When to worry about weight in a toddler?

Kentuckychick_8201

DD is 33 or 34 inches and 32 lbs at 20 months.  She is active and I feed her a healthy diet.  However weight issues run in our family and mom keeps calling her chunky and making me all paranoid.  When do you think it's appropriate to worry about weight issues in a toddler?  At her 18 month checkup the pedi said just watch what she eats not to worry, but she is more active now and she has gained 2 lbs since then (she was 30 lbs at 18 months and at around 19.5 months she was 32).  I have several friends who have older toddlers who weigh less or the same and one is even taller.  I know all kids are different but when does this warrant a trip to the pedi? Should I just wait for her 2 year checkup?  For the first few months of her life she was barely even on the growth chart and she wasn't a preemie, so I guess I am paranoid?

punkfiction_v.3

id wait for her 2 year check up. make sure she is eating a balanced diet and thats all you can do. maybe your pedi can have her thyroid checked if s/he's worried.

luvpinsanity

I would not be worried. It looks like on the CDC charts she is in the 95%.Do not "set" your child up for a lifetime of worry by starting when she is a toddler. As long as you are feeding her a balanced diet (and not denying her the occasional sweet because of her weight) then she should be fine. 

She is active and healthy, and has a good appetite. Nothing to be ashamed of. 

You need to deal with your mother and tell her to back off. She is making you paranoid about your daughter, and you should not let that behavior continue! (How will that help your daughter when she's older?? Self esteem issues, etc, etc?) 

 

JulyFiveBride

Unless she is rapidly gaining weight, I'd say wait until the two year. Bring it up to your pedi and see what he thinks. If you're feeding her a healthy, balanced diet, it's most likely fine. If you were feeding her fatty junk foods all the time, it might be different, but mostly likely she's just a normal toddler.

ETA: I always tell people NOT to comment on DD's weight. I don't want it to continue long enough for it to impact the way she views herself later in life. So I say, if you wouldn't walk up to a stranger and say it ("look at those chunky thighs!!") you shouldn't say it to my kids.

jamie.renee

My oldest was a preemie so she was tiny starting off.  By about 9 months she caught up and was in the 90th percentile for height and weight.  She stayed there until the last year or so (she just turned 8).  She is now about 80-85% for weight and 99-100+% for height.  My second was always in the 90th percentile for both starting early on.  Neither of them look chunky at all (they did as babies up until around 2-2 1/2 though).

 As long as she is still proportionate I would not worry.  It wouldn't hurt to bring it up at her 2 year check up though since you are concerned.

liongish119

Only if she starts gaining weight very rapidly or seems to be retaining a lot of water would I worry- but I would mention your concerns to your pedi at 2 years, if nothing else to ease your mind.

 

susanmosley

JulyFiveBride:

Unless she is rapidly gaining weight, I'd say wait until the two year."

Isn't 2 lbs in 6 weeks possibly "rapid" at this age?

Unless there is something else going on, that is an excess of >1000 calories per week.  

OP, if you want to post a daily eating schedule/plan for your DD, maybe we would see some things that could use tweaking??... 

 

Kentuckychick_8201

fredalina:

susanmosley:

JulyFiveBride:

Unless she is rapidly gaining weight, I'd say wait until the two year."

Isn't 2 lbs in 6 weeks possibly "rapid" at this age?

Unless there is something else going on, that is an excess of >1000 calories per week.  

OP, if you want to post a daily eating schedule/plan for your DD, maybe we would see some things that could use tweaking??... 

 

Do you give juice? If so, cutting that out and subbing water will reduce close to the excess.

I don't give her juice