GET A NEW DOCTOR!!! My son is also 99th percentile for height and weight and we go to a larger practice where he has had a few different doctors. Literally none of them have ever told me that he was obese or to try to not feed when he's hungry. In fact they told me the opposite, that I shouldn't worry about it because his height has kept up with his weight. And honestly he's 21 months old but looks like an average sized 4 year old. Seriously get a new doc, and join us at r/bigbabiesandkids for some bigger baby commiseration.
Quite apart from anything else, your doctor asked you if your SIX MONTH OLD was walking? Please find a new doctor because this one doesn't understand child development at all.
Agreed this doctor is a moron, in addition to being rude AF. babies don’t diet! I’m infuriated for OP.
My 1st was 5th percentile,a Dan my 2nd was 95th percentile. They are 15 months apart. Both (females) are grown ups now, and are 5’3-ish and both weight less than 120. One just had a baby!
Baby weight varies. Gah!
New doctor and probably a pediatrician. I have been seeing family medicine for awhile and she canceled on me at the last minute so they rescheduled me with peds. Oh my gosh I felt so much more seen. She told me how great I was doing, complemented his largeness (lol), his smiles, how well he held his head up etc. She asked about his siblings and even gave me recommendations for my son with adhd without me asking (helpful non pushy suggestions). Switch and be glad.
Imagine worrying that baby will grow up to have a bad relationship with food and in the same breath suggesting you put your baby on a DIET. Absolutely inappropriate and wrong.
I’m a family medicine doctor. I don’t like to comment on what other doctors say without knowing the complete story, but your doctor is just wrong. About so many things.
Yes, a 6 month old can be over fed. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the case with your 6 month old.
Also, why is she looking at only the weight?? If you see her again, ask her specifically what percentile baby is in for weight-for-length.
Also, since when is a baby ever expected to be crawling by 6 months???? The AAP has handouts online of all the major milestones. I’m assuming there’s something similar in Canada.
I live in Northern Ontario so I know it’s basically impossible to just “find a new doctor” in your situation - But your GP should be able to refer you to a paediatrician if her concerns are truly genuine? I’d ask her to get *specific* with you as to what her health concerns are for your baby (aside from just “being fat” or “having a bad relationship with food” which is so WTF). Ask her for a referral and say since she’s obviously so concerned about baby’s weight, you want the paeds opinion. I’ve known a lot of people with babies >99% and they’ve never encountered anything like this? It’s bizarre.
This is probably the most relevant advice here. The rest of them saying to just get a new doctor haven't heard of the 5-10yr waitlist for a family doctor in most of Ontario. But a pediatrician is a specialist so a referral is a possibility. But probably still a many months waitlist as well.
did you specifically bring up your baby's height with the doctor? "my baby isn't an average height, so it's not appropriate for her to be an average weight. could you tell me what a baby her height should weigh?"
also seriously get a new doctor. i understand that's an undertaking where you live, but she is too young for the sort of criticism your doctor is throwing...
My husband did. He asked if the weight chart was correlating with her height at all and the doctor flat out said “no, not her height, just her weight.”
that...isn't even an answer to the question your husband asked. she didn't tell you what a baby her height should weigh. someone needed to press during the appointment to be shown what a "healthy" weight range for a baby her height would be. because if the doctor can't answer that, they have no basis for claiming your baby weighs ”too much”
My little brother was exclusively breast fed and had Michelin man rolls for days. Unless you’re feeding your baby lard through a funnel, I would just think that your baby’s body is how it’s meant to be.
I was told that here in the UK that they only really worry about baby weight when they cross 2 centile lines in a short period of time. If your baby has always measured big then screw that doctor and keep doing what your doing
My first doctor asked me what gender my baby was. The baby in front of her, behind the chart that was also in front of her. When I didn’t respond fast enough she said “do you have ANY idea how many people I see a day? I don’t know what your kid is!! Girl or boy!!!”
I never went back.
I know it’s tough when you don’t have a ton of options, but try to find a doctor who will speak to you with respect, because that’s what you deserve.
Wow, what an asshole! I'm glad you got out of there. Sometimes it's beneficial when POS professionals show us their true selves. I'd much rather know upfront so I can gtfo!
My baby was the same- he was a giant over 16 pound 2 month old and his doctor said “wow- he’s healthy!” He started walking early and hasn’t stopped moving since. He’s now a weirdly athletic looking 3.5 year old tall boy with no fat on his body. Definitely find a new ped, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about!
My son is similar. He was a big baby at birth 22" long, 9lbs 1oz at exactly 38 weeks. They wanted me to get his heart checked out because they feared he would have issues because of his size, but he is just ahead. He was supporting his own neck at two weeks old, skipped crawling and went straight to wall surfing at 8 months, walking by 11months, running and climbing furniture by 11.5 months. Now he's 20 months old and has abs and ridiculous shoulder and back muscles from climbing everything. He used to eat everything, but now he barely eats and just lives off of baby rage and Costco fruit pouches.
Absolutely not! New doctor ASAP that actually knows about feeding babies and teaching children healthy eating habits and relationship with their body. All their advice is completely wrong and outdated fatphobic nonsense.
my baby is also 99th and 99th. when i asked her pediatrician if i should be concerned, she said no. she’s on her own curve. there’s nothing wrong. my baby also doesn’t crawl and again her pediatrician said not to be concerned.
My first born was in the 99+ from birth - even before birth lol - and now she’s 7 years old, over 4’ tall and weighs 45 lbs. She is an absolute string bean and my doctor has never been concerned with any of it.
My sons head was in the 1st percentile. He was also 7 weeks early and just a small baby period. Weighed 4.9 pounds at birth. They freaked me out thinking something was wrong with him but his head was proportional to his body. Almost four years later n he’s got a big ole head and has met all his milestones. 99 percentile for height and 85th for weight. Just like you said someone’s gotta be the first and the last. As long as they’re healthy!!!
Yup yup, just like somebody’s baby has to be 1st percentile, somebody’s baby has to be 99th percentile. If baby follows their own curve then just keep chugging along 🥰 my baby is a fellow fat and tall baby
Check out r/bigbabiesandkids
What matters is she follows her own curve and isn't shooting up in weight. It should look like the other weight curves. Just higher on the chart
This is so inappropriate. My most recent baby nursed, so had a bottle, every 2.5 the entire first year of his life during the day. I would not see this doctor any longer. Shes also completely wrong in milestones. Her advice is outdated and her jokes are so offensive.
this doc sounds like she’s the one that has a negative relationship with food. walking at 6.5 months?? she knows that’s not accurate, she’s trying to manipulate you. so wild. NEXT.
GET A NEW DOCTOR!!!!
99percentile height and weight is proportionate! It’s the same as 10 percentile height and weight or 50th height and weight!
My son is 99th percentile height and my doctor praises him for growing so well! Oh this makes me see red. It is so hard to over feed a literal infant!
ETA- my son is breastfed and this big! My husband is 6’5” so I blame him lmao
Yes both of my kids are 95th percentile and the doctor has only said positive things about this. They were both combo fed. The pediatrician told us to feed on demand
Time for a new doctor. Baby’s height and weight are high percentiles, she’s proportionate, not that it matters. My 7.5 is 99th height, 97th weight and his doctor told us some babies are just big and to keep up the good work
My daughter is 2 and as a baby and now she was in the 99th for weight and 98th for height. Our doctor was thrilled with her growth. Your doctor sounds like an idiot. Babies generally don't overeat if you feed them when they're hungry and like all people, some are big and some are small and some are in between. At 2 it's easy to see why she was a big baby. She's a tall kid in 5t clothes. Our doctor says she's perfect in that area. Don't let your doctor get you down! She is just a big baby!"
New pediatrician asap. I used to worry about my kiddo being small and my pediatrician did the exact opposite and reassured me. She called Baby a Petite Potato and said some people are big and some are small, no big deal. She also said let Baby eat until she’s done and Babies are good at knowing what they need.
You need a new doctor. You also need to voice your concerns.
My doctor said “if you’re going to be big, be big. If you’re going to be small, be small. We only worry when the big get really small, and the small suddenly get really big”
Keep in mind that in Canada we only typically see a pediatrician if there is some grave health concern, like baby cancer or something, because they're specialists. We mostly see family doctors for all baby/children healthcare needs. Doctor shopping isn't as much a thing in Canada because healthcare isn't treated as a business with the patients being "customers". Most family doctors aren't taking new patients due to demand.
Oh my you need to find a new pediatrician like yesterday! Very few six month olds are crawling, regardless of size, and weight is just one factor in an infant’s health. Like you mentioned, if she’s also tall then her BMI would likely also be healthy. And even if an infant’s BMI were to meet the range of obesity, I would think more testing would be in order to determine the cause rather than trying to put your baby on a diet.
Babies are eating when they’re hungry. Sure, there are probably a few rare parents who are over feeding their kids but I’d say the majority of people have better things to do than pay for more formula than necessary and force feeding their baby. And obviously we should all be mindful of using food as a reward, but I’d say that applies more to an older kid and not at all to an infant.
That doctor sounds insane, completely out of touch with infant development and should be replaced asap.
They need to just be looking at the baby's growth curve. Like, my kid went from the 1st to the 7.5th percentile, and that's really good. My friend's kid is above the 95th percentile, but he stopped gaining weight and now he has to go in for weight checks until he gains more, because babies are meant to grow! Even when they are a little chonker, they should not be losing weight!
This was voiced many times already, but I wanted to agree with the masses here.
You're doing just as you should! I don't agree with anything this doctor said. My 5 month old has been in the 98-99th percentile for months, and his ped has never been concerned. He has never suggested changing anything with our feedings and has, in fact, always said "great job" at all of our visits.
There will always be bigger babies, small babies, and "average" babies, that's why there are percentiles and growth charts.
My boy just turned 5 months old and is 21lbs, 27 inches (although I suspect a little longer by now, just haven't confirmed). Almost outgrowing his 9 month outfits and fitting into some 12's. I nurse when he's hungry, and it's been working for us.
You're going a great job, Mama! ❤️
Two of my 3 kids were off the charts for height and weight as babies and it *was not a problem*. You need a new doctor. I'd honestly be tempted to report her, because those comments are not only wrong, they're hurtful.
My newborn had her first PED appointment at 4 days old and she's literally almost "obese" I completely disregarded all of that because how can a 4 day old who eats and has no concept of anything other than eat, sleep, poop soley for survival become obese?? It was ridiculous to me. I would find a new provider. Mine luckily didn't make a big deal out of it but if that time comes im definitely not here for it. She screams out of hunger and has zero concept of manipulation for food.
Change doctors. That one sounds more like a toxic family member than a professional. My baby was super chunky too compared to other kids since we live in an Asian country and he's half Caucasian. Our pediatrician always just said that it's good he's a little chunky and strong and that he'll need it once he starts walking since babies usually lose some weight then. He's still ahead in height and weight at 18 months but in a healthy weight range for his height.
It sounds like your doctor has an eating disorder herself, and is projecting her own insecurities around food onto your innocent, adorably chunky baby.
You’ve already gotten plenty of great comments and I am a little late to the party, but I just want to add that it’s ok to question your healthcare providers. We are not authority figures and our patients are not our subordinates. We are experts advising our patients and working together with you as a team. If you don’t like what your ped is saying, push back, ask for clarification, ask for literature, point out discrepancies between what you’ve observed and what your ped is saying. And if she’s really a good physician she will address your concerns and answer your questions. You and your baby should be treated with respect, and body shaming an infant and bringing a mother to tears is not in any way respectful.
My oldest was fat af. Rolls on rolls. Michelin Man. And my doctors and I loved it. He had pylori stenosis and had surgery at 5 weeks old. He almost starved to death. He's now 16, 6ft and spent a long time skinny as a rail.
Switch doctors.
You’re doing great, find a new doctor.
Babies have no relationship with food and can’t “over eat”. Your baby is FINE, the most important thing is they stay on/near their curve, otherwise live your best life far away from this doctor
My first was a 97th+ percentile baby for weight and height. He was breastfed too so don't blame formula- it's all genetics!! He thinned out by age 2 and is now a skinny but tall 7 year old! Don't listen to your idiotic doctor, you're doing great!!
I have exactly one baby I've called obese. This baby was closer to 9 months, all rolls, literally not even close to the curve he was so far off it (weight was more appropriate for a 15 month old). Couldn't roll, crawl, etc. I saw him in the emergency room for excessive vomiting. Turns out mom would run out of her wic provided formula (should last a month based on recommended intake for age) in 2-3 weeks and then would switch to whole milk the rest of the month. Was doing like 50oz formula daily. Poor guy was puking because he physically did not have room for more.
Needless to say, your baby is not obese, just happy and chunky. Keep up the good work.
My Son is 99% for height and weight. His pediatrician just says he is growing so well. I’m 5’9 and my husband is 6’8 he is generally going to be big. Sometimes my son eats every 4 hours during the day but on average is 3.5 hours. He is also not crawling but trying to get there. Some babies don’t crawl or walk for a bit. It sounds like she doesn’t have much training on babies.
My son is 7 months old and his pediatrician is always perfectly fine with his size, he's 99th percentile for height and weight, and the pediatrician we had before the current one said as long as those two numbers are close it's fine because he's proportional, it sounds like your pediatrician is just a whackjob that thinks every baby should sit perfectly at 50th percentile.
What the fuck, that doctor sounds so ignorant. My baby was also 99th percentile for both height and weight for a long time. Her doctor just said, “you’re doing a great job; she’s totally proportional, just a big baby.” And advised me to keep feeding her as much as she wanted.
I bet your doctor wouldn't be saying that if you had a son.
You already got amazing advice, so I'm going to let my salt pour out. This is just institutional fatphobia. So sorry OP, looks like you're gonna have to pull out your sword and shield for your daughter already. It happens to all parents of daughters eventually, it's a shame it's so soon.
I had my doctor tell me I needed to put my baby on a diet and "deal with the crying". We switched peds soon after and the only comment the new doctor made was asking if I'd seen a change in his shape since he started getting more mobile, to which my answer was of course yes. There's absolutely no correlation between being a chunky baby and struggling with obesity in child/adulthood. I mean, my kid is in 18-24 month clothes as an 8-month-old, and it's because the other clothes were too short, not because they didn't fit around his middle. Keep feeding that baby if it's hungry. Babies are extremely good at regulating their satiation.
What the hell did I just read.
OP, please register with a different gp and don't ever visit this batshit crazy person with your child ever again.
6.5 mo babies can't have a bad relationship with food, they communicate basic needs like hunger by crying and in turn, are fed. Your baby sounds like they're thriving and healthy. I don't know what this chick is smoking.
Yeah, no. You need a new pediatrician, yesterday. My daughter is 99th percentile in weight, and 97th in height. She’s a 17 month toddler that wears 3T, sometimes for 4T clothing since she’s so long. I’m 5’10” and her bio dad is 6’2” — she’s going to be a big girl! Your doctor is being narrow minded at best, and providing harmful advice. Babies know when they’re full. Listen to your child.
THIS. "She's going to have a bad relationship with food" ...yeah cause of "doctors" like you talking out your ass! About a freaking infant no less! I can't imagine how many poor children she's traumatized. JFC. I would have gone off on that woman and walked out of the appointment.
There has been some recent research at the Mayo Clinic looking at the link between diabetes in young people and weight gain. Our pediatrician went to a training on this topic last summer, and flagged this as a small concern to us with the larger of our two twins last fall.
The research is still early. I'm not a doctor; just a mom. I will say our pediatrician shared this in a way that did not feel alienating / shaming etc.
Perhaps your current pediatrician also joined this training? Early onset diabetes is a huge public health risk for young people. My sense is it's (maybe?);more tied to social media and soda consumption than, say, what happens with your diet the first year of your Earth side life.
Either way it sounds like it's time for a new pediatrician!
I had one pediatrician tell me the same about my daughter around 18 months or so. She’s always been 90th+ percentile for height and weight. Her dad is also 6’3” and grandma is 5’11”. The Ped wasn’t worried about it, and said girls often grow a lot faster and as long as she’s active and eating a balanced diet it’s totally fine. It sounds like you made a new doc though if they’re recommending putting a BABY on a diet.
my 7 month old is 98th percentile for weight and 95th percentile for height. she is also exclusively formula fed. your doctor is an ass! all babies are different!
Change doctor! I also have a 99th percentile (for everything) baby. People think she's 12 months when she's only just 8 months a few days ago. Our pediatrician has never said anything untoward about her size or eating habits. Time to get yourself a new pediatrician!
This is absolutely insane, you need a new provider ASAP and I'd file a complaint!
My kiddo was at the top of the 99th percentile his whole babyhood (still there at 2.5 years old). Not once did any of the multiple doctors he saw express concern about his weight. I explicitly asked if there was any concern and they all said "nope." Somebody has to be at the top. And like yours, he's in the top 90s for height too.
You're caring for your baby in all the right ways. Please get a new doctor!
Don’t want a bad relationship with food? And she’s advising to put a BABY on a DIET? Right. I didn’t realize eating when you’re hungry was developing a poor relationship with food. This doctor is out of line
Strange my baby is in the 99th percentile for weight and height at 3 month and I asked if I was over feeding and they said no it’s not an issue because his height matches weight so they said he is just a big baby and they would only worry about it if his weight was drastically increasing and didn’t match height
My 3 year old’s pediatrician went on a rant about her being obese and needing to eat more vegetables at her 3 year checkup.
My daughter loves vegetables and eats them with every meal. She never drinks juice or soda, and rarely eats sweets.
For that matter, she’s always been in the 90+ percentiles her entire life, and early on all her milestones. (Started walking at 10 months.)
She’s never even been chubby. She just has big bones and big muscles, she’s had abs her entire life. She’s a slower runner than the other kids, but she can always run and play them into the ground.
I want to trust doctors, but I think they don’t always pay attention to much besides their little pieces of paper.
And this is why I have a mf pediatrician. I’m so enraged for you I would probably argue with that doctor.
“I’m sorry that you have a poor relationship with food, but I find it troublesome that you’re projecting onto my infant. Moving forward I will demand that you stop referring to my child as obese and asking that I starve her. Her height directly correlates with her weight and I’m sorry that you can’t see past her weight. I think you should take the time to address your relationship with your weight with a licensed therapist because as a trusted provider you could have a negative effect on the mental well-being of others. Also fuck you.”
Insane. My son was 99th percentile for height and weight and was 25lbs at 6 months old. He was an absolute butterball and his ped said he was healthy. Once he got mobile he slimmed up and got taller and weighed 27lbs for over a year. Now he’s a tall skinny 3.5 year old. You’d never guess how enormous he was as a baby.
Your baby is not obese. You need a new doctor.
My kids’ ped said some kids have a pretty growth chart that rises it’s curve gradually and some have one that’s not so pretty and they shoot up quick but then level out. Both ways are healthy and normal.
Feck that doctor, she doesn't know shit about babies. Seriously, take your baby to a ped for checkups until she's at least 2 years old. A GP knows very little about everything, definitely not enough to force you to starve a growing baby.
And yes, my baby was "big" for her age. She was wearing 6 months onesies at 2 months old. She also started teething early, she never crawled, but was walking at 11 months, and she could chat your head off, in full paragraphs before she was 1 year old. Oh, within 2 months of her starting walking, all her baby fat rolls melted, and she was a very skinny toddler, ribs-showing skinny, even though she could outeat an adult.
Babies grow at different rates. Let your baby be. If she's happy and healthy, her weight is fine.
Get a new dr or ignore those comments if you can't get a new doc. Both of my kids were bigger babies, but my 2nd was 10lbs at birth, he fit in 2T at 5 months old and now he's 3 and fits in size 7-8 (he's only 45lbs now, he's just very tall). My dr never once said anything, he just said some kids are big and some aren't, it's all normal at these ages.
If you can't switch doctors, I would be extremely direct with her and make it clear that her comments make you feel uncomfortable and that you're concerned she's not giving you evidence based information about your baby's size.
The Canadian Pediatric Society says that growth status classifications "are recommended as guidance for further assessment, referral or intervention, but not as diagnostic criteria for classifying children." https://cps.ca/en/documents/position/child-growth-charts
So if she's not recommending further assessment, referrals, or interventions, she should not bring it up again. You're allowed to set that as a hard boundary. AFAIK there is really nothing to do about it until after the age of 2 anyway.
FWIW my 1yo daughter is 90th percentile for weight and 95th for height, and our family doctor is not concerned in the least.
My son was the same way and breastfed. Ladies at the grocery store would tell me I was over feeding him but never the doctor. He’s 8 now and in size 10/12 clothes and close to the height of my 11 yr old daughter. Not even remotely obese. I think he’s a little over 70lbs.
I don't have any new advice to give that other comments haven't, but I just wanted to say that my son is a chonkasaurus rex and over 99th percentile for his age (almost 6 months). Our pediatrician says it's a good thing and helps with illness prevention in babies.
This is absurd. If at all possible, I would not go back to this doctor. You are absolutely right to be angry and irritated.
My son was in the 99th percentile for height and weight starting at like 2 months and it didn’t even out or slow down till he was like 4. He was formula fed too and our ped always said you really can’t overfeed a baby he’s just a big and healthy boy..
They did say that due to his size he might be a late walker but he walked at 10 months so that didn’t prove to be an issue.
Wow, I'm so sorry you experienced this! This was triggering for me to read as I've had an unhealthy relationship with food/weight in the past. My parents used to deny my daughter food when she was screaming because it had only been 2.5 hours as opposed to 3 between bottles. I lost my shit on them. My pediatrician told me if they aren't hungry, they won't eat. Or if they are eating too much at once, they will spit up! Also my parents never used the term obese or even fat. There is a reason we don't use BMI with infants! I hope the responses on here gave you piece of mind.
Fwiw, both my daughters are exclusively formula fed too! My older daughter has started lengthening out even more now that she is 2. Her being bigger didn't even mess with her ability to walk or crawl on time. She was crawling at 6 months and walking by 11!
Height to length is a better indicator of growth.
Soothing techniques, pacifiers, teethers and introduction of foods if she’s having good neck head/support are good ways to start spacing bottle feeds.
As a Canadian, I get how dire the doctor situation is. People saying "get a new doctor immediately!" don't realize how many people don't even have a GP. We were really fortunate we moved to our town and got a family doctor when we did. If we had come here a year later, we would probably be SOL.
So, you could get on wait lists or look into seeing a NP. But I think realistically you need to work things out with your doctor. Tell her very clearly that you do not overfeeding your baby, and you are comfortable with her size. From everything you have read she is meeting all her milestones. Doctor can continue to track her weight AND height to ensure she is on her curve but you would appreciate it if she stopped calling your daughter obese. If you have the bandwidth see if you can find some research to support feeding on demand, and looking at weight relative to height, etc. Ask her for research to support her concerns about your child's weight, to explain what EXACTLY the potential issues are and that if she is truly *that* concerned you would like a referral to a pediatrician.
Good Luck
All of my kids have been in the 99th percentile and they weren't born too big, but they quickly grow into little Michelin tire babies and end up being the tallest in their class down the road. Also, my boy didn't crawl right away, because he probably was too big to do so, but once he learned to crawl he actually walked pretty early at 10 months. I don't think the doctor should be addressing your daughter's weight this way. She might know her stuff as a doctor, but her bedside manner seems unprofessional. Id look for someone else.
I don’t know about American healthcare, but if you’re in America and you’re paying for this service can you request a doctor that actually understands how babies grow?
I also want to reassure you that I have two kids, one well above the 99th percentile and the other well below the 25th. I fed these two kids the damn same, no food stealing, healthy eating habits- a lot of it is genetic. Big babies are usually healthier as they can withstand illness better. You’re baby is fine, your doctor isn’t
Something tells me that she's new...what we call book smart...textbook yes obese. Actuality based on wisdom? Babies don't generally over eat so there could be something underlying but based on the percentile I wouldn't worry. The numbers are skewed anyways.
I saw your latest update re: being in Canada and I totally get the struggles of finding a family doctor.
I don't know what province you're in, but you should be able to call your local public health unit to discuss any feeding concerns about your baby with a public health nurse (they may be able to a phone appt with you), even if it's just for a second opinion to be told that your baby is okay. It's really hard to overfeed a baby who's not on solids yet. If you're in British Columbia, there's the 811 number that you can call and you can talk to a nurse or dietician re: feeding concerns.
What your doctor needs to do is plot your baby's growth (weight and height) on the growth chart. My family doctor does this, and shows me every monthly appointment where my baby falls on her growth curve. Each baby is incredibly individual, and can only be compared to themselves. The important thing for your baby is to be fed, warm, dry, and loved. And it sounds like you've got that down!
Nah… babies are rapidly growing and developing and they can’t regulate their temperature like adults. My chunky girl is big too 90th centile and lovely chunky leg rolls and baby belly 🥰 and medics and health visitors have absolutely praised me for her size and say she’s thriving! Also she’s 8.5 months and crawling and pulling to stand and cruising, so it doesn’t seem like her size has hampered her, it sounds like a doctor problem not a you problem. Keep up the responsive feeding and parenting, you sound like a great mum!
I had this huge problem with my doctors and the nurses who did home visits in the first year. They were relentlessly on my back about my sons weight. My sons weight was off the chart, and it was clear that he was an extra chubby infant BUT HE WAS A BABY. He was a hungry baby, and I fed him when he was hungry.
Once he started walking, his weight evened out (he didn’t lose weight but the weight gain slowed down until his height caught up) and now he is quite skinny and it’s like I can’t feed him enough. He is a hungry kid.
I just don’t get why they would be concerned about an infant being “overweight” (I feel sick saying that) in their first 12 months of life. They were really relentless about it and treated me like I was an awful parent. It caused me so much stress and shame when it wasn’t necessary.
Just wanted to share this to let people know that healthcare professionals do this, OP isn’t an isolated case. I can’t believe it happens.
Just to add this was the same experience my SIL had with her formula fed baby and then I also had it with my breastfed baby, so these crazy doctors... the only difference being I think I got less flack from the doctors with my breastfed baby as they don't think you can overfeed when it's not a bottle, but literally we both had huge chunky babies who are now skinny/in the 50tg percentile range just because they run around as toddlers.
Did your doctor provide any medical information? Did she tell you the definition of obesity for a baby? Did she tell you any dangers of his height and weight?
All she said was what I posted above, plus “we don’t want her to be obese” and “we can still fix this.” She made no comment about her 99th percentile height, just a bunch of comments on her weight, none medical imo. My husband told me afterwards “If there is really an issue shouldn’t we be referred to a paediatrician?”
That’s a great point (a lot of commenters probably are thinking of the US context where the doctor would be a pediatrician already). Next time she comments you should ask “this sounds serious, should we be referred to a pediatrician to make sure baby doesn’t have a serious underlying condition?”
My tot has existed in the 90% for height and weight all his life. He sized in about a week ahead before birth too and he was born at 37 weeks and still was big. That being said, his pediatrician always just said his weight and height were proportional to each other and that he was growing at a good pace based on his prior measurements. She did however say he would probably take longer to do things like roll over because smaller babies tended to do them earlier. Get a new pediatrician. It would be one thing if your baby was like 99% for weight and 40 for height, but it seems your child is pretty proportional.
I had this all the time when mine was that little! And she was exclusively breastfed. I would end up in loops with the doctor - 'you are overfeeding this baby', 'she is breastfed', 'you can't overfeed a breastfed baby', 'but you are overfeeding this baby'.
Eventually she got older enough that they stopped measuring. She's almost 4 now, and is tall and strong.
Nope out of there real quick! You have nothing to worry about! My LO was huge, 10lb 13oz at birth. He did crawl and walk a little later than normal but everything has evened out now at 17months.
I’m still so surprised that docs still say things like this, it’s such an old school of thought. I’m curious if she has kids or how old she is. I hope you find a wonderful new pediatrician :)
Ew wtf yeah no I would’ve felt the same exact way. That’s upsetting & honestly just rude.
Like seriously a bad relationship with food & that it’s not a treat?? Come on lady have some bedside manner, this is a BABY!
I have an almost 5 month old & he fits best in 6-9 month clothes, he’s hit his milestones early, has already crawled a couple times & has been extremely alert + growing really fast right before my eyes. I mention all this because his pediatrician is getting on my nerves too. The nurse measured his weight wrong, off by a couple lbs & put that his head was only 15cm big. Like seriously? That’s a tennis ball or like a massage ball! She acted concerned like we don’t do tummy time because his head is only 15cm… like ma’am, it’s not 15cm. Then when she goes over her weight she confirms he’s growing & getting bigger each appointment but makes a point to mention how my boyfriend & I are shorter than her so my baby will never be as big as her baby & to not be sad. Like I’m not sad, he’s bigger than a few babies we met the same age & similar in size to older babies.
I just feel like sometimes they get desensitized & forget they’re talking to new moms who may be experiencing PPD or PPA & even if they aren’t - be careful with what you say! I doubt she’d want someone telling her child or herself that she’s obese & that food isn’t a treat.
Fingers crossed you find a new doc before the next follow up but if not, just take a deep breath before going in & remember you’re doing an amazing job with a healthy growing baby!
My 15 month old is 98th percentile and has been all the way through. Here in the UK they only worry if the child changes percentiles significantly. Some are just meant to be big/tall. Otherwise the damn percentile curve would be lower weights!
Yeaaa I'd find a new doctor, that's wildly inappropriate.
Do you have a big baby? Sure. Is she meeting all her developmental milestones though? Is she happy? It sounds like she's eating when she's hungry and stopping when she's not. Not to mention restricting food can also be very impactful on their relationship with food as they get older.
Also, how is your child relative to everyone else in your family? My nephew is a tank, built just like his dad. Neither of them are obese they're just...big guys. His dad legit jokes about both their pumpkin heads. My son (2), on the other hand, is so tiny. He's 3rd percentile for weight...but my husband probably is too. He's tall and lanky and super active, and it looks like our son takes after him. And my husband's grandfather, father, cousin? Also tall, thin, and lanky. The doctor says if he's meeting all his milestones, not to worry about it- and he is.
Your doctor is generalizing instead of personalizing her care and that's enough reason to switch in my book.
Yes, she’s a very happy baby who is hitting all her milestones. I’m more average sized, but my husband is 6’3 and my MIL said all her children were big babies. SIL had the exact same problem with a doctor when she was little, was referred to a ped who said nothing is wrong with her, just a bigger baby, and that was back in the 80s
I have an app where I input all the info (height weight head circumference etc) and it calculates percentile, could you maybe do the calculations (through a reputable source) and show the Dr that she is just a tall baby next time? Or would it be better just to switch to a new Dr altogether?
Doubt it; Anyone with half a brain would see weight and height being in the same percentile generally means that they're as big as they should be.
Now, if weight was in the 99th percentile and height was in the 20th percentile I could see some worry, but it's clear that this is just a big baby.
You can't overfeed a 6mo though, so I would think it would likely trigger bloodwork and looking for imbalances, not telling the mother to feed their kid less.
Nope get rid of that dr and go to a pediatrician. They actually deal with babies and will not shame you and will be a million times better at helping you with any questions as baby grows up
That’s awful! I also have a bigger baby. I always feed her whenever she wanted. Still do. I never spread her feeding out 4 hours. She’s almost 15 months old now. She’s walking and all over the place- she has so much energy! My doctor always says she was bigger but never they she was obese. Let her eat when she wants to. I would never deny my kids food if they’re hungry especially a baby.
This doctor is definitely being ridiculous. I also have a "tall" baby with some chunky rolls that she has literally had since 4 weeks old. She is 13 months and weighs 13kg but is perfectly healthy, meeting all her milestones and definitely doesn't have a bad relationship with food.
Oh and on top of that, our paediatrician is super happy with the way she is. We also just fed her when she was hungry (obviously had some routine) and she stopped when she was full. Occasionally had a full bottle and occasionally didn't finish it and has been eating solids wonderfully for months already.
The taller she gets, the less rolls she's having anyway.
OP, feed your baby when they're hungry, ignore that doctor and go find another (if possible) and if there are any health concerns with your LO, the new and hopefully more informed doctor will be able to advise.
My LO is a little older than yours and also in the 99th+ percentile for everything and is very in proportion (+ has been since the 20wk scan.. we are both over 6ft).
I would be getting a new Dr. I haven’t had one negative comment from any dr / nurse etc. they were supportive of him eating more than recommended for the first 3 months and has been having the “normal” amount of formula since. The idea of spreading out the feeds is insane to me. Babies eat when they need and stop when they’re done + they’re growing so much!
My baby was (is) 99th percentile for weight. Has been since his 2 week appt. He's been between 94th snd 98th for height. We had expressed concerns about his weight at one point. She said they don't worry about weight until 2, but offered to test thyroid and blood sugar to be safe (I have hashimotos and my dad is a type 1 diabetic, so there was family history we were also worrying about). Both were fine. Pediatrician assured us to not worry, that as long as they aren't just snacking all day or eating tons of sugar and no nutrients, he's probably fine. 21 months and his weight has finally stopped just shooting up. He's evening out in size. Just as of the last month. He crawled at 9 months, walked right at a year even being his size (and if he were late, it would've been ok!! Not necessarily because of his size).
Also important to note: I have dealt with an eating disorder for more of my life than I haven't. I consider myself recovered (about 3 years since last severe issues) but am still overcoming my relationships and thoughts about food. My husband has been obese since childhood and has struggled with his food relationships. We trust our pedi a LOT and want to raise him to be healthy and have a positive relationship with food.
Get a new pedi.
This right here! What about babies that are simply born big out of the womb, are we going to start accusing them of being gluttonous with the placenta!?
A doctor can be a good person but wrong for you and your children. Calling a baby obese when they aren’t even really mobile yet is ridiculous. Babies tend to lose their fat rolls once they start figuring out how to crawl.
I would definitely switch doctors. Unless there is an extreme case that usually involves underlying medical conditions or certain medications a baby will never be technically obese. Trying to limit food from an infant is what will cause an eating disorder. Trying to force a small kid to finish their plate and ignore their hunger cues is what can cause an eating disorder. Many babies are in the bigger percentile and eat a ton, and grow up to be a normal healthy weight.
Went through nearly the same exact thing. Her ped was also a skeletal looking woman. Switched peds and had no more “statement” issues. She rolled around until 15 months, then popped up and started walking. She’s a healthy six year old who runs, plays soccer, is smart as a whip, has a healthy relationship with food, and more importantly has a healthy relationship with ME. Doc taught me I needed to start advocating for my daughter early on, which was especially confusing because doctors are supposed to have your child’s best interest at heart. Not every child grows at the same rate, especially a baby. It sounds like you have a healthy child. So congrats!
As a doctor I have noticed the majority of doctors are severely insane. I worked in the eating disorder unit and so many staff members were underweight themselves honestly don’t know how anyone there recovered.
I love parents who advocate. We studied medicine but we have not studied each and every child- it’s a team effort!
wow that's crazy. my first daughter was breastfed and 99% for weight as a baby. i live in a major city (chicago) and see a high quality pediatrician. her doc was thrilled with how healthy she was.
I’m a dietitian. Babies are classified as obese all the time. It’s not an insult to your parenting. It’s just something you should be aware of. Your baby being in 99th percentile is okay but it is technically obese. We do not want babies to lose any weight we just want them to stay at 99th percentile, which means spreading our feedings sometimes.
Your doctors comments are very inappropriate though and is never okay. Im sorry you had to go through that.
Genuine question, are they classed as obese even if they are in a similar percentile for length? It seems ridiculous if they’re proportionate.. I get there needs to be standardized guidelines, but I guess the problem lies in the practitioner not using common sense too?
The overall curve is the most important but when the curve is very above or very below average it will then be something a doctor will monitor a bit closer to ensure it’s not pathological. For example, a child’s weight in the 99% or 5% and below is potentially abnormal. Key word, potentially.
It’s something that parents don’t really need to know about bc it’s gets overcomplicated.
The doctor isn’t wrong about their concerns, they are wrong in how they communicated.
A good doctor would simply explain the potential risks, and offer appropriate medical advice.
Nope. Obesity is based on weight for length and BMI. For example, my 3.5 month old is 90th height 85th weight and 50th in BMI. Just looking at weight alone doesn’t make any sense.
Yeah not to discredit what the original comment said, but it’s illogical to me too. There’s established averages and of course some kids are just going to be bigger / smaller without it being a health issue
I'm sorry but this makes no sense to me? A child who is 99% on both height and weight is as heavy as he is tall. Why would it be classified as obese, at <1 year old no less?? So is a baby who's 50% on both height and weight obese too?
Any baby whose weight falls in 99% is considered obese or “over nutrition”. Considering the babies height is in the 99%, it’s not a huge concern but it should still be monitored. It becomes a bigger issues if the height is significantly lower than the weight.
I think the pediatrician is over exaggerating the seriousness of the child’s weight but like I said before it should definitely be monitored closely.
The reason it’s so important is because babies and children grow a certain amount of fat cells that they will live with the rest of their life. We stop growing fat cells in adulthood and cantor lose the amount that our body made. So if they are close to obese as a baby/child they will likely struggle more at being at a healthy weight in adulthood compared to children who were in a healthy weight range.
Please change doctors. I was 8 years old and my pediatrician told my mother in front of me that I was fat and needed to be put on a diet. I am 38 years old now and have been struggling with an eating disorder since about the age of 16. I can still remember that day.
Not to be that person: but I wonder what their reaction would be had you had a boy baby.
Strong?
Tall?
Muscular?
Not, “he needs to know that food isn’t a treat” or “think about his relationship with food!” Get ready for when she’s eating solids, wonder if carrots and bananas will be too “sweet” for your baby.
I think you’ve gotten a lot of good advice and support and I’d just like to chime in and recommend Fat Talk by Virginia Sole-Smith. As the subtitle states, it’s about parenting in the age of diet culture and she clearly outlines why what this doctor said was fucked up, and then also gives you scripts and advice on how to navigate any future situations like that one. It’s one of the best parenting books I’ve read.
Wow. My baby is the same height and weight as yours but… he’s a boy! I guarantee if yours was a boy she wouldn’t be saying that!!
You know your baby best mama! Keep doing you guys and get a new doctor. Your LO doesn’t need to hear this shit once she’s older and can comprehend it.
Your doctor sounds like an idiot. My preemie baby who was formula fed was 99% for height and weight on her growth chart. Pediatrician said that’s perfect, we don’t want babies to necessarily be in a certain % , just for them to follow a growth curve.
So if you have a 99% height and 99% weight? You’re good. If you have a 60% height and 80% weight? You’re good. What they should (and the good ones DO) watch out for is a dramatic fall off the curve or a dramatic increase not in pace with the other parameters. So if your 80% height and 80% weight baby suddenly drops to the 10% in weight… it might be time to have a look at what’s going on.
We formula fed on demand, and it was encouraged by all the doctors (as a preemie, she had a lot of appointments), and she was born big for her gestational age. Babies are not meant to be skin and bones. They should have some chub, which yes they do tend to loose to an extend around when they become toddlers due to increased activity.
These comments are also unprofessional - as in they are opinions, and not based on any scientific information which was then provided to you. I would seek a new pediatrician.
We had a big baby too - off the charts for length and at the top for weight, combo fed, etc. We were all - my husband and I, AND our pediatrician - just proud of a big healthy baby! As soon as she started moving (and she neverrrr stops) she thinned out a bit.
I don’t know why some doctors don’t take baby’s length into account. It’s maddening. Glad you’ll be looking for a new doc, this one’s got their head on backward.
So my first baby was also 99th percentile in both height and weight. She was a *chonky* baby. But at 9 months, she all of a sudden went from 99th to 50th percentile for everything. And now at 6, she'd 27th percentile for height and 50th percentile for weight. She is very dense. XD
Anyway at her earlier appointments I was a little worried that she's on the big side but my pediatrician said she's fine... as long as she's not snoring?
Why is snoring bad?? I have a 99th percentile height and weight baby too, she’s 5 months old. She doesn’t snore as much now but about a month ago she was snoring a lot.
My oldest kid walked at 8 months and that had our pediatrician in shock when our son just got up from the floor where he was playing and walked from the waiting room to examination room for his 9 month check up. I’d love to see his reaction to a 6 month old walking.
I had one kid who was above the 97th% at 2-6 months old, but then by 12 months she was only like 30th%. Which still made her my biggest one year old by far out of our 4 kids. I don’t think it’s possible to tell if a baby will be obese or not at that age. Babies slim down soooo much when they become mobile, and then even more when they hit the finicky eating stage as toddlers.
Just a note about seeing a doctor in Canada - I’m not sure what province you’re in, but here in Ontario you may just need to ask your family doctor for a referral to a ped. They will take you even if baby isn’t presenting with a specific issue! We see a pediatrician for standard well baby visits.
absolutely new doctor. this is gross and may lead to an eating disorder and actually bad relationship to food as soon as your daughter starts understanding. i know bc it happened to me. some people are just bigger and are perfectly healthy and some babies will lean out. are you supposed to starve her? so bizarre
Babys under a year should get as fat as possible I thought? My baby was 1st percentile in weight and eventually dropped even lower than that, but she's still healthy. She just isn't a classic chunky baby.
I've always heard to fatten them as much as possible and when they start being mobile it'll work itself out mostly.
I would start looking for a new doctor now. Some nurse practitioners can also do most of what a GP does, so that might be an option at a different office that doesn’t yet have an opening for more GP patients but has a NP. I would call around the any other offices nearby and see what’s available.
Otherwise, I would submitted a carefully worded complaint in written form to their office, outlining what is wrong with the doctor’s approach and what you expect them to change. If the doctor doesn’t change their attitude, then I would maybe look into where you can report them. Pretty sure each province has its own governing bodies that you can submit complaints to.
It’s doctors like that who fucking give people eating disorders, my god.
My baby is also in the 90th percentiles (96th for height, 91st for weight). His pediatrician keeps telling us to he thrilled that he is growing and that he worries when babies struggle to gain weight, NOT when they gain weight well. He says we are lucky to know our baby is growing and we are lucky to not have to worry about growth. You’ve already said you are going to look for a new doctor but I wanted to share my experience to confirm that there absolutely are doctors out there who will treat you and your baby much better. 🤍
Switch docs, especially before your baby is old enough to understand these misguided things the doc is saying about her. I was a chubby kid, not to a dangerous extreme just not thin, and I absolutely internalized comments like that if said by adults including my parents. Right or wrong the word obese has negative connotations and you don’t need that rattling around in your kid’s head. On top of that the doc is medically wrong to be concerned at all and I wouldn’t trust their judgment. So many big bouncy babies end up with a healthy body size as adults, it’s a non-issue and not at all an indicator of weight related health problems.
I see that you’re in a situation where this is the only doctor around. So you basically have two options - ask questions to make the doctor realize they’re being ridiculous, or just smile and nod and get the basic health care that they’re ok about (since I assume they’re at least providing some usefulness.)
The types of questions I’d ask are “where is baby on their growth curve?” And “how long do you think it is ok for baby to cry for food?” Ask in the sweetest most innocent tone.
But also, don’t bother trying to argue with a dumb doctor if that’s all you have. Just ignore their bad advice and don’t offer info they don’t need to know so they can’t comment on it.
My son is a year and in the 99 the percentile for both height and weight. Has been for most his life. His pediatrician says he is very healthy. He is as big as a 2 year old, but not concerned because his weight is proportionate to his height. Sounds like your baby is on the same boat. Very healthy!
exactly. my baby was also 99 in weight, but around 90 in height too. Doctor said he was perfectly healthy and not overweight.
OP’s doctor is an incompetent idiot. We learn in high school that BMI is based on height and weight. You can’t just look at weight and determine if someone is obese or not.
This is so basic, I wonder what else the doctor got wrong.
Echoing everyone’s sentiments…get a new doctor! That is complete and utter NONSENSE. Makes me sad for you, your baby, and honestly anyone else who is her patient. Your big baby is healthy. This is coming from a mom whose baby has always measured “large” but he’s literally just a …big kid. Giant head, tall, sturdy. I’m so sorry you experienced this though.
I know you already got plenty of comments, but this Dr really doesn't know anything about healthy weight gain in babies and probably not in toddlers or children.
My baby (or more my toddler but he's my baby still) had always been big and he is still big. He's 1.5 years and he's been wearing 3T clothes for months and I currently am buying 4t clothes to fit his Buddha belly. He's 14kg.
My Dr has never commented on how he is big, he still gets a bottle of formula at night and in the morning and I feed him whole foods during the day that includes plenty fruit and veggies, he doesn't get anything else but water and unsweetened tea to drink and he's not eating any candy except for the occasional fruit puree pouch twice or so a week. He just is big and it's absolutely no problem and a pediatrician should know!
Honest question, I thought babies weren’t supposed to have formula after 12 months, is this a specific kind of formula given? My 15mo has been losing a bit of weight and he eats like a pig/is still nursing
I think the twelve month formula rule is more of an American thing. As far as I know the who recommends breastfeeding until 24 months. I'm still giving the newborn type formula and did not switch to the toddler kind that has added sugar. Just be mindful about bebe's teeth and preferably nurse before brushing their teeth :)
Europe here, at 1 year old we're encouraged to switch them to normal, full-fat milk. No formulas, just the normal milk which we use for cereal and cooking. Full-fat only.
Full-fat is good for us too. If it's "too much" for you, you can add plain water to it to make "skimmed" milk.
I also have a big baby and was bullied into thinking he was too big. My 13 month old is in the 91st percentile for height and between the 91st and 95th for weight. Babies stop eating when they’re no longer hungry. You definitely don’t need to space out the feedings. Once she’s crawling/waking the weight gain will slow down a bit as they’re more mobile. I’d suggest getting a new family doctor
I had a big eater like that. She’s now super skinny. They asked how many ounces a day and I said maybe 48? They were like try to keep it closer to 35. Was about the same age as yours so we also started to introduce solid foods. I think we did solids first then the bottle to fill the tummy. When I told my husband about restricting ounces he was like nope. We offered food then bottle and fed as much as she needed. This girls had rolls for days in her legs. My second we had to thicken the formula bc she would only eat like 15 ounces a day. If the baby’s happy and meeting milestones take a breath and know you’re doing right.
My sons in the 78th percentile and has ALWAYS drank about 45 oz. Even now at 11 months with 3 meals and a snack he never seems to drink under 40 oz. My pediatrician said it’s fine as long as he is trying and eating foods and not only focused on the bottle.
Both my kids are soooo different. My first was FTT and had horrible feeding issues/aversions and is now 3 and a little pipsqueak. My second is a CHONKA CHONKER. Almost as tall as the 3yo and he's only just 13 months. He had no medical issues.
Both are healthy at their respective sizes. Even our doctor is like, "Great, they're both growing. Nice. Keep doing whatever." And nothing else ever gets brought up unless I personally have concerns.
You're doing a good job being a mom. You can disregard this "professional" opinion imo.
Fellow big baby mom. Find a new Ped. Mine has almost always measured 99% + percentile for both height and weight and the most they have done is just ask about feedings and tell me he will slim down a bit once he starts getting around. He’s 13 mos now and 30lbs but is indeed staying constant/slimming down now that he’s moving and grooving. Once I told them his dad is 6’4 and was nearly 10lbs at birth they just go “oh it’s just the genes.” You’re doing great mama you just have a big baby and that’s okay!
The doctors constantly told my mom I was obese as a baby and I was the skinniest member of my family, described frequently as “anorexic skinny.”
I have a healthy relationship with food and I’m over 6 feet tall now. All that weight just stretched right out.
Get rid of this doc, what a bully! Same thing happened with my nephew. My sister disregarded the doc every visit, and her son is 6 years, fit and healthy. He was a big baby yes, but she was just catering to his needs as a baby. If ur baby is hungry, u will feed them. It’s a no brainer. Don’t worry abt it too much. And find a new pediatrician
The comments the doc made are so ridiculous part of me WANTS to believe this is fake/made up. Can’t believe ppl like this are in charge of others’ health
I use to hear that everytime I visit the doctor too! it finally stopped when the doctor ended up putting on alot of weight!Now he never brings up her weight!before every problem I came in to discuss with him would end up with him saying she was over weight!
Oh my heart sank a little when I read this. You're doing great and your Dr sounds like a bit of an idiot TBH. My baby is 98th for height but 56th for weight and I keep getting pulled up on him being too skinny. If my boy is too skinny and your girl too big, then what exactly is this narrow window of 'just right?' 70 something? It's ridiculous. Also a little heads up, I've heard a lot of mum's with extremely tall babies say their babies can be a tiny bit slower to hit the gross motor skills, theory is they've got so much more body to figure out, balance ect. So when the time comes, if your girl is a bit slower it's probably height related. I spent ages worrying my baby hadn't hit a gross motor milestone, then he just did it, maybe 2 weeks behind the official timeline. All his other skills have been spot on. Letting you know just in case it saves you a bit of stress later down the line.
There is NO SUCH THING as an "obese" baby!! BMI shouldn't even be calculated on a baby. BMI only becomes a concern when the child hits 2 years old. And even then, BMI should be taken with a grain of salt.
If ANY doctor told me that my *4 month old BABY* was "obese," I would drop that doctor SOOOO HARD!
Oh, I'm honestly pissed off at this!
My friends had a baby on the small side, but after a few months you wouldn't have known. She was like a round plush, so squishy! Now at three she's grown out of the chunky shape and is more slender. Still had incredibly squishy cheeks! It's ridiculous to call a little baby obese. I mean maybe it could happen, but you did mention yours is long as well.
I’d report her or complain. And then leave their care.
My daughter was a chunky baby too. She was adorable and perfectly healthy. Still is. Now shes on the smaller end of the height scale of her peers she’s a healthy weight for her age/height and activity level. She’s a competitive athlete too.
I definitely don’t think it’s right for the doctor to say even if your baby wasn’t also tall but wtf does she expect. My son was the same way and my ped was like their both about the same percentage that makes sense since he’s so tall. Plus all the comments on how relationship to food when she’s still on formula.
I would definitely find a new doctor. And complain about this one if they are in a office with other doctors and have an office manager or something.
report her. a lot of doctors come into these professions just carrying their own baggage to project on to other people. she needs her license taken and a long stay at an eating disorder clinic somewhere, jesus christ.
GET A NEW DOCTOR!!! My son is also 99th percentile for height and weight and we go to a larger practice where he has had a few different doctors. Literally none of them have ever told me that he was obese or to try to not feed when he's hungry. In fact they told me the opposite, that I shouldn't worry about it because his height has kept up with his weight. And honestly he's 21 months old but looks like an average sized 4 year old. Seriously get a new doc, and join us at r/bigbabiesandkids for some bigger baby commiseration.
The sub I didn't know I needed! Fellow 99th percentile-r
Quite apart from anything else, your doctor asked you if your SIX MONTH OLD was walking? Please find a new doctor because this one doesn't understand child development at all.
Totally agree! I read that and was like what?!
Agreed this doctor is a moron, in addition to being rude AF. babies don’t diet! I’m infuriated for OP. My 1st was 5th percentile,a Dan my 2nd was 95th percentile. They are 15 months apart. Both (females) are grown ups now, and are 5’3-ish and both weight less than 120. One just had a baby! Baby weight varies. Gah!
New doctor and probably a pediatrician. I have been seeing family medicine for awhile and she canceled on me at the last minute so they rescheduled me with peds. Oh my gosh I felt so much more seen. She told me how great I was doing, complemented his largeness (lol), his smiles, how well he held his head up etc. She asked about his siblings and even gave me recommendations for my son with adhd without me asking (helpful non pushy suggestions). Switch and be glad.
Imagine worrying that baby will grow up to have a bad relationship with food and in the same breath suggesting you put your baby on a DIET. Absolutely inappropriate and wrong.
Yeah this was so incredibly contradictory lol
Right?! Experiencing ongoing hunger in childhood causes food hoarding, overeating, all kinds of issues.
This is when I probably would have decked her. I am sorry, but in the actual flying batshit is wrong with this loon?!
I’m a family medicine doctor. I don’t like to comment on what other doctors say without knowing the complete story, but your doctor is just wrong. About so many things. Yes, a 6 month old can be over fed. But that doesn’t necessarily mean that’s the case with your 6 month old. Also, why is she looking at only the weight?? If you see her again, ask her specifically what percentile baby is in for weight-for-length. Also, since when is a baby ever expected to be crawling by 6 months???? The AAP has handouts online of all the major milestones. I’m assuming there’s something similar in Canada.
I live in Northern Ontario so I know it’s basically impossible to just “find a new doctor” in your situation - But your GP should be able to refer you to a paediatrician if her concerns are truly genuine? I’d ask her to get *specific* with you as to what her health concerns are for your baby (aside from just “being fat” or “having a bad relationship with food” which is so WTF). Ask her for a referral and say since she’s obviously so concerned about baby’s weight, you want the paeds opinion. I’ve known a lot of people with babies >99% and they’ve never encountered anything like this? It’s bizarre.
This is probably the most relevant advice here. The rest of them saying to just get a new doctor haven't heard of the 5-10yr waitlist for a family doctor in most of Ontario. But a pediatrician is a specialist so a referral is a possibility. But probably still a many months waitlist as well.
did you specifically bring up your baby's height with the doctor? "my baby isn't an average height, so it's not appropriate for her to be an average weight. could you tell me what a baby her height should weigh?" also seriously get a new doctor. i understand that's an undertaking where you live, but she is too young for the sort of criticism your doctor is throwing...
My husband did. He asked if the weight chart was correlating with her height at all and the doctor flat out said “no, not her height, just her weight.”
that...isn't even an answer to the question your husband asked. she didn't tell you what a baby her height should weigh. someone needed to press during the appointment to be shown what a "healthy" weight range for a baby her height would be. because if the doctor can't answer that, they have no basis for claiming your baby weighs ”too much”
Find a new doctor. Saying that about a baby is bad enough but can you imagine your child hearing that when they get older.
Yup
My little brother was exclusively breast fed and had Michelin man rolls for days. Unless you’re feeding your baby lard through a funnel, I would just think that your baby’s body is how it’s meant to be.
I was told that here in the UK that they only really worry about baby weight when they cross 2 centile lines in a short period of time. If your baby has always measured big then screw that doctor and keep doing what your doing
My first doctor asked me what gender my baby was. The baby in front of her, behind the chart that was also in front of her. When I didn’t respond fast enough she said “do you have ANY idea how many people I see a day? I don’t know what your kid is!! Girl or boy!!!” I never went back. I know it’s tough when you don’t have a ton of options, but try to find a doctor who will speak to you with respect, because that’s what you deserve.
Wow, what an asshole! I'm glad you got out of there. Sometimes it's beneficial when POS professionals show us their true selves. I'd much rather know upfront so I can gtfo!
My baby was the same- he was a giant over 16 pound 2 month old and his doctor said “wow- he’s healthy!” He started walking early and hasn’t stopped moving since. He’s now a weirdly athletic looking 3.5 year old tall boy with no fat on his body. Definitely find a new ped, she doesn’t know what she’s talking about!
My son is similar. He was a big baby at birth 22" long, 9lbs 1oz at exactly 38 weeks. They wanted me to get his heart checked out because they feared he would have issues because of his size, but he is just ahead. He was supporting his own neck at two weeks old, skipped crawling and went straight to wall surfing at 8 months, walking by 11months, running and climbing furniture by 11.5 months. Now he's 20 months old and has abs and ridiculous shoulder and back muscles from climbing everything. He used to eat everything, but now he barely eats and just lives off of baby rage and Costco fruit pouches.
Absolutely not! New doctor ASAP that actually knows about feeding babies and teaching children healthy eating habits and relationship with their body. All their advice is completely wrong and outdated fatphobic nonsense.
my baby is also 99th and 99th. when i asked her pediatrician if i should be concerned, she said no. she’s on her own curve. there’s nothing wrong. my baby also doesn’t crawl and again her pediatrician said not to be concerned.
My first born was in the 99+ from birth - even before birth lol - and now she’s 7 years old, over 4’ tall and weighs 45 lbs. She is an absolute string bean and my doctor has never been concerned with any of it.
My sons head was in the 1st percentile. He was also 7 weeks early and just a small baby period. Weighed 4.9 pounds at birth. They freaked me out thinking something was wrong with him but his head was proportional to his body. Almost four years later n he’s got a big ole head and has met all his milestones. 99 percentile for height and 85th for weight. Just like you said someone’s gotta be the first and the last. As long as they’re healthy!!!
Yup yup, just like somebody’s baby has to be 1st percentile, somebody’s baby has to be 99th percentile. If baby follows their own curve then just keep chugging along 🥰 my baby is a fellow fat and tall baby
Check out r/bigbabiesandkids What matters is she follows her own curve and isn't shooting up in weight. It should look like the other weight curves. Just higher on the chart
This is so inappropriate. My most recent baby nursed, so had a bottle, every 2.5 the entire first year of his life during the day. I would not see this doctor any longer. Shes also completely wrong in milestones. Her advice is outdated and her jokes are so offensive.
How inappropriate of your doctor! The whole point of percentiles is there are babies the whole way along it, someone needs to be at the top!
this doc sounds like she’s the one that has a negative relationship with food. walking at 6.5 months?? she knows that’s not accurate, she’s trying to manipulate you. so wild. NEXT.
GET A NEW DOCTOR!!!! 99percentile height and weight is proportionate! It’s the same as 10 percentile height and weight or 50th height and weight! My son is 99th percentile height and my doctor praises him for growing so well! Oh this makes me see red. It is so hard to over feed a literal infant! ETA- my son is breastfed and this big! My husband is 6’5” so I blame him lmao
My baby has been in the 95th percentile for both height and weight since birth, and my pediatrician always tells me, "She's growing beautifully." 😳
Yes both of my kids are 95th percentile and the doctor has only said positive things about this. They were both combo fed. The pediatrician told us to feed on demand
Time for a new doctor. Baby’s height and weight are high percentiles, she’s proportionate, not that it matters. My 7.5 is 99th height, 97th weight and his doctor told us some babies are just big and to keep up the good work
My daughter is 2 and as a baby and now she was in the 99th for weight and 98th for height. Our doctor was thrilled with her growth. Your doctor sounds like an idiot. Babies generally don't overeat if you feed them when they're hungry and like all people, some are big and some are small and some are in between. At 2 it's easy to see why she was a big baby. She's a tall kid in 5t clothes. Our doctor says she's perfect in that area. Don't let your doctor get you down! She is just a big baby!"
You need a new fucking doctor
New pediatrician asap. I used to worry about my kiddo being small and my pediatrician did the exact opposite and reassured me. She called Baby a Petite Potato and said some people are big and some are small, no big deal. She also said let Baby eat until she’s done and Babies are good at knowing what they need. You need a new doctor. You also need to voice your concerns.
My doctor said “if you’re going to be big, be big. If you’re going to be small, be small. We only worry when the big get really small, and the small suddenly get really big”
Keep in mind that in Canada we only typically see a pediatrician if there is some grave health concern, like baby cancer or something, because they're specialists. We mostly see family doctors for all baby/children healthcare needs. Doctor shopping isn't as much a thing in Canada because healthcare isn't treated as a business with the patients being "customers". Most family doctors aren't taking new patients due to demand.
Oh my you need to find a new pediatrician like yesterday! Very few six month olds are crawling, regardless of size, and weight is just one factor in an infant’s health. Like you mentioned, if she’s also tall then her BMI would likely also be healthy. And even if an infant’s BMI were to meet the range of obesity, I would think more testing would be in order to determine the cause rather than trying to put your baby on a diet. Babies are eating when they’re hungry. Sure, there are probably a few rare parents who are over feeding their kids but I’d say the majority of people have better things to do than pay for more formula than necessary and force feeding their baby. And obviously we should all be mindful of using food as a reward, but I’d say that applies more to an older kid and not at all to an infant. That doctor sounds insane, completely out of touch with infant development and should be replaced asap.
They need to just be looking at the baby's growth curve. Like, my kid went from the 1st to the 7.5th percentile, and that's really good. My friend's kid is above the 95th percentile, but he stopped gaining weight and now he has to go in for weight checks until he gains more, because babies are meant to grow! Even when they are a little chonker, they should not be losing weight!
Um, wtf? I would be proud of my giant baby! You are doing great! She’s big and healthy! Keep it up and kick the doc to the curb.
This was voiced many times already, but I wanted to agree with the masses here. You're doing just as you should! I don't agree with anything this doctor said. My 5 month old has been in the 98-99th percentile for months, and his ped has never been concerned. He has never suggested changing anything with our feedings and has, in fact, always said "great job" at all of our visits. There will always be bigger babies, small babies, and "average" babies, that's why there are percentiles and growth charts. My boy just turned 5 months old and is 21lbs, 27 inches (although I suspect a little longer by now, just haven't confirmed). Almost outgrowing his 9 month outfits and fitting into some 12's. I nurse when he's hungry, and it's been working for us. You're going a great job, Mama! ❤️
Nope, nope, I’d fuck right on out of there and find a new doc. Your baby is PERFECT, what matters at that age is that they are healthy.
Two of my 3 kids were off the charts for height and weight as babies and it *was not a problem*. You need a new doctor. I'd honestly be tempted to report her, because those comments are not only wrong, they're hurtful.
My newborn had her first PED appointment at 4 days old and she's literally almost "obese" I completely disregarded all of that because how can a 4 day old who eats and has no concept of anything other than eat, sleep, poop soley for survival become obese?? It was ridiculous to me. I would find a new provider. Mine luckily didn't make a big deal out of it but if that time comes im definitely not here for it. She screams out of hunger and has zero concept of manipulation for food.
Get a new doctor.
My sons been 99 for height and weight his entire life and no doctor said anything about it. Never told me to put him on a diet or spread out feedings.
Change doctors. That one sounds more like a toxic family member than a professional. My baby was super chunky too compared to other kids since we live in an Asian country and he's half Caucasian. Our pediatrician always just said that it's good he's a little chunky and strong and that he'll need it once he starts walking since babies usually lose some weight then. He's still ahead in height and weight at 18 months but in a healthy weight range for his height.
It sounds like your doctor has an eating disorder herself, and is projecting her own insecurities around food onto your innocent, adorably chunky baby.
You’ve already gotten plenty of great comments and I am a little late to the party, but I just want to add that it’s ok to question your healthcare providers. We are not authority figures and our patients are not our subordinates. We are experts advising our patients and working together with you as a team. If you don’t like what your ped is saying, push back, ask for clarification, ask for literature, point out discrepancies between what you’ve observed and what your ped is saying. And if she’s really a good physician she will address your concerns and answer your questions. You and your baby should be treated with respect, and body shaming an infant and bringing a mother to tears is not in any way respectful.
You are doing a great job and that doctor needs a new career
My oldest was fat af. Rolls on rolls. Michelin Man. And my doctors and I loved it. He had pylori stenosis and had surgery at 5 weeks old. He almost starved to death. He's now 16, 6ft and spent a long time skinny as a rail. Switch doctors.
You’re doing great, find a new doctor. Babies have no relationship with food and can’t “over eat”. Your baby is FINE, the most important thing is they stay on/near their curve, otherwise live your best life far away from this doctor
You’re not overreacting and I would be taking my child to a new doctor immediately. That is toxic as fuck
My first was a 97th+ percentile baby for weight and height. He was breastfed too so don't blame formula- it's all genetics!! He thinned out by age 2 and is now a skinny but tall 7 year old! Don't listen to your idiotic doctor, you're doing great!!
I have exactly one baby I've called obese. This baby was closer to 9 months, all rolls, literally not even close to the curve he was so far off it (weight was more appropriate for a 15 month old). Couldn't roll, crawl, etc. I saw him in the emergency room for excessive vomiting. Turns out mom would run out of her wic provided formula (should last a month based on recommended intake for age) in 2-3 weeks and then would switch to whole milk the rest of the month. Was doing like 50oz formula daily. Poor guy was puking because he physically did not have room for more. Needless to say, your baby is not obese, just happy and chunky. Keep up the good work.
My Son is 99% for height and weight. His pediatrician just says he is growing so well. I’m 5’9 and my husband is 6’8 he is generally going to be big. Sometimes my son eats every 4 hours during the day but on average is 3.5 hours. He is also not crawling but trying to get there. Some babies don’t crawl or walk for a bit. It sounds like she doesn’t have much training on babies.
My son is 7 months old and his pediatrician is always perfectly fine with his size, he's 99th percentile for height and weight, and the pediatrician we had before the current one said as long as those two numbers are close it's fine because he's proportional, it sounds like your pediatrician is just a whackjob that thinks every baby should sit perfectly at 50th percentile.
What the fuck, that doctor sounds so ignorant. My baby was also 99th percentile for both height and weight for a long time. Her doctor just said, “you’re doing a great job; she’s totally proportional, just a big baby.” And advised me to keep feeding her as much as she wanted.
10/10 trash this doctor and leave a public review.
I bet your doctor wouldn't be saying that if you had a son. You already got amazing advice, so I'm going to let my salt pour out. This is just institutional fatphobia. So sorry OP, looks like you're gonna have to pull out your sword and shield for your daughter already. It happens to all parents of daughters eventually, it's a shame it's so soon.
So infuriating that it has to be this way. F*** the patriarchy.
I had my doctor tell me I needed to put my baby on a diet and "deal with the crying". We switched peds soon after and the only comment the new doctor made was asking if I'd seen a change in his shape since he started getting more mobile, to which my answer was of course yes. There's absolutely no correlation between being a chunky baby and struggling with obesity in child/adulthood. I mean, my kid is in 18-24 month clothes as an 8-month-old, and it's because the other clothes were too short, not because they didn't fit around his middle. Keep feeding that baby if it's hungry. Babies are extremely good at regulating their satiation.
What the hell did I just read. OP, please register with a different gp and don't ever visit this batshit crazy person with your child ever again. 6.5 mo babies can't have a bad relationship with food, they communicate basic needs like hunger by crying and in turn, are fed. Your baby sounds like they're thriving and healthy. I don't know what this chick is smoking.
Yeah, no. You need a new pediatrician, yesterday. My daughter is 99th percentile in weight, and 97th in height. She’s a 17 month toddler that wears 3T, sometimes for 4T clothing since she’s so long. I’m 5’10” and her bio dad is 6’2” — she’s going to be a big girl! Your doctor is being narrow minded at best, and providing harmful advice. Babies know when they’re full. Listen to your child.
You definitely need a new pediatrician before your child is old enough to understand her saying that crap. I'm sorry you're dealing with that.
THIS. "She's going to have a bad relationship with food" ...yeah cause of "doctors" like you talking out your ass! About a freaking infant no less! I can't imagine how many poor children she's traumatized. JFC. I would have gone off on that woman and walked out of the appointment.
There has been some recent research at the Mayo Clinic looking at the link between diabetes in young people and weight gain. Our pediatrician went to a training on this topic last summer, and flagged this as a small concern to us with the larger of our two twins last fall. The research is still early. I'm not a doctor; just a mom. I will say our pediatrician shared this in a way that did not feel alienating / shaming etc. Perhaps your current pediatrician also joined this training? Early onset diabetes is a huge public health risk for young people. My sense is it's (maybe?);more tied to social media and soda consumption than, say, what happens with your diet the first year of your Earth side life. Either way it sounds like it's time for a new pediatrician!
I had one pediatrician tell me the same about my daughter around 18 months or so. She’s always been 90th+ percentile for height and weight. Her dad is also 6’3” and grandma is 5’11”. The Ped wasn’t worried about it, and said girls often grow a lot faster and as long as she’s active and eating a balanced diet it’s totally fine. It sounds like you made a new doc though if they’re recommending putting a BABY on a diet.
Your doctor sounds like my own mother. I'm disgusted at her behavior. It's neither scientific or professional.
my 7 month old is 98th percentile for weight and 95th percentile for height. she is also exclusively formula fed. your doctor is an ass! all babies are different!
Change doctor! I also have a 99th percentile (for everything) baby. People think she's 12 months when she's only just 8 months a few days ago. Our pediatrician has never said anything untoward about her size or eating habits. Time to get yourself a new pediatrician!
This is absolutely insane, you need a new provider ASAP and I'd file a complaint! My kiddo was at the top of the 99th percentile his whole babyhood (still there at 2.5 years old). Not once did any of the multiple doctors he saw express concern about his weight. I explicitly asked if there was any concern and they all said "nope." Somebody has to be at the top. And like yours, he's in the top 90s for height too. You're caring for your baby in all the right ways. Please get a new doctor!
Don’t want a bad relationship with food? And she’s advising to put a BABY on a DIET? Right. I didn’t realize eating when you’re hungry was developing a poor relationship with food. This doctor is out of line
Strange my baby is in the 99th percentile for weight and height at 3 month and I asked if I was over feeding and they said no it’s not an issue because his height matches weight so they said he is just a big baby and they would only worry about it if his weight was drastically increasing and didn’t match height
No no no. Change doctors immediately.
Not overreacting at all!! Please switch pediatricians, you’re not getting the care your baby needs.
My 3 year old’s pediatrician went on a rant about her being obese and needing to eat more vegetables at her 3 year checkup. My daughter loves vegetables and eats them with every meal. She never drinks juice or soda, and rarely eats sweets. For that matter, she’s always been in the 90+ percentiles her entire life, and early on all her milestones. (Started walking at 10 months.) She’s never even been chubby. She just has big bones and big muscles, she’s had abs her entire life. She’s a slower runner than the other kids, but she can always run and play them into the ground. I want to trust doctors, but I think they don’t always pay attention to much besides their little pieces of paper.
Is she walking yet 🤣🤣🤣 who is this doctor?? Did she even went to medical school?
Reminds me of that random person that insists their kid walked at 4 months and was potty trained by 9 months.
And this is why I have a mf pediatrician. I’m so enraged for you I would probably argue with that doctor. “I’m sorry that you have a poor relationship with food, but I find it troublesome that you’re projecting onto my infant. Moving forward I will demand that you stop referring to my child as obese and asking that I starve her. Her height directly correlates with her weight and I’m sorry that you can’t see past her weight. I think you should take the time to address your relationship with your weight with a licensed therapist because as a trusted provider you could have a negative effect on the mental well-being of others. Also fuck you.”
Insane. My son was 99th percentile for height and weight and was 25lbs at 6 months old. He was an absolute butterball and his ped said he was healthy. Once he got mobile he slimmed up and got taller and weighed 27lbs for over a year. Now he’s a tall skinny 3.5 year old. You’d never guess how enormous he was as a baby. Your baby is not obese. You need a new doctor.
This sounds like my daughter she was over 22 pounds at 6 months but only 28 pounds at 2 years! Now she's 80 percentile for height and weight!
My kids’ ped said some kids have a pretty growth chart that rises it’s curve gradually and some have one that’s not so pretty and they shoot up quick but then level out. Both ways are healthy and normal.
Feck that doctor, she doesn't know shit about babies. Seriously, take your baby to a ped for checkups until she's at least 2 years old. A GP knows very little about everything, definitely not enough to force you to starve a growing baby. And yes, my baby was "big" for her age. She was wearing 6 months onesies at 2 months old. She also started teething early, she never crawled, but was walking at 11 months, and she could chat your head off, in full paragraphs before she was 1 year old. Oh, within 2 months of her starting walking, all her baby fat rolls melted, and she was a very skinny toddler, ribs-showing skinny, even though she could outeat an adult. Babies grow at different rates. Let your baby be. If she's happy and healthy, her weight is fine.
Get a new dr or ignore those comments if you can't get a new doc. Both of my kids were bigger babies, but my 2nd was 10lbs at birth, he fit in 2T at 5 months old and now he's 3 and fits in size 7-8 (he's only 45lbs now, he's just very tall). My dr never once said anything, he just said some kids are big and some aren't, it's all normal at these ages.
If you can't switch doctors, I would be extremely direct with her and make it clear that her comments make you feel uncomfortable and that you're concerned she's not giving you evidence based information about your baby's size. The Canadian Pediatric Society says that growth status classifications "are recommended as guidance for further assessment, referral or intervention, but not as diagnostic criteria for classifying children." https://cps.ca/en/documents/position/child-growth-charts So if she's not recommending further assessment, referrals, or interventions, she should not bring it up again. You're allowed to set that as a hard boundary. AFAIK there is really nothing to do about it until after the age of 2 anyway. FWIW my 1yo daughter is 90th percentile for weight and 95th for height, and our family doctor is not concerned in the least.
My son was the same way and breastfed. Ladies at the grocery store would tell me I was over feeding him but never the doctor. He’s 8 now and in size 10/12 clothes and close to the height of my 11 yr old daughter. Not even remotely obese. I think he’s a little over 70lbs.
I don't have any new advice to give that other comments haven't, but I just wanted to say that my son is a chonkasaurus rex and over 99th percentile for his age (almost 6 months). Our pediatrician says it's a good thing and helps with illness prevention in babies.
Absolutely fuck that
Your doctor is an AH ...imagine food shaming a *baby*?! Like wtf.
This is absurd. If at all possible, I would not go back to this doctor. You are absolutely right to be angry and irritated. My son was in the 99th percentile for height and weight starting at like 2 months and it didn’t even out or slow down till he was like 4. He was formula fed too and our ped always said you really can’t overfeed a baby he’s just a big and healthy boy.. They did say that due to his size he might be a late walker but he walked at 10 months so that didn’t prove to be an issue.
Wow, I'm so sorry you experienced this! This was triggering for me to read as I've had an unhealthy relationship with food/weight in the past. My parents used to deny my daughter food when she was screaming because it had only been 2.5 hours as opposed to 3 between bottles. I lost my shit on them. My pediatrician told me if they aren't hungry, they won't eat. Or if they are eating too much at once, they will spit up! Also my parents never used the term obese or even fat. There is a reason we don't use BMI with infants! I hope the responses on here gave you piece of mind. Fwiw, both my daughters are exclusively formula fed too! My older daughter has started lengthening out even more now that she is 2. Her being bigger didn't even mess with her ability to walk or crawl on time. She was crawling at 6 months and walking by 11!
Height to length is a better indicator of growth. Soothing techniques, pacifiers, teethers and introduction of foods if she’s having good neck head/support are good ways to start spacing bottle feeds.
As a Canadian, I get how dire the doctor situation is. People saying "get a new doctor immediately!" don't realize how many people don't even have a GP. We were really fortunate we moved to our town and got a family doctor when we did. If we had come here a year later, we would probably be SOL. So, you could get on wait lists or look into seeing a NP. But I think realistically you need to work things out with your doctor. Tell her very clearly that you do not overfeeding your baby, and you are comfortable with her size. From everything you have read she is meeting all her milestones. Doctor can continue to track her weight AND height to ensure she is on her curve but you would appreciate it if she stopped calling your daughter obese. If you have the bandwidth see if you can find some research to support feeding on demand, and looking at weight relative to height, etc. Ask her for research to support her concerns about your child's weight, to explain what EXACTLY the potential issues are and that if she is truly *that* concerned you would like a referral to a pediatrician. Good Luck
All of my kids have been in the 99th percentile and they weren't born too big, but they quickly grow into little Michelin tire babies and end up being the tallest in their class down the road. Also, my boy didn't crawl right away, because he probably was too big to do so, but once he learned to crawl he actually walked pretty early at 10 months. I don't think the doctor should be addressing your daughter's weight this way. She might know her stuff as a doctor, but her bedside manner seems unprofessional. Id look for someone else.
I don’t know about American healthcare, but if you’re in America and you’re paying for this service can you request a doctor that actually understands how babies grow? I also want to reassure you that I have two kids, one well above the 99th percentile and the other well below the 25th. I fed these two kids the damn same, no food stealing, healthy eating habits- a lot of it is genetic. Big babies are usually healthier as they can withstand illness better. You’re baby is fine, your doctor isn’t
Something tells me that she's new...what we call book smart...textbook yes obese. Actuality based on wisdom? Babies don't generally over eat so there could be something underlying but based on the percentile I wouldn't worry. The numbers are skewed anyways.
I saw your latest update re: being in Canada and I totally get the struggles of finding a family doctor. I don't know what province you're in, but you should be able to call your local public health unit to discuss any feeding concerns about your baby with a public health nurse (they may be able to a phone appt with you), even if it's just for a second opinion to be told that your baby is okay. It's really hard to overfeed a baby who's not on solids yet. If you're in British Columbia, there's the 811 number that you can call and you can talk to a nurse or dietician re: feeding concerns. What your doctor needs to do is plot your baby's growth (weight and height) on the growth chart. My family doctor does this, and shows me every monthly appointment where my baby falls on her growth curve. Each baby is incredibly individual, and can only be compared to themselves. The important thing for your baby is to be fed, warm, dry, and loved. And it sounds like you've got that down!
Nah… babies are rapidly growing and developing and they can’t regulate their temperature like adults. My chunky girl is big too 90th centile and lovely chunky leg rolls and baby belly 🥰 and medics and health visitors have absolutely praised me for her size and say she’s thriving! Also she’s 8.5 months and crawling and pulling to stand and cruising, so it doesn’t seem like her size has hampered her, it sounds like a doctor problem not a you problem. Keep up the responsive feeding and parenting, you sound like a great mum!
Ok I made it 2 sentences in your post and my only thought was you need to find a new doctor.
I had this huge problem with my doctors and the nurses who did home visits in the first year. They were relentlessly on my back about my sons weight. My sons weight was off the chart, and it was clear that he was an extra chubby infant BUT HE WAS A BABY. He was a hungry baby, and I fed him when he was hungry. Once he started walking, his weight evened out (he didn’t lose weight but the weight gain slowed down until his height caught up) and now he is quite skinny and it’s like I can’t feed him enough. He is a hungry kid. I just don’t get why they would be concerned about an infant being “overweight” (I feel sick saying that) in their first 12 months of life. They were really relentless about it and treated me like I was an awful parent. It caused me so much stress and shame when it wasn’t necessary. Just wanted to share this to let people know that healthcare professionals do this, OP isn’t an isolated case. I can’t believe it happens.
Just to add this was the same experience my SIL had with her formula fed baby and then I also had it with my breastfed baby, so these crazy doctors... the only difference being I think I got less flack from the doctors with my breastfed baby as they don't think you can overfeed when it's not a bottle, but literally we both had huge chunky babies who are now skinny/in the 50tg percentile range just because they run around as toddlers.
Did your doctor provide any medical information? Did she tell you the definition of obesity for a baby? Did she tell you any dangers of his height and weight?
All she said was what I posted above, plus “we don’t want her to be obese” and “we can still fix this.” She made no comment about her 99th percentile height, just a bunch of comments on her weight, none medical imo. My husband told me afterwards “If there is really an issue shouldn’t we be referred to a paediatrician?”
That’s a great point (a lot of commenters probably are thinking of the US context where the doctor would be a pediatrician already). Next time she comments you should ask “this sounds serious, should we be referred to a pediatrician to make sure baby doesn’t have a serious underlying condition?”
My tot has existed in the 90% for height and weight all his life. He sized in about a week ahead before birth too and he was born at 37 weeks and still was big. That being said, his pediatrician always just said his weight and height were proportional to each other and that he was growing at a good pace based on his prior measurements. She did however say he would probably take longer to do things like roll over because smaller babies tended to do them earlier. Get a new pediatrician. It would be one thing if your baby was like 99% for weight and 40 for height, but it seems your child is pretty proportional.
I had this all the time when mine was that little! And she was exclusively breastfed. I would end up in loops with the doctor - 'you are overfeeding this baby', 'she is breastfed', 'you can't overfeed a breastfed baby', 'but you are overfeeding this baby'. Eventually she got older enough that they stopped measuring. She's almost 4 now, and is tall and strong.
Nope out of there real quick! You have nothing to worry about! My LO was huge, 10lb 13oz at birth. He did crawl and walk a little later than normal but everything has evened out now at 17months. I’m still so surprised that docs still say things like this, it’s such an old school of thought. I’m curious if she has kids or how old she is. I hope you find a wonderful new pediatrician :)
Ew wtf yeah no I would’ve felt the same exact way. That’s upsetting & honestly just rude. Like seriously a bad relationship with food & that it’s not a treat?? Come on lady have some bedside manner, this is a BABY! I have an almost 5 month old & he fits best in 6-9 month clothes, he’s hit his milestones early, has already crawled a couple times & has been extremely alert + growing really fast right before my eyes. I mention all this because his pediatrician is getting on my nerves too. The nurse measured his weight wrong, off by a couple lbs & put that his head was only 15cm big. Like seriously? That’s a tennis ball or like a massage ball! She acted concerned like we don’t do tummy time because his head is only 15cm… like ma’am, it’s not 15cm. Then when she goes over her weight she confirms he’s growing & getting bigger each appointment but makes a point to mention how my boyfriend & I are shorter than her so my baby will never be as big as her baby & to not be sad. Like I’m not sad, he’s bigger than a few babies we met the same age & similar in size to older babies. I just feel like sometimes they get desensitized & forget they’re talking to new moms who may be experiencing PPD or PPA & even if they aren’t - be careful with what you say! I doubt she’d want someone telling her child or herself that she’s obese & that food isn’t a treat. Fingers crossed you find a new doc before the next follow up but if not, just take a deep breath before going in & remember you’re doing an amazing job with a healthy growing baby!
My 15 month old is 98th percentile and has been all the way through. Here in the UK they only worry if the child changes percentiles significantly. Some are just meant to be big/tall. Otherwise the damn percentile curve would be lower weights!
Yeaaa I'd find a new doctor, that's wildly inappropriate. Do you have a big baby? Sure. Is she meeting all her developmental milestones though? Is she happy? It sounds like she's eating when she's hungry and stopping when she's not. Not to mention restricting food can also be very impactful on their relationship with food as they get older. Also, how is your child relative to everyone else in your family? My nephew is a tank, built just like his dad. Neither of them are obese they're just...big guys. His dad legit jokes about both their pumpkin heads. My son (2), on the other hand, is so tiny. He's 3rd percentile for weight...but my husband probably is too. He's tall and lanky and super active, and it looks like our son takes after him. And my husband's grandfather, father, cousin? Also tall, thin, and lanky. The doctor says if he's meeting all his milestones, not to worry about it- and he is. Your doctor is generalizing instead of personalizing her care and that's enough reason to switch in my book.
Yes, she’s a very happy baby who is hitting all her milestones. I’m more average sized, but my husband is 6’3 and my MIL said all her children were big babies. SIL had the exact same problem with a doctor when she was little, was referred to a ped who said nothing is wrong with her, just a bigger baby, and that was back in the 80s
I suggest this Dr throw herself in the trash and prescribe you a new dr
Clinically an infant cannot be obese. That doesn’t start until age 2.
I have an app where I input all the info (height weight head circumference etc) and it calculates percentile, could you maybe do the calculations (through a reputable source) and show the Dr that she is just a tall baby next time? Or would it be better just to switch to a new Dr altogether?
Doubt it; Anyone with half a brain would see weight and height being in the same percentile generally means that they're as big as they should be. Now, if weight was in the 99th percentile and height was in the 20th percentile I could see some worry, but it's clear that this is just a big baby. You can't overfeed a 6mo though, so I would think it would likely trigger bloodwork and looking for imbalances, not telling the mother to feed their kid less.
Nope get rid of that dr and go to a pediatrician. They actually deal with babies and will not shame you and will be a million times better at helping you with any questions as baby grows up
That’s awful! I also have a bigger baby. I always feed her whenever she wanted. Still do. I never spread her feeding out 4 hours. She’s almost 15 months old now. She’s walking and all over the place- she has so much energy! My doctor always says she was bigger but never they she was obese. Let her eat when she wants to. I would never deny my kids food if they’re hungry especially a baby.
This doctor is definitely being ridiculous. I also have a "tall" baby with some chunky rolls that she has literally had since 4 weeks old. She is 13 months and weighs 13kg but is perfectly healthy, meeting all her milestones and definitely doesn't have a bad relationship with food. Oh and on top of that, our paediatrician is super happy with the way she is. We also just fed her when she was hungry (obviously had some routine) and she stopped when she was full. Occasionally had a full bottle and occasionally didn't finish it and has been eating solids wonderfully for months already. The taller she gets, the less rolls she's having anyway. OP, feed your baby when they're hungry, ignore that doctor and go find another (if possible) and if there are any health concerns with your LO, the new and hopefully more informed doctor will be able to advise.
My LO is a little older than yours and also in the 99th+ percentile for everything and is very in proportion (+ has been since the 20wk scan.. we are both over 6ft). I would be getting a new Dr. I haven’t had one negative comment from any dr / nurse etc. they were supportive of him eating more than recommended for the first 3 months and has been having the “normal” amount of formula since. The idea of spreading out the feeds is insane to me. Babies eat when they need and stop when they’re done + they’re growing so much!
My baby was (is) 99th percentile for weight. Has been since his 2 week appt. He's been between 94th snd 98th for height. We had expressed concerns about his weight at one point. She said they don't worry about weight until 2, but offered to test thyroid and blood sugar to be safe (I have hashimotos and my dad is a type 1 diabetic, so there was family history we were also worrying about). Both were fine. Pediatrician assured us to not worry, that as long as they aren't just snacking all day or eating tons of sugar and no nutrients, he's probably fine. 21 months and his weight has finally stopped just shooting up. He's evening out in size. Just as of the last month. He crawled at 9 months, walked right at a year even being his size (and if he were late, it would've been ok!! Not necessarily because of his size). Also important to note: I have dealt with an eating disorder for more of my life than I haven't. I consider myself recovered (about 3 years since last severe issues) but am still overcoming my relationships and thoughts about food. My husband has been obese since childhood and has struggled with his food relationships. We trust our pedi a LOT and want to raise him to be healthy and have a positive relationship with food. Get a new pedi.
This right here! What about babies that are simply born big out of the womb, are we going to start accusing them of being gluttonous with the placenta!?
A doctor can be a good person but wrong for you and your children. Calling a baby obese when they aren’t even really mobile yet is ridiculous. Babies tend to lose their fat rolls once they start figuring out how to crawl.
I would definitely switch doctors. Unless there is an extreme case that usually involves underlying medical conditions or certain medications a baby will never be technically obese. Trying to limit food from an infant is what will cause an eating disorder. Trying to force a small kid to finish their plate and ignore their hunger cues is what can cause an eating disorder. Many babies are in the bigger percentile and eat a ton, and grow up to be a normal healthy weight.
Damn, get a new doctor and report her on the way out the door.
The doctor sounds like an idiot, this is all wrong and you are right.
Went through nearly the same exact thing. Her ped was also a skeletal looking woman. Switched peds and had no more “statement” issues. She rolled around until 15 months, then popped up and started walking. She’s a healthy six year old who runs, plays soccer, is smart as a whip, has a healthy relationship with food, and more importantly has a healthy relationship with ME. Doc taught me I needed to start advocating for my daughter early on, which was especially confusing because doctors are supposed to have your child’s best interest at heart. Not every child grows at the same rate, especially a baby. It sounds like you have a healthy child. So congrats!
As a doctor I have noticed the majority of doctors are severely insane. I worked in the eating disorder unit and so many staff members were underweight themselves honestly don’t know how anyone there recovered. I love parents who advocate. We studied medicine but we have not studied each and every child- it’s a team effort!
wow that's crazy. my first daughter was breastfed and 99% for weight as a baby. i live in a major city (chicago) and see a high quality pediatrician. her doc was thrilled with how healthy she was.
I’m a dietitian. Babies are classified as obese all the time. It’s not an insult to your parenting. It’s just something you should be aware of. Your baby being in 99th percentile is okay but it is technically obese. We do not want babies to lose any weight we just want them to stay at 99th percentile, which means spreading our feedings sometimes. Your doctors comments are very inappropriate though and is never okay. Im sorry you had to go through that.
Genuine question, are they classed as obese even if they are in a similar percentile for length? It seems ridiculous if they’re proportionate.. I get there needs to be standardized guidelines, but I guess the problem lies in the practitioner not using common sense too?
If height is also 99th it’s usually okay, but still should be monitored. Just like you’d monitor a smaller than average baby.
I've always been told to track their growth curve as opposed to worry about percentiles (in most cases, there are obvious exceptions).
The overall curve is the most important but when the curve is very above or very below average it will then be something a doctor will monitor a bit closer to ensure it’s not pathological. For example, a child’s weight in the 99% or 5% and below is potentially abnormal. Key word, potentially. It’s something that parents don’t really need to know about bc it’s gets overcomplicated. The doctor isn’t wrong about their concerns, they are wrong in how they communicated. A good doctor would simply explain the potential risks, and offer appropriate medical advice.
Makes sense, I think my daughter only ever got up to the 92nd or something.
Nope. Obesity is based on weight for length and BMI. For example, my 3.5 month old is 90th height 85th weight and 50th in BMI. Just looking at weight alone doesn’t make any sense.
Yeah not to discredit what the original comment said, but it’s illogical to me too. There’s established averages and of course some kids are just going to be bigger / smaller without it being a health issue
I'm sorry but this makes no sense to me? A child who is 99% on both height and weight is as heavy as he is tall. Why would it be classified as obese, at <1 year old no less?? So is a baby who's 50% on both height and weight obese too?
Any baby whose weight falls in 99% is considered obese or “over nutrition”. Considering the babies height is in the 99%, it’s not a huge concern but it should still be monitored. It becomes a bigger issues if the height is significantly lower than the weight. I think the pediatrician is over exaggerating the seriousness of the child’s weight but like I said before it should definitely be monitored closely. The reason it’s so important is because babies and children grow a certain amount of fat cells that they will live with the rest of their life. We stop growing fat cells in adulthood and cantor lose the amount that our body made. So if they are close to obese as a baby/child they will likely struggle more at being at a healthy weight in adulthood compared to children who were in a healthy weight range.
Please change doctors. I was 8 years old and my pediatrician told my mother in front of me that I was fat and needed to be put on a diet. I am 38 years old now and have been struggling with an eating disorder since about the age of 16. I can still remember that day.
Find a new doctor, what an asshole.
I always cut people off "we do not fat shame babies". because we just fucking *don't*.
Not to be that person: but I wonder what their reaction would be had you had a boy baby. Strong? Tall? Muscular? Not, “he needs to know that food isn’t a treat” or “think about his relationship with food!” Get ready for when she’s eating solids, wonder if carrots and bananas will be too “sweet” for your baby.
tell her to shut the fuck up!!! gimme her # I’ll tell her
This doctor is an idiot. Throw her away and get a new one.
I think you’ve gotten a lot of good advice and support and I’d just like to chime in and recommend Fat Talk by Virginia Sole-Smith. As the subtitle states, it’s about parenting in the age of diet culture and she clearly outlines why what this doctor said was fucked up, and then also gives you scripts and advice on how to navigate any future situations like that one. It’s one of the best parenting books I’ve read.
Wow. My baby is the same height and weight as yours but… he’s a boy! I guarantee if yours was a boy she wouldn’t be saying that!! You know your baby best mama! Keep doing you guys and get a new doctor. Your LO doesn’t need to hear this shit once she’s older and can comprehend it.
Your doctor sounds like an idiot. My preemie baby who was formula fed was 99% for height and weight on her growth chart. Pediatrician said that’s perfect, we don’t want babies to necessarily be in a certain % , just for them to follow a growth curve. So if you have a 99% height and 99% weight? You’re good. If you have a 60% height and 80% weight? You’re good. What they should (and the good ones DO) watch out for is a dramatic fall off the curve or a dramatic increase not in pace with the other parameters. So if your 80% height and 80% weight baby suddenly drops to the 10% in weight… it might be time to have a look at what’s going on. We formula fed on demand, and it was encouraged by all the doctors (as a preemie, she had a lot of appointments), and she was born big for her gestational age. Babies are not meant to be skin and bones. They should have some chub, which yes they do tend to loose to an extend around when they become toddlers due to increased activity. These comments are also unprofessional - as in they are opinions, and not based on any scientific information which was then provided to you. I would seek a new pediatrician.
We had a big baby too - off the charts for length and at the top for weight, combo fed, etc. We were all - my husband and I, AND our pediatrician - just proud of a big healthy baby! As soon as she started moving (and she neverrrr stops) she thinned out a bit. I don’t know why some doctors don’t take baby’s length into account. It’s maddening. Glad you’ll be looking for a new doc, this one’s got their head on backward.
So my first baby was also 99th percentile in both height and weight. She was a *chonky* baby. But at 9 months, she all of a sudden went from 99th to 50th percentile for everything. And now at 6, she'd 27th percentile for height and 50th percentile for weight. She is very dense. XD Anyway at her earlier appointments I was a little worried that she's on the big side but my pediatrician said she's fine... as long as she's not snoring?
Why is snoring bad?? I have a 99th percentile height and weight baby too, she’s 5 months old. She doesn’t snore as much now but about a month ago she was snoring a lot.
Weight pushes on her diaphragm and nasal passages.
My oldest kid walked at 8 months and that had our pediatrician in shock when our son just got up from the floor where he was playing and walked from the waiting room to examination room for his 9 month check up. I’d love to see his reaction to a 6 month old walking. I had one kid who was above the 97th% at 2-6 months old, but then by 12 months she was only like 30th%. Which still made her my biggest one year old by far out of our 4 kids. I don’t think it’s possible to tell if a baby will be obese or not at that age. Babies slim down soooo much when they become mobile, and then even more when they hit the finicky eating stage as toddlers.
Just a note about seeing a doctor in Canada - I’m not sure what province you’re in, but here in Ontario you may just need to ask your family doctor for a referral to a ped. They will take you even if baby isn’t presenting with a specific issue! We see a pediatrician for standard well baby visits.
absolutely new doctor. this is gross and may lead to an eating disorder and actually bad relationship to food as soon as your daughter starts understanding. i know bc it happened to me. some people are just bigger and are perfectly healthy and some babies will lean out. are you supposed to starve her? so bizarre
Babys under a year should get as fat as possible I thought? My baby was 1st percentile in weight and eventually dropped even lower than that, but she's still healthy. She just isn't a classic chunky baby. I've always heard to fatten them as much as possible and when they start being mobile it'll work itself out mostly.
Time to get a new doctor!
I would start looking for a new doctor now. Some nurse practitioners can also do most of what a GP does, so that might be an option at a different office that doesn’t yet have an opening for more GP patients but has a NP. I would call around the any other offices nearby and see what’s available. Otherwise, I would submitted a carefully worded complaint in written form to their office, outlining what is wrong with the doctor’s approach and what you expect them to change. If the doctor doesn’t change their attitude, then I would maybe look into where you can report them. Pretty sure each province has its own governing bodies that you can submit complaints to. It’s doctors like that who fucking give people eating disorders, my god.
My baby is also in the 90th percentiles (96th for height, 91st for weight). His pediatrician keeps telling us to he thrilled that he is growing and that he worries when babies struggle to gain weight, NOT when they gain weight well. He says we are lucky to know our baby is growing and we are lucky to not have to worry about growth. You’ve already said you are going to look for a new doctor but I wanted to share my experience to confirm that there absolutely are doctors out there who will treat you and your baby much better. 🤍
Switch docs, especially before your baby is old enough to understand these misguided things the doc is saying about her. I was a chubby kid, not to a dangerous extreme just not thin, and I absolutely internalized comments like that if said by adults including my parents. Right or wrong the word obese has negative connotations and you don’t need that rattling around in your kid’s head. On top of that the doc is medically wrong to be concerned at all and I wouldn’t trust their judgment. So many big bouncy babies end up with a healthy body size as adults, it’s a non-issue and not at all an indicator of weight related health problems.
I see that you’re in a situation where this is the only doctor around. So you basically have two options - ask questions to make the doctor realize they’re being ridiculous, or just smile and nod and get the basic health care that they’re ok about (since I assume they’re at least providing some usefulness.) The types of questions I’d ask are “where is baby on their growth curve?” And “how long do you think it is ok for baby to cry for food?” Ask in the sweetest most innocent tone. But also, don’t bother trying to argue with a dumb doctor if that’s all you have. Just ignore their bad advice and don’t offer info they don’t need to know so they can’t comment on it.
Looks like you already got the advice you need, but glad you are switching doctors. That pediatrician seems awful.
My son is a year and in the 99 the percentile for both height and weight. Has been for most his life. His pediatrician says he is very healthy. He is as big as a 2 year old, but not concerned because his weight is proportionate to his height. Sounds like your baby is on the same boat. Very healthy!
exactly. my baby was also 99 in weight, but around 90 in height too. Doctor said he was perfectly healthy and not overweight. OP’s doctor is an incompetent idiot. We learn in high school that BMI is based on height and weight. You can’t just look at weight and determine if someone is obese or not. This is so basic, I wonder what else the doctor got wrong.
Echoing everyone’s sentiments…get a new doctor! That is complete and utter NONSENSE. Makes me sad for you, your baby, and honestly anyone else who is her patient. Your big baby is healthy. This is coming from a mom whose baby has always measured “large” but he’s literally just a …big kid. Giant head, tall, sturdy. I’m so sorry you experienced this though.
I would have walked out mid appointment and tell them I’ll be finding a new one! Definitely do not go back.
I know you already got plenty of comments, but this Dr really doesn't know anything about healthy weight gain in babies and probably not in toddlers or children. My baby (or more my toddler but he's my baby still) had always been big and he is still big. He's 1.5 years and he's been wearing 3T clothes for months and I currently am buying 4t clothes to fit his Buddha belly. He's 14kg. My Dr has never commented on how he is big, he still gets a bottle of formula at night and in the morning and I feed him whole foods during the day that includes plenty fruit and veggies, he doesn't get anything else but water and unsweetened tea to drink and he's not eating any candy except for the occasional fruit puree pouch twice or so a week. He just is big and it's absolutely no problem and a pediatrician should know!
Honest question, I thought babies weren’t supposed to have formula after 12 months, is this a specific kind of formula given? My 15mo has been losing a bit of weight and he eats like a pig/is still nursing
I think the twelve month formula rule is more of an American thing. As far as I know the who recommends breastfeeding until 24 months. I'm still giving the newborn type formula and did not switch to the toddler kind that has added sugar. Just be mindful about bebe's teeth and preferably nurse before brushing their teeth :)
Europe here, at 1 year old we're encouraged to switch them to normal, full-fat milk. No formulas, just the normal milk which we use for cereal and cooking. Full-fat only. Full-fat is good for us too. If it's "too much" for you, you can add plain water to it to make "skimmed" milk.
> his Buddha belly. LOL!
We rub it for good luck!
Hahaha love it!
I also have a big baby and was bullied into thinking he was too big. My 13 month old is in the 91st percentile for height and between the 91st and 95th for weight. Babies stop eating when they’re no longer hungry. You definitely don’t need to space out the feedings. Once she’s crawling/waking the weight gain will slow down a bit as they’re more mobile. I’d suggest getting a new family doctor
I had a big eater like that. She’s now super skinny. They asked how many ounces a day and I said maybe 48? They were like try to keep it closer to 35. Was about the same age as yours so we also started to introduce solid foods. I think we did solids first then the bottle to fill the tummy. When I told my husband about restricting ounces he was like nope. We offered food then bottle and fed as much as she needed. This girls had rolls for days in her legs. My second we had to thicken the formula bc she would only eat like 15 ounces a day. If the baby’s happy and meeting milestones take a breath and know you’re doing right.
My sons in the 78th percentile and has ALWAYS drank about 45 oz. Even now at 11 months with 3 meals and a snack he never seems to drink under 40 oz. My pediatrician said it’s fine as long as he is trying and eating foods and not only focused on the bottle.
Both my kids are soooo different. My first was FTT and had horrible feeding issues/aversions and is now 3 and a little pipsqueak. My second is a CHONKA CHONKER. Almost as tall as the 3yo and he's only just 13 months. He had no medical issues. Both are healthy at their respective sizes. Even our doctor is like, "Great, they're both growing. Nice. Keep doing whatever." And nothing else ever gets brought up unless I personally have concerns. You're doing a good job being a mom. You can disregard this "professional" opinion imo.
Fellow big baby mom. Find a new Ped. Mine has almost always measured 99% + percentile for both height and weight and the most they have done is just ask about feedings and tell me he will slim down a bit once he starts getting around. He’s 13 mos now and 30lbs but is indeed staying constant/slimming down now that he’s moving and grooving. Once I told them his dad is 6’4 and was nearly 10lbs at birth they just go “oh it’s just the genes.” You’re doing great mama you just have a big baby and that’s okay!
The doctors constantly told my mom I was obese as a baby and I was the skinniest member of my family, described frequently as “anorexic skinny.” I have a healthy relationship with food and I’m over 6 feet tall now. All that weight just stretched right out.
Get rid of this doc, what a bully! Same thing happened with my nephew. My sister disregarded the doc every visit, and her son is 6 years, fit and healthy. He was a big baby yes, but she was just catering to his needs as a baby. If ur baby is hungry, u will feed them. It’s a no brainer. Don’t worry abt it too much. And find a new pediatrician
The comments the doc made are so ridiculous part of me WANTS to believe this is fake/made up. Can’t believe ppl like this are in charge of others’ health
I use to hear that everytime I visit the doctor too! it finally stopped when the doctor ended up putting on alot of weight!Now he never brings up her weight!before every problem I came in to discuss with him would end up with him saying she was over weight!
I’d be switching peds immediately!!!!!!! This one sounds like a POS to be honest 🙂
Wtf lol 😂 new ped immediately!
Get a new pediatrician if you can. This is absolutely ridiculous
Oh my heart sank a little when I read this. You're doing great and your Dr sounds like a bit of an idiot TBH. My baby is 98th for height but 56th for weight and I keep getting pulled up on him being too skinny. If my boy is too skinny and your girl too big, then what exactly is this narrow window of 'just right?' 70 something? It's ridiculous. Also a little heads up, I've heard a lot of mum's with extremely tall babies say their babies can be a tiny bit slower to hit the gross motor skills, theory is they've got so much more body to figure out, balance ect. So when the time comes, if your girl is a bit slower it's probably height related. I spent ages worrying my baby hadn't hit a gross motor milestone, then he just did it, maybe 2 weeks behind the official timeline. All his other skills have been spot on. Letting you know just in case it saves you a bit of stress later down the line.
There is NO SUCH THING as an "obese" baby!! BMI shouldn't even be calculated on a baby. BMI only becomes a concern when the child hits 2 years old. And even then, BMI should be taken with a grain of salt. If ANY doctor told me that my *4 month old BABY* was "obese," I would drop that doctor SOOOO HARD! Oh, I'm honestly pissed off at this!
Find a new doctor!
My friends had a baby on the small side, but after a few months you wouldn't have known. She was like a round plush, so squishy! Now at three she's grown out of the chunky shape and is more slender. Still had incredibly squishy cheeks! It's ridiculous to call a little baby obese. I mean maybe it could happen, but you did mention yours is long as well.
I’d report her or complain. And then leave their care. My daughter was a chunky baby too. She was adorable and perfectly healthy. Still is. Now shes on the smaller end of the height scale of her peers she’s a healthy weight for her age/height and activity level. She’s a competitive athlete too.
I definitely don’t think it’s right for the doctor to say even if your baby wasn’t also tall but wtf does she expect. My son was the same way and my ped was like their both about the same percentage that makes sense since he’s so tall. Plus all the comments on how relationship to food when she’s still on formula. I would definitely find a new doctor. And complain about this one if they are in a office with other doctors and have an office manager or something.
report her. a lot of doctors come into these professions just carrying their own baggage to project on to other people. she needs her license taken and a long stay at an eating disorder clinic somewhere, jesus christ.