Four year old daughter, 75lbs

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  • carla1958
    carla1958 Posts: 30
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    everyone has great suggestions. I would just add really limiting any TV or computer time, probably to 30 - 60 min per day. A lot of kids watch 4 or more hours a day and so that is time they are not moving. Good luck! and I applaud your efforts to keep her innocent of the issue and protect her self esteem. So important.
  • nicleed
    nicleed Posts: 247 Member
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    It's great that you recognise this, but as others have said, please talk to doctor and/or nurtitionists.

    I would not limit calories of a child without medial supervision. Kids need good fats etc for brain development and more.

    Both my kids are big for their ages. My 8.5 year old son - who is tall (towers above other kids his age) and stocky, weighs about 38-40kg (84-88 pounds) and my four year old daughter is 22 kgs (48 pounds). They are both in the 95+ percentile for height and weight. My son is pretty active - plays organised sport plus just running around like a madman. His sister less so, but only cos she is younger and I haven;t got her into anything organised yet.

    Sure, she is big, and yes, kids can be nasty. Seek help. She may well just be a pro-basketballer in the making and will grow into her weight :)

    Good luck.
  • algebravoodoo
    algebravoodoo Posts: 776 Member
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    I would consult her pediatician asap. Maybe even get a referral to a dietician who works specifically with young kids. But good for you for being proactive with her health.

    This.

    Like someone else said... maybe not limit the number of calories per se, but, as you have already begun to do, monitor and limit the sources of those calories. She may never even notice she has been "put on a diet" and just absorb the better lifestyle choices you are teaching her! WTG, Mom!
  • cathdrew2
    cathdrew2 Posts: 136 Member
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    My son is 19 months old and he's 30lbs...he wears a 2t -3t ....the doctor has never said anything about his weight

    Not unusual. My boys both slowed down gaining around 2 and between 2 and 4 gained less than 10 pounds total. My oldest was a full year ahead in sizes from 18 months to 2 1/2 or 3. Now he's 6 and wears a 5/6 and is Mr. 50th percentile (average). The doctors pay more attention to the match between height and weight at that age - concern comes when you have a 95th percentile height and 15th percentile weight or vise versa. Diet-wise it's important to follow the doctor's guidelines on limiting juice, switching to 2% or skim milk when the doctor recommends, and moving to the cup when recommended. Enjoy those chubby cheeks!!
  • laurenk182004
    laurenk182004 Posts: 1,882 Member
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    Well thanks again everyone, I think I have all the links, advice and suggestions I need! Thankyou to everyone who was nice about this and not condescending.

    :heart: Lauren
  • trchristy
    trchristy Posts: 155 Member
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    agree with everyone, she needs to see by her pediatrician as they should rule out weather she has a medical condition, then they advise you as to how many calories are good for her. Shes just little and you would not want to be feeding her too little and she needs certain nutrients to grow and develop.
  • opus649
    opus649 Posts: 633 Member
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    This is a site for SUPPORT not to be attacked for reaching out for help.

    Nobody attacked you.
  • FitandFab33
    FitandFab33 Posts: 718 Member
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    Please, see a REGISTERED DIETITIAN who specializes in children (many RDs have multiple specializations). There is a HUGE difference between an RD and a nutritionist. Just wanted to put that out there...
  • ilovelucy711
    ilovelucy711 Posts: 381 Member
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    Only give her water to drink.
    Go outside and play with her for 30 minutes a day (at least)
    Give her smaller portions.
    No junk food.
  • aliann30
    aliann30 Posts: 291 Member
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    My daughter is about to be 4 years old and is also built like me (tall, and "thicker" for lack of a better word). I used to have an at home daycare, and we had a health week where we learned about what food is good to eat and what food we should eat sparingly. I made "Grumpy Gordon" and "Happy Harriet" puppets with paper bags, and printed out small pictures of different kinds of food (could also use toy food). The kids took turns sorting the healthy food and the junk food between what they thought "Grumpy Gordon" and "Happy Harriet" ate. I also told them a story using the pictures about Grumpy Gordon eating too many cookies and getting a tummy ache so he was grumpy and didn't want to play outside. Happy Harriet made good choices and had a lot of energy so she could run and play all day.

    Anyway, you get the picture - my daughter LOVED this story and LOVED sorting the food. This lesson was a good 9 months or so ago, and she still talks about Grumpy Gordon and can tell you what food is good for you what isn't.

    I agree that you are not a horrible mother - it's not like she's 10 years old and you're JUST NOW figuring out that she needs to have a healthy lifestyle.

    I also agree about the juice and milk - milk once a day, juice once a day (100% and no sugar added), and water the rest of the day. You'd also be surprised at how much sugar and carbs are in cereal - I don't know how much she eats that but oatmeal is a good substitution (I also like to make oatmeal muffins which my kids always LOVED even if they refused to eat the regular oatmeal).
  • Pinkie409
    Pinkie409 Posts: 4
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    Am I the only one surprised people are calling her a good mom and shes doing the right thing when her child is almost twice the weight of a normal child? A 4 year old does not have the ability to get that overweight by themselves, its totally on the parents. I'm sorry if I am coming off harsh but you really need to consult with someone like a dietitian because your not making the right choices for her. 1600 calories for a 4 year old??? To me that seems high but I dont know.
    This is not going to work unless you get your act together too. If your eating twinkies and McDonalds then shes going to want it too. Figure it out because this is sooo wrong.

    You obviously have no children. We aren't pointing fingers here. Do you think making her feel like a bad mother is going to help her daughter? I think not! She obviously cares enough to fix the problem so give her helpful solutions, not a jab to the gut......most people don't get help because of insensitive people like you.....
  • megalin9
    megalin9 Posts: 771 Member
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    I don't have any advice to add. I think everyone has already given you all the advice you need, but I want to add my support. I highly commend you for the responsibility you have taken for the past and the ownership you are taking for the future. I LOVE that you are keeping this a secret from her! You are absolutely correct that, at 4 years old, she should not have to be worried about her weight. You are on the path of giving her a great relationship with food. Well done, Mom!
  • BCSMama
    BCSMama Posts: 348
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    I know you don't want her to have any idea you are concerned about her weight and I agree with that, but I think she's old enough to start learning about healthy versus unhealthy foods. I've always taught my kids that junk food is not healthy for our bodies or teeth. I do let them know that it's okay to have once in awhile, but that we should mostly fill our bodies with healthy food if we want to be healthy. My kids are not 7 and 8 and have very healthy eating habits. They enjoy junk and candy in moderation as I think kids should. They also know that moving our bodies is healthy and makes us strong and fast.

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