"Your baby is such a lil chub!"

[Anonymous]

A friend of mine commented recently that my daughter is "such a lil chub." I was really offended!! She was born almost 9 lbs, is 6 months old, and has grown accordingly, is just dandy according to our ped.

Even if she was "chubby" (whatever that means for a baby) - who the heck are you to call her that?

Anyway, I was telling another friend who basically told me that she feels it's ok to call a baby chubby and that I'm being overprotective.

Curious: what are your thoughts on this?

[Anonymous]

You are being over protective, agree. Some babies are chubby and it's okay to call them that. Totally different story if she called your 5 yr old chubby.

[Anonymous]

Chubby is a compliment when said to refer to a baby. Please don't project your own body issues onto your daughter. We call my son chubby and the like all the time. He IS chubby and he IS perfect. I've heard it from friends and strangers in the following context: "Oh my gosh, what a PERFECT baby! Looks at those big blue eyes and those chubby cheeks and chubby arms and that big squishy belly! He should be in a Gerber ad!" Needless to say, I was not offended. Babies are supposed to be chubby. Really. So why would it be rude to state it???

[Anonymous]

I think you're being overly sensitive too. I think it's more a term of endearment and if your baby has rolls, it's terribly cute. I have one of each- a VERY fat baby and a VERY skinny one. I personally think chunkier babies are cuter than skinny ones.

[Anonymous]

Babies are supposed to be chubby.

[Anonymous]

I think you would feel differently about this if you spent even one week with doctors and hospital nurses telling you your baby isnt growing enough and is underweight, failure to thrive etc....Lots of women struggle with getting their babies to put ON weight, they lose sleep over it and are hoping and against hope that their baby will one day be full of chub.
So, yes, your baby being chubby is not a bad thing. It is a wonderful thing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think you would feel differently about this if you spent even one week with doctors and hospital nurses telling you your baby isnt growing enough and is underweight, failure to thrive etc....Lots of women struggle with getting their babies to put ON weight, they lose sleep over it and are hoping and against hope that their baby will one day be full of chub.
So, yes, your baby being chubby is not a bad thing. It is a wonderful thing.

Agreed. Our DD struggled to gain weight when she was first born and we were at the doctor's office every two days for weight checks. At one point she was in the 5th percentile...thank goodness we had very supportive doctors who were not alarming and just wanted to keep tabs on her weight. Pretty quickly (although it felt longer at the time), things fell into place and she started to gain weight...I was THRILLED the day someone said they loved her little chubby legs!!!!

At any rate, it is a compliment -- people love chubby little babies because they are so darn cute!

[Anonymous]

It's definitely a compliment. Why were you so offended?

[Anonymous]

Calling a baby chubby is a compliment - babies are supposed to be chubby. I think you took it way too personally and are being over sensitive.

[Anonymous]

Chubby babies kick ass. my daughter was 8 lbs at birth and 29 lbs at her 12-mo checkup. Height-weight proportional, and so cute with her little fat rolls and chubby cheeks. Your baby won't be so chubby after she starts walking, so enjoy it now! I feel sorry for skinny babies; I worry that they're not eating.

[Anonymous]

I get this all the time about DD and love it. Babies are supposed to be chubby! It's cute and also means that they're eating and growing well. Besides, babies will often lose the chub once they become active toddlers. Enjoy it while you can.

[Anonymous]

We had some weight gain issues in the first week or so when my milk was taking awhile to come in and I take such pride in my 8 month old chubby baby! People tell me all the time what a big girl she is and I smile ear-to-ear. DD has had only breast milk until recently when we started solids and I am so proud of the fact that I contributed to my daughter's health.

[Anonymous]

You are being way over-sensitive! Mine have always been on the small side, and I always call the chubby ones chubby because its so cute to see.

[Anonymous]

If your friend called you chubby, it would be offensive! But, calling your infant DD chubby...definetly a term of endearment.

Sounds like there are some underlying insecurities or issues with your friendship, no?

[Anonymous]

I would be offended if someone called my baby too skinny. In fact, I wish she were more chubby.