Overweight toddler?

[physmom]

Ok, sorry for all the posts today but I know this is my only chance to post for awhile.

DD has always been big (was born just under 9lbs) and has stayed around the upper 90's in weight (she's currently 97th percentile for both weight and height). DH and I are not skinny by any stretch of the word even though I eat pretty well and exercise regularly (for me, I think breastfeeding is affecting it because my mom had the same but who knows?).

Anyways, both DH and I were chubby kids growing up (my parents fed me a lot of crap and while DH didn't eat sweets he ate a lot of other junk). We don't want that for DD AT ALL and never give her sweets and just feed her healthy food but she's still HUGE! She doesn't even eat that much because she's a fairly picky eater but somedays she eats a lot. We talked to our ped about it and she said that, yeah, it's not like we can put her on a diet or anything but just make sure she gets plenty of exercise and not to feed her junk food (both of which we do).

So I'm wondering... is DD just destined to be on the bigger size (DH is over 6 feet and both him and I are stronger than average). At what point should I worry? DD's not drinking cow's milk (she nurses A LOT still... like over 8 times per day) and but she does eat cheese, although we've cut back quite a bit on that. We try and feed her just fresh fruits, veggies, whole grains, chicken breasts etc. , so I'm wondering if there is something I'm doing wrong??? I always heard that she'd slim down once she started walking but that was months and months ago and she's really active!

[kavamamakava]

Mine have always been giant toddlers. My son was the smallest only because he had roseola and then had a bad cough with congestion that settled way down in his lungs and was making him cough til he puked from about 10-13 months. But he was 33 in and 26 lbs at 1 yr. My girls at 1 were 29 lbs/29 in and 30 lbs/30 in

Their growth didn't really slow until about age 2 and between 2 and 3 they hardly gained any weight or even inches. My middle child was 32 in/32 lbs on her 3rd bday. She's now 7 and quite slim but she looked pretty chubby until she was about 6. My 5 yr old still has a chubby toddler body but I expect she'll also slim down and she gets taller and has more child-like proportions as opposed to toddler proportions.

I was a giant lump of a baby and toddler. I'm now pretty average sized.

If you're concerned that it's her eating, why not keep a food journal. You can do it in a notebook or on a website like fitday
I don't think cheese is unhealthy My kids don't really drink cow milk either. They all nursed until they were around 4 yrs old.

[malayasmommy]

As long as you're feeding her healthy foods and giving her lots of opportunities to exercise and play, she should be fine. Also, modeling healthy eating habits and exercise is going to be wonderful for her, and maybe provide you some more reassurance that you are doing your best to show her a healthy lifestyle.
I was quite overweight/obese for most of my life, but am now average size after doing Weight Watchers 5-6 years ago and maintaining regular exercise. Yet I still have fears about DD dealing with some of the weight issues I did. I have to work pretty hard to make sure I don't pass any of that anxiety onto her--so I understand your concern, it's one that is very close to me as well.
My DD was chubby until she started walking, now she's a bean pole. I have a friend who is tiny, and her 2 boys were off the charts big time until they hit about 3 or 4. Now they're perfectly average size, if not thin. Your DD being big now is definitely not indicative of where she'll be--and even if she is on the larger size, she can absolutely be healthy and large boned!
Hope this helps!

[LadyCatherine185]

I would just keep feeding her healthy foods, and I would not cut out healthy fats like dairy. Our bodies need certain types/amounts of fat. Check out Weston Price's Traditional diet. She is WAY to young for you to be worrying about her weight. Her body will go through so many changes between now and when she is finished growing, and she needs healthy fats for her body and brain to grow.

[pbjmama]

Unless there is a medical condition I believe strongly in offering a healthy variety of foods, including fats, to children and letting them regulate. 97th percentile is fine and NOT overweight.

[physmom]

Thanks everyone for the encouragement. We haven't radically changed DD's diet or anything! The cheese thing was mostly that our babysitter was feeding her too much cheese (so that she wasn't eating enough other foods) so we talked to her about that and we've cut back quite a bit (and surprise, surprised, she's eating other good things now too).

She still gets a lot of healthy fats (she eats avocados almost everyday). I'd love to feed her fish more but it's just so expensive where we live!

I have to admit, it does get me worried sometimes, though, because she's already wearing 3T and her friends just look so small in comparison! But then again, she's a lot taller than them. She also still nurses WAY more than any other kids her age that I know and I really wonder if that's a big part of it. Anybody know???

[Right of Passage]

IMHO don't worry too much My DS1 is 4 yrs old he wears a size 5 or 6, not T but the big boy clothes, he's just solid. He always has been. DS2 however wears 24 months at almost 29 months but still fit fine in 18 month gear. Their diet is the same they are just different kids. DS3 is 7.5 weeks and quickly following in DS1's build. He's already well into 3-6 month clothes and has been for 2 weeks.

[LadyCatherine185]

If she is in the 97% for height, it is only natural for her to be in the 97% for weight. If she was in the 5% for height and 97% for weight, then maybe you'd have a little to worry about. It sounds like she is growing and very healthy, and that is a good thing! My DS didn't start leveling out until around 12-15 months. He was 27 lbs at a year, 28.5 at 15 months, and has stayed 28.5 lbs since. Nursing 8 times in a day at her age is also very normal. My DS was nursing 10-15+ times a day/night at that age. You are doing a great job Mama. Just follow her lead and offer healthy foods and she will be fine!

[lnitti]

you didn't give her stats, but I am guessing she is just fine

As long as she is eating healthy and her weight is in proportion to her height and she does not have any medical issues, then I would think it would all be fine.

I have 1 dd who was always 50% height and weight.

I have another who is 2 and has been anywhere between 75-95 for height and 95+ for weight. She is not overweight at all. She has a typical toddler belly, and round cheeks, but other than that she doesn't look huge. She is just more solid than my first dd. She probably weighed almost 30 lbs or maybe actually 30 when she was 1 1/2. At 2 and 3 months, she was about 33. Now at 2 and 7 months, she is 35.