children come in different shapes and sizes

You'd think that it would be easy to tell whether a child is a healthy weight just by looking, wouldn't you?

Not so!

Parents are too close to get it right.

It is really hard for parents to judge whether their child is a healthy weight or not.

More than 2 in 3 mums of an overweight child can't tell that their child is overweight. The studies on a dad's ability to judge their child's weight haven't been done. To be cautious I'm going to say 'sorry Dad ... at this stage, I can't trust your eye either'.

It is also easy to misjudge and say a child is underweight. Just because a kid looks skinny doesn’t mean the child is unhealthy. Skinny kids may actually be a healthy weight and size but teachers and parents are used to seeing kids with a little more meat on them.

Even health professionals can't tell just by looking.

They need to measure a child's height and weight. They'll plot the measurements on a growth chart and look back to see what has been happening to the child's growth pattern.

Ask a dietitian, school health nurse or your local medical doctor to check your child's height and weight. Let them be the best judge.

About overweight kids ...

About underweight kids ...

Facts about children's health ...