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Prevent Obesity in Your 2 to 4 Year-Old Child
During the preschool years, take advantage of the great influence you have on the eating and activity environment of your little one. Toddlers quickly take on the eating habits around them-which explains why the most common eaten vegetable of 2 year olds is French fries! Another important change at this age is preschoolers are beginning to be more influenced by their environment. For example, if you serve your child serving sizes that are larger, he will eat more. For this reason, you should continue serving your child on a child-sized plate. This will be a good reminder of what an appropriate serving size is! Don't worry that your child will be hungry-he can now ask for more!
At this age, eating as a family is important for many reasons. Eating together promotes conversation and vocabulary building for preschoolers. It's also a good time for you, the parent, to set a good example, because the best way to get your child to eat healthy foods is for you to eat them too!
Outside playtime continues to be important-why? Time spent outside means more time being active, while time spent inside by a child means more sedentary play like TV watching, which can directly affect being overweight in children. So, what are you waiting for? Go out and play! And leave the stroller at home! See Kids at Play the Many Benefits.
Beginning in your child's second year of life, he isn't growing as quickly, so he doesn't need as much fat. Now is the time to make the switch from whole milk to 2%, 1% or even skim milk. Don't worry - the only difference in these milks is their fat content! And your preschooler is getting fat from other sources, hopefully mostly from heart-healthy vegetable fat like avocado, olive or canola oil.
For more nutrition tips for your 2 to 4 year old see Nutrition Tips for Your Preschool Child.
Modified from Baby Bites by Bridget Swinney MS, RD, Meadowbrook Press, 2007. Bridget is the author of Baby Bites, Healthy Food for Healthy Kids and Baby Bites, available at major book retailers. She consults at a public health clinic where she helps overweight children and their families. Visit her blog at www.babybitesbook.blogspot.com.
