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Grandson 7 months old weight

(22 Posts)
CN23 Fri 09-Aug-19 10:07:27

I am concerned that my GGS is struggling being overweight,he is breastfed on demand also weaning,my granddaughter doesn’t see the problem,not sure if he is being checked by GP or health visitor,grandaughter seems to be in denial of any problems,any advice woul be much appreciated,thank you

Bibbity Fri 09-Aug-19 10:11:33

You can’t over feed a BF baby. If he’s only just being weaned she’s probably followed the 6 month guideline and he’s likely not consuming that much food and so is still getting all his ‘food’ from the breastmilk.
She’s not in denial, you need to relax and don’t bring it up any more.
All 3 of mine were born over 9lb and just kept getting bigger and bigger. They lean out when they get moving.

CN23 Fri 09-Aug-19 10:22:29

Thank you

Farmor15 Fri 09-Aug-19 11:05:32

My grandson, also fully breast-fed, looked like a Michelin man, with rolls of fat around his neck and the rest of him! Once he got moving, he lost the fat, and now at nearly 3, is a normal weight. It seems to be usual for babies, (even animal babies smile) to pile on a bit of fat in the first months

paddyann Fri 09-Aug-19 11:11:58

I woulden't worry about a baby's weight,he'll still be getting regular checks so IF your GD was overfeeding(though I dont think a baby will eat what it doesn't want) it will be picked up.My GS was another Michelin man lookalike .He slimmed down as he got mobile ,he's now 6 foot and muscled and wears a man bun ..he's 16 .

FlexibleFriend Fri 09-Aug-19 11:13:00

Better a chunky baby than a skinny one. My GS is breast fed and starting weaning is big, then again so were both my bottle fed boys and it disappears like magic once they start walking. If my Dil is anything to go by she's following the guidelines rigidly. Stop worrying and besides which any input from you will be seen s interference.

ElaineI Fri 09-Aug-19 23:53:19

Agree with Bibbity. Trained midwife/nurse. Don't worry. WHO advice breastfeeding recommended till age 2 or above alongside weaning after 6 months. Unless DGD giving baby sugary donuts or similar as weaning food then she is doing absolutely the correct thing. Health visitor will check at recommended intervals and baby will have Red Book of weight, height, immunisations etc. And also it is not for you to be questioning her about this so don't interfere or you might risk not seeing your DGGS.

Witzend Sat 10-Aug-19 20:35:23

At 7 months I honestly wouldn't worry.

My Gds - entirely breast fed until at least 7 months - was a real roly-poly little porker of a baby from about 4 months. However he was admitted to hospital at least twice with bronchiolitis, and the first time was so bad he had to be sedated, tube fed and given oxygen. So he lost quite a bit of that roly poly fat - thank goodness he had it in the first place.
Most of it soon went back on again once he was better.

I think babies are chubby for a reason - they lose weight so fast if they become ill. And it tends to roll off anyway once they start running around.
Gds is now just 3, slim and a perfectly normal weight. He started slimming down once he was crawling with a vengeance! (Top speed!)
Please don't worry.

Callistemon Sat 10-Aug-19 20:48:14

My DGS was a very large breast-fed baby and is now a very tall 11 year old, not overweight.

DS was also a chubby baby but, in fact, an extremely skinny toddler (and now very tall).

Wait until they start moving!

agnurse Sun 11-Aug-19 02:37:30

It's very difficult to overfeed a breastfed baby. The mother's body adjusts to what the baby needs. Breastfeeding on demand is healthy and is recommended as the standard now. (If babies are left to get too hungry, they actually don't feed as well.)

Hithere Sun 11-Aug-19 03:58:59

This is between the parents and their pediatrician of their choice.

If the pediatrician has not expressed this same concern to the parents of the child, there is nothing to worry about.

Don't mention anything (or mention it again) to your granddaughter or you may risk your relationship with them.

Framilode Sun 11-Aug-19 06:17:25

Another one here whose breastfed grandchild was like the michelin man. We called him 'Munch' he was so fat, a name he still gets to this day. As soon as he started moving around on his own the weight went. He is 13 now and slim as a rake. I woudn't worry.

agnurse Sun 11-Aug-19 08:38:42

Breastfeeding actually lowers a child's risk for obesity later in life.

jacq10 Sun 11-Aug-19 17:18:31

Back in the day (many years ago!!) guidelines were: double birth weight at 6 mths, triple birth weight at 1 yr. I kept DCs health clinic cards to show I managed to get it right!! I was very much on my own (DH husband working all hours) as my mum has passed away when I was pregnant second time round and no immediate family so was really guided and helped by health visitor and local clinic.

Callistemon Sun 11-Aug-19 18:22:50

their paediatrician of their choice
We tend not to see a paediatrician in the UK, Hithere, unless a child is sick.

Do they still run baby clinics here in the UK? I remember dutifully taking my DC along to be weighed and measured and it was a place of social contact to meet other young mums.
I don't remember DIL mentioning going to one.

M0nica Sun 11-Aug-19 19:17:52

You can’t over feed a BF baby. You can. DS was the first overweight breast fed baby my health visitor had ever seen. He weighed 9lbs when born. and then put on a lb a week for at least the ensuing six weeks.

I was the only mother breast feeding in the clinic I attended and my HS wanted to use him as an object lesson for other mothers. But she couldn't because he was by far the biggest baby there. A true incipient Buddha. Even at a year, photogtaphs show a plump baby. Fortunately, at 18 months he had a 24 hour temperature and gave up on eating for the next 9 years.

I then was faced with the opposite problem of getting him to eat.

M0nica Sun 11-Aug-19 19:19:42

I would never worry about a child under a year being overweight. Everything can change so much and so quickly.

GrandmaJan Sun 11-Aug-19 19:24:57

As a Health Visitor (retired) it’s lovely to read that a baby is still being breastfed at 7 months. Breastfeeding alone rarely causes babies to be overweight but if he’s being weaned it could be the weaning foods she’s giving him. Unfortunately there is a chronic shortage of HV’s since the NHS handed them over to the local Councils and funding was cut for training but hopefully your GGS should receive a visit (or an invite to the clinic) for a 1 year assessment. When I was a HV breastfeeding mums were visited I had more frequently but those days are gone. Just give him time, once he starts walking he’ll lose some of his baby chubbiness

Hithere Sun 11-Aug-19 19:47:02

Callistemom,

I am US based.

Then, instead of pedi, let me say - medical professional of the parents' choice

agnurse Mon 12-Aug-19 09:05:36

I usually use the term "provider". This encompasses physicians, physician assistants, and nurse practitioners (nurses with advanced training, often graduate degrees, that enables them to diagnose and treat common medical conditions).

Callistemon Mon 12-Aug-19 10:17:12

Few of whom the OP's DD probably needs to see, apart from the HV for the normal check on weight/height, unless there is a health problem of course.

This requires a modicum of common sense, ie weight in relation to length and whether or not the child has started moving around at 7 months therefore using up more energy.

Callistemon Mon 12-Aug-19 10:21:36

GrandmaJan
It's such a pity that cutbacks have forced the closure of some clinics.
It was not just a place to go for assessments, it was a place for reassurance and where new mums could meet others and friendships formed.