The Skinny Gene...

The Globe and Mail had an interesting article on baby development this week. Apparently the growth charts we use to chart development in Canada are different from the World Health Organization's charts. So the "curve", as doctor's refer to it, is different in Canada and the United States. Kids that are considered normal on our charts are actually considered overweight or obese on the WHO charts. As a parent of a kid in the low percentile (charting under 25% for height and weight) as a one year-old and now is completely off the chart as a 3 year-old, I find this pretty promising. You see, I just thought my skinny gene kicked in and my dear girl would end up being a distance runner. Now I can renew hope of her becoming a tennis star.  

This charting is serious business for some parents. They brag about little Johnny being in the 95th percentile for height and weight. I want to scream at them, "it's not his score on the bar exam, people!". Now the head measurement is another story. If little Johnny's cranium was in the 95th percentile, that might tell us he has a big brain in there somewhere. I know, I know, it could be just telling us his head is just a melon on a toothpick. Check out this scene from "So, I Married an Axe Murderer" on YouTube. You'll know what I mean. Heid move! (said with Scottish accent). 

Okay back to baby development. So if your kid is off the charts on the low-end, the pediatrician is supposed to ask if he or she is meeting their milestones and if not, they send them for testing. When I heard this whole "milestone" thing, I had to laugh. Does sarcasm at three count as a milestone? I'm not too sure. She's got some really good dance moves and some not so good ones. Is it because she's a light weight? Thank goodness the WHO chart has an answer for all this. Breast-fed babies usually drop in weight around 6 - 9 months and stay slimmer than the formula-fed babies. I don't know what I was fed as a kid but I had to turn 30 before I made it over the 100 lb barrier. And yes, it is a barrier for some of us (like the 4 minute mile). Nowhere in all this chart stuff do they mention the parents' genes. I know what happened to my kid. My skinny gene kicked in and she's going to end up sitting in the front row in all her school pictures. Her friends will give her nicknames like "skeletor" and "skelly". She'll put back more food than a Japanese sumo wrestling champion in one sitting and still end up with a figure like a super model (except without the height). 

In the end we all turn into our parents anyways and there's not a lot we can do about it. I made my mother's tuna casserole a few weeks ago and I'm coping well. 

In all seriousness, if you have a 6 to 12 month year-old baby and you want to learn how to make your own baby food, avoid feeding him or her junk food, find out what foods to start with etc. try "Yummy in My Tummy" by the Liandrea dynamic duo. They are nice people (with big brains).