MFP for children

Nursejuliej

I think myfitnesspal is a great tool and would like to use it for my daughter who is 8 years old. She loves to eat!!! I think if she had a way to track her calories and exercise the way we can on MFP, she would eat healthier and be more active. She and I are working out together.

It's hard to find out what a daily calorie goal for her should be. She's a little chunky and is very active usually, but like her parents she seems to gain weight easily. Our peditrician isn't worried and has said to just be more active, but I see her eating behaviors and I'm worried for her in her teen years.

Any suggestions for resources would be very helpful! Thanks

RedHotRunner

I wouldn't do it. I wouldn't make a child that young worry about her calorie intake.. I think it might cause problems down the road.

Just do you best to make sure she eats a healthy balanced diet and gets plenty of exercise.

sandram82

If you are tracking your foods and your putting healthy meals on the table I would not get her to track calories soo young.. it could def cause problems in her teens.. Im sure as a mom you would not want to see her end up with any eating disorders.. Just continue to put healthy meals and snacks on the table and if she loves working out with you than thats great activity for her as well as wonderful bonding!

SunLove8

I have to agree with, bmacneil. My daughter has struggled with little weight gains here and there but since her dad and I have been on MFP, we have ALL been eatting bettter and getting more exercise and she's lost some extra weight.

I think the problem(S) with having a child counting calories and exercise may tend to make them obssessed with it and in this society, it's hard for girls to not look at a magazine and see others that are basically anorexic; in this, possibly causing your own daughter to begin to have issues with eatting. Just my opinion...

ChristieisReady

My pediatrician tried to make food restrictions for me when I was a kid (the LEAST "happening" being no cheddar cheese) and it didn't do me any favors.

Honestly, because they're growing, children's food intake SHOULD vary, and logging everything religiously is too much to ask of a kid.

If you REALLY want to do it, just have her keep track of snacks. Because, well, it's your job to keep track of the meals. But I'd really advise against it.

Model healthy living for her, keep junk out of the house as much as possible, and be sure to tell her every day just how beautiful and wonderful she is, exactly the way she is.

SandraMay1982

if I am not mistaken girls generally don't stop growing vertically until they're 21ish.

she's still got a good 10 years of growing and developing to do. I wouldn't be getting her to track calories, just limit junk type foods. Kids shouldn't be worried about body image, they should be worried about boys having cooties. Body image issues will likely arise when she's 13-15 anyway. So why chance making those issues come earlier? I know I don't want to know about my 20 month old son going through puberty earlier than I need to *L*

sonjavon

I wouldn't do it either. Keep healthy snacks on hand. Make healthy meals and invite her to come and be actve with you - go swimming, go for walks, play basketball, etc. The caloric needs for kids are MUCH higher than you would think... and it varies greatly. Honestly, I talked to my son's pediatrician a few years back and he told me that he should be taking in anywhere from 3-4000 calories a day. It takes a lot of energy to grow, play sports, get smart and be a kid.

Don't make her think about her weight... or that's what she will do for the rest of her life. Tell her she's gorgeous, a princess, stunning and encourage her intelligence, her creativity and her lovingness as well. A girl who is beautiful on the inside cannot help but be a stunner on the outside!

R4z0r4Mm0

Don't make her think about her weight... or that's what she will do for the rest of her life. Tell her she's gorgeous, a princess, stunning and encourage her intelligence, her creativity and her lovingness as well. A girl who is beautiful on the inside cannot help but be a stunner on the outside!

Totally agree. Please don't make her conscious of her weight. Just limit the junk food, serve healthy meals at home and get her involved in any sport or dance she loves.

Nursejuliej

Thank you everyone! I actually agree very much with all of you and for several years now we've been working on modeling a healthy lifestyle with our children. We have 5 children ages 15 years to 14 months old. 4 boys and one girl! Our daughter is wonderful and we compliment her all the time on how beautiful she is. I just notice that she really has trouble with portion control and I often will say to her "are you really hungry for more?". She can easily eat more than I do. Please know that we have never told her that she's fat or overweight. We always tell her that we want her to be healthy! The reason I asked the question is because I honestly don't know how much food I should allow her to eat. She is in dance class and we work out with her. We do lots of outside family activities - weather permitting.

Our 15 yr old eats very healthy and work out regularily with football. Our 12 yr old has anxiety and food issues big time. Because of his behaviors towards food, we notice it reflecting on the other younger children. It is very frustrating. I often tell my children that food is fuel for energy.

I honestly just wanted to track her calories so she and I could measure portion control for just a short time. If she eats something she really likes, she's just keep eating and eating!

ajbeans

Since portion control is her issue, you can help her with that. Encourage her to eat slowly, maybe asking her questions during dinner so she'll have to stop and talk between bites. Serve meals from the counter instead of bringing the serving dishes to the table, so it's not right there where it's so easy to just grab seconds. (You could also just not cook enough for people to have seconds, and if they're still hungry they can grab some fruit. Or immediately put leftovers in the fridge or freezer before sitting down to eat.) I saw someone on the boards a few days ago who was in a similar situation where his son wanted more food but probably wasn't actually hungry. So the father suggested just waiting a while, and if he was still hungry later, he could have more. In about 20 minutes the child realized that he wasn't actually hungry, and he didn't want more.

Talk to her pediatrician about this if you feel you can't help her control her portions. Counting calories is not something we need to be teaching our children, because it's hard for them to understand how much they need. If she sees it as a score (as many children would), she could easily shift the other way into eating too few calories just to keep her number low. It's just not a good idea. As long as you're modeling healthy behavior and serving healthy food, limiting junky snacks, the next step is helping her recognize her hunger cues, not talking about calories.

sonjavon

I totally see where you're coming from. How about if you pre-portioned some of your kids favorite snacks (not just your daughters) - and have them available in snack bags? I think it's an awesome idea to make sure that kids are aware of what a serving size actually is. You can do that without making it a calorie or weight loss thing.

I hope you won't mind me sharing something from my experience with you. When I was young (about your daughters age) - my father feared that I was developing a weight issue. Honestly, I wasn't - I was starting to hit puberty. He had my mom start me on Weight Watchers... I walked into a room with about 30 obese people and thought, "well - ok, I guess this is where I belong..." I didn't belong there. I did not have a weight issue... I was growing and developing hips and a butt. I would ask for seconds at dinner and my father would ask, "Are you really hungry for more - or does it just taste good?" The truth is... I was HUNGRY... I mean.... really... HUNGRY. But I would hang my head and say, "I guess it just tastes good."

I got home before anyone else from school. I began sneaking food to my room to eat in private. I had a cubby in my closet with oranges, apples and rice cakes. Being a kid - I sometimes forgot about them and would have fruit fermenting in my closet...lol. The thing is... I developed an unhealthy relationship with food. I felt that I wasn't lovable if I wasn't tiny and I inherited my father's german heritage - I'm not a tiny person. I'm short - but I have very broad shoulders, wide hips and big boobs... and in 3rd grade I wore a C cup.

He thought he was preventing me from having to deal with weight issues later in life - while, in fact, he created them. If he really wanted to make sure I stayed healthy - he should have asked me to go for a bike ride or a walk. He could have taken a cooking class with me so that I could have learned about nutrition and cooking in a fun atmosphere. These are things that I try to encourage parents to do... and things that I try to do with my son.

Just remember that things that you say - may not be interpreted by her in the same way that you intend. I can tell that you want what's best for her and want to share the fun that you're having on MFP. Maybe you could ask for her help in menu planning and kind of walk through your thought process of planning healthy meals?

I hope that you'll find something that works. But as far as how much you should let her eat? I'd worry less about how much and more about WHAT. Good luck! Your daughter is very lucky to have a mom who cares so much!

Julesjhj

What if you got her a really cute calendar (a theme she likes..cats, Justin Bieber etc) and let her "log" activities/movement/exercise with stickers or cool markers. Maybe it could be for the two of you...like a girls only thing. You could set a goal for yall to do some sort of exercise X amount of days and then at the end of the month celebrate in a non-food way. You could go get mani-pedis or clothes shopping as a reward,,,, or something she likes that is motivating.

brenda_71

Pretty sure you are supposed to be 18 to join this site!

pretentiouskate

Honestly if she's recently started gaining more weight than normal my first thought would be puberty - it might seem young to you but I started menstruating at the age of nine - BARELY nine, at that.

Are you keeping healthy foods in the house? Allowing seconds on things like veggies and not the starches? You're all active as a family - sounds like she's just getting ready for a growth spurt.

What I DO remember of being a kid, hitting puberty young, and having a mother who had always been thin, is every comment she ever made about my weight (Walk softer, you sound like a hippo!) , how I looked in clothing (Don't wear tight clothes, you look like a sausage!) , and what I was eating (You're having another snack?!).

She's young, she's impressionable, and she's hanging on to every single word you say, especially about her. Model good behaviors, healthy eating, and she'll follow - without counting calories or obsessing over food.

asj0901

I actually emailed MFP with an idea for a MFPKids site. With HIGH securites for safety of course. My idea is not for kids to start out tracking calories, because they are too young to understand that measurement of energy. But a site that would allow kids to track their food, much like us, but instead of it counting calories it would make a graph or pie chart showing if they ate fruits and veggies, how much protien, see how much sugar they are intaking etc. So they can learn to make healthy choices. It would also allow for chart for them to track activities such as recess, little league, etc. I would love something like this so my kids are in the habit of watching what they eat and being healthy. It would be easy to have some interactive food related games, like scavenger hunts, color pages, trivia i.e. which one of these three foods has the most vitamins, etc. This would be beneficial to MFP because it would virtually ensure their future as a company because likely these kids would grow in to MFP. It would be great for our kids so they dont have to break bad habits as adults like us and they would learn to see food for its nutrition and make good choices. They never emailed me back:sad: But I wish they would come up with this program.

BigBoneSista

Set guidelines for everyone when it comes to 2nds...there are none. You are the parent so you have to give her the amount she can have and let that be it. She will learn portion control by the boundaries that you set and in all fairness it should be set for the entire family so that she won't feel alienated.

My 10 yr old was told to lose around 15 pounds by the doctor so we stopped all fast foods, candy, and sodas cold turkey. He can have a soda & a sweet treat once a month. He has a small bag of chips daily for a snack. Everything else is fruit, veggies and protein. His 9 yr old sister eats the same way because I want them both to eat healthy. I couldn't change his eating habits and not change hers. She now checks labels when we are at the store. She is almost better than I am. They know its about being healthy and not about them being fat...which they are not. We've been doing this for a few months now and they are enjoying it.

Having her track her calories is too much pressure for her at this age. She has enough to have to worry about with just her own childhood issues with her peers. Tracking calories is for older people to do. Continue to set the example for her and set boundaries that are realistic for a child her age. Don't take all her joys from her just teach her moderation.

mclahey

My little girl eats like a horse...she was chunky at 8yrs old too...but now at 12 has slimed down...her height shot up and now is not chunky. Definately DO NOT have her watching/counting calories...she is growing and when her height goes up, she will slim...

sassylilmama

Not sure about what your daughters size is but for comparison: My 8 year old is "chunky" as well. She weighs 77 pounds at 4'3". She should weigh according to her ped. 60-65 pounds. We are enforcing portion sizes and only offering veggies as seconds. Snacks consist of fruits/veggies. or small helpings of popcorn, cheese and crackers. I know that at her age I was already bigger and very conscious of my size. I do not want her to get a negative body image at such a young age. With changes I am making paired with this I can already see her making better decisions.

It sounds like you are doing things in the safest way for her both physically as well as mentally.

3LittleMonkeys

Honestly if she's recently started gaining more weight than normal my first thought would be puberty - it might seem young to you but I started menstruating at the age of nine - BARELY nine, at that.

Are you keeping healthy foods in the house? Allowing seconds on things like veggies and not the starches? You're all active as a family - sounds like she's just getting ready for a growth spurt.

What I DO remember of being a kid, hitting puberty young, and having a mother who had always been thin, is every comment she ever made about my weight (Walk softer, you sound like a hippo!) , how I looked in clothing (Don't wear tight clothes, you look like a sausage!) , and what I was eating (You're having another snack?!).

She's young, she's impressionable, and she's hanging on to every single word you say, especially about her. Model good behaviors, healthy eating, and she'll follow - without counting calories or obsessing over food.

I was thinking puberty as well.

OP, do you notice any other signs of puberty possibly starting?

Losing2Live69

My 15 year old son weighs almost 300 pounds. He would really benefit from being able to use this site. He is miserable. He gets bullied every day at school. Kids are so cruel these days! I try to encourage him with the changes I have made. He sees the new way I am eating...so I am hoping my new habits will rub off on him. He is in high school. At his age, with the health problems he is facing, I don't see anything wrong with him using a site like this. However, he can't use this site because it won't give accurate information for individuals his age. Just following a "diet" and having to track his calories on his own is just too overwhelming for him! There is no way he would keep up with it manually.

michele_jacks

Well said asj0901!!! I also would like a site that would help my child(ren) LEARN about nutrition... not calories. And that exercise/movement is a good thing and should happen daily. Again, well said!!!! I hope MFP emails you back soon!!!

Nursejuliej

Well, puberty has crossed my mind, but she's only 8 yrs old. She's tall for her age, as was I. I think she's about 4 ft 10 inches, and weighs about 115 lbs. I guess I'll have to do some research on this one. Oh boy, not ready for puberty. I have 4 boys who are bottomless pits. I think sometimes she thinks she should eat like the older boys.

Nursejuliej

Thank you again everyone. I recieved some great suggestions for portion control. I really appreciate everyone's input.

asj0901

http://www.nutritionexplorations.org/kids/activities/tracker.asp

This is a website geared towards kids. It has a printable trackker where kids can track by food group to make sure they are getting what they need. Normally I do not care for the gov't "food pyramid". However, this seems to be an okay tool that is hands on. There are some games, recipes etc. But it would be better if it was a community format. Lets face it when most kids have a FB or twitter account at 10, and two hours of homework, they are not likely to want to do paperwork.... And as a parent the last thing I need is one more piece of paper floating around my house. But thank you to nursejulie for posting this and inspiring me to search the web......

ChristieisReady

Am I the only one who grew up in a house with no seconds? Second helpings were for feast days (christmas, easter, thanksgiving).

MeliciousMelis

My daughter, who is 12, asked if I would help her pay more attention to calories, and help her slim down. After spending a lot of time going over body development, and taking a sample week of counting (together), we actually found out she wasn't eating enough. So while I think maybe handing the tools over and letting her have at it isn't the best idea, I do think that doing some baseline calculations to figure out what a good ballpark target for her should be, would be helpful for meal planning, and exercise.

She is learning to make better choices, and we've adjusted her lunches at school and after school snacks to be more nutritionally robust-- so to that end, I am glad we were open minded about it.

I make it a point though, to point out very clearly that our weight is not our worth, and that being healthy is paramount to being thin.

Kath712

Maybe a nutritionist or dietician can help you figure out appropriate portions for her? I saw a nutritionist years ago, and what she taught me still holds true. Good luck! :flowerforyou: I have two girls of my own (8 and 4). My food issues started early, so I'm really trying to raise them right. I try to model good eating and exercise habits. So far, I think it's working. They seem to recognize when they are full, and I don't make them clean their plate.

carrie_lebel

Good for you for being a good role model and being active with her. Just keep doing what you are doing and never make comments to her it will damage her forever It is normal for you to be concerned. All you can do us show her the way.

I read your profile and I love traverse city. I go there all the time.

jaded42

My son is 9..when he was 7 he started gaining weight. We lived in an area at that time where it was so cold he couldnt go out and play. He sat at home on the computer or played games ALL day! He is 9 now and weighs 116 lbs..His doctor gave me a chart to go by..Its a caloric intake chart for children. It says..An 8 year old girl should eat between 1200-1800 calories per day. An 8 year old boy between 1400-2000.depending on their activity level. For both boys and girls, 4- to 8-year-olds should get 10 to 30 percent of their daily calories from protein and 45 to 65 percent from carbohydrates. Fats should make up 25 to 35 percent of their daily caloric intake
9- to 13-Year-Olds
As kids' bodies prepare for puberty and their activity levels increase as they get more involved in sports and school activities, their bodies need more fuel. Girls between the ages of 9 and 13 should consume 1,600 to 2,200 calories daily, and boys in this group need 1,800 to 2,600 calories every day. Like younger kids, this age group should get 10 to 30 percent of their calories each day from protein, 45 to 65 percent from carbohydrates, and 25 to 35 percent from fats.
Physical Activity
According the American Heart Association, kids with increased physical activity require more calories. The lower number in the figures above is based on a sedentary lifestyle with very little activity. The higher number is appropriate for kids who get lots of physical activity, like practicing a sport for a few hours each day.

Our doctor told us to somewhat go by this chart..but also to cut 2nd helpings out completely.No fast foods(the calories in those foods are disgustingly high!!) No sodas or chips etc. Also..to get his physical activity WAY up!!
Now...I try to stop him from eating 2nds..I dont go to McDonalds anynmore other than MAYBE once a month if even that..we go to the park and play and walk...and I made sure I got some good games for the wii for me and the kids to do together...Wii Dance and Wii Dance 2 are great..I dont know any kid who doesnt like those! If you dont have a Wii..there are tons of kid dance and exercise videos online that can be found easily. I noticed with my son it helps him to see that Im trying to lose weight and get my life back to being healthy..he enjoys participating and we have a great time dancing together! He has lost almost 3 pounds since we started. The doctor told me to maintain his weight a few months ago when he was only 100 pounds..he said between 9 and 10 he would have a height growth spurt and that IF he didnt gain anymore weight that it would balance out..When he gained another 18 pounds within a couple months..he put him on this diet.
Our kids weight falls back onto US! As parents it is up to us to feed them healthy and keep them active...I FAILED at both of those for almost a year! After having surgery for cancer and then moving to a place that was too cold to go out and play..I sorta let the kids just become sedentary..BIG MISTAKE!!! I dont want my kids to grow up and have health problems because I allowed them to become fat or because I taught them poor health standards...So...best wishes to you with your daughter..There is nothing wrong with working with her to keep track of calories and exercise!! I wouldnt let her open an account on here(or any other website) though..you just never know what kinds of things she may end up running across..afterall..you see anything from weight management to people discussing sex on here..definitely not kid appropriate..BUT..if you want to show her things that you see on here that might give her ideas of being active or with setting goals..then I think that would be great!
Anyways...best wishes to you!

asj0901

My son is 9..when he was 7 he started gaining weight. We lived in an area at that time where it was so cold he couldnt go out and play. He sat at home on the computer or played games ALL day! He is 9 now and weighs 116 lbs..His doctor gave me a chart to go by..Its a caloric intake chart for children. It says..An 8 year old girl should eat between 1200-1800 calories per day. An 8 year old boy between 1400-2000.depending on their activity level. For both boys and girls, 4- to 8-year-olds should get 10 to 30 percent of their daily calories from protein and 45 to 65 percent from carbohydrates. Fats should make up 25 to 35 percent of their daily caloric intake
9- to 13-Year-Olds
As kids' bodies prepare for puberty and their activity levels increase as they get more involved in sports and school activities, their bodies need more fuel. Girls between the ages of 9 and 13 should consume 1,600 to 2,200 calories daily, and boys in this group need 1,800 to 2,600 calories every day. Like younger kids, this age group should get 10 to 30 percent of their calories each day from protein, 45 to 65 percent from carbohydrates, and 25 to 35 percent from fats.
Physical Activity
According the American Heart Association, kids with increased physical activity require more calories. The lower number in the figures above is based on a sedentary lifestyle with very little activity. The higher number is appropriate for kids who get lots of physical activity, like practicing a sport for a few hours each day.

Our doctor told us to somewhat go by this chart..but also to cut 2nd helpings out completely.No fast foods(the calories in those foods are disgustingly high!!) No sodas or chips etc. Also..to get his physical activity WAY up!!
Now...I try to stop him from eating 2nds..I dont go to McDonalds anynmore other than MAYBE once a month if even that..we go to the park and play and walk...and I made sure I got some good games for the wii for me and the kids to do together...Wii Dance and Wii Dance 2 are great..I dont know any kid who doesnt like those! If you dont have a Wii..there are tons of kid dance and exercise videos online that can be found easily. I noticed with my son it helps him to see that Im trying to lose weight and get my life back to being healthy..he enjoys participating and we have a great time dancing together! He has lost almost 3 pounds since we started. The doctor told me to maintain his weight a few months ago when he was only 100 pounds..he said between 9 and 10 he would have a height growth spurt and that IF he didnt gain anymore weight that it would balance out..When he gained another 18 pounds within a couple months..he put him on this diet.
Our kids weight falls back onto US! As parents it is up to us to feed them healthy and keep them active...I FAILED at both of those for almost a year! After having surgery for cancer and then moving to a place that was too cold to go out and play..I sorta let the kids just become sedentary..BIG MISTAKE!!! I dont want my kids to grow up and have health problems because I allowed them to become fat or because I taught them poor health standards...So...best wishes to you with your daughter..There is nothing wrong with working with her to keep track of calories and exercise!! I wouldnt let her open an account on here(or any other website) though..you just never know what kinds of things she may end up running across..afterall..you see anything from weight management to people discussing sex on here..definitely not kid appropriate..BUT..if you want to show her things that you see on here that might give her ideas of being active or with setting goals..then I think that would be great!
Anyways...best wishes to you!

This is awesome information!!! Thank you for posting.

rharris86dc

I'm not a parent, but I have seen "chubby" little girls hit a growth spurt and the baby weight just falls off/lands somewhere it is supposed to be. My co-workers daughter is a perfect example. When I first met her, she was a little chubby, but did stay active and eat healthy meals. By the time I left my job to go to law school, she had gone through a growth spurt, and now she is more proportional because of it.

But I see where you are coming from on the portions issue; when I was younger, I had portion control issues. I was still skinny, from dance and other activities, but after I stopped doing those things, I gained weight because I didn't change my eating habits.

So from personal experience, I'd say keep doing what you're doing by modeling a healthy and active lifestyle, and make sure she is eating commensurate with her activity levels.