My daughter is 6 yrs old and overweight...........?

Question

I don't know what else to do for her. I don't let her eat sweets, and she never just sits around. She is very active but keeps gaining weight. I feel so bad for her, she plays t-ball and I can tell she has a hard time keeping up with the other girls. What should I do for her? Please give me some advice!

Answer 1

Hypothyroidism.

Answer 2

take her to the doctor. This could be more than just a chubby child. There could be something seriously wrong with her.

Answer 3

An active 6 year old who is gaining weight?  I don't think you're being completely honest about her diet and/or level of activity.  Maybe you are controlling the sweets, but what about the carbs, starches and processed foods?  Eating healthy means fruits, veggies, dairy and protein.  For a girl her age she should be eating a balanced combination of these things.  Is it possible that she is sneaking food when you don't know it?  If I were you, I would have a serious talk with her about food and how it either helps or hurts your body.  Also, if she's been kind of "chubby" all her life, she may be starting to feel self conscious.  You don't want her to despair and become an emotional eater.  Make a real commitment to helping her select the foods that she is going to eat each day, all day.  (don't just tell her what she can't have)  Take walks with her, so she can not only get exercise, but also have time to talk with you about how she is feeling about her body.  Help her to find something that she can feel really proud of (art, music, helping others) to promote good self esteem.  Lastly, I would talk to her pediatrician to find out exactly how over weight she is. (you may not want to tell her this number)   Then you will have a very clear picture of where her wight needs to be.  Talk to her about the realistic and healthy size that her body should be.

Answer 4

What IS she eating?  Does she get the proper 3-4 servings of fruits and veggies a day?  Does she drink plenty of water?  Is she eating a healthy balanced breakfast?  Unless there is some type of underlying medical issue, then it is definately her diet and activity.  Eliminate sodas and juices.  Dont buy fast food. Dont buy junk foods (chips/hot dogs/chkn fingers/pizza)  Dont cook as much fried foods.

Answer 5

have her checked at the doctor and consult a dietician. It may be the size of the meals, the type of food or anything. Get her checked by the doc first

Answer 6

I would start by having her get checked out by the pediatrician to make sure there is no underlying cause for her to be overweight. If that checks out good, then continue doing what your doing. At that age a lot of kids are a little chuncky but they slim out as they get taller.

Answer 7

What else do you let her eat?

Sweets wouldn't make her gain weight. What makes her gain weight is a generally bad diet - endless pizza, fries, biscuits and cakes, fried foods, chocolate and crisps between meals, and so on.

If she has a healthy diet generally and is active, I wouldn't worry about it unless she is very overweight. An awful lot of little girls are chubby until they hit puberty, then they suddenly shoot up and become tall and slim.

Answer 8

Something is being left out here. Active kids that eat right, don't just "keep gaining weight". If you hadn't noticed, there isn't A LOT of activity in t-ball. If that's your idea of active, you have no idea what active really is.

Definitely take your child to the doc to rule out conditions such as hypothyroidism. Once that's done and if that's not the issue, look at your child's habits and your own habits. How much activity do YOU get? Parents lead by example and kids will do whatever they see you doing. How much TV/computer/video game time do you allow your daughter to have? How much sleep does she get? Does she drink A LOT of water through out the course of the day, or is she getting soda's, fruit juice (which is super high in sugar)....I hope you're not still giving her whole milk at this age. Make sure her salt intake isn't really high either. There are many things that can sabotage a diet and not all of them are so obvious, so be sure to read labels.

Activity needs to be VIGOROUS and at least 30 minutes to an hour EVERY DAY. That's the minimum amount. You need to get her weight under control now or she will be in a world of hurt when she's 10 and likely going through puberty!

Maybe you're lucky and this is just a chubby phase for her~~were you or her dad chubby at that age, or your siblings? That's another thing to look at.

Good luck.

Answer 9

It isn't always the sweets that cause a problem. I would take another look at her diet. Is she getting a variety of fruits and veggies? Cereal is great and full of vitamins too. Limit her fast food and her fried foods and help her develop healthy eating habits now and it should make a big difference now AND later.

Answer 10

hum i was a chubby 6-9yr old. but when i got to 10 i grew really tall really fast, are u and or ur hubby tall? i was 4''8 until i was 10, when i hit 10 i was 5'3. i was still kinda chubby but no where near as bad. now im 5''7 and in good shape although my build is big, i have foot ball player shoulders and wide hips. u think that maybe the problem? like genetics?

Answer 11

Understand that there is growth hormones in milk and chicken.  This is a problem.  A lot of children end up heavy because they are on pure formula up until a year old which is full of fats when they should be eating a balanced diet.  It is hard for children after a year old to get good eating habits.  Check the fat content in the foods that she eats.  It's the percentage of fat, not the sugar.  Sugar is only 4 calories a teaspoon and there is no fat in sugar.

Answer 12

let me just start by saying I have a 7 year old who is almost as tall as i am and i am 5 foot 5 inches he can were my shoes and weighs 120 lbs he has breakfast,lunch dinner and snack and the dr is still on me about his weight. my husband is 6 foot 4 so it all depends on her body chemicals. But maybe like we have been doing go for a walk everynight after dinner and hopefully that will help drop some pounds my son is starting football soon so he will be dropping some pounds maybe try putting her into a dance or karate class to get some workout.

Answer 13

Have you taken her to the doctor?  If she keeps gaining weight and isn't eating a lot, she may have something wrong with her.  Just keep doing what your doing, you seem like you're a good mom and trying to get her involved in doing activities.  Good Luck.

Answer 14

My friend had the same problem with her daughter and her daughter had a thyroid problem.  Doesn't hurt to check it out.  Also make sure that her regular meals are healthy as well.  Even if you cut out sweets, breads, cheeses, and other foods have a lot of calories.