Planning meals "the secret" to healthy kids
Date: 30/09/2009 / Category: School holidays and working parents
Working mums can help to ensure their children lead a healthy lifestyle by pre-planning meals and seeking out good childcare, according to an online parent support site.
Sally Russell, co-founder of Netmums, said that starting to eat more healthily does not have to cost more money and does not have to be very time consuming if "organisation and determination" are used.
Ms Russell's advice for busy mums follows the publication of a study in the Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, which found that working mothers were more likely to have less healthy children.
She said that finding a balance is often difficult for parents. "Everybody is rushing around and if you spend a lot of time cooking home cooked meals then it's likely that something else is going to go, like helping with homework," she said.
Ms Russell added that it was increasingly difficult to ensure that children are getting enough exercise and active kids play.
She advised working mums seeking childcare to look for after-school clubs and childcare centres offering facilities and activities that encourage exercise.
Alternatively, some indoor play centres, such as Gambado, have adult areas where working parents, who are able to work out-of-office, can use free internet and Wi-Fi facilities while their children exercise and bond with others.
Share this Article
Related Articles
Britain's 'screenagers' a cause for concern?
Kids' play plans key to avoiding summer stress
Parents want more time for kids play, research shows
Brits cutting back on 'summer holiday spending'
Kids missing out on 'family days out'
Durham mums 'to set up own businesses'
Speeding drivers causing Scottish parents concern
Recession childcare 'should be a priority'
Time to 'unplug kids and let them play'
Indoor play centre 'boost Bristol kids play'
Indoor play can still be fun, parents told
Streets 'unsafe for kids' play'
Indoor play centres 'also benefit parents'
Routine "aids child development"
Homeworking offers mums 'best of both worlds'
Family dinners have 'social and emotional benefits'
Single parents hit by rising childcare costs
Children 'overworked' by pushy parents
Nursery funding reforms make system "fairer"
"More research needed" on link between working mums and unhealthy kids
Parents have to 'get creative' to entertain their children
Turn off the TV this half term
Toys and DVDs will 'distract and entertain kids' on long journeys
Children banned from cycling to school
Exercise is 'important for kids and parents'
Things to do with kids this Christmas: make presents such as cakes and biscuits
One in four parents 'does not engage in soft play with kids every night'
Convenience store proximity 'affects kids health'
Children urged to stay away from frozen water
Almost half of kids 'given cash for good behaviour'
Making time for fitness activities for kids is 'important'
Small changes to meals and encouraging exercise for kids 'combats child obesity'
Break exercise for kids into 'short increments'
Cycle courses in Portsmouth during school holidays
Could cold weather put family holidays at risk?
Information packs promote fitness activities for kids in East Riding
Over half of parents 'too busy' to communicate with kids
Grandparent care 'boosts childhood obesity risk'
Day, with soft play area, to be held in Filey
25% of parents 'won't discipline their kids'
Free West Berkshire activities encourage exercise for kids
Parents to get more time to engage in soft play with kids?
Cost of raising a child tops £200,000
Parents want more information on childcare
Campaign calls for more soft play with fathers
Government needs to do more to help grandparent child carers
Mums and dads urged to spend more time with kids
Babies 'can benefit from exercise for kids'
Things to do with kids: Sign language to improve development
Things to do with kids over Easter: a traditional egg hunt
Things to do with kids this Easter: Scarecrow making
Soft play centres 'better for kids than solitary play'
Things to do with kids over Easter: Go to a party at a soft play centre
Call to standardise rules on taking photos in soft play centres
Fathers trigger exploration in toddlers, study shows
Children at 'higher risk' of injury on holiday
Soft play can 'improve' parent-child bond
Many breastfeeding mums 'need a better diet'
Pregnant women 'failing to get enough vitamin D'
School holidays 'are not for homework'
Parental care 'more influential' than childminders'
Parental toothbrush lessons 'key to child's overall health'
Can probiotics reduce incidence of kids' illness?
Families can spend time together at indoor play centres
Developing attentive kids may require more exercise, less computer games
Yorkshire youngsters 'getting plenty of exercise'
Summer holiday play schemes 'develop healthy habits'
Parental quality 'more important' than quantity
Many parents 'cannot afford' fitness activities for kids