How to get my 2 year old to lose weight.

[TheBdaddy]

My little girl turned 2 on Christmas day this year, she is currently 15kg, and 86cm tall. At a recent hospital visit we were told she is overweight and we should take steps to help her lose weight, we have cut out full fat milk and gone to semi skimmed, we are giving her less food (not leaving her hungry) and cutting down her snacks and changing out chocolate for fruit etc however she is still gaining weight.

They warned us is we dont help her now it could lead to weight issues throughout child hood, what do we do? What would be a sensible days food intake for a 2 year old to help them lose weight?

No bad snacks, no fizzy drinks, you should know what healthy type food is, don't buy in too much chocolate stuff and cakes and biscuits, and crisps etc. Plenty suitable types of exercise that would suit a two year old.

I weigh out kids portions as it's impossible to judge it otherwise

She's only just 2 years old and already the weight police are out?? I'm lost for words.

Babies at this age are just about to hurtle about like lunatics, exploring their new found mobility. I remember mine being like caterpillars at that age, inching along if you can imagine - scrunched up then long and thin and so on. Their growth is massive right now, you have to expect the sports. Mine were both walking at 9m but we still had the horror looks from the HV when measuring.They are 6'3" and 6' now, both boys, 21 and 20, lean as anything!

I allow snacks but snacks are taken in the same way as meals, ie sat at a table, not in front of the telly. Encourage her to chew her food and not bolt it down, as they will mean she actually feels full.
Allow her a degree of control. For example, put a serving dish of veg in the middle of the table for people to help themselves from. That way age can choose how much she has. (At 2 it will be an adult serving it though, so maybe a tip for later).

Ask your health visitor for advice and guidance based on your child’s needs. It’s literally what they’re there for. You can generally contact them by phone / email / text service.

I would not switch to skimmed milk or low fat anything, TBH, at 2 I'd be wary of switching to semi skimmed. Full fat milk is more filling, tastes better, & is lower is sugar than skimmed. If you want your child to drink plenty of milk, I'd stay with full fat for now. We only switched DD to semi when she was 4 so we didn't have to keep having to buy 2 separate bottles all the time, & we didn't want her rejecting "normal" milk in cafe's etc - it's healthier than fruit juice, & more interesting than water. We don't do squash.

You need to get your LO moving as much as possible outside. Preferably for 2 hours every day.

This means you will have to get her wellies and waterproofs plus yourself some. Make sure they are lose enough for you both to put layer clothes undernealth. Unfortunately due to Covid you won't be able to rope in any adults who don't live in your household - I use to take my nephews out when they were young children.

Easy thing to do is find out your local playgrounds preferably in walking distance and take her to them. Then get her to use the equipment and hopefully interact with another child or play with another child if they are older.

Also take her to your local parks/woods/field to run around and jump in the puddles. As long as it isn't heavy rain just put your waterproofs on and go out.

Then you can get her a scooter and/or balance bike and get her using them even if you are just going for a walk then ends up being a large circle.

If you have a garden get a ball and get her to kick it around.

I should add I have 2 year old as well. She expects to go out every day for a couple of hours regardless of the weather. It is harder now than before Covid as there are no shopping centres open. However, the blessing is she can walk further and probably wouldn't be able to walk/run as far if it wasn't for lockdown.

@fairydustandpixies

She's only just 2 years old and already the weight police are out?? I'm lost for words.

Babies at this age are just about to hurtle about like lunatics, exploring their new found mobility. I remember mine being like caterpillars at that age, inching along if you can imagine - scrunched up then long and thin and so on. Their growth is massive right now, you have to expect the sports. Mine were both walking at 9m but we still had the horror looks from the HV when measuring.They are 6'3" and 6' now, both boys, 21 and 20, lean as anything!

Unfortunately childhood obesity is even more prevalent than when your two children were young.

You've given very little information op.

Speak to your health visitor for advice, that's what they're there for.

She's only just 2 years old and already the weight police are out?? I'm lost for words.

Having met some big, unfit 3 year olds, I think that it's never too early to be aware of food intake in terms of portion size and variety.

It's easier to establish good habits (and avoid forming bad) at 2 than at an older age.

For this reason, I'm trying to phase out snacks for DD (3) unless she actually needs one (dinner running very late or doing a long proper hill walk for example).

She currently gets tons of exercise but once she starts school I imagine this will reduce so she'll probably need less food at that point.

Drop the milk. She does not need it. Max give her once a day. When we stopped the bottle for our two (almost 3) year old the weight came off fast, as she was no longer interested in milk in a sip cup. We did not drop the milk for her to drop weight. She was cute and pudgy. But a healthy range. But once we stopped the milk she really skimmed down.

And also. Kids drink just plain water if you don’t offer juice. Ours only drink water. We don’t have juice in the house. Sometimes we have innocent smoothies (not often!). They are happy to drink plenty of water through out the day.

Could you give a breakdown of what she eats and drinks throughout the day? People could then make suggestions on how to change it.

Is she able to get out for a good run around each day?

Take her for long walks, increase activity, no stroller etc. No snacks, only breakfast lunch dinner. No sugar at all except fruits in controlled quantities.

So she's on the 98th centile fir weight. Has she always been on this centile or is she gradually going up the centiles?

If you haven't been referred to a Paediatric Dietician, I'd ask fir a referral.

In the meantime this guide from the Caroline Walker Trust has some helpful tips along with sample menus and portion guides.