Parents of 4 yo - what is their height/weight?

[Hillbeans]

I took my boys to the doctor yesterday and my 4 yo (he just turned 4 in September) weighed in at 55 pounds and is 43" tall. He is considered on the tall side for his age but my Ped. said he is in the morbidly-obese range for weight. He should weigh 40 pounds. He gets a lot of exercise but I have to now really watch what he is eating and get him on a healthier diet.

Just curious what other 4 yo's weigh. Thanks.

 

[mickeyboat]

Well, I can't remember the girls weights at 4, my 10 year old weighs 63 and my 9 year old weighs around 70.

Has your son exceeded his growth curve recently or is he at the same place he has always been?

 

[mjkacmom]

Ds6 is on the skinny side - 49" and 45 pounds. Dd6 is 49", 43 pounds, and dd8 is 51" inches 52 pounds.

 

[Hillbeans]

Denae - he was 9 pounds at birth and has always been big (broad shoulders) and a little off the charts in weight. He is a lot bigger than other kids in his pre-school and is one of the youngest. If he was 40 pounds he would seem too thin to me.

My almost 9 year old weighs 78 pounds.

 

[cheerful chickadee]

my nephew is 4 and he's about the same height as your son, I think he's 42", he weighs 40lbs.

 

[laurie31]

Both of my girls were under 40 lbs at 4 years (I remember because they have to be 40 lbs to get out of a 5 point car seat into a booster, and this normally happens at around age 4, but they were too small). They have to be 80 pounds to get out of a booster, and that didn't happen for older one until she was 10, and the little one was 9.

(if they reach the weight limit BEFORE the age limit, they still have to stay in the recommended restraint. Car seat is 4 years/40 lbs, booster is 8 years/80 lbs - just wanted to clarify, since the OP's son might reach 80 pounds before he's 8 years old. And he is NOT alone in that. )

Back to the OP, preschoolers often weigh about a pound for every inch tall they are. Your son should be about 43 pounds. Young children should not try to actually lose weight, but rather maintain their current weight until they "grow into it" as they get taller. Your best bet is to change the eating habits of your whole family, but as someone trying to do that very thing, it's MUCH easier to type it out than to make it happen in real life. Good luck! You might want to start by keeping a food diary for your son for about a week, and see what he's really eating (before you try changing anything!) and how many calories he's taking in. Your ped or a pediatric nutritionist can look it over and give you some ideas of what to change, based on what he's currently eating.

 

[Minnie824]

I have girls, so I'm sure its different, but my 5.5 yr old is 46" and 45 lbs. My 8 yr old is 50" and 46 lbs (she's a stick though).

 

[monkeybug]

My six year old is 47lbs. (girl) and my three year old (he will be 4 in Feb) is 32lbs, he is kinda' short though. Both of my kids are kinda' on the skinny side too.

 

[DMickey28]

Is he still on the same curve that he has always been or has his weight jumped up?

My 2.5 year old is 39.5 inches and 40lbs. He's actually becoming fairly skinny. He has always been just over the top line of the chart since he was 1 month old.

 

[golfgal]

Average height to weight ratio is about the same weight for the number of inches in height so a 43" child in the 50th percentile will weigh 43 lbs. Ten extra pounds on that size frame is quite a lot. If he eats well and is active perhaps you might want to investigate some medical causes for his weight-hypothyroid for one idea.

 

[Hillbeans]

Is he still on the same curve that he has always been or has his weight jumped up?

My 2.5 year old is 39.5 inches and 40lbs. He's actually becoming fairly skinny. He has always been just over the top line of the chart since he was 1 month old.

He's been on relatively the same curve but it went up slightly this last time. I don't think he has ever been on the chart for weight, it's always been up or over the curve. I think he's just big, but could probably stand to not gain any weight for the next few months. The doctor said he's 40% overweight, which of course has me upset.

 

[pyrxtc]

mY ds IS NOW 6 YRS BUT FOR THE LAST FEW YEARS HE HAS WEIGHED A POUND FOR EVERY INCH OF HIS HEIGHT. Sorry about the caps, hit it accidentally.

 

[golfgal]

http://z.about.com/d/babyparenting/1/0/z/5/growth5.jpg

Here is the height/weigh chart for 2-20 year old boys. 43" puts him on the 100% line but the 55lbs is WAY above the curve. I can see why your dr is concerned.

What does he eat for a typical meal and what does active mean to you?

 

[cabmom]

Hi there, I remember when you had your little one.
My guy will be 4 next month and he weighs 40lbs. I'll check his height tonight.

 

[3boymthr]

Well, at 4 my youngest weighed 35 lbs and the middle weighed 33 lbs. I don't remember their heights. At 7 youngest currently weighs about 42 lbs - he's @47 inches and at 9 middle weighs 60 at @51 inches.

So your DS is definitely heavy on the height to weight ratio but is he chubby and bubbly or muscley?

And truthfully I don't know if I would put too much credibility in those charts if they are working off of BMI.

To put it in perspective for you Oldest DS is 5'2" and weighs 125 and he is a little chubby and wears a husky jean but is definitely not huge I've seen kids who are much much bigger. BUT because of BMI he's considered obese Now DS and I are the same height and he now weighs what I weighed when I got married and I wore a size 10 wedding dress that they took in so what's obese about that .

 

[mill4023]

Do you really need a height weight chart to know if your child is obese or not?

 

[okeydokey]

On their 4 year checkups my dd 41.25 inches tall and 36 pounds. My DS was 40 inches and 34 pounds.

 

[Christine]

My DD was always in the 50th percentile, so if she was 43 inches tall, chances are she weighed about 43 lbs. My son was always in the 50th percentile for weight but the 95th for height, so his ratio was off. If he was 43 inches tall, he might have weight 38 lbs or something like that.

That does seem like a lot of weight for his height and I know body types are fairly different. How/what does he eat?

 

[LisaNJ25]

My 4yo (sept birthday also) is 48 pounds and is 46 inches tall

 

[Mickey527]

My grandson was also born in September. He is 39" tall and weighs 48 lbs.
His Dr said he is in the top percentile but didn't think he was overweight.
When I see him without a shirt he does have some pudge but definately not overweight. He is very active and has a good appetite but for healthy food. He could eat steamed broccoli every day of the week and we do have it for almost every meal.
He hasn't touched his Halloween candy except for a small box of Nerds. Myself... those bite size Butterfingers are so tasty!
I would think if your son is active and eats right you just have to watch him but if not maybe provide some more activities like going for nature walks or bike rides. At his age what he puts in his mouth is what you give him so try some more healthy alternatives if he is eating the wrong foods.