Ryan's 8 Year Checkup

I took Ryan in to his pediatrician this week for his 8-year well check. Here are his growth stats!

Height: 47.85 inches (14%)
Weight: 54 lbs 5 oz (40%)

The first thing we did was look at Ryan's growth chart. He has consistently been between the 10th and 15th percentile for height his entire life. His doctor said that based on his parents' heights, he should grow up to be of average height (5'9" or so). Even though he has never been of average height, his doctor thinks he will have a growth spurt in his teens to catch up. 

Next we looked at his weight in proportion to his height, and the doctor said something interesting. He commented that Ryan is "getting a little heavy for his height", and that we need to be more careful with his diet. At first I was really taken aback. Ryan heavy?? We have been encouraging him to eat more for pretty much his entire life. He has never had a big appetite. I have noticed a jump in the amount of food he eats in the last half year or so, and we have encouraged it. I mean, he's a growing boy! So when his doctor called him heavy, I asked him to explain further. I think doctors like to see percentiles remain consistent from year to year. Last year Ryan's weight was in the 30th percentile, and the year before that it was 20th. So his weight is increasing but his height is not. We ended up discussing Ryan's diet and how much food an 8-year old needs. According to his doctor, it isn't much at all.

Here are my thoughts: We absolutely will not limit how much Ryan eats. If he is hungry, we will feed him. By no means do I think he is getting "heavy". What we are doing is encouraging more healthy foods and fewer junky foods. Ryan adores foods like pizza, nachos, burgers, tacos, and sweets. We don't want to call him out and tell him he's a "bad eater" or turn this into some weird food complex. So together as a family we will try to fill up on more produce and healthy snacks before we fill up on the empty calories. That way it's just a message about making better food choices, and not a "you are bad" or "this food is bad" message.

The only other issue we talked about is Ryan's skin. Have I ever mentioned how rough it is? He has had eczema his whole life, and the skin on his arms and legs is so bumpy and dry. It goes hand in hand with the awful seasonal allergies he has. Before trying Singulair (his doctor's suggestion for his allergies), we are going to bump up his Flonase and slather his arms with hydrocortisone. 

So overall a pretty good checkup. But next time I take one of my kids to the doctor please remind me to check and make sure they are wearing underwear. Ha! At least his doctor made me feel better by sharing that he sent his daughter to Sunday School last month wearing just a dress and no undies. Ha!