What is Your Role In Child Obesity Prevention?

Hi! Kelly here again about a subject we're hearing a lot about these days - childhood obesity and the role parents play to end it.

There are a lot of people in my family that are over their ideal weight. Though they are not obese, they could be. The problems with family genetics are downplayed by many, but this does make a difference.

It is also about environment and eating habits. Not only should your children have good habits, you should to. If you try to get them to eat well while you do not, you are contributing to the problem rather than solving it. You want think about child obesity prevention so that you know your children are as healthy and happy as they can be as they grow to adulthood.

One surprising thing that helped with my child in regards to child obesity prevention was her watching the Wiggles on television. She loved the Wiggles, and at age six, still does - though not with the same intensity. However, they Wiggles spend a lot of time singing and talking about healthy foods, and have even occasionally touched on what happens if you have too much of the wrong thing. Through these songs and shows, my daughter learned about good eating. I am surprised today at her choices. They are usually good ones and I credit the Wiggles for that - though I would like to think I had something to do with it as well.

You are going to have a hand in child obesity prevention, even if you have the help of influences like the Wiggles. You want to have good food choices around, and offer treats only sporadically.

When they want to have a snack, give them some choices, but make each of those choices healthy. They may ask for other things on occasion, but they are going to eat what you have when they are hungry enough. Children will not starve, so don’t worry about that. You have to keep going with child obesity prevention.

You have to keep an eye on what your children are getting in school. Some schools are on top of things in the way of child obesity prevention, but others are not. Schools can not fix everything, but you want to know that they are getting the right foods when they are in school.

When your children are in kindergarten or even first grade, they may have to bring a snack to school. I know that my school asks that we do not send in sugary items, and I don’t. Make good choices there for the sake of child obesity prevention.

Another part of child obesity prevention has nothing at all with the foods you have your children eat or keep in your home. You have to make sure your children are up and moving each day.

Some can get great programs at school for this, but some have been forced to cut physical education totally or at least shorten the program. Children have to be up and moving while eating the right foods.

Those few things together go a long way towards child obesity prevention.

Here's to your success in child obesity prevention.

Kelly