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Childhood Obesity Tips for Parents

  • Most of your child’s size and shape is determined by heredity from parents and other family relations.
  • The main job for parents is to be positive and supportive but also to look for reasons why the child is going beyond the normal growth chart.
  • Elleyn Sutter – Parents have responsibility
    • Have structured meals and snacks.
    • Offer a variety of foods.
    • Make meals worth while.
    • Limit between meal-time caloric beverages (sugar juice and soda).
    • Limit sedentary activities and encourage activity and exercise.
    • Feed child enough.
    • Respect eating quirks.
    • Offer moral support and positive reinforcement.
    • Get help with your own eating if needed.
    • Set table with desert and let child choose when to eat dessert but no seconds.
    • Don’t give in to tantrums.  Be firm to set limits and create structure.
  • Remain calm if you discover your child is considered obese.  Don’t show distraught feelings.
    • Find resources for your child and family.  Consult with pediatrician, school nurse, and counselor and get a referral.
    • Meet with therapist without child to discuss questions you have, approaches to child, and any negative feeling you have.
    • Discuss obesity with child and avoid interruptions.
    • If overeating is the child’s desperate way of coping with life problems reassure them you will not take away their coping tools.
    • Raise your concerns and then give your child time and space to think about them.
    • Reassure child you love them and are not angry but you are worried and concerned about their well being.
    • If your child gets upset or denies problem stay calm and don’t get into a power struggle.
    • If your child says they will change or they don’ t have a problem support your child to get help and understand that it is threatening for the child.
    • Let child know you are his or her parent not an expert on obesity.
  • You will stand by your child and get the help they need.
  • Let the professional be the bearer of factual news and the therapist or pediatrician can state the problem areas.
    • Don’t overwhelm child about treatment plan details until child can absorb knowledge and show readiness to participate.
  • Provide your children with healthy food choices including snacks low in fat, refined sugar, and sodium and high in fiber, minerals and vitamins.
  • Do not prohibit your children from eating unhealthy foods, but set limits.  Moderation is the key.
  • Follow the new USDA food guide and watch your childrens’ portion sizes.  If you are not sure about portion size for your child, consult your pediatrician.
  • Encourage your children to wear protective gear when engaging in various sports or physical activities.
  • If it is unsafe for your children to walk to and from school, work with community and school groups to develop safe walk to school programs.
  • If it is unsafe for your children to play in the neighborhood streets or play grounds, learn about supervised activities in community centers and after school programs.
  • Encourage your children to be involved in food selection and meal preparation by taking them grocery shopping and helping plan and serve healthy meals.
  • Provide at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables to your children each day.  They can be juiced, dried, raw, cooked or canned and should be easily available.
  • Work with school personnel and parent groups to advocate for healthy food substitutions in fund raising activities, vending machines, and cafeteria meals if unhealthy foods and beverages are available.  Schools can still earn money but should not compromise students’ health.
  • If other caregivers are involved with your children, make sure that they understand and follow these guidelines in preventing childhood obesity.
  • Be a good role model by eating healthy, being active and exercising, and showing good self esteem.
  • Do not overemphasize beauty and body shape while you examine goals and dreams for your child.
  • Educate your child about individual differences in body shape and sizes.
  • Educate your child about the nature of prejudice and its negative consequences.
  • Discuss the nature of bullying and how to deal with victimization.
  • Dispel any myth that “I will love you more if you lose weight and look slim”.
  • Discuss with your child the importance of eating a variety of foods and well balanced meals 3 times per day.
  • Avoid categorizing foods into “good, safe, low fat” vs. “bad, dangerous, fattening”.
  • Help your child appreciate and resist ways in which TV, magazines, and other media distort true diversity of body types.
    • Thin should not mean power, popularity, or perfection.
    • Help child resist temptation that unhealthy foods and beverages should be consumed for social acceptance, self-esteem, or to quench hunger or thirst.
    • Encourage critical thinking and assertiveness so the child will say no to peer pressure and to the seduction of the media.
  • Develop a core value system based on internal values of respect, fairness, trustworthiness, responsibility, love, caring, self awareness, individuality, confidence and personal fulfillment.
  • Recognize how our changing world alters what children need from parents today.  Sociocultural pressures about chemicals, sexuality, body image, social acceptance, etc. require great character strength and decision making in these areas.
  • Families should be encouraged to return to or continue with the traditional shared family meal so they spend time together communicating.
  • Help your child to be specific about when and where they will eat healthy and exercise.  For example, “I will eat low-fat foods and only 1 portion of dessert for supper every evening starting Friday.”  “I will swim at the YMCA for 1 hour after school 3 times each week starting Monday.”
  • Positively reinforce your child for taking actions of their own volition and in following through on their intended schedules and plans to help lose weight.
  • If your child is victimized by bullying do not overreact to the incident but listen actively so your child can feel comfortable expressing their comments and feelings.
    • When victimized, jointly decide with your child what to do as a next step to reestablish a sense of control.
    • Use good models of problem solving including the use of role playing and rehearsal.
    • Avoid being judgmental and stigmatizing your child as a victim.
    • Be ready to intervene when bullying is recognized.
    • Be aware that the magnitude of the bullying problem is greater for your child than you perceive it.
    • Teach your child how to counter a bully with effective comments and actions.
    • Establish extended parent-school communication and work with the school as an advocate for school safety, diversity, and respect.
  • When your child is seeing the doctor or nurse
    • Be open to discuss problems and any concerns about your child’s weight.
    • If you do not understand or remember what is said, ask for the information to be repeated or clarified and take notes.
    • When your child is given an early warning sign, take action to prevent further distress.
    • Do not disregard the serious risk of overweight because obesity does lead to critical physical and emotional problems.
    • Take advantage of any readily available preventative health measures and programs for your child.