Obese and too tall at 3 years old!!!
bekahl
Posts: 41 Member
My 3 year old son recently had his developmental review and the Health Visitor measured him at 3 foot 3 and weighing 3st 2lb (44lb). I know he's big for his age.
She told me that he's too tall and that he's clinically obese. What the heck does she expect me to do with that information? I can't stop him from growing taller! How can he be too tall? Didn't even know there was a height limit! And as for obese, he's certainly not that. If he weighed any less he would look tall and skinny. I admit he eats a bit too much rubbish at times but he eats plenty of fruit and vegetables, and is always on the go. His clothes fit right too.
I came away from the appointment absolutely fuming as she said she would be putting it on his health records that he was obese at the age of 3 and she had informed me about the health implications in later life if I don't get him to a healthy weight!!!
Grr........
He's pictured on my profile picture a couple of months ago.
She told me that he's too tall and that he's clinically obese. What the heck does she expect me to do with that information? I can't stop him from growing taller! How can he be too tall? Didn't even know there was a height limit! And as for obese, he's certainly not that. If he weighed any less he would look tall and skinny. I admit he eats a bit too much rubbish at times but he eats plenty of fruit and vegetables, and is always on the go. His clothes fit right too.
I came away from the appointment absolutely fuming as she said she would be putting it on his health records that he was obese at the age of 3 and she had informed me about the health implications in later life if I don't get him to a healthy weight!!!
Grr........
He's pictured on my profile picture a couple of months ago.
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Replies
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My 3.5 yr old is around 3ft 6 and 3 stone 8 (50lb?) and I have never been told he is obese, technically he is but his height is proportioned wwith his weight. Tell em to stuff it and move on0
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Well, according to the CDC growth charts for the US, he would be considered quite heavy for his height (above the 95th percentile). Apparently a "normal" weight for a boy child of 3 foot 3 inches is approximately between 30-40 lbs. I don't get the too tall comment; that would be genetics more than anything and what would you do about that even if you wanted to.
In any case, it was pretty crappy of her to just give you this information without any kind of follow up or real recommendations. By the looks of him, he seems to look healthy, so he could just be a solid kid with a lot of muscle. It sounds like you're doing a good job, so I'd just keep presenting healthy foods and encourage him to be active.0 -
Check this thread:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/803997-picture-of-4-yr-old-of-what-the-school-calls-obese
LOL @ bureaucrats checking growth charts. What a stupid world.0 -
my 3 year old is 45 lbs, he is tall and built strong but not obese, my doctor never said nothing about him beig overweight. He is really active and eat well, that's all I need to know. What kind of comment is being to tall? It's not like you can tell him.. stop growing now.0
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I am a developmental psychologist (from a tall family). You can't be too tall unless you suffer from giantism. Genetically you get tall because you had tall parents/forebears. Environmentally you get there because you've had a very healthy diet. Congratulations!
However, you can be obese as a child without looking like what an adult would say is 'obese' because heatlhy kids are very, very skinny compared to adults, with really large heads.
If they just did a health assessment, you'll have percentiles on height and weight. My tall skinny son was always 98% for height and 25th% for weight. He was REALLY thin. My 'normal' son is 95% for height and 75-80% for weight. Things are in balance.
Obesity (defined by BMI) is different for kids so LOOK UP THE CHARTS ONLINE. What is 'normal' for an adult really is way out of line for kids. HOWEVER, make sure you are weighing them with almost no clothes and get a very accurate height, because with small weight little differences in measurement have a huge effect on BMI.
If YOU decide a change needs to be made, you know what to do. Drop the sodas and juices, get him running around, and feed him meat, grains, veggies, and fruit.
Honestly, that's mostly all there is to it.
In addition, remember that kids put on a little just before a growth spurt. You can tell one is coming on becuase their hands, feet, and noses look big. :laugh: (Really.)0 -
Ignore her - and keep your kid healthy and happy.0
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Early age development is very difficult. It is hardly linear and clean cut.
Many children (teenagers included) actually gain significant body weight before a growth spurt.
I'd say ignore that particular gem of information given to you and focus more on the long run.0 -
My little guy is almost 3 feet tall at 2. I wonder what she'd think of him. lol Hang in there. They don't know everything!0
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too tall? what kind of a silly comment was that?!? (My son was that tall at 3. He'll be taller than me by the time he's 10. But hubby is a tall man, so it's obvious where it came from)0
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As long as his height/weight are in the same ranges percentile-wise, let it go. If he's regularly in the top 95% for weight, and in the 70%s for height, perhaps skim milk or smaller portions are in order.0
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He can't be "too tall"...he is what he is!! My son is the same way. At 6, he's onver 4' tall and weighs around 85 lbs. He's a big kid, but he's doing good on HIS growth scale. That's all the DR should be looking at. Not the "national" growth scale....0
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Wow. My 5 year old, (6 in March) is 3ft 8 inches, and 44 lbs. Total other end. Tiny little bugger.0
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My son is 4yo about 47" tall and about 44lbs. He is very tall for his age, but his weight works. Your son is shorter and the same weight so technically a little on the bigger side.
Now....many kids outgrow their "chubby'ness" by 5yo and start to thin out. And many children (mine included) will gain, eat and eat, before a growth spurt. But if you're not careful now.... he may not and may always be the "big" kid. Being tall is not the issue - obviously you can not stop that, but you can be more mindful of what and when he eats.
Two articles worth reading:
http://www.livescience.com/8313-parents-underestimate-weight-obese-children.html
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/assessing/bmi/childrens_bmi/about_childrens_bmi.html0 -
If the numbers you gave are accurate, your son is obese. What do you want us to tell you?0
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I had the opposite problem with my 5 year old. For his age, he is considered horrible under weight and short. Ok.....so? If you compare his height to his weight, those numbers are normal. He might be short for his age, but I'm only a little over 5 foot myself.
Sometimes, I think our Doctors need to go back to school. Or at least keep up with the changing times. And especially take family makeup into account. If neither parent is really big, likelihood is, the child won't be either. The opposite is also true. If at least one parent is taller, and the child is projecting that same direction, I wouldn't worry.
My Doctor was the one who pointed out the weight issues with my son. He's still small for his age. He has a tiny little waist and we have a hard time finding clothes he can actually fit in. But after talking to a child nutritionist, who wasn't at all worried when she did his height and weight scale, we were more at ease. Don't be afraid to get a second opinion, ever.0 -
He certainly looks normal to me. My kids were always in the 80th or 90th percentile for their heights and weights but in the normal 50th percentile for their height to weight ratio.
My "advice" would be to keep an eye on him, try to limit the junk food as much as you can and just see how it goes. Maybe they are seeing a change even if it is tiny that they are concerned about. But I don't have any idea how you are supposed to keep him from getting any taller.
BTW, he is adorable.0 -
I would start giving skim milk instead of whole. That would make a big difference.
Yes, there is nothing you can do about height, but you sure can do something about weight.0 -
It's hard to say without a full shot of the boy but from what I can see he doesn't look anywhere near obese to me! Instead of fuming and coming to an internet forum to vent about it, learn to stand up for yourself and your child and talk back to the doctor when he/she tells you things like this. Just becasue they have a PhD doesn't mean they know everything and get to have the last word. Far too many people are afraid to talk back and I think it's a shame. Not harmping on you specifically, just a pet peeve of mine.
Pick up the phone and call the doctor's office and ask for a call back with more information about why they consider him obese and what exactly the doctor thinks you should do about it, especially since by looking at him, he's a pretty healthy kid.
Actually, before you do that, do your own research and make sure the doc was using the children's BMI chart. I've heard there's a big difference between the child and adult one.0 -
No worries, they used to say that about my daughter all the time....There is no such thing as too tall...what are you supposed to do? stop feeding him?! Hogwash! That's crazy. If your son is healthy and you are watching what he eats....don't worry about what they say. Unless, you think it is a real concern! Talk about a confidence booster?! :noway:0
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if their height and weight are proportional it isnt overweight.0
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He's adorablee !!0
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Check this thread:
http://www.myfitnesspal.com/topics/show/803997-picture-of-4-yr-old-of-what-the-school-calls-obese
LOL @ bureaucrats checking growth charts. What a stupid world.
^^^ This
They have to constantly justify their existence.0 -
The too tall thing is just ridiculous. First off, my DD was 3'1" at 2, secondly, he's only in about the 75th percentile for his age. Finally, you cannot really change height.
His weight is above the 97th percentile for his age and for his height, though, so he is technically obese. My oldest DD has always been 97+% for both height and weight, which would put her at obese by weight for age, but when you do the weight for height comparison, she's in about the 75% range, which is completely healthy. If he's always been this way (95%+ for weight, 75% for height), I probably wouldn't worry as much, but if he used to be lower on the weight scale and has shot up to over 97% on weight, that's cause for concern, because it shows he is gaining weight faster than he is gaining height.
While I do not support putting children on diets, if you think he probably eats too much junk, then I'm sure he's eating too much junk. That's an easy thing to change. Stop giving him so much junk. You can give him lower fat dairy products and less empty foods and more healthy stuff if he's hungry. If you cut down on the junk food now and get him used to having treats only on occasion and in moderation, he should "grow" into his weight and will probably be healthier later on down the road.0 -
One of my friends was on WIC and the nurse told her that her daughter was too short. She told the nurse she would take her home and stretch her out. You need to think of a similar comeback for the "too tall" comment.0
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My 3 year old son recently had his developmental review and the Health Visitor measured him at 3 foot 3 and weighing 3st 2lb (44lb). I know he's big for his age.
She told me that he's too tall and that he's clinically obese. What the heck does she expect me to do with that information? I can't stop him from growing taller! How can he be too tall?
If your son is unusually tall, much taller than the heights of his parents and grandparents would predict, it could indicate a problem with the pituitary gland, or thyroid gland, or adrenal glands, or even a genetic disorder--or it could be totally normal.
Most children settle into a certain percentile (height relative to other children their age) by age 2, and stay fairly close to it until puberty. If your son used to be a similar size as his peers, but has started outgrowing them, that could also be a symptom of a growth disorder.
To give you a rough idea of how tall you might expect your son to be as an adult, average the heights of the parents together, and add 2.5 inches (for a boy; subtract 2.5" for a girl). This is what they call the mid-parental height. The child's adult height will usually (not always) fall within 2" of that either way.
Now, take that mid-parental height, along with the top and bottom ends of the range, and look them up on a growth chart to find the percentile at age 20 (the end of the chart). Compare the percentiles to where your child actually is.
For example, my husband is 67.5" tall, and I'm 65". Average those and add 2.5". Our son could expect to be around 5'9" as an adult, and will most likely end up in the range of 5'7" to 5'11". My son's mid-parental height is at the 38th percentile; his actual height at age 12 is around the 33rd percentile, so it's very close. His adult height could be anywhere be between the 15th and 66th percentiles, depending on how puberty goes, and still be normal.0 -
Being too tall is a new one. I probably would have laughed in her face and said that was the most ridiculous thing I have ever heard
I know they comment on height in terms of growth (my daughter was a mild failure to thrive baby because of poor feeding and multiple food allergies so height was closely watched). We were concerned for a long time about her height.
But too tall? What are you suppose to do? Use your godlike powers and stop them from growing? *LOL*0 -
My 3 year old son recently had his developmental review and the Health Visitor measured him at 3 foot 3 and weighing 3st 2lb (44lb). I know he's big for his age.
She told me that he's too tall and that he's clinically obese. What the heck does she expect me to do with that information? I can't stop him from growing taller! How can he be too tall?
If your son is unusually tall, much taller than the heights of his parents and grandparents would predict, it could indicate a problem with the pituitary gland, or thyroid gland, or adrenal glands, or even a genetic disorder--or it could be totally normal.
Most children settle into a certain percentile (height relative to other children their age) by age 2, and stay fairly close to it until puberty. If your son used to be a similar size as his peers, but has started outgrowing them, that could also be a symptom of a growth disorder.
To give you a rough idea of how tall you might expect your son to be as an adult, average the heights of the parents together, and add 2.5 inches (for a boy; subtract 2.5" for a girl). This is what they call the mid-parental height. The child's adult height will usually (not always) fall within 2" of that either way.
Now, take that mid-parental height, along with the top and bottom ends of the range, and look them up on a growth chart to find the percentile at age 20 (the end of the chart). Compare the percentiles to where your child actually is.
For example, my husband is 67.5" tall, and I'm 65". Average those and add 2.5". Our son could expect to be around 5'9" as an adult, and will most likely end up in the range of 5'7" to 5'11". My son's mid-parental height is at the 38th percentile; his actual height at age 12 is around the 33rd percentile, so it's very close. His adult height could be anywhere be between the 15th and 66th percentiles, depending on how puberty goes, and still be normal.
Actually I didn't even think of this. But then that puts spin on things, is this an issue of him being too tall and a possible medical condition from that and is that extra height causing him to have more weight and falling under the "obese" category.0 -
My daughter is 3, and 3 foot 3 (wouldn't it be freaky if she was 33 lbs! lol). She's a great height, not "too tall" for anything!! Someone (the one who told you this) need their head examined haha
I can't say anything about the weight because I have thin kids, she's 36lbs and my son is 4 foot 2, 7 and 59lbs.. but if your child eats right for the most part and your doctor has no concern, screw 'em!!0 -
My daughter was the same way at that age. Now that she is 7 y/o she's growing taller and thinning out at 68 lbs. She's built like me with big, broad shoulders and every bit of a tom boy that I was. She is a vegetarian's dream child, eating tons of fruits and veggies. Sometimes it's a struggle to get her to eat meat or other sources of protein, but it's getting better. No matter what, I know I need to continue to set a good example for her and teach her to view food as fuel for her body.0
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going by the picture your son looks just fine. But doing the calculations puts him overweight on my scale. I wouldn't worry about him just yet other than what he is probably learning from you and your significant other. Hopefully your journey will be a positive experience for the little guy too.0
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