Q: Hi Doc, I am worried about my 1 year, 9 months old son who as at yesterday weighed 20.3kg. Though he’s very active, doctors say I have to help him lose the weight. I am not on the fat side, never have been. The Dad is just okay for a man’s size. I give him Weetabix, Golden Morn and include a lot of veggies in his diet. As for exercise, I believe he’s too young and I can’t starve him. Doc, please what do we do to help my baby?

A: Hello dear, thank you so much for writing in.

Should his doctors be worried? Yes, they should be. I’ll tell you why. We use a ‘rough’ calculation to estimate the weight of a child from the age of 1 year to 5 years. The formula used is 2n + 8 where n is the age of the child in years. Using this calculation, the weight of a 2 year old should be about 12kg and in fact, by the age of 5 years, a child should be approximately 18kg. So, should we worry? Yes, we should. Can something be done? Absolutely!

First, we’ll start with the meals. He eats those cereals you mentioned and veggies? How much does he eat of them and how often? Even when we say a particular food is healthy, portion control is still critical. I would prefer to go with an oat-based cereal for breakfast. It has a lot of fibre and will keep your baby feeling full for longer in addition to helping reduce the level of bad cholesterol.
When you say, you serve veggies, what type of veggies do you provide and how often? I’d have loved you to give me an idea of a typical day’s meal plan. Please inbox this to me so I can respond and see where the issues lie. If you serve veggies doused in oil or fried to death, then your baby may not be getting the benefits of those vegetables.

Do you allow your baby to take a lot of sugary drinks…juices et al? Guess what this does? It fills your baby up with empty calories such that he doesn’t have space for the healthier, more nourishing food you’ll serve up at meal times.

Does he eat or snack a lot in front of the TV? This may lead to mindless eating as he’s not paying attention to what he’s eating and is likely to have overeaten before he’s aware. What does he snack on? Sugar-filled pastries? Healthy substitutes are fruit slices dipped in yoghurt or peanut butter, a smoothie, yoghurt to drink etc. Get your baby one of those plates that have different sections for veggies, carbs and proteins and stick with this.

Your baby is entitled to about 3-4 main meals per day with about 1-2 snacks (on the average 5 meals in all) so he won’t starve. That’s plenty.

Remember that he also needs exercise. If his main activity daily is playing with toys in the house, why don’t you give him a work out? Have a dance party and have your baby giggling as he struggles to keep up with your dance moves. Find other fun activities and ensure he keeps active.

Be sure that you and hubby also abide by these rules of healthier eating to encourage him and so that he has good role models to watch.

For more on this subject, please click on any of the links below:

Daily Health Tips: I Think My Daughter Is Small For Her Age!

Daily Health Tips: Should my children be on a diet?

Daily Health Tips: Healthier Substitutes For Foods We Love.

All the best.

Please keep me posted.

Have a good night, y’all 😀