Kay

My Mother-In-Law's neighbors have a little boy who is 3 or 4 years old and weighs about 80 pounds! He is a cute little boy, but certainly very overweight. Its not mostly muscle. The child literally has fat rolls and no neck! His parents are in their early 50's. He was a surprise baby, his mother thought she had entered menopause only to find out "nope, you certainly did not!" The state has threatened to take him away because of his weight. He is rewarded with food, is allowed to have anything he wants when he throws a fit, etc. Since he started preschool he seems to have lost a little bit of weight, probably from the physical exertion of playing hard and a few hours away from constant eating. I find it rather irritating that he has been allowed to get to this weight and his doctor has supposedly never said a word to the parents about it. The parents think its funny that he is so heavy.

Tara

I don't understand parents who would let a child get that heavy. I would assume that the parents are heavy also?

But it sounds like they are the kind of parents who don't put any limits on their kids. They could probably use some parenting classes as well as nutrition education. A kid that fat is looking at some pretty miserable school days!

LoveMaGirl

I can see how a child can become a little overweight but certainly not that much. And to find it funny, rather than horrifying as it is, is just terrible. They ought to be ashamed of what they have done to the child.

bunbun

I think they should take the child away. His parents have shown they are unable to take care of him and obviously haven't watched the maury Povich show. He's had kids that size on. They don't stop growing and they don't normally lose weight either. Food is an abusable substance just like drugs and alcohol and we need to let people know that overfeeding your child is abuse, especially on such a gross scale.

Seattle_mom

Shame on both the parents and the doctor. I wonder, then, if they have explored any physical issue as to why the child is overweight, such as thyroid issues. To be overweight at such a young age points to deeper issues that permissive parents.

jackie0109

Overweight toddler should be given concern and should have a balanced diet. Being overweight might cause disease to kids and should to everything to become healthy