I'm worried

About my 10 year old daughter.

She is about 4"2 and weighs 38kg. Is that a lot? I mean I didn't think it was until the family went swimming last summer. We'd just bought her a new purple tankini, same size as usual (it should fit right), but this was when I realised my daughter has a HUGE belly. It bulges out over the bottoms and really strains the tankini top. She er...has a very big bottom too....it spills out the side. I swear this is the size that fit when we bought it about a month before. Things got really bad when she bent over to pick something up and they actually ripped around her stomach!

Is she overweight? I mean it's not like she's so heavy she's broken anything, but it really scared me when she seemed to burst out of this tankini. She has also started developing reasonably big breasts for 10...I think it might be a weight problem..

Please give your advice,

Jessica

Average height and weight

Hi Jessica,

The average weight for 10 year old girls is about 35kg and average height is about 4 and a half feet (www.babybag.com/articles/htwt_av.htm)

Since she is both heavier than the average weight and shorter than the average height, it would seem that she is overweight.

The best thing though would be to take her to see a nurse or doctor who can check her height and weight accurately and then advise you on any action to take. There is some info on this site: www.direct.gov.uk/en/Parents/YourChildsHealth/DG_0-66077