My four year old daughter weighs 60 pounds...?

Question

Before I start, she is a big girl. She is four years old and about four feet tall. Most people think she is about 6 years old haha. She was a big baby, 9 lbs 4 oz at birth.
But anyway, I do admit that she eats alot of junk food. She loves happy meals, sweets, pizza, macaroni and cheese, you know, the kind of stuff kids love but shouldn't have. I try to feed her things like salad and carrot sticks and butter free popcorn but she really doesn't go for that. My husband tells me that if she doesn't want to eat salads then I should just let her go hungry and eventually she will eat it but I have a hard time doing that because she whines and cries until I just give in. Any advice?

Answer 1

First, "Healthy" doesn't mean carrot sticks and cardboard tasting snacks.
Make low-fat pizzas, low-fat veggie burgers, mac and cheese with low-fat cheese. But don't let her know that. Get recipes from Shape or Self magazines if you have trouble. They have tons of healthy dishes that taste great.
Depriving her of her favorite food all at once will not be effective.
Just reduce the portions little by little and replace the fatty stuff with low-fat ones.
And make sure she gets some physical activity.
Bouncy balls work great.

Answer 2

Everyone here seems to think you are doing bad things. My daughter just turned 4 on June 15. She weighs 50 pounds and is 4" shy of being 4' tall. Everyone thinks she's 5 or 6. She wasn't really a big baby (just 7 lbs. 12 oz.) when she was born. However, her grandma is 6'4" so I expect her to be tall. I just took her to the doctor for her yearly checkup and because she is so tall (95th percentile for height and weight) it's ok. Now, if she was proportioned different, there would be a problem.
It sounds like your daughter is in the same boat as mine. My daughter doesn't eat the healthiest things all the time. I do agree with your husband, though. When she's hungry, she'll eat the healthy things you give her. I know she will get cranky but I've learned to just tune my daughter out.
One big no no for preschoolers is giving them anything but skim milk. That will definitely put on the pounds. It sounds like, for now, that you are doing a good job. I would try to gradually take away the junk food. Let her have happy meals as a treat. By the way, if she likes spaghetti, there is a trick I read about...puree spinach and put it in the sauce. She'll never know it's there and you probably won't either.

Answer 3

Wow, 4 feet tall? That is extremely tall for a 4-year-old, so I don't think she is really overweight given her height. But, you should still try to feed her healthier foods so she doesn't end up developing bad eating habits and becoming overweight as she gets older. There is nothing wrong with letting her eat those foods that she likes (fast food, mac and cheese) occasionally, but moderation is the key. If you are feeding her those things more than a couple times a week you do need to cut back. You don't need to force her to eat things that she hates, but surely if you just let her try some healthier foods, there will be something she likes. If you are offering something that she likes okay, but she still asks for junk food, you'll just need to tell her that x is what is for dinner and she can either eat it now or it will go in the fridge if she wants it later. She may whine and refuse it for awhile, but she'll eat when she gets hungry enough. I know it can be hard to see her unhappy, but just remember that what you're doing will benefit her more in the long run than giving in to her and letting her be unhealthy.

Answer 4

Honestly I know a lot of people are saying to let them find their own boundaries but I wouldn't be so quick to just leave it alone. My two puppies (4 months) live with two adult cats, and what I have noticed is that one or the other doesn't respect boundaries at certain times, for example, sometimes the pup will continue to want to play until the cat gets too frightened and runs away, however I've noticed in situations like this that the cats body language was telling the dog "leave me alone!" and the dog simply did not understand it - cat and dog body language is different. The cat slinks along the ground and growls rather than going belly up and screaming after he gets bitten to indicate hes had enough. My puppies play rough with each other and though they've toned it down for the cat, they still need to be extra polite, and that IS something you can teach them. Also don't be afraid to correct your cat when he gets out of line. When my cat growls or hisses and swats at the dog I say "NO" and the play or interaction stops. Your pit will be bigger than your cat soon, and may not be able to tell when he is hurting the cat since the cat doesn't give the same signals as a dog. I think it is great that they are friends and I'm not saying that it's going to turn ugly but you never know (doesn't matter about the breed. Mine are chihuahua / feist mixes) So watch their play and the moment your dog pounces on your cat or lays a heavy paw you make a gentle correction, like "ah-ah-ah" teach him to be cautious by correcting any action that you could see as dangerous when he is 4x the size. Teach him to come to you when you call by calling his name and giving him treats when he does.

Answer 5

its soo hard to hear your baby cry, i know its just soo much easier to give her what she wants, i have a 3 year old, so i do know exactly how you feel. but i know you want your daughter to be healthy, and it might be a little difficult at times.
first, start off slow, don't take it all way cold turkey, offer her good stuff with junk, like chicken nuggets from M'C but get her the apples instead of the fries, try giving her crackers and cheese with some turkey or ham, give her the mac and cheese with green beans, corn, carrots, or a good one is little trees in ranch(broccoli). your hubby is right to a certain degree, she will eat what you give her if she is hungry enough, but don't make this change a punishment, make it fun, play with different food ideas, have her help you prepare them. but it does all come down to you are the mother, you are the one who decides what she can eat, offer good food to her, if she eats it great, if not next meal might go better, if you stay firm on this soon she will get the point. just stay strong you guys can do this. here is a website i got some cool food ideas from. hope i was of some help. hugs

Answer 6

Well, it is soooo hard to hear your child cry or whine about something, but YOU HAVE GOT TO GET OVER THAT! 60 pounds is too big for a child of that age. Does her doctor think she is okay?

Your husband is right!!! You need to stop giving her the junk! Start phasing out the junk and phasing in the good, because it sounds like she is already addicted to junk. Once she starts eating the healthy stuff on a regular basis, she will start to feel happier and more active and her body will start to crave the healthy snacks and foods!

Good luck and I hope your daughter realizes that you are only doing this in her best interest. Good for you for noticing this bad habit now and trying to change it now!

Answer 7

I would not buy any of those foods that are not healthy for her. If there are none in the house she wont be tempted. Kids tend to follow their parents eating habits. I try to eat healthy around my 2 year old which is had right now because i am pregnant. We eat alot of fresh fruit. Like strawberries with whip cream. Pudding is also very good for them and so easy to make. she still will ask for a cookie alot of times when i ask her what she wants for a snack. But she only gets a few every other day.

Answer 8

I understand what you mean. My son was the same way. Try to limit eating out, keep it as a special occasion.
Make homemade pizza at home with stuff she likes and maybe introduce something new each time. She will have fun makeing it and then eating it too. Try it on whole wheat english muffins or mini bagels.
I always make my kids try at least one bite of something new. Then if they don't like it they don't have to eat it. They do whine and cry but they get over it.
Salad is not fun for a 4 year old but you can try creative alternatives. Carrots dipped in ranch, Apple slices and peanut butter, celery and peanut butter, orange slices (show her how to make a smiley face out of the peel. Bananas are good with peanut butter too.
Try to limit the sweets. Mac and cheese is not horrible but omit the butter when you make it - it really tastes the same.
I try to limit the amount of junk food snack that are in my house. They are easy to reach for when they are there.

Answer 9

Whos the parent you or her? Does she make the money, buy the food and prepare it? No you do. Don't be afraid to stand up to a four year old. If you can't do it now, what will you do when she is a teenager? If the child realizes that those foods are not an option, she will eat what is given to her. Those types of foods should be a once in a while treat, not an everyday thing.

Answer 10

First of all, if you could add her age (4 years and how many months), exact height and weight- I could graph her on a growth chart for you; this would give you her percentile compared to other children her age.

Second, I don't mean to be harsh, but you are the mom. I know it breaks your heart to see her unhappy; as her mother you only want to make her happy. What you need to recognize is that by making her happy with poor food choices, you are not actually doing what is best for her.

You need to start incorporating healthy foods while weeding out the bad ones. I don't think you should do it cold turkey, she'll only hate it more. Take her to the supermarket with you and make it a game when you buy fruits and vegetables. Have her find big/little, a specific color, or number of things. Something like, "Help mommy find lots of little green fruit!" (grapes) or "Can you find the vegetable that a snowman uses for a nose?" (carrots) Then when preparing fruits and veggies for snacks have her arrange them in pretty patterns on her plate. Always offer a dipping sauce, this usually appeals to picky kids. Fat free or reduced fat ranch dressing is great for most veggies; and kids love it. Peanut butter is great for apples and celery. Fat Free Cool Whip is another great idea to get her to eat fruit. Who wouldn't eat something dunked in Cool Whip!?!

My kids have always loved this idea for lunch; they call it "Cut Up"- because everything is cut up or sliced. I fix whatever is in the fridge really but it is usually something like; a couple of deli slices of turkey (sandwich thin), carrot sticks and dip, wheat crackers, cheddar cheese cubes, and a few cut up strawberries (or grapes, kiwi, apples). They like it served on those divided plates.