Parenting is a delightful challenges many of us face in life. Its not always easy to know what to do to bring up a healthy, well-balanced child, nor how to develop healthy eating habits in your child. Your child is constantly enticed towards foods that are appealing and not necessarily nutritious. With the rising problem of obesity in younger Australians here are some simple steps to consider if your child is overweight.

Encourage healthy eating habits

1. Buy and serve more fruits and vegetables (fresh, frozen, or canned). Let your child choose them at the store.

2. Buy fewer soft drinks and high fat/high calorie snack foods like chips, cookies, and lollies. These snacks are okay once in a while, but keep healthy snack foods on hand too and offer them to your child more often.

3. Eat breakfast every day. Skipping breakfast can leave your child hungry, tired, and looking for less healthy foods later in the day.

4. Plan healthy meals and eat together as a family. Eating together at meal times helps children learn to enjoy a variety of foods.

5. Eat fast food less often. When you visit a fast food restaurant, try the healthful options offered.

6. Offer your child water or low-fat milk more often than fruit juice. Fruit juice is a healthy choice but is high in calories.

7. Do not get discouraged if your child will not eat a new food the first time it is served. Some kids will need to have a new food served to them 10 times or more before they will eat it.

8. Try not to use food as a reward when encouraging kids to eat. Promising dessert to a child for eating vegetables, for example, sends the message that vegetables are less valuable than dessert. Kids learn to dislike foods they think are less valuable.

9. Start with small servings and let your child ask for more if he or she is still hungry. It is up to you to provide your child with healthy meals and snacks, but your child should be allowed to choose how much food he or she will eat.