A major mistake parents make is giving their children an adult diet.

The children are growing, and their needs are totally different from adults’

Growing children have nutritional needs that differ vastly from adults’, so we should never follow an adult diet for the children.

It can be assumed that when a kid starts gaining weight, the first reaction of his/her parents is to reduce portions, forbid sweets and carbohydrates, and even follow the same weight-loss diet as a grown-up in the family. This approach aims to improve habits. But children are not miniaturized adults whose nutritional needs stay the same throughout development. An approach focused on adult weight reduction will not fit a child’s developmental needs.

The most problematic aspect is not healthy nutrition per se, but how a child perceives food and weight. Repeated statements about “forbidden” foods, the dominance of less consumption, and the need for the body to shrink will only create a negative association between eating and shame, restriction, and body frustration.

We as adults have already grown up, but children are still developing. Unlike adults, who need enough energy and nutrients for everyday activities, children need more to support growth, bone development, muscle growth, hormonal changes, brain development, and puberty. Additionally, children’s nutritional needs vary widely by age and developmental stage.

Thus, a child’s weight should not be judged only by adult standards. Paediatricians consider growth patterns, BMI percentiles by age and sex, height, development, and the child’s overall health rather than whether the child has lost weight.

Although avoiding foods high in sugar, salt, or saturated fat is acceptable in a healthy family diet, making them absolutely prohibited can make them more desirable for the child. In turn, the kid feels mortified and embarrassed when he eats the food, not understanding that food choices are just one part of the overall diet.

Don’t make your little child look like an adult; make them a healthy and happy child.