How to prevent 4 yr old from being fat.?

Question

I have a 4 year old girl and i do not waqnt her to be fat when she is like 11-12 yrs old. How do i prevent her being fat. she weighs maybe 35 pounds now. How do i prevent fatness?

Answer 1

feed her healthy snacks, and know when to say no.....but sometimes pushing kids to be a certain way....might make them too self consciuos...that can be dangerous. Get her involved in sports..like softball and tennis, when she is of age.

Answer 2

Honey, first, do not tell her that you think she is getting fat. That will give her a complex and probably make her turn to food for comfort. You do not want that.
Second, make sure she gets at least 30 minutes of active play a day...Kids need cardio, too.
Third, whatever is a grown-up serving of what ever you are eating, cut it in half. Don't fix a big old plate of whatever you are eating. Fix a small one. Even at that, do not make her finish it. Her tummy will know when it is full.
Fourth, limit sugary or super-processed(including the "fat free" kind) snacks to maybe once or twice a week. Encourage snacks like apple sauce, fruit dices, fresh fruit, carrot sticks with dip, whole wheat crackers(again HALF of an adult serving.
You have to know what kind of things are healthy and what isn't. If you don't, speak to your child's pediatrician about setting up an appointment to speak to the nutritionist to give you some ideas.
MOST children have a "chubby" phase, but if you give them proper nutrition and keep them active, they should be a healthy weight as they enter puberity and adulthood.

Answer 3

All you can do is provide healthy meals & snacks & make sure she is active (dancing, riding bikes, playing sports, etc.) and the rest is genetics. Just make sure not to make a big deal out of self-image (especially with girls) and to not stress eating "right" too much. Food should be enjoyed and should be healthy and mealtime should not be a struggle, but family time to be together. Read "Child of Mine" by Ellyn Satter, which basically talks about how your role is to provide the food and her role is how much to eat. If you cross the roles and expect her to eat a certain amount, then there will be problems.

I have the opposite problem: my daughter is underweight. I have really tried to not cross the boundaries and force her to eat more when she says she's full. I know she eats healthy food and gets some playtime outside. I also let her eat some sweets sometimes, as long as she eats it with her meal instead of as a snack (if you eat it right after your meal, you decrease your chances of having the sugar linger in your mouth like at snack time.) I don't want her to think that certain foods are "forbidden" or use them as rewards. However, I let her drink milk & water now -- no more juice (I used to dilute it) b/c it can cause cavities and even though it has vitamins, it contains fruit sugar.

What did her dr. say about her weight? If her height is at the same percentile, she should be fine. My daughter's cousin just turned 3 and she weighs 40 lbs., so I think your daughter seems fine. Even though she's only 4, there is a concern nowadays that it might lead to adult obesity. But be subtle about it and do it in a healthy way -- psychologically and nutritionally.

Answer 4

Check out this website for some great tips

http://www.health.state.ny.us/prevention/nutrition/resources/obparnts.htm

My advice is to be active as a family. Playing in the back yard can be excercise without it seeming like a chore. You've got to make sure to set a good example, because healthy living is a lifestyle. Beware of excessive fast food and even quick-to-prepare/frozen foods because they are often loaded with fat and calories with little nutritional value. I know time is an issue with a lot of people (I struggle with this), but try to prepare food using fresh fruit and veggies. Good luck. Your daughter is far from fat, so don't even let her know that you are being conscious about her weight--many girls struggle with eating disorders anyway. Just make good nutrition and activity a priority for the whole family, and as she grows up, she will most likely continue the healthy lifestyle.

Answer 5

Seriously... why are you worried about her being fat? That's why girls now a days are posting these questions "am I fat, I am 18 and weigh 97lbs?". For God's sake, she's 4. Just make sure she eats well balanced meals, not a whole lot of sweets/candy, and gets outside to get moving!! Let her be a kid... play outside with her, ride bikes, play barbies, etc.

My kids have grown up eating veggies and fruits all the time. They would prefer a veggie tray to a bag of potato chips any day. Try starting habits like that... then you'll never have to worry she'll be "fat".

Answer 6

Keep the junk food to a minimum. I'm not saying that you never let her have treats, but if your little girl eats fruits and vegetables instead of chips and pop and sugar candies she will not likely get fat. AND, she must be active. Be sure she plays active outside games and activities -- at 4 just playing on a jungle gym at the playground is good. Swimming, gymnastics, if you want her to be involved in something organized.

And the other thing you can do is set a good example -- eat a healthy diet and be active yourself.

Answer 7

Feed her healthy, nutritious meals and snacks. Lots of fruits and veggies. Limit sweets. Make sure she's active and doesn't spend a lot of time in front of the TV. Enroll her in soccer, or gymnastics, get her to ride her bike or play outside, have her do something that will give her exercise and that is fun. If you're healthy yourself then you will set a good example for her. And watch how you talk to her so that she doesn't end up with an eating disorder in the future. Don't make food a big issue.

Answer 8

Keep junk out of the house. Teach her to eat healthy at a young age. Keep juice and other sugary drinks to a minimum. Also start getting her active at a young age and keep it up. Exercise with her- take a walk, play soccer in the play yard, go swimming, jump rope. Maybe get her involved in sports. Just make sure she doesn't sit in front of a TV or computer all day.

Answer 9

As of now she is normal weight so I would not worry so much. As long as she stays active and you limit sweets, junk food, and sodas she should be fine. Encourage her to get out doors with a family walk every night after dinner or something along those lines. Do not stress weight too much because she could stream the other way and become too thin. We already live in a society that demands pencil thin figures, you want her to remain healthy. Keep that in mind as you encourage her to a healthy life style.

Answer 10

Encourage a lot of activity and offer healthy meals and snacks. She is forming her habits now, and what she does now will certainly impact her fitness later. Aso, make sure you and her father and any other adults around her set a good example, too.

Processed foods are bad... always offer her fresh foods. Lots of veggies, some fruits - kids LOVE unique food presentation. Be creative... an open-faced peanut butter sandwich (all-natural, no sugar added peanut butter - it's really good) on a piece of whole wheat bread... make a face out of a slice of banana for for a mouth, grapes for eyes, finely shredded carrots for hair, etc. Just be creative!

Answer 11

Keep different alternates of foods in the house. Instead of soda, keep healthy juices. Instead of potato chips, keep flavored crackers, like goldfish. Take a mental note of which healthy foods she really likes-like fruit snacks, fruit, carrots, whatever-and make sure to keep them stocked in the house! That way, when she's hungry, you can reach for some yogurt, not an ice cream sandwich. But, it is really important to do it NOW while she's young. When she gets to be 11, she'll be used to these foods and build up cravings for them. If she's drinking for the next 7 years or so, it'll definitely be hard for her to give it up when she's 11.