A Pediatrician’s Tips for Helping Your Child Maintain a Healthy Weight

This post is written and sponsored by Olathe Health Pediatricians.

Childhood obesity in America is unfortunately a problem on the rise. According to the CDC, about 1 in 6 children in the United States has obesity. September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. Olathe Health Pediatrician Tara Grimaldi, MD, has some tips to help keep your child and your family healthy.

Make it a family affair
It’s always easier to make changes when you have someone cheering you on and encouraging you. Making lifestyle changes as a family helps everyone stay on track.  I often encourage families to take a walk together every night after dinner. Not only is this good exercise, it’s a nice time to talk to your kids free of electronic distractions.

Keep things positive and focus on being healthy
When discussing diet and exercise with children, the focus should always be on staying healthy not on weight or body image.

Don’t try to change everything at once
Completely overhauling your diet and exercise routine all at once can be overwhelming and hard to stick with. Choose one goal at a time, such as going on a walk every day or eating healthy snacks. Once this becomes part of your family’s daily routine, then choose a new goal to work on.

Keep healthy food in plain sight
Keep a bowl of fruit on the table or carrot sticks and snap peas in front of the fridge at your child’s eye level. 

Avoid sugary drinks
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends milk at meals and water in between. Soda and juice should be given on rare special occasions. 

Get 60 minutes of exercise daily
Kids really need to be outside playing as much as possible. This is good for their bodies, as well are their minds. The amount of exercise they get during the school day is not enough. If you can’t get outside to play, then turn on some music and have a dance party or ask your kids to help carry things up and down the stairs. Find ways every day to be active.

Watch portion size
It can be hard for parents to know how much their child should eat. I love this chart from the American Academy of Pediatrics website.

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