Monitoring Your Preschoolers Weight

Your child’s body has changed significantly since they were born. Your kid may be a cute ball of joy when he was a baby, but as he grows into his preschool years, his body fat is being replaced by an increase in muscle development. Normally, his arms and legs begin to slim down, while his upper body becomes relatively narrower.

But your child’s physical changes can go to extremes. Some youngsters at preschool age appear skinny with a small potbelly, a sign that they are probably malnourished or sickly. At the other end of the spectrum, some preschool kids become heavier than their playmates. They eat meals in larger servings and snacks more often than their friends, probably accompanied by watching for hours on television.

While it is true that children come in different shapes and sizes, most kids fall within the normal weight range. That trend, however, beings to change as more youngsters have been diagnosed by their pediatricians as overweight. Your child’s doctor reaches to a conclusion on your kid’s physical state after charting his height and weight since he was an infant. Pediatricians can show you the kid’s growth chart and indicate whether he has gained too much fat mass. They can also calculate your child’s body mass index since age 2, which is a good indicator whether he is overweight.

If your child receives this diagnosis, your family (not just your child) should follow your pediatrician’s advice on how to manage your kid’s weight from a change in eating habits to encouraging more outdoor play. Parents should also set an example by eating healthy and exercising.

Source: Healthy Children
Health – GuideTo.Com

Tags: , ,

Recent Comments

    Categories