What's the right way to tell if your toddler is overweight?
I just read a quick article on how to measure the BMI (Body Mass Index) of a toddler, and amazingly, the provided link even worked for young toddlers and infants.
Tracking BMI at such a young age really feels wrong to me, but I do believe that eating habits are formed early in life. That said, it's often very difficult to get our children to learn and understand healthy eating habits. I really believe that they have a very hard time understanding the difference between "good for you" and "tastes good".
I'm not at all concerned about whether our children are overweight, but I have seen other children in public places (malls, parks, etc.) in the same age bracket (2-4 years old) that appear to me to be overweight, but I'm not a pediatrician, so I don't feel qualified to make judgement about what the right weight range for a child of a given age is.
So, for us, we try our hardest to give our children a varied and nutritional diet, and listen to our pediatrician's advice when it comes to eating and weight issues.
But, other parents seem to have a more difficult time than we are. What would you recommend for them? If your pediatrician said your child was overweight or borderline overweight, what would you do? How would you monitor and track obesity in a 2-4 year old?
2 Answers
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This is a topic that is near and dear to me. As a formerly obese person (my BMI was 43, now it is 23 ) and an over weight kid, I am extra sensitive to weight issues I see in my own children. I do not want them to experience the harsh realities of growing up in the world as a fat person.
Both my son and daughter are big for their ages (above the 98th% for height and weight). The pediatrician tracks BMI, has run lab tests to check cholesterol, talks about healthy food choices and movement/exercise. She does not emphasize weight and actually was quite pleased to see that although my daughter had grown 3 inches over a year, her BMI remained the same.
So, at our house, we offer healthy choices, go for bike rides/walks, participate in afterschool activities, promote confidence and pride and do not punish, deprive or restrict food. Having been the kid who sneaked treats, I have come to realize that learning balance and moderation are more important. I do not want to create totally weird relationships with food. So, we have sweets/dessert in the house in addition to a variety of other options. We do not eat fast food or convenience foods as staples. It is tricky when the kids go through picky stages, but we have some standard "go to" foods if they are being difficult with the choices presented.
I think for kids, movement and activity are most essential. Seeing parents make good choices and being in a house with balanced meals can teach lifelong good habits.
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I'd say that if I had a concern, I'd do two things as a first.
1) limit sodas and especially juices. Even though juices seem healthy and are advertised as such (a serving of fruit!), focusing on the convenience of "a serving of fruit" is doing a huge disservice to many. A can of Coca-Cola (12 fl oz) has 155 calories. The same amount of fresh orange juice has almost 170 calories (you'd have to squeeze at three or four oranges to make that amount). Apple juice has over 200 calories - depends a little on the brand, but can be up to 240 calories. Yes, kids burn calories running around all day, but if the exercise is not there, watching juice consumption would make a lot of sense. One apple is about 100-120 calories, depending on the size. A banana is about 100, or 120 if the banana is big. Would make a lot more sense to eat whole fruit than guzzle juice. All juice really does is flood the bloodstream with sugar - specifically fructose that may not be metabolically as beneficial as you'd think - high fructose consumption is being connected with obesity especially in children.
2) Candy day. Almost everyone I knew from growing up had some kinds of restrictions on when they could eat candy. The idea is that one day a week you can eat candy, and other days you can't. Exceptions are made for things like birthday parties, and desserts offered. But desserts weren't daily when I grew up either. I don't know how you'd uphold something like this without other families and parents in on the plan as well, it would be hard. But it would be on my list of things to try.
And I meant to say that with "limiting" I mean that juices and sodas just don't get bought, and certainly not in the gallon jugs they come in. Certainly would provide fresh oranges and have everyone make their own orange juice (by hand, more work) when they want it. I love juice, and it is a wonderful treat! I'd just seek ways to make its consumption less mindless - which it can easily become.
- katja, Mar 29, 2010