Help! Dr Says My Daughter Is Overweight

I would get a second opinion. I live in Anthem as well, and I take my little guy to Camelback Pediatrics, they are great. So great, that they are worth the 40 minute drive to their practise. If you do go ask to see Dr. Scharf or Dr. Alexander. Good luck!

increase her activity. add more fresh fruits and veggies, switch to 1 or 2% and limit. aoffer water. getting in the habit of drinking water vs milk and sweets will help her throughout her life.have you tried swimming lessons. i know in the area where you live its pretty warm year round, if not try the . My sister runs the one in Florence and they are great . they have tiny tots swimming. being active will also take her thoughts away from what you are limiting. what about walking the dog? simply walking, going to the park?

We switched to 1% milk and they have only once/twice a day (e.g. no milk with meals - only water). The milk is usually for "dessert" only and is the RBST free (hormone free). We worry about the hormones in the milk as our 5 year old has already lost 9 baby teeth and 3 permanent teeth are already in. Good luck

My children always loved milk too. But too much of a good thing can be bad for kids just like adults. I had to reason with my children and tell them that they could only have 2 cups a day. One in the morning when they got up and one at night, before bed. Those were the times my children most loved having their milk. I then made sure to not to give them as much cheese or other dairy products during the day, keeping in mind the 3 servings of dairy a day rule. I also moved to skim milk at 2 years. I also introduced soy milk at 2, for variety. Edventually they forgot about the milk during the day.
Hope that helps.

Wow dont listen to him my son is 2 in 2 weeks and he is 35 l/b and he is 36 inches long and my Dr says he's fine. I give son whole milk and willuntill he's 3 as suggested for proper brain development. Make sure she eats fruits n vegis and has a well balanced meals. I mean as long as your not feeding her sugar all day long i think your doin ok. And as long as she is active. Just a thought though

Don't stop giving her milk. Try 1% milk and only give it at meal times and try only four ounces each time. Try the Toddler Juice by Graduates for in between times,because it doesn't have a lot of sugar. I usually do half juice, half water because my two year old son won't drink water. I think you and your baby will be just fine. :-) There are also toddler snacks that aren't so loaded with sugar that you might want to try also. I hope this helps. :-)

Try Fat free. My daughter is a right in the middle and she is 4. I BF till 3 and I put her on FF Milk instead of 2% because she started putting on weight, she also LOVES milk.

K.

Hope that helps.

What about fat free milk and limiting it to only mealtimes. If she wants something to drink during the day offer her water. That way she will learn to be a good water drinker, if she isn't already. Just a thought.......

Hi

My daughter is also two and also cannot live without her milk. My daughter is not overweight but she did have a low iron count because she was drinking to much milk. I too was surprised and I thought how can to much milk be bad for you. My doctor said I had to start monitoring her milk in take to 24 oz a day. She suggested I give her less every serving so that she would have it throughout the day without thinking she was not getting enough. So instead of giving her a full sippy cut of milk, I would measure out 4oz six times a day and it kept her happy. In your case even though your giving your daughter 2% she may still be getting to many extra calories a day on top of the calories she is getting from food.

Good Luck!

i would take the doctors advice. if she just can't live without the milk try fat-free milk which has the same nutrients just none of the fat.

I know doctor's are good but you know your daughter and it doesn't sound like you're feeding her anything unhealthy. I would just help her be more active. Doctor's are focusing too much on obeseity in children and unless she's being fed unhealthy foods there is no reason to stop giving her milk. You know your daughter's needs nutritionally better than your doctor who only sees her every so often.

J.,
Some doctors have different opinions. I have never heard of some one being told to stop giving their child milk though. Look at your daughters activity level, and how you, your siblings and even the how her father grew at that age. My brother has twin girls and they are growing very much like he did at their age. (butterballs) I my son is skinny and long. much like his father and I were. If you really trust your doctor do what he says. But if your gut is telling you other wise go with your gut. Try looking at the kinds of food that she is eating. Are her meals well balanced. Then look at her desserts. But in my experience a lot of the size has to do with activity level. I'm currently a CNA with much family medical backround, plus I've been around kids my whole life. The only time I see "fat" kids is when they're lazy, and/or eat large portions of certain kinds of food. Also try more good 'ol water.

It sounds kind of fishy to me that your doctor would recommend that you stop giving her milk. It is so important for kids this age to get lots of calcium for bone growth and milk is a great source. How much milk do you usually give her? I pretty much limit my son's intake to meals and otherwise he gets water. He also drinks 1% (I really can't tell much a difference in taste between 1% and 2% but there is a difference in fat content).

I really find it quite dismaying the emphasis that we put on being overweight now adays. Ask your doctor how far over the recommended weight she is, if it's only a few pounds, I wouldn't sweat it. My son is about the same age and about the same size and my doctor has never said anything. If you really don't think that your daughter has a weight issue (and it sounds like you never thought of this until your doctor said something) then maybe you should get a second opinion.

well 37 pounds isnt light by any means but that doesnt mean that she is to big. she is also very tall. 37 inches tall is pretty good for a 2 year old. my almost 3 year old son is only 35 1/2 inches tall. so I wouldnt be that worried. doctors always find something. hope that helps
E.

First of all I think it rather rude for a doctor to say that about a child. My son is stocky, long legs and very strong for 21 months. Everytime I go in they weigh him and double check the scale he's 33 inches tall and 29 pounds and all muscle. I have given him soy milk since birth because he couldnt handle dairy and now he drinks silk vanilla soy and loves it. Its not fattening and he eats very healthy like we do. You can never judge what a child will grow up to be tall, fat or skinny. Its healthy for a child to have a little fat. As long as a parent isnt loading their kid with junk and sugar I feel they are doing the right thing and they will all grow into wonderful adults fat or thin. She may even be due for a growth spurt upward. Doctors tend to send us into panics about stuff from time to time and then bill us for it....

Hi J.,
I feel for you! As moms we are trying to get our kids to eat right all the time. It makes us feel good when they do and we get worried when they don't! Anyhow, just to give you a prespective my 4 year boy is 37 lbs. and he is not small by all means. So I do believe the dr. is right to be a little concerned. The other thing with milk is that it actually is not all that great. Do some research on it. You will be surprised to find out some facts on it. In other countries, especially Asian countries milk and milk products are almost non-existant in one's diet. Also, human beings are the only species that continues milk when we are able to eat solids. All other mammals sustain with real food. With that being said, milk may not necessary be the bad guy here in your daughter's diet. It may just be an excess of it. Anything in excess is not good. Maybe you can cut down her milk consumption without eliminating it. I have three kids and we are a very fit family. Everyday I make sure our kids and I go for bike rides or play sports. (My son started writing his bike 3 miles a day at 2 1/2) So it may just be that she needs to be more active. Fill her with lots of fruits and veggies. You can cut up lots of fruit and steamed veggies and lay them around. She eventurally will pick some up. Hope this helps and good luck!

Hi, I have a little boy who is 2 years and 5 months. He weighs about the same as your daughter. When he was two he weighed 31 pounds so your daughter doesn't weigh much more than my son did. My husband and I are both big boned/large framed people. I would say if you and your husband are big boned and large framed then your daughter will be bigger than average too. I don't like to second guess Doctor's but come on, she two years old for heaven's sake.
I would NOT stop giving my son milk no way jose!!! My son drinks 2% also and so do I. I love my milk too.
I think you should see a different doctor.
Take Care!
I'm 40 years old and live in Gold Canyon

My son will be three at the end of March, just weighed in at 37 lbs but is also 38 inches tall. I know it is just my opinion, but she is just a baby still! When my son was turning two, he was at about 30 lbs, they really slow down during that second to third year as far as growth and gain because they become so much more active. Personally, I would try to limit milk, but then again my kids have never been big milk drinkers so perhaps that is easier said than done? Maybe switch to fat free milk and limit it to meals, if she is thirsty between meals, then water? I am a daycare provider for a little girl who just turned 2 in Dec and she, if given the opportunity, will ONLY drink milk, which then fills her up so she doesnt eat anything. When she is here I have switched to all open top cups, yes she does fine with them with the occassional spill, BUT it has drastically reduced the amount of milk she drinks AND she eats a lot better. She doesnt feel like it is being taken away becuase she still gets it, but it takes more time and more effort for her to get it than to just sip away on a sippy cup. When we go someplace where she will need something to drink, I will put water in a sippy.

I wouldn't worry about his weight but I would consider finding a new pediatrician, I think 2 years is too young to be labeled as overweight. Like someone else suggested, maybe some indoor swimming, more frequent trips to the park, a tumbling class, let her walk rather than ride in the stroller... she'll slim down with just a few small changes as this year she will become a lot more active, increase her gross motor skills and will become way too busy to eat and drink (thus taking away the sippy, she will have to be in one place to drink her milk!)

It sounds like you're doing very good things with your daughter. The only advice I would give you would be to give her skim milk if she loves milk so much. Babies only need whole milk from age 1-2 and then after that they can go to skim milk. Also, have you thought of any gymnastics type classes for her? I live in Anthem as well and both my daughters (age 6 and 17mos) go to The Little Gym in Anthem. The class my younger daughter is in is a parent/child class and they really do a great job with them and it gets them moving and using their muscles. At the age of 2 your daughter would still be in a parent/child class. She would move into a class on her own at the age of 3. I'm not sure if you work or not, but they offer several classes for each age on different days and at several times. Both my daughters have a blast and have made some good friends and it's a good way for the parents to meet other parents and make some friends as well. They are located on the east side of Anthem over by the Denny's, Curves, Scrapbooking place. You can go on their website and check it out too, www.thelittlegym.com. Otherwise, you could always check out some classes at the community center. Hope this helps.

First of all, you know your daughter better than any doctor! both of my boys were 40 lbs. at 2 and they are both healthy and trim now at 7 and 5. Doctors told me the same thing. Instead of taking her off milk completely, take her down to 1% and maybe even skim. My boys never noticed the difference!!!!

My so is not even two and he weighs about 32 pounds both my boys are big. They also both get whole milk it is good for there brain development. I am trying to not let anyones views of fat effect my kids they are active they eat healthy food and they are growing and happy that is all that matters!! As long as your deaughter is eating healthy she will be fine you may want to limit her milk to meals give her juice or water if she wants something to drink in between kinds need a variaty of things to eat and don't use food to calm her down it is fuel she needs it and your attention is better then a glass of milk any day.

Switch to 1%. Sounds like she eats pretty healthy.