Childhood Obesity: The Advice A Parent Should Not Ignore
Many parents downplay the risks of allowing their toddler to become overweight. Many parents simply believe it's puppy fat and their child will just shed the weight.
A quarter of all school aged children are overweight or obese. We should be horrified.
The problems that come along with having a child who is overweight are very real and they can be extremely dangerous.
Being obese brings with it a greatly increased risk of getting diabetes. This disease has serious health consequences. Also, it has been seen that about seventy percent of those who are in the childhood obesity range will become obese adult.
And another worrying statistic. Overweight or obese kids are more likely to suffer bullying at school.
How can you help your child?
Saving the world from the perils of childhood obesity is beyond your reach. But you can make a positive difference to your child's life
It is said that kids sit watching the television, or playing on their computer for an average of 3 to 4 hours EVERY day.
Child specialists recommend only one to two hours per day.
If your child is spending a long time sitting in front of a screen, then they are not moving around enough and could end up as child suffering from childhood obesity.
Turn off the television and play with your child and get him or her involved in some sports so that they will remain active.
It is immportant that parents set a good example to their children. If a parent watches hours of television, takes no exercise and eats lots of junk food then they are not in a strong position to lecture if their child mimics their behavior.
Become more active and starting eating a healthy diet. Learn about nutrition so that you can prepare healthy, nutritionally balanced meals for your children. Never see cooking healthy meals as a chore. Take great pleasure in making healthy yet yummy tasting meals.
Cooking a meal from scratch does not have to take hours. Many healthy dishes take around 30 minutes. Whenever possible eat together as a family. It provides a great opportunity to chat about the day's events in a relaxed manner.
And your level of activity need to increase. It's important to find something you enjoy. That way you'll stick with it.
To avoid your son or daughter becoming another overweight child statistic adopting a helathy lifestyle is essential.
The earlier you start the better. Teach your child good habits right from the word go.
Set in good example in all aspects of your son or daughter's development. It can be something as simple as always washing hands thoroughly after every visit to the bathroom. That should be an important element in potty training.
For help on the top plans for stress free toilet training, check out these articles
potty training boys
potty training doll
potty training boys
You'll learn lots of practical advice to make toilet training a happier experience for both parent and child.
Never forget, it is much easier to develop new habits than change old ones.