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Helping Children Develop a Healthy Lifestyle
10 Tips from St. Louis Children's Hospital
6. Control portion size. Limit the number of snacks and provide individual serving packages or put a serving in a bowl. Giving a child a large bag of chips and expecting him to stop after a few is unreasonable.
7. Give positive, accurate feedback. Be sure your child understands that you are supportive of efforts to change bad habits. A comment such as "I noticed you chose an apple as a snack after school today. Good for you!" encourages healthy choices next time.
8. Limit "screen time." Aside from homework, keep game system, television and computer time to a maximum of one hour per day. This is sedentary time that could be used in activities that burn calories.
9. Enjoy life! Playing in the sprinkler, leaves and snow burns calories and develops healthy relationships within families.
10. Consider your child's feelings. While keeping in mind that your long-term goal is to teach your child healthy eating habits, don't lose sight of the wonderful person you're trying to help. Treat him lovingly. Keep him happy. Let him enjoy the things that children enjoy.