Worried About Weight

Updated on October 31, 2011
B.T. asks from New Braunfels, TX
25 answers

Hey Mamas!!! I am concerned about my son's weight. I will be calling his ped tomorrow...just to ck. My question is...what is the avg weigt for a 3 yrd old. My son is 3 1/2, 38 in tall and weighs 34.4 pounds. It seems like all the clothes size 3T seem soo big. Especially in the waist...the boy has no butt!! :) Something I would love...but I wouldl ove for his pants to stay up. The clothes for 2T fit his waist, but too short. Help please!! :) Thanks for you help guys!!

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So What Happened?

Thanks mamas!!!! I appreciate the help and advice!! Yall rock as usual. I feel better!! :)

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D.K.

answers from Dallas on

That seems perfect! My 3 year old is only 26 pounds. So hard to get the regular pants to stay up on him. I buy the pants with elastic inside, or at least hoops to put a waistband through, also still buy 2T for him. He still wears his 1 and 2 year old tees LOL. He is very sharp and active and I have stopped worrying about his low weight now.

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K.U.

answers from Detroit on

He sounds fine. My daughter is 4 years old, 40 inches tall, and 38 lb. She tends to have a long torso compared to her legs (which are getting longer and leaner along with her arms) so right now she has mostly size 5 tops and size 4 pants and jeans. She's got more of a waist and a butt so pants stay on her better. You can probably find on-line where he falls on the percentile chart for his age, weight and height. If the percentile for both is the same or close, the proportionally he's fine. If you have a hard time getting the 3T pants to stay on him just because of his build, look for ones with elastic or adjustable waists, or getting the "skinney" fit.

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A.M.

answers from Phoenix on

Don't worry too much. My daughter is 7 and still hasn't hit the 40 lb mark. She's in the 95% for height, she's 51" tall and 37 lbs. at her last appointment. Talk about NO hiney!! Target sells inexpensive clothing with the waist band on the inside. That has always been my lifesaver with her.

More Answers

C.M.

answers from Los Angeles on

He seems like he is a good size for a 3 year old. Some kids are just built different. My 2 year old daughter has a really big butt so she can only fit into 4t clothes, but I have to roll up the bottom of the pants because they're too long. You can find pants that have an elastic band on the inside that you can adjust to make smaller. My son has a few Levi's that have it inside.

Oh, and wait until Tuesday or Wednesday to call the ped. Monday's are always hectic, so it's best to wait until the middle of the week when things calm down to make a non-urgent call. (I work at a ped's office, and Mondays are horrible!) Good Luck!

2 moms found this helpful

C.M.

answers from Washington DC on

my son is 4 and is only 33 pounds. He is on the smaller side though and always has been. I just buy him adjustable pants

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G.B.

answers from Oklahoma City on

That sounds perfectly normal. What was his body thing at his last appointment...I don't remember what it's called. Our kids both are in the 50 percentile, they are in the perfect middle for weight and height.

If he is normal then whatever his body type he is okay for it. If you are worried that he is underweight he might just be tall and thinner than his counterparts. We too have the issue with the pants still fitting but being too short. I just get the pants that are usually in sets at Walmart so the pants are stretchy. If he wears jeans we make sure they have the adjustable waist.

Or you can buy the slims once he is older. Our girl wore slims in sizes 4, 5, and 6. She is pretty normal now and just wears a normal size 7, although sometimes the regular is too big in the waist. It just depends on the cut and the brand.

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S.B.

answers from Dallas on

Sound normal to me. We all come in different shapes and sizes. My just-turned-three year old daughter hasn't even hit 30 lbs yet. She's small, but no one is concerned. A few of her clothes are 18 month sizes. I wouldn't be concerned at all, unless he is losing weight. If he used to weigh more and now it's dropping, then I would worry and get him in for a checkup.

V.W.

answers from Jacksonville on

I never paid too much attention to weight for the young kiddos. As long as they are eating (and a good variety, not just one or two foods) then I didn't worry. My kids were always on the heavy end (not fat, just SOLID). When my daughter was 1 yr old, she weighed more than a 24 month old at our church. But, that child was feather light! Seriously--I went to pick her up one day and almost tossed her, because I expected her to weigh much more than she did. Her dad picked up my daughter and was shocked the other way--because my daughter wasn't "fat" and so he didn't expect the heaviness (plus he was accustomed to his daughter, who was SO light).

I would definitely talk to your doctor if you are concerned, but if he eats normally, then he probably is just fine. As far as clothing issues, most kids' clothing comes with the elastic hidden in the waistbands where you can adjust it with buttons. Look for that when you shop for his clothes. My son turned 13 this summer, and finally had to start buying "men's" pants. (After his latest growth spurt, however, he is back in his 14's and 16's, lol). No more hidden elastic in the waist!! Yes, some pants go all the way thru size 14/16 with those hidden elastic bands.... so you should be fine if you just look for it. It helps a lot!

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A.W.

answers from Washington DC on

Your son sounds normal to me. My son is three and is 36 pounds and in 3t. I have the same problem with the waists. I don't buy pants without adjustable insides or maybe buy slim.

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J.B.

answers from Boston on

My youngest son will be 6 in January and he's 42 inches tall and 35 lbs. Your son sounds like a totally normal 3 year old. I like Old Navy for jeans because they have adjustable waists. My boys have all had narrow waists and hips and when my oldest was little, that hidden adjustable waist had not yet been invented so clothes were a huge problem back then but now every brand seems to have that feature.

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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

This is SOOOO normal! My boys are now 6 and 7 and we still have this issue every time we buy pants! The only thing that really works is to find the right brand (wranglers slims are made long) or to be sure that whatever ones you buy have an adjustable waistband. In order to fit my boys length I have to go up 2 sizes from their waist size! So we buy for length and than use the adjustable waist band to snug them up around the waist.

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R.C.

answers from Phoenix on

My son is 3 1/2 and about 33 lbs. He's healthy and fine but has been low on the weight chart since age 1. Kids come in all sizes so I wouldn't be too worried unless he doesn't show a consistent growth pattern.
I buy my son's jeans at JC Penney because they carry a brand called American Living that has a "skinny jean" (might be called skinny skater this year). My son fits a 3T perfectly in length and around the waist and rear end. Best wishes!

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L.C.

answers from Raleigh on

sounds normal to me......

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M.C.

answers from Washington DC on

My 5y daughter is 38 lbs and 37 inches tall. Wearing a 5T
My 4y niece is 33 lbs and 33 inches tall. Wearing a 3T - 4T
My 3 1/2 yr niece is 40 lbs and 38 inches tall. Wearing a 5T

Your son sounds just about right to me.

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T.H.

answers from Kansas City on

I think he sounds pretty good, I wouldn't worry...but I do hear you on the clothes thing! My son is only 2 but already wearing 3T AND some 4T (he's off the charts for height and weight...big kiddo!), but the problem is the 4s fit his waist but are too long and the 3s might not last me through the winter! So I have the opposite problem! ;)

Anyway, have you considered ripping out the hem in 2T pants? It won't look super fantastic, but it would help and it probably won't look that bad. It will give you at least another inch at the bottom. Also, look at Gymboree. I know they can be pricey but they have good sales and their clothes tend to fit very true to size, so you might have better luck with either the 2T or 3T from there. It's worth a look for sure!

Good luck!

S.D.

answers from Phoenix on

my nephew was in 5 T at age 3 . He was just a big boy. Now he is age 5 1/2 and he is in size 8. He is tall and just looks like a 2nd grader as a Kindergarden. He is not over weight or chubby........looks great, just would never know how young he really is. So don't worry, he will get taller and even out.

H.S.

answers from Cincinnati on

My son is 3 1/2 (4 in March) and he weights 29 lbs. We just moved from the 24 month pants finally. We buy 3t not, but roll them at the waist to lift them off they ground. We also only buy jeans that have the adjustable band in the waist. I don't think the weight is a reason to worry. He is perfect.

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K.R.

answers from Spokane on

My three year old is 38 inches and 25 pounds - she is healthy as horse (and eats like one too), she is just built small. Thin, with itty bitty hands and delicate bone structure. Don't worry too much about his weight, worry about his overall health.
Does he play actively, sleep enough, eat healthy foods, ask lots of questions? Then he is a normal developing little boy!

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D.C.

answers from Fresno on

My 3 year old is 39 inches tall and weighs 31 pounds. He is just a skinny kid and always has been. We buy children's pace 3T jeans with the adjustable waist and adjust it to the smallest size. He hates for his pants to fall down when he runs and plays. Your son sounds normal to me.

L.B.

answers from Biloxi on

My son has always been longer in the leg than around the waist. He has no butt and is on the thin side. Adjustable waist band pants or belts helped hold up the larger sizes he needed to have them fit length wise. I also bought his pants in slim sizes - JC Penney sells slims that are smaller in the waist so the length fits.

I never worried about his being slim as long his weight and height were in proportion. And I could stay a little creative with his clothing.

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R.J.

answers from Seattle on

That's almost the exact same height/weight my son was at 2 (he's a big kid; projected 6'3/6'4) so I can tell you ratiowise, he's dead on for height/weight.

At 3T/4T clothes start transitioning into "getting rid of the diaper AND the organs". Meaning that's when clothes manufacturers stop making them pouch out to fit a diaper, and organ buddha belly (toddlers don't have enough room under their ribcage for all their organs, so they belly out. That's the MAJOR change in both waistline and GAIT (the toddler waddle walk vs big kid walk). 3Ts are hit/miss with this. 4Ts are MUCH slimmer.

For my friends with petit boys (whose organs have already moved up under their ribs, and esp once they're out of diapers)... they shop GIRLS pants in toddler years. Denim, blue, grey, green, orange... as long as they're not pink/purple/embroidered... no one knows they come from the girl's department.

A.D.

answers from Washington DC on

that really is not overweight at all for a 3 year old. My son will be 3 in December and weighs 36 pounds, he wears 3 or 4T clothes but the pants are usually too big around his waist...I buy the jeans that have the adjustable waist band on the inside of them (You can find them at The Children's Place) to help them stay up better. Call your doctor if you're still concerned, but his weight sounds completely normal :)

S.K.

answers from Denver on

my daughter is almost 5 and weighs 36lbs. I have to get adjustable waist pants or they fall off. She has one pair of slims and they fit just perfect but if she hits a growth spurt they will be too small in the waist with no where to go. He sounds good to me. I think when she was 3 she was 28lbs and she has always been on the lower end of the scale so it sounds like you little guy is just fine! Plus just think that a 4 year old usually is around the 40lb mark so i think he is right on track.

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B.

answers from Augusta on

I have the same problem with clothes for my now 7 yr old , that's just how he's built. Always had that problem with him.
My 7 yr old has a BIG head, broad shoulders and a skinny waist . He's built like an animated superhero. I have to get the pants with the adjustable waist.

Your son sounds like he's a good size , he's just a skinny boy

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K.P.

answers from Dallas on

My 3 year old son is the same way. Go to target and get the pants with the elastic adjustable waist inside. Many other brands offer this as well but target is def the most cost effective. YOu might also check your local resale shop for some if you are looking to save more money (arn't we all in this economy). I get most of my kids clothes at Once Upon a Child.

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