Nutrition for 9 Year Old Girl

Make it a family or mother-daughter plan. Tell her you want to plan an activity such as taking a walk, going swimming, bike riding, etc with just her. It would be a time the two of you could talk, not about weight or nutrition, but about school, hobbies, friends etc. You could tell her you need to get out and be more active and need her help.

As others have said it could be puberty. I have two grandaughter's 18 months apart in age. The oldest one started her monthlys at 10 and the other at 91/2.

kids are way smarter than people give 'em credit for. so don't try to sneak in 'healthy nutrition' and think for a second that she won't pick up on 'getting fat.'
in addition to being honest, i think YOU should work on changing up your focus. what's more important, that she's developing a little pre-teen pudge (perfectly normal, BTW) or that she's tired, lethargic and argumentative?
if this were my daughter i'd be way more focused on that than her tight clothes. buy her something that fits, and address the overall attitude change simply and honestly with her.
khairete
S.

Don't have crappy food in the house. She can't eat what's not there. As far as exercise/activity goes - how about family hikes and walks?

Some kids pack on a little bit of pudge right before puberty or a growth spurt, perfectly normal and once they grow a few more inches it all evens out. Just make sure the whole family is eating healthy and take walks or go to the zoo or something. We bought a zoo membership, so whenever we feel like we've been too lazy, we just pack some snacks and head to the zoo. Even in winter, there are places we can go that are indoors there, or semi-nice days we can bundle up and go. (not quite as easy now we have a new baby to just bundle everyone and go, but still sometimes doable.)

Agree with the others, could be changed related to puberty.
BUT, you're the mom.
You control what comes into the house, as far as meals, snacks, etc.
Make some small changes: no soda, no processed meats, no chips, etc.
Make sure there are fruits and veggies clean & ready to go.
Make lean protein for meals.
Can you join a gym as a family?
Is she involved in a sport, club, activity?

You know puberty can start to kick in at 9, right?
So yeah her clothes are going to get tight and she might start to develop some curves and her period might not be too far away from starting.

Please quit comparing her to your other daughter - they are individuals - always have been and always will be.

You make sure she has healthy food choices - fruits, nuts, whole grains - no junk food, soda, candy, cookies, doughnuts, etc - and she decides if she will eat or not.

As for activities - first limit the screen time (tv, recreational computer use, video games - things that have you just sitting for hours on end) and have her go with you for walks, doing yard work, etc.
She doesn't have to 'like' doing it but everyone helps get the house/yard work done and it's just what the whole family does to help one another.

It might be worth it to have her thyroid levels checked at her next check up - hypothyroid can start younger than a lot of people think.

Without dismissing your concerns about nutrition and exercise, I wanted to point out that 9 is the age when many girls and boys enter full-tilt puberty onset. For some of them, this means their bodies begin to pudge out for about 6 months, then you'll blink and suddenly they are three inches taller and the weight is now just right for their body. This type of growth pattern tends to repeat itself for a few years.

Kids are different even within the same family. My friend's third child was always average sized when he was younger. Right now he looks like he was stung by bees and has two chins. One of his older brothers is growing in the same way, put on weight first, then get taller. His other brother was the opposite. He got taller before putting on weight and looked too thin. In both cases, it averages out as one catches up to the other.

Making healthier choices is always great, but in order to make healthy changes for your daughter without giving her a complex you do it as a family. That means you all participate. If you want to change what she eats, you change what you make for family meals. If you want her to be more active, go on nature walks on the weekend, take bike rides together, get a family membership at the YMCA, etc.

Personally I wouldn't hide it from her, I would be very upfront with my concerns. Does she like to read? Have her start reading about her health. Have her start reading about our vitamin sources. Does she like to garden? Have her plant and care for a vegetable garden. Have her try different things.

It is hard to find an interest if you don't know all the possibilities. At 9, that could be the case.

Help her to understand what her body is doing and where it will go. Let her know where it can end up. She is growing and hopefully her body will balance out on its own. However, a good activity is always helpful.

Their palates are moving targets. They seemed to enjoy mushed carrots and peas, then refuse them, only to love them again. With that, I think you have to train their palates. Spinach is a loaded veggie, so I started out by adding about 3-4 finely chopped spinach leaves in the spaghetti sauce. Then it went to a handful. My 9 year old now loves spinach. She eats spinach and kale balls and loves them. I have to watch her though because I don't want a blood clot or a major colon cleansing.

With our oldest daughter, it did come down to, choose your sport or we will choose it for you. Eventually, she ended up with the wrong crowd, got in trouble, and we put her back on track with something positive. She chose dance and danced from junior high through high school.

A 9 year old girl should have very limited screen time-Both tv and texting, etc...It's addicting, too. Plus, it is troublesome if you are not checking on a regular basis.

Have her in a routine now--before the teen yrs hit.

Do not buy junk----If it is there---I would be picky, too. I love cookies, but I eat them on holidays only. Make one meal and do not feel bad about it.
I make one dinner. ---Puberty causes kids to be a tad chunky before they thin out yrs later.

I would tell her to choose 1 activity...ask her if she wants to choose it herself or you will give her suggestions. Or go to a local indoor pool at a local YMCA once or twice a week. Go ice skating at a local rink during free skate.

I have a friend who does a family walk each week. The five of them go to a park once a week and either walk or ride bikes. I think they do this on either Saturday or Sunday. She told me that the kids must go. The girls are 6, 9 and 10.

We do fun things as a family: walking, hiking etc.
It's an activity so no one even knows it's exercise. We just have fun.

I make healthier food.

I have healthy alternatives so they make good choices.

Have lots of fruits & veggies around.

Also, I put veggies into things we eat like meatloaf & spaghetti.

I just cut back on sugar and carbs and have lots more veggies and fruits in the house for the kids to snack on. I also remind them about portions and only allow a certain amount of food for meals. Aside from that, I'd do family hikes or walks to get her active and having fun. I wouldn't dwell on it or make her aware of anything. She's probably at that stage when they get a little rounder before they shoot up a couple of inches. Both of my kids have done this around age 8-9.