to think parents with obese children should be.....

[seaglass]

....taught how to feed them sensibly?

I've just watched Britains Biggest Babies, and I was completely shocked and stunned to see that the couple of babies shown (aged 1 and 3) were huge, but were being fed completely the wrong things - 3 yr old boy weighed 5 stone, finished a swimming session and then had a huge plate of chip things and a slush puppy (those are the things I remember - there was more).
The 1 yr old girl could eat a full bag of chip shop chips!(my 8yr old DS can't eat a full bag of chips)
Please don't flame me on this one, I am overweight, possibly on the obese side, but because of this, I am very careful about what my DC's eat. Do these obese mothers (nothing against fathers, but it was only the mothers focused)not stop and think - hang on, if I keep doing this, my DC is going to be teased/bullied at school from the word go, and probably throughout life (and I'm talking from experience here, not just spouting nonsense) Do they not realise the health problems they are setting their children up for? Just for the sake of saying "no more" a bit more often, and feeding them something healthier, with smaller portions?
I know some children genuinely have medical problems, so really struggle with obesity, but the ones featured on this show made me feel so sorry for them - even to the extent to thinking that this was some sort of child abuse.
I'm not being smug and self righteous (or at least, I'm not setting out to be) I'm just shocked that these mothers can't see what they're allowing their children to become, and it's put a bee in my bonnet!
AIBU?

Hi Lancelottie

I am learning this myself too but what I have done which seems to be working (all my kids are ok weights) is I just tell them what to eat. I buy what they can have and dont but what they cant so its just not there for them to want. They DO have treats though - we do have sweets and puddings but only when I dish it up. The only food they can get on their own is in the fruit bowl which they can eat whenever and as much as they want.

I dont think its fair to expect children to regulate their own diets or portion sizes adults do that for them.

We also set out extras on the table for example tonight we have pasta so on the table with be a big bowl of salad and also a few pieces of french bread to dip in the sauce. The kids eat better like this because they see us all eating it.

I wouldnt say dont eat less because there is no need to eat less at all (dieting myself has taught me this),
your kids can eat constantly as long as they eat healthy foods, salads, fruit, veg (with no butter or anything!) and limit the numbers of potaotes - so when you dish up a meal cut down the number of fattening foods and fill up the plate with healthy ones.

with my kids if they dont eat they go hungry simple as that. they will soon decide they do like foods.

dont know about the aspergers so you may need to ask special advice if this affects his eating

sophie

Thanks Sophie! Really sensible advice (and sometimes I need to remind myself what's just plain sensible).

The Asperger's is a bit of a bugger. If I don't buy or cook ANY fattening foods, he loses weight dramatically, because he gets bored with eating (I've posted before about the child psych who told me to forget my Healthy Eating principles and buy in some chocolate before the child actually starved and he would, seriously, rather than try unfamiliar food). For instance, he will after years of gradual accimatisation -- eat roast potatoes, so I cook roast potatoes more often than I 'should'. It could take years, literally, to get him used to boiled ones, wholewheat pasta or brown rice.

Partly for this reason, the other two have cooked school lunches so they get to try things without their brother sitting there yelling that it makes him feel ill just looking at it. Overweight child then pigs out on school puddings. Sigh. I'm going to have to switch them to packed lunches so I can stay in control, aren't I? It's fairly clear now I've written it down.

YABU

DS is overweight, but his diet is fine. He just doesn't move enough. I can't make him be more active, short of chasing him with a sharp stick, and believe me I've tried everything.

DS~1 is getting fat, DD is putting it on a bit atm. DS~2 is still stick thin. I have no excuses. I do know about food, I can cook, I keep myself reasonable slim and healthy. They eat good meals. But then they eat crap It is simply easy to let them eat too much junk

Doesn't help that until a few years ago DS#1 was slim and DD was a stick - no matter what they ate. So I never worried. Well those chickens have come home to roost