This is a normal baby:
I'm talking about babies with rolls on their arms, legs and torsos that make them look like the Michelin tire mascot. Babies that look like this:
Whether it's a fat 3 month old or a fat 30 year old- obesity is never cute.
Friday, March 9, 2012
Fat Babies
I do not think fat babies are cute. I think fat babies are fat. I'm not talking about a little bit of baby pudge, obviously babies are jigglier than adults because they don't have much muscle tone.
This is a normal baby:
I'm talking about babies with rolls on their arms, legs and torsos that make them look like the Michelin tire mascot. Babies that look like this:
It's not really the babies' fault- it's their parents. When your child is in the 99th percentile for weight it's not a good thing. Announcing that your child is fat (i.e. My three month old is wearing 9-12 month clothes! What a big boy!) just makes you look stupid in my eyes. Eating habits for the rest of their lives are established in infancy. So, way to go- you are setting your child up for a lifetime of weight issues. Babies and toddlers are actually pretty good at knowing how much food is enough. I'm not going to digress into breastfeeding vs formula feeding (I'll save that for another day) but it's pretty hard to overfeed an exclusively breastfed infant because when they are done they just stop eating. It's easier to overfeed a formula baby because you are focused on them finishing the bottle you prepared rather than allowing them to dictate when they've had enough. I'm not saying that all babies need to be in the 50th percentile for weight and height all the time- obviously these numbers are averages for a reason. Babies grow in spurts and sometimes they will be above average and sometimes below. The problems come when your baby is in the upper percentiles constantly. The same people who comment on photos of fat babies "Aw, look how cute and pudgy he is!" will be the ones blaming you when DCFS takes your kid away for being a 200lb 8 year old ( http://news.yahoo.com/obese-ohio-child-taken-parents-placed-foster-care-180816812.html ).
Whether it's a fat 3 month old or a fat 30 year old- obesity is never cute.
This is a normal baby:
I'm talking about babies with rolls on their arms, legs and torsos that make them look like the Michelin tire mascot. Babies that look like this:
Whether it's a fat 3 month old or a fat 30 year old- obesity is never cute.
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Well said.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree. However, my daughter has always been that "my daughter wears 6-9 month clothing and she was three months old" child because she was that tall. She was born able to wear a size 3 month. Thank you for the opportunity to brag. I never pass up a moment when it presents itself.
ReplyDeleteI know that there will always be kids outside the norm- my brother was the same way- tallest kid his age for his whole life. That's why the growth charts are averages. Generally speaking, tall kids weigh more than short ones but there is a weight for height chart too, similar to the BMI calculations for adults. Makayla was born huge (2 weeks late and 10lb 4oz, 22in) and never got to wear the newborn clothes I made her either but she leveled out very quickly.
DeleteI stumbled onto this page while looking for other parents with big babies to commiserate with. My first instinct was to be offended, but I suppose I understand where you're coming from. I agree that there are too many people who don't take childhood obesity seriously, but I'm not sure what steps you expect people to take when it comes to infants. I have yet to meet a baby bigger than my son, currently 8 months old and 27lbs. His height has consistently been above 75th, with his weight staying above 99th. He doesnt look anything like the baby in the picture provided (but I think my husband looked like that as an infant - almost 11 lbs the day he was born). My son was exclusively breastfed to 6 months, and his solid food is all homemade so I know exactly what he's eating. His weight has started to slow down since solids, but he still dwarfs other babies, including other 99th percentiles. I don't know what I could have done differently. I even changed my diet from concern that my milk might be the problem. He was a 7.01lb newborn that swelled to the 99th percent before his 3rd month. Sure, some parents are irresponsible, but some babies are just big.
ReplyDeleteMy baby's "best friend" is only 1lb less and has a similar story. It happens.
Also, he gets compliments from strangers every single day, because he is undeniably adorable.