# My 4 1/2 year olds BMI says she is obese!?



## concernedmum4 (Mar 13, 2011)

Hi I'm new here. My 4 year old is Autistic. I recently did her BMI calculation because she is heavier than her older sister (who turns 7 in May). She is 55.3lbs and 3 feet 9 1/2 inches. I am concerned because she does not eat too much. We don't give her junk food and soda. She is active enough. She has undiagnosed ADHD... well, I mean I believe she has ADHD which can come with Autism. I just don't understand it. 
I know having a thyroid condition can make you gain weight. And I know I have had a slightly underactive thyroid in the past. She also has symptoms of a thyroid condition such as ... she is missing one tooth, tiredness, decreased appetite, constipation, cold intolerance, joint pain, headaches, shortness of breath when exercising and she has cognitive problems but I would say that would be because she is Autistic! 
Also my husbands grandfather had Pagets Disease. 
What do you think? Should I get her doctor to have her thyroid checked? As well as Pagets disease.
I was also built like her when I was her age and when I was a teenager my BMI was in the 72nd percentile so I was a healthy weight.


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## Andros (Aug 26, 2009)

concernedmum4 said:


> Hi I'm new here. My 4 year old is Autistic. I recently did her BMI calculation because she is heavier than her older sister (who turns 7 in May). She is 55.3lbs and 3 feet 9 1/2 inches. I am concerned because she does not eat too much. We don't give her junk food and soda. She is active enough. She has undiagnosed ADHD... well, I mean I believe she has ADHD which can come with Autism. I just don't understand it.
> I know having a thyroid condition can make you gain weight. And I know I have had a slightly underactive thyroid in the past. She also has symptoms of a thyroid condition such as ... she is missing one tooth, tiredness, decreased appetite, constipation, cold intolerance, joint pain, headaches, shortness of breath when exercising and she has cognitive problems but I would say that would be because she is Autistic!
> Also my husbands grandfather had Pagets Disease.
> What do you think? Should I get her doctor to have her thyroid checked? As well as Pagets disease.
> I was also built like her when I was her age and when I was a teenager my BMI was in the 72nd percentile so I was a healthy weight.


Hi there and welcome to the board!http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v129/LuLu1471/welcome.gif[/IMG

Well...........................This is interesting and you might be on to something.

Most certainly do get her thyroid checked. TSH, FREE T3 and FREE T4. Make sure they are the "FREES", not the totals (T3, T4) as it is important to know the unbound hormone only which is available for cellular uptake.

Here is a very credible source on childhood thyroid disease/problems.
[URL]http://www.thyroidmanager.org/Chapter15/15-frame.htm[/URL]

Even though there is Paget's in the family (genetic), do you have any reason to think your daughter has this? Some of the symptoms are very obvious and some not so obvious. Perhaps, the thyroid first. Rule in or rule it out?
[URL]http://www.medicinenet.com/pagets_disease/article.htm[/URL]

Once again, welcome and do let us know what you decide to do and what the outcome is.

ADHD can sometimes be a secondary condition to thyroid disease.
[URL]http://www.thyroid-info.com/articles/hypokids.htm[/URL]


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## lainey (Aug 26, 2010)

Your pediatrician hasn't brought your daughter's weight to your attention earlier?

Has she always been in 90+ percentile or is this a recent change?

Keep in mind that if you do get her tested that adult reference values for thyroid do not apply to young children. See: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2645400/


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## concernedmum4 (Mar 13, 2011)

Our doctor didn't bring it to my attention. No doctor has ever said anything. I asked our doctor because I was concerned. I'm overweight and I don't want that for my little girl. I want her to be healthy. And I know I don't overfeed her and she isn't eating junk food and she isn't drinking soda. Both girls eat the same amount and same foods each day and yet her big sister is tiny. 
Abby (big sis) was 8lbs 3ozs when born and Sophie was 9lbs 2ozs and I ate LESS when I was pregnant with Sophie. I actually gained less weight too, and I was lighter after having her than I was before I got pregnant with her LOL
She has been in the 85th+ from about 14 weeks old. She was at about the 85th percentile then and at 22 weeks she was in the 97th percentile. Then she dropped down at 15 months to the 85th percentile again and at 2 years old she was way over the 97th percentile. Now she is in the 95th-97th percentile again. 
I was watching Dr Oz a couple days ago and he was talking about nails and apparently ridges can also be a sign of a thyroid problem. Myself and both my girls have them! My 6 year old is in the 25th-28th percentile for her age, height and weight. Kinda scary... she could have an overactive thyroid and me and my 4 year old could have an underactive thyroid..... I also have a small lump on my neck... not sure if it's where the thyroid gland is... I also suffer from depression and recently started taking antidepressants again. 
I don't think that Sophie has Pagets disease.... the only things I could attribute to that would be her bowed lower legs (you know like knock kneed appearance... but I think a lot of kids have this problem at a young age and it goes away), walking difficulty because of her legs... her knees kinda hit each other and she is slow but lately when I have got her to walk I haven't noticed it and she is a lot faster now, bone pain (she complains of having sore legs/knees. The other day she said her leg had a headache LOL She complains quite regularly about having sore knees or legs. I don't know that she has weak muscles... she has poor muscle tone which is one thing that Autistic children have. So it's hard to say. Heck she isn't weak ... she is STRONG lol She is stronger than her big sister.


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## lainey (Aug 26, 2010)

Your doctor should have advised you on diet long before this. Common suggestions are to limit juice, go to low fat milk and dairy products, limit fried foods and use whole grain carb products.

I have children and I know full well that chicken nuggets, fries and pasta often win out over fruits and vegetables. Children's eating habits often lead to "grazing" during the day instead of distinct meals, so it's often hard to tell exactly what they are eating.

The doctor can provide you with appropriate calorie/age information so that you can watch portions. The idea usually isn't to have a child diet per se, but to control their calorie intake so that they don't gain any more weight while they "grow" into themselves.

25-28th percentile for weight is nearly perfect. Under the 5th is a problem.

Above the 95th percentile is obese. From the CDC:

http://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/ass...drens_BMI.html

The calculators for children are closely tied to age and sex as well as height and weight.

Thyroid problem or not, the standard rules for monitoring and losing weight will apply if you don't want your daughter to grow into an obese adult.

An underactive thyroid in children, more importantly, can lead to cognitive problems. It's easy enough to have her tested. Ask the doctor to do it.


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## CA-Lynn (Apr 29, 2010)

Your daughter is overweight, not obese. Ask your doctor flat out if he has any advice for this. If you reduce 5# she will be in the normal range.

5# doesn't sound like a lot, but it is a 10% weight reduction in her case.

If you decide to reduce her weight, *do it gradually *and don't make a big deal out of it, or I promise you, the kid will grow up having larger issues.


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## concernedmum4 (Mar 13, 2011)

Ok but her doctor says she is fine. That's the thing. I mentioned it to her and she said she is fine. So I am confused. Also, how is it that she is meant to have between 1200-1400 kcal a day and I KNOW she isn't having more than this, but she is overweight? Like I said she is having the same as her sister. The amount of kcal is the same for 4-8 year olds. Her sister is 6 going on 7. This is what she normally has in one day - 2 Weet Bix with milk and 1tsp sugar on it & a dairy food yoghurt for breakfast, one sandwich with a cheese slice and margarine on it for lunch, meat eg beef strips or 1 sausage or a small amount of chicken (about 6 small pieces), small amount of mashed potato or rice or pasta and small amount of vegetables (carrots, beans, cauliflower, broccoli) for dinner. We don't have desert/pudding. Snacks during the day are morning tea which is usually a few crackers with cheese dip and a drink usually water or milk. She does ask for more snacks and I try not to give her too much. I limit to two things eg her crackers and cheese dip OR 2 small biscuits and a small kiddie pack of potato chips OR a small cereal bar. She usually drinks water during the day. I have to give her milk at breakfast time because I have to disguise her medication and the same at dinner time when she has Melatonin to help her get to sleep. It's either milk or I would have to use juice. I think milk is better! Like I said she doesn't have chocolate, candy etc and she doesn't have soda. She isn't getting a lot of sugar. They don't go into the cupboards and get their own food/snacks. They aren't allowed and they know it. So I know she is only getting what is given to her by me. I don't really want to switch to low fat milk because it would be a HUGE cost increase for us each week as we buy the cheap milk from the dairy which is 2 bottles (2 litre) for $5.50 compared to paying over $4 for 1 bottle (2L) from the supermarket! 
I could switch her snack to fruit. 
I still think it's weird though, considering both girls eat the same things and same amounts. Actually Abby eats more with what she gets in her lunchbox at school. 
Maybe it's too much... I don't know. But why isn't her sister overweight? Sophie is tall for her age. She's in the 97th percentile for her height. Abby is in the 50th percentile I think... or maybe less than that. She's not that tall for her age. And yet she is tiny. Funny thing is I get flack from my mother about Abby being too skinny and she reckons she should have 2 sandwiches for lunch. 
I was big like Sophie when I was her age and when I was 13 I was in the 72nd percentile. Everyone is telling me she is fine.


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## concernedmum4 (Mar 13, 2011)

http://kidshealth.org/kid/stay_healthy/weight/bmi.html Apparently according to this she is obese. But she doesn't look obese to me.


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## lainey (Aug 26, 2010)

For Body Mass Index (BMI) the charts compare a child's height, weight and age with that of other children.

If she is in the 97th percentile, then she is bigger than 97 percent of other children who are of the same age--height, weight, or combination thereof.

She has basically been this size from an infant--you could go with the idea that she is just "big" compared to other children.

My daughter's BMI falls at the 4-5th percentile, and my doctor said she was fine. Then, another doctor in the practice accused me of under-feeding her. Because she had other symptoms, I ultimately had them do thyroid testing (which is fine), but I still work at finding healthy, calorie rich foods to help her maintain her weight. Doing the opposite, you need to find healthy, lower calorie foods to help your daughter maintain her weight, and as she grows taller her BMI will fall more into the healthy range.

In spite of the cost, low fat milk is the better choice for children and adults over the age of 2. Fruit as a snack is a better choice--a child her age doesn't need sugar on the cereal (check the box, it's already in there) or chips--look at the nutrition information of the other snacks you serve--as they a good value for low fat/nutrition vs. calories? You might find a nutritionist to help you.

You say she is taking medications--could they be part of the problem?

In the meantime, have her tested.


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