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Parents and caregivers can help prevent childhood obesity by providing healthy meals and snacks, daily physical activity, and nutrition education. Increased physical activity reduces health risks and helps weight management. Nutrition education helps young children develop an awareness of good nutrition and healthy eating habits for a lifetime.¹

The key to keeping kids of all ages at a healthy weight is taking a whole-family approach. Make healthy eating and exercise a family affair. Get your kids involved by letting them help you plan and prepare healthy meals. Teach them how to make good food choices. Gradually work to change family eating habits and activity levels rather than focusing on a child's weight. Parents who eat healthy foods and participate in physical activity set an example so that a child is more likely to do the same.²

Also, there are many things that a parent can do to prevent obesity in their child, including:

1. Respect your child's appetite; children do not have to finish everything on their plate, or finish the entire bottle.
2. Avoid buying snacks with lots of sodium and foods and drinks with extra sugar.
3. Provide your child with a healthy diet, 30% or fewer calories from fat.
4. Provide enough fiber.
5. Limit the amount of high-calorie foods kept in the home.
6. Make fresh fruits and vegetables available.
7. Enjoy physical activities as a family (walking, playing outdoor games, etc.).
8. Limit TV and non-school-related media viewing. Do not watch TV during meals or snacks.
9. Do not reward completion of meals with sweet desserts.
10. Encourage your child to participate in active play.
11. Encourage children to drink water rather than beverages with added sugar.³
12. Ask your child’s doctor for the milk recommended for your child’s age, for instance between 3 and 6 years a growing up milk is necessary and more adapted for his age. Ideally it should be low in proteins, sugar free and with high levels of iron, vitamin D, fibers and essentials fatty acids.

Dr. Mohamad Bahjat

Pediatrician 

¹https://www.cdc.gov/healthyweight/children/index.html

²https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/overweight-obesity.html

³https://www.webmd.com/children/preventing-childhood-obesity