Help Your Child: Tips For Parents And Other Caregivers
Parents and other caregivers can guide their children in developing lifestyle habits that will keep them healthy for years to come. As a parent or caregiver, we know you don't have all the answers. Like many Americans, you may be struggling to develop and stick to healthy habits. One way to win this dual battle is to practice a healthy lifestyle together.
Eating healthy foods and drinks, regular physical activity, adequate sleep, and other factors can contribute to your child's health.
Grow, learn, build strong bones and muscles, maintain a healthy weight, reduce your chances of developing diabetes or heart disease in the future, and feel good about yourself.
Healthy Habits
How can I help my child develop healthy habits?
As a parent or caregiver, you play a big role in shaping your child's eating habits. If you have a habit of consuming foods and beverages that are high in added sugar, saturated fat, salt, and fiber, the children in your care may also like these foods. Don't be upset if the baby you're caring for doesn't immediately like the new food. Children often need to see new foods many times before trying them.
Be a role model. As a parent or caregiver, you also influence your child's physical activity. You do not need to be an expert in any activity. Just get up and move and show your kids how much fun it can be. They might like it too. You can set a good example by walking or biking instead of watching TV, playing video games, or surfing the Internet. Find fun activities to do together.
Let's talk about being healthy. As you learn more about how to improve your health, take time to talk to your children about how certain foods and physical activity can help. For example, when walking, take your child with you and let him choose the path. Discuss how walking makes you feel better and is fun to spend time with.
Use your child's food and drink choices as an educational opportunity. Speak up when you see unhealthy choices. Encourage your children to make healthier options or tell them, It's okay to eat a little, but not a lot. Talk to your children about why snacks that are high in salt or sugar are not the best choices. Don't make them feel guilty about their food and drink choices. You can also praise when your child chooses healthy items like fruit.
Try some happy phrases like these to get your child excited during physical activity.
You run so fast I can hardly keep up!
You are building a strong and healthy mind.
Let's walk for another 10 minutes to build up our strength.
Make sure your child gets enough sleep. Getting sufficient rest can further develop your kid's psychological, close-to-home, and actual well-being. Not getting enough sleep can lead to many health problems, including obesity. According to your child's age, find out how much sleep experts recommend for your child (external link).
Believe in the power of change. Know that a healthy diet and more exercise are the foundations of better health. Let's work together to create healthy habits.
Promote health beyond your family. Other adults may also play a role in your child's life. Share ideas about healthy habits. For example, many parents and caregivers work outside the home and need others to help care for their children. Family members, caregivers, babysitters, and friends can shape your child's health habits. Ask them to see if they offer healthy meals, snacks, and drinks. Also, make sure your caregiver provides plenty of time for active play and limits idle time spent with television, video games, or other devices.
If your child is in school, you can encourage healthy habits in a few other ways.
Become familiar with our school breakfast and lunch programs.
Research your school's physical education program and look for opportunities to be active during class.
Consider other influences as well. Your child's friends and media can influence healthy choices just as they can influence you.
Some television, online, and other advertisements try to encourage children to consume high-fat foods and sugary drinks. You can make your children aware of these pressures. Discuss your options with your children while watching TV, surfing the Internet, or going to the movies. We talk about how media and influencers sell products and convey value through images of famous athletes, childhood celebrities, cartoons and action figures, and made-up images. Use apps and ads to spark conversations about your values. These stories may help your child make healthy choices outside of the home.
Healthy Diet
What should my child eat and drink?
Like adults, children need nutrient-dense foods and beverages. Also, like adults, children also need to get the calories they need for their daily routines and activities. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2020-2025 External link recommends balancing calorie intake with physical activity. The guidelines also recommend improving dietary habits to promote health, reduce disease risk, and reduce overweight and obesity. Americans two years of age and older are encouraged to eat a variety of healthy foods and beverages. Recommended items
Unsalted fruits, vegetables, nuts, and seeds (make sure your child can tolerate these foods or is not allergic to them), whole grains
Fat-free or low-fat dairy products, including milk, yogurt, cheese, and/or fortified non-dairy beverages
A variety of protein foods such as seafood, lean meat and poultry, eggs, legumes (beans and peas), nuts, seeds, and soy products.
What foods and drinks should I limit?
Young people and adults are also encouraged to reduce their consumption
Refined grains, added sugars, saturated fats such as lard, butter, and margarine (often solid at room temperature)
Salt (sodium)
Added sugar, saturated fat, and salt are commonly found in pizza, potato chips, crackers, soda, sugary drinks, desserts such as cookies and cakes, and fast food. If children and teens consume these foods and beverages, they should be limited based on a healthy eating plan.
Another step is to make sure your kids eat breakfast to give them the energy they need to focus in school. A few examinations show that having breakfast consistently may lessen the kid's opportunity of stoutness. 1
How can I help my child eat better?
Use less fat, salt, and sugar. Here are some ideas to help you and your child follow a healthy eating plan.
Cook with less solid fat. Use olive oil or canola oil instead of butter or margarine. Bake or broil your food as opposed to frying it. "Oven fry" recipes that use little or no oil create a crispy texture.
Choose and cook foods that are low in salt. Please take the salt shaker off the table. Instead of salty snacks like potato chips and crackers, have chopped fruits and vegetables available for snacks.
Limit the amount of sugar your child eats. Choose hot or cold cereal with no added sugar or low sugar.
Fill half of the kid's plate with foods grown from the ground foodstuffs.
Provide nutritious food and drink. Many foods and beverages are especially rich in key nutrients and vitamins, such as potassium, calcium, vitamin D, and fiber, which are important for a child's health and development. Here are some ideas to increase your child's intake of these nutrients
Give more fruit for breakfast, snacks, and dessert. Add dark green, red, and orange vegetables to stews and soups. Add beans (black beans, cowpeas, pinto beans), peas, and lentils to casseroles and salads. For meal planning ideas and healthy recipes,
Offer more milk and low-fat dairy products. Give lactose-free milk, cheese, or yogurt to children who cannot digest lactose well, which is called lactose intolerance. (Lactose is the sugar found in milk, and drinking milk or eating dairy products causes stomach pain and bloating in some people.) For children, you can also use non-dairy drinks such as soy drink, which is rich in calcium and vitamin D. As almond drink and rice drink.
Enjoy fresh, frozen, or canned salmon, shrimp, and light tuna (but not albacore). Young children can be fed a safe variety of seafood in child-sized portions once or twice a week. 2. At age 2, start with 1 oz.
Replace refined grains (bread, pasta, rice) that your child eats with whole grains. Eat more bran Check the Nutrition Facts label to find products that are high in fiber. Look at the ingredients list and make sure whole grains are listed first.
Think about drinks.
Please use plenty of water.
Serve low-fat or without-fat milk rather than entire milk.
Avoid serving sweet or fruit-flavored drinks.
Instead of fruit juice, eat fresh fruits that are rich in fiber. If you give juice, give a small amount of 100% fruit juice.
Prepare healthy snacks. Eating snacks with meals ensures that children get enough nutrients to stay healthy. Buy or provide disposable snacks so young children have enough to satisfy their hunger.
Keep healthy foods in your home for snacks and meals for the whole family. We like light meals
Chopped apples, oranges, pears and carrots
Served with whole grain bread, low-fat cheese, your favorite spread, or roasted vegetables
Fresh, frozen, or canned vegetables
When choosing healthy snacks, pay attention to two things.
*Read the nutrition facts label to choose the right serving size. Please note that the serving sizes listed on the Nutrition Facts label apply to the nutritional requirements of adults and are based on a 2,000-calorie diet. Therefore, depending on the child's age, size, and activity level, the appropriate amount for most children will probably be less than the amount listed on the package.
* Children under school age may choke on food. Be careful with hard-to-chew, small, round, and sticky items. Examples include firm vegetables, whole grapes, hard cheese pieces, raisins, nuts and seeds, and popcorn. Choose foods that are suitable for children in this age group.
Share mealtimes together. The key word is "together".
Plan to sit down and eat with your child. And give everyone the same.
Involve children in meal planning and preparation. Children may be more inclined to eat food that they help prepare.
Try to limit the amount of food and drink your child consumes in and out of the house. Doing this will help your child control their calorie, sugar, and fat intake. To serve more home-cooked meals, save time by cooking and freezing soups, stews, or casseroles in bulk. It's full of helpful tips that make crafting quick and easy.
Limit eating at home to a specific area, such as the kitchen or dining room, rather than in front of the TV or while using another electronic screen.
Share mealtimes together.
Physical Activity
activityHow does physical activity help children?
This shows that preschool children (ages 3-5) need physical activity throughout the day to help their growth and development. As a parent or caregiver, you have a big role to play in helping your child get up and start moving.
If you are caring for a preschooler, try to get about three hours of physical activity a day. These activities can be light, moderate, or intense. If you care for school-aged children (ages 6-17), make sure they get at least one hour of physical activity a day. Experts recommend moderate or vigorous activity. Riding a bike, jumping rope, playing basketball or soccer are some of the ways that kids can stay active.
How can you help your child become more active?
There are many ways you can help.
* By making a habit of physical activity, you can become a role model for your children. If they see you moving and having fun, they might like it and keep doing it.
*Get the whole family involved in activities like dancing or your favorite sport.
* Focus on having fun. You may walk a lot during your trip to the zoo or park.
* Involve your children in family activities such as walking the dog, washing the car, and cleaning the house.
*If available and financially able, enroll your child in after-school programs or for lessons in an activity or sport that your child enjoys.
* Team up with your kids and play sports and dance video games together.
*External link to share tips with kids on how to move their bodies throughout the day.
*Use our interactive online tool external link to find out how to help your children be more physically active.
Reduce idle screen time. Sitting for hours while using a computer, mobile device, music player or TV can reduce your child's active playtime.
Pediatricians recommend limiting the amount of time children use digital media outside of homework time. From ages 2 to 5, don't let your child use screens for more than an hour a day. For children 6 and older, set firm limits on media time. This ensures that children have enough time for physical activity, play, sleep, and other healthy behaviors. 3,4.
Try these tips to reduce your child's screen time.
*Don't use screen time to reward your child.
* Set up a family game night and turn off all the screens in the house.
* Please eat together without using media. Do not eat in front of the screen
*Limit time in front of the TV or other devices and keep them away from your child's room.
*Designate an area in your home without media, such as bedrooms 3,4.
What if my child is overweight or obese?
Overweight children are more likely to become overweight adults. These kids might foster hypertension, type 2 diabetes, and other serious medical conditions. Weight problems can also lead to stress, sadness, and low self-esteem in children. Children grow at different rates at different times, so it's not always easy to tell if your child is overweight. For example, it is normal for boys to gain weight quickly and then increase in height.
Have your child's height measured by a medical professional and let them know if their age and gender are within the healthy range. You can also calculate your child's body mass index (BMI) NIH external link and discuss any concerns with your child's healthcare professional. BMI is a measure of body fat calculated from weight and height. If the doctor tells you that your child is overweight, there are ways you can help your child fight the weight.
How can I lose weight in my child?
Here are some dos and don'ts.
Accept and love your child regardless of his weight. This will increase your self-esteem.
Get the whole family involved in following healthy habits, even if no one in the family is overweight.
Focus on healthy eating, regular physical activity, and adequate sleep rather than the number on the scale.
Help your child find ways to cope and succeed outside of food and drink.
Consult a medical professional for reliable advice on managing your child's health and weight habits. The internet is full of misinformation that is hard to separate from good advice.
Remember that you play the biggest role in your children's lives. Help your child develop healthy eating, exercise, and other lifelong habits.
If you have any doubts,Please let me know