Am I a bad parent? Or is it just genitics?

Question

Ok heres the deal, my little girl was 7 pounds 9 ounces when she was born. she was 2 days over due. She is now about to turn 3. She has always been kinda tall and petite, almost skinny, but not sick looking. I took her in for a doctors appointment today and she was weighed and mesured. She was 34 inches tall and only weighed 21 pounds! She has no medical problems that I am aware of. She dosent eat much, but when she does she really EATS! She eats her 3 meals a day, but not all of it, all the time. I guess my question is, am i a bad parent because my 3 year old only weighs 21 pounds?!? Her ribs ARE NOT sticking out or anything. And the doc even said she looked very well fed, that she was just a very active little girl with a high metabolism. But for some reason that dosent make me feel any better. Now Im not skinny, Im kinda heavy and have always been. I would really just like some other mothers advice about this, especially if this has happened to you. serious answers only please! thx!

Answer 1

Enjoy her and save your worrying for when you have a real crisis with her. Maybe she might climb the shelves to the medicine cupboard six foot up and drink a bottle of cough medicine or fly over the handle bars of her push bike and require stitches in the chin or something. Be warned small cuts to the face bleed a lot.

People come in all different shapes and sizes. Your daughter is healthy and HAPPY!!!!! and the doctor has confirmed this so she sounds fine to me. Stop beating yourself up. All you can do is your best and nothing more.

Answer 2

You are doing fine, if there were an issue the doctor would have mentioned it, just keep an eye on her make sure she eats. Any problems let you Dr. know, take time to talk it over with him.

Try putting some cut up food in small sealed containers in the fridge, like apples, carrots or her favortie foods.
Let her go in a nibble when she's hungry. At least you know she is getting some vitamins.

My son is 17 he is 6'2 and weighs 145, he wears a 16 shoe.
He is very thin, but healthy. Don't worry.

Answer 3

My son is 36 pounds and not even 3. I have a hard time picturing a 21 pound babe at 3. If the doc says it is normal I would not worry. It may be a good thing her metabolism is so high with the obesity rates going up everyday.

Answer 4

You should trust your doctor. If he was worried about malnutrition or low weight he would have told you how to do things differently. Since he didn't correct you, you aren't doing anything wrong. Your daughter must just have a light frame. And at that age it isn't developmentally possible for her to have an eating disorder, so you shouldn't worry. The youngest I have heard for an eating dis. is 5 years old (which shocked and appauled me)

If you don't trust your doctor, I suggest you seek a second opinion.

P.S. no three year old I've ever known has eaten all of their meal all of the time, so don't worry :)

Answer 5

If the MD said that she's normal, you'll have to get that to your head. My son is 14 and have always been skinny with ribs sticking out! but he can eat for 3 people.. he even gets irritated when a waitress ask him if he wants the kid's menu. You are a good MOM, and i know how it feels like feeling guilty all the time, like we never do anything right. Do what you do best, being the BEST MOM that you are for your daughter! Shalom.

Answer 6

If she has always been tall and skinny you don't have anything to worry about. My son is the same way, he eats but doesn't always finish a whole meal. He's tall and skinny and has been since he was born. It sounds like it's just the way her body was made and that's all. If she started to lose weight, that's when you should be concerned.

Answer 7

If the doc said she was fine leave it at that. I'm pretty sure he didn't go threw the number of years of medical school to give you false information. Just relax. My sister she's 8 and she only weighs about 58 pounds. She seams very healthy and she can eat more than me I'm pretty big.

Answer 8

The doctor surely knows so i dont think you should worry at all. I do know of a mother who will only let her daughter eat a very little bit because she doesnt want her to get fat. They are well-to-do people. I think she does have a mental condition but as long as you are loving and feeding her and not acting like this wacko I wouldnt worry hon.

Answer 9

if the doctor seems to have no worries about her weight then you are doing things right . most of the time the weight charts are estimates of weight at different ages based on statistics . statistically we are becomming more and more overweight .
a child normally will only eat when hungry and if you are offering foods to her throughout the day then dont worry .
usually when a child is malnurished they will have a pot belly that is really noticable . we took 2 of my kids to the doctor to be checked because they were so skinny . the doctor said most malnurished kids you see on tv from 3rd world countries will have the HUGE bloated belly .
you sound like you are doing fine . and it is nice to see good moms out here who care about their children .

Answer 10

Don't forget that toddlers only need a few tablespoons of food at a time. People tend to overlaod their child's plates and expect them to eat everything. Their little stomachs are only the size of their fist, so even if it doesn't look like she is eating enough, she is. My mom used to make us finish all the food on our plates and 3/4 of us have weight problems.