Why Focusing on Healthy Habits, Not Weight Gain, Can Better Help Kids

It’s a conversation I’ve had with many of my fellow parents in recent months, as our children have reunited at park play dates, and soccer matches: We’ve noticed our kids put on some extra weight during this pandemic, and we’re not sure what, if anything, we should do about it.

“You are not alone,” says Dr. Sandra Hassink, medical director of the American Academy of Pediatrics Institute for Healthy Childhood Weight. “This is happening to many, many people.” She says the pandemic created “the perfect storm for having issues with weight gain,” with its mass disruption of school, sleep and physical activity schedules, as well as stress and social isolation.