According to the American Heart Association, one in three children in the United States is overweight or obese. Children will carry the eating habits they learn at a young age into their adult years, so it’s important to equip them with the ability to make healthy food choices. What’s more, it’s important to teach your child to make healthy choices in all aspects of their lives, from safety to fitness. Here are some budget-minded strategies that work.
Be a Good Role Model
Parenting, as you well know, means shifting priorities in order to meet the needs of your young loved ones. This may mean fitness goals, education pursuits, career choices, even healthy sleeping habits all get “back burnered” — gladly and without hesitation — in order to make room for children and their needs. But if you find yourself now getting better sleep and with some time on your hands (within reason), then it may be time to pursue that online business degree you’ve always wanted to get back to. It’s never too late to recommit to a goal, especially with flexible schedules and deadlines. It’s one way to model the behavior you expect from your children — making learning a priority throughout life. Plus, it has the potential to help you along in your career pursuits.
Keep Healthy Snacks in the House
You don’t want to deprive your children or yourself of delicious food. However, having a constant store of unhealthy food on tap creates a habitual pattern of eating. Some kids will go looking for it, some will pester you for it, but all will be expecting chocolate, chips, or sugary drinks at some point. Leave these as occasional treats, and when you do choose to
enjoy them, buy only what you’ll be eating that day. Don’t buy multipacks or two-for-one offers, and throw out whatever’s left over at the end of the day. Besides, you might be surprised at how tasty — and affordable — a healthy snack can be.
Fruits and nuts, for instance, can be easy on both your wallet and your waistline. And to give your child a sense of ownership over their snacks, allow them to use things like toaster ovens and microwaves to prepare their snacks — with supervision, of course. (Click here for more healthy snack ideas)
Teach Your Kids the Importance of Physical Fitness
It’s often a lot easier to have the kids lose themselves in online activities and video games instead of encouraging them to go outside and get some exercise. However, maintaining a healthy weight involves staying fit, and that means stepping away from technology and finding ways to get moving. For example, if your child likes to play basketball video games, encourage them to take up the sport in real life. And if you need gear, look around online to see where you can pick up used sporting goods.
With a little exploring, you can find places to pick up store returns for a song, or websites like eBay offer both new and used equipment at affordable prices.
Discuss Safety When Home Alone
Are your kids old enough to leave at home while you pop out to the store for something? If so, then you need to discuss the importance of not answering the door when a stranger comes calling. Thankfully, technology allows us to see who’s at our door without setting foot outside.
Most modern-day security systems — even budget-friendly models — allow us to use cameras inside doorbells to safely see who’s on the other side. Discuss the dangers of answering the door for strangers with your children, and teach them how to properly use your home security system for those times when you’re away.
Your Overall Strategy
This is not the time for a firm hand because using pressure and coercion can actually have the opposite effect on eating habits and fitness. Your goal is to encourage your children to make healthy choices, using positive reinforcement, shared experiences, and role modeling.
It will take some time, but eventually, this creates a pattern of behavior that persists even when you’re not there to enforce it. As long as you take your time, plan ahead, and keep a cool head, you can instill healthy habits in your children that will last for a lifetime.
Thank you Amanda Henderson for writing this helpful parenting post today! Find more at SafeChildren.info