your child moving about for a good hour is great exercise. All day plonked in front of the TV is a definite no-no. Under-twos should only watch a maximum of 30 minutes a day, while one hour is adequate for three to five-year-olds.
No reward It doesn’t take long for children to decide which foods they like best, but as a parent, you do have an important role to play in influencing his choices. Small children naturally prefer the taste of sweet foods, but studies also show that they develop preferences for foods if they’re offered to them in a positive context. This means that if you bribe your toddler to eat all of his broccoli with the promise of chocolate cake for pudding, then you’re setting up broccoli as a not-nice food and chocolate cake as a yummy food. Equally, if you always give your child a biscuit when he’s hurt himself, or if he’s upset, then he’ll quickly come to associate biscuits with comfort. This can store up problems for later life and can lead to comfort eating.
Lead by example Your own attitude to food and exercise is vital in developing a positive response to both in your child. Statistics have shown that having an obese parent hugely raises a child’s own risk of obesity - and having two obese parents raises it even more. Whether this comes down to genes or lifestyle, or both, isn’t clear, but endless studies have shown that children copy the diet and exercise examples set by their parents.
seem extra yummy in your child’s eyes, and he is more likely to crave it in the future. Children really need full-fat milk and yogurt until they’re about two.
Do make time for more exercise The growth of childhood obesity is often linked to a decreased amount of exercise. Children just don’t seem to play outside in the same way as they did in previous decades, but children, and small children in particular, need lots of active play. This stimulates their development and helps keep them at a healthy weight. The amount of active play your child needs is age- dependent. For a three-month-old baby, a daily kicking and grabbing session under the baby gym is great, while a three-year-old needs a good runabout in the park for an hour. As a general guideline, anything that keeps
Children just don’t seem to play outside in the same way as they did in previous decades, but children, and small children in particular, need lots of active play. This stimulates their development and helps keep them at a healthy weight
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