The BIG toddler - did you have one?

[mum2maddy]

Hi All

Firstly i just want to say I love my DD so much, she is the coolest little chick around and is such a sweetheart.

She is perfect in every way, but she's just so big!

She turned 3 a couple of weeks ago and she's 106 cm and weighs 23 kilos! I'm 18 weeks preggers and I can't lift her anymore. She's the biggest kid in her daycare class and I wonder whether she'll get teased about it?

I have a bit of a complex really about her size cos everyone who sees her thinks she's 5. And when they find out she's 3 they always say - OMG she's a biggin! I worry that she is listening when people comment on her size, I always play it down but I can't exactly gag them.

She's not overweight I don't think, she's pretty level in the height and weight chart thing although for her age she is well above the 97th percentile.

Did anyone else have a bigger than average child? How did they go in school with bullying? I mean I was always taller than most kids at school, but I wasn't "built" like DD is so I could blend in a little better.

I just need to know she's going to be treated "normally".

Anyone?

Cheers

[mum1986]

according to the growth charts my ds is the size of a 4.5 yr old. at 3 he is 105 cms tall and just over 20 kilos. i don't think it really maters so long as there size is in proportion. where a short stocky kid may get picked on i don't think it's the same for a tall kid. my son is the same size as his best friend and she is 5 yrs old. he 2 has the most gorgeous personality and i think thats all that matters.
when ppl comment on his size i just laugh and tell them i am just glad he started growing after the birth, they generally laugh and drop the subject.
i found the only hard part really is clothes, my ds is now in size 5-6, and i find myself buying new clothes all the time.
it is so nice to know that my baby boy isn't the only one growing so fast though, he has recently stopped growing so fast and the health nurse told me that he should slow down and the other kids will catch up before long

[purtig]

My DS was 102cm at 3 years, which is still quite tall. Lots of people think he is older and therefore assume he should be acting a different way and doing things he just can't do yet. It's hard. He has a slim build though and has been around 17kg for ages now, just his height and serious look make him look older!

I wouldn't worry too much. As long as she is eating healthy food, getting some excercise and is happy I think it's fine. And with the chart I think it's more important that they are following the curve, rather than what percentile they are on.

Just realised I really haven't answered any of your questions, but hope I've helped a bit anyway!

[mum2maddy]

Well that's reassuring. I totally here what you're saying about people expecting more from a bigger child. Even though DD is quite advanced (apparently, according to the daycare people) she is still only 3 and people expect her to talk & act like a 5 year old.

DD is in size 6-7 clothes now! Her 2 year old cousin is in size 1!

I took DD to the Doc the other day, basically just cos I had an appointment i thought she could have a check up. The Dr reccommended we watch her closely and if she is spiking in either height or weight in the next 6 months she should see a pead. Fingers crossed she stays level.

Cheers

[purtig]

DS is in size 3 or 4 pants for his smaller waist and size 4,5 or 6 tops for the length! I keep buying clothes to put away for when he is bigger, only to have him find them and put them on and they fit now.

[lilly]

I hear you!

my DD is 22 months and is 86 cm.

I always cringe when people ask me how old she is because I know the next line is 'REALLY!!?? OMG she's Sooooooo big! She must be 120% percentile or something'

and we've just started Gymbaroo and the instructer the other day was telling me that 'she's still acting like a baby' and I need to do this and that to get her to speak etc. It was only later that I thought the instructor may have thought she was older than she was.

but according to the chart she is 75th percentile for her height. maybe she is more for her weight, dunno. She has a fair size head and a lot of curly hair, so I think that makes her look bigger and older as well. She is in size 2 and I think she will be for a while yet.

I'm tempted to tell people she is older, just to avoid the comments. I know people don't mean any harm, it's just soooo boring to have the same conversation over and over and over...I've learnt to just not comment on other kids, unless it's something like 'they're so cute'.

I was tall in school but didn't have any problems. I'm a bit worried about my DD being teased though. I guess good self-esteem helps with that.

xx

[Pina Colada]

My two are pretty solid kids - especially DS. Not 'chubby', but muscular and broad shouldered.

I get lots of "he's well fed etc. etc" which don't really bother me.

I find the worst thing is my brothers little ones are the same age, and really tiny and they are ALWAYS getting compared especially by my SIL, usually in the company of other people :banghead:

I'm currently putting up with it, but the second I think they are old enough to even REMOTELY understand what is being said, I am going to warn them that there is to be no more of the comparisons, and if they continue I will do my block :hissy:

I am very concerned about their future at school if they are going to be bigger than the other kids. I know that they are not overweight, or chubby, but the fact that they are bigger worries me that they will be teased :(

[kymmy]

I stopped picking up my daughter not long after she started walking at one. She is still a big girl (about 26kg at almost 8yr)
My big boy is quite big too. People wondered how I could lift him at 6 months. He is now almost 5 and he is not chubby, quite skinny really.
My youngest I still lift at 2 though I try not to too much as I am preg. He is heavy but not chubby. I definitely wont be lifting him at 3.
My kids are actually fairly average size. There are kids that are much bigger at school. And sadly they do get teased a bit.

[evaandlilly]

i can totally relate to all this, my eva is 3 she is a tiny little thing still in size 1 and 2 clothes :laughing: then my lilly well she is 22mths and some size 4 clothes depending on make etc are too small, she is taller than eva, and about 18kgs, and the shock in ppls face when i tell them eva is 3 and lilly is not even 2 yet is hilarious they say are u sure??? ppffft think i know how old my daughters are! but i dont think its something to be worried about all kids are different and just cause they are bigger now doesnt mean they wont slim down !!!! :D

[SassyMummy]

DD isn't as big as some of the kids here, but she's still big. People think she's older than she is - she's about 95cm and 17kg at age 2.5. She's about a size 3, but I'm buying 4s and they fit okay... (I'm buying them so they last longer).

She was much bigger a while ago... she only put on about 1kg during ages 1 to 2... but before that, she was so big. lol.

[reAllytee]

Yep Boof has always been a big boy thus the name :p

He has always been right at the top of the charts or off them for his age & has always been average size for a year ahead or so.

He has slowed now thank God cause seriously the way we went through clothes was ridiculous ! The only prob is now that he has slowed so dramatically in weight & even lost a little when he had a tummy bug a few weeks ago his clothes dont fit properly ! I need a size 4 for him in length but now that he is only 14kgs they fall off him ! He is 3 in 3wks or so & i think from memory he was 106cms last time he was measured cant remember anymore :o

He is the biggest kid in daycare but not the oldest lol but he is fine & loves it !

[MordecaiAliVanAllenO'Shea]

My sister gets this with her DS - he is very tall for his age, always has been. He also has a speech delay so it has always been hard with what people expect from him and what he can say. He is 4 now but looks at least 6 and people think his speech problems are a lot worse than they are because they compare him to 6 yr olds.

My sister has actually been referred by her Paed. for some tests for him because they are concerned now his hieght is still increasing but his weight is not increasing at the same rate so whereas before he was in proportion now he is getting a bit skinny. They want to make sure there isnt a problem with his pituatary gland creating excess growth hormone or something like that. When he was 2 she had one stupid paed tell her to put him on a diet to slow down his growth (he wasnt overwieght at all). I urged her to get a second opinion which she did because to my knowledge the only way you can stop someone's height increasing with diet is if they are actually malnourished!!

I dont know about them being teased - he hasnt encountered that so far. Average height seems to be increasing, there seem to be a lot more tall kids around these days. I'm a decent height (172cm) and when I was teaching a fair amount of the year 6 kids were my height and some taller!

[Widget]

DD1 was 82cms and 15kgs last month at her 18 month check up... She's started to come down on the averages chart which upsets her Daddy who is over 2m! We took DD2 to see a Paed and had DD1 jump on the scales and measured her height and he had a mini argument with the Paed coz she said the girls will be "average" height :laughing:

I'm often told that she's older and get horrid looks because she's not walking yet... umm she's 19 months and had surgery on her spinal cord 9 months ago!!! Of course she's not walking yet, close but not game to let go yet. She didn't crawl til 13 months!!

Anyhoo, back on topic, I expect my girls to be "bigger" than average, Daddy's tall and well proportioned and Mummy's a shorty who is very solidly built!! I'd prefer them to get some of his height! Unfortunately, DD1 is built like me... DD2 we don't know yet, she's only 2 months... She was 6cms longer than her sister at birth though!

[MummaBear03]

Nah mine is right on the 50th percentile for her age in both height and weight, paed says she's "perfect" in size :D

Does she eat right? I know that kids I've looked after in childcare that are that size that eat right usually slim right off when they start doing more activities and it's really just "puppy fat" although they do remain tall kids which is hardly a bad thing, something you can turn into a very positive thing in fact. It's those that eat all junk foods that don't slim off and can become quite unhealthy. I looked after a child as a 5 year old who was the biggest little 5 year old I've ever seen and I saw him recently down at a local pub (man I feel OLD!!!!) and he's turned into a very handsome boy. He's 18 now, very tall but not unhealthy by any stretch. I don't think there's any reason to worry if the child is eating right and getting the right amount of activity in their day.

[veve]

yup - I have a biggie here .. I joke that I sprinkle steroids on his weetbix ..

JAck is just over two .. and wears at LEAST size four - and I've started buying size five boys clothes .. he weighs about 18kgs .. and is at LEAST the height of a three - three 1/2 year old ..

people NEVER think he is two .. which is sometimes hard - cause people expect him to behave better .. then they learn he is two .. and comment less ..

I think its easier too for society to accept a big BOY .. rather than a big GIRL (its like men are supposed to be more beefy/? while girls are supposed to be slender etc) .. funny isn't it .. sigh

xx
Jen

ETA- he is 27 months .. and weighs 17kgs (off the chart) .. is 97 cm tall (97% percentile) .. and has a head circ of 51.. which is the 95% percentile)

[tobmac]

i am the opposite my dd1 was very tall but didnt put on the weight too match the height and i used to get a ribbing from the health nurse she was too tall for her age hey you have a very tall dad what do you do to stop her growing? ds has just turned 3 and he weighs 13kg and fits size 2 clothes but he eats like a horse and all day long people look at him and tell me he is small but he is the right height he should be but again not the right weight but the pead said he is fine and healthy and my dd2 has just turned 18mth and she is 79cm tall and weighs 8kg the gp told me yesterday that she is so petite but she was premmie and she is happy and healthy and thats what counts, i do get things like dont you feed your kids etc but all mine do is eat..............

i think people should think before they open their mouth when commenting on kids and their weight as dd1 schoolfriend who is 8 is average build and height and she told her mum that she felt fat and needed to lose weight as someone at school told her that her uniform was getting tight?? hello kids do grow

[sweetsugardumplin']

[quote] and we've just started Gymbaroo and the instructer the other day was telling me that 'she's still acting like a baby' and I need to do this and that to get her to speak etc.What a horrible and unprofessional thing to say :no:

The instructor should have had some idea about your DD's age, that's just good practice.

Also, what if your child had a developmental delay for example, how insensitive :mad:



My DS went off the chart for height when he was a toddler. People always thought he was older and subsequently expected him to behave a certain way.

When he did lose it, I would often comment "Well what do you expect from a two year old ????" people were often gobsmacked.

I remember purchasing tix for a river boat ride and the guy wanted to charge us for DS, I asked "At what age did children need to have a paid ticket ?"

He replied "Four years of age"
I responded "He's not even three yet !!!!!!!" :(

[~Bec~]

I don't have a toddler (yet) but it's interesting to read this thread as I've never yet met anyone irl or on bh who's baby is as big as mine. At 7 months he weighed 12.2 kg. He was 8 month yesterday and we weighed him at home and he was 12.8kg but I am going to get him weighed on baby scales tomorrow as he still had one foot on the ground on the scales at home.

I have pretty good upper body strength :laughing:

He wears size 1-2 clothes but is started to edge on the size 2 now.

[Mamaduke]

My name is Mamaduke and I'm the mother of a big toddler...
When Lucas was 2 I felt like making him a t-shirt saying, "Give me a break, I'm only 2" on it because everyone would assume he was older because of his size. At 2 he was 18.5kgs and 94cms tall, and at 2 18.5kgs are working against you pretty much 24/7!!
He's now 3 (4 at the end of June) and weighs 26kgs, 113cms tall and is in size 6 clothes...same as his 6y/old big brother.
On a plane we were threatened with being kicked off because Lucas was having a tantrum. He was 2 at the time and the cabin crew member obviously assumed he was older because she ordered me to calm him down..."He's 2, he doesn't have an off switch" I informed her.
Another thing is Lucas looks like Gulliver when he's playing with children his own age, I just hope that being so much taller and bigger doesn't negatively affect him when he's a teenager.

[mum2maddy]

Thanks for all the stories everyone. At least I don't feel so alone now!

I still worry about her when she gets to school but I'm hoping that she slows down a bit before then.

She does a bit of exercise but is not an overly active child, she's always been a bit of a watcher instead of a doer. But i take her for daily hour walks now and have done for a few weeks but she hasn't dropped any weight - maybe 500 grams. She eats well and stuff too, so I guess it's just her genes. I mean I should've really expected this, all the women in my family are around 6ft tall! And the men are HUGE!

Scarey thought is my tummy bub measured 1.5 cm bigger at 12 weeks gestation than DD did. OMG - OUCH! Another biggin coming I'd say!

Anyway I'm off to give her a big cuddle!

Cheers