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I'm no expert, but I wouldn't worry about her BMI. From everything I've read, it's a really poor gauge of health or even body fat. If you want to focus on modeling healthy eating and activity habits as a family, that's fine.

FWIW, my 2 year old boy is 36" and 35 lbs and the only "advice" his pediatrician told us was not to ever force him to eat - if he's not eating what we give him, then he's not hungry enough.

My son was overweight by BMI at his 2 yr appointment. They said that they don't look at BMI at our doctor's office until age 3. Between turning 2 and 3, he gained 6 inches and 2 lbs. He's now a skinny boy. I'm expecting the same thing with my daughter.

I thought BMI wasn't even measured at this age? If that's what's making you worried, I wouldn't. I say this as someone with thin kids who gives in to treats way way more than I should. I think a lot of it is genetic with young kids. I mean unless she's eating a diet of 100% mac n cheese I just doubt there's a problem. You're so not a failure.

This sounds exactly like a toddler I know. Who is just very healthy and has a tall dad. Her doctor did some bloodwork for thyroid and diabetes when she was 1.5 and then just left it and assumed she is just a healthy kid. She looks much older because of her size.

@skinnycow: Well, my kiddos eat the exact same things, literally, and one has always been on the thinner side, and the other one is more..."stout", haha. My 5 year old weighs 38 lbs and is 43 inches tall. My 3 year old weighs about 34 lbs and is 28 inches tall. They get the exact same foods.

Something I notice is that my 3 year old *is* more food motivated--she's always asking for snacks, always requesting carby things to eat (we serve what we serve, but she still requests), and she loves sweets a lot more. Like my 5 year old just doesn't care---she doesn't ask for sweets at home and we don't serve any type of dessert on a regular basis. She is the type that will forget to eat if we don't say "Okay, now it's snack time". And my 3 year old never forgets. She's always asking for a snack an hour after the last snack.

So it does make me wonder what part biology plays in all this. They've been parented the same and have always been offered the same food choices. And one is not food motivated, and the other is, and their body types correspond.

BTW--my husband is tall and lean and was skinny growing up and his parents always had to urge him to eat. To this day, he has a fast metabolism but is also the type to have a busy day at work and "forget" to eat. I have never forgotten a meal in my entire life. About half my family is overweight.

So it looks like daughter 1 takes after DH and daughter 2 takes after me. It's something I want to keep an eye on, in terms of making sure I am really on top of my game in offering healthy choices instead of processed choices. I'm in my 16th year working in a school, and it's an unfortunate fact that many of the students with weight issues in middle school also seem to have poor eating habits--this is just when I observe what they have packed for lunch or snacks. Genetics absolutely play a part too. And food portions--even if food is healthy, if you eat too much at every meal and snack, a person will end up weighing more than is healthy. And the US has a very real problem with obesity. So it is a fine line between giving your kid a complex and setting up a good home environment for good eating choices. I don't know how I'll approach it as my kiddos get older either.

@skinnycow: @Anagram: I have two kids like this also, one will refuse cake or take one bite and walk away and the other can’t stuff it in fast enough. It’s interesting to watch honestly. I just try to not make food a “thing” not a reward or punishment or fun or bad it just is food. Hopefully they can have a healthy relationship with it

@skinnycow: I agree with others that BMI isnt usually a reliable metric for young children

i Was curious so I checked my daughter’s BMI in my growth app - it says she’s 96%, lol. She’s average to short and a very normal weight. I’d even dare say she’s on the petite side of normal.

@ShootingStar: my girl looks the same as yours! And I think she has the exact Snow White costume. Is it from Etsy? And is she wearing it just for fun?? I should have my girl do the same!

My almost 2.5 year old is @38 in and 38lbs. He is in the 99% for height and weight. We let him eat as much or as little as he wants. He loves fruit and veggies, not a fan of meat. He’s super active and just strong and muscular. I’m not worried or concerned about his BMI. He’s 2. A baby. If he were 10, we’ll thats another story.

Most kids thin out by 5. My older son is so lean and tall!