Feed when crying to comfort preschool children who are overweight and prone to obesity

There are a lot of dragon sons and daughters this year, but is it cute if children are raised to be chubby from childhood? Does it mean that the parents raised them well? The answer may not be so. Currently, there are serious problems of overweight and obesity among elementary school children. In fact, appropriate weight should be controlled from preschool age. Big numbers are not beautiful. Parents should record their children's growth and compare it with the "Growth Curve of Children Under 5 Years Old" revised by the Department of Health. As long as the child's height and weight are between the 97th percentile and the 3rd percentile, it is considered normal development.

If parents habitually use feeding to comfort their children when they hear them crying, their children will regard food as a form of comfort, which will make them prone to overfeeding before school age and obesity problems in the future. (Photography by Huang Zhiwen)

Human body fat will experience ups and downs. When a newborn reaches 1 year old, the amount of fat gradually increases, then gradually decreases, reaching the lowest point at the age of 5 to 6, and then rebounds to adolescence. If this rebound occurs at the age of 6, it is most consistent with entering the second stage of rapid increase in fat value.

On the contrary, if a child is overweight from a young age, resulting in premature fat rebound before school age, studies have shown that he or she is more likely to develop obesity and have a tendency to remain obese. There are also many studies confirming that obese children are more likely to have a higher body mass index (BMI) than other people when they grow up.

To prevent children from becoming fat before preschool, parents' concepts are very important. If parents habitually use feeding to comfort their children when they hear them crying, their children will regard food as a comfort. When choosing a kindergarten, if parents are not concerned about "how long the kindergarten allows the children to exercise in a day" but "how many snacks a day", the children's class will be equivalent to a feeding show, with breakfast, snacks, lunch, nap, and another snack. It is difficult not to get fat.

To know whether your child's growth is normal, you can refer to the "Growth Chart for Children Under 5 Years Old" revised by the Department of Health, record your child's height, weight, and head circumference and compare them with the chart. As long as it falls between the 97th and 3rd percentiles, it is considered normal development.

Some children may develop more slowly, but if they are not in the bottom percentile, there is no need to overfeed them. Normal growth and development are gradual, so if a child's growth data suddenly increases, it is not a healthy situation.

The "Growth Curve of Children Under 5 Years Old" can be found on the website of the National Health Bureau of the Department of Health, which contains a link to the "Child Growth Curve".