Elliot Pediatrics and Primary Care at Raymond
Meet Our Physicians and Watch a Video
Electronic Medical Records System
a department of Elliot Hospital |
|
INFORMATION ABOUT CHILDHOOD OBESITY FOR PARENTS OF INFANTS AND TODDLERS
One in 5 children are overweight or at risk for becoming overweight. Overweight in childhood is not a benign condition.
In the past 2 decades, the number of overweight children (2-5 years old) has more than doubled, and overweight children (6-18 years old) has nearly tripled.
These children are at significantly increased risk for developing serious medical conditions including hypertension, diabetes, sleep apnea, fatty liver, and heart disease.
In fact, hospitalization rates for overweight related illnesses in childhood (ages 6-17) has tripled in the last 20 years.
What you can do to prevent or reverse overweight in your child.
Breastfeed for as long as possible – not only is breastfeeding best for your child’s overall health in infancy and childhood, but it is associated with decreased likelihood of developing overweight, diabetes and hypertension.
Delay introduction of cereal and other solid foods until 4-6 months, or as recommended by your child’s pediatrician. Early introduction of cereal (prior to 3 months of age) has been associated with increased risk of developing diabetes and overweight in childhood.
Remember, foods and beverages that are acceptable for adults, may not be appropriate for infants and young children.
Delay, or at least limit, introduction of juices, sweetened beverages, and soda. Increased marketing and availability of these beverages has lead to a rapid increase in amounts consumed by infants and toddlers – so that children under 2 years now consume enough of these beverages to total 10% of their daily energy intake. Instead offer fruits or vegetables which have not only liquids, but vitamins, and equally important, are excellent sources of necessary fiber.
Keep offering healthy foods to your infant or toddler, multiple times. Studies suggest that infants and toddlers will learn to accept and even prefer such foods, but it may take 10-20 exposures for acceptance and preference to develop.
Get active with your child. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children under 2 should not watch TV or videos other than very occasionally. A maximum of 1 hour of daily TV/video/computer “screen time” is recommendations for children over 2. There are many creative indoor and all season outdoor activities you can participate in with your infant or toddler. The Surgeon General recommends that children participate in 60 minutes of moderate physical activity most days of the week.
Nationally, the average 1-9 year old is exposed to 3 hours of TV daily; which exposes them to over 20,000 commercials each year.
