When your child is overweight, it can be difficult to tell whether it's just baby fat or a sign of a more serious problem. Obese children risk becoming obese adults, so parents of severely overweight toddlers--children between the ages of 12 months and 3 years--may need a doctor's help to avoid or correct obesity, a serious and potentially chronic health problem.
Visit The Doctor
Childhood obesity is a major health problem, and your pediatrician is best qualified to diagnose it. Doctors calculate childhood obesity through use of Body Mass Index, a measurement of fat in relation to height and weight.
If your child's BMI is abnormally high (children in the 95th percentile or above are considered obese by the American Academy of Pediatrics), your doctor will make recommendations regarding food and exercise for your child to lose weight. If your child's obesity results from an underlying medical cause, the doctor will prescribe treatment for that as well. Toddlers should lose weight only under a doctor's advice.
Calorie Needs
The average toddler needs about 1,300 calories a day, but it's not necessary to count calories, according to keepkidshealthy.com. Rather, your focus should be on overall nutrition; toddlers should receive six servings of grains, three servings of vegetables, two servings of fruits, two servings of meat and dairy, and two servings or meat or protein. Limit tats and sugars.
Toddler servings are about one-quarter the size of an adult serving.
Mistakes To Avoid
Parents may overfeed toddlers, thinking they need more fuel than they did during their first year of life. Keepkidshealthy.org advises that toddlers don't need as much to eat as parents might think. Their growth rate has slowed, so a child who is active, healthy and developing normally is more than likely getting plenty to eat.
Overfeeding mistakes include giving a toddler more than 16 to 24 ounces of milk or 4 to 6 ounces of juice a day, forcing him to eat and expecting him to eat adult-sized servings of foods.
Exercise
Exercise is a key part of weight management and overall fitness in every stage of life. But unlike older children, teenagers or adults, toddlers generally need no motivation to exercise--they just need the opportunity to do it. Toddlers love to run around, climb on things, play and dance. If they do, they're almost certainly getting the exercise they need. Pediatricians recommend an hour of active play every day; for obese children, doctors may recommend more or less activity depending on their health and degree of obesity.
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