How much does your 5/6yo weigh?

[caitlinsmom]

I took dd to the ped today for a yeast infection. I got a disapproving glance when he saw how much she weighed (35lb). I am not concerned about this as she has always been a very tiny girl, but his look got me wondering. How much do other kids her age weigh? Is she really that tiny? To me she is normal, ya know.

 

So anyway how much does your 5/6yo weigh? Boy of Girl?

[3lilreds in NC]

Um. Both my girls were over 40 lbs and in booster seats by age 3. I know Emma was in size 8-10 clothes at 5. But, my kids are always pushing greater than 95th percentile on everything.

 

ETA: Sounds like you have a lovely petite daughter. I envy you a little bit.:) Our neighbor girl is 7, in 2nd grade, and can still wear 5T clothes, last time I checked. My 7 yo is in 7/8. My 8 yo is in 14/16! And my boy is in 2T/3T at 13 months. :D

[Jami]

My 6 year old weighs about 47 lbs. She wears a size 6-7 and is very average in size. My 4.5 year old weighs 43 lbs and is very tall and solid, but not chubby.

[KIN]

My 6.5 year old ds weighs 41 pounds. :) My dc are all on the small side.

[Daisy]

My son is going to be 7 in Feb and is in the 60% for height. He weighs about 45 lbs and looks solid. I don't think you have anything to worry about.

[mamato4]

dd#3 is 8 and weighs about 45 lbs. dd#4 is almost 5 and weighs about 31 lbs.

[Tree House Academy]

My son just turned 5 and he weighs 36 pounds. My oldest is 9 and weighs only 65 pounds!

Edited October 16, 2008 by Tree House Academy

[Only me]

In fact I don't think she went over 40 pounds until 3rd grade. She is just tiny for her age. As a freshman she only weighed 79 pounds.

 

As long as your dd seems healthy, has energy etc. then I'm sure she is fine.

[rafiki]

.

[Alaska Mom]

I would look at the growth charts for both her height and weight to help you determine "normal". If she's real tiny I wouldn't worry, it sounds within normal to me.

 

My just turned 6 dd is 44 lbs. and is 47" tall. She has always been in 95% for her height (I haven't looked at a chart recently to know if that's where she still is).

[hsmamainva]

My 6 1/2 year old dd weighs 45 pounds.

 

She's very tall for her age...almost as tall as my 9 year old!

 

She's always been below the 5th percentile for weight and in the 95th percentile for height! She's tall and thin.

[KrissiK]

My five year old boy is 42 lbs.

My four year old boy is 34 lbs.

My 2 1/2 year old daugher is 32 lbs.

 

The boys are just built very differently. My oldest is skinny as a rail, but he's all muscle, he's solid and he's very athletic. My daughter has been on the top end of the growth charts from day one.

[Alphabetika]

My younger dd will be 10 on 10/31, and she weighs about 60. She is the shortest of all of her agemates, but they seem to vary widely. She knows a girl several months younger than she is who weighs 110, and another who wears a women's size 8.5 shoe. Whew! Her older sister was much taller, heavier, more developed at this age. All kids are so different!

[sweetfeet]

My 6 year old daughter weighs 52 pounds and is 52 inches tall. I think she's 95% for weight and 75% for height. She looks thinner though, she's a very solid girl.

[Titus.Two.Five]

My youngest will be 5 in four more months. He weighs 32 lbs. Your Ped would totally disapprove, I'm sure. :tongue_smilie: And yes, he does eat, *ALL* day long! My 2nd son was the same way, in fact he weighs 43 lbs and is 7.5 yrs old and was tested for everything under the sun for 'failure to thrive'. Perfectly healthy!

[Pamela H in Texas]

My daughter was 47 pounds at 2....and at 5 :) She's always been tall though also.

 

36 pounds is the size of the average 3yo so I can see why someone's initial reaction may be that a 5 or 6 yo that weight is awfully small, but if you take in account height, solidness, genes, etc, it may be perfectly fine.

 

BTW, my ds was a skinny little thing from 2-8years old. I worried something awful. I really wish I hadn't. Now I worry the other way. I really wish I wouldn't. <sigh>

 

Honestly, if she's healthy, I wouldn't worry about it :)

[gandpsmommy]

My son just turned five. He weighs between 32 to 34 pounds, depending on what time of day we weigh him. But he has always followed his own growth curve, and he has been in the single digits percentage-wise for height and weight since he was between 9 and 12 months old. For us it seems to be genetic. His dad was tiny as a child as well. He turned out to be muscular, broad shouldered, and deep chested when he grew up, but he's on the shorter side of average for height. I am only 5'2.5", and I have a small bone structure. Our physicians' concerns have always been that he stay on his own growth curve. If he were suddenly to drop off that, then I think we would be concerned.

[Jennifer in MI]

My dd is tiny - she's nearly 3 and still only weighs 21 pounds. Our doctor is not at all worried. When dd dropped off the chart, he wanted to see her again in 6 weeks and we worked to add healthy, high calorie, high fat foods. He just wanted to make sure that she hadn't stopped gaining. She gained 2 ounces in those 6 weeks and he was happy.

 

I have the feeling my little one will be tiny like yours at 5/6. I can't imagine her gaining 14 pounds in 2 years at this rate!!

 

BTW - my dd is still rear facing in her car seat!

[BabyBre]

My little guy is 6.5 and has been hovering around 40 lbs for about a year. He's starting to drop off in his percentiles, but Dr.'s not worried yet. He's the littlest one in his 1st grade class.

 

Dd, who is almost 8 is a solid 50 pounder, but she looks smaller. I think she's all muscle. She's also the smallest one in her 2nd grade class.

[camibami]

MY 7 year old is 41 pounds. She was so excited to break 40! She's always just been tiny- 6 pounds at birth, 15 at a year, just small, always. Our Drs have always said its fine as long as they stay consistent- you don't want a sudden slow-down or gain.

[Jumping In Puddles]

my 5 year old boy is 45 pounds - exactly on the 50% line on the chart.

 

My dd is tiny! She is 4 and weighs about 30 pounds and is in the 10th percentile in height and weight so the doctor said as long as her height and weight are similar she is fine.

[nukeswife]

My daughter is a tall girl too. She's going to be 7 in a month but in August she weighed 50lbs and is 4'3" tall. My 9.5 year old son was 67lbs and 4'6". They've always been big kids for their age. Now my youngest is 3.5 now and at his 3 year check up he was 34" tall and weighed a whopping 27lbs. My dh and I tease that he'll be in a booster seat when he goes off to college because he's just a tiny kid.

[Audrey]

I took dd to the ped today for a yeast infection. I got a disapproving glance when he saw how much she weighed (35lb). I am not concerned about this as she has always been a very tiny girl, but his look got me wondering. How much do other kids her age weigh? Is she really that tiny? To me she is normal, ya know.

 

So anyway how much does your 5/6yo weigh? Boy of Girl?

 

 

At 5 my ds was 40" tall and 40lbs. -- a pound an inch!

 

He's always been very tall and slim, like his dad. I wouldn't worry. Healthy kids come in many sizes. :001_smile:

[Donna]

My youngest is almost 6.5yo and weighs in at 39lb. She weighed 34lb at 5yo. When she was 2yo she weighed 22lb then at 3.5yo weighed 24lb, the doctor looked twice at the record until I reminded him that oldest ds is tiny as well. He will be 13 next month and weighs 83lb and he has gained about 13lb in the last 9 months so is on the growing side now (has been working out and eating more so has put on a bit of muscle).

[LizzyBee]

My girls were that small at 5-6. My 7 yo weighed 40 lbs at her well child check up this summer.

[mom31257]

My ds is 5 and weighs 45 pounds and is 45 inches tall. He won't be 6 until May. I hate to say this, but he hasn't had a well check up in 2 years, so I'm not sure where he falls on charts. He's continuing to get taller and need new clothes, so I think he's fine. He's a picky eater, and constantly moving. He has always worn the clothes size of his age.

 

My 11 yo dd was always in the 90th-95th percentile. She'll be 12 in March and she's all ready 5'3'' and wears a size 8 and 8.5 shoe.

 

Unless she isn't continuing to grow, I wouldn't worry. If you go a long time without having to get larger sizes, then I would wonder.

[newlifemom]

I have a 10 yr dd who still hasnt' broken the 50lb mark. She did just this summer finally grew out of a size 6 waist. The only problem is that she has my long legs so needs a 10 pant for length and a 7 for waist. Would that that was ever my problem.(trying hard not to feel envy) :glare::D

[abbeyej]

My dd is 6.5 and she weighs 36lbs. She's 42.5" tall. She's extremely petite.

 

35lbs at 5years old would put your dd between the 10th and 25th percentiles for weight. That's perfectly respectable!

 

We did do some "investigation" about dh's (edited: dd! not dh... lol...) lack of growth last year. But in her case, it was because she had steadily *dropped* in her place on the charts, and had finally fallen off completely. It was determined that she is indeed delayed in her growth, but she's perfectly healthy and has begun to follow a curve that matches her bone age (determined by an x-ray of the wrist) rather than her chronological age. Basically, her body thinks she's 4.5, not 6.5, and she's growing quite well (now that she has begun to grow again) for a 4yo! ;o)

 

Check your dd on the charts here:

 

http://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nhanes/growthcharts/set1clinical/cj41l022.pdf

 

If her height and weight are *wildly* different percentiles, or if she has changed percentiles significantly, it might be worth discussing with your doctor. If there are other symptoms that concern you (constant loose stools, shortness of breath, fatigue, circles under her eyes, or anything else that doesn't seem right), it's worth asking about...

 

But some kids really are just small. And truly, if the doctor thought there was something actually wrong, s/he would say something.

Edited October 17, 2008 by abbeyej

[LizzyBee]

the doctor said as long as her height and weight are similar she is fine.

 

That's interesting. Two of my kids have always run about 75-90th percentile for height and 5-25th percentile for weight, and their doctors weren't concerned about the discrepancy. They were more concerned with each track staying consistent from year to year.

[sassenach]

My 6yo boy, who is on the tall side, weighs 50 pounds. He's skinny, nothing extra on him, but he's a ball of muscle and energy.

 

My 4yo, who still has a little baby pudge going on, weighs 35 pounds.

 

How is her growth chart? Did he say anything about whether her growth has fallen off track? 35 pounds for a 5yo girl is about the 15th percentile, for a 6yo it's just under the 5th. The most important thing is consistency. If she was in the 15th percentile last year and is in the 5th now, that might signal a problem. However, a child who has always been in the 5th percentile is likely just small, but normal/healthy.

[Tess in the Burbs]

my daughter turned 5 at the end of August and she's not 35 yet. my son is 6.5 and last I checked he was 42. so if he's 45 by age 7 I will be shocked.

 

they are small. if the growth chart is on the small side then they are small and tell the dr they grow but are fine.

[Mommy22alyns]

Becca took a while, but she's finally broken 40 lbs. She's about 46" tall now and around 41-42 lbs, age 5.5.

 

 

At her 5 year checkup, she was only about 39 lbs. I think my girls have summer growth spurts!

[Mommyof4ks]

I agree with others, both height and weight must be looked at. If she is short, then 35lbs may not be bad. All three of my kids are in the 70th percentile or higher for both height and weight (5 year old is in the 95 for height and 97 for weight), so they are proportionate.

 

Try switching back to fat containing foods. Her metabolism may just be high. My kids are still on whole milk, high fat cheese and yogurt, and so on, because they get too thin when due to high activity and fast metabolism.

 

Wendy- Mommy to 3 munchkins

[cillakat]

My 7 yo dd is naturally very thin......

 

38.4 lbs

 

she held steady at 33 lbs for 15 mos

 

33 lbs at 5.5

33 lbs at 6.5 (growing a lot in height though:))

then in 6 weeks.......she went to 34.5

then 37 at 6y10 mo

then 38.4 8 weeks later

 

she wears a size 4 *waist* band....but that's really short on her.

 

for skirts I buy things in 6/7 with highly adjustable waists.....a bit bunchy but still doable.

 

pants are trickier.

 

my brother was 39 lbs when he turned 7.

40 lbs by the time he turned 8. has the same body type as she does and was just thin and active. caught up with him later...he's not overweight, but he filled in and is of normal build now...works out a bunch too.

 

oh, and fwiw, dd7 eats her weight in food every day. she eats *constantly*. Her movement is fairly constant as well, so she burns it up quickly.

 

My best advice, feed her well, give her a great multi, sufficient cal/mag d from food/supplements.....and find a pediatrician who is also naturally thin:p

 

 

 

all the best,

Katherine

[Storm Bay]

I'd check family size & history, too. If you and/or your dh are petite, or if that runs in your family, that could be it. Or perhaps you have constitutional growth delays. My kids have always been on the charts, although I have one who is usually about 60th percentile in height and 30th in weight.

 

One of my brothers was tiny (not on the charts or else barely on) and one of his dc is the very same way. He was small enough that he was sent to a specialist for tests to see if he had hormonal problems, etc. Turns out his growth hormones were normal, but he had constitutional delay, although I'm not sure if it was called that back then. His bone age was 2 years behind his chronological age, etc. So, instead of ending up the 5'2" the charts predicted for him, he grew for a very, very long time and ended up over 5'8". Still lean.

 

If she's following her growth curve &/or there is a family history of this, I wouldn't worry about it. Even growth curves can have some zig-zags, but if there's a sudden big drop or growth stoppage, then I'd be concerned.

[dawn of ns]

I would look at the growth charts for both her height and weight to help you determine "normal". If she's real tiny I wouldn't worry, it sounds within normal to me.

 

Keep in mind that the growth charts, especially ones the doctors have, describe the range of normal. Even if a child is at the extreme end of the spectrum, if they're on that chart, they're within the range of normal and you should have no worries. Even some doctors don't get this.

[teachermom_7]

I think alot of it depends on how tall they are. It doesn't really "hit home" that they're comparatively thin if they're not really tall.

 

My dd (8) just topped 60 lbs!! My pediatrician was never overly concerned, though. He could tell she was healthy, just thin like her daddy. He says as long as they're eating well and not getting sick alot, don't worry about it. They'll catch up sooner or later.

 

My ds (5), though, is a different story. He was over 40 lbs at 4 y/o, but he has the height and stocky frame to go with the extra weight.

 

I wouldn't worry about it. If we were exactly the same, it'd be a really boring world to live in :)

 

Tammie in LA

[Melissa in FL]

I took dd to the ped today for a yeast infection. I got a disapproving glance when he saw how much she weighed (35lb). I am not concerned about this as she has always been a very tiny girl, but his look got me wondering. How much do other kids her age weigh? Is she really that tiny? To me she is normal, ya know.

 

So anyway how much does your 5/6yo weigh? Boy of Girl?

 

My 7 1/2 yr old girl is only 41 lbs, when she was 5/6 I would say is was between 30-35. I think so many kids are on the higher side that doctors look at our petite ones and freak a little. :D

 

Neighbor child who is a month older than my dd has been over 100lbs since she was 5, she once told my dd she should eat more candy to gain weight. Went on to say how dd was too thin and it wasn't healthy. It took me an hour to convince dd that she was normal. I finally proved it to her by googling a site which showed growth charts. I showed her where she was (along the bottom) and I showed her where she would be at 18 (it had her about 90-95 lbs). Then I let her know that her favorite Aunt who had just turned 18 was the same body type as she is and dd would look just like her at that age.

 

Know that she is just right for her. In a different age, she would not be out of place. As long as she is healthy and eating well, don't sweat it. But, please watch to see no one makes fun of her for being small (I've learned my lesson and am very aware of dd's self body image).

HTH

Melissa

[Annie Laurie]

I wouldn't worry, it's mostly genetic- we're all different shapes and sizes and we pass that on to our kids. I'm short and petite and my dd is built just like me.

 

Mine were all big at birth, then they slowed down after they turned 1. Now my recently turned 6 year old dd is barely 40 lbs. Her 7 yr old brother is about 45 lbs. My oldest used to be tiny, tiny, just like his siblings. He has grown a ton in the last year and is about 5'10", I can't recall exactly how much he weighs now, but he's really filled out there too. Still growing like a weed so I know he's going to end up at least being average sized, and he was very small when he was younger.

[swellmomma]

My dd now 9 was only 43 lbs at her last check up. SHe was my biggest one at birth but quickly turned into my smallest one. SHe has always followed the same growth curve, she just happens to be small. CUrrently my 5 yr old boy weighs nearly 50lbs and is therefore bigger than his 'big' sister, he is also within a few inches of being as tall as her, and she is as short as she is slight.

[LibraryLover]

My 9 yr old dd finallly hit 49 lbs this year, and my 16 yr old is around 100 lbs. (My ds' are heavier, but 'normal').

 

ETA: Kids are what they are.

 

I was a rail- thin skinny -minny until age 14, when I got boobs and a bum. I think I gained nearly 20 lbs that year.

 

People worry way too much about healthy children and their weight.

Edited October 17, 2008 by LibraryLover

[Bambam]

http://pediatrics.about.com/cs/growthcharts2/l/blgirlstwo.htm

[Quiver0f10]

My DD wil be 6 in April and weighs 39 pounds.

[all4ramseys@msn.com]

DS6 (will be 7 in Jan.) weighs 70lbs. and is not even chubby. He is also quite tall for his age. We come in all sizes, don't we?!

 

Holly

[mo2]

My 6-1/2 yo girl weighs 40 lbs. When she was younger (maybe 2?) her doctor did a workup because she was underweight according to the growth charts. Nothing wrong. She's just tall and skinny. I wouldn't worry, as long as she is healthy.

[threetreasurs]

My daughters are small and on the thin side (unluckily, I am not<g>). They take after dh's side of the family. My middle daughter got asked about anorexia every so often but she has always had a hearty appetite. I was always trying to sneak more fat into her diet when she was younger - it never seemed to make much difference!

[Marie in Oh]

They are both under the 5th percentile for weight and height. They look like waifs to me, but dr is non-plussed. Someone has to be at the other side of the chart, he says. They look rediculoius next to their peers, but they make excellent gymnasts so there you go.

[5knights3maidens]

My dd is 44 lbs (5 at the end of July) in size 6x/7 (slim) clothes. dd (3 at the end of August) is in size 5 clothes and I'm not sure how much she weighs but is heavy!

[Storm Bay]

My 9 yr old dd finallly hit 49 lbs this year, and my 16 yr old is around 100 lbs. (My ds' are heavier, but 'normal').

 

ETA: Kids are what they are.

 

I was a rail- thin skinny -minny until age 14, when I got boobs and a bum. I think I gained nearly 20 lbs that year.

 

People worry way too much about healthy children and their weight.

 

Yes. I'd be more concerned about children on the heavier side. A friend of mine's dd put on a lot of weight one year, but because she was 90 percentile in both height & weight the doctor didn't worry, but, in fact, it was the start of a bad trend and this girl is now medically morbidly obese (that's a real medical term, although perhaps not pc.) A far better thing to look at is your bmi, but even that can vary. I didn't make the bmi for being a police officer (not that I wanted to be one, but was curious) but was very healthy. fwiw, I was 120 lbs and 5 ft 10 at age 20, but was not anorexic in the least--I filled out to a whopping 135 pounds, which is the lightest "healthy" weight for my height, by my mid-twenties. Also, to diagnose anorexia, you need a blood test. We're far to quick to think people are like this these days because of all the media hype. Yes, it's a dangerous condition, but some people are naturally skinny. Sadly, those easy days are over for me and I can no longer eat as much as I want to any time I want to.

[turnin' 360s]

My DS5 was born at 28 wks and is small for his age. He weighs about 40 pounds. There is a 5 year old in his class that weighs less than 35.

 

There is a girl in our church that was always tiny and short. When she started driving she was less than 80 pounds. She laughed about still needing a car seat. Then she went through a growth spurt and is about 5'3". She is still tiny, but not so much now.

 

I thought it relevant that she was always significantly smaller than the other kids her age, but by the time she stopped growing she was not.

 

My niece has always been extremely skinny and over a head shorter than all the girls in her class. In the last six months she has grown so fast she is the tallest in her class now. I'm pretty sure she was about 35 pounds when she was five.