Welcome! As
a parent, you have an important role in guiding your children
and teens to make healthy food choices and be physically active.
Your kids and teens are also watching what you do. By role modeling
positive nutrition and activity habits, you are sure to improve
your family’s health. Here are some resources to help you!
Helping Your Child: What Families Can Do
- Love and accept your
child. Give your child attention,
support, and respect.
- Make healthy eating and physical activity important
for the
entire family.
- Provide regular meals and snacks.
- Avoid blaming a child for their weight.
- Avoid name calling like fatty, porky,
or teasing your
child
about their weight.
- Encourage children to have 60 minutes
of
physical
activity and active play time every day.0.
- Limit
daily TV and computer time to a maximum
of 30 minutes for
children under 2 years old and 2 hours
for older children and
teens.
- Limit sweetened drinks, including juice, to one
small
glass per day (4 to 6 ounces). Offer more water,
milk and
low sugar beverages.
- Offer more fresh, frozen and canned fruits and
vegetables
at meals and snacks.
- Encourage breakfast daily.
- Eat with children more often, Have
family meals
at least three times a week.
- Garden and cook
with children.
- Limit fast foods and dining out to once per
week.
- Don’t put
your child on a diet.
- Watch portion sizes.
- Don’t use
food as a reward or a means of
shaping behavior.
- Resist the temptation of making
every activity an
eating
activity. Eat before you go or pack
your own healthy snacks.
- Let your child decide how much to
eat. Teach your child
to listen to his/her body for signs
of hunger and fullness.
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Working with Health Care Professionals
Your child’s pediatrician or local community clinic will
review your child’s body mass index, growth pattern and
your family’s history to assess if your child is overweight
or at risk for being overweight. Your child health care team
can also provide you with information and resources to best help
your child. Here are some local health care links:
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Working Towards a Healthy School Environment
Work with
your child, principals, teachers, child nutrition staff, and
school staff to foster an active and healthy environment at
your child’s school. Here
are some ideas and links to websites for more information.
- Encourage school fundraisers
to sell items other than candy and “junk” food.
- If you bring
treats to school for birthdays and other celebrations, consider
health snacks and party favors instead of candy, cake, cookies
or other sweets.
- CSPI School Foods Tool Kit: Working To Improve
the Nutritional Quality of Foods and Beverages in the Schools.
www.cspinet.org/schoolfood/
- Information
about the school nutrition programs from the California Department
of Education website.
www.cde.ca.gov/ls/nu/sn/
- Benicia Unified School District
(707) 747-8300
- Dixon Unified
School District
(707) 678-5582
- Fairfield-Suisun Unified School
District
(707) 399-5000
- River Delta School District (Rio Vista
schools)
(707) 374-4604
- Travis Unified School District
(707)
437-4604
- Vacaville Unified School District
(707) 453-6117
- Vallejo City
Unified School District
(707) 556-8921
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Helping Children: What Communities Can Do
- Develop community vegetable gardens.
- Promote affordable locally grown produce.
- Maintain open space and parks for play and physical activity
opportunities.
- Offer healthy foods and snacks at community events, child
care programs, youth organizations, churches, etc.
- Provide more opportunities for fun, recreational
sports in addition to competitive sports.
- Develop walkable
and safe communities.
- Support legislation that promotes healthy
environments for children.
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Resources from the Children and Weight Coalition
Making a Difference for
Families is a brochure that provides
a listing of fun activities, nutrition information, and food
assistance resources in Solano County.
English |
Spanish
Power
Up Your Child’s Life! A poster
for preschool parents to encourage healthy food choices and
physical activity. You can request a copy, send your name and
address to our email under Contact Us.
English | Spanish
Power Up Your Life! is a poster for kids to encourage healthy
food choices and physical activity. You can request a copy of
sending your name and address to our email under Contact Us.
English | Spanish
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Breastfeeding Information
Breastfeeding your baby has many health benefits for your baby.
It also reduces the risk of obesity later in life. If you are
pregnant or planning to become pregnant, talk to your health
care team to learn all you can about breastfeeding. Ask to work
with a lactation educator if you need support and guidance. Below
are a few websites to help you:
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Books and Other Resources:
Books:
- American Academy of Pediatrics Guide
to Your Child’s
Nutrition: Making Peace at the Table and Building Healthy
Eating Habits for Life. 1999.
- Berman, Christine and Jackie
Fromer, Meals without Squeals: Childcare Feeding Guide and
Cookbook. 1991
- Friedman, S.S., When Girls Feel Fat:
Helping Girls Through Adolescence. Harper Collins Ltd. 1997.
- Levine,
Judith, and Linda Bine, Helping Your
Child Lose Weight the Healthy Way. New York, Citadel Press, 2001.
- Satter, Ellyn.
Your Child’s Weight: Helping Without Harm,
Birth Through Adolescence. www.EllynSatter.com
- Satter, Ellyn. How to Get Your Kid
to Eat…But
Not Too Much. Palo Alto, Bull Publishing.
1986. www.EllynSatter.com
- Satter, Ellyn. Child of Mine: Feeding
with Love and Good Sense. www.EllynSatter.com
Other Resources:
- What
Size is Your Serving? This poster that shows
serving sizes for children. PDF 091205
- 10 Steps for Parents., Healthy Eating
at Schools
English | Spanish PDF 091205
- 10 Steps for Parents – Make
Physical Activity Easy.
English | Spanish PDF ??????
- Vending
Machines:
Use the Right Sense. Tips on selecting healthy foods from
vending machines. PDF 091205
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Helping Your Child: Web Links
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Statistics and Related Links
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