middle of the night when he would wake up. "But when he wakes up crying how am I supposed to say no?" she asked me with a pouty face.

DebbieLyn63

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.

Thanks for a good prospective on this. I have just never known a baby at that high weight, but great to hear your hubby grew into his just fine. Hopefully the baby in the store will do the same.

No, it is not my place to 'judge' that baby or his parents, and I really wasn't. I was just very surprised and wondered if this really was 'normal' for babies today. When I had my first one 25 yrs ago, babies were much smaller. When I had my last one 13 yrs ago, there was definitely an increase in the birth weight of babies, and in older babies as well. Seems to be a growing trend.

quiltlovinlisa

Genetics plays a huge roll. You can't assume fat babies are being fed unhealthy stuff. My two daughters, one was 18 pounds at a year and the other was 20 pounds at six months. Both were fed 100% breast milk for about 10 months and then only natural, whole foods as a supplement to breast milk until about 15 months.

Same diet for both kids, both were extremely healthy, one is genetically similar to me and the other is genetically like her grandmother.

Personally, it's the obese pre-schoolers that make me sad. At that point, it's clearly diet/lifestyle of the parents that are setting up those kids for long term obesity.

highervibes

My son was 28lbs at a year (so pretty similar) and my daughter was 17lbs at the same age. Both were exclusively breastfed until about 8 months, when they began eating solid food that was home prepared by me. Some of their meals were avocado, beef and vegetable stews with quinoa, fruits and cheeses. I had one big and one small. Now that my son is 5 he is 45lbs, very normal looking. He's not thin and he is definitely nowhere near obese. I'm not sure on his height, but he looks absolutely normal. My daughter is 3.5 and she's 34lbs and looks absolutely normal also (again not sure on height)

My girlfriend had a baby recently who was also exclusively breastfed and was HUGE. Not sure her weight but absolute strangers would suggest taking her to the doctor! IMAGINE?

I think it's important not to judge a chubby baby because most of them grow into absolutely normal children unless there is something medically wrong.

stepho38

My son has always been in the 90th % on both his height and weight so he has always evened out. But he is now 7 almost 8 and his last check up he was about even on his height and still above average on his weight. He is not fat but you can tell he was a little over weight and Dr was not to concerned but said if he keeps going and that rate he will be overweight. My son is a very picky eater picky as in there is literally only 3 foods he will eat.(besides snacks) and I have tried everything to get him to try new things and he gets so worked up that he ends up throwing it up. So I have given up on making him try new things, I don't want to turn him off the good foods forever. So this year we have just cut back on the snacking and limited the sugary drinks and added more water which he does like so I am thankful for that because I don't like water And so far he has not lost any weight but he has stayed about the same and he is still growing so you can tell he has thinned out. He also enjoys soccer so we have been keeping him active in that. Looking forward to see what the Dr has to say at this years check up.

Vivian06703188

The reason you hear people say to put baby cereal in their formula because pediatricians used to advise parents to start doing this as early as two weeks old. It does quite a baby and helps them sleep through the night. I did this with my son and daughters and all three of them slept through the night and none are obese. (it does not make them fat) This was a common practice some years ago and our generation of babies turned out much better than the babies I see today.

highervibes

The reason you hear people say to put baby cereal in their formula because pediatricians used to advise parents to start doing this as early as two weeks old. It does quite a baby and helps them sleep through the night. I did this with my son and daughters and all three of them slept through the night and none are obese. (it does not make them fat) This was a common practice some years ago and our generation of babies turned out much better than the babies I see today.

This absolutely does not help them sleep through the night.

sleepingtodream

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.

Thanks for a good prospective on this. I have just never known a baby at that high weight, but great to hear your hubby grew into his just fine. Hopefully the baby in the store will do the same.

No, it is not my place to 'judge' that baby or his parents, and I really wasn't. I was just very surprised and wondered if this really was 'normal' for babies today. When I had my first one 25 yrs ago, babies were much smaller. When I had my last one 13 yrs ago, there was definitely an increase in the birth weight of babies, and in older babies as well. Seems to be a growing trend.

In your opinion what is an "increase in the birth weight of babies"? From my doctor's information an average newborn is 7.5-8.5 lbs and this is a completely healthy weight/in no way "overweight". I see alot of babies these days being born at less than 7 lbs. What have you been seeing as a trend since your last was born?

The general public thought my 8 lbs 6 oz daughter was huge while according to the rest of the world she was healthy. My 9 lb 8 oz son was a mammoth:P He was 2 weeks late btw:)

edited for grammar/spelling:P

belgerian

I dont know both my kids at that age looked fat a chubby specially now when I look at their pictures. Now they are 8 and 10 and far from it very active run and playing and swimming all the time. Maybe your being too hard on them my first guess is are the parents overweight also (this is a good indicator). Once they hit that age where they starting running around around 2 they loose all that baby fat expecially when they start being more social with their friends outdoors playing. Both my kids were big babies im almost 6 foot and so is my wife.

DebbieLyn63

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.

No, I am not trolling. And I am not judging this baby or his parents. I was simply very surprised at his weight at such a young age, and wondered if this was now the norm for babies. What better place to get the opinions and perspectives of other parents, than on the forums that I have been a part of for the past year.
I have received some very respectful answers to my questions from most of the respondents here.

The fact that your child is 3 and weighs the same as the 10 month old in question, is the very reason that I was surprised.
No need to have me drawn and quartered. It was a simple observation and question.

Childhood obesity HAS become an epidemic in this country, and this is the first generation that is expected to not outlive their parents. It is good to know from many of the posters here, that being at a high weight in infancy, doesn't automatically predict that they will be at an unhealthy weight later in life.

I have seen news reports of 4 yr olds that are over 100 pounds and already showing signs of diabetes, so I'm not completely off-base in my concern.

highervibes

My pisqueak daughter was born weighing 9lbs6oz. My big son was born 7lbs13oz

LisaGod85

I noticed on the beach this year many more obese children; it just makes me straight up sad, and IMHO negligence on the part of the parent. The kid is learning bad behaviors from their parents; those mistakes could last a lifetime and develop into many more problems than just extra weight.

fbmandy55

I wouldn't get hung up on it. My son is turning 6 soon and only 43 lbs. My good friend has a son who will be turning 2 soon and he is almost the same size in height and weight as my son.

mfpseven

The cashier was also overweight, 5'4ish and easily over 200lbs and referred to her husband as huge. It sounded more like this girl had no idea how much anyone in the family should be eating. And ignoring the doctor about feeding the child at night also threw up a red flag for me.

reneeisnowhere

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!

babbs770

I was what you call an "obese baby" I was 30 lbs by a year- breast fed, and fed healthy food. I ended up in a totally normal range later as a child as soon as I started being active.

My daughter has been in 95% for her first 18 months. She is tall and big and we are strict about candy, cake, white flour/sugar. She has slimmed down a bit and is now in the 80% at 27lbs at two years. At a year she was 25lbs. It seems like a lot for a 1yo, but she was not moving a lot at that point.

It has more to do with the growth curve than the actual weight. You are probably a smaller people than the cashier. You can't compare my daughter (parents' height 5'8/6'1) and my niece (parents' height 4'10/5'6) since the end size will be very different.

kaseysospacey

All 3 of mine were 22-24 lb at that age and stayed that way for a long time. They were exclusively breastfed. Formula causes babies to be overweight. They are overfed. 18 lb is still small for a 1 yr old theyre generally closer to 22-25. I know a lot of people with 30odd lb babies at 1 and its shocking to me because my kids didnt hit 30 lbs till they were three. My 5 1/2 yr old is barely over 40 and hes 47 inches tall.

servilia

People, there are different size babies. It doesn't mean she's feeding her 10 month old French fries. My nephew was 20lbs at 6 months and that was with no solids. He had breast milk for 4 months and then 2 months of formula. He was a big boy but by no means as a result of irresponsible parenting. And you don't put babies on diets. FWIW now that my nephew is mobile he's leaning out!
My daughter on the other hand is just short of 6 months and only 14.5 lbs. Small but healthy. She's fed on demand just like her cousin (which is what you're supposed to do with infants).