*sigh*. She's very heavy and the CM asked me about full fat milk

[anna*]

Audrey is on the 99.6th centile for weight (and about the 98th for height). Yesterday her childminder asked me how much milk I am happy for her to have, and should it be full fat - there was a definite subtext to the question which was about Audrey's size. I didn't know how to answer. At home she doesn't have bottles of milk, she BFs, so I don't know how much she gets. I do not want to be worrying about my daughter's weight when she is only one year old.

[Roseii]

Anna, DD2 was always around the 99th for weight, and only the 50th for height, and the HV always said it was nothing to worry about (I actually have no idea where she is now on the chart at 29mo) Some babies just ARE big! Is she walking? DD2 started walking at 14mo and she def started slimming down around then. She is still a chubster but she's so young, I really don't think there's anything to worry about. Plus milk isn't very fatty anyway so I doubt switching her to skimmed would make an impact!
I know it's hard but don't let what the CM said get to you x

[cuckoochick]

How rude?! What a thing to say. My nephew is on the same centiles as A and I can never believe the rude things people say to my SIL about it.

Mind you DD has always been slender and people always commented upon that. It used to drive me insane when they'd compare her to my friend's DD who was much chubbier and I used to get crazy thinking they thought I was wrong for BFing.

Hugs Anna. I really think it's rude. Sorry she said that.

[Me.and.my.two.boys]

Don't worry about it hun, it's really none of anyone else's business! Some babies are just big. I'd rather have a big baby than a tiny one!

(((Hugs)))

[anna*]

So how much milk SHOULD she be having?

[Roseii]

isn't it a pint at 12mo? Might be totally making that up!! But BF wise I think 3-4 feeds.

[Love, laughter, & PJs]

Ugh. That's annoying! Here we say full fat milk until 2 yo since they do need the fat for brain development (unless you're getting it to them in other ways, etc). No more than 24 oz/day since more can contribute to anemia.

[Me.and.my.two.boys]

Im not too sure either

But BF wise I think 3-4 feeds.

I think this ^^

[ENMS]

Anna I think she's very rude. I definitely would not worry about weight at that age.

I've been told the requirement is 16 oz per day here in Canada.

Here also regardless of weight they recommend full fat until 2 years old.

[CCCmom27]

Here we say full fat milk until 2 yo since they do need the fat for brain development (unless you're getting it to them in other ways, etc).

I thought the same.  If she's eating other full fat dairy (cheese, yogurt) she doesn't need as much.  DS2 hasn't even had milk yet (still bf 1x a day at least)....

[gogomama]

Hugs Anna. You should definitely not be worrying about her weight at that age especially as she is eating healthy things. I just went to DDs 1 year check yesterday and the Dr. mentioned no more than 16 oz a day of CM as more can contribute to anemia. I also BF 2-3x a day.

[cath~]

She is tall as well as a good weight so sounds perfectly in proportion to me!

It's not just about the fat in the milk, but also that much/lots of the other goodness (vitamins etc) is in the fat so semi-skimmed has less of the other good stuff as well as less fat iyswim.

I agree, totally shouldn't be worrying about her weight now!

[anna*]

Thanks girls. Stan was the same size/shap but it seems to me that I get more comments with her being a girl than I did with him. Maybe I imagine it.

So at home she will usually have 3-4 BFs in 24hrs, but only little bits of milk in food: a trickle of milk on her porridge, little bits of cheese/butter/yoghurt etc. She eats a varied diet but doesn't usually eat loads iykwim.

So I will tell the CM that she can have 1 or 2 6oz bottles, and she should have full fat milk.

[Mashi]

Anna, I actually think that 2x 6oz bottles is a LOT of milk when she is still being BF.    I bottle fed, and I know it is a different approach with milk than when BFing, but once LOs are past that 12 month mark, the aim is to make milk a drink that we have with meals and snacks, rather than giving it to them in large volumes as feeds.  If she is still getting 3-4 BFs per day, then that is her milk and calcium need there, really, plus her food.  Can the CM just give her milk in a sippy to have with her meals and snacks, like 2-3 ounces?  It just seems counterproductive to me to give her such large volumes of milk in a bottle when she is getting all of what she needs from her BFs?   To compare, as a bottle-fed LO, my DS was getting 2 bottles of 8 ounces at 12 months and we were working on cutting it down by 13-14 months, and he didn't have the extra milk from BFing iyswim?

I think she should definitely be on full-fat milk, I actually think it was bloody cheeky of your CM to suggest otherwise!! 

[anna*]

Oh I should have been clearer. On the days when she's with the CM she'll only have a bedtime BF and sometimes a 4-5am. I'm worried that she won't nap at the CM without a bottle (she doesn't have one to nap at home but napping at the CM is a different deal).

[Mashi]

OK! Makes more sense then!! And I still think it should be whole milk!

[*Becky*]

M is on the 90th centiles for height and weight. She now has a big cup of milk at BT and it is whole milk and will be for a while yet! Hugs, I know what it is like. These days I tend to make the jokes first as I get fed up of comments about how big she is.

[anna*]

I think I will say milk in a sippy with meals and a small bottle with nap. At home some of her daytime BFs will just be for comfort and cuddles.

[rach321]

Why do people have to make a comment - my DS2 at 2 yrs old is only 2 kg lighter than my DS1 at 4 years old and I wouldn't have him any other way  - we nicknamed him chunk when he was born and he's still my chunk now ( well chunkasaur since everything is bloody dinosaurs at the moment). She sounds perfectly in proportion to me.

[clazzat]

If she's in proportion then there seems to be no reason to worry - x is 60th centile for weight but only 6th for height so I worry about the fact that he is almost round! She's obvious just a big girl - some of them have to be! - and there is nothing wrong with that so don't start worrying about her weight. E is 75th for weight and height and she always seemed quite chunky until recently when she suddenly stretched out and started to look really slim - I guess what I am saying is that babyhood is not really indicative of build further down the line, iyswim.

Full-fat is definitely what they recommend as this stage, so you carry on doing what you are doing.

[Roseii]

Clare dd1 has done the exact same, we can't believe how slim she is looking now!
Anna and Becky we need to meet up-all I ever get is comments on how big dd2 is (well not so much now she's 2.5 but so much when she was younger) One woman even referred to her as "massive"

[Miamamma]

It sounds like you have nothing to worry about. My DD was ridiculously chunky around that age. She was also bf till 15 months.  Now that she is zipping around she is so much slimmer. I went from worrying about her being too big to worrying about her being too slim!

[*Becky*]

One woman even referred to her as "massive"

I had that comment about M too!!!

[anna*]

Yep. Massive, huge, 'ohh this one likes her food!', 'look at the SIZE of her!', 'isn't she gorgeous, she's got a 'fuller figure' like me', 'I can't believe she's only one, I've seen two year olds smaller than that!' etc etc. Just tell me she's gorgeous and be done with it, you don't have to comment on her size!

[Shiv52]

Hugs Anna x  People are mad!  I used to get that about Maeve all the time.  She was 99 percentile for weight.  My favourite was when my MIL continually told everyone that at 1YO she weighed more than her 2YO cousin!

[*Ali*]

Hugs Anna.

The recs here are for the equivalent of about half a pint (300ml) of cows milk but that includes what LOs are getting from BFs, milk they drink and dairy products so yes if she is still having 2 BFs on the days she is at the CMs then she probably doesn't need more than about 5ozs of cows milk, even less if she is eating cheese and yogurt. Personally if you need her to have a bottle before her nap whilst there then I would just offer milk then and stick with water in a sippy at meal times.

Full fat is recommended here until at least 2yo and skimmed milk is not recommended for under 5s. Milk is a great source of fat and protein as well as other vitamins and minerals. (not just calcium which can actually be better absorbed from other foods such as green veg and small boned fish etc.)  http://www.nhs.uk/Livewell/Goodfood/Pages/milk-dairy-foods.aspx

If a person were worried about their baby's weight (I'm not saying you should be) then it is the sugar and hydrogenated fats found mainly in processed foods that they should be limiting.

Audrey is gorgeous 

[ZacsMumme]

Don't worry about it hun, it's really none of anyone else's business! Some babies are just big. I'd rather have a big baby than a tiny one!

(((Hugs)))

^^ this! Plus it's not like she's short and chunky just popping on with hugs and agree with everyone else sweetie.
A is gorgeous

[Erin M]

ohh this one likes her food!

I get that too with James.  He's 90th+ percentile too for height and weight.  I think when he was doing an AM and PM bf, he just had some yogurt at lunch and now that he's not BFing anymore, we do a cup of milk with breakfast and dinner (I usually have him eat some first so he's not filling up on milk) and some yogurt at lunch. 

[Lemonthyme]

She seems in proportion surely?  It's about the weight and height being around the same?  I'd remember two things:

1.  She's a childminder, not a health visitor.  If you're concerned, go to a clinic and get some advice.  Child minders don't have the experience I would argue in child nutrition (unless they are very, very good CMs) to advise on diet.
2.  I read somewhere (I forget where) that kids who are breastfed for at least 9 months are then far less likely to become obese.  I will try and find it for you.

[anna*]

No, I wasn't concerned because of the childminder, just not knowing how to respond to her. I'm sure Audrey will do as her brother did/is doing, follow her height and weight curves and be exceptionally tall but not remotely overweight.

[Lemonthyme]

Cool.  I'm glad you're ok about it now and your avatar photo is super cute btw.  My niece was like that.  Always been super tall and was a bit chunkier as a baby but now at 5 is way taller than her friends but is not fat at all.  She's just naturally tall!