Advise from the American Academy of Pediatrics
What Families can do
Childhood overweight and obesity is a serious health problem facing families today and many parents feel overwhelmed by the problem and don't know where to start. This is completely understandable given the complexities associated with the causes and treatments of this condition. However, there is a great deal that families can do to promote healthy active living and support each other in staying healthy. For instance, families can focus on creating a home environment that encourages and supports healthy choices, regularly communicate with their doctors to understand family members' BMI percentiles, and/or partner in the community to advocate for healthy communities and schools.
For example, the scientific community agrees that each one of the following can improve our children's health.
- Eat 5 fruits and vegetables per day
- Get 1 hour of physical activity a day (does not need to be consecutive)
- Limit screen time to less than 2 hours a day
- Limit consumption of sugar sweetened beverages
- Eat breakfast daily
- Switch to low-fat dairy products
- Regularly eat family meals together
- Limit fast food, take out, and eating out
- Prepare foods at home as a family
- Eat a diet rich in calcium
- Eat a high fiber diet
- Breastfeed exclusively until 6 months and maintain of breastfeeding after introduction of solid food until 12 months of age
What Familes can do at home
All families should strive to live healthy active lives. Creating a healthy home environment where physical activity is encouraged, nutritious low fat food options are readily available, and screen time as well as sugared drinks are limited is an achievable goal.
The Academy has many resources available to you as a parent to help you and your family live healthy active lives. To start, view this fact sheet on Healthy Active Living for Families 
.
Below you will also find a number of Frequently Asked Questions (be sure to listen to the audio files at the top of this page) about important topics related to healthy active living.
As a family you can chose one, two, three, or all of these as possible goals or actions help your family live an active healthy life. To partner with your pediatrician visit How to Partner with Your Pediatrician and to learn more about how you can be an advocate for healthy active living in your community visit Partner with the Community. To find a pediatrician or pediatric sub specialist visit the AAP Pediatrician Referral Service.