My sister lets her son eat unlimited amount of cookies a day, fatty breads [donuts,pies,etc] and so much soda?

Question

and he is only 4 1/2 years old
he eat cookies from the jar all day long and whenever he asks for some sugar-type of bread, my sister says NO then he asks again and begs for about 30seconds and she gives in and gives it to him with a big glass of cow's milk.
he eats sugary cereal and food
he isnt obese or that much over-weight but that's not even the reason, the point is that this can't be healthy for him at all
I'm his aunt and i care for him, even though im only 14 I'm somewhat of a health freak and in the process of being 100% vegetarian.
i need some help of convincing my sister this is so bad for him
when i see her give in to him i tell her "gosh your gonna make him fat." your feeding him to a heart attack" "thats disgusting, give him an apple instead" "he already had 10 chocolate chip cookies, hes gonna get sick.."
but NO she doesn't seem to care.

help.
i want to make him healthier.
i know it's not my job to RAISE him but i want him to be healthy

Answer 1

If your sister won't listen then you should go directly to the boy and offer him choices of healthy snacks. Like when he asks for a cookie say hey lets eat some grapes or do you want to try some bananna. The way you are telling your sister is not working because you sound judgemental and she feels you are stepping on her parental toes. Instead sit down with her and tell her about the rising diabetes rates (just because a child isn't fat doesn't mean they can't develop diabetes). Stress the importance of a healthy diet. Also, stop the condencending comments because they obviously aren't helping.

Answer 2

I'm in a similar predicament. My younger sister(8) eats so much junk food she's already had like 4 or 5 cavities filled. I, also being a health nut, have tried to convince my dad to instill some healthy eating habbits in our family. My advice would be to cook dinner for your sister and nephew one night. Find a recipe in a cookbook or magazine that looks tasty(make sure it's something they'll like and aren't allergic to or anything). You could even have your nephew help you prepare the food. While he's helping you, you can talk with him about what he eats. He'll hopefully like the food and will have had fun helping you make it. This will hopefully lead your sister and him to try new recipes and things that are healthy alternates to what they normally eat. Also, talk to your sister about the snacks she has lying around the house. The next time she goes grocery shoppiong, suggest she buys fruits, lowfat yogurts, and nuts instead of junk foods. Tell her how you feel concerning your cousin's health. Challenge her to replace one unhealthy snack, such as cookies, doughnuts, etc...with something healthy instead each week. That way you won't be depriving him. He can still have some sugary foods, just in moderation. Maybe he can eat dessert two or three nights a week instead of every day. Lastly, have your sister look at some of the labels on the foods in the cubbard and fridge. Tell her that if she can't pronounce it, she shouldn't be eating it.

This may be tough at first, but it's really in your nephew's best interest. He may not have weight problems now, but as he gets older his metabolism will slow down and the pounds will pack on(assuming he maintains his current eating habbits that is).
I hope this helps and I wish you the best of luck!!!

Answer 3

Unfortunately it will take more than your nephew consuming sugary foods and drinks all day long for your sister to come to her senses. My friend's 4 1/2 year old daughter had 10 cavativies + at least 5 follow ups works before she realized the danger of letting her daughter make the choices of eating sweets all day long!

My friend felt really bad and blamed herself the whole time. It's just sad that her daughter had to pay for the consequences but oh well, that's life! You're a good person for realizing and concerned about that but there's nothing you can do. He's your sister's son.

Answer 4

You are right. If your sister is spoiling him now he may grow up to be like my son in law is. He was spoiled and thinks he should have what ever he wants. His first marriage failed because he would rather go fishing , go to dog races,take dogs raccoon hunting, then work. He does nothing around the house. when my daughter comes home after working 12 hours she has his dirty dishes to start with to locate in what ever room he left them in.then the house house cleaning , the laundry. You get the picture. He can't and won't hold a job. He was blessed though with his taste for foods he never did like the sugar type foods but he does like his fried foods which is not healthy.
If your sister does not start to give her son a nutritious diet she is going to have a sick little boy on her hands and it will take twice the amount of time to care for him not to mention the crying etc etc which will drive her nuts. She will suffer but not as much as that precious little boy. tell her to talk to a doctor or a dietitian. She is only harming the little boy rather then pleasing him.

Answer 5

I UNDERSTAND. I was going through something similar and I did something that helped someone else and it might work in your situation.

I asked them to look up all the ingredients on the back of the package. If they think it's healthy then they should be able to look up the ingredients. When she found out what half of that stuff was she has changed her diet. She doesn't eat margarine, white bread, monosodium glutatamate and etc. She learned what the ingredients were and the side effects and it almost made her sick thinking about it.

Answer 6

Bless your heart for being so caring, BUT unfortunately you cannot do much except for educating your sister, try going to web md and looking up diabetes, show your sister what she is doing to her child, getting fat is the least of the worries right now-diabetes is a major threat! Good luck sweetie, hope your sister grows up to be as mature as you are!

Answer 7

To me it is not just a question of what this child is eating but what he is not eating. In order to reach their full potential both physically and mentally children need a full complement of nutrients. Vitamins, minerals, proteins,fiber etc. So many things he is not getting in theses processed sweet foods. This is an injustice to this child. He will be unhealthy his entire life ( This kind of diet could shorten his life and could most certainly decrease the quality of his life.)
GOOD LUCK

Answer 8

Terrible parenting! Every parent should be concerned about the food their child is eating! This is bad for his body and his teeth and yes in the long run even if not as a teen he will be overweight. A child needs nutrition not sugar. Tell people, call CPS and tell them your concern they don't have to say you called. Find a WIC office in your area if you have one. Or social services....call the police and ask who in the area could help with your concern of this child. Your sister needs to learn better parenting real quick!

Answer 9

You can buy recipie books directed toward kids that use healthy food in fun ways. She may just not know a way to get him to eat healthy foods.

Here is a list of books from amazon.com that may help:

http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_ss_b/002-7446558-1847224?url=search-alias%3Dstripbooks&field-keywords=fun+healthy+recipes+for+kids&Go.x=3&Go.y=12

Answer 10

your sister is being lazy and a bad parent. tell her if she really loved her son she would worry more about his health. show her the answers to your question. maybe then she'll listen.