How to Prevent your Child Becoming Overweight iHV Parent Tips

iHV Parent Tips
How to Prevent your Child
Becoming Overweight
Research shows that breastfeeding helps mums to get back to their
pre-pregnancy weight if they breastfeed for 3-4 months or more (and
the longer you breastfeed the greater the benefits for both Mum and
baby’s health). Also, breastfed babies are less likely to be overweight
in later life.
If you’re bottle feeding your baby it’s very important
to make up feeds using exactly the amount of milk
powder recommended - adding even a small amount of
extra powder to bottles over-concentrates your baby’s
feed and provides too many calories.
Never force your baby to finish the milk in their bottle – let them lead on how much they want at each feed
and remember this may vary from feed to feed and from
day to day.
If your baby seems very hungry and you’re considering using a ‘hungry baby’ formula, discuss this with your Health Visitor first. If your baby has reflux they may be comfort feeding a lot but giving them a hungry baby formula might cause even more vomiting. Lots of babies simply need just a little more of their usual formula to meet their needs. If you’re concerned about your baby’s feeding pattern speak to your Health Visitor for advice.
More information on Page 2
Supported by NHS
For additional fact sheets see www.ihv.org.uk
The information in this fact sheet was correct on 2.6.14. © Institute of Health Visiting 2014
The Start4Life Information
Service for Parents provides
free information and advice.
Find out more at: bit.ly/1iC4rrO
iHV Parent Tips
How to Prevent your Child Becoming Overweight
Encourage your little one to be active – tummy time, crawling and active play, both inside and out, are
important in helping to prevent your baby or toddler from becoming overweight. Toddlers should be active for at least 3 hours a day, and young children who have limited screen time and get a good’s night sleep are also more likely to be a normal weight.
When you’re weaning your baby, start with savoury tastes and introduce a range of flavours and textures. Babies who are offered a variety of foods to try (and who are
offered them again, even if they didn’t seem to like a
particular thing the first time around) and see other
family members enjoy different foods are more likely to
become good, healthy eaters themselves.
Lots of widely available foods are not suitable for children
under 5, such as ready meals, take-aways, salty snacks
and foods which contain artificial colours and sweeteners.
Most fast food comes in ‘one size only’ portions and these
are not likely to be the right amount for children under 5.
Remember that if you’re worried about your child’s
weight or have any questions relating to weaning or
healthy eating your Health Visitor will be happy to offer
you tips and advice. You might also like to take a look at
the links below for additional information.
More information:
Encourage your little one to become an independent
eater. Allow them to eat to their own appetite, sitting with
the rest of the family at mealtimes. Never force your child
to finish the food they have been given, or use food as
a reward or punishment - this may lead to your child
turning to food to tackle emotional issues later in life.
Change4life is packed with helpful tips on healthy eating for all ages:
Eating lots of energy-dense snacks between meals (such
as crisps, sweets, biscuits, cakes and ice cream) can mean
young children eat too many calories for their energy
needs and end up refusing healthier foods at mealtimes.
Think of snacks for young children as ‘mini-meals’ that
provide important nutrients and choose healthy
options such as fruit and vegetables, plain milk or
yoghurt, or savoury sandwiches. You can find ideas for
healthy and nutritious snacks at bit.ly/1q4W9hD
Sign up for email advice on healthy eating for pregnancy and
for babies and toddlers using this helpful service:
bit.ly/UGjhIG
The Eat Better, Start Better programme has been designed
to help young children eat well:
bit.ly/UGjiMW
bit.ly/1ngWoDC
Young children who drink sweetened drinks (such as squashes, fizzy drinks, fruit juices and milkshakes) are
more likely to be overweight than children who don’t.
Plain milk and water are the best drinks to offer young
children and they don’t damage teeth, either.
Supported by NHS
For additional fact sheets see www.ihv.org.uk
The information in this fact sheet was correct on 2.6.14. © Institute of Health Visiting 2014
The Start4Life Information
Service for Parents provides
free information and advice.
Find out more at: bit.ly/1iC4rrO