have your pediatrician broach the subject during a well child visit. your pediatrician can say "have you talked with your mom or dad about healthy eating and staying active to improve your health? " or initiate the conversation in the doctor's office yourself. after looking at the growth chart with your doctor ask "is there something we can do as a family to improve our nutrition and physical activity? " try to keep the focus on preventing health complications not on appearance. with the focus on the family as a whole this can help keep the child from feeling singled out under a spotlight of criticism. start the conversation at home similarly to above keeping the focus on how the whole family can work to improve healthy eating and activity. ask the child what he or she thinks might be a good first step. bottom line: plan it out keep the focus on the family and on health and go for it. it doesn't have to be perfect just a step in the right direction.
what can parents do to start the conversation about their kids' weight?