Took Cam to the Doctors for his Well Baby Appt. - And she said he's FAT! :(

CAMSMOM1 wrote: I just got home from Cameron's Well-Baby (2 yr old) check up appt. And his Ped. said that he is in the 100% for his Height and he's off the chart for his wieght.

He is 38.5 inches tall, 3 feet!

And he weighs 42 pounds!!!!


She said she couldn't even chart his weight, he's off the charts. And even though he is very tall for his age, he is overweight. I feel horrible.

She also said he is doing very well developmentally, his vocab. is very good.

She checked his testicles and said they are coming down a little, which gave me some relief.

I'm just worried about his weight. I think I'm overfeeding him. I must be.

luvbug00 replied: first off YEAAAA his vocab is good and he is a smart little boy!!! Neigh that the doctor called him fat I really don't like charts because they don't take into concederation of the parents and gentics. Ex. I'm pitette and small Brad is tall and tender= Mya is tall and pitette in frame. I wish your doctor could've been more helpful then cridical..

~*Just Me*~ replied: What did she say/recommend? Is seeing a nutrionist a possibility? I would monitor his intake by writing down everything he eats for 2-3 days, and take a hard look at it & see what needs to be fixed. What size portions is he getting? Are you letting him eat as much as he wants?

He IS a big boy; he's bigger than my 4 yr old.

coasterqueen replied: He's very very tall for his age. Maybe a basketball player when he gets older? As far as weight, I can't say. I know Kylie weighs about 35 pounds and is 40 inches tall and she's 3.5 years old.

Did the doc give you any suggestions as to what to do if he's overweight? There are nutritional programs you can put him in to help you and him deal with it.

CAMSMOM1 replied:

I know, my nephew who is 4 yrs old, weighs the same as Cam! But the doctor never called him fat, in her words he is "Very Overweight". But she reassured me that he will hopefully even out once the weather gets better, and he can go outside to play. But that I need to give him more fruits & veggies, and limit his snacking through the day.

I told her about his obcession with food, and all she said is I'm in control of that. I guess she's right. I just wish I had more guidelines. He can eat portion sizes like Justin & I. And he throws tantrums over food, and I admit, sometimes I give in. I try to give him healthier snacks, like Graham Crackers & Fruit snacks, but then he's hungry right after. I know he's not "hungry" he just acts like he is.

That's a good suggestion, to keep or chart how much food I"m giving him. I don't want him to have a problem in the future with his weight.

But Justin is 6'3, and I'm 5'6 and we're both big people. I know he is in the 100% for his height, but he shouldn't weigh as much as he does.

coasterqueen replied: What about healthier snacks that are filling? I always worry about Kylie overeating too and when she snacks she snacks. But it's usually on strawberries, carrots, grapes, apples, etc. She will pig out on that stuff like nobody's business. She gets other non-nutritional snacks but we limit how much of those she gets whereas with the healthier ones we let her eat a bit more.

MyBrownEyedBoy replied: Rule of thumb, a child's portion should not be bigger than his or her fist. Logan has the opposite problem (if you want to call it a problem, I don't), he simply isn't that interested in eating. However, the dietician we saw at the developmental screening said that for a toddler a good rule of thumb is a tablespoon of each food type for each year of age. But with Cameron already used to eating larger portions, I wouldn't just cut him back all of a sudden. You do need to make sure his snack choices are healthy, fruit, veggie sticks, the occasional cracker with cheese, yogurt, etc.

Please don't feel as if I am lecturing. I don't mean to, I am just passing along information.

JP&KJMOM replied: Take it from a mommy that has 2 kids that have been off the charts their entire lives. It will be OK! I agree that once it warms up and he can run and play outside more than likely he will slim up. Karlee was an absolute chuck a year ago and then she started to daycare and wow did she slim up.

Everyone else has great ideas for snacks so ITA with them.

CAMSMOM1 replied:

Thanks girls. And Kelly, I really appreciate that information, I wish his doctor wouldve told me that, that's why I decided to post this. I need all the help I can get.

And it's good to know someone else has a child that has been off the charts. I was thinking the same thing, once he starts daycare next week, he'll slim down. I hope so at least. But I do need to make some changes in his diet. Like you suggested Kelly, I should do it gradually, since he's used to larger portions. It's hard as a mother thinking that your child is hungry, but I know he isn't once he finishes a meal. It's just a habit for him I think.

He is really active inside though. He doesn't sit and watch tv, he's always running around playing with his toys, chasing the dog, ect. I can't wait for him to get outside though.

Thanks for the great advice...keep it coming. I need all the info I can get.

kimberley replied: no medical basis here, but a close friend's son has been off the charts his whole life and he is just fine. they are just big people!! he is now almost 10yo and wearing mens large, about 5'8" and very healthy. he was a solid little kid when he was younger but he grew into his weight.

only suggestion i can give is what my ped said.. get rid of juice. he sees no nutritional value in it and wishes people would stop giving it to their kids cuz it is empty calories.

hang in there

My3LilMonkeys replied: Ann, I think you've gotten some great advice, I agree with Kimberly on the juice. Also, my ped said that at 2 you can switch from while milk to 2% because they don't need the extra fat levels anymore - if he likes to drink milk that could help (and when I switched Brooke she didn't even notice a taste difference).

I mainly just wanted to applaud you for being concerned and willing to make a change. A friend of ours has a 2 year old who is 37 inches tall and 41 pounds. Her ped told her that he was overweight and made suggestions about healthy snacks & limiting portion sizes but she won't hear it - she's proud that he's such a big boy and laughs that Brooke is 2 inches shorter and over 10 lbs. lighter than her son.

So a big to you for putting in the effort to make the change!

mysweetpeasWil&Wes replied: Ann, I totally agree with what many have said above. I think it's great that you are concerned and want to change his eating habits. I personally don't think the ped was being critical, but should have offered you more advice on what to make for him. ITA with what Kelly said, plus the idea of limiting juice. I would add more fiber rich foods like raw veggies instead of only fruit and cracker type stuff. Fruit, although nutritious, have a lot of carbs so that's why he probably doesn't feel full after eating them. If you do serve fruit, give it to him with yogurt so that he gets the protein and calcium. The biggest mistake is to put carbs with more carbs. Also try some of the whole wheat snacks from a health food store that are low in saturated/trans fats. Skip the ritz crackers and goldfish if you can.

luvmykids replied: Colt was 25 lbs at 6 months and let me tell you, all it took was him walking to slim right down. Cam has probably not gotten enough physical activity, like most of us, in the winter months and like everyone else said, genetics!!!!

But one thing someone else mentioned that is a really good idea is a journal, I did it for me and the kids and honestly had no idea we were eating as much crap as we were. I was truly shocked when I looked through it after a week. Mostly I just didn't realize how much a handful of cheetos here and 2 cookies there added up to.

You're a great mom, and he's a great kid. I don't think you have much to worry about, I think just like a lot of us it's better choices in food. When I have that mastered I'll let ya know!

ilovemybaby replied: Ann please do not feel bad about this.
I think maybe the easiest way to go about this may be to give him a bit less and do it gradually/slowly. So give him a tablespoon less for one week. Then two tablespoons less... etc... And when he wants a snack instead of a cookie give him some fruit or something.
It will be HARD. He is likely to throw some major tantrums. But he will get used to it.
Try to get him to pay attention to something else each time. Like one of his toys. Or get him outside playing a game with you.
The good thing is that he is still young. It would be much harder if he was 5 or 10.
And just remember YOU ARE IN CONTROL. No matter how much crying or how much tantrums.

Also when he says he is hungry offer him a drink instead. 2 percent milk or water (if he will drink it).
Or do a third/half juice and the rest water.

Edward's Mommy replied: I wanted to tell you that I don't agree with how she said he's overweight. But I really don't believe he is! I had a friend who's baby was 25 lbs at 6 months! He was 11 pounds when he was born. His parents are big people. And her doctor said that for his age he was where he needed to be with his genetics and I think Cam's doctor isn't taking into consideration his genes and the size of his parents. Big people have big kids. She should keep that in mind. But like the others said, cut out the juice and give him water if you can. You can get the Aquafina flavored water. But I don't think he's overweight and if he was you'd know it by looking at him and he looked like a well proportioned child! I just wanted you to know!

NEWMOM05 replied: Ann, I agree with most of the other posts. Cut certain things out right away and slowly and gradually limit his portions. I think the journal is agood idea as well. It is difficult to make a change when you have been doing it a certain way for so long, but I'm proud that you are taking the initiative to do what's best for Cam. I also believe that once he is able to be more active it will maek a huge difference. Good luck!

ilovemybaby replied:
That is what I thought after all the photos I've seen lately. But then I thought maybe it's just hard to tell from the photos.
Anyhow... I think he has big bones like me. Abby has big bones too. But she is skinny IMO She has a little tummy and fairly big thighs but the rest of her is skinny. I can see her ribs.
I wouldn't worry too much. It would be easy enough to journal his eating and see if it's too much. If you have to take the journal to the doctor and ask him. He will be able to tell you if it's too much or not.

CAMSMOM1 replied: Thank you soooo much for all the advice & support. I was feeling so awful, that the doctor said that... she didn't offer any solutions, but to add more fruits & veggies. I know I should give him more of that, he loves fruits/veggies, I just need to make it available for him. I don't feed him chips, or candy. If anything, I'll give him graham crackers, or Vanilla Wafers, or fruit snacks. But I think his problem is his portion size. I feed him more than a 2 yr old should eat, but he's hungry. I try not to let him snack a whole lot, I really think it's his portion size.

But you've seen his pictures, does he look fat to you? I don't think he does, but I'm biased cause I'm his Mama. But like my Dad said, he's not fat, he's solid. He doesn't look 42 pounds, but when you pick him up, he feels it. KWIM? But he is tall for his age, and has big feet. And ITA that when he gets outside to play, it'll come off. It's been raining here non-stop for a month...I swear, I'm tired of the rain and when it's not raining, the ground is soaked outside. So he got go out, and he's going crazy.

Plus, he's not the type of kid to sit and watch tv. He is always running around in the house, playing with his toys, chasing the dog. So you will hardly find him sitting around. Trust me, he keeps me busy!

And like someone said, the "charts" don't take into account the genetics, and how the child is built. He's stalky, or solid. He's got huge feet, size 10, and he's really tall.

I don't give him a lot of juice, like 6 oz a day. And I give him 2% milk. And he doesn't eat candy or have soda.

I do know I can offer him more healthier snacks, more fruits & veggies. And cut back on his portion size a bit. But I think he's healthy, and I'm not going to put him on a diet. I'm just going to watch what he eats & how much.

Thanks for the advice & support. You're the best!

Ann

~Roo'sMama~ replied: I agree with what's been said already. He really doesn't look fat in the pictures - he does look bigger than a 2 year old but not fat. I wouldn't stress about it too much, just try to make healthier foods more available to him like you said.

You said that when you give him things like fruit snacks and graham crackers he's hungry right away again, and that's not really surprising since there really isn't much to those things - they're probably not very filling. I don't know what his likes are but maybe try some carrots and dip or celery and peanut butter (I hate it but a lot of kids seem to like it ) or apples and peanut butter (that one I like ). String cheese or cheese sticks with some fruit... stuff like that has more substance and will keep him satisfied longer, plus it has more nutritional value. One of my favorite snacks when I was a kid was graham crackers and milk - I'd dunk them like cookies. That's not as healthy as the other things I listed since graham crackers probably have a lot of sugar, but something like that is probably ok once in awhile and the milk is good for you.

CAMSMOM1 replied:

Thanks so much for those great snack ideas! Those are totally easy, and he loves all of them! And you're totally right, the snacks I gave him aren't filling, and that's probably why he's hungry soon after. So I really dig the snacks you mentioned.
And I think you're right, he is a lot bigger than most 2 yr olds, he is taller & stockier, but not fat. Thanks for the reassurance.

Nina J replied: From the pictures in your siggy, I think he looks fine.

I'd say the main question to ask is do you think he is overweight? Parents know there kids better than anyone else. Honestly ask yourself, push aside the fact your his mother and really ask yourself if you think he is overweight.

If you say yes, just try to get him a little more active, eat more fruit and vegetables, etc.

I've never met your son, and I can only judge by the pictures. I think that he looks fine. He looks like he's going to be a tall, muscley built guy. Plus, he just turned 2. He's going to be running around all day, everyday.

Don't try to worry about it to much, you've got a gorgeous little guy and, like I've said, I think he looks fine

edited to say: With snacks, go for something that will sustain him longer. For lunch, you could try some cold chicken, vegetables (raw like carrots, or some steamed ones) and salad. Emily loves that for lunch. Also, try going for foods with a lower GI, because they keep you fuller for longer. Yogurt, noodles, fruit and macaroni are all low GI and they're all foods that Emily loves. When Cam is hungry, you could give him some yogurt to snack on and he'll be fuller for longer.

ilovemybaby replied: We work in kilograms and centimetres here so I had to do some converting... but I don't really think he is overweight. He is like 98 centimetres and Abby is only 88cm. She is between 10 and 11kg. And Cam is about 17-18kg. And he is big boned.

WOW! Size 10 shoes! I don't know the difference between NZ and US sizing in shoes but Abby is only in size 5 shoes.

holley79 replied: I think even suggestion of a 2 year old being on a diet is wrong IMO. Post a new picture. To YOU does he seem chunky? Does be seem overweight? We had a friend of ours Pedi say that to her 3 year old and the kid quit eating.

CantWait replied: Ann, from Cam's pictures that you post. He doesn't look like a little boy who is overweight by any means.

I'm sorry the doctor couldn't be more helpful. I agree with some of the others though that if you want to give him more healthier snacks, that things like grapes, bananas, yogart and apples are super filling snacks, and can usually even hold me off. What about oatmeal in the morning, or hard boiled egss (the yolk is fine) very healthy, and extremely filling.Try giving him more water, especially just before a meal if you know that he'll still eat afterward. I don't really believe in the children's portions sizes, a child's fist, or a tablespoon for each age. I couldn't imagine Anthony or any other 2 year old only eating 2 tbsps of yogart. Anthony is a tiny little boy and he can eat more then that at a meal time.

Aside from what I said, I have a feeling you're doing everything right, and I'd say it's not his eating habits. If you're not feeding him a pound of bacon, chips, cookies, and pop everyday, then it's not what he's eating. Try not to worry.

CosmetologyMommy replied: Aidan is only 7 months and he is 23 pounds 6 ounces!!!!!!!!!! I think cam will just be a big boy. And there is nothing wrong with that! was he big a birth? Aidan was nearly 10 pounds!

mckayleesmom replied: I don't think he looks overwieght at all...I just think he looks alot older for his age because hes taller and bigger boned. BUT...if overwieigh people run in your family, it wouldn't hurt to cut back on the sweets and stuff now.

There are tons of great snacks that fill kids up....heck...Mckaylee LOVES salads....

Maddie&EthansMom replied: I've got one that is off the charts little and you've got one that is off the charts big. Ethan is half his size.

Cam is a big boy, but it's nothing YOU are doing wrong. Just make sure when you feed him to give him lots of healthy foods and PROTEIN. He'll be okay. It will even out.