How Much Does Your 9/10 Year Old Weigh?

[pyrxtc]

do you take him off the meds for the summer? I ahve a friend who takes her son off of them for school breaks and summer and he grows so much each time. He has shot up about 5 inches this summer after 3 inches over last x-mas.

My DD is 89 pnds at 5'3" and 11 yrs old. My DS is 52 inches, 48 pnds and 7 yrs old.

 

[JESW]

my dd is 9 (1/22/99) and back in May was 55.5" & 69 lbs. - I have her physical form in front of me right now as I need to make copies for school and girl scouts. She is thin but not real skinny and she is solid and tall.

Jill

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Just a reminder, when trying to help kids gain weight, be careful about giving too many foods that are high in unhealthy fats.

High Cholesterol in Children

 

[piglet too]

Just a reminder, when trying to help kids gain weight, be careful about giving too many foods that are high in unhealthy fats.

High Cholesterol in Children

My kid's doctor (who I do trust 110%) mentioned this to me too. My little guy is always wanting to gain weight, feels he is too skinny. Doctor showed him this last time how he has been following his "growth curve" all this time and he is where he should be for him. Two summers ago when he dropped more than 10% of his body weight in a month, then they worried. Otherwise, we are to keep feeding him healthy food like we do, keep him active, and his body will do what it is going to do.

 

[jacksonsmom]

I did NOT say her child was overweight. However, I would be skeptical of a doctor that did not mention to that particular poster that she may want to keep a close eye on things. Instead, she emphasized that the doctor made it clear that the child is NOT overweight.

I do not think doctors are the end all, know all anymore than I think an online BMI calculator is the way to determine a person's health. You apparently put a lot of faith in everything a doctor says.

No, I did not share what all went on in the dr's office. Trust me if there is a problem with my son's weight I would be the first one on it. I wanted to mentioned about my DS not being overweight because he does weigh more then most 9 yrs old and I know how judgemental the DIS can get.

He is solid, not flabby. He doesn't sit around and play video games all day and eat ho-hos. He is active and always on the go. Yes, he weighs around 100 pounds but that doesn't make him "fat"

Hopefully one of these days people will realize the BMI chart is just a guideline. You can look at a person and know if they are flabby or not and need to lose weight. My son does not fall into that category.

 

[CowboyCO]

MY DS is 9 and is 54" and weighs about 60 lbs. Healthy, happy and fairly average (maybe a little less) for his age.

 

[minnieandme]

My DS9 is a little guy also. He's 52" tall and weighs 50 pounds. The dr. says he's healthy and believes he should be hitting a growth spurt very soon by looking at the size of his feet. Most people don't believe he's in the 5th grade and that he's going on 10. He was never a big eater to begin with but the meds for ADHD doesn't help any. The dr says the meds can make you lose weight, so I don't give it to him over the weekend and his appetite improves.

 

[LisaR]

I find it hysterical that anyone that questions a child being on the heavy side is immediately called judgmental and deemed the all knowing medical expert. Yet, it is perfectly fine to offer advice to fatten up the skinny kids and adjust ADHD medications. Truly hilarious!

 

[justcantwait]

DS9 (actually 9.5!) is about 48" and weighs 56 lbs. He is ADD and is on meds, but has always been in the same percentile for weight (5th). So, the docs said it had nothing to do with the meds. He's trying so hard to get to 60 lbs, since the booster seat requirements in CT are 6 years old AND 60 lbs. We joke that he's going to be taking the booster seat to his driving exam! Anyway, the docs aren't worried, they xrayed him at age 5 and that aged him at about 4.5. They just say he has some growing ahead of him. My stepson was also small all through school. Now he's about 5'10'' or 5'11" and over 300 lbs So, just keep doing what the docs say, and try not to worry about it too much. HTH

Kathy

 

[Pixiedust34]

Our dd is very petite. She will turn 10 in 2 weeks and weighs 48 pounds. She is healthy and is growing OK--she's just small.

 

[jacksonsmom]

I find it hysterical that anyone that questions a child being on the heavy side is immediately called judgmental and deemed the all knowing medical expert. Yet, it is perfectly fine to offer advice to fatten up the skinny kids and adjust ADHD medications. Truly hilarious!

While that might be true, you did assume that my son's dr just said "oh he's not overweight" and left it at that. There was a lot more discussed then whether or not he is overweight. We talking about body shapes, good eating habits, etc.

That's all I am trying to point out, that not every 4' 10", 100 lbs boy is overweight. Of course some are, but not all are.

It is possible.

As far as fatten up kids, I would not do that unless under dr's orders. JMO

 

[Chipmunk89]

I find it hysterical that anyone that questions a child being on the heavy side is immediately called judgmental and deemed the all knowing medical expert. Yet, it is perfectly fine to offer advice to fatten up the skinny kids and adjust ADHD medications. Truly hilarious!

First off, I didn't give advice on how to fatten up a kid or adjust ADHD meds. Actually, I usually skim right over those post because a.) I don't need to fatten up my kid and b.) my son is not on ADHD meds.

Secondly, I thought it was a little rude to come and tell a stranger that her kid "might" be overweight.

If someone doesn't want to be labeled "judgmental" or the "all knowing medical expert", then don't be that person. Telling someone to "check out an online calculator for BMI for children" over their pediatrician does not seem like good advice to me. But then again, I am no medical expert, just a mommy.

 

[LisaR]

While that might be true, you did assume that my son's dr just said "oh he's not overweight" and left it at that. There was a lot more discussed then whether or not he is overweight. We talking about body shapes, good eating habits, etc.

That's all I am trying to point out, that not every 4' 10", 100 lbs boy is overweight. Of course some are, but not all are.

It is possible.

As far as fatten up kids, I would not do that unless under dr's orders. JMO

Yes, you are right. I did assume your doctor didn't have any discussion with you. It is hard to read into a post but when you specifically point out that he is "NOT" overweight and leave it at that, I assumed that there wasn't any discussion on the issue. That was wrong of me.

At no point did I call your son fat or overweight. I suggested you look at other resources (online or a second opinion) if your doctor is neglecting to tell you that your son is pretty high up there; regardless of body shape. Being in the 95 -100 percentile does NOT make a child overweight, however those kids do need to be more cautious. As you stated later, he is kept active and healthy. If he broke his leg tomorrow and needed to lie on the sofa for the next three months, you may find he has some weight issues at that point. I don't think that is being mean but others may call it that and I am not saying it to offend. It is so funny how we can openly and honestly discuss skinny kids but if any mention is made to a weight issue, it is automatically deemed that the person is being judgmental.

It wasn't my intention to be mean, harsh or rude and if it came off that way, I do sincerely apologize. Your post stood out to me because our children have birthdays that are the same week and they are the same height but there is a 30 pound weight difference.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

I find it hysterical that anyone that questions a child being on the heavy side is immediately called judgmental and deemed the all knowing medical expert. Yet, it is perfectly fine to offer advice to fatten up the skinny kids and adjust ADHD medications. Truly hilarious!

The OP specifically expressed concern about her child's weight and brought up the possibility of the medication being a cause.

Unsolicited advice never comes across well.


Oh, and my 10yo is about 57' tall and 90 pounds. I think that might put her in the "at risk" category in looking at an on-line BMI calculator, but like the other poster, her doctor, who can look at her in person and see that she is solid muscle, knows that she is active and healthy, and tells us not to worry about it. So we don't.

 

[jacksonsmom]

Yes, you are right. I did assume your doctor didn't have any discussion with you. It is hard to read into a post but when you specifically point out that he is "NOT" overweight and leave it at that, I assumed that there wasn't any discussion on the issue. That was wrong of me.

At no point did I call your son fat or overweight. I suggested you look at other resources (online or a second opinion) if your doctor is neglecting to tell you that your son is pretty high up there; regardless of body shape. Being in the 95 -100 percentile does NOT make a child overweight, however those kids do need to be more cautious. As you stated later, he is kept active and healthy. If he broke his leg tomorrow and needed to lie on the sofa for the next three months, you may find he has some weight issues at that point. I don't think that is being mean but others may call it that and I am not saying it to offend. It is so funny how we can openly and honestly discuss skinny kids but if any mention is made to a weight issue, it is automatically deemed that the person is being judgmental.

It wasn't my intention to be mean, harsh or rude and if it came off that way, I do sincerely apologize. Your post stood out to me because our children have birthdays that are the same week and they are the same height but there is a 30 pound weight difference.

Yes, and I probably should have said more because it is hard to truly understand a post on a message board.

And yes I do agree with you about if my son just stopped being active, whether from an injury or he just becomes lazy, then I know he would be at risk. This was something we (dr and I) talked about. That if he stopped being active he very possible could develop a problem.

The key is staying active and good eating habits.

I probably came off too harsh myself. I trust my son's dr. We have had trouble in the past with another dr. saying my son's asthma is all in his head. I searched high and low and even "interviewing" doctors before I decided on my son's current one. I do trust him, even though he CAN be wrong at times (hasn't so far though) I just got defensive because it felt like you were saying my son's doctor didn't know what he was talking about.
I know it is hard to read a message board

I understand now where you were coming from.

 

[LisaR]

The OP specifically expressed concern about her child's weight and brought up the possibility of the medication being a cause.

Unsolicited advice never comes across well.


Oh, and my 10yo is about 57' tall and 90 pounds. I think that might put her in the "at risk" category in looking at an on-line BMI calculator, but like the other poster, her doctor, who can look at her in person and see that she is solid muscle, knows that she is active and healthy, and tells us not to worry about it. So we don't.

You are right. I offered unsolicited advice (not like that doesn't happen every day on the Dis but that doesn't make it or me right). I have apologized.

I guess we will have to agree to disagree on the BMI charts. The online ones are the same ones used by doctors. They are a guide. I do not take them as 100% absolute but if there wasn't any truth to them what so ever, they wouldn't use them. If my child fell into the at risk category for either under or overweight, I would not panic but I would certainly take that as a warning to keep an eye on things. Apparently that makes me odd. Wouldn't be the first time! Some of you feel the doctor trumps the charts. I personally feel they go hand in hand and my opinion on that won't change.

Most doctors spend just a few minutes with their patients. Assuming your child is healthy, they are only seeing the doctor maybe once a year for a check up and once for an illness. In a five minute visit twice a year, it is impossible for a doctor to really know what that kids lifestyle is like. Unless you are spending countless hours with your doctor, the fact of the matter is, they do not know your child. I couldn't discount the BMI charts entirely after having only spent 10 minutes of our past year with our pediatrician.

 

[CowboyCO]

I just checked online and the avg height for a 9-yr old boy is 49" and avg wt is 61.6 lbs.

 

[Mrs.Toad]

You are right. I offered unsolicited advice (not like that doesn't happen every day on the Dis but that doesn't make it or me right). I have apologized.

Yes, it does happen every day, but every day people get called out on it, too!

I guess we will have to agree to disagree on the BMI charts. The online ones are the same ones used by doctors. They are a guide. I do not take them as 100% absolute but if there wasn't any truth to them what so ever, they wouldn't use them. If my child fell into the at risk category for either under or overweight, I would not panic but I would certainly take that as a warning to keep an eye on things. Apparently that makes me odd. Wouldn't be the first time! Some of you feel the doctor trumps the charts. I personally feel they go hand in hand and my opinion on that won't change.

Most doctors spend just a few minutes with their patients. Assuming your child is healthy, they are only seeing the doctor maybe once a year for a check up and once for an illness. In a five minute visit twice a year, it is impossible for a doctor to really know what that kids lifestyle is like. Unless you are spending countless hours with your doctor, the fact of the matter is, they do not know your child. I couldn't discount the BMI charts entirely after having only spent 10 minutes of our past year with our pediatrician.

I don't think our views are really all that different with respect to the BMI. I think of it as a guide as well, but yes, our pediatrician definitely trumps it. But then, she spends a lot more than 5-10 minutes with my kids at each visit. We also talk about the kid's lifestyle, activity and eating habits and she sees them at soccer and basketball tournaments, because her daughter is the same age.

There are a lot more factors to consider in assessing a person's health, other than weight and height alone (which are the only factors that go into the BMI calculation). Muscle weighs more than fat, so BMI doesn't distinguish between a muscular person and a fat person of the same height and weight, but a good doctor will be able to see the difference.

 

[summerrluvv]

I just checked online and the avg height for a 9-yr old boy is 49" and avg wt is 61.6 lbs.

Really? When I put DS's stats in the percentile calculator, height was 50's, weight was 20's. Maybe it's because he is 9y 7m?

 

[Chim Chiminy]

I think thirst is one of the med side effects.
DS always has gum with him, always because of dry mouth and feeling thirsty. When he was still in elementary, one of the 504 plan conditions was either to allow a water bottle in class or allow him to get up and go to a water fountain.

Now that he is in HS, water bottles are allowed so we don't have to have a special provision.

Even still, mention your concern to the doctor.