My son was so chubby...especially from 6 months to 12 months. He was a good nurser and took to solids really well. I fed him as much as he wanted to eat. He was slow to crawl, started crawling around 9.5 months, and walked around 12.5 months.

He's now just over two and he's not skinny, but he's definitely much less chubby. Still has that baby belly but he is perfectly proportioned.

I second the recommendation to read Child of Mine.

As other PPs have said - do not worry. My baby was 20 lbs at 6 months and I thought he would weigh 40 lbs by a year! But babies know what they need, and once they start crawling/walking some of the excess fat burns off. My son is now 3 and weighs about 30 lbs - after 1 year it definitely slows down. Unless your child has some sort of genetic disorder (like Prader Willi) I wouldn't worry - but if you are, as other PPs said, you can call the nurse/doctor and ask their advice.

Call you pediatrician, they should be able to give you advice about this over the phone while you wait for the appointment -- no need to cut back on the baby's food, as PP put so beautifully above, let him self regulate don't do it for him.

I always worry about my kid's health so I understand why you posted!

my four month old is 18 pounds and is in the 95th percentile for weight and 80th for height. the ped wasn't concerned at all. sounds like you have a cute, jolly fat baby!

My daughter was 29 lbs and change at her 12-month checkup and 30 lbs and change at her 2-year checkup. She was a very chunky baby, but thinned out a lot once she started walking the day after her first birthday. She crawled on the later side of normal, so I naturally wondered what was up. The ped always maintained that she was fine, though, as she was height and weight proportionate. (90+ %ile for both height and weight.) It's good that you're thinking about it, but you probably have no cause for worry, as long as your Ped says everything is fine.

Don't worry about weight at this age, and don't cut back. There's an internal mechanism of some sort that helps us recognize our satiety point, and messing with food by withholding or forcing it is going to mess that up....perhaps permanently. Let your baby eat when hungry, on demand. My pedi said it's our job to offer healthy foods often throughout the day, and our baby's job to determine how much s/he wants to eat.

My son is now four and has been in the same day care for those four years. There were three babies that have stayed in class with him since infancy, and who were HUGE. Beyond chubby, as if they had a real health issue. All three have slimmed down into very slim 4 year olds. Some babies just have extra pudge on them. It will even out over time.

Your ped should be keeping up with weight issues and let you know if your child is getting too big. I wouldn't worry until your next appt. Don't cut back on his food until you've spoke with your ped about it. Also, clothing and diaper sizes are not a great indicator of weight issues. My daughter was in size 2-3s and 6-12 mo clothes by 3.5 months and is totally fine (95% percentile for height and 90% for weight). Our ped suggested that as long as height and weight percentiles remain on track for the first year, everything is great. If your child started out in the 10th percentile for weight and is now like in the 90th or something, taht might be cause for concern.

OP, how tall is your daughter?

we had a seriously chunky baby girl and she's now a lean 4 year old. I was happy she had that extra chunk on her when she went through a few nasty bouts of the flu when she was about 10 months old. I would bring it up to your ped, but I wouldn't be alarmed.

OP, you say the next appointment is "not for a month" as though that's a long way off.

Think of it as "only a month," and stop worrying. Use the time to read Ellyn Satter's Child of Mine.

Speaking as a mom whose DD is just getting over a week-plus bout of diarrhea, vomiting, and decreased appetite - baby fat is a good thing! I was really glad I didn't have to worry about whether DD lost a little weight since she is above average in weight. Just another perspective. But if you're worried, discuss with your ped at the next appt.

I had a 23 lb 9 month old. The same child is now 16 months and 24 lbs. That's right, he gained a whopping POUND in over 6 months. I was worried that my fat adorable baby would never walk because he was so roly poly- and now I have a running toddler who will barely sit still to eat. Again- really hard to believe this is the same child. I bet you your baby will thin out before you know it- or ask your ped if you are truly worried.

My daughter was like that. At 10 months, she was 23 lbs, but super, super short (10% height). She couldn't pull herself to a sitting position and only army crawled at around a year. She is now a healthy (still short!) almost 3 year old who, as PP mentioned, has thinned out significantly.

Doctors have described her as a "chunky, chunky baby" and outright "fat."

I never had this problem but I have known some FAT babies in the last several years (think arm rolls!) and all have thinned out significantly in their toddler/preschool years.

I adore my 7mo son. Until recently I have been amused by how "pleasantly plump" he is. Now I am getting a little worried. He is 7mo wearing 12-18m clothes. He is wearing size 3 diapers and they may be getting tight around his thighs. He eats two jars of baby food per day plus about 32-38 ounces of formula. He sits up fine, but still rarely rolls over and isn't even in the ballpark of crawling or pulling up.

We are trying to cut back but the boy is genuinely hungry! Is there anything I can or should be doing about this?

(next ped appointment is not for a month)