• Skip to content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • Home
  • Shop ModernMom
  • Become An Insider

ModernMom

The premiere destination for moms

  • Parenting
    • Pregnancy
    • Baby
    • Kids
    • Tweens and Teens
    • ModernMom Monday Videos
  • Cooking
  • Living Healthy
    • Breast Cancer
    • Health & Fitness
    • Body after Baby
    • Beauty
    • Relationships
    • Love
  • Lifestyle
    • Crafts
    • At Home
    • Education
    • Travel
    • Pets
    • Decorate
    • Money
    • Brooke Burke
  • Celebrate
    • Holidays
      • Easter
      • Valentine’s Day
      • New Year’s
      • Christmas
      • Hanukah
      • Halloween
      • Thanksgiving
    • Birthdays
    • Parties
  • Must Have
  • Contests
  • Entertainment

Ideal Weight for Children

January 5, 2011 by ds_15457 Leave a Comment

Identifying the ideal weight for a child is a challenge because of the various factors involved. A healthy weight range is a more realistic way to assess a child’s health and need to lose weight. Early identification of weight problems in children allows an early intervention to avoid more serious health complications down the road.

Benefits

A child in a healthy weight range enjoys a much more active life. Alternatively, an overweight child is usually less active or downright sedentary and thus, has a higher risk for serious medical problems, such as diabetes, sleep problems, high blood pressure and asthma. A child who stays within a healthy weight range reduces her chances of developing health problems in the future.

Factors

A weight measurement obtained from a scale doesn’t give an overall picture of whether a child is at a healthy weight. A taller child with a larger frame naturally weighs more than a child at the same age, but with a very small frame and shorter height. Both children are likely at a perfectly healthy weight, even though the numbers on the scale aren’t equal. Boys and girls of the same age often vary on weight while both being healthy. Because they are still growing, age also affects the ideal weight range. The older a child gets, the more she can weigh while still being in a healthy range.

Body Mass Index

The body mass index, or BMI, offers a way to assess a child’s weight while taking into consideration other factors. The BMI calculation figures in a child’s weight, height, gender and age. Online BMI calculators like the one offered by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention — made specifically for children — offer an easy way to figure your child’s BMI.

Healthy Range

Percentiles help medical professionals assess a child’s BMI compared to peers and doctors use those percentiles to establish healthy ranges for children. A BMI that falls between the 5th and 85th percentile is considered a healthy weight range. The range is quite wide, making it impossible to identify one ideal weight for a child. Your child’s physician should calculate these percentiles at each well-child visit. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also offers growth charts that factor in a child’s age and BMI to assign a percentile. A child between the 85th and 94th percentile is considered overweight, while a child at the 95th percentile for BMI is considered obese. Anything under the 5th percentile is underweight.

Considerations

If your child falls outside the healthy weight range based on her BMI, take steps toward improving the overall health of the family. A makeover of family recipes reduces the amount of calories your child consumes. Replace calorie-filled snacks with healthier options. Get the entire family moving with a walk or active game in the backyard. Singling out one child may damage her self-esteem or make her feel bad for being outside of the normal weight range.

Comments

comments

Filed Under: Parenting

About ds_15457

Shelley Frost has been a freelance writer since 2007, specializing in parenting and education. Her work can be found on websites such as ModernMom.com and PreschoolRock.com. Frost holds a Bachelor of Arts in elementary education with a minor in reading from the University of Northern Iowa.

Reader Interactions

Primary Sidebar

Search

Tell a friend

  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
ModernMom Boutique

ModernMom TV

Featured

Third Child

I Want a Third Child, Except, I Really Don’t

Something strange has been happening to me lately:  I keep … [Read More...] about I Want a Third Child, Except, I Really Don’t

Must Have

STEM-related Toys to Include in Your Child’s Easter Basket This Year 

April has arrived which means it’s time to pull out the food … [Read More...] about STEM-related Toys to Include in Your Child’s Easter Basket This Year 

Did you know?

Dating a Man With a Big Ego

Dating a Man With a Big Ego

Early Signs of Pregnancy While on Birth Control

Early Signs of Pregnancy While on Birth Control

Child Seat Belt Laws for a Pickup Truck

Child Seat Belt Laws for a Pickup Truck

basal temperature as sign of pregnancy

Basal Temperature As Sign of Pregnancy

Quick Ways to Cook a Round Steak

Quick Ways to Cook a Round Steak

What Will Draw Smells Out of a Closet?

What Will Draw Smells Out of a Closet?

Symptoms of Pregnancy If HCG Injection Is Taken

Footer

  • About Us
  • Contact ModernMom
  • Advertise With Us
  • Press
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use
  • Contributors

Copyright © 2023 Modern Mom. All Rights Reserved.

Reproduction of any portion of this website only at the express permission of Mom, Inc.

The information provided on ModernMom is for educational use only. It should not be used as a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.