BMI - I think she's fine, but could you give me your opinions - Page 2

[berry987]

My son, who is a little rail and can't keep his pants up, has a BMI in the "overweight" category. Not sure why. I'm not worried. He's healthy and active, that's more important than the scale.

[becoming]

Yeah, those BMI results are for an adult of that height and weight, not a child. She sounds absolutely fine & like you're giving a good start

[journeymom]

Originally Posted by *~Danielle~*

I'm sorry you had this undo stress. I think Michelle Obama's campaign for childhood obesity is a noble thought, but what you just experienced is going to be the down side to it for a lot of parents and children. Your daughter is fine and healthy....but too many pediatricians are going to be nazi like about weight now because of the childhood obesity campaign. For the next few years, this will be something more and more of us will be confronted with. Warranted or not.

Wow! That's quite the conclusion you jumped to there.

[plunky]

Seemed like a reasonable thought to me, Journeymom. Danielle is not the first person online I've seen have reservations about Mrs. Obama's plans there. Have you ever been to see a doctor as an overweight person? It's quite an experience.

[Storm Bride]

Does anyone else find it disturbing that a pediatrician is so accustomed to just punching numbers into a BMI calculator that he/she doesn't even seem to be able to tell if the result is off? There is no way we can gauge a person's health or risk level by simply punching a couple of numbers in and reaching our conclusions based on the resulting number. Even if the BMI were a more useful tool than I believe it to be, it's pretty freaking useless if the people using it don't know how it works, and can't tell if a result is even right.

That being said, I find the BMI so limited as to be basically useless, and wouldn't even consider using it for a child.

[crowcaw]

My ped has always commented on how strong my twin girls are. At 2 they were 36.5" and 32 lbs and 35" at 30 lbs. Ped, laughing, said "I won't mention BMI; it could make you worry." But I did calculate it and it wasn't overweight though near the high end of the range. My girls are really sturdy and though not skinny definitely not at all overweight. DH and I also have BMI's that are bordering on overweight even though we're both trim.

[texmama]

I think BMI is a crock. My ds is very proportional, but according to his bmi he's overweight (which, if you look at him, he obviously is not). I always weigh much more than I look, I have very dense bones and good muscles - so does ds. It was my understanding that the only way to get an accurate bmi is with calipers.

[cappuccinosmom]

I'm of the same opinion about BMI. It's worthless. Especially for healthy toddler.

Someone in that doctors office had to have made a mistake and were too busy or out of it to compare the "risky" number with the actual healthy child.

Being overweight is usually pretty obvious. I was once told that my middle child was "at risk for overweight", even with an explanation of his very healthy diet, his obvious active behavior, and the fact that we can count his ribs, front and back. When I pointed out how ridiculous that was, only *then* did the person say "Oh, yeah. Maybe you're right, let's recheck the numbers." Lo and behold, even by the numbers he is at a perfectly healthy weight. The only explanation I have for that is that they were looking at me--The Fat Mom--and projecting.

Also, my youngest two were 100% breastfed and complete butterballs. They were off the charts in weight from birth through first year. But it was proportionate to their height, and thank God I have a rational pediatrician who never mentioned anything about "risks" because of weight.

The obsession with numbers is just ridiculous. The numbers don't help anything. If a kid is sedentary and eats a poor diet, it's obvious he's "at risk" without any numbers at all. So change the habits, don't harp on the numbers.

<rant over>

[LowFlyingAnimals]

Just chiming in with another anecdote. I have 2 thin kids. They are muscle-y. No one would ever say they were fat. My dd needs to cinch in the waist of all her pants. Ds is a little stocky, but no paunch or fat. They are both active, eat well. They both have high bmi. Fortunately, their doctor has a kid in the same camp, so she downplayed the results. I'd imagine a different conversation with a less understanding doctor.

The BMI for kids supposedly just represents a future risk. It isn't supposed to be used for diagnosing anything when they are kids.

[nextcommercial]

Originally Posted by minkin03

i did a quick calculation on the growth chart and the stats you gave put her at 75th percentile for both height and weight which i think should be fine. i think it would be more of a concern if her weight was in the 75th percentile and her height in the 20th percentile. i'm by no means a doctor but she seems perfectly healthy to me.

This is what our doctor told us also. Plus, a steady growth in the same percentile is less of a concern than a child who goes from the 30th percentile, and six months later is in the 75th percentile.

My own personal opinion, is kids deserve the occasional treat from Grandma. As long as it isn't all day, every day.

I also understand your fears. I wasn't overweight as a child, but I have friends who were, and it was so hard for them... it's hard now... it's sooo much work. You never want to be the reason your child has to work that hard for something.

But, it sounds to me like she's perfect.

[meemee]

Originally Posted by journeymom

Wow! That's quite the conclusion you jumped to there.

actually it nots that far fetched.

all of this is all very cultural.

my dd looks fat. she has a pooch and boobs and she has chubby cheeks. however her health is excellent. she is an active child, with a good balancing diet. really thin kids sometimes call her fat. she is not overtly fat but chubby. and she looks exactly like her dad when he was her age. he carried his baby fat till his middle teenage years.

when she was little 'people of european descent' (what is the politically correct term) called her short. asians called her tall.

my tiny friend and her tiny husband had a tiny baby. much below the charts. the ped. was whacking on failure to thrive and actively pursuing it even after looking at the tiny gparents so they had to change peds.

it is the culture. what you see as normal is what is projected onto the whole population without taking individual factors like genetics into consideration.

[LynnS6]

Our dd has been consistently in the 85th percentile for weight and the 80th for height. Technically, even by the child's BMI calculator, she's considered 'overweight'. I am not concerned and neither is the doctor. This is the pattern she has had since birth. She's incredibly strong and moderately active.

Also take into account that height/weight ratios change with the seasons, as far as I can tell. My kids put on weight in the fall, and sprout up about Feb. They put on weight in the spring, and sprout up in the late summer. (As I can testify by the size 12 shoes I bought for dd in August, and when we put them on for school in Sept, they were too small!)

I see this pattern in a lot of kids around here. So, if our dd is weighed/measured just after a growth spurt, she's fine. If it's just before, she's 'overweight'.

[phathui5]

Her BMI is 18.8 and she is considered overweight.

I entered the info you gave onto this online calculator:

http://kidshealth.org/parent/nutriti...mi_charts.html

and it said that she is at a healthy weight.

[DariusMom]

Originally Posted by meemee

actually it nots that far fetched.

all of this is all very cultural.

my dd looks fat. she has a pooch and boobs and she has chubby cheeks. however her health is excellent. she is an active child, with a good balancing diet. really thin kids sometimes call her fat. she is not overtly fat but chubby. and she looks exactly like her dad when he was her age. he carried his baby fat till his middle teenage years.

when she was little 'people of european descent' (what is the politically correct term) called her short. asians called her tall.

my tiny friend and her tiny husband had a tiny baby. much below the charts. the ped. was whacking on failure to thrive and actively pursuing it even after looking at the tiny gparents so they had to change peds.

it is the culture. what you see as normal is what is projected onto the whole population without taking individual factors like genetics into consideration.

Such a good point.

I'm American, and even a bit short and chubby by American standards (5'3 and overweight, though not obese). I live in northwestern Europe in a country that has, on average, one of the tallest (or tallest?) population in the world. DS is consistently considered short. However, when I got back to America yearly, he seems completely average for kids his age.

I hope at some point health care professionals will really stop using these outmoded charts or that the WHO will come up with something else.

[Holiztic]

BMI for a toddler? Freaky! Our very holistic and non fear-mongering ped. has never ever done that--and quite frankly the idea really bugs me. What's next? Body fat % tests and claiming kids should be under 25%?!

[~Boudicca~]

That sounds ridiculous. And I'd call the pediatrician on it too.

My almost 3y/o hasn't been to the ped in almost a year and I can't even remember where she was on the charts. But you can tell by looking at her she is a solid little kid, she is built like a brick house, but by no means "overweight". I'd love to know what kind of numbers your doc would throw at me about her

[mistymama]

Originally Posted by Tigerchild

Not if she was in the 95+ percentile for height.

Exactly. This sounds like a tall toddler.

My son is in the 95% for height and the 90% for weight - he's super skinny too. As in you can count the kid's ribs. He's long and lanky. I was actually worried he was underweight, but the dr. said he's just fine.

A tall kid is going to also have a higher weight percentage - that has nothing to do with "risk" or being overweight.

OP, your dd sounds just fine. I would make sure she continues to eat a variety of healthy foods and has opportunity to play and exercise. And beyond that, I would not give it a second thought.

[TiredX2]

Thinking back, while our pediatrician has never pointed it out (and definately not made an issue of it) DS often has a higher weight percentile than height. Given that he wears slim pants sucked in, though, I consider it more an issue with the charts (and the concept of them, perhaps) then with him. He is *definately* healthy!

[Just1More]

Blah, charts.

Feed 'em healthy and let them play outside. Have them snack on fruit instead of bready carbs, and only drink water. (Milk and cheese if you are into that, of course). Eh. They grow.

DD was 8lb 7oz at birth, and grew fairly quickly, though not super fast. Then, around 6 months, she slowed WAY down. By 2, she was around the 15% or 20% for weight, more for height. Rather skinny. And ate like a horse. More than dh, often. (And, when HE'S home, my food budget often quadruples...). Anyway, then around 2.5 or 3, she started growing fast again. By 4, she was off the charts for height AND weight. She's still a big kid. At almost 5, she is wearing size 7 and 8.

DS, low and behold, did the SAME thing. He was 8lb 10oz, and was 20 pounds just before 4 months. And then he didn't gain until after a year, and then slowly. Sure enough...now he's nearing 3, and the little guy is gaining and growing in a hurry.

Apparently, my kids grow like that.

But, I just feed 'em and love 'em, and it works out.

Don't worry about it.