We are all aware of the health crisis that worries doctors with regard to obesity in American children. A new solution is being discussed in many newspaper articles – heavy toys. It seems that researchers at Indiana State University conducted an experiment on the effects of children playing with heavier toys. The results are at least interesting, though as a parent – I have my own reservations.
In the study, they found that 10 children in the 6 to 8 range burned more calories, had higher rates of breathing and heart rates when they moved around 3 pound toy blocks instead of unweighted blocks. 3 pounds is not a huge amount of weight for an adult, but remember – we’re talking kids ages 6 to 8.
The question the study poses is could adding weight to your child’s stuffed animals and their other toys, traditionally light weight – be the way to help achieve fitness in small children? While researchers agreed it would not end the obesity problem, it may very well contribute to positive health benefits for kids, as they would be using more muscle and oxygen in the same activities they did before.
Problems with Weighted Toys
As all parents are aware of – at some point in time or another – your child is likely to throw a toy whether in play or anger – the toy can get tossed. Imagine dropping a three-pound teddy bear on your foot? Or worse, accidentally kicking your toys on weighted blocks. Stepping on trains, toy parts and more are all the hazards of parenting – but aren’t we asking for trouble when we give them toys that are weighted enough to do significant damage?
What about the damage that can be done to developing muscles and bone structure? It’s important to remember that kids are not adults – they are growing and developing every single day and you can hinder growth and cause long term problems when you disproportionately affect muscles and bones and cause them undue stress.
Yes, by adding weights to the toys – you increase the intensity of the actions they are already doing – but how much is too much? What about the six year old who is two inches and twenty pounds lighter than the other? What happens to the child that is proportionally larger because they have a larger bone structure? Do we put weight ratings on toys now?
While I am all for finding fitness solutions – some of the best solutions for kids now are the same solutions they were thirty years ago. Encourage more active, outdoors play – play that doesn’t involve sitting in front of a computer, a Gameboy or on a sofa staring at a television. Encourage healthy eating habits – don’t eat out at restaurants or fast food joints every night. Supplement their meals with healthy snacks – can the sweets and excess sugars and get rid of the soda.
When I was a kid – soda was a treat – not a staple.
Fitness for your kids starts with you – a weighted toy might seem like a good idea – but it’s treating a symptom of a problem and I think it might just be borrowing trouble – not resolving it.
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