school says granddaughter too fat

nanainkent

My 4 year old granddaughter came home from school with a letter from the school nurse saying she was" obese". She wanted a home visit to discuss proper nutriction and calorie control.

This child weighs 44 pounds is 3 foot tall. She has no protruding stomach, her butt is normal looking. She has normal looking arms, no excess chub, her face is thin and her neck is thin. She wears normal size childrens clothing sizes with ease. She looks like a normal size little girl with no weight issue. (believe me we watch closely for the kids to not go down our road). But this little girl is solid, she doesn't look it but pick her up and you feel it.

The school is basing their opinion on the scale and not the body. What do you think of this?

janehlansing

You just suck it up and ignore it. You know her better than they do. I will post a pic of my son who is considered obese by normal measuremnet.s


Jane

jrbb03092

What does your granddaughter's family doctor or pediatrician say?

Using the figures you gave, according to the CDC Healthy Weight BMI Percentile Calculator for Child and Teen English Version, your granddaughter weighs more than 99% of the girls her age and height.

http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.aspx

axialmeow

Ignore it. They mean well. Skip the "home visit".

TrinityTrinityTrinity

I'm a teacher and I've never heard of this.

Why are they weighing her? I'd call the principal and inquire about this and ask for some sort of rule or law that says the nurse can screen kids for that. Really, schools around me can't screen for ANYTHING unless the parents sign for it. And sending a letter home about obesity is a screening.

LPCoder

I have a niece who is so solid, you would think she were made of metal if you solely based on weight. She is solid muscle with appropriate fat layer for a girl her age. She is also very tall, the tallest in her school, athletic, intelligent and a brickhouse! She is not fat, and she has always been high on the charts from birth. He doctor told her mom to make sure she keeps using her muscles and everything will continue to be fine!

ILoveFroggies

That's horrendous, ugh. Is there a way to lodge a complaint? It's so harmful for weight related criticisms of this nature to be made to a young, young child who is still growing.

kathleennf

I think you should tell the school that you will go by your (the child's) pediatrician's recommendations, and have the child checked by her pediatrician, letting the pediatrician know what the school said. While it's true that there is a lot of variability and that the family knows the child better than the school, the flip side is as we all know obesity is a huge (no pun intended) and growing health problem in our society and the problem begins for most people in early childhood. So- it's best to be sure. Check with the pediatrician.

BlondeEyedBeauty89

That's horrible! I would just ignore it.

Umeboshi

Ugh. Horrible. Schools should not be trying to police weight like that AT ALL.

skinny_cigarettes

I think you should tell the school that you will go by your (the child's) pediatrician's recommendations, and have the child checked by her pediatrician, letting the pediatrician know what the school said. While it's true that there is a lot of variability and that the family knows the child better than the school, the flip side is as we all know obesity is a huge (no pun intended) and growing health problem in our society and the problem begins for most people in early childhood. So- it's best to be sure. Check with the pediatrician.

agreed

leiloob

I'm having the opposite problem my 11 year old is only 59 pounds.....I worry about her....but my pediatrician says she is fine! She runs cross country and I think that keeps her thin. My 6 year old daughter is already close to 50 pounds....but she is tall for her age and is a competitive cheerleader so she is really muscular. With that being said all kids grow diffrently and as long as she is within normal limits I wouldn't worry to much!!!

msshiraz

I'd send them a thank you for your concern "note". I would also include, "I appreciate your concern for the kids health. Of course you must also be doing this with all of your teachers and staff, right?"..............Oh no wait, that would be discrimination and illegal- yet its ok to send a note for a child.

Not against the schools supporting fit kids- but this is not the way to achieve it- also, tear down a childs self worth and moral, it can take years to recover. Schools get off your lazy butts and fix the nutrition issues in cafeteria, and then get off your butts and get these kids moving in school (this OP has nothing to do with your little one).

I teach Zumbatomic- this kids version of Zumba. Its fun, silly and a great program. There are programs to get kids more fit if that is a problem- but, the pot calling the kettle obese........is crap!!

schondell

44 lbs is a lot for someone only 3 feet tall.. Is she active?

nz_deevaa

I would say no thanks to the home visit but take the letter and granddaughter to her own doctor for discussion.

shirleygirl910

I think you should tell the school that you will go by your (the child's) pediatrician's recommendations, and have the child checked by her pediatrician, letting the pediatrician know what the school said. While it's true that there is a lot of variability and that the family knows the child better than the school, the flip side is as we all know obesity is a huge (no pun intended) and growing health problem in our society and the problem begins for most people in early childhood. So- it's best to be sure. Check with the pediatrician.

What about teaching the kids nutrition and looking at the school lunch program.

mollyelizabeth24

I think you should tell the school that you will go by your (the child's) pediatrician's recommendations, and have the child checked by her pediatrician, letting the pediatrician know what the school said. While it's true that there is a lot of variability and that the family knows the child better than the school, the flip side is as we all know obesity is a huge (no pun intended) and growing health problem in our society and the problem begins for most people in early childhood. So- it's best to be sure. Check with the pediatrician.

I think this response was well put. It is also very difficult to objectively judge things like healthy weight in people that we love.

For those who think this is out of line for a school nurse -- schools screen children for eyesight and vision problems, and check them for lice; how is this so different?

fraser112

Ugh. Horrible. Schools should not be trying to police weight like that AT ALL.

Someone must god knows the parents wont half the time. My mum always thought i was just a big growing boy but i was pretty over weight and payed the price as all over weight children will.

Sabine_Stroehm

What does your granddaughter's family doctor or pediatrician say?

Using the figures you gave, according to the CDC Healthy Weight BMI Percentile Calculator for Child and Teen English Version, your granddaughter weighs more than 99% of the girls her age and height.

http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.aspx

This. What does her doc say?

freddykid

Since Mass passed this I have not heard about it being implemented. This is a load of crap and the BMI scale is horribly inaccurate. I expect to get a similar one for my daughter if they are rolling this out. According to this BMI calculator, she is in the 97th percentile and Obese. Let me get a letter from the school calling my daughter obese and see how quick I jump down their throat. My daughter is taller than all the other kids and by no means even chubby. I would say send some nasty mail to the Deval Patrick to tell them to butt out.

http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.aspx

jrbb03092

Since Mass passed this I have not heard about it being implemented. This is a load of crap and the BMI scale is horribly inaccurate. I expect to get a similar one for my daughter if they are rolling this out. According to this BMI calculator, she is in the 97th percentile and Obese. Let me get a letter from the school calling my daughter obese and see how quick I jump down their throat. My daughter is taller than all the other kids and by no means even chubby. I would say send some nasty mail to the Deval Patrick to tell them to butt out.

http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.aspx

Why in the world would you jump down their throats? Childhood obesity is becoming an epidemic in North America. Yes, the BMI scale can be horribly inaccurate but it can also be an indicator that something may be wrong. For some families, such a note might be the wake-up call they need.

If your daughter is not obese and her doctor is happy with her weight, etc, then it's not an issue for you. In that case, say thanks for the note, but our pediatrician/family doctor is on top of things and we're happy with our daughter's development.

Please don't shoot down a program that's aimed at helping when estimates are that this generation of kids will be the first to have a shorter lifespan than their parents.

alzaman5925

I don't understand how a 4 year old girl could get that muscular though?

CLD79

I would write a note back to the school and and find out if they are like most schools and eliminating P.E. out of their curriculum.

I wouldn't worry about it too much. You know your kid and how active she is. Does she run around a lot or is she a couch potato, etc. Perhaps she is getting ready for a growth spurt. It is really not the schools place to send you a note, that is what pediatricians are for. It would be a good way to turn it back on them, if you are concerned about the elimination of P.E. and recess in a lot of school, etc.

Brianna72994

If her pediatrician says she is healthy and has no weight issues, then you should just ignore what the school nurse has to say.

freddykid

Since Mass passed this I have not heard about it being implemented. This is a load of crap and the BMI scale is horribly inaccurate. I expect to get a similar one for my daughter if they are rolling this out. According to this BMI calculator, she is in the 97th percentile and Obese. Let me get a letter from the school calling my daughter obese and see how quick I jump down their throat. My daughter is taller than all the other kids and by no means even chubby. I would say send some nasty mail to the Deval Patrick to tell them to butt out.

http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.aspx

Why in the world would you jump down their throats? Childhood obesity is becoming an epidemic in North America. Yes, the BMI scale can be horribly inaccurate but it can also be an indicator that something may be wrong. For some families, such a note might be the wake-up call they need.

If your daughter is not obese and her doctor is happy with her weight, etc, then it's not an issue for you. In that case, say thanks for the note, but our pediatrician/family doctor is on top of things and we're happy with our daughter's development.

Please don't shoot down a program that's aimed at helping when estimates are that this generation of kids will be the first to have a shorter lifespan than their parents.

Parents who have obese children know they have obese children. This program is not "for the greater good" it's a boneheaded idea that is based off a bad scaling system. Since my daughter's pediatrician is perfectly happy with her, the school sending a note saying she is fat is not going to do anything but make her uncomfortable about her weight. This is out of line.

nxd10

What do I think? As a parent, I'd be upset and insulted. But that doesn't mean that they aren't right.

I study kids for a living, although I usually work with older ones. To get an objective sense of where your granddaughter is . . .

Look here:

http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/growthcharts2/l/blgirlstwo.htm

It is a height and weight chart for children. Find your child's exact age, her exact height, and her exact weight.

You want, in particular, to look at her relative height percentile to weight percentile. For example, my very thin son was always in the 85th% for height and the 25th% for weight. My 'normal' son is in the 98th% for height and the 75th% for weight.

For kids, who have unusual body shapes at different developmental stages, that gives you a better feel for where she is than BMI does. This is particularly true if your child was weighed fully clothed. Because she is small and things like shoes and clothes make up a relatively large proportion of her weight (say 5 of 44 pounds), it can completely mess up BMI calculation.

On the other hand . . . They do see kids all day and probably know what she looks like relative to the other ones. Would it hurt to talk to them about nutrition? It could only be helpful to her to eat well.

nxd10

I'm a teacher and I've never heard of this.

Why are they weighing her? I'd call the principal and inquire about this and ask for some sort of rule or law that says the nurse can screen kids for that. Really, schools around me can't screen for ANYTHING unless the parents sign for it. And sending a letter home about obesity is a screening.

They do this in OH.

fraser112

Since Mass passed this I have not heard about it being implemented. This is a load of crap and the BMI scale is horribly inaccurate. I expect to get a similar one for my daughter if they are rolling this out. According to this BMI calculator, she is in the 97th percentile and Obese. Let me get a letter from the school calling my daughter obese and see how quick I jump down their throat. My daughter is taller than all the other kids and by no means even chubby. I would say send some nasty mail to the Deval Patrick to tell them to butt out.

http://apps.nccd.cdc.gov/dnpabmi/Calculator.aspx

Why in the world would you jump down their throats? Childhood obesity is becoming an epidemic in North America. Yes, the BMI scale can be horribly inaccurate but it can also be an indicator that something may be wrong. For some families, such a note might be the wake-up call they need.

If your daughter is not obese and her doctor is happy with her weight, etc, then it's not an issue for you. In that case, say thanks for the note, but our pediatrician/family doctor is on top of things and we're happy with our daughter's development.

Please don't shoot down a program that's aimed at helping when estimates are that this generation of kids will be the first to have a shorter lifespan than their parents.

Just to add bmi works perfectly well groups of people and for the individual 90% of the time. Unless the child has a double muscling problem bmi is fine just like with people. 90% of the population think the fact it does not work for a trained athlete makes any odds with the majority.

BroiledNotFried

I know a mother who was denied independent health care insurance for her child. She was just a year or so older then your granddaughter. The company denied her due to her weight. She was chunky and, six years later, is still a chunky kid. But, she's not obese, just a little overweight. Finals was able to get her covered for health.

I was super skinny. I weighed 42 pounds in fourth grade. I was figure skating all the time, and both my parents were skinny as kids. I fattened up in my forties, and am here trying to lose twenty pounds.

Laces_0ut

if you dont get help from the school you should definitely get help from her doctor. childhood obesity is horrible for so many reasons. she needs to start eating properly now.

mycrazy8splus1

She sounds a bit on the bigger side for her height. I have 8 children. At 4 years old they have ranged from 33" to 38" tall and been between 25 1/4 pounds to 30.5 pounds. Now my husband and I are quite small people and my children will always be on the smaller side. If her parents are bigger people she would probably lean the other way from mine. I would go by what the child's doctor says.

Those numbers are for my 7 oldest kids. The youngest is just a year old.