Healthy Weight: How to Help Your Child

Children come in different shapes and sizes, but sometimes kids gain weight too fast. Help your child, and your whole family, make healthy food choices and stay active. These healthy habits can last a lifetime.

Start healthy habits early:

• Prepare meals at home when possible. Limit trips to restaurants and fast-food places.

• Eat together as often as you can. If your child is in a high chair, pull it up to the table during meals.

• Don't force kids to eat. Pay attention to cues about when they're hungry and when they're full. Infants and young children might close their mouths or turn their heads away from food, push food away, or use hand gestures or make sounds to let you know they have had enough.

• Don't use food as a reward or punishment.

• Have everyone in the family eat all meals and snacks sitting at the table, not while walking around or watching TV or other screens, including computers, tablets, and phones.

• Make family rules about screen time:

  • Don't let kids under 18 months watch TV or videos or play video games.

  • If you want to let kids 18–24 months watch TV or use screens, choose educational programming and apps. Watch or play with your child.

  • Video chatting is OK for all ages, but don't let it get in the way of being active.

• Help your child be as active as possible.

• Kids who get enough sleep are less likely to be overweight later in life. Help your child get enough sleep. Sleep needs vary from child to child but on average:

  • Babies under 1 year need about 14 hours or more of sleep (including naps).

  • Kids 1–2 years need about 11–14 hours of sleep (including naps).

• Set a good example for your kids. Choose healthy foods, exercise regularly, limit your screen use, and get enough sleep.

Help your child get the best nutrition:

• If possible, breastfeed your child until they're at least 1 year old.

• Don't add cereal to your baby's bottle unless the health care provider recommends it.

• Start solid foods at about 6 months. Infants who start solid foods before 4 months are more likely to be overweight.

• Wean your baby from bottle-feeding by 15–18 months.

• Wait until your baby is older than 1 year to give cow's milk. Ask your health care provider if you should give reduced-fat milk. Most kids over 1 year need about 2 cups of milk a day.

• Offer nutritious meals and snacks. Follow your health care provider's advice on the right portion sizes for your child.

• Include a fruit and/or vegetable in every meal and snack. Avoid hard, raw fruits and vegetables. They can cause choking. 

• Don't give your child soda, sugary drinks, or juice.

• Avoid keeping foods that are high in fat and sugar in the house. These include cookies, chips, and cake. Make these "once in a while" foods.

• You have concerns about your child's diet or nutrition.

How do I know my baby is at a healthy weight? Health care providers look at growth charts to see if a baby is growing at the expected rate.

Why is weight a problem for babies? When babies gain too much weight, they are more likely to grow up to be overweight. Older kids and adults who are overweight can have other health problems like diabetes, asthma, high blood pressure, and sleep apnea (when breathing stops for a short time during sleep).

What should I do if I have one child who has a weight problem and another child who does not? Don't single out the child with a weight problem. Instead, make healthy changes as a family. Tell your kids that the goal is a strong and healthy body. Everyone, even a thin child, needs healthy food and regular exercise.

How can I get my child to eat healthy foods? Sometimes kids need to try a food many times before they get used to it. And tastes can change over time. So keep offering your child different foods, even ones they didn't like the last time you tried. Ask your child to try a bite, but don't force them to eat. Your child may surprise you one day and start to enjoy a new food.