My 12 year old daughter is overweight and I'm having trouble finding clothes for her. She is 5 feet 5 inches and 158 pounds and the pediatrician says she's really overweight. She eats healthy foods and has a good diet but she says she's always hungry. She's gained a lot of weight lately and I don't know what's causing it.Last year when she went to the pediatrician she weighed 120 pounds now she weighs 158 pounds.
She needs to be evaluated. That much weight gain in a year is excessive and I'd be concerned with diabetes as well as other health issues.
The sizes you mention for her are adult sizes and even into plus size.
That sound way out of the norm for a 12 yr old and potential damage to her overall health is compromised with that much weight.
Her height and weight are adult ranges, so you would shop in the adult women's clothing stores/sections. She is a little overweight, but less than 10 lbs over.
The main thing though is the rapid weight gain over a year despite a healthy diet. She should be seen by an endocrinologist for tests. The ped should have immediately referred you.
If she's gained 58 pounds in less than a year since her last visit, I'd recommend that you go to the doctor rather than try to find a clothing store. Breast development is normal but stretch marks are not, and neither is constant hunger and unexplained weight gain. This is not something we can help you with.
And clothing stores would be more of a local post than a national one - click the other button when you are writing your question and you will get better responses.
Have her evaluated by an endocrinologist. Her hormones could be out of whack, causing this problem.
The pediatrician is over his head about this.
You will be able to find clothes as many here have given you good advice. In the meantime find a good counselor for your daughter to talk to so she can find out what's going on. When my daughter (now a college junior) was in middle school she was going through a really tough time and I didn't recognize what was going on. She was 14 before I admitted to myself that she needed someone other than me to talk to. I had some idea in my mind that someone who needed a counselor had some serious issues. Middle school is really tough and if your daughter keeps gaining weight the kids at school are going to be ruthless. When we were kids we could escape the social stuff at school by coming home to our safe environment. Now social media invades our kids' bedrooms and they just can't escape it.
Help your girl figure out why she's always hungry (boredom, insecurity, depression, friend problems, etc.) and help her get health again.
She's my size and I'm a 48 year old woman. I generally wear a size 12 and I sure wouldn't want to get any bigger. I doubt she can wear teen/junior sizes so you'll need to shop in the women's department. Since she's only twelve you need to be concerned because she's still growing. Being "always hungry" may be a real feeling for her, but she needs to learn how to stop eating, even when she "feels" hungry. Food addiction is as real as being addicted to anything else, she may need a therapist as well.
any plus size department in a big box store. specialty shops. the internet. boutiques. thrift shops. goodwill in particular has lots of really nice plus sizes.
i don't get how anyone has 'trouble' in this day and age finding clothing. we are drowning in clothing. 5'5" and 158lbs is an unusual size for a 12 year old but right spang in the national average for adult women. so you just shop and find styles that she enjoys.
there's something way more important going on with this child than where to find her clothes. i hope you're able to help her figure out what's actually going on.
it doesn't really take a pediatrician to observe that this tween is overweight, does it?
khairete
S.
Justice (kids store) goes up to size 20
If she was a bit older I'd be checking to see if she were pregnant.
You're going to have to shop at plus size shops for her.
Check out Woman Within, and Roaman's web sites - they have end of season sales going on right now.
Take her to an endocrinologist.
Her hormones (including her thyroid) might be out of whack.
Hi! Check out JCPenney's junior department. My chunky (ugh, hate that word!) daughter is 5' 5" and that's where she's been shopping since she was a teen and still does. I'm sure you have discovered the adult sizes are too long. JCPenney has a junior plus size too but I doubt your daughter needs them, try the size 17 first to get an idea.
I'd be more concerned by her rapid weight growth than her actual weight. Please question her doctor for her.
Good luck!!!
Try Old Navy, women's sizes, and Torrid.
Wow, that didn't sound very heavy to me but well I guess I'm different. Anyway, those sizes are adult sizes and they really have a lot of cute clothes everywhere. Target has some bigger sizes -but she sounds like she could simply wear perhaps a fourteen or sixteen. Whatever anyone says I hope no one is downgrading her for her size. We need to all come together and enjoy whatever size we are and seriously I am five inches shorter than her and have comfortabley hit her weight on occasion. Yikes didn't bother me at all. I'd be more worried if it prevents her from doing anything- like sports or going anywhere.
Have you tried her in women's sizes? Perhaps she is gearing up to a big growth spurt? One of my kids tends to get really chubby right before a big stretch.
You have the right to ask this question nationally rather than locally if you desire. My answer is that yes, she needs clothing now and a good consignment or thrift shop may meet that need. Afterwards get her busy! I find that my pounds pile on when I am too sedentary.
ETA, Junior sizes are for slender young adults/teen girls. They are often small in the hiney area and more straight up and down. It used to be that junior sizes were the odd numbers. Like 3, 5, 7, 9, etc... They are typically a younger style. Less low cut, for younger ladies and teens.
Women's or Misses clothes are for women that have fuller body parts, like boobs and hips from having kids or just more curvy. They were the even number sizes like 2, 4, 6, etc...
If you find that the clothing in the "junior" department don't fit her well then you will have to move over the the ladies/women's/misses sizes instead. These are typically cut fuller and have more moving room in the areas that need it.
So many designers now size everything small, medium, and large that sizing doesn't mean as much. They are more generic.
To this day when we shop for my granddaughter we go to the junior section so that the clothes will fit her better since she's thin in most parts but does have a developing chest. Misses sizes sort of hang on her.
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She is the same size as a large adult. Why aren't you shopping in the adult clothing section?
There are plenty of clothing that will fit her. She is taller than me. When I weighed that much I was in an adult 16.
You need to stop trying to fit her in children's clothing. She doesn't have a child's body anymore.
At Walmart they carry many many many clothes that are very generic, such as no darts, no low cut bodices to expose cleavage, and nothing really sexually styled. You just need to stop trying to keep her in children's clothing because she might be 12 but she has an adult body, a large/x-large size adult body.
I hope the doc can find out what's going on with her metabolism because this time of her life is when she's going to develop long time friendships and bond with a lot of people. It's extremely hard on her self esteem and self image. Even if she loses weight and is a thinner adult these internal scars can haunt her.
i am 33 and 5'3 and weigh 170 lbs, i have some tops from lane bryant that fit nicely, you can find almost anything in a ross, marshals or tj maxx. walmart usually has items that fit well too. pennies, sears, and carsons all have clothing that fit the size too. just shop the juniors or womens sections and you will find many things that work.
