Expert Advice for Helping Your Children Make Healthy Lifestyle Choices

Parents and caregivers play a big role in guiding children to develop lifestyle habits that will support their good health and prevent chronic diseases for years to come. Healthy habits are easier to develop and maintain when the setting and the people in the setting, like parents and caregivers, provide support and encouragement. So what can we do to help support our children to make healthy lifestyle choices? We have turned to the experts for advice.

The Paediatric Healthy Living Program (PHLP) at Thunder Bay Regional Health Sciences Centre aims to help children and their families improve their overall health and quality of life by helping them make behaviour changes like increasing fruit and vegetable consumption, decreasing consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages, increasing physical activity, decreasing screen time, improving sleep habits, and learning skills to cope with stress. Their approach is to focus on healthy lifestyle habits to improve health, stabilize weight, and lower the risk of developing other health conditions.

The multidisciplinary PHLP team includes a registered dietitian, registered kinesiologist, social worker, psychologist, nurse practitioner, and pediatrician. This expert team shared some tips on how to create and maintain a supportive home environment and promote a healthy lifestyle for your children and your family.

Focus on behaviours within your child’s control

One way to help your child feel like they are in control is to make the healthy choice the easy choice. This can be done by providing a range of healthy options (i.e. activities, foods) and encouraging your child to choose one. That way there is no wrong answer, and regardless of the selection, they make a healthy choice.

Recognize that each child is unique

All children have individual factors that can affect their health and growth. Healthy bodies come in a wide range of shapes, sizes, and abilities; body weight alone does not determine overall health. One piece of advice would be to encourage participation in healthy activities that your child enjoys and that make them feel good about themselves.

It is a collaborative effort

Making healthy choices requires guidance and support from parents and caregivers. When you see your child practicing healthy behaviours, provide recognition and praise for this behaviour. Practising healthy behaviours alongside your child can be an excellent form of encouragement; for example being active together as a family or promoting healthy choices by creating a healthy food environment at home and modelling a positive attitude towards healthy behaviours.

Be a role model

When it comes to raising healthy children, role modeling is imperative. What you do and say can affect children—either your own, or other children in your life. For example, having a healthy relationship with food will influence little ones in a positive way. Avoid labeling foods as “good” or “bad,” as food has no moral value. Instead, talk about what different foods do for your body, and be sure to include all foods in your diet. When children see you eat a variety of foods and practise food neutrality, they are more likely to do the same.

Establish healthy routines

Having a structured routine can be helpful when working to build and foster healthy habits. Establishing healthy family routines around sleep, physical activity, meal times, and screen time play an important role in overall health and wellness. When faced with challenge and uncertainty, having predictable, healthy routines can be beneficial in coping with stress. Starting with small steps towards a healthy routine can help to build the confidence needed for continued success.

The PHLP is an excellent option for those who meet the program eligibility criteria. Over a two-year period, individual and group programming is provided for families to learn tools and strategies to support long-term healthy living. The PHLP is accessible to eligible children and families living across Northwestern Ontario.

For more information about the PHLP and to learn more about the eligibility criteria for the program, talk to your health care provider or call 684-6058.