[deehunk]

Originally Posted by Oxy

My 10-year-old son weighs 50 kgs, and I am pretty sure that for his age, he's overweight by at least 10 kgs.
My wife thinks I am being paranoid for no reason because he is a growing child. Am I overreacting?

For god sake, please leave the kid to his terms if he is not addicted to junk food, I see a new trend in schools these days, Weight is considered as a physical fitness score in the Marks sheet, does this mean that a low-scoring kid is mentally unfit? We are seeing a decrease in age to reach puberty from our times, let the boy mature and then handle him with care.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by Oxy

I feel a pressing need to get his weight sorted now...

Never thought I would have anything to contribute to this thread, since I don't have children, but I've observed something that might help. See if you can get your child interested in and involved in a sport, preferably a team sport. When I participate in my weekend activities, I see a lot of children under the guidance of coaches and with their peers, all age groups. Having seen these kids over the past 5 years, I see that peer-pressure for them is more towards performing better and maintaining good health. I think those children are less likely to take up smoking or unhealthy eating habits simply because the sport has become a way of life for them. It doesn't have to be at a competitive level, or aimed at winning trophies or medals, but I think getting involved in a sport and involved in a similar peer group will be an easier and more enjoyable way of keeping a child fit rather than controlling diet or something like that.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by Oxy

My 10-year-old son

Growth spurts don't work the same way for everyone. So extrapolating to 100 kg at 15 is not a real thing.

I've been an overweight since childhood, was 97 kg during my 12th grade-1st year college hiatus. I've never exercised or went to the gym, I really won't do it consistently. I used to cycle for commute during my pre-teen and teen years and quite a bit of walking since then (again with a purpose, not as an exercise).

Food intake went down from the mid 20s onwards. In my 30s, I ate a lot less than my mother in her 70s I am 42 now and still in the low 90s, still do quite a bit of walking and climbing up the stairs (which few of my colleagues in their 40s do and 20s don't).

As a parent, whatever you preach him, you have to practice yourself For your local jaunts, walk or take local cycling trips. Nothing fancy to publish on Strava, just enough to convince yourselves that you won't become couch potatoes.

[subraiyr]

Originally Posted by Oxy

My 10-year-old son weighs 50 kgs, and I am pretty sure that for his age, he's overweight by at least 10 kgs. I feel a pressing need to get his weight sorted now because it worries me that he will be 100 kgs plus by the time he's 15-16 years old at this rate, and that will be an irreversible damage.

Wife thinks I am being paranoid for no reason because he is a growing child. Am I overreacting?

Dont be paranoid. As per the weight charts, i am sure he is overweight. But then again, kids put on and put off weight very quickly. The only two changes you might need to practice is

1. Avoid any processed food - give your child healthy nibbles. At this age, they are always hungry. Fruits, nuts are good friends.

2. Play - Let him get out and play to his heart's content. Enough of indoor games indulgence and all the chess, music coaching classes

Let a child be a child

[PrasadS]

I didn't find any dedicated thread so decided to start one.

We are expecting soon and are on the 3rd trimester. Being a soon to be first time parent, I've realised I have almost negligible knowledge on this topic.
Being surrounded by lots of experienced elders, i am somehow dependent on them to help me out and take things as they come. But lately I've realised that times have changed and now a day's we have a lot more facilities and tricks which my previous generation is unaware of regarding birthing and babies.
The discussion with friends who are parents now are not so fruitful with mostly "Tujhe hone de tab pata chalega" especially from guys

So i turn to this amazing community to help me and fellow new parents with their wisdom.
Appreciate any tips you'll have and will post any queries i come up with on the way.

My proudest decision as a new parent, and which is not done by any friend/relatives around me is, stem cell preservation. Ive enrolled for umbilical chord/blood preservation. I was flabbergasted with how much this medical technology has evolved and now baby's cell's are beneficial for parents and grandparents too! Do let me know if anyone needs more info on this.

Me another recent learning was, 3rd trimester the mother's immunity takes a bit of a hit as it's shared between baby and the mother. We learnt it the hard way after my wife had developed cough and we spent 3 to 4 sleepless nights. Luckily some antibiotics could be taken in 3rd semester and we're all good now. But it could have been avoided if we were extra careful.

Obviously guys seem more illiterate on this topic than ladies, as we'll talk about cars and gadget more than babies when we socialize
Do share your learning or experiences, as it would help a lot of people like me.
All the best to all the people who are in same situation as me.

[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by PatienceWins

I am not regular at gym now.

Also "let's go" moments is difficult now as more planning and considerations for little one is required. I think that would be the case for a pretty long time.

@snaronikar: Sibling rivalry and politics at young age would be high and sometimes unmanageable. I played an active role during my childhood. All the Best dude!!

I visited this thread after a long time and it was nice to read the initial comments, go down memory lane and contemplate on the life with children now and the future.

Elder one is 16 years (whom I mentioned in the thread) and younger one is 14 years. They have become more independent with pangs of teenage/ changing hormones. It is important that we take effort to connect, spend time and maintain the relationship.

I am back to gym/ long walks etc as the stress is more on health with middle age and children do not require our full focus as before. Will have to get used to the possibility of them leaving us for higher studies soon. So whoever having young kids, cherish the times as you are not going to get it back. Spend time, travel and have enough memories to last a lifetime.

Travel as family is a challenge with different exam schedules, competitions, matching leave for parents etc. Still we try to travel and create memories as much as possible.

[PrasadS]

I am still on the fence about buying a stroller for our soon to arrive bundle of joy.

I've not seen anyone in my immediate family or friend circle using a stroller. Almost everyone around me is 'hands on' when moving around with an infant.
I don't want to impulse buy, with it ending up in the corner unused. I hardly walk as it is and cannot see myself in situations where i 'stroll' about with the baby.
Can you please let me know the situations where the stroller came in handy for you or instances you were happy you bought it?

[Shreyans_Jain]

Originally Posted by PrasadS

I am still on the fence about buying a stroller for our soon to arrive bundle of joy.

I've not seen anyone in my immediate family or friend circle using a stroller. Almost everyone around me is 'hands on' when moving around with an infant.
I don't want to impulse buy, with it ending up in the corner unused. I hardly walk as it is and cannot see myself in situations where i 'stroll' about with the baby.
Can you please let me know the situations where the stroller came in handy for you or instances you were happy you bought it?

Strollers are always handy, as they allow the baby to lie down and for you to go hands free. Always go for the lightest and most compact stroller, it will be that much easier to push around. Also, bigger the wheels, the better. Always go for a stroller over a pram. Your stroller will come handy for they first 3 years of your baby’s life, so don’t penny pinch. You’ll need it every time you go to the park or mall or restaurant or holiday. Baby will sleep after every few hours, and you can just make him sleep in the stroller. We used ours at home as well, kid enjoyed it. Even now, at 3+, my daughter likes behind pushed around in it.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by Shreyans_Jain

Strollers are always handy, as they allow the baby to lie down and for you to go hands free. Always go for the lightest and most compact stroller, it will be that much easier to push around. Also, bigger the wheels, the better. Always go for a stroller over a pram. Your stroller will come handy for they first 3 years of your baby’s life, so don’t penny pinch. You’ll need it every time you go to the park or mall or restaurant or holiday. Baby will sleep after every few hours, and you can just make him sleep in the stroller. We used ours at home as well, kid enjoyed it. Even now, at 3+, my daughter likes behind pushed around in it.

Any specific product recommendations?

I guess this thread would have quite a few posts on this but (shamelessly) asking upfront

[ranjitnair77]

Originally Posted by PrasadS

I've not seen anyone in my immediate family or friend circle using a stroller. Almost everyone around me is 'hands on' when moving around with an infant.

You can also consider using a baby carrier. When we had our baby, we were gifted a stroller but we never used it. I exclusively used a carrier as it just felt more natural and you can move much better as you don't have to lug a carrier around. She slept very well in it. Once she started walking, we would slowly encourage her to walk as much as possible and pick her back up when she got tired. I used to carry her supplies in a backpack.

You also have the added bonus of getting in a minor workout as you walk around

Maybe you should first try this before you get a stroller? I used the Chicco Ultrasoft Baby Carrier which I think was rated upto 11kgs.

[drive2eternity]

Stroller really depends on your lifestyle and areas/ surroundings.

I have a 13 month old daughter. I live in an apartment complex with well paved surfaces and ample walking area. Stroller is god send for us. My daughter goes for 'walks' every evening in the stroller. She has been since she was 3 months old. We also took the stroller along to all Mall visits, again it was a blessing. She could easily sleep in it while we loitered around. In fact stroller was very handy when she did not have proper neck strength. However, after a point she started becoming more aware of her environment and wanted to see around more and more. The stroller restricted this a bit and she began protesting, esp in Malls. We still took the stroller along because if she had to sleep, or if we needed a peaceful meal, we could place her in the stroller and belt her up.
Then we got a baby carrier. We had initially borrowed one from my cousin, which was only back facing. She definitely did not enjoy being 'hung' in that due to restricted line of sight. Then we bought a front facing carrier and she comfortably 'hangs' in there and even sleeps if needed. However, as they gain weight, you need proper back strength to carry them around.

The stroller is still used every evening for walks but is not carried for social visits and outings any more.

Another story, my sister had a baby around the same time. She lives in a 'colony' in an independent house. They bought a stroller which has been practically useless for them.

[rohan_iitr]

Originally Posted by PrasadS

Can you please let me know the situations where the stroller came in handy for you or instances you were happy you bought it?

A stroller would be useful in the following ways:
1. To take the baby out for a stroll in the mornings/evenings, so that the baby can get some sunlight and fresh air and the parents can get some exercise. This is applicable if you are living in a gated community with well paved internal roads.
2. Stroller would be useful when you go out for shopping in malls. The stroller also has a storage area where you can keep the bag which carries the baby supplies.

Other than these scenarios, usage of stroller would be limited and it would just be gathering dust.

A baby carrier can also be useful once in a while, but you need to have a strong back to be able to carry the baby for more than half an hour. Also, the baby may not like to be seated in the carrier for more than that.

Rohan

[PrasadS]

Thanks a lot everyone for sharing your experience.

Reading through all of the replies, i think it'll be prudent to buy a stroller/ baby carrier as per need when required and not right now.

From what I've gathered so far, a stroller would be good if we'll be moving around a lot with the baby and be out for a long period of time. Will not be exhausting to move around, will be able to carry stuff and the baby gets a portable crib if they need to sleep.
The downside will be if we are not that outdoorsy or having very small trips.

Baby carrier would be a bit cheaper and could be useful regardless of terrain and much portable. The downside would be the chances of baby not being comfortable in it and the exhaustion from carrying the baby.
My wife also mentioned that 'she heard' that baby carrier 'might' cause some posture issues in infants. Idk how true or valid that is though.

[subraiyr]

Originally Posted by PrasadS

I am still on the fence about buying a stroller for our soon to arrive bundle of joy.

I've not seen anyone in my immediate family or friend circle using a stroller. Almost everyone around me is 'hands on' when moving around with an infant.
I don't want to impulse buy, with it ending up in the corner unused. I hardly walk as it is and cannot see myself in situations where i 'stroll' about with the baby.
Can you please let me know the situations where the stroller came in handy for you or instances you were happy you bought it?

This is probably part of a standard set of items one buys with a baby on the way. We bought a stroller, a baby carrier, a swathing cloth carrier, and a car seat. When the baby was born, none of this was used. All that was used was a fairly simple baby Swaddler for about 6 months. Till my son's neck was set, he was always lifted and carried around.

7th month and we went on our first road trip post delivery and bham the stroller came into use. Of course, 15 mts into the journey our son discarded the car seat as a bit of paranoid nonsense and one of us sat behind with him swaddled. The stroller got extensively used on all our road trips. Any hotel or resort we went to he would happily sit and amble around looking hither and tither. Also, any mall hopping and beach strolling became easier as he would manage to sleep. He is too bored with the malls in any case.

The baby carrier was a charm in itself. Especially when you are walking on unpaved roads, in heavy traffic, etc. Say you are doing your regular grocery runs or getting out of home suddenly without a plan, this is where the carrier comes into effect. You strap on and tuck the child in and go. There is no need for run-flat tires or independent suspension. My cousin got herself a stroller from Aston Martin. Didn't even know they were into the baby business. Remember, the baby carrier can handle weight up to 25 kg or so. Unless you are Rambo, you would find it difficult to handle 25kgs resting on your shoulder and the kid hanging out in front of you. The flip side is that you would end up being accosted by a bunch of unknown people waiting to pinch the baby's cheek

I would defenitely say thumbs up to a stroller if you are a travel kinda person

[download2live]

Originally Posted by PrasadS

Thanks a lot everyone for sharing your experience.

Reading through all of the replies, i think it'll be prudent to buy a stroller/ baby carrier as per need when required and not right now.

What you need to buy before the baby arrival is a nappy changing table. Make sure it has straps.
It will save lot of potential backache issues in first 2 years.
Make sure it has straps for safety. Some babies are just too wriggly.