Preventing Your Child From Becoming Obese
Your child will have their own individualized rest and sleep
routine at home, however, when you start using child care, you may find that
this routine is different from the practices used in the service. This is because
services and educators must comply with the SIDS and Kids' safe sleeping
recommendations for children aged from birth to two years, and your child’s
home routine may not be entirely consistent with these. Where there are
differences between what you do at home and what the service does, the
educators should work positively with you to develop a routine for use at the
service that is acceptable to both of you. The educators at your service should
also provide you with information and support to help you to adapt your child’s
home routine to ensure that you are using safe sleeping practices.
Why and discuss the relevant alternatives. They should work
sensitively and helpfully with you all times to ensure the best outcomes for
your child. Safe sleeping for toddlers and older children Although the evidence
suggests that the risk of SIDS occurs in the first two years of a child’s life,
NCAC encourages educators to maintain these practices for children of all ages.
Keep child always at a safe place to sleep, regardless of
their age and the environment must be cigarette smoke-free. Your ideas safe
sleeping practices for toddlers may include that toddlers are placed on their
back to rest and are then allowed to roll over and find their sleeping
position; likewise your policy may state that no child will have their face
covered by bed linen during rest and sleep time. NCAC has developed a Rest and
Sleep Policy Template, available on our website to help services develop their
policy.
Safe sleep and rest in
child care
Safe sleeping for babies Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS)
is the sudden and unexpected death of a baby from unknown causes. In Australia,
SIDS accounts for the deaths of more babies between the ages of one month and
one year than any other known cause. It is still not clear what causes SIDS,
however being aware of and implementing safe sleeping practices will reduce the
risk of SIDS.
NCAC recognizes SIDS and Kids as the expert authority on
safe sleeping practices for children aged 0 – 2 years. The following
information is taken from the expertise and Kids Infant Safe Sleeping Program,
which is based on scientific evidence. More information about SIDS and Kids
safe sleeping practices can be found on our website. All child care services
should be following these guidelines:
• Sleeping babies on their back, not on their tummies or
side. Placing babies on their backs means they have better airway protection
and are less likely to choke on vomit than babies sleeping on their tummies
• Ensuring babies’ faces are not covered with anything such
as doonas, pillows, soft toys or lamb’s wool
• Never exposing babies to cigarette smoke
• Arranging a safe sleeping environment which includes safe
cots, mattresses, and bedding
• Never sleeping babies on pillows, beanbags or couches
• Ensuring that cots and mattresses meet the relevant
Australian Standards.
Obesity has become a significant problem for most Americans,
and even worse, children have become the latest victims of obesity. Did you
know that about 43% of children in the United States are obese? Well, this is a
shocking development, but it is only a sign that parents need to take extra
care to protect their children from obesity. Fortunately, obesity is a
condition that can be managed and prevent you from saving your doctor's phone
number on speed dial.
Preventing child obesity is just about monitoring your
child's diet and engaging them in physical activities. First of all, it is
important to note that obesity is mostly a dietary problem. You should avoid
giving your child too many sweet or fatty snacks and always try to give your
child low cholesterol. Your child's diet should include vegetables, whole
grains, and fruits. You may also want to consider providing some dairy products
for your baby. Too much food is also not healthy for your child, so you should
serve them with a proportionate amount of food. Your child should consume
plenty of water to smooth the digestive process.
Secondly, you may want to encourage your child to do a lot
of physical activity. Although it should not be harsh, adequate physical
activity can help increase the rate of metabolism in your child's body. The net
effect of this is that the increased rate of metabolism will be able to burn
excess fat on the body, which will help your child maintain a healthy body
mass. Some of the recommended physical activities include walking, swimming,
jumping rope, playing tag, or playing football. In short, if you want to keep
your child safe from obesity, just get him/her to sweat, and advise them on the
right kind of foods.
Some parents are so concerned about their children's obesity
that they seek medical help. By the way, obesity is not a disease, but a
condition. Most of those doctors will only prescribe certain weight loss
supplements for your child, and this could lead to a whole new debate about the
safety and reliability of weight loss supplements. Some of the weight loss
supplements have been reported to cause some health defects on the user, and
you may not want to expose your child to such risks. You should use natural
means to prevent your child from becoming obese or help them lose weight if
they are already obese.
Childhood obesity is not a reference to pleasantly happy
children or cherub-shaped toddlers. The abundance of children we will begin
life with the hope of seeing in children. As they begin to walk, run and become
more active, these babies will grow taller and lose their "baby fat".
Children who are considered obese have BMI (Body Mass Index)
which is more than 80%. This means that a child who is over eighty percent of
his weight, of the same height, age and gender, is overweight.
A lot of people say that it is okay to be overweight before
puberty because as soon as a person reaches puberty they will automatically
start losing extra pounds. It happens to some people, but not to everyone. A
young person who is considered obese is 70% more likely to be obese as an
adult.
The long-term effects of childhood obesity can be broken
down into physical and mental effects. The long-term effects of childhood
obesity can physically reduce a person’s life expectancy and reduce the quality
of life that is expected for a person. A mentally obese people can be very
unhappy in life.
Physical effects of obesity include (but are not limited
to):
• Liver cancer
• The Stroke
• High-cholesterol
• Sleep apnea
• Breathing difficulties
• Back pain
• Difficulties in becoming pregnant
• Yeast infection
The mental health issues that are caused by excessive
amounts of weight include (but are not limited
• Depression
• Anxiety
• Low self-esteem
• Mood disorders and suicidal thoughts
• Embarrassment
• Hypertension (High blood pressure)
• Type II diabetes
• Heart disease such as coronary artery disease
• Gallbladder problem
• Old osteoarthritis
• Breast cancer
• Colon cancer
• Kidney cancer
Being overweight not only affects a person's physical and a mental condition, it affects their quality of life. Some of the life-changing
effects of this condition include (but are not limited to):
Inability to walk without pain and discomfort. This pain and
discomfort may include joint pain, back, or difficulty breathing. Difficulty
fitting clothes
• Inability to sit-in
some chairs. Most chairs that are in public places are designed to accommodate
someone who weighs 250 pounds or less. Obesity persists.
