Does My 3 Year Old Weigh Too Much?

Hi, Rhonda! I'm responding to your question because I also have a child whose weight I'm always concerned about. Your question could have been my own. I just wanted to share with you something I read in a magazine recently, and that is: A better way to track if your child is overweight (rather than the scale) is to measure her height and waist. If her waist measurement is more than half her height, you could consider her overweight.

Personally, I feel that MANY things have to be considered that the doctors don't take into consideration, such as bone structure, genetics, and birth weight. (My son was 10 lbs 4 oz!) As a mom, you know if your daughter is eating healthy foods (try journaling her food... sometimes it's surprising how much they eat without either of you realizing it) and if she's getting enough physical activity.

P.S. Amazingly enough, fruit juice, which we all tend to think is so good for them, can really pack on the pounds!

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What you should do is do not give her juice because it has a lot of sugar in it. Try to give her whole wheat bread with more then 2 gram of fiber in it. She should have lots of fruits an veggies in her diet with much protein. Stay away from white bread and pototeos. I am not saying she can never have it, but on a daily basis her diet should be enriched with many variety of healthy foods. You can probably fiqure it out once you put your mind to it. Oh, and she should be active too....God Bless.

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well it is certainly a good sign that you are aware of your childs health. have you ever taken a look at the height & weight chart?
most likely if her weight was an issue her ped. would mention it to you at her well visit.

according to the charts she is in the 100% for weight and about 75% for length (if I am reading it correct!) if she has always followed that pattern i would not worry.

my son was always on the top of the percentiles (except at birth) and is now beginning to slow down!!

if you are concerned about health problems that run in your family I would jsut suggest maintaining a well balanced proper diet!!

good luck!

You know Rhonda.
She's too little to worry about her weight, honestly. I read all of people's comments here because I, on the contrary, worry constantly that my girls' are underweight. But then again I have been underweight all my life even though I eat everything, carbs, protein, fat. So, no, please don't start watching what she eats. It's a good thing you watch she doesn't get too much sugars but she's a kid still so once in a while it doesn't hurt.
I didn;'t know what and when to feed my girls so the first time they had ice cream was at 18 months and i was maiing such a big deal at the ice cream place to make sure i get them an awesome flavor when a mom standing next to me said: YOUR KDIS HAVE NEVER HAD ICE CREAM BEFORE??? WHY DO YOU THINK THEY NEED TO BE ON A DIET OR SOMETHING??
no silly, i just didn't know.
for reference, my kids are 29 months, girls, 38 inches tall and 29-30 lbs.
vlora

Hi. My daughter turned 3 in August. She is about 39 inches tall and weighs 41 pounds. She is thick and tall. She wears a size 5. I am not worried about her weight, but I do watch what she eats. She is a very active child. I try to give her fresh fruit and vegetables. Things like whole wheat bread and of course, low-fat milk. They don't need whole milk after the age of 2. I only give her 100% juice with no sugar added, 4 ounces diluted with some water. I do allow her to have cookies and chips, but in moderation. Sweet cereal maybe once a week, but the other days I give her oatmeal, whole wheat cereal, yogurt. My daughter LOVES milk. So I used to let her drink as much as she wanted. But I recently read that children that drank more than 2 servings of milk a day gained more weight in a year than children who didn't. So now, instead of giving her four 8 ounce cups per day, I give her four 4 ounce cups and she is just as happy Just give your daughter a healthy, balanced diet and make sure she is active. I'm sure she is fine, but it's good that you are aware of the potential for childhood weight/health issues. Also, what does her doctor say?

My family has a long history of diabetes my father died of complications of his diabetes this past sept.. Both of my kids eat a diabetic diet. If you are overly concerned about maybe you should talk to your doctor about putting your kids on one. there is sugar in a lot more things than many people realize.

Hi, I have had 5 children and 3 of them was big children. My children outgrew it. I have a 2 yr old granddaughter that weighs 35 lbs and WIC is saying she is overweight. I say don't worry about it unless it becomes a great concern to her doctor.The more she runs around, the more she will burn off. P.

Does she appear to be overweight? My daughter is 4 and is 40lbs and 43" tall and she is pretty skinny. Your daughter is pretty young and it sounds to me like she is a big girl, not overweight.

I have a neice that's 2 1/2 and weighs close to 40 lbs. She is heavier and just as tall as my son who is exactly one year older then she. I think in our case it's all in the genes, my brother married a very big girl and she's taking after her mommy. Like your daughter she eats very well, and they always watch her junk intake, but she's still wearing a size 5/6. Keep doing what your doing and hopefully with lots of activity and age your little girl will even out, that's what I'm hoping for my niece.

good luck
F.

MY SON WHO IS 4YRS OLD WAS IN THE SAME BOAT AS YOUR DAUGHTER AT THAT AGE .. HE WAS 10LBS 5 OZ AND WAS A VERY BIG BOY.. BY THE TIME HE STARTED WALKING, ACTIVITES AND SCHOOL HE HAS MUCH SLIMED OUT AND HE ALSO DOSNT EAT ALOT. 30 MIN PLAYTIME OUTSIDE RIDING BIKES, WALKING.. OTHER WISE SHELL GROW OUT OF IT. DONT WORRY YOUR PROBALLY DOING A VERY GOOD JOB..

My 3 year old daughter weighs 39lbs and is almost 3 and a half feet tall. She is very active and energetic, she too weighed 9lbs at birth. If your child is healthy and eats healthy and your doc isn't concerned than I wouldn't be either. She has plenty of time to grow into her weight. Good luck!

Hi my name is K.
Ihave a daughter who was 3oz heavier then your daughter at birth. she is 4 and a half and weighs like close to 60 pounds. Shes tall.So i wouldnt be to concern about it.Is she active mine is.Her height will catch up with her weight
K.

Forget it. The weight thing. Get out there and find some exercise that your daughter loves and do it with her and do it consistently. Let the body's love of the natural thing become the thing the two of you look forward to, together. I said..."together". Find something to connect with this way and by all means, don't put pressure on your daughter about eating. Geez, don't do that. Be positive and get creative. And as far as snacks go: create stories with characters who derive their "strength" and "fight for life" from "smart foods" such as well...you know that part. Right?
D.

Rhonda,

I was a big baby girl as well. I weighed 9 lbs 14 oz at birth and by the time I was 1 year old I weighed 29 lbs. I struggled with weight all my life and have always been heavy. From a point of view of say your child I wished my mom would have taught me the right things to eat like fruits and vegetables rather then McDonalds. Maybe watch the quality of the food she eats rather then the quantity and try to incorporate some more exercise into her day. Any extra movement will help even if it is running around the yard. I wish my mom would have been more proactive in my early years maybe I wouldn't have had such a struggle with weight. Maybe you could find a class she would be interested in like dance or gymnastics? I would just kick up the activity factor.

hi! my daughter just turned 4 and she always checked in the 95 - 97 th percentile. Up until last few months she looked on the heavy side, but she is sliming down... I've always watched her diet, no candy (with special days exception) no sodas EVER, no junk food (except happy meals in some weekends, and sometimes changed fries for apples)... and then some... that is just to give you an idea... she was just a big chubby baby (breastfed until 3yrs old also)... so, just big, chubby but healthy.... as long as she is healthy, even in the highest percentile, you know?
I'm glad you are looking after her though, it never hurts to get her a good check up for the not so obvious conditions.. specially the genetic ones... ex. the cholesterol could be high even in slim kids or adults.

good luck!

Hello I have a 3 yr old who will be 4 in May she is 45 pounds I was concerned for her weight when the clinic said she was overweight, I am not concerned anymore just because I do watch what she eats, she gets 2 6 ounce cups of jusice a day and 2 8n ounce cups of milk a day after that it is all water but I do that with all the kids, she does not eat alot of junk all I can say to you is make sure she is active. they get to a point where they are active and start to slim down. I am at a point where I am going to start using organic milk and foods because they put so much steroids in the food and it is what causes the kids to develope early.Also, I limit the amount of fast food they have, even when you change the to the fruit instead of the fries you have to read the sugars on the fruit. I dont know if you have seen the movie "Super Size me" if not you should watch it. I hope this info is helpful for you if you have any more ?? ____@____.com

Hi Rhonda, I have a daughter, who will be 3 on January 7th, she was 9lbs 10 1/4 oz when she was born, she now weighs 42lbs. She is very tall for her age. As I am 5'10 and her father is 6'3. Doctors don't take into consideration alot of things, they just accuse us of feeding them the wrong things. My dad is 6'4 and my mom is 5'9 and I am by no means skinny. I just look at myself, and look at her, and know she will not be a skinny girl. Kaitlyn has been in the 90% for all of her life. As long as she is active and doesnt eat alot of junk food, and drink alot of soda, you shouldn't worry to much.

My son was three on October 1st he weighed 9 lbs. 15 oz. at birth. He is 38.5 inches and 32 pounds. My four year old is 39 inches and 43 pounds. Half an inch and eleven pounds difference. She is solid. Of the two, she is much more active and eats better. She will ask for salads loaded with fresh veggies and prefers water over juice. My son, could live on chocolate milk, donuts, hot dogs and soft pretzels. Our ped says as long as she is active and eating right we should not make a big deal about it.

I also take comfort in knowing that my eight year grew five inches and remained at the same weight in the past year. Kids can grow into their weight.

Glad they said not to worry about this. I have been told all along to not worry about my son's weight. He turned 3 in May and now weighs 42 lbs. The important thing is the hight to weight ratio, which for your daughter is good. As long as she is eating fairly healthy, no worries.

My daughter was born in March of 2003 and weighed in at 6lbs 13oz. My son was born in October of 2005 and weighed 7lbs 4oz. My daughter is 40lbs and 42in. She wears a 5. WIC tells me that she is in the 82% close to possibly becoming obese. She is a toothpick. All she does is run and she eats great. My son is 32lbs and 32in. He wears a 3T. My pediatricians (group practice) all agree that my children are healthy and in very fit condition. They say that as long as I continue to feed healthy foods and limit junk food that my kids will be fine. Dont worry about your childrens weight. If people are telling you that they are overweight- I would look at what your eyes see. Do you feed them good food? Do they play and have exercise? If you can answer yes to those questions you are fine. Just because health problems have happened in you family doesnt mean that they will to your girls. You cant live in fear of what might emjoy every single minute that you have with them. Time is too precious to waste.