6 Steps to Help Your Child Have a Healthy Weight
You’re working hard to help your family be healthy. But with outside influences like social media, friends, and advertising, sometimes it can feel challenging to keep everyone eating healthy and staying active. These 6 tried and true habits can help you keep your kids at a healthy weight:
Skip the sugary drinks.
Drinking sweet drinks like juice, soda, tea, and sports drinks is associated with excess weight in kids — and grownups. All we really need is water. It’s good to also offer some milk for the protein, vitamin D, and calcium. It’s fine to use plant-based milks as long as you avoid those with added sugars.
Keep kids moving!
Whether it’s walking, running, dancing, gymnastics, or playing sports, get your family moving! Encourage kids to get 60 minutes of physical activity each day — sustained aerobic activity helps keep the body healthy. Not to mention all the other benefits of playing with friends at the park, going for a walk with your family, or training with a sports team. These let kids learn about friendships, commitment, hard work, and fun!
Limit the media time.
Reduce screen time and increase time on other activities and hobbies. Spending less time on devices helps keep kids leaner and healthier. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends no media use for children under age 18 months, a 1-hour limit for kids ages 2–5 years, and a parent-monitored plan for use in older children. If you limit their screentime, it encourages them to spend time in other ways that are healthier for their growing body.
Educate kids about healthy eating.
Kids are so smart and curious; you can help them stay healthy by teaching them about healthy foods and encouraging them make healthy choices. Check out MyPlate.gov. It’s filled with tools to learn about healthy eating and recipes that work for all ages. It even has videos and games like Grocery Store Bingo for your kids to enjoy.
Serve ’em a healthy breakfast.
Not eating breakfast is associated with excess weight in kids and lower nutrition overall. So, make sure your kiddos start every day with breakfast. It can be simple like cereal and milk, but of course it’s best to avoid sugary cereals!
Get plenty of sleep.
For kids, that’s at least 8 hours and up to 13 hours per night, depending on their age. Some of the best news about reaching a healthy weight is that getting enough sleep helps keep you lean! We know that too little sleep is associated with extra weight in kids and their parents. So be sure all of you get lots of zzzzs.
Resources For Parents:
The American Academy of Pediatrics
About the Author
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