Is it ever OK to weigh your child every day?
One mum's been slammed for revealing on 'This Morning' that she weighs her 6-year-old daughter daily - but can you see the reasons behind her actions?
Here at MFM HQ we read lots of stories about how child obesity is becoming a rising health issue in the UK.
We've also shared stories about mums who have been upset with the way they've been told their little ones are 'obese' by health professionals and of mums who have been left super angry at receiving so-called 'fat' letters when they'd never dream of calling their child overweight.
And now, at the other end of the spectrum, mum Nadia Udin has shared on live TV how she's started weighing her 6-year-old daughter every day in order to 'monitor her puppy fat' and empower her against playground bullies who have been calling her names (we're guessing, though Nadia doesn't explicitly say, because of her weight).
Speaking to Emma Willis and Rylan Clark-Neal on ITV's This Morning, Nadia explained: "When I jump on the scales she jumps on and we have a laugh about it.
"She’s going to be more affected by the name-calling so why not take control of the situation?"
Also on the show was psychologist Deanne Jade who, while she agreed that Nadia was 'clearly trying very hard' to look after her daughter also believes that "weighing a child every day is associated with other problems".
And viewers wanting in on the debate on social media were generally of the opinion Nadia probably shouldn't be weighing her child every day, either.
"At 6 years old she shouldn’t be weighed everyday! Clearly that ‘mother’ has got issues and needs to grow up! Let her child be a child!!" said one angry viewer.
While another tweeted: "Shouldn’t this woman who weighs her child be more concerned about teaching her how to love herself and others no matter what their weight or looks are?"
And while some got that you might well want to keep a check on your child's weight, they thought the way Nadia was doing it was a tad extreme: "Of course monitor your children’s weight, health and wellbeing but weighing them everyday? F**k nooo, my eating disorder and body issues only really began to happen when I began weighing myself every day."
What do you think?
Would you / do you weight your child on a regular basis? Is daily too much - or do you see why this mum's doing it? Tell us in the comments below or over on Facebook
Pic: This Morning
Read more
Authors
Tara is mum to 1 daughter, Bodhi Rae, and has worked as Content Editor and Social Media Producer at MadeForMums since 2015
Create the perfect wishlist for your baby with MyCrib
Are you expecting and don't know where to start? Discover how MyCrib can help you build your dream wishlist. You can add products from any site with just one click and even use MyCrib's buying assistant to help get you started.