How do i help my nephew with weight issues??

Question

my nephew is 3. he weighs 50 lbs. the reason is because he can't walk. the doctors said he's 25% behind kids his age. he's walking okay but it's more like wobbling like penguins. he's cute...but chubby. i like that he's chubby but it's not healthy for him. we feed him mostly fruits too. he LOVES watermelon. this is his usual schedule:

8am: breakfast which is usually cereal with milk

9am: bath and some barney

10am: basketball outside (but he spends most of his time sitting and watching because he can't walk)

11am: stroller walk around the block

12pm: lunch which is maybe some rice with pork and veggies

1pm: playtime

2pm: nap

3pm: snack which is maybe watermelon

4pm: reading

5pm: a little barney and some playtime

6pm: dinner which is almost like lunch

7pm: bath

8pm: playtime:

9pm: sleep

he's pretty active and he loves dancing and music. the only problem is he can't walk so everything is done sitting. he's to the point where i cant carry him. doctors just say limit sweets. what else??

Answer 1

There's really no reason why a 3 year-old should be walking like a new walker.  After reviewing your nephew's schedule I think that you may be exaggerating or omitting some of the real facts.  The reality is that as humans we should consume far more fruit and vegetables than meat and other processed foods.  Also, I think that maybe he's being over-entertained.  He needs some time to develop his "pretend play skills" among others.  Maybe if he's left out in the yard with just a toy or a sprinkler he might be more apt to get up and entertain himself.

Answer 2

Maybe try dancing with him, like when he watches barney maybe you could get up and make it fun for him and dance around, that way he'll start moving a bit more and he'll enjoy it, at 3 he's not going to know it's excercise so he'll definetly enjoy it.