We’re here to help you improve your child’s health and their relationship with their body and food. This often starts by stopping the focus on weight, and taking on a new perspective of your child’s health. When we focus on weight, it increases a child’s risk of disordered eating and eating disorders. This toolkit will help you focus on your child’s health and advocate for your child in the healthcare setting as well.
Health & Weight-focused Resources:
Why not discuss weight with children?
In the US, people with higher weights are often stigmatized and given poor medical care. Children absorb this weight bias as they grow up, and it makes them more likely to dislike their own body if it is at a higher weight.
If a child’s weight is being discussed either positively or negatively, it brings more attention to weight and body size. It also almost always increases weight bias and the risk that a child will dislike their body.
Discussing a child’s weight with them can make a child more unhappy with their body and make them more likely to put themselves on a diet. Children who are unhappy with their bodies may also be more likely to skip meals, use diet pills or vomit. This is dangerous for children and can contribute to eating disorders.
Even young children can be unhappy with their bodies. By preschool, estimates suggest 20-70% of children are unhappy with their bodies. Body dissatisfaction is a risk factor for eating disorders.
We want to help you teach your child to accept their body and have a good relationship with food. We developed these articles and resources to help you.
Parent’s Guide to Positive Health-Focused Medical Visits
This article gives you step-by-step instructions on how to prepare for and handle your child’s medical visit. Your child’s medical provider may wish to discuss weight, so it’s important for you to learn how to guide the conversation to your child’s health instead.
This article also includes a free downloadable PDF with specific questions for you to ask your child’s medical provider, and information to have ready before the appointment so you can have a positive, collaborative experience.
How to Talk to Your Kids About Weight & Health: A Parent’s Guide
Has your child ever said they wanted to be thinner or go on a diet? Weight-related conversations can be tricky. This article will help you navigate tough conversations.
Available along with this article is the companion ebook, How to Talk to Your Child About Weight and Health. This in-depth resource helps you navigate the most common weight and health-related conversations that you will need to have with your child.
Five Ways to Focus on Your Child’s Health Instead of Their Weight
If you find yourself wanting to take a more weight-neutral approach to your child’s health, this article can help you make that transition.
Healthy Diet and Eating Recommendations for Children
This article can help you get a good perspective on the pillars of health for all children, regardless of their weight.
Is Ozempic Safe for Kids? A Comprehensive Guide for Parents
This article will answer your questions about weight-loss medications and the physical and psychological risks of treating children with them.
