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With Dr Blandine Mellouet-Fort, coordinating doctor of PréO RéPPOP, a pediatric obesity prevention and care network, and director of the web documentary “Child overweight: how to (re) find balance?”, to see on surpoids-enfant.fr
Overweight: Question of body mass index!
Our big boy is always hungry! At the table, he systematically demands that it be served again. And between meals, cupcakes are her cute sins. If we, parents, were delighted with this beautiful appetite and his chubby legs when he was a baby, now we wonder. On the scales, the verdict falls: he does indeed have extra pounds. Or rather on the health record. It is indeed on this one that we spot overweight.
To do this, “you have to calculate the Body Mass Index (BMI) by dividing the weight by the square of the height. We postpone this BMI on the corpulence curve in the health record. If the BMI is above the top line, the child is overweight », Explains Dr Blandine Mellouet-Fort *, coordinating physician of PréO RéPPOP, a pediatric obesity prevention and care network.
Food as a refuge
In fact, everyone eats for different reasons: for pleasure, sadness, gluttony, anger, boredom… On our side, it is better to pay attention to not to give food to our child as a reward, compensation or remedy. “Give a piece of candy or ice cream occasionally to please, it’s allowed!” It avoids frustrations. But if it becomes a reward, it distorts the relationship to the food. It encourages dependence on this often sweet or fatty product, without nutritional quality, ”warns Dr. Mellouet-Fort. To reward your child, instead play soccer together, go to the park, play a board game…!
We move with the family!
It is up to us, parents, to set an example:
– The stroller, on the way to school, it’s over! He is big enough to walk.
– We take the stairs rather than the escalator, and we make as many trips as possible on foot rather than by car.
– Biking, scooter, rollerblading… So many cool activities to practice together on weekends.
In video: What to do if a child is a little too round?
Four pillars to react
From the age of 1, toddlers gain mobility and become more refined. It is only around the age of 6 that he again gains more weight in relation to his growth in height. This is called “the adiposity rebound”. If this occurs before, it is better to react quickly. The goal is not to lose weight, but to gain less quickly compared to its growth. Overweight can be explained by a higher energy intake compared to what the child spends. But genetic predisposition also influences. To limit weight gain, Dr Mellouet-Fort recommends leaning on four pillars. Thus, the diet must be varied, of good quality and given in reasonable quantities. “It’s best to eat with the family and take your time. It takes at least 20 minutes at the table for the stomach to send the message of satiety to the brain. », Specifies the doctor. The child should be physically active as much as possible. Time spent in front of screens should be limited. Finally, sleep is important. Because it is at night that the body secretes leptin, “the satiety hormone”. If the child sleeps too little, he will be more hungry and, tired, he will want to move less! The important thing is therefore to keep a regular rhythm (getting up, going to bed, eating, doing activities, etc.) to give the child reference points.