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Simple Steps to Keep Your Child’s Weight Under Control

We Americans have trouble with our weight. Our children do, too. We all develop habits early in our lives that can get us in trouble. Many Family  with 3 children walking outdoors during warm weather; one son is riding on father's shoulderstimes as parents, we pass on our own bad habits to our children. They eat what we eat and tend to be active if we are active, too. Weight control takes some planning and care. It starts with building a quality diet and regular playtime to make activity a part of everyday life.

Lifelong Weight Control

How can parents (and other caregivers in a child’s life) help their children keep their weight at the right level for lifelong health? Here are some simple steps to take at each stage of a child’s early life:

Your Baby:

  • Breastfeed. It will keep your baby at the right weight.
  • Offer no other foods or drinks before 4-6 months.
  • Skip the juice. Your baby does not need it.
  • Use spoons, forks, plates and cups made for babies.
  • Offer the right portion sizes.  Only 1-2 tablespoons is a baby serving.
  • Offer new foods over and over, even if your baby does not like them at first.
  • Let your baby show you when he or she is done eating.  This prevents over-feeding.

 

Your Toddler:

  • Offer water and milk, not juice and soda.
  • Make playtime with your child a regular part of your day.
  • Pick foods to give a wide variety of tastes, textures, and colors.
  • Provide all meals and snacks only from these 5 food groups:

    • Fruits
    • Vegetables
    • Grains.  Look for whole grain cereals, crackers, and breads instead of chips, saltines, and sweet cereals.
    • Milk and dairy foods like yogurt and cheese,
    • Proteins such as meats, fish, peanut butter, and eggs

 

Your Young Child:

  • Eat meals as a family as often as you can and show good eating habits.
  • Keep offering all kinds of foods over and over. Tastes will change.
  • Do chores together as shared time. It is good activity time.
  • Keep a limit on TV and screen time.
  • Make time for free play, outside if possible.

 

Your School Age Child:

  • Stick with 3 meals and a couple of planned snacks, not food all day long.
  • Snack foods and sugary drinks are the biggest problems for this age group.
  • Some kids eat whenever they get bored, so keep your child active.
  • School meals give the best nutrition for the lowest price.
  • When you celebrate as a family, try doing non-food things.

 

Your Teenager:

  • Eat breakfast every day and never skip meals. If your teenager is in a hurry offer energy bars, breakfast bars, instant breakfast in milk, fruit, cheese, yogurt or flavored milk as a fast food.
  • Keep good quality snack foods around.  These are foods that use the 5 food groups.
  • Watch out for sweet drinks. They really push up calories.
  • Eat as a family as much as possible.
  • Teens need free playtime, too.
  • Choose carefully when eating away from home.
  • Make high quality food choices that give lots of vitamins and minerals without too many calories.

 

Healthy Habits Now – Healthy Life Later

It is not easy being a parent. Creating good habits rather than poor ones means practicing those habits as parents to show your child the right way. By taking care to surround them with high quality foods and lots of active playtime, parents can shape their children’s habits and keep them healthy for life. 

 

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    This article is a NetWellness exclusive.

    Last Reviewed: May 16, 2013


    Clinical Professor of Health Behaviors & Health Promotion
    Retired Professor of Human Nutrition

    College of Education and Human Ecology

    The Ohio State University