My 6 year old daughter is starting to get a little chubby what do I do?

Question

I have never restricted the amount of food my daughter eats because she was always a small eater. But now she is always asking for food and I know she isn't as active as she should be she has always been a very calm child. How do I make her understand that she needs be more active without telling her she is fat. I want to preserve her self esteem. I don't want her to get wrapped up in the whole body image thing but I know how the world works. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Don't stress too much if she's only a little chubby - it's ok for kids to carry a little fat on them - it's only when it starts to get out of control that it is a worry. I wouldn't say anything at all to her about her weight - you would be setting up for life the feeling that her body image is unacceptable and that won't do! Just make sure you offer her healthy snacks, such as fruit, etc and make sure any treats are small treats. Keep giving her healthy meals, etc. Most kids go through phases of eating more when they are going through a growing spurt, so dont' worry too much. The main thing is to make sure she's getting enough exercise. The way to do this is to restrict her TV and computer time, and encourage more active pursuits. Does she do any after school activities? Can you enrol her into swimming lessons, gymnastics for kids, dancing lessons, etc? This is a fun way to exercise and she won't even know she's exercising. Make sure when she has friends over or you are spending some family time together, that you organise some fun outdoor games, such as bike riding, playing at the park, holding impromptu races or ball games, etc. Good luck.

Answer 2

Well, she is a growing girl, and many kids start eating more around this age to prepare for a growth spurt. Just make sure that you are feeding her healthy food (no processed sugars or artificial ingredients). The foods that people are exposed to at a young age have a great impact on what foods they crave when they are older.

She's a little young for organized sports, but if you are worried about her activity levels, why not play tag or follow the leader or have a mini dance party each day? Organize play dates with other kids on an outdoor playground. You don't have to tell her "exercise more or you will be fat," just show her how much fun being active can be.

This may also be a good time for you to reexamine your own feelings about "the whole body image thing." It's wonderful that you want to protect your daughter from low self esteem and make sure she's healthy in body and spirit. But if you have any unexamined issues about this yourself, they will play out in your daughter's life somehow- either with her copying your attitudes about yourself or with her going overboard the other way and having the opposite problems you have.

Whatever happens, don't worry too much. You sound like a wonderful and caring parent- which is all your daughter really needs to build good self esteem.

Answer 3

hmm.. i understand about the self esteem thing. Maybe try feeding her more healthy foods.. i'm not for sure what she is eating now but when she asks for a snack make a healthy snack... try to move the junk food up higher, maybe on the top of the fridge so its not avalable at all times... and with the active thing... do something as a family out side, turn off the computer or t.v and take a walk.. or play an outdoor game with the whole family. Maybe take her swimming every kid likes swimming, she can get some exersize while staying cool and u can work on a tan.. everyone wins. I hoped this helped a little....

Answer 4

I think you should present activities to her like if they are fun. Don't mention a word about weight, or even about being more active. Get some brochures for things like dance classes, karate, soccer, cheer-leading, stuff like that. Try to balance them out, my daughter takes dance and karate, so she is building strength, getting some cardio, gaining flexibility and learning balance. Try not to get too much junk food, let her have an occasional treat so she doesn't feel deprived, but have healthy snacks around. Also, limit her TV/Computer/Video game time to an hour a day. Take a daily walk or bicycle ride in the evening or even in the morning. Go to the museum or the zoo where you will be walking around. Walk to the library (if it's close enough) and look for books, and see if they have a summer reading program. When school starts back, keep her in at least 2 after school activities and then on the weekends make sure your whole family is busy and not just sitting around at home. Good Luck.

Answer 5

Offer all the GOOD foods you can. She will be happy with the variety and not feel like food is being kept from her. A huge bowl of fruit is wonderful to have around. Sign her up for a "fun" class, such as gymnastics or dance. She will be getting exercise without knowing she is keeping active. Children do go through a chubby stage, but it is quite different from being "obese." My son's were always chubby and then in middle school, they just sprouted up. Their body weight then matched their height properly. Getting your daughter to eat properly and then having "fun" moving, is the key. Don't ever tell her that she is chubby or fatter than other kids. One sentence like that can cut down her self-esteem for a life-time.

Answer 6

Feed her more fruit and veggies, lean meats, whole grains, low or non fat dairy. Watch her sugar intake and avoid fast, processed or junk foods. If she asks, you are trying to feed the family healthfully. You should eat this way too.

She may be approaching a growth spurt; don't freak out. She will pick up on your attitude. Love her and all chubby kids for who they are inside and don't make judgmental remarks about overweight people. Her self esteem should come from who she is and what she can do or be, not what she looks like. if you want her to be active, join her in activity; walk, dance, ride or skate together. Give her opportunities to get joy and pleasure from activities other than eating and TV or computer. Make art together.

Answer 7

You shouldn't really have to limit the amount of food she eats. Offer her all she wants... of healthy foods. If all you offer is healthy, she probably won't eat as much, and what she does eat will be good for her. Fresh fruits and veggies for snacks, with yogurt, peanut butter, or salad dressing to dip them in. Protein, complex carbohydrates, fruits and or veggies at every meal. The only effective way to get her to be more active is to be active *with* her. Take a bike ride together, go to the park and play basketball or soccer or t-ball, run through the sprinkler with her. A 6 year old won't understand "you need to be more active do you don't get too fat" (I'm sure that;s not how you would say it to her, but that's what it boils down to)... go outside and play with her, and you will all be better off. Behave how you want her to behave, be a good role model she can look up, eat healthy foods and be active yourself and she will grow up doing the same. Good luck!

Answer 8

Children go through a growing spurt in the summer. This will sometimes precede with chubbiness only to have the child to grow 2 to 3 inches quickly. Do not obsess over this if you are not giving her junk food. Also get out with her and swim or ride a bike with her. Playing at the playground is another activity you both could enjoy.

Answer 9

Six is a great age to start sports like soccer, softball, and ballet.

Its even fun to even fit in a "dance hour" each day. Just play some music and you and her can dance together. Me and my kids dance silly and copy each others moves. Its really fun.

I also like the idea of bicycling and going to the park.

Swimming is a great way to get exercise too, so if you have a community pool, lake, beach, or water park close by, this would be great exercise.

I constantly played with hoola hoops and a jump ropes when I was little. Me and my cousins would have contests to see who could hoola hoop the longest and of course sing fun songs while we jump roped. If there were only two of us, we would tie one end of the rope to a small tree or railing, and one of us would twirl the rope while the other jumped. It was amazing fun! (These two are sooo inexpensive and it will make such good memories to do these kinds of things with her.)

Maybe even sidewalk chalk and you can creat a hop scotch game?

Also, Nick Jr. likes to encourage activity. If you log on to NickJr.com, I'm sure they'll be some great ideas.

Good Luck and God Bless!

I hope these helped you!

Answer 10

instead of pushing her to be more active, try using healthier foods...you can still have ice-cream but switch to low-fat. Trade the chips for grapes, and the sugar packed fruit chewies for 100% real fruit chewies! A lot of this food is really good. Try being a little more active with her if you have time...like a ride on her bike once or twice a week around the block?Being active is important, I say try to be a little more, but don't push her. The food, I believe, is actually more important at this age... Hope this Helps! Good Luck~Cheeso