Kids and Diets? Yes or No

I am not expressing an opinion either way......Us moms can be very protective and perhaps blind to our children's shortcomings........but if you disagree with your doctor a second opinion might be in order. Doctors are not always right.

With a child that age I wouldn't think "diet" really, but just making sure they're more active - lots of opportunity for running around, playing outside, etc. If they are drinking soda, cut that out (they shouldn't be anyway), watch juices, etc.

Heck, DD16 just lost 8 pounds without noticing because DH and I are eating more healthy and there's less junk in the house so she's not eating it. :P

I'm no doctor, but even if I were, your the mother. What you feed your child is your decision and if she's healthy and active then then her diet is up to your discretion. If she's not over-eating, not eating an excess of junk food, and at least has an understanding of what's healthy and what isn't, I don't see a need for worry at all. I just think doctors are paying so much more attention to this sort of thing because of all the attention on childhood obesity lately.

I wouldn't mind it, putting a kid on a diet is NOT the way to go. It will stay with them forever and then they might grow up with an eating disorder...... Maybe you can just switch out a few unhealthy things for healthier things? For example if you give 3 cups of juice a day reduce it down to 1.... etc.

A friend of mine was told the same thing when her son was 6..now keep in mind he is BIG I would say borderline obese for his age. After trying it for about a week she caved because he would literally sit at the table and CRY for more food. Saying this, before I made a drastic change I would get a 2nd opinion. At age 4 they need so many vitamins to grow properly I would see a 2nd pedi and I would tell them what my first pedi said and if they recommend weight loss I would ASK about seeing a nutritionist before trying this on my own. A child's health isn't something to play with and not getting the right vitamins/nutrients while still growing could have life long consequences. JMO

you guys are overlooking the fact that this guy is a childrens doctor. he's not trying to change the world, he's just making a suggestion that you should watch what your kid eats. i have no idea what you're doing, i assume you probably watch it to some extent, but if you don't take steps now you're going to instill a lifestyle of whatever she's doing. she is after all in her formative years, and i'm sure you don't, but making her believe her big belly and butt are cute would really be detrimental to your daughter's entire life.
a second opinion, as everyone seems to be suggesting wouldn't hurt, but there's probably some merit in what the doctor told you.

Hi trejon
Be encouraged! Just keep in mind that Webster’s defines the word diet is “a regular eating regimen”. You are not headed down a dark path of restrictions and limitations by monitoring your daughter’s ‘eating regimen’. We all are on a diet when we purchase our weekly grocery supplies. There is a billion dollar industry that makes money off our desires, but you are on this site and that illustrates that you have a different mindset. My family and I are nutritionally aware however we are aware of our ethnic genetics. We seek a qualitative life by developing healthy lifestyles consider that’s all you’re being asked to reinforce. You can handle this! My younger babies are 16 and 14. The youngest is a slender male and my 16 year old daughter is turning into a woman right in front of me. Both of them are trained by our “regular eating regimen”. Consider giving your pediatrician the benefit of the doubt and see what you can do and monitor the results. Who knows, tweaking her nutrition now can turn into a blessing.

While I don't agree with putting a child on a "diet" I do think that teaching them good eating habits (carefully) is a good thing. I have four kids and they've been through many changes of eating habits with me as I've learned new things. We've transitioned away from processed foods and are at the point where we mill all our own flour and make our bread and baked goods. I have one kid who is a peanut butter addict! With her I don't tell her she'll get fat if she eats too much peanut butter. Instead I tell her to look at the serving size on the jar and use the scale to measure out that amount. This way she's not deprived of something she loves but hopefully she's learning moderation and how to have a little self control.

A four year old isn't really going to be able to do much of that for herself yet so you'll need to be the regulator until she's old enough. But at about five years old my son was reading labels and knew what to look for as far as what we avoid and what I'm looking for in food (high fiber, high protein, etc)

Can I make a suggestion to you? Quietly track your daughter's food for a week or so. This will give you a realistic picture of what and how much she's eating. Often people sign up for MFP and then exclaim that they had no idea how much and what they had actually been eating. It could be the same for your daughter or she may be eating totally healthy but if you track for a few days you'll know for sure. I do think she'll likely slim down as she grows and she may be in one of those stages where they store fat right before they sprout up several inches.

You are mom and you know your DD best and are her best advocate. Teaching healthy eating is far different than putting a four year old on a diet! (Sorry if I rambled all over! I'm getting sleepy.)

Some kids have naturally bigger frames, as do some adults. You said it yourself - you feed her very healthy foods and she is solid muscle. I was always a bit bigger (not chubby, not rolls of fat, just wider hips and shoulders) and I ate a pretty balanced diet and was active. My parents were always down on me about my weight because i was NEVER thin even at 4 years old... I went on my first diet when I was 7. Pretty much screwed me up for life and when I lost 15 pounds when I was 14 they praised me for "finally growing out of my baby fat" and the day had finally come... except it was not baby fat, I lost it by starving myself, then gained it back later!

Anyways, your daughter is 4 and you are already teaching her a healthy lifestyle, as you said. She will grow taller, or maybe she just has that kind of frame.