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Her concerned mum Justine Simpson doesn’t believe in dieting for children and said she felt judged for her daughter’s size, which she credits to Amelia’s father’s Samoan heritage.

“Both the paediatrician and health nurse looked at her weight and height and told me she is obese and had to be on a diet and eat less,” Ms Simpson, of Naremburn, said.

“Obviously, this was not nice to hear and I felt extremely uncomfortable because I sensed there was a lot of judgment.

“I have heard many mums being told the same, and even one mum who was told to put her two-year-old on skim milk, which is ridiculous because her son is in no way fat.”

Ms Simpson said that under the health nurse’s recommendation, she changed her daughter’s milk from full cream to light milk.

“I have slightly cut back her meal sizes, however, I am not as comfortable with that, due to how active she is,” she said.

“I think she eats large portions at dinner because her body needs to refuel! Aside from our daily activities and play groups, she also walks with her grandmother most days, usually to the next suburb and back - some days they are out walking for up to two hours!

“So while I am slightly more conscious, I actually havent changed her diet that much - she eats an extremely balanced diet of fruit, vegies, and whole grains, rarely any sugar, aside from the occasional treat, and all her meals have been home made from the moment she started solids.”

She said it was a good thing to be aware of a toddlers weight, but believed it should be addressed if they ate a lot of junk food or were unhealthy.

“I think they need to consider genetics and bone structure in there too - my daughter’s father has a Samoan background, and her father is extremely tall and muscular, but in no way fat,” Ms Simpson said.

“I feel this has a lot to do with her size.

“Shes 28 months and about to go into size 4 clothes due to her height.

“Healthcare professionals should consider this fact as well, rather than just using a chart designed for kids, who knows how long ago.

“I definitely dont believe in dieting for children.

“I feel that even the awareness of it at a young age, can cause seriously problems down the track.

“I plan to always instil self-confidence and self-love in my daughter, because its hard enough out there in the world - I never want her to feel badly within herself.”

CHILDREN of overweight parents are running the risk of being stunted as whole families are put on diet regimes by mums who don’t want to prepare separate meals.

Paediatric dietitian Hanan Salah said cutting carbs or limiting bread in children’s diets restricted nutrients and vitamins young bodies require for optimum brain development.

“It tends to be easier for parents if they are following a diet, say, that is strictly gluten free, most of the time the family tends to put everyone on it because it saves them time and money and is convenient,” Ms Salah said.

“If it were up to me I wouldn’t restrict children, particularly of carbohydrates, because we all know they provide fuel for their brains and school.”

The Sydney-based nutritionist said a quarter of her paediatric patients were weight-loss referrals.

“The referrals I get are mostly started by the parent going to the GP for an immunisation,” Ms Saleh said.

“They might be turning four and the doctor might plot their weight and height, and if they are deemed overweight or obese they will be sent to me and more often then not they are appropriate referrals.

“But I wouldn’t agree to the family putting a blanket diet on everyone — from 16 upwards you can start playing with their diets but before that you shouldn’t restrict nutrients as it can stunt their growth.”

Her comments are backed by a new study that found eight in 10 parents put their children on diets at the same time as them, limiting bread, carbs and serving sizes.

The Healthy Diet Study, conducted by Galaxy Research for the Tip Top-backed A Grain of Truth Campaign to encourage Aussies to eat more bread, highlighted that 82 per cent of the 1014 parents surveyed changed their kid’s meals when dieting themselves, mostly because it was more convenient for the whole family to eat the same things. Almost half (45 per cent) admitted to limiting the amount of bread their children ate, while 17 per cent cut carbs from their children’s meals.

Naremburn mum Justine Simpson was both shocked and concerned when doctors classed her two-year-old daughter Amelia as obese.

They said her 18.5kg weight was too heavy for her 98cm frame and she should be on a diet.

“Both the paediatrician and health nurse looked at her weight and height and told me she is obese and had to be on a diet and eat less,” Ms Simpson said.

“Obviously, this was not nice to hear and I felt extremely uncomfortable because I sensed there was a lot of judgment. I have heard many mums being told the same, and even one mum who was told to put her two-year-old on skim milk, which is ridiculous because her son is in no way fat.”

Ms Simpson, who doesn’t believe in dieting for children and credits her daughter’s size to her father’s Samoan heritage, said she has changed Amelia’s milk from full cream to light.

“I have slightly cut back her meal sizes, however, I am not as comfortable with that, due to how active she is,” she said.

By Lisa Mayoh

Source: http://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/nsw/weighty-issue-should-children-as-young-as-two-be-placed-on-diets/story-fnpn118l-1227155013496?nk=24e85533ffafae425cd8fe549760211b