weight related question for a 6 year old

i took ds to the paed today and we saw a different guy while our usual dr is on holidays. they do his height and weight every time i go there as the medication he is on for his adhd can affect his growth. Now my usual paed has never mentioned a concern with his weight but this guy today was concerned that his weight is dropping on the charts. he hasnt lost any weight but has plateud(sp) and not gaining much. He is currently 22.5 and certainly doesnt look underweight in my eyes. In any case, the doctor gave instructions to make sure he has at least 6 meals a day and gave me permission to feed him basically whatever i wanted. He actually said i could turn the food pyramid around.

So i guess what im wondering is for any of you with 6 nearly 7 year old do you think that 22.5kg is underweight and this advice is a little over the top.

Oh and ds already eats 5 times a day and he certainly doesnt live on salad

Hi Kathryn,
My DD1 is 6 and is 22kg she is skinny yes, but I would not class her as underweight, she eats like a horse and is healthy. As long as your DS is eating and not losing weight I wouldn't worry too much about it, sounds fine to me.

My son is 7 in May, I haven't weighed him since Sept, but he was 21.5kg then, and I'm pretty sure he'd now be around 22 or 23kg. His weight did plateau last year until around December when I could see him filling out a bit.

Your son does sound pretty healthy to me.

i took ds to the paed today and we saw a different guy while our usual dr is on holidays. they do his height and weight every time i go there as the medication he is on for his adhd can affect his growth. Now my usual paed has never mentioned a concern with his weight but this guy today was concerned that his weight is dropping on the charts. he hasnt lost any weight but has plateud(sp) and not gaining much. He is currently 22.5 and certainly doesnt look underweight in my eyes. In any case, the doctor gave instructions to make sure he has at least 6 meals a day and gave me permission to feed him basically whatever i wanted. He actually said i could turn the food pyramid around.

So i guess what im wondering is for any of you with 6 nearly 7 year old do you think that 22.5kg is underweight and this advice is a little over the top.

Oh and ds already eats 5 times a day and he certainly doesnt live on salad

my DS1 is 6 in July and he was 20kg last time i weighed him, a couple of months ago now. hes certainly not skinny or small, just an average size kid! (in comparison to his class mates the same age as him)

Hi

I wouldn't have thought this was underweight - or definately not to the extent the doctor is concerned about. My son is nearly 7, his weight fluctuates between 23 - 24 kg. He looks to me to be about average compared to all his classmates, so I wouldnt have thought 22.5 kg was something to be concerned about.

If it was me I would keep up with the 5 meals a day he is currently eating and keep it healthy - maybe double check with your regular doctor when you see him next.

Hi

I wouldn't have thought this was underweight - or definately not to the extent the doctor is concerned about. My son is nearly 7, his weight fluctuates between 23 - 24 kg. He looks to me to be about average compared to all his classmates, so I wouldnt have thought 22.5 kg was something to be concerned about.

If it was me I would keep up with the 5 meals a day he is currently eating and keep it healthy - maybe double check with your regular doctor when you see him next.

thanks everyone, thats what i thought.

it never crossed my mind that he was underweight. i know i have to keep an eye on it but its not dropping and he is eating so im happy

My DD has just turned 6 and is 22kg, she's definitely not skinny - perfectly in proportion and never would have thought her under weight.

I'm now guessing that I should start to worry. My daughter is 6 and is 16.1kg. Yes she is small but so am I. When I see her at school she is not too different to her friends. Maybe I should be trying to fatten her up. She does eat well.

Good luck but I would say that your son is not underweight. That may be my daughter!!! I would just continue what you are doing till you see your usual doctor again. They all do have different opinions.

Good luck sure that all will be fine.

Kids do plateau when they have a growth spurt. Ds put on 700g in a year and grew 7cm. He has dropped down the percentile chart dramatically but eats like a horse. He has always been a chunky child but now he's all muscle and no fat as he's constantly on the go. He weighs 22kg and I say is no way underweight but a healthy looking boy and is quite tall for his age. I wouldn't worry too much but I do know to keep an eye on your son as if they are over medicated it kills their appetite and they don't eat.

Hi smile

I have twin dd's who are just over 6 1/2. One weighs just under 15kg and the other one weighs 21kg. My older dd who turns 8 next month also weighs 21kg. We have just been to lots of appointments to investigate why the lighter twin is not gaining weight and looks so frail and all her blood tests have come back fine except she was a little low in Vitamin D. Our doctor just reckons she is taking after her mum and dad and said to just allow her to eat as much as she wants. The problem we have is she has a very low appetite but we just allow her to graze all day.

I think as long as your ds is eating well and doesn't seem unwell then he sounds fine. I would just be making sure he eats a healthy well balanced diet.

My daughter turned 8 last week, and she is only 25kg, she has had a tiny frame since she was born (6lb 3), she can pretty much eat whatever she wants without gaining too much weight. I still make sure she eats healthy though as I dont want to teach her bad habits. She is thin, but she doesnt look underweight or sickly or anything.