Dr says DD is gaining too much weight!

carmenlarue

So we went to the doctor last night for a checkup and her doc says she's gained 4 lbs already this year. DD doesn't eat a whole lot at home, I struggle to get her to eat at home. She's had swimming this summer and is very active. He said she is in the 91 percentile of weight. DD is made up like her big boned dad and his family, so I need ideas to trim her up. I know she was drinking a lot of milk, which I cut back on, she eats veggies and fruit and lots of water, but likes to get a treat like any other kid. Oh and she is the cheese and noodle queen! What are some ideas for eating better for a little kid? Thanks girls! Any dinner ideas, lunch ideas and snacks would be helpful.

ldcoffel

Could you increase activity instead of changing food? Take her to play outside to play everyday? Soccer/gymnastics?

jlw2505

Keep her very active, don't make food into an issue as that can lead to way bigger issues.  Use skim milk and other low or fat free dairy items.  She may love treats like any other kid but keep them treats - not daily.  We don't do dessert very often but yes, my kids ask and the answer is no.  We eat overall healthy but dessert and other treats are limited.  Try to work in more veggies and healthy food.  We do a lot of the non-meat items so either soy or veggie based nuggets and burgers and hot dogs for the days we want something fast and my kids don't know the difference yet we are getting more veggies into them.  We use whole wheat noodles and things like that. 

Angela814

How old is she? How many months for the 4 lb gain? What percentile is her height? Sorry, no siggy on mobile app. :

One thing to note is that kids generally gain weight before going through a growth spurt. They don't just gain slowly; it's usually a few pounds followed by a couple inches and then a period of little to no growth.

DD1 jumped from 75th to 90th for weight at her 3 year appointment, but she leveled out at 75th again after that. I think we just caught her weight midgrowth spurt.

carmenlarue

Hey Ladies, she's 3 y 4months, 37inches tall and 37lbs, He said she's pretty tall. He said since April she had gained 4 lbs.  So wheat pasta, What about milk? What can I change to? I was told she can't drink 2 percent I should buy whole milk, But Ive been look at soy lately. 

jlw2505

carmenlarue:

Hey Ladies, she's 3 y 4months, 37inches tall and 37lbs, He said she's pretty tall. He said since April she had gained 4 lbs.  So wheat pasta, What about milk? What can I change to? I was told she can't drink 2 percent I should buy whole milk, But Ive been look at soy lately. 

  My kids have been on skim milk since they were 2 and my ped is the one that suggested that.  And my kids are tiny so its not a weight thing.  The schools that my kids went to for preschool and the current PreK/elementary all have skim milk (the daycare preschool gives the under 2 whole milk and then switches everyone to skim).  I would do skim or 1% milk.  No one outside of infants needs that much fat in their milk.

Angela814

carmenlarue:

Hey Ladies, she's 3 y 4months, 37inches tall and 37lbs, He said she's pretty tall. He said since April she had gained 4 lbs.  So wheat pasta, What about milk? What can I change to? I was told she can't drink 2 percent I should buy whole milk, But Ive been look at soy lately. 

DD2 has been drinking 2% milk since before she turned 2. I absolutely would do 2% or even 1% milk at 3 years.

According to the growth charts I have, she's somewhere just below 50% for height and 90% for weight. I can see the doctor's concern, especially if she just recently jumped in weight percentiles.

I still think it could be a growth spurt, but it wouldn't hurt to cut back on the amount of pasta and dairy she's eating. You want to look at her diet over a week and make sure it's a good balance of fruits, veggies, proteins, whole grains, and dairy.

julie1408

carmenlarue:

Hey Ladies, she's 3 y 4months, 37inches tall and 37lbs, He said she's pretty tall. He said since April she had gained 4 lbs.  So wheat pasta, What about milk? What can I change to? I was told she can't drink 2 percent I should buy whole milk, But Ive been look at soy lately. 

I agree with Fredelina, switching to healthier snacks and meals is your best bet.  Avoid processed foods like the plague, and stick to veggies, fruit, nuts, dairy, and protein.    IMO, wheat pasta is just not significantly better than regular pasta, I would just skip it or just serve occasionally. 

I would keep the whole milk, but maybe offer it less.  The fat in milk is important for growth and for the absorption of vitamins.  Fat in general is important, so don't cut that out of her diet.  It will help her feel satiated, I know that I actually eat less calories total when I get enough calories from fat.   As long as she isn't eating junkie carbs, fat won't cause weight gain.  My girls get a lot of their calories from fat (butter, eggs, nuts, cheese, avocado, whole milk and yogurt, coconut cream and oil) and they are normal weight.

I wouldn't give her soy, but than I am leary of GMOs and the phytoestrogens.  I would do a little research on soy and than make your own decision.

ridesbuttons

She's nearly the same age as my younger son who is just over 39" tall and 33lbs. 

You say she doesn't eat at home much.  What does this mean exactly?  Breakfast has traditionally been the easiest meal to get good nutrition in my kids.  Dinner is hit or miss.  Treats are treats: once a week or so (a cookie or an ice cream treat on a stick for example).

IMO, kids need a solid 1 hour of physical activity a day for plenty of reasons (weight being one of those reasons but not the main one).  Is she running, kicking a ball, swimming, climbing, wrestling, tumbling, jumping, etc. daily for a good amount of time?  If not you might want to add that in to your daily routine.

Percentiles in kids that young have big, big swings in small numbers.  Don't sweat the number but at the same time be mindful of the intake and output on a weekly basis.  Lots of habits are formed at an early age.  Best to aim for good physical habits if you can.

anonsouthernbell

You could try cutting out dairy...I also wouldn't do soy subs fr a variety of reasons.we do coconut milk.

JoannaJes

I would be really wary of a super restrictive diet for a three year old. Cutting out dairy to lose weight seems nuts to me.

Where else is she eating food, besides home?

I think as long as she gets offered well rounded meals every day, doesn't have access to a lot of processed foods and/or juice/pop, and is getting a lot of exercise, that is as far as I would take it.  

Pasta alone is not going to make a 3 year old overweight. Nor is 2% milk. I feel like we are missing some of the story here. 

KathrynMD

carmenlarue:

Hey Ladies, she's 3 y 4months, 37inches tall and 37lbs, He said she's pretty tall. He said since April she had gained 4 lbs.  So wheat pasta, What about milk? What can I change to? I was told she can't drink 2 percent I should buy whole milk, But Ive been look at soy lately. 

who told you she can't drink 2% milk?  We drink skim and occassionally 1%.

We do treats too - but rarely.  We also try to make sure we have lots of fruit ready to eat - strawberries and watermelon already cut up and ready to eat.

moaks514

I would definitely make sure to be using skim milk and a whole wheat pasta, especially if pasta is one of her favorites.  

 

Keep her active too!  My 4 year old is 40" and 32lbs but she eats very healthy and she takes tap, jazz and tumbling/gymnastics.  She also plays t-ball.  Not only do activities keep her healthy it helps her greatly with social skills.