MFP for children

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  • Nursejuliej
    Nursejuliej Posts: 13
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    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
    Nursejuliej Posts: 13
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    Thank you again everyone. I recieved some great suggestions for portion control. I really appreciate everyone's input.
  • asj0901
    asj0901 Posts: 141
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    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......:wink:
  • ChristieisReady
    ChristieisReady Posts: 708 Member
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    Am I the only one who grew up in a house with no seconds? Second helpings were for feast days (christmas, easter, thanksgiving).
  • MeliciousMelis
    MeliciousMelis Posts: 458 Member
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    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
    Kath712 Posts: 1,263 Member
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    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
    carrie_lebel Posts: 135
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    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
    jaded42 Posts: 14 Member
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    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
    asj0901 Posts: 141
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    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
    rharris86dc Posts: 635 Member
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    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.
  • crazymama2two
    crazymama2two Posts: 867
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    shes only 8. dont do that to her...besides YOU control what goes on her plate...
  • RoadDog
    RoadDog Posts: 2,946 Member
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    I think having children focussing on something like MFP is not necessarily good for them. Could lead to eating disorders. I think a better idea is helping them by setting a good example and serving balanced meals. Taking them for walks.
  • UmbraForzare
    UmbraForzare Posts: 137
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    @sonjavon - oh how I understand what you went through....I was 11 when I was forced into Weight Watchers. I wasn't overweight, I just developed really early (breasts developed at 8/9 and periods started at 10) and that plus puberty = puppy fat.

    I hated it, everyone in my school knew because the person that forced me into WW had phoned the school dinner ladies and told them that the times I had a school meal, I was only allowed half portions and there was a long list of what I could not eat.
    I was told this by the dinner ladies, while I was in line for lunch - I had had no idea beforehand.

    That whole thing gave me a really bad food relationship which I'm slowly starting to deal with now; but as a child and teenager that plagued me.

    Best advice I can give has already been given - encourage her with activities she enjoys, make sure that she keeps eating healthily - maybe getting everyone involved with menu planning, making healthy snacks together, etc...?
  • gibbsgirl
    gibbsgirl Posts: 72 Member
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    Go to Mypyramid.gov. On the right hand side, you will see Get a Personalized Plan. Enter her age and sex and it will tell you how many servings of each food group she should be eating at her age. It's a starting point, at least.
  • sonjavon
    sonjavon Posts: 1,019 Member
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    @sonjavon - oh how I understand what you went through....I was 11 when I was forced into Weight Watchers. I wasn't overweight, I just developed really early (breasts developed at 8/9 and periods started at 10) and that plus puberty = puppy fat.

    I hated it, everyone in my school knew because the person that forced me into WW had phoned the school dinner ladies and told them that the times I had a school meal, I was only allowed half portions and there was a long list of what I could not eat.
    I was told this by the dinner ladies, while I was in line for lunch - I had had no idea beforehand.

    That whole thing gave me a really bad food relationship which I'm slowly starting to deal with now; but as a child and teenager that plagued me.

    Best advice I can give has already been given - encourage her with activities she enjoys, make sure that she keeps eating healthily - maybe getting everyone involved with menu planning, making healthy snacks together, etc...?

    See... and this is why I LOVE MFP. There is always someone here that understands what you're going through. I'm sorry that you had to go through that... how embarassing! If you ever need someone to talk to as you're working through these things.. let me know. I'm learning to understand where my dad was coming from... and I'm learning to forgive.
  • snookemz
    snookemz Posts: 82
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    If portions are a problem them you have all the control in the world :)
    To discourage 2nds, I keep ALL the food in the kitchen. The only things at the table are place settings with the appropriate servings on them and salt and pepper. Even the salt and pepper is not free reign because my kids are 2 and 7 lol they'd have PILES of pepper if i let them!
    We also all drink water at dinner - no juice, no soda (not allowed in the house), no coffee.
    I only cook enough of the main dish for everyone to have 1 serving that's the right size for them.
    I keep my sides healthy and low cal - most of the calories come from the main dish.
    I also serve at least 1 veg with every meal, usually 2.

    I allow seconds on sides - 1 second on the non-veg side and unlimited on the veg(s).

    It helps a TON. If the kids (or me!) finish everything on our plate we can have seconds, but the first second we have is a veggie. If they're still hungry they can have 1/2 a side portion of the grain side and then more veggies.

    Keeping the food in the kitchen helps a TON from eating just because we see it. Its REALLY easy to say "Oh that's not enough to save for later but I don't want to toss it..." and eat 500 calories. REALLY easy.

    My kids also aren't allowed to get their own stuff out of the kitchen - first of all, they'll leave the fridge open and make a massive mess! but it also prevents them from eating the less healthy stuff (which is hard to find in THIS house but we're all moving back to our other family home where my step dad lives and he's a donut stick junkie!). We do have some unhealthy kid cereals and the kids will leave a cereal trail if I let them get in the kitchen alone! I know it SOUNDS controlling, but I don't tell my kids no to food ever. I don't want them to have issues with feeling deprived and hoarding food in their rooms (like I did because my mom tried to control my weight and my doctors started putting me on diets at 6)

    Maybe instead of tracking her foods you can challenge her. Is she driven?
    Maybe challenge her to 90 veg servings in 30 days! That could open her up to new foods too! It would also help open your whole family to more veggies - maybe you'll find things to make a staple in your house :)

    Is she public schooled or homeschooled? I noticed my kid LOST a ton of weight in public school because he didn't have the time to eat but a lot of his classmates GAINED a ton because they shoved food in and lost that "I'm full" sensation - before public school they could eat 1/2 their lunch tray, but with public school they were able to shovel it all in at lightening speed and had no clue when they were full. If she's eating really quickly, all you can do (besides homeschool - which rocks, my kid loves it) is pack her a lunch because you'll notice the foods they eat in public (most place at least - some are a lot better these days) are very processed, that means they break down and digest faster too which leads to feeling hungry really quickly. if she's coming home starving then you can bet she's not eating the right things during the day.

    If you're already an active family and she's already in activities then that's all I have - and there is no reason to believe she won't have a growth spurt up instead of out :)
    FWIW, my 2 year old is 40lbs - she'll be 3 in May and she's the height of your average 4 year old. Her pedi said I needed to work on her portions. I changed pedis. Last thing my daugther needs is a doctor who will harp on her weight and make her feel like she's bad, wrong, different, or fat. Its the community's job to encourage the children around them - its not just the parent's job. We should all be trying to make children feel valued, smart, and cherished and if anyone in her life makes her feel badly then they should be out of her life. Those words really do imprint on a child and shape the person they will be.
  • healthyjen342
    healthyjen342 Posts: 1,435 Member
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    Interesting topic.
  • UmbraForzare
    UmbraForzare Posts: 137
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    See... and this is why I LOVE MFP. There is always someone here that understands what you're going through. I'm sorry that you had to go through that... how embarassing! If you ever need someone to talk to as you're working through these things.. let me know. I'm learning to understand where my dad was coming from... and I'm learning to forgive.

    Thank you - that's so kind of you.
    It's a hard path to come back from, I think the hardest thing is forgiving the people that put us in that position.
  • LazyMogg
    LazyMogg Posts: 162
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    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!

    To be honest, even asking her if she's "really hungry for more" is going to make her feel as if she's being greedy. I would suggest not doing anything at all that draws attention to how much or how little she eats. However, you could perhaps say that you are feeling full and stop eating before you've cleared your plate - that might encourage her to do the same but don't look at her when you say that.

    I say this because I made this mistake in the past. We went through this too, following a maths lesson about weights and measurements etc where the children were all weighed in front of the class and their weights recorded on the board for all to see. The school, helpfully, felt this highlighted a problem and we were told by the school nurse that we had to put our child on a diet. It really hurts when other people make you feel that you've let your child down because they gain weight. In those days there was no accounting for genetic predisposition to weight problems, it was always put down to what the parents were doing (usually the mother). So you're damned if you don't do something about it and damned if you do. We were told by the school that our child would be monitored and were given dietary advice which we were expected to follow. It was obviously not a good image for the school to have overweight 'non-sporty' types there.

    I hope that schools don't use this sort of method now or weigh and measure children in front of their peers. It's absolutely heartbreaking when you find your child has been ridiculed because of their weight (or even their height) and you get made to feel a failure because your child doesn't quite fit the norm.

    I wish sites like this had been around in those days. Parenting is maybe not quite so isolating as it used to be and places like this at least give you chance to talk a bit more openly about these issues.

    Sorry, bit of an emotional subject for me because I've never been allowed to forget it.

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