A child who is overweight weighs too much. A child who is obese has too much body fat. In both cases, the child’s weight exceeds the healthy range for his or her height. It isn’t always immediately obvious if a child is overweight or obese because children grow at different rates. If you take your child for regular physicals then your pediatrician probably charts your child’s height to weight ratio. You can ask your doctor if your child’s weight is healthy.

As a parent, I felt a little guilty when the pediatrician told me that my oldest son was obese. I didn’t understand why he was obese because we rarely eat at restaurants. I almost never fry foods and always have supplies of fresh fruits on hand. Every meal that I prepare includes at least one vegetable and we always eat dinner together as a family.

Children know when they are overweight and telling them doesn’t help especially if the children have just joined your family through adoption. In fact, telling them can have the opposite effect and cause them to gain more. The best thing you can do as a parent is involve the entire family in healthy eating and exercise habits. That way one child isn’t isolated from the rest of the family or made to feel bad.

Children often mimic what they see and hear so set an example that will stick with them for a lifetime. Even when a child joins your home as a teen you are influencing the rest of that child's life. When your child has children you will see them parenting and serving meals just as you did.

Stop buying soda and snack foods that are high in fat. The entire family can benefit from having healthier choices. Offer fruits, vegetables, and other healthy snacks when your children want to munch after school or between meals. Offer low fat milk and water to drink and limit the daily servings of fruit juice because while it is healthy it is also high in calories.

Get involved in family exercise like riding bikes together or going for walks. These outings are not only healthy, but may give your child a chance to open up to you about the day’s problems or concerns. Limit television and video game time and encourage other activities. Continue to show and express love to your child so your child feels accepted and important.

Make sure your child eats a healthy breakfast everyday. This will provide energy needed for the day and help to dissuade binging or snacking. Talk to your child about healthy choices because they see a lot of advertising and publicity for high sugar or high fat foods.

Eat and plan dinners together to encourage your children to try new foods. Place small servings on their plates and let them ask for more if they are still hungry. Check the labels to be sure, but serving sizes may be only a quarter or half a cup. We tend to take and serve much larger amounts and forget what the actual serving sizes are.

Today, my oldest adult son is physically fit and eats healthy foods. Setting an example and doing the right thing may eventually payoff. Sometimes when we don’t think our kids are paying attention they are.

Photo Credit Julia Fuller 2006

Helping Your Child: Tips for Parents is a brochure that provides parents with in-depth information about healthy eating and physical activity for children. 1–877–946–4627

This brochure is also available in Spanish.

BAM! Body and Mind answers kids’

Fruits and Veggies—More Matters

KidsHealth offers nutrition and fitness information for kids.

MyPyramid is an interactive tool that replaces the Food Guide Pyramid.