SHOULD MOMS PUT THIER OBESE CHILDREN ON A DIET?

[BK_Adores_Chase]

I say yes...if my baby girl or my son end up gaining and become over weight, would I expect them to know the proper steps to take to become healthy?  No, they are children, that's what parents are for.  I would take steps to ensure they were eating healthier foods and teach them the importance of exercise...although these are two things I already do....well, they see me exercise every day and I'm sure there will come a day when they ask me why...my little guy already has but I don't think he really cared about the answer lol.

[ninajay]

I believe parents should make sure they're feeding kids healthier foods from the beginning so that obesity at 3 years old doesn't become an issue.

[jamrow36]

most of the time....it's the parents that are often obese as well.  Parents typically teach by example.  If parents eat properly, then by proxy..so will the kids

[raven1114]

Unless a child has a medical condition (say they have to take a medication that can put weight on a person) then a child especially a young child whose parents pretty much control what food they eat should not be obese. If they are then the parents need to first take them and make sure there is nothing medically wrong and then the parents need to learn how to feed and prepare food properly first.I mean how can you put a kid on a diet and teach them what's healthy and what's not if you obviously don't know yourself.

[marciaenglish]

DEFINATELY!   

[demaina]

I think it depends.  My doctors always told my parents I was off the charts for weight, of course I was also off the chart for height as well.  Kids are growing and developing their brain and other things that I would rather have the proper nutrition rather than worrying about my kid being the correct weight for their age.

Now, if the kid is obviously not getting the proper nutrition, then that's a different issue all together.

[jenniferhoder]

ABSOLUTELY!!! Parents are supposed to teach their kids good eating habits/ lifestyles. I understand that some kids are just obese, but we need to teach them the RIGHT way to eat!!!

[lgemini]

Yes, the obese child should be put on a diet, and the parent and the child should take a special class about low fat cooking

[ladycasshmere]

Yes absolutely. I truly do believe healthy eating should start at birth and continue on throughout a child's life so that they do not become obese.

[plennis]

Noooooooooooooooo...........Many of the people today that have major food issues including obesity were put on diets at a young age and got the wrong message.   I believe in BLOOD SUGAR STABILIZATION...it is a way of eating...not a diet.  You eat several  (6 or 7) times a day with a fat, protein and carb  each time you eat, it automatically will speed up your metabolism and will not result in the highs and lows many people have during the day.
Also a childs body goes through a lot of changes as they are developing and sometimes it appears they are heavy when in a few days they are suddenly an inch taller.  No calorie counting, just eating several times a day would make a lot of people easier to live with, and they would probably drop a few pounds just from the increase in their metabolism.  I believe unless their is a medical problem that a child is obese because of the way the entire family eats.

   

[richrd42]

I'd say it's a no brainer. If a child is obese like the thread title suggests, then yes for the safety and wellness of the child. But if a parent wants to put their child on a diet for a vain, or trivial reasons, then absolutely not. Giving a child proper nutritious meals three times a day is sufficient for maintaining the healthy weight of a child. Some parents like to satisfy their kids so they won't cry, this kind of behavior by a parent is outrageous. These kinds of parents should seek child rearing, developmental classes for themselves and the child's safety.

[sak4kat]

Absolutely!    This has actually happened to me.  I am a mother of 3 children.  Girl 13, Boy 12 and Girl 5.  My girls are healthy.  My son was on the other hand not.  All 3 have the same mother father but my son was addicted (And still is) to Sugar and Carbs.  For years I've found empty candy wrappers in his room tucked away in bins, under and behind the bed.  His grandfather had triple bypass and about 6 months later my sons pediatrician called us from the exam room to his office to discuss healthy eating habits.  On his own my son cut back his portions and limited himself to one treat per day.  (Most of the time) He also became active outside with some neighborhood kids.  2-3 months ago I started changing the way our entire family eats and now my son is beginning to show a big transformation.  Not only his he growing up and thinning out but he's becoming more athletic too.  He had an pediatric opthamological neurologist tell him about 4 years ago he would never drive a car and as far as activities go... "Mom, you just need to accept that he's never going to play ball like other boys."  Ha ha ha - he may not be on a team but he plays catch with his football..shoots hoops and for Easter he got a baseball glove.  This kid is a happy healthy boy and had I as a parent not stepped up to the plate to give him the tools and encouragement he would still be heading towards a heavy, sedentary lifestyle.

[GramPolly3]

Obesity is rapidly becoming the number one issue of health in the US. We have been eating processed food more than ever and really cannot trust our food to be healthy any longer. Parents and children become obese because of not only junk food but junk in our food. There is little oversight that benefits us--think of pink slime. We need to take advantage of locally grown food rather than over-processed and genetically engineered food. This is the kind of diet we ALL need and there wouldn't be obese children and adults.

[bowrunner]

I wouldn't put them on a diet so much as feed them healthy foods with some leeway for the tastier things.  To me, exercise is really the most important thing.  Kids today don't get the exercise they should because they're always playing computer, XBox etc. games.  We used to walk or ride bikes for miles and you don't see much of that anymore.

[Irmarie]

My opinion, yes they should. These days a lot of parents are not concerned with what their children eat