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Weaning

Fat Baby

34 replies

novadandypowder · 11/06/2006 15:43

My 8 month old DD is on the 98th centile for weight and height, but my HV said on friday that she is overweight and I need to cut her daily formula intake in half.

I've just been going by the guidelines set out everywhere, her typical day was as follows:

07.30 1-2ozs milk cereal made up with small amount of milk + fruit

10.30 3-4ozs milk

12.30 home cooked meal/finger foods + yogurt

14.30 3-4ozs milk

16.30 home cooked meal + fruit

18.30 8ozs milk

I've been using the guide in the AK weaning book, and trying to make sure DD has 1 pint of milk a day (I know dairy foods can count in this). It just feels wrong to cut her daytime milk snacks out as I know she gets vitamins and minerals from it.

Anyone else have a similar problem? I don't think my baby is overweight.

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NotQuiteCockney · 11/06/2006 15:45

Your HV is talking rubbish. Your daughter sounds fine. Milk is still supposed to be the source of most of her calories, nutrients, etc at this age, and you shouldn't cut it.

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FrannyandZooey · 11/06/2006 15:45

Tell the hv to stuff it. Or just don't go to see her anymore. They're mostly barking.

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FrannyandZooey · 11/06/2006 15:46

A consensus then :)

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WideWebWitch · 11/06/2006 15:47

agree hv is talking crap. Where do they train these people, the out of date MIL school?

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novadandypowder · 11/06/2006 15:47

They've just struck the fear of god in me that I'm going to have a hideously obese child.

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Fillyjonk · 11/06/2006 15:48

Overweight? FFS? A baby?

Just don't go very often.

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NotQuiteCockney · 11/06/2006 15:50

I think fat is normal and desirable at 8 months. If she's still really pudgy at 5, that might be a bit different.

Looking at what you're feeding her, well, you're starting her off on good food, yogurt, fruit, home-cooked food. (If I were to put on my super-fussy-food-obsessive hat, I would ask about the yogurt - plain yogurt mixed with fruit puree? Or those little pots for babies?)

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WideWebWitch · 11/06/2006 15:50

Ask her to explain centiles to you too, just to watch her squirm. At 8mos old you REALLY don't need to worry about this kind of thing. Bet no-one here disagrees.

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novadandypowder · 11/06/2006 15:51

little pots for babies - but it is her only vice. All my food is straight out of the AK book - home made stock and all!

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tribpot · 11/06/2006 15:51

Nova, I'm glad you posted again, I was lurking on the November thread (I'm a friend of tessasmum) but I didn't like to butt in there to say what I was thinking, namely:

YOUR HEALTH VISITOR IS TALKING CRAP.

For one thing, she's on the 98th centile for height as well as weight, which suggests she's in proportion, and for another, surely the entire centile range is normal anyway?! I've had friends getting grief because their little one was only on the 9th centile, for heaven's sake, we just can't win.

Anyway, I asked teabelly about this as both of her kids were (and are) on the 98th centile and I think she was going to hunt you down to reassure you. I'll post a link to this thread from our Junie thread.

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FrannyandZooey · 11/06/2006 15:52

She should be getting most of her calories and nutrition from milk up to the age of 1 year anyway. If she was overweight, which you don't think she is, the advice should be to cut down her solids, not her milk.

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Twiglett · 11/06/2006 15:54

same centile height and weight does not mean a fat baby

fat-headed HV more like Sad Angry

don't go back to HV

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NotQuiteCockney · 11/06/2006 15:54

I would veer away from the little pots of yogurt, they're pricy, quite sugary, and entirely unnecessary. A mashed banana and some lovely Greek yogurt is tastier, and more homemade. (Also, some babies end up preferring the yogurt to everything else, which isn't great.)

But goodness knows, a small pot of yogurt here or there isn't going to make your HV not be a mad weirdo useless thing.

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anchovies · 11/06/2006 15:57

Ds was exactly the same at that age, 98th centile, healthy appetite. Hv also scared me to death by telling me I was over feeding him, everytime I saw her she went on about how I shouldn't add sugar etc think she was sure he couldn't possibly be that big without me packing junk into him or force feeding him! He is now 2 and completely normal sized, on the slim side if anything. She was clearly nuts!

Your dd sounds fine to me!

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bramblina · 11/06/2006 15:59

You can't go far wrong if she's on good home cooked food. She'll probably lose it all when she gets mnobile anyway. Have confidence to ignore her.

Oh what did we do before centile charts? We had happy lives, didn't we. Well, bet our mothers did.

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novadandypowder · 11/06/2006 15:59

I'll agree with you on the yogurt - will go the 'home-made' route once this lot is finished (it's quite good mixed with defrosted frozen berries).

Thank you for your reassurances x

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sugarfree · 11/06/2006 16:02

They're supposed to be chudgy at 8 months fgs! As soon as she starts standing and cruising she will slim down naturally but tbh if she's on the same centile for height and weight then she is completely fine and (as usual)the HV is nuts.
If she was on 98th for height and 25th for weight you'd be getting told that you are starving her and get more food in.You can't win with them so don't play their games.

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batters · 11/06/2006 16:07

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

teabelly · 12/06/2006 10:03

Nova - hi, Tribpot meantioned you on the junie thread...

Your hv needs a kick up the backside! FFS if DD is on the 98th centile for both height and weight then she is in proportion!

Although both my ds and dd were born on the 25th centile they shot up to the 98th within weeks of their births and have stayed there. Both dh and I were what you call solid children, and until the age of about 11 we were both the tallest and heaviest children in our comparative peer group, but then we slowed and others over took, and both our kids will be the same.

Anyway from what you say your dd is only having about 18oz of milk a day - that's far from excessive, the guidelines are as you say 1pint (or 3 x 7oz bottles) - and remember guidelines are just that - not written in stone.

My advice is to carry on as you are, visit the hv less often and be happy that you have a gorgeous happy dd Grin

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arfy · 12/06/2006 10:13

oh FFS!

DD has always been between the 91st and 98th centiles for weight and height - currently at 18 months she is above the 98th for weight - but you only have to look at her to see that she's perfect. And if my HV or anyone else had said she was overweight I'd have told them to take a hike.

Your DD sounds in proportion. And cut her milk intake by HALF Shock. What a load of old cobblers

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lahdeedah · 12/06/2006 11:01

I know I am just repeating what everyone else is saying but..... your baby sounds happy and healthy, and you're feeding her a good balanced diet so there is no need to cut back on milk if she still wants it.

My DD is the same size as yours - she's now 14 months and perfectly fine. Since she was 8 months I've only been to see the HV once, to get her weighed at 12 months (she was 30lbs!). She has naturally cut back on milk over the last couple of months, and is getting more picky about what she will eat. Once she starts walking, I'm sure her weight will start to level off.

I was a big baby myself, but I've never been obese (a bit overweight at the moment, but that's down to excessive biscuit consumption!!) You know your baby best - just get on with it and don't let the HV worry you unnecessarily.

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novadandypowder · 12/06/2006 17:13

teabelly - she was born on 25th too and has been climbing ever since.

I took her to the doctors today for a second opinion and they said the HV is talking out of her arse and that DD is fine Smile

What worries me is what they're telling other mothers who don't have the same sources of advice.

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teabelly · 12/06/2006 21:06

Smile Nova, glad you had some better authorative advice this time round. Is abit worrying that they can say these things tho I agree, it's a good job the Sage of MN are all such a well balanced lot! Grin

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AllieBongo · 12/06/2006 21:08

they're full of crap. they're not allowed to use the knowledge they have gained as the are bound my government guidlines

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notanotter · 12/06/2006 21:09

nova sorry not read all thread ...how much does she weigh???? just out of interest having had four very large babies who are now beanpole children!

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