When to Worry about Tubbiness in Babies

[mathmarm]

I know that sounds silly but...Jr. is really growing and I do mean really growing. He was a normal weight at birth, but now he just seems to be getting bigger and bigger. He is exclusively breastfed and he loves to eat. His pediatrician said he was fine at his 3 month check up, but I worry that his weight might hinder his development.

 

He's a big guy--almost 22lbs already. He looks like he could use a training bra, his thighs are pretty thick and he has a couple of chins. He rolls around, but hasn't began to crawl/scoot yet. He can't sit up. He's supposed to go for a check up at the end of March but I'm tempted to take him in a bit early so that he can be checked out. All he does is eat, eat, eat and sleep. He laughs and plays too, but he isn't very physical...Has any one else had a "tubby baby"? Did they crawl at a normal time? I'm mostly worried because he isn't sitting up yet and doesn't seem to be interested in a lot of gross motor activities, just eating, sleeping and being held...

 

 

[Truscifi]

My nephew was so chubby we called him Buddha Baby. As soon as he started walking it melted away.

 

Now he is chubby again at 13, but that is because he eats a ton of junk food.

[Kathryn]

It is way too early to worry about him sitting up. If he's EBF, they say it's near impossible for them to overeat. I vote for fine, but if you're worried, you could consult your doctor.

[Jennifer in MI]

My sister's baby weighed 24 pounds at 4 months.  Sounds about the same?  He did sit, crawl, and walk a little late.  Sat around 7 months.  Crawled at 13 months.  Walked at 18 months.  But, now at 7.5, he is a totally normal size.  He was exclusively breastfed too.  Her doctor was never worried!

[catz]

How old is he now?

 

My son was not a super HUGE baby, but he was a very rotund baby until he started moving. At 3-4 months people thought he was 7-9 months (I think he was about 16 lbs at 4 months, born at 6 lbs). I think he only gained like 1-2 lb between 6-12 months and was a very average sized one year old (around 20-21 lbs I think?). He started crawling at 7 months and was taking steps by 9 (although he wasn't a full time walker until 12 months, he was a very efficient crawler). I really think the growth charts used aren't great for full time breastfed infants. I will also say, my boy tub-a-wub baby is a small 13 year old (5'1", 85 lbs, rail thin).

 

I know some people with bigger babies can take a little longer to crawl. I know some babies that did not crawl until 9-10 months. So maybe a little extra bulk can make it take a little longer

 

Anyway, if you're concerned developmentally, absolutely go see your ped. But I think many babies bulk up before they move and I know my own kid did not follow a nice growth curve on the chart they use.

[mathmarm]

I just worry that his weight could possibly hold him back...Hubby thinks that Jr is just "pleasantly plump" and there is just "more of him to love", but I have never seen a baby this tubby...(admittedly I don't go around weighing peoples babies, lol) but still.

 

Its just seems odd to have a 5mo infant that weights more than 20 lbs when I'm 98lbs...I've seen Hubbies baby pictures and he was a lean baby too so where did the extra weight come from, I wonder?

[momma2three]

My fattest baby is my skinniest kid.  I wouldn't worry until 3 or 4 at the earliest.

 

It's very normal for some babies to gain heavily in their first 6 months, and then lengthen out during the second 6.  My oldest 2 were both 20lbs by 4 months, and 23 and 22lbs at a year.

[Guest]

My bf dd was 20 lbs between 5 and 6 months.  She is now a tall skinny 11 yr old.  It is pretty normal for exclusively bf babies to gain like that, but with a proper diet as they get older, they don't tend to hang on to that "baby fat".  

[Gil]

In my (admittedly limited experience) babies that get the breast tend to get the bulk.

The kids I know who were breastfed looked like giants compared to my boys during infancy.

None of the fattish, breastfed babies are obese children, though so I guess its not really a problem.

[BarbecueMom]

My 6mo is 21 pounds, and he is mostly sitting up now, but not crawling yet. He just started tasting solids, otherwise EBF. Not a problem at all, except he's killing my shoulder. And I have a heck of a time zipping up his 12mo size PJs around those thighs.

 

FWIW, DS5 was also a chunky baby, and now he just has a dense build. Healthy eater, perfectly height/weight proportionate, no plumpness at all, but just... dense. He weighs around 45 pounds. Physically built for contact sports, but prefers running, baseball, and golf. It's my skinny, hollow child that wants to play hockey. Go figure.

[KRG]

When to worry about a chubby baby?  Never

My oldest was 20lbs at 4 months old. He hit all of his milestones early or on time(crawled at 5 months, walked at 10).  He's now 16, is 6'3" and skinny as a rail.  To compare my very average to small second baby weighed a little over 20lbs at a year crawled at 8 months and walked at 13 months.  

[Truscifi]

Also, our family doc said EBF babies tend to gain fast udring the first 6 months, then slow down, where formula babies are more slow and steady gainers, and the weight charts are based on formula babies.

[Wilma]

Fret not. He's fine. Chubby babies are adorable.

[Kim in Appalachia]

You do not need to worry.  I'll repeat that, please do not worry about your babies weight (unless the child is UNDER weight.  That could be an issue).

 

My 2nd child was very chubby.  I loved it.  She ended up off the charts both for weight and height, but by the time she was 2 she came back down to the charts.  She grew in spurts as a child.  She would gain weight, then shoot up.  She's now 5'9" and just fine.

[reign]

My middle kid was my chubbiest. She was HUGE for her first birthday she had started wearing 2t a couple months before. She hit all the physical milestones the earliest for my girls but she talked the latest. I wouldn't worry unless you're feeding him bottles of coke and fistfuls of cheesy poofs.

[twoxcell]

My very chubby baby is now a tall 8 year old girl that is in the normal weight range for her height. She was 10lbs 7oz at birth and was 27.5 lbs and 32.5 in at 1 year. As far as milestones she was early to average. She walked right at 10 months. When I look back at her baby pictures I can not believe how chubby her cheeks were, but she was adorable! She was BF as well.

[GSOchristie]

My 7 YO weighed 22 pounds by six months, 27.5 at a year.  He sat early and crawled early, skipped standing and was walking at 9 months...and he was still a chunk.  He is now 64 pounds and solid muscle, he never stops moving, no visible fat on him.  He didn't even start solids until 8 months, EBF until then :).

[Paige]

That really doesn't sound all that big. 20lbs for 5months is a little bigger than average, but not a ton. I've known several EBF babies who were over 30lbs by 1yr! They were fine and are all normal sized children now.

[maize]

My kids pretty much gain a pound a week from two weeks to three months, then the weight gain gradually starts to taper off. They have crawled and walked within a normal age range, and they gradually thin out as they grow. None of my older kids is chubby at all. My 18 month old weighs about thirty pounds. He was 8 lb 1 oz when he was born, and about 20 lbs  at 4 months. He gained more weight between 0 and 4 months than he did between 4 and 18 months. He is very active and healthy.

[GSOchristie]

Also, our family doc said EBF babies tend to gain fast udring the first 6 months, then slow down, where formula babies are more slow and steady gainers, and the weight charts are based on formula babies.

 

 

DS 7:  22 at 6 mon, 27.5 1 yr

DS 4:  18 at 6 mon, 23 1 year

DD 2:  15 at 6 mon, 17.5 1 year

 

They all grew much faster then slowed waaayyy down.  

[Meriwether]

Ds9 was a super chubby roly-poly baby. He slimmed down when he started walking. I have a hard time find slims that will stay up now.

[Farrar]

Also, please listen to the wisdom of all these smart moms.  I know someone who was told by her pediatrician to stop breastfeeding her child and give her other foods because she was "too fat."  The child was not even close to off the chart.  Sounds like you have a good ped who knows all is well.  Keep breastfeeding.  Enjoy the only time of life when rolls of fat are adored by everyone in society.  Don't even think about it again until baby's well into solids.

[GSOchristie]

This is my son at six months, look at those thighs!  And his wrists!  Oh, my, I miss those days :).

 

[maize]

Funny story, when a friend found out that I was tandem nursing after my second child was born she was very concerned that the newborn was not going to get enough milk and would be malnourished. Little did she know that I produce endless quantities of pure cream; no child of mine is going to starve.

 

Incidentally, my chubbiest baby was also one of my earliest walkers, at 9 months. That kid weighed in at 24 lbs at his 4 month checkup. I was tandem nursing that time as well...

 

In another era I probably could have made my living as a wet nurse :D

 

[LibraryLover]

If you are talking about an exclusively bf baby, don't worry one more second. The fattest (bf) babies I've knows always seem to end up the thinnest kids.  Enjoy him --and use a good carrier so you don't get carpal tunnel or hurt your back. ;)

[happypamama]

My babies tend to be on the larger side at birth (three of them were over 9 pounds), and they grow quickly for the first couple of months, and then it starts to taper off. Several of them have been about 18 pounds at 6 months, all EBF. My biggest baby was 9 lbs. 10 oz. at birth and 18 at 6 months, but only 21 pounds at a year; he was moderately active, but even at 9, he's only about 55 pounds, just a lean kid (looks like my FIL). My smallest baby was exactly 8 pounds at birth (at 38w3d), and he was somewhere around 18 pounds at 6 months. He's my biggest 2yo, I think, at around 28-30 pounds at 30 months (big brother was never that big at that age). He walked at about 13-14 months but even at 6 months wasn't rolling. He is 100% fine. My current baby is super active, just always squirming and moving; he was a bit over 9 pounds at birth but is "only" a bit over 16 pounds at 6 months. He sits well and has been rolling for a few months, plus he scootches around on his belly and is close to crawling. I expect him to walk early like DD (9 months). He may be on the smaller side, but he looks healthy, is very happy, and has little bits of chub, plus he's ahead on milestones. He is not a big comfort nurser, whereas some of my others have been; this little guy will not nurse if he's not actually hungry. Point being, they're all different, and as long as Junior isn't actually behind on milestones, I wouldn't worry at all about him. Most likely, he willl slim down when he starts crawling/walking, but he sounds to me like he's doing just fine.

[rebbyribs]

I've never had a chubby baby - my kids are all long and lean.  But I thought that you might find it reassuring that my long, lean 5-month old is not sitting up on his own (he can stay in a sitting position holding my hands, but he can't balance himself), scooting, or crawling.  He rolls over, smiles, laughs, sucks his thumb, sucks his toes, and babbles.  He eats and sleeps, and he loves being held and watching his older siblings.

 

[KungFuPanda]

Why worry? There's nothing you can DO. You can't very well feed him less breast milk. A heavy baby MIGHT do things later because he has to lift a few extra pounds, but there's no way to know this, there's no evidence that the extra days it takes him to hoist himself is harmful in any way, and there's no prize for doing things a few weeks sooner in babyhood. Try to relax and enjoy him NOT getting into everything for a little while.

[Kerileanne99]

When I asked my pediatrician about dd''s 'chubbiness' jokingly at dd''s 6 month check-up, he (also a father of 8!) told me:

"That's not chub, that's insurance!"

 

That made perfect sense to me and later on I was very glad dd had that little bit extra:)

[texasmama]

My fattest baby (EBF) was my earliest walker.

 

Do not be concerned.

[Tap]

Both of my bio kids were fast growing, heavy babies.  DS was out of an infant car seat at 4mo.  He was in 1 year size clothes and well over 20lbs. He was always big compared to his peers, and didn't level out with them until 1st grade.  He has always been tall, but thin ever since.  DD15 was the same way.  Over 20lbs and in 1 year size clothes by 5mth.   Both of my kids spent time off the growth charts and usually lingered at the top end.

 

 

DD7 is my bio-niece.  She had cheeks that dipped down and touched her chest when she came to us. She came to us at 5mo but by 11mo we figured out that she didn't process milk well.  As soon as we took her off of cows milk, she stabilized and stopped adding pounds faster than height.  She was beyond rolly polly though, she was unhealthily over weight.  She ate healthy, it was just the milk.   At 7yo  she still carries quite a bit of weight. but is also a full head taller than most of her age-peers  Genetically, she likely always will based on her bio-parents and bone structure.  She is a massive power house of strength though.  She is probably almost as strong as my 15yo. LOL

[Desert Strawberry]

Another vote for no worries. 

Sagg was over 20 pounds at 4 months. He could sit, but he never crawled. He walked at 6 months. Yes. 6. He was 36 pounds on his first birthday and over 40 pounds at his second. He is now 5' 2 and 90 pounds. Not a fatty any more.

My slowest baby was also my smallest. He was tiny and round.  He is now 32 pounds at 4.5 years. Less than Sagg at 1. 

The other two were different sizes and different timetables. Everyone is fine. There is a wide range of normal.

If you are concerned about delays unrelated to his weight, that is something to talk to his pediatrician about.

[Soror]

I wouldn't worry at all for an ebf baby.

[SKL]

I agree that it is too early to worry.  However, I'd ask the doctor about it if this trend continues much into his 2nd year.

[8circles]

Almost never. Your situation does not sound at all worrisome.

[myfunnybunch]

My babies were all about that size around 5 months. Totally normal. I had biceps of steel from hauling them around. They followed the trend mentioned in this thread of gaining much more slowly the next 6 months. My chunkiest baby has become my toothpick boy. Give your little one's chubby legs an extra squeeze from me. I do miss those chunky baby legs! :)

 

Cat

[Ellie]

I know that sounds silly but...Jr. is really growing and I do mean really growing. He was a normal weight at birth, but now he just seems to be getting bigger and bigger. He is exclusively breastfed and he loves to eat. His pediatrician said he was fine at his 3 month check up, but I worry that his weight might hinder his development.

 

He's a big guy--almost 22lbs already. He looks like he could use a training bra, his thighs are pretty thick and he has a couple of chins. He rolls around, but hasn't began to crawl/scoot yet. He can't sit up. He's supposed to go for a check up at the end of March but I'm tempted to take him in a bit early so that he can be checked out. All he does is eat, eat, eat and sleep. He laughs and plays too, but he isn't very physical...Has any one else had a "tubby baby"? Did they crawl at a normal time? I'm mostly worried because he isn't sitting up yet and doesn't seem to be interested in a lot of gross motor activities, just eating, sleeping and being held...

 

For a totally breastfed baby...never. Make sure he gets lots of time on the floor (even if he complains about it at first), because being held too much can be more problematic than being tubby. :-)

[Sara in AZ]

If you are talking about an exclusively bf baby, don't worry one more second. The fattest (bf) babies I've knows always seem to end up the thinnest kids. Enjoy him --and use a good carrier so you don't get carpal tunnel or hurt your back. ;)

Yes! I wish I would have gotten a back carrier with my monster child. I love telling about my giant boy who weighed 8 lb 2 oz....when he was born at 36 weeks. Five weeks later on his official due date he weighed 13 lb, 24 at 6 months, and 30 at a year. He nursed exclusively for that year and weaned close to age 3. Today he is still a giant, 9 years old, almost 5 feet, and over 120 pounds. His build is definitely genetic, just how he was born. I wouldn't worry about your chubby baby's size now, but definitely take care, as I'm sure you probably do, to model a healthy diet and active lifestyle. We try our best, but between ages 7-9, my son's weight has outpaced his height. We're working on it, but I wish I had been a bit more diligent earlier on to recognize when he was moving out of normal (for him) range.

[Audrey]

Your pediatrician should have explained to you that the normal growth pattern in children is that they bulk up then grow taller.  This repeats many times throughout childhood.  Sometimes the bulking up phase looks like overweight, but until they've passed the height gain phase you cannot assess whether they are overweight.  Your child is only 5 months old.  He is obviously in a weight gain phase.  This will soon be followed by a height gain.  Please do not obsess over his weight gain phases for the next 16 years.  That won't do you or your son any good at all.

[Audrey]

For a totally breastfed baby...never. Make sure he gets lots of time on the floor (even if he complains about it at first), because being held too much can be more problematic than being tubby. :-)

 

Very true!  At 5 months, baby needs to have lots of time to explore use of his muscles.  He can't do that while being held. 

 

FWIW, I held ds a LOT from birth to about 4 months, but then I hurt my shoulder very badly and couldn't hang on to him while standing.  The Snuggli and sling put too much pressure on the shoulder, so I couldn't do that either.  He was NOT happy to only have lap time at first, but we spent tons of time on the floor playing.  I believe it was partly responsible for ds being a slightly early walker (8 months),  as all that floor time gave him the opportunity to figure out how to move around to get where he wanted to go. 

[freesia]

My fattest baby (EBF) was my earliest walker.

 

Do not be concerned.

Mine, too. He was about the size of your one. He is now a tall, lanky 13 yo who is in the 20% height for weight.

 

All gross motor milestones were on time or early.

[LMD]

I currently have a 20lb 4.5 month old.  He's wearing 6-12 months sizes (and has been for a while), on the charts is above the 98% weight for age, he's rolling around now but it'll be a couple of months before crawling.  Also exclusively breast-fed.  I'm totally not worried, because all my boys have been like this!  Dh used to half joke about them having a thyroid problem because they are just enormous.  I just revel in the squishiness!  We call him our little stress ball, you know, like those office stress balls you squeeze to relieve stress?!  My 3rd child was also like this, and he was walking (running!) at 10 months old... I'm hoping this one is a bit more placid.   :D  They all even out once they start moving, they're just storing energy for when they're more interested in running than eating!  My oldest son was huge and sloth-like, not interested in moving, more interested in whining until someone picked him up.  He didn't crawl until about 10 months and walked a little after 1.  Totally normal, it's just his personality.

[Laura Corin]

Breastfed Buddha babies are not uncommon :) Their rollipolliness as babies don't have much to do with their eventual build.

 

Calvin was a Buddha baby, fully breastfed.  He was born skinny and is now healthy in the underweight BMI category.  If you are worried, I'd go and get him checked out, but it doesn't necessarily mean anything.

 

L

[nd293]

Both of mine were skinny little things when born, and nicely round by 6 weeks - no surprise that I was back to my pre-pregnancy weight 6 weeks post-partum each time! By 6 months they were little Buddha babies - I used to say that their fat rolls had fat rolls. They crawled at a typical age, and walked early or on schedule. Dd13 is a normal weight now, and ds6 is on the skinny side. If all your son is getting is breast milk, I wouldn't worry at all.

 

At 6 months dd was far enough above the curve that I had a nurse gear up to lecture me. She started with a stern, "What are you feeding her?" but on hearing she was still exclusively breastfed, switched to, "Oh! That's fine then."

 

When ds was around 6 months we took a flight on Singapore Airlines, and one of the flight attendants was so impressed with ds's fat legs that she called 3 of her colleagues to look at them. One of the young men suggested to her that it might not be appropriate to (repeatedly) describe a passenger's baby as 'fat', but she was quick to reassure him that it was ok - "The mother says it, too".

 

I love healthy roly poly babies!

[clarkacademy]

My oldest was a monster. I mean so chunky she had NO neck. We called her butterball. She was exclusively nursed as well. By the age of 2 it was gone, just gone. She did walk late but that is most likely our fault because we always wanted to hold her. She is 16 now and don't have a bit of chub on her.

[unsinkable]

Don't worry.

 

My "chubbiest" was EBF until 11months, then he started grabbing food off our plates. No "baby" food or Cheerios or stuff like that. He simply wasn't interested in anything but nursing.

 

He sat up very early. we said because his bottom was so big, he was like a Weeble. Once he was sitting, he rarely feel over. He walked at 9 months and was running soon after. He was like a fat water bug, he just zipped around so quickly.

 

He was so chubby his rolls had rolls. It all kind of melted away.

 

My other kids were similar: EBF, very chubby, reached physical milestones early. I was stopped by other nursing moms who said, "that's a BF baby, isnt it?" with all my kids. My DH was stopped, too, and asked the same thing. BF babies get chubby.

[WishboneDawn]

Yup. I'm just confirming what everyone else is saying. Despite what you guys were like as babies (were you formula fed?) What you're describing is absolutely normal. EBF babies gain fat differently.

 

Fat is energy and your child is storing energy in anticipation of big growth spurts.

[mumto2]

Ds was a huge baby, his rolls had rolls. At 3 months I think he was 24 lbs. Exclusively bf and he ate constantly. At around 6 months I remember FIL begging my to diet him. :lol: He hit his milestones before or at the same time as his sister. Was down to completely normal proportions by two. For a year or so around 11 he was tubby,then he grew a foot and is a 6 foot tall thirteen yo weighing roughly 140.

 

Don't worry.

[Leanna Tomlinson]

Does anyone else have an incredible urge to go pinch some CHEEKS?!?!

[lavender's green]

My toddler was a chubble-monster as a baby, off the charts in weight and height.  The pediatrician stressed that it didn't mean we'd label him as "obese," and was really unworried because DH and I are normal-sized.  He's nearly 3 now and while he's still pretty solid and tall, the extra fat has melted off.  It's never affected his ability to do things and he actually tended to be early on milestones.