Is My Baby Overweight?

Just to let you know... rice cereal makes babies gain a lot of weight. My daughter is now 2.5 but has always been 99% in height and weight. BUt her Dr suggested we switch her to oatmeal cereal and she lost a lot of weight at that point.
Good luck! By the way... when they start preschool they lost a lot of weight anyway... so don't worry too much :)

Hi D.,

I think all the responses are right on. I've noticed that a lot of people who started out as "big babies" end up having very long limbs- being very tall.

NO! My son was 26 LB at 6 months (breastfed) and as soon as he started walking it all fell off. He is now 7 1/2 years and stick thin. She's just really healthy! Keep on feeding the good stuff!

Hi D.~

I breastfed both of my kids until they were 15 months old. My daughter was almost 10 pounds when she was born and my son almost 11. I wouldn't even have the thought of your child being over weight now. Give yourself a chance to enjoy her!!! And for the future, although it may be hard, try not to teach and attach all the self-destructive thinking and negativity from being overweight onto her whether she turns out to be or not. If you have your own issues (and I'm not saying that you do) you can very easily make it a problem for your daughter by passing on those hang ups to her. Right now, she just sounds beautiful and delicious and I wouldn't worry. She's eating healthily... and DON'T dilute her breastmilk. That's the BEST thing for her still!! What does DH mean anyway???... and DD??? My kids NEVER drank out of a bottle, so they didn't have too much water, or what was recommended your daughter have. Mine kids are both doing great and they are happy and healthy. So, my dear, now is not the time to start worrying about any weight stuff. She is brand new to this world and will grow and change so rapidly, that you are simply just wasting space in your head when you could fill it up with many happier things. And, please be aware that if the weight is indeed an issue with you, if you teach your daughter to take care of herself, honor her body, and the food she eats, as well as keep active, she will be fine. DO NOT, for ANY reason, EVER allow her to see or hear you look at yourself and criticize you, or make negative judgments about yourself, or the way you look. It's what's in the heart that counts and the love you give to others. You will be her first, most important teacher. Just remember that what you put energy into and what you fear... you will attract ;) Teach her to be above all this garbage and not allow any of it to leech onto her. You can start by just enjoying your moments now ;)

In Light,
Jennifer

Your daughter is not overweight, just at the top of the growth chart. She should get water (by itself in a sippy cup or regular cup with help, never dilute breast milk or formula). The water helps to process the extra protein and other items she gets in her solids and to decrease any extra strain on her kidneys. 4oz per day is fine unless it is hot outside then give more. Also, she can be at 3 meals per day and at 9mo you can introduce meats, yogurt, cottage cheese, tofu, and lots of things beyond cereal and veg/fruits. One at a time, every 4-5 days. Check out the book Super Baby Food as a great resource for feeding - how much, when, how to make it yourself, etc. Also, babies tend to gain at a less rapid rate after they start to crawl and walk. She'll probably be closer to average weight with more activity, though she is still technically normal since she is on the growth chart. My son is also 90-95% and I have never been worried about his weight. Good luck!

Hello D.,

I am a new mother of a now almost 15 month old daughter!! I breast fed her up until she was 11 mo. old. When she hit 4 mo. I had noticed she was not sleeping through the night as she was since 2 1/2 mo.. I had been given advice to try supplementing with a 4-6oz bottle of formula at night, which would fill her tummy all night long!! It worked!! She has always been in the 75-85th in weight & 80 to 90th in height! I always wondered if my daughter was overweight, she also ate twice a day at first & now we have 3 meals and 24-26 oz.. of the next step formula..
Once they start walking they tend to equal out! As for the water thing, try using a soft spout sippy cup, I have easily transitioned from breast & Bottles to the Born Free Drinking Cups!! They are expensive, yes like $11.99 a cup, however they seem best to get them to learn to Drink water, then Juices, & Milk...I had tried every other sippy cup prior, and this was the best!! I also would drink my water with her, to show her how yummy it is!! It has worked!! She has now stayed the same wieght for a few months now, beacause she's walking!! Don't worry so much on the whole percentile thing, just Feed her healthy, breast milk is the best, as you know!! Good job mom!!
If your interested in the sippy/drinking cups go to Longs here in Moorpark, they have them, and there are coupons in the instore ads.. for $1.00 off.. test it out..You may find your child will drink from these cups easily too!! Good luck to you and yours! Happy New Year, & Best Wishes!!

P.S. WWW.Bornfree.com

Kind Regards,
S.

No, Your baby is not overweight. Ask your Dr. if he is using the percentile scale for formula or breastfed babies, as it does make a difference. Breastfed babies tend to weight more during the first year, but then slim out at they reach their first birthday. You are doing fine, and if you don't agree with what your dr. is saying, find another one for a second opinion. Babies do not need water, as they get enough fluids from the breastmilk.
By the way, my first son was always in the 70 plus percentile in height, and 10th in weight. My dr. never worried. Also my second son was in the 95th in weight and 50th in height, and again, she was never worried, and my son is fine- not iverweight now, and he is 2 1/2.

Baby's love to drink from a straw, just never leave her alone with it. Sit her in your lap a every hour or so through out the day and let her sip away! I don't think you have anyting to worry about, my 2nd. child was right around the same height and weight that yours is at that age and she is now 8 years old and super athletic and healthier than most of the kids in her class. Breast milk should not be diluted, the nutrients are not causing her to be "over weight" I would not even consider her being "over weight" when she starts walking she will lean out a lot and right now she is just storing up for that time.

I would not worry!! Try the straw cups that Gerber makes. My babies use to love a sport top water bottle as well and I would just sit with them when they had it during the day!

Hang in there :)
W.

Please do not feel your baby is overweight. My daughter is almost 8 months old and is over 25 lbs. Her doctor said that he was not worried about her weight and that once she starts to crawl, she will thin out. She was breastfed until 6 months and she now is on formula and eats baby food twice a day. I introduced water during her evening meal and in the early afternoon especially when it is warm. She loves trying to chew on the lid of the cup as it helps with her teething. I'm sure you hear all the comments of "Oh my, what a big baby you have" and we have learned to say "Yes, more to love"

My 11 year old son was 25 pounds at 9 months and he is just now 83 pounds. I didn't cut anything from his diet and he turned out just fine.

Do not dilute her formula under any circumstance - she needs those nutrients.

Love your baby just the way she is - they are all gifts from God.

Hi D.,
Not sure if you have a young or old pediatrician...but you should not be feeding your baby water unless it is a very hot day and no more than a couple of ounces. DO NOT dilute your breast milk-it is already comprised of a lot of water anyway. Don't worry about what your pediatrician says they do not know your baby the way you do. Keep on feeding and yes, she will stabilize once she starts walking. You are doing an awesome job so take a deep breath and relax.

Your baby might be ready to try drinking out of a cup. We started our daughter on a straw cup and she took to it right away. You can use that for the hot days when she might need a sip of water. Good luck!

Just give her time and she will balance out. Try giveing her the water in a sippy cup after she eats her meals. I would not water down her milk. Who ever thought abut that is wrong. Breast milk will give her all the water she needs. Is it good to get them drinking water yes but not to that extreme a measure. In fact my 9 month old was taking between 2-4 oz. a day of water and got sick around Christmas. The doctor told me to withhold water until her intake of solids gets back to normal. As of now I am still not giving her any water as she is still not eatting at her best when it comes to solids.
My son was on the upper end of the scale and he is still on the upper end at 3 yr. and 4 mos. he is 41 lb. and 41 in. My doctor says that a individual will only match weight and height once in their life and it is usally when they are 5 and about to go in to Kinder. He is actually as big as some of my 5 yr. old's class mates. In fact they just started an EAK on campus and he looks as if he were one of them. Most important just be proud of her always. There are upsides and downside to all of this.
It is also important to know if tall runs in the family. My husband is 6'5" so my son is right on track to follow daddy. On my side I have a great grand mother that was 6'. All of this play a part in the way my children might look. Good luck and God bless to you and your beautful baby girl.

I'm not sure if she's overweight. It doesn't sound like it to me based on the stats you gave. Since my son is 8.5 months - 27.5 inches & 20 lbs. And he obviously does not look fat at all. In fact, I wish he was chunky.

My son eats at every meal (lunch, dinner):
2.5-3 scoops (I use the formula scooper) of rice cereal, half a jar of meat (2 oz.), half a container of veg. (1.5 oz.) and 6 oz. of formula. And he's not even chunky.

For breakfast, he has 3 scoops of oatmeal, half of a Yobaby yogurt, and half of a container of banana, plus 6 oz. of milk.

He also takes a night time bottle of 4-6 oz. at bedtime.

Don't dilute milk. I give my son diluted juice or just water in between meals (2 oz.), even some Graduate puff snacks.

I never let my kids graze or snack randomly. There's always a mealtime and a snacktime. so maybe his metabolism is so regulated that he doesn't really get fat. that's only a guess.

Your daughter's weight sounds fine to me, personally. As far as water, just be consistent. give her however much she'll take, and just keep at it until all she knows is water. My kids don't ever drink anything but water or diluted (half/half) juice. My oldest is going to be 3 and never drank punch, soda etc.

No way, your baby is just right! Good job mom (: My daughter was HUGE, and breastfed. She has been in the 95% as well for weight since her first chck up. She will be one next week. She is still chunky, but has thinned out in the middle. As your baby becomes more and more mobile, she will burn more calories. It sounds like she is wonderfully healthy. I had someone ask me before if i thought there was something wrong with my daughter since she was so beefy (: It sounds like you are feeding her healthy meals. My pediatrician jokes and says i have butter cream instead of breast milk. Consider it a blessing! We have good milk-thank you Jesus!

Everyone is different and gaisn weight differently. My 2nd son was HUGE....and 100% BF. He was a bug guy, but now that he's 2.5 years old, he's definitely thinning out like his brother and dad....and taller than his brother at the same age. He's in a size 10 shoe and his 6 year old brother is in a boy size 2 shoe.

I wouldn't dilute the milk, just incorporate water as pure water. My kids ONLY drink pure water and love it.

Don't worry about it!!! Feed the child when she is hungry. Offer water, but don't force the issue, and don't dilute her milk. My first baby was a really chubby baby and I loved her thighs more than anything. She is now 7 and so skinny that I have to put elastic in all of her clothes so they don't fall off of her. My second was a skinny baby and I worried about her every day that she was going to be sickly, but now at 4, she is healthy and active (still skinny). Babies will grow and change so much, just let her do it on her own terms. Don't feed her McDonalds or ice cream (I'm sure you won't) and offer her healthy foods. Don't let anyone tell you that she is fat. She is a healthy, beautiful child!

D.,
You've gotten a lot of good responses. Babies can drink water and at 9 months I would start introducing it. Don't dilute your milk. We all need to drink water and starting her off at this age is great. Don't fret about the 95/50% stuff. You are doing great! Just give her water and let her take a little bit as she wants. You can't force it on her. Just keep in mind, we are not numbers, we are all individuals and percentiles are not the be all and end all. Is she healthy? Is she happy? Is she loved? Those are the important questions.

As long as you are giving her healthy food and not sweets I would not be worried about her weight at this age. I was a 95% kid. I turned out average. Every child is different and usually once they start moving they slim down. You also have to look at her genetics on both sides of the family. How were you and your husband as babies? This plays a big role.

your daughter is fine. Besides if your daughter is overweight then my son is a monster. He's been off the chrts since he was born. He was 22 lbs at 6mo. As long as she is active she will thin out.

My doctor essentially said that there is no such thing as an overweight breastfed baby. Sure, try to give her some water, in a bottle or sippy cup a couple times a day...if it were me I definately wouldn't be watering down liquid gold (breastmilk)! Also, don't disocunt the water she gets in those fruits and veges! Just as an aside- you can probably start expanding her pallet/ menu. I thinks it's nine months were "they" say go ahead with eggs, cheese (cottage cheese, cheddar, jack, etc), yogurt, and also meats... I had tenatievly planned on weaning at 1 year old (although my ds is 14 months and we are still breastfeeding happily) but my doctor said to cut out one feeding a day starting when he was 9 months old. I think I was feeding him approx. 4 times a day at that point (but we were eating 3 well balanced meals a day by then) so cutting out one feeding a day would get us ndown to 1 or less by 1 year old. Good luck- your baby girl is just a healthy well loved sweet baby- but sounds like you know that! She will naturally slim down as she becomes increasingly mobile.

Sounds like you have a big, healthy, breastfed baby on your hands. Congrats- just keep doing what you're doing. :-)

Have you tired giving water in a sippy cup?

S. Wolcott, LM RN
homebirthwaterbirht.com

Don't dilute your breastmilk!
don't worry. Others wrote too, she's breastfed and eats only two solid, healthy meals. My son was like that and he's 5 now and really skinny. Add some water at mealtimes and between breastfeedings. By this time, you can schedule the breastfeedings so they're more or less set.
Good luck!
Sophie

Babies were not designed to drink water. If they needed it, one breast would give water and one would give milk. REMEMBER! Pediatricians do not always know best, especially about this kind of thing. I'd cut back on solids before I'd worry about getting her to drink water or nursing her less. I am the mother of four. As babies, one was on the thin side, two were on the chunky side, and one was average. Now the oldest is 26 and the youngest is 9. None of them ever had a weight problem. They are all slender and muscular. Follow your mommy instincts.

I don't see anything wrong with it atm. She's still a baby and your breastfeeding. My little girl was the same way 95% in weight and 50% in height at that age. Once she got mobile (walking/running) her weight gained stopped completely until she turned 3 as her height caught up. (Was 33lbs at 12 months!) She's almost ten now and fell off the growth chart two years ago, o% height / o% weight - Pedi says she's growth delayed and will eventually catch up! She's the smallest in her class now.

I introduced water in a sippy cup at 6 months and just had a couple sippy cups handy so I could hand that to her throughout the day. Once she started cruising (about 9 months) she would pick up the cups and take little sips on her own.

I wouldn't worry about her weight unless you have many members of your family that are overweight. And even then I think if you kept with the veggies and other healthy food in moderation, there won't be too much to worry about. If your daughter's ped is worried about it ask to get a referral.

I used to feed my baby a bottle of just plain water. To get her used to it, just have an ounce at a time, but give it to her first, when she's hungry, and maybe at a time when she's a bit distracted, like with a book or something. The just try it a few times a day, and she'll begin to love it. I'm sure her weight is just fine because she's eating normally. They really do even out in time. Be sure she always loves lots of activity and not being sedintary and she'll always love being active.
Enjoy,
M.

In general, I don't follow the percentiles AT ALL! She sounds very healthy to me. Either way DO NOT give her water or dilute her milk!! Breastfeeding gives her exactly what she needs and that is all she needs until 1 year. The rice cereal and veggie/fruit is a good start towards solids and that is fine too. No water until after 1 year when she starts eating more table foods and nursing less often. Your doctor is giving you old school information. Good for you for questioning it! Good job mom, keep doin' what you're doin'!!

My firstborn was just like this, and I too was worried that he was overweight. He stayed around the 90th percentile in weight for the first couple years of his life, though my husband and I are both slim and we eat healthily in our family.

He is now 5 years old and looks average to thin. He is 50th percentile in height and between 50-75th in weight - he weighs a lot more than he looks. I've concluded that he just has incredibly heavy bones and stopped worrying.

So unless your doctor says otherwise, don't worry about her weight now. It is not necessarily indicative of how she's going to be later on.

as long as her dr isnt worried about her weight she should be ok. i wouldnt dilute the breast milk ever. but try giving her some water straight (with a slow slow nipple). you can also try a little bit of juice (2oz juice 2oz water and no more then 4oz a day). this would also be a great time to introduce a soft spout sippy cup if you havent all ready. as long as your bay is crawling and active and her dr isnt worried about her weight then i wouldnt. the water thing is just to make sure she stays hydrated. if i remember correctly my daughter was drinking 3 formula cups (morning noon and night) 1 juice cup (2oz juice in like 4oz water) and 1 full water cup. but every dr is different in what they say is ok. good luck i hope this was helpful.

Hi D.,
Your daughter is 1/2 inch shorter than my son and about 6 pounds heavier. I have been studying my son for the past several minuets and think he would look okay 6 pounds heavier. --Just heavier to carry around. Your daughter sounds heavy-solid, but not fat/overweight. She is still on the charts. I would not be concerned about her weight at this time.
Do not dilute her breastmilk, but offer her sips of water with her meals. My son will take sips with his. Use caution with the water, though. Too much can cause health problems, because her kidneys are not fully developed and can not excrete excess amounts of water effeciently.
My son has been taking water out of a regular, yet small, cup for a couple months now. (We have sippys, but don't use them...at all.) If he acts like his thirst is not being quenced, I take him for a BF. Use YOUR best judgement and follow YOUR instincts. (That is the advice my husband keeps giving me...and it has been working for us quite well.
D., I wish you and your daughter the best. Don't worry, she sounds fine if a bit chubby to me. Chubby is NOT fat. Chubby IS adorable. She will most likely thin down in a few months naturally and on her own time table.
Best wishes,
T.

Hi D., No. your baby is NOT overweight. She sounds perfectly healthy and within normal range. You should talk to your peditrician, but do not dilute her milk. It is very important that within the first year, your baby is receiving full fat breastmilk or formula for her brain development. Water does not need to be supplemented at all or very little. My babies were all around that weight at 9 months also. They are now very healthy, slender children (ages 4, 8 and 10). It sounds like you're doing a great job and your daughter sounds healthy and fine!

Great job breastfeeding, keep it up and dpon't dilute it. Your doc sounds WAY misinformed. Healthy babies are chubby! ALL they need is in your milk.

D.,

Breastfed babies don't tend to overeat. I'd start offering water at every meal and otherwise don't worry about it. Babies don't need to diet. I'm sure she's the perfect height and weight for her. If she looks a little chubby, that is good. Once she starts walking, she'll slim down quite a bit. If she's happy, healthy and hitting her developmental milestones, I wouldn't worry about it. I do think introducing water and offering it regularly is important. I always wanted my kids to drink plenty of water (and not so much juice so I didn't start juice until they were older).

I'm with you though - I would not dilute the breastmilk. Pediatricians tend to be really unfamiliar with breastfed infants because they don't see many of them (especially many that are older than a couple of weeks or a couple of months). Breastfed babies' needs are a bit different than formula fed babies but doctors tend to give the same advice to everyone.

My favorite breastfed baby friendly site is www.kellymom.com You can find info on lots of different topics concerning breastfeeding.

:-)T.

My oldest son was heavy before he began to crawl and walk and the doctor told me the same sort of thing. If she is starting to crawl and use up calories, I wouldn't be too concerned. They lose weight as soon as they are crawling, climbing and then walking and running. My second son would not take a bottle at all, and we had to wait until he could use a little cup. You can try a baby cup (Tommy Tippy is the old name) or you can hold a regular cup or try a large straw...it is surprising how they can learn to drink from a held cup or a straw very young. One of mine learned to drink for a drinking fountain at about 1 year.

Hi D..

Don't worry about the weight, it'll come off once she starts walking/ running around. I have a 7 1/2 month old boy weighing 25 lbs. (has been 25 lbs since 5 months) and my Dr. said it was ok. We went through this with my daughter who is now 2 years & 4 months old, the Dr. knows now it's just my genes. I was a good 10 lbs. at birth stood big for a little while then thinned out just like my daughter has done too. I would NOT cut down (dilute) on her milk especially because it's breast milk - it's already like low fat milk. If you want to be put at ease you can ask your Dr. to check her thyroid to make sure there is no medical problem, yes this was done on my daughter but, everything was fine except for the needle that had to be used to take a blood sample - never fun, right?

*Please let the baby eat, she'll be fine - you on the other hand need to take some aspirin for those backaches a heavy baby can cause:o)

I wouldn't be concerned about your baby's weight. I have a chunky little girl whose weight was always around 95% to off of the charts. She's 14 months now and walking and has already slimmed down! Just enjoy those cute little rolls for as long as you can! As for the water, my little one drinks water out of a sippy cup and always seems to drink more when I put ice in the sippy cup. I'm not sure if she likes the water chilled, which is what I prefer or if it's the noise that the ice makes in the sippy cup. Maybe it's a little bit of both? Good luck to you!

Give her a sippy cup of water, instead of the breast, once a day or so. I handed my daughter a cup instead of a feeding once, and we have been happily cup drinking since. Don't go overboard with the water though, they don't need much. Also, don't put anything in her bottles but breastmilk or formula. otherwise you will never wean her from the bottles...
At nine months, my daughter looked like a little tub. Then she learned to run, and she is skinny, skinny skinny. They bulk up, then lean out so I wouldn't worry too much. Remember that you need to be drinking lots of water too...
Good luck
R.

Don't even worry about it right now. My son was a big baby too, he was in the 97% for both height and weight. I garuntee you that the second she starts walking you'll start to see her slim down :)

Hi, D.,

I would not be necessarily alarmed by your daughter's stats, but I would not on the contrary, like some readers, automatically dismiss what your daughter's pediatrician said. (As I am not a physician, I would overstep my bounds by automatically claiming that someone who went through medical school, residency and years of practice does not know what he is talking about.) Have you thought about getting a second opinion--from another pediatrician?
I would not dismiss readers' experience, either. I think that it is important to keep in mind that we mothers, in general, have a lot of experience with our own kids but limited experience with the general population of kids.

Sincerely,
Lynne E