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My daughter is 5'2" and is 13 years old. She only weighs 92 lbs. I feel like she is really small. She doesn't eat a lot, and used to be a vegetarian for 3 years. I'm worried she doesn't weigh enough. Is this normal for a teenage girl?
She's just 13 she will be fine. Her body will change as she gets older- i was just the same at her age
It depends. What are her eating habits like? Is she insecure about herself? (Insecurities can be shown in very subtle ways, like constantly wanting her hair a certain way, or always looking in the mirror/adjusting herself, or saying she did badly on this or that, or that she is not as good as she could be)
When you say she was vegetarian for 3 years, how was this brought on? Did she suddenly decide to no longer eat meat? Or was it to lose weight?
If you have ANY kind of gut feeling that she might have strange eating habits or anything along those lines, don't leave it alone. Subtly keep an eye on her. Don't overbear, don't get in her space or ask her if she's eaten enough. DO NOT try an make her eat. Notice how she is with food, when asked for something, is she incredibly picky? Does she randomly "stop liking" foods that she used to like without reason? (Or because they have a "weird texture/taste/make her feel sick"?
ALSO: Try not to "freak out" at my words. I'm just being cautious. I had an eating disorder develop at age 12 and my parents were soooo in denial that after my mom found my journals describing how fat I thought I was and how little food I was planning to eat that day, she still said "oh it's just a phase". Again, I'm not trying to make you paranoid. Your daughter is probably fine.
Her weight is not something to worry about unless it is accompanied by unhealthy diet/exercise habits or is "underweight" for her height. You can google her height and weight and see where she falls on a chart for "normal weights".
If anything is further concerning you,
CONTACT YOUR DOCTOR.
Good luck!
She's at a perfectly normal body weight for her age and height. As she matures and 'rounds out' a little she will probably put on more weight but at the moment she is perfectly fine.
I'm no doctor, just giving my opinion but I think she's alright. She's petite. She's short. She shouldn't really weigh all that much.
If you're worried, take her to her doctor. Try to make sure she's eating what she's supposed to be. Talk to her, make sure she doesn't have an eating disorder (I'm not implying she does, I think she's at a reasonable weight. I'm just saying this in case you're concerned.)
Also, if she doesn't have her period or doesn't start it in the next few years then, she probably doesn't have enough body fat. She should then be seen by her doctor.
Good luck!
hm. I'm 5.09 feet(or 61.81 inches) tall and weigh 97 pounds, in my 20's. The hard part about those questions is getting everything over to the metric system first -_-
I think she's fine, at her age. I was also severely underweight as teenager. As long as she eats normally, there's no problem.
@avant-garde - if you read the post she states that her daughter "ONLY" weighs 92 pounds, so she's clearly worried about her being underweight.
If she's small-framed she's fine, and I would expect that she'll gain some weight in her adolescent years to come. However girls feel a lot of pressure to stay thin at such young ages, so be sure she doesn't lose weight! I agree and think the multivitamin is a great idea.
When you say "this much" it implies that she is fat. I think it's normal. If you're so worried about it ask her doctor and try not to give her a complex about it.
I was that same height and weight until junior or senior year in high school. Then I got up to 120 pounds or so. Anyways, I wouldn't worry too much. Is she taking a multiple vitamin? I only suggest that because you say she doesn't eat that much...at least that way she would be getting most nutrients.