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According to Independence Blue Cross, twenty percent of obese four-year olds become obese adults and 80% of obese adolescents can face severe obese problems as adults.
Regular pediatric visits of children ages two and up include the measurement of a child’s body mass index, known as BMI, information critical for parents in detecting possible weight problems in toddlers.
Parents can consult their child’s doctor about a nutritional, healthy diet for their toddler. Too often, parents feed their children with the same foods they consume, which is unhealthy at times, and can set their children up for weight problems throughout their lifetime.
To ensure a healthy lifestyle for their children, parents can also set up regular exercises, even for small children.
Walking is one of the best ways for little ones to exercise. By the time a child is two years old, walking instead of always riding in a stroller, is beneficial for the social well-being, as well as the physical well-being of a child.
Walking with, and greeting people on the street is an excellent well for a child to develop social skills as well as a healthy habit.
Once a child reaches school age, parents can enroll their child in a physical sport of the child’s choosing, which also encourages sportsmanship and good citizenship.
Because weight problems attribute to other problems in school age children, such as poor academic performance due to low self-esteem, enrolling in a group sport has additional benefits.
Sometimes, no matter how healthy a family’s eating habits are, once a child begins school, there will be those times when treats offered at school or on the playground, not normally given at home. An occasional sugary snack will not throw an otherwise healthy diet off kilter.
Starting kids off right at home with their eating habits stays with them through their adult life and can prevent medical problems due to obesity.
