Overweight 9-month old

Hello,

My son had his 9-month check-up on Friday and he is officially overweight, and quite significantly so.  He weighs 12.3kg (27 lb) and is 73cm (29 “) long.  The doc said that it’s not a problem now because he will likely slim down over the coming months as he becomes more mobile, but she said that we should be aware of it and act to prevent it becoming a problem.  She recommended that we take him off formula and switch to half-fat cow’s milk and that we work on upping his food intake, particularly veg and fruit.  I think he has definitely been drinking too much formula (he’s still waking for multiple feeds during the night) and he has been very slow to take to solids, but I was kind of surprised that she would suggest switching to cow’s milk since normally that’s strongly advised against before age 1 and similarly half-fat milk is normally not recommended before age 2.  

I feel like I have to trust that our paed knows best, but it's hard not to question her recommendations when they seem to go against the normal advice.

I hope his weight will just rectify itself as people keep saying, but I can’t help but be a bit worried about it after reading online about research that seems to suggest that overweight babies and babies that gain weight too quickly during the first few months are more likely to become overweight adults.

[Renee Radenberg]

Children under 3 years old should not have low fat items due to brain development. Suggest decreasing his formula and increasing the food. As he learns to walk, his weight will become more in portion to his height and not be 'overweight' due to increased activity. . As a guideline for a 9-12 month old child should eat the following: Breast-milk or Formula (6-8oz) 3-5 feedings a day, Dairy 1 serving a day – cheese (1/2 oz) or yogurt (1/2 cup). Starch 2 feedings a day – Infant Cereal (2-4 Tbsp), bread (1/2 slice), crackers (2), or pasta (3-4 Tbsp). Fruits or Vegetables 2-3 feedings a day – (3-4 Tbsp). Meat 2 feedings a day – 3-4 Tbsp) or beans (1/4 cup). Hoped this helped you.