BMI'S for children!! Comments Please!!!

[valleyskye]

I was just curious if anyone has ever used one of these calculators and ran the BMI of their child excluding babies of course? My daughter is almost 6 and it says she is overweight! I know these charts are not always right with determining different factors like muscle mass. My husband body builds and he is obese according to the chart. Then it goes on to say how you can reduce the factors of becomming overweight. She's 5!!!!! Should we really be worrying about this now!! I want her to go as long as possible if not FOREVER without worrying about being thin.
But I have to say, as a recovering anorexic~ it did freak me out a little, okay, maybe quite a bit. Now to really put this in a full light, please see my journal for a recent picture of my daughter and I together. Overweight!!!! I don't think so.
I don't want her to struggle with this like I do. I know if I transition her RAW or at least mostly RAW, it will reduce most of her struggle as it has mine and it will make her food relationship so much healthier.
I also realize that a BMI chart=cooked food society chart. Which is not reality to me anymore.
Thanks for any feedback!!!! :eek: :confused:

[SedonaSun]

I also realize that a BMI chart=cooked food society chart. Which is not reality to me anymore.

You answered your own question.

Unfortunately she'll see society's push to be thin and have the perfect body, but she'll also gain lots of her body image through you. Personally, I think if you want to run her through the BMI chart out of curiosity, okay, but why freak out when it gives you results that go against the facts right in front of your eyes? Why even run her through it in the first place, really, if you know weight and body image is an issue you're dealing with yourself? I understand you have an anorexic background, which clearly gives way to a "freak out" when it says she's fat, so I imagine it's harder for you to just shrug off the BMI results. But try :) Don't take on society's burden of body image when you know it's not reality any more :)

[valleyskye]

It seems unreasonable to me and most of society is so judgmental.
I have fallen for the same thing, trying to be "model-thin," yet what is most important is health and that seems crazy. She looks perfectly fine to me, not even the slightest bit chubby.
It is just scary.

[tracyinfo]

After looking at her picture (both of you are beautiful), I think she is too young for anyone to say she is anything but perfect. She does not look overweight at all. I have seen many children, grow taller (at all different ages) and get thinner practically over night.

I wish our society would put much less stress on measuring our bodies and concentrate much more on healthy nutritious food!

Blessings.

[jennplas]

hi,
i can totally understand your concern. i used to babysit a 4 year old girl who would tell everyone "i am so fat!" how can they even know that word at 4 years old!! now, i have a daughter myself who is 3. she has always been at the high ends of the doctors charts. my concern is that she will start worrying about weight when she is left alone in the real world. (school, friends, etc). the way i try to work on this is to NEVER ever talk about my eating problems or ever say "i need to lose weight" or "i'm so fat" . I see too many people talking about weight in front of their kids or nieces or nephews who look up to them and they dont realize that th kids are picking up on all of this. I try to remind my daughter every day how much she is special, just right and how i am the luckiest mom if the world. i dont follow what the media says we should follow and i talk with her about healthy food choices and nutrition and how our bodies are self healing. she may not understand 100% what i am saying but i know the more i do i, the more natural she will think it is to think this way. i also try to live what i say ...so far she seems to feel really good about herself, and i pray that she will always feel this way.

:) best of luck!! you are a the most important and wonderful example to your child! parenting has got to be the hardest yet most rewarding opportunity in the world!

jennP