Childhood Obesity: The Best Ways Parents Can Help

When the girls were growing up, we worked hard to make sure they were healthy. At one point, I even turned the backyard into a garden. It tasted good, but the garden didn’t look so good after harvest. That was one of the many ways we tried to make sure they kept up well.

Check-ups: Children need to see their pediatrician for more than just colds and shots. Every time the child is there, the medical assistant measures his height and weight. This is put into a percentile that will help them know if there is a weight problem. Even before it is visible, it will show up on that graph.

Nutritional counseling: I grew up in the south. Almost everything I learned to cook had bacon grease, butter, or both. I had to learn to cook again to keep our family healthy. If you are having difficulty figuring out how to do this, your pediatrician can refer you to a nutritionist who will provide you with the information you need.

Follow up at school: There is always a lot of fuss over school meals. Some schools are trying to serve healthier lunches. The problem they have is that children don’t like it. Food goes to waste and children get tired when they get home.

If your school can’t or can’t provide a healthy, edible lunch, then packing it up is a better idea. That can also end up being wasteful if the child doesn’t like it, so include the child in making healthy choices.

Lead by example: What we do will be seen by our children. Even if they don’t see us do it, they can probably figure it out. We need to eat a healthy diet, make sure we get checkups, and encourage activity. Otherwise, children will think that it is just something that children have to do and stop doing it when they become adults.