45 lb 19-month-old (they say she's too big!) - Page 3

[LadyCatherine185]

Originally Posted by an_aurora

Well, it seems "normal" to me, since her dad was similar in size at that age. Yeah, that's big, but not everyone can be 50th percentile

http://www.who.int/childgrowth/standards/weight_for_length/en/index.html[/url]

But this isn't an issue of 50th vs 100th percentile. 45 lbs is WAY off the charts for a 19 month old.

[an_aurora]

Originally Posted by LadyCatherine185

But this isn't an issue of 50th vs 100th percentile. 45 lbs is WAY off the charts for a 19 month old.

Yes it is, but having two kids that are nowhere near "the chart", the charts don't mean so much anymore

Absolutely get bloodwork done "just in case", but not being on the chart isn't automatically panic-inducing

[treeoflife3]

I think that the best thing you can do to be SURE she is truly her own healthiest is talk to her doctor about having some tests done to be sure there isn't an underlying issue that might be silent or only whispering so you haven't noticed.

If her daddy was similar, and if she seems very healthy and her diet is great and so forth, then she could be at the very very outlying percentage of children, but that doesn't mean something isn't going on that is concerning.

I think talking to a doctor and keeping an open mind is a good idea. I wouldn't trust a doctor who just says to put her on a diet or wants to give her something to treat it without some strong testing, but a doctor who is willing to look at it from all angles and make some testing decisions before making any suggestions on how to deal with it is a good idea.

I'd do some research on different medical issues that could cause a child who is considerably larger than average. I don't know much about that, but I'm sure there are things that have to do with hormones that can create extra growth.

It really doesn't hurt to just make sure she is truly a normal healthy kid. Either you'll find out you are right or you'll find out that she needs a bit of extra help to even out and be healthier than she already sounds like she is. She sounds very healthy and very happy but finding out there is something underlying doesn't make you a bad mama for missing it before... it just means sometimes we don't know everything.

[confustication]

My 24 month old is off the charts for height, and has not yet hit 40 lbs. He's a big, stocky, solid little boy.

Trying to imagine him 6 months ago with an extra 10 lbs- even having been very tall would have just been an enormous strain on his still developing body. I would absolutely take her in for an assessment, and if the docsays anything about a 'diet' flee to someone who would instead suggest a food diary (keep one in advance of the appointment so there is something clear to look at together) and some blood work to see why your child is so large.

After everything is cleared- sure, it's a non-issue and you can fluff it off, but I think it's worth some testing and evaluation.

[journeymom]

This might seem like nit picking but it is not, it's an important distinction:

No one said your daughter is abnormal. Many people concluded that her weight might be above the norm. This isn't personal, so don't take it that way.

SIGH. I guess I just came on here for moral support. Please tell me that I'm not crazy! That my daughter IS fine and that these other people don't know what they're talking about.

You absolutely have a lot of support here! I don't know you, but most likely you're not crazy!! But when even the uber-crunchy, free-thinking lot here at MDC says you should investigate your daughter's weight, then you might want to take note.

I don't think going to the doctor is a 'magic bullet' but it is ONE way to check up on your child's health. I guess you can categorically dismiss anything a doctor says, but it might help to have the opinion of a professional who has specialized in pediatric health.

And as far as putting stock in percentiles and charts, they are simply averages, which are numbers you really can't argue with. Yes, there is a reasonable weight range for the average 19 month old. No, not every child falls within the range of average. When that happens it's a good idea to investigate why.

[babygirlie]

Soy damages the thyroid and slows it down. If she has a thyroid issue that is not helping. I would see a doctor and at the very least if the doctor gives you the ok then you can tell people she has been seen by a doctor and he says she's fine.

My 15month old is 20 pounds and has a big belly. I can't imagine where she would stick another 20 pounds. Sorry I know you are doing good but it might be TOO good. A baby is not an adult and doesn't really need that much food especially on that super awesome breast milk.

I know how about you add up all the calories in the day. That might give you a more realistic idea of what's going into that tummy Or write it all out exactly and someone here can do the calorie math.

Even vegetarians can be obese Cereal isn't particularily healthy and soy is not. So that healthy grazing could definately be adding up.

[blessedwithboys]

my friend has a 21 mo who is probably about 40 lbs, but thats bc he was raised on formula with cereal in the bottle and now gets mcdonalds several times a week. he's abnormally large, in fact, he's so large he falls down a lot and has been in the ER with head trauma more than once.

it doesnt sound like your dd is in the same boat, bc you are nursing (PLEASE dont slow down deliberately before age 2. right now, bm is still the perfect food for her and the only one you can be sure is balanced perfectly for her needs at her age)

however, i will second the concern over soy milk. its really terrible stuff, even organic. i just had a very long menstrual cycle, which is not normal for me (i've been a 28 day girl for 20 yrs). i have been celibate for many years, so i wasnt worried about pg. i brought on my period by drinking a half gallon of chocolate soy milk. potent stuff, that phytoestrogen, and totally inappropriate in the diet of a baby.

[Megan73]

OP, if your little one is barely eating healthful solids on top of nursing, I'd wonder - unless you are making gallons and gallons of milk a day - where she's getting the CALORIES to weigh 45 pounds.
I would keep a food diary for a few days and bring it to your family doctor. "Diet" is the wrong response but it seems like it could be an endocrine or other problem

[mamadelbosque]

My boys are smallish I know (DS1 is nearly 3.5 and ~29#s, 37/38"; ds2 is nearly 1 yr and ~19#s, not sure on height...), but I still can *not* even imagine a 45# 19 month old. Thats just crazy big... and I'd get her checked out. There are various syndromes which make kids/people grow abnormaly via hormones/genetics. And it'd be worth checking into just to be sure. You don't want to get 5 or 6 or 10 yrs down the road and find out that theres a problem you could have started working on years ago.

[Latte Mama]

Originally Posted by Megan73

OP, if your little one is barely eating healthful solids on top of nursing, I'd wonder - unless you are making gallons and gallons of milk a day - where she's getting the CALORIES to weigh 45 pounds.
I would keep a food diary for a few days and bring it to your family doctor. "Diet" is the wrong response but it seems like it could be an endocrine or other problem

This is basically what I said. And NOT to offend the OP because I want to state my experience in years of nursing (the RN kind). I have had many overweight patients tell me how wonderful their diets are and that they don't eat much at all. I then ask them to keep a food diary for just one week, to please write down every single thing that they eat and drink, even nibbles. I'd say about 10% actually do it and most of them are shocked at the results.

It is well known that we a s a society understimate how much we eat and overestimate the exercise we get.

Again, if this little girl is truly not eating a lot then that should be even MORE worrisome. And did I miss a height? Was that given? OP, I think it would be really helpful to show a pic and you could get truly unbiased opinions, even blank out her face if you feel uncomfortable. MDC is full of caring mamas that want to help!

[SubliminalDarkness]

OP, I agree a lot with what everyone else has said.

I also wanted to offer the possibility that your in-laws' recollection of your DH's size may be off. There's quite a lot of things about my infancy/toddlerhood that my mom "remembers" one way and my dad "remembers" another. So it's hard to say which of them is truly right, though I usually err on the side of my dad.

Just a thought.

[fairejour]

Unless your 19 month old is about...say....40 inches tall, I would guess this is an issue that should be discussed with a doctor.

Here's a concern that hasn't been brought up, what are you doing about a car seat??? At 19 months she should still be rear-facing but clearly that isn't an option. Many forward facing harnasses top out around 45, right? How is this child traveling in a car safely?

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by fairejour

Unless your 19 month old is about...say....40 inches tall,

If she were 43in tall (110cm), she'd be in the 85% for weight to height. Sorry, I was just looking at the chart cause I was curious where my dd was.

ETA: forward facing harnesses generally go to 50lbs or more. There's some question about whether forward facing harnesses are a good thing though, but that's a topic for another forum.

[an_aurora]

Originally Posted by sapphire_chan

If she were 43in tall (110cm), she'd be in the 85% for weight to height. Sorry, I was just looking at the chart cause I was curious where my dd was.

ETA: forward facing harnesses generally go to 50lbs or more. There's some question about whether forward facing harnesses are a good thing though, but that's a topic for another forum.

Of course a 19 month old should be harnessed! Nobody is going to argue with that. Here's a perfect kid for a Regent!

[camracrazy]

I think I can understand a little of what you are feeling, OP. The other day my dh looked at our youngest and commented, "She's getting a double chin. Looks like she's been eating too many snacks." I immediately felt defensive and I have to admit I've been stewing about it since. She's 33 months and weighs 30 pounds, so not quite the range you are talking about, but it really just jabbed at me that someone would sit there and make a snap judgement about the way I was feeding her. I think dh is comparing her unfairly to our middle dd, who is 5 and only weighs 37 pounds because of medical issues and FTT.

That being said, I think any extremes one way or the other (underweight, overweight, gaining excessive height, not gaining any height, etc) are worth looking at. There might be nothing there, but it's good to know for sure. I recently had a friend tell me about some problems her son was having and how if they had caught the issue earlier they may have been able to take a route that would have fixed the issue but now there's not a lot they can do about it. I felt bad for her because I know she's a good mom and if she had known she would have done everything she could have to fix it. Knowledge can be power in these situations.

[fairejour]

Originally Posted by an_aurora

Of course a 19 month old should be harnessed! Nobody is going to argue with that. Here's a perfect kid for a Regent!

I'll argue! A 19 month old should be REAR facing!!!

[mammal_mama]

My 5yo is very well-rounded and solid. I honestly am not one for doing weigh-ins or measurements, so I can't remember how much she weighed or how tall she was at 18 months -- I can only say that both my girls are very tall, and while dd1 is slender, dd2 has always been much more filled out.

When we were getting WIC, at one point the nurse said we needed to see the nutritionist at dd's next appointment because her weight was off the chart. But by that next appointment, she'd grown a bit taller so was no longer "overweight."

I honestly didn't think she was overweight before ... I just think there's a lot of paranoia due to the increase in childhood type 2 diabetes.

I'm like you, looking at my children's high level of energy and alertness, and knowing they must be healthy. Still, a blood workup wouldn't hurt anything and could set your mind at rest. I agree with those who've said to steer clear of any doctor who advocates putting her on a diet or limiting breastfeeding.

And please keep us updated!

[an_aurora]

Originally Posted by fairejour

I'll argue! A 19 month old should be REAR facing!!!

Of course she should be, but not in any US seat she can't, since the Radian XTSL has the highest weight limit of 45 lbs

[AislinCarys]

Originally Posted by journeymom

And as far as putting stock in percentiles and charts, they are simply averages, which are numbers you really can't argue with. Yes, there is a reasonable weight range for the average 19 month old. No, not every child falls within the range of average. When that happens it's a good idea to investigate why.

This. Really, as the mother of a teeny tiny who was off the charts the other direction, I say see a paediatrician - get a referral to a specialist of some sort.

I say this because we were pushed around by nurses and medical people who just based on DD's weight insisted we had to formula-feed her. I get so sick of the assumption being that if a child is off the charts, it must be because the parents are over- or under-feeding the child.

But look, I have found no evidence that a low weight or slow weight gain actually causes anything down the line (so much for all the threats of brain damage!). And, I think there is one reason that charting babies is important, and that is because it can be an indication that something else is wrong (with the child, some sort of condition, that is).

And what should be done, in my opinion, the only sensible thing, is to test the child! However, I think that is seen as a bit of a hassle - it is so much easier to tell the parents to monitor/limit/increase the child's intake. And if that worked - well, at least you know nothing is wrong (but the exclusively breastfed infant is now formula-fed...).

In your shoes, I'd see a specialist. For us, everything got better after we saw the specialist ped (the man who happily prescribed Domp. - and believed it would work, and therefore told us to slowly wean off the donated breast milk. He was the first one who didn't stress about her weight). And once the tests are done (unless the doctor deem them un-neccessary and fine your child fine!), you can relax, knowing this is just the way your child is meant to be!

[sapphire_chan]

Originally Posted by an_aurora

Of course a 19 month old should be harnessed! Nobody is going to argue with that. Here's a perfect kid for a Regent!

Could've sworn I'd seen debates about head excursion, but I guess that was for older kids who could sit up well? Whereas with a 19 month old, it'd be full spine excursion without harnessing.

It really is too stupid for words that we don't have higher RF limits here. Obviously, not generally for 19 month olds, but there are thousands of 3 year olds who could be RF if they bumped the limits up 20lbs or so.