Mom who weighs her 6-year-old daughter daily to track 'puppy fat' gets slammed: 'How ridiculous!'
A British mother is being accused of body-shaming her 6-year-old daughter by submitting her to daily weigh-ins, the U.K.’s Metro newspaper reports.
Nadia Udin appeared on the British talk show This Morning on April 5 to share how she “monitors [the girl’s] puppy fat” by having her step on a scale every day. She also practices portion control during mealtime and encourages exercise.
Though co-host Emma Willis worried that Udin was “drilling into her head that [she] needs to be looking at numbers constantly,” Udin defended the weigh-ins as “fun.”
“When I jump on the scales, she jumps on and we have a laugh about it,” she said.
She added that taking this measure was a preemptive strike against bullying that left her “in control.”
“She’s going to be more affected by the name-calling, so why not take control of the situation?” she argued.
Udin said that her older daughter, who is now 10, was raised in the same manner and has shown no ill effects.
But Deanne Jade, the psychologist and founder of the National Center for Eating Disorders, who also appeared on the program, disagreed. Jade noted that a “natural” growth spurt could be misinterpreted by Udin as problematic weight gain.
“We know children gain weight at the time of a growth spurt,” she noted. “You might get the wrong information from that, rather than see it as a natural process.
“Nadia, what I can say to you is as much as I appreciate your desperate attempts to save your child from bullying, weighing a child every day is associated with other problems.”
Since the broadcast, viewers have been posting comments slamming Udin’s parenting.
Totally. This woman is in serious danger of making her daughter sick for life. If kids run around, play out, get tons of fresh air, if you cook them meals yourself, then they will be fine.
— kim moore (@floellaella) April 6, 2018
My daughter is 12 and I have no idea how much she weighs. She was weighed at primary school, and when I got the letter with her 'result' it went straight in the bin. She is fit and healthy and more importantly has a healthy attitude to food. This Mother needs to wake up.
— Mrs Foz (@JaniceForrester) April 5, 2018
Poor poor child. Shes doing so much damage! If she doesnt want her child to become overweight then make sure she eats healthy and exercises whilst still keeping it fun and letting her be a kid. The poor child is gonna take this thru life! Shocking!
— Emma Crouch (@emmaloucie) April 5, 2018
The irony… talking about balance! Sounds like she is inflicting her own insecurities on to her daughter by controlling her every move. This woman clearly needs professional help (in my opinion).
— lurgywest (@Siobhan_Neill) April 5, 2018
Poor kid! Seriously, this mother needs to lighten up.
— Debbie (@debbscie) April 6, 2018
How ridiculous is that; you’re on your way to causing your child irreparable damage my love – you need to stop now before it’s too late!
— Christine Quinney (@cquinney1) April 5, 2018
Read more from Yahoo Lifestyle:
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Woman fat-shamed by bakery customers gets revenge by buying all the cupcakes
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