Proper diet regulation is essential for an overweight toddler to counter the increasing weight. Your overweight toddler may look irresistibly cute, but pressing the control tabs is a must to ensure his/her healthy development. The diet requirement of a toddler is simply a quarter of what is required by an adult. In other words, an average toddler should consume around 1300 calories a day. Setting limitations and following them religiously is the right way to deal with your child's weight problems. Read the article to know the right diets for overweight toddlers, so that they get rid of their puppy fat at the earliest.
Diet Tips For Overweight Kids
- You can't compromise on the nutritional levels of your child, to counter the extra weight. Keep serving nutritious foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy food at regular intervals.
- Bring down your toddler's intake of processed, high-fat and fast foods, as they are very high on calories.
- Sweets and chocolates should be brought down to a minimum. Give your toddler a banana in place of a donut and plain water instead of sugary drinks. Fruit juices and fizzy drinks bought from stores are high on sugar and less on nutrients. So, look for healthier options.
- Break your child's meals into six mini-meals, which should include his/her snacks as well. Eating throughout the day, without any meal time table, will not let your toddler loose his/her extra weight.
- Curb the tendency of rewarding your toddler with a treat whenever he/she does well, as this will make him/her develop an unhealthy emotional relationship with food.
- Give your toddler fruit and juice in moderation. Some parents consider milk and juices as healthy and don't stop their toddler when he/she binges on them. No matter how nutritious anything is, for an over weight toddler, diet regulation is the key.
- You can switch over to semi-skimmed or toned milk, once your child crosses two years of age. Toned milk has low calories and less fat and will help him/her get rid of the excess weight.
- Avoid serving your child deep-fried snacks or ghee-laden sweets. Instead, give him/her a piece of cheese, fruit, puffed rice or a bread stick, as all of them are low on calories.
- For the toddlers who are finicky about eating vegetables, vegetable soups can be prepared. They are high on nutrition and contain fewer calories. Avoid thickening soups with corn flour, as it adds unnecessary calories.
- Let your toddler eat on his/own, rather than spoon feeding him. He/she is the best judge of his/her hunger. So, let your toddlers decide.
- Encourage your toddler to participate in physical activities and workouts. The more the exercise, the more will be the weight loss. Diet control, coupled with regular exercise, is the key to counter the extra weight of your child.
- Introduce your child to healthy eating habits and try to make him/her stick to a time-table.
- There might be a genetic tendency in your toddler to put on weight. Consult a doctor, if nothing else seems to be working.