Pediatricians are more aware than ever that a growing number of children are overweight. Your doctor has been keeping track of your child's height and weight since infancy, and he'll be able to calculate whether your child weighs more than he should.
Steps You Can Take Now to Reduce Your Child's Likelihood of Becoming Obese and on Track for a Healthy Life
- Give some thought to the physical activity in your child's life. Even though he continues to be a bundle of endless energy, a lot of that energy often goes to waste. Many preschoolers spend several hours a day in front of the TV or computer screen, rather than playing outdoors. In fact, today's children are only one-fourth as active in their day-to-day lives as their grandparents were.
- Whether or not your four- or five-year-old is overweight, you need to make sure that physical activity becomes and remains a priority in his life. These preschool years are a time when he should be developing his motor skills, improving his coordination, and playing games and sports with greater skill. You should make sure that he has access to age-appropriate play equipment, such as balls and plastic bats that will make exercise fun and something he looks forward to doing. Of course, these play periods must be supervised; you need to keep him away from dangerous situations like running into the street to chase a ball.
- Make an effort to turn family time into a physically active time. On a Sunday afternoon, rather than going to the movies, take the entire family on a hike in the hills near your home. Or fly a kite in the park, play tag, or throw a ball back and forth.