No kids here, but if you do, I have a question for you.

6packb450

um... feed them like normal people. We've been doing this for 1000s of years. I don't buy "crap in a box". Easier, cheaper to make things from scratch. PLUS, it is impossible to 'count calories' for your children, they have two hands and a brain... no one locks up their pantry.

Fox_n_sox

My little one is only 2, but I do not think that I will count her calories ever. I do how ever try to give her healthy choices. She loves cheese & eating all beef hot dogs.I give her more water in her juice than juice, and popsicles are limited to her juice she drinks.

atsteele

No I don't count their calories. But I do keep track of how many glasses of milk (or dairy products) that they drink. And because my two boys have issues with meat, I keep my eye on their protein sources. I also push fruits and veggies so much that my kids complain that I make them eat "too healthy". A mom can never win. LOL

YaGigi

In my country the kindergarden and school food ( including high school) is based on governmental standards and rules, developed by special doctors, dietitians. It's a requirement for public and private schools.

There should be a certain amount of protein in every meal, always lots of veggies and fruits. The food for the kids is always easy to digest, mostly soft and easy.
For breakfast it's almost always some kind of oatmeal with fruits, for lunch it's always a soup and a main dish. Never junk food by any means, never soda, never pizza.

Kids and teens have pizza or burgers or soda but never at school or kindergarden, mostly at spare time.
My niece has never had pizza and she's 9. She had soda only for the Xmas party.

I started really appreciating this way of treating kids diets after I developed my own unhealthy habits, like soda...
They'll face it later in life, but at the beginning of their lives they start it the right way.

AllonsYtotheTardis

This is how it works in my house: the kids have to sit at the table with the family during meal time, even if they claim they aren't hungry. They have to try 1 bite of what I cooked. After that, they decide how much they eat.

They are both at a healthy weight, pediatrician says they are thriving. I'm happy.


I try my best to provide them with a variety of healthy foods during the week. They are getting better at trying them. We don't go to McDonalds except for maybe 3-4 times a year. I despise the place.


ETA - I have never once told my kids I'm trying to lose weight. I tell them that I didn't take care of my body for a long time, and I'm working to make it healthier now. They never see me step on a scale. We talk about foods that are good for our bodies, and other foods that are 'just for fun'. They are learning that 'just for fun' foods are a 'sometimes, not all the time' thing. They are learning, and hopefully this will be a good basis for them when they start making all their own food choices.

Seahawk27

No, I don't, but I do make sure they get healthy food. My kids are 14 (boy), almost 5 and 3 (girls) and all of them understand we are working on getting healthy as a family. Both my husband & I have lost quite a bit of weight this year, but I don't want ANY of them thinking they need to diet, or freak out about calories, so we talk about healthy choices. For example, which is better, an apple or a candy bar? I do allow treats, but I would say overall they get a very balanced, healthy diet. All of them are very slim & active so I wouldn't even know where to start with how many calories they would get.

Beccy2pointoh

Nope boy (5) eats whatever he wants & in adult portion sizes, he is v v active & will eat until full. Some days he doesn't want to eat at all & that is fine & other days he eats non stop & that is also fine. Nothing is off limits.

belladonna786

No, but I do provide them with healthy food. I don't feed them overly processed food loaded with sugar. They don't eat sweets and if I do allow treats now and then they are very small. My kids know about eating healthy and they now make good food choices on their own.

3foldchord

No. When my youngest was little, I had to make sure he hate enough and get plenty of protien, he was underweight, as we're my other two, but my youngest was weak and tired and geting sickly from it.. I didn't count calories or protein grams, but did a lot of label and food info reading.

We talk about healthy food choices. Lke carbs are important for their energy, but not the only foods they should have. Dairy, protein, fruits and veggies are also good for them.. The younger two would live on toast and crackers.

We get plenty of activity.

They are high school age now so we do talk more specifics about needed exercize, working out, nutrition now.

My kids have always beenn thin, my husband and I have always been thin (I am here just for a few vanity pounds and get healthy and workout more), all,other family members are thin except my mom and a few of her side relatives. I am not concerned about their weight, just a bit about getting more exercise.

knk1553

I don't have kids, but research shows that children naturally (without the influences of adults and media) know what to eat and will eat only when they're hungry and only until they're full, unless they have something like prader-willi, failure to thrive, feeding disorder, etc. I dont think I will ever count my kids calories, or let them know about calorie counting, which hopefully by the time I'm old enough I'll have developed the skills I need to not count calories. Counting calories for your children and obsessing over food and such with your children can lead to extremely disordered eating, dieting, overeating, hording of food, overexercising, etc. at a young age. I think its important to provide your kids with balanced healthy options, a treat every now and then, and keep them active, but you don't need to count calories.

gdrmuzak

I don't count calories but I do try to teach them good habits such as:

- eat/chew slower
- set your utensil down and taste the food
- still hungry? have more fruit or vegetables
- taking a junk snack (what little I buy)? take a handful or get a bowl and stop
- Pop? have a water first.

julieh391

Nope. But I do try to make sure they get the most from the calories they do consume. Like, I don't buy goldfish crackers and crap like that for snacks. They snack on things like yogurt and pistachios. I guess it's more like I'm just paying attention the the nutrients they are getting rather than limiting things (like calories.) My kids are 11, 3, and 8 months. Even the baby doesn't sit around eating cheerios. He eats egg yolks and avocado and other nutrient rich foods.

Amberonamission

I count her calories.. As I do for the whole family. Healthy breakfast, lunch, dinner, a lower calorie dessert. But, I don't tell her I am doing so. If we are going to eat something heavier we do some sort of higher intensity physical activity as a family. She has lost some weight over the last 3 months. And is getting the idea that it doesn't take much to be healthy (because she is sharp enough to realize spaghetti has been replaced by zucchini and spaghetti squash).

Juliejustsaying

I keep an eye on my older son's calories, he has an account here because he tends to eat too little and he is going into puberty. And I do this because his pediatrician asked me and him to do it. He is supposed to eat no les than 1600 cals per day. I would probably be more vigilant with their food choices if they had a overweight problem, but my boys don't. I am however, trying to teach them good food choices, not that I'm a great example.

JanaCanada

I have 3 children. The older two are grown and on their own. I have only a 12 year old left at home. The youngest is learning disabled and in special ed, and she wears think glasses and had a gap between her front teeth (she now has braces). She has always had to endure teasing and bullying constantly because of the aforementioned, and it took a toll on her self-esteem. So much so, that she developed an eating disorder at the ripe old age of 10 when some kids at school called her "fat" (she has never been anywhere near fat in her life). My husband and I tried everything we could, short of force-feeding her. She lost 20 lbs.in three months time. We finally took her to a pediatrician who taught her about food & diet, AND she saw a pediatric psychologist who, along with us, worked with her on her self-esteem. She's now a month away from being 13 and weighs 105, is happy about her body and what she accomplished to get it, and has learned how to deal with bullies.

I think it's more important that children feel good about themselves, regardless of what they look like or weigh. Self esteem is a fragile thing, and any damage to it can have catastrophic consequences.

LuizH

My kids are both quite conscious of what they put in their mouths - to the point where I have to tell them that it's ok to have the odd bar of chocolate or can of pop. They check the calorie value of their snacks because it's good to realise that some foods are not as healthy as they seem, but we do not count their calories
I have always kept a mental track of roughly what they eat in a day, but never an exact count. They are both on the low side of their healthy weight range, although my littlest probably looks like he's carrying more weight than he is. As a family we concentrate on healthy, balanced meals, which does include a healthy amount of fats and sugars. We occasionally have junk food for a treat, or if I'm too tired to cook, but this usually coincides with a trip to the swimming pool or a particularly active day. If anything I struggle to get enough calories in to them - my eldest (9) eats huge meals (the same kind of portion size as I have) but looks like he's being starved. Growing children need a good balance of all nutrients, so unless they started to appear overweight I see no reason not to feed them a 'normal' diet.

Litlbeast

I have three boys, ages 11, 9 and 4. Everyone gets to eat when they're hungry, I don't force anyone to clean their plate, although we don't allow dessert when it's available if you don't eat your dinner (you're obviously not hungry enough for extra stuff).

My 9 year old however is chubby. He's too young to go and work out, and he really isn't a sports guy. He's concerned about his weight, and really he's a clone of his dad, who is/was also chubby but who looks great when he runs and weight trains. I told my kid that when he's old enough to join a gym, his body would be more pleasing to him, but until then, I was going to help him stick with healthy food and not eat when he wasn't hungry.

Which I do. Not strictly or so he'll feel ashamed. And when the other guys eat candy at Halloween or ice cream, so does he. He's a kid. When he's grown I have a million ways he can fight his genetics if he's wanting advice. Especially since I'm an eating disorder survivor.

freddykid

No and I never will. I try to give them a good choice for meals and make them finish the small amount i put on their plate. After they eat the first plate I allow them to get more but usually they take long enough to finish their plate the they are not hungry. i let them have dessert 1-2 times a week and always tell them they never have to finish their dessert.

josyjozy

I do keep an eye on what my oldest eats. I once figured up what her caloric intake should be for sedentary - because that is what she is most of the time. I keep her meals on par with mine, and try to teach her about healthy foods versus not healthy. She is 11 and 20 pounds overweight, which is completely and totally my fault. I didn't care about myself for a time, so I didn't pay attention to what she was doing either. Now that I am "better" I am teaching her to care about eating healthy so she feels good and lives a long time. It's been much harder trying to get her to be active. She does go on walks me sometimes, but she would much rather read all day long than go outside and play. I can't blame her, I would too.

But in answer, I don't count her calories, but I make sure she is not over indulging and making healthy choices.

BoatReadyBody

I am not judgmental, I am just seriously curious. Do you count your child's calories?, or watch over there calorie intake?. I'm not referring to grown children, no longer at home, but if you still have little ones at home, how do you decide what to do, and what factors go into your decision making?

Once again, I'm not hear to judge, I'm just curious!


Thank you.

I don't count but I would not feed them anything I would not eat. No fast foods. But I let them have candy from time to time no soda except grandmas house and we try to have fruit snacks and healthy alter. But I am not strict to much because they are kids and need more cals. Besides my kids have no cable or video games. They work outside and play ball ride bikes. Very active boys. 8 6 and 1.