7 Year Old Help

I had my period in 4th grade and was in a bra (and needed it) in 3rd (over 30 years ago!). That's how all the women in my family were. It was not weight - I was tiny and thin compared to my classmates - it was genetics. My daughter, 10, is behind where I was at her age and is also behind most of her friends! If the doctor is okay with her weight and development, I would simply emphasize healthy habits and remind her that as long as she follows healthy habits, she'll develop as she was meant to.

No, it's not.

Is she overweight? I don't say that to be offensive. Please talk to your pediatrician.

ok wow. My DD is in 3rd grade and over half the girls in her class wear bras. Some need them more than others, but plenty of them are very normal sized girls. Not every little girl that isn't a twig is overweight and I'm really bugged that so many other moms are taking that approach to this. If you're worried talk to the doctor just to be sure, but I bet if you are really observant when school starts back in the fall you'll see that plenty of her classmates are in the same situation.

No it's not "the norm" but everyone is different.

My daughter is about to turn 9 & just finished 3rd grade. I'm about to get her the starter bras, so I've started talking to her about it. I want her to understand why & talk through any issues so she's not embarrassed. But she was totally fine. She said most of the girls in her class already wear one or wear an undershirt for the same reason. Huh! Little did I know! I'd guess your daughter might be a little early for this, but that happens sometimes. If you & her doctor are okay with her weight/height/growth, then just focus on her needs. Don't worry about judgments from other moms or kids! :)

Some children do experience "precocious puberty". But I also think that generally speaking, kids are hitting puberty earlier than they used to. My own kids haven't. They seem rather "late".
My son (almost 14) has just in the past year or so begun getting darker hairs above his lip. His voice hasn't changed. My daughter, almost 11, just started wearing bralettes this past year. She still doesn't need a true training bra yet. But will soon.

No, it's not normal at her age. If she's heavy she'll need a training bra sooner than a thin child simply because there's more everywhere. But if she's a regular weight, that would be really early. Either way, I'd probably talk to her pediatrician about whether she's entering puberty early and what you can/should do.

If you doctor says her weight is ok then I would not worry about it unless you are expecting an extremely thin young lady. Remember there are different body builds and muscle etc. If your daughter has grown fast then others in her class then yes she is going to look different - be a supportive mom and tell her she is just ahead of the class. If you start insinuating she is fat she will think she is and then you have a much bigger issue. That is what causes kids with eating disorders. You just need to help make her secure and happy with herself - trust me it will make a big difference - The other kids will eventually catch up and she just needs to know kids grow at different rate and she is just faster. ;-)

It bothers me to hear some moms saying she's "not normal" and that you need to speak with your pediatrician. I remember being in third grade and having a friend who was (as I remember her) over a foot taller than most of the kids in our class and looking much more mature than she really was. By the time we reached highschool, she was the same height as many of our classmates and didn't look any more mature than the rest of us.
Kids grow and develop at different rates, and she's got a lot of years of growing left to do at 8 years old. If your pediatrician isn't waving any flags at you, I would say to just emphasize that all people are different—she may not ever be tall and slim like her cousin (perhaps she's not built to be), and as long as she's healthy, what she really needs is to figure out how to know that she's the best she can be in the skin that she has.