I want to control the calories my 8 year old consume per day

How can I count my child's diet with calorie count. I couldn't open an account for her because she is only 8. HELP

I really don't think dieting is a good idea for an 8 year old....  she should not be on a restricted diet.  Instead of restricting her eating, I would strongly recommend teaching her to make healthy choices...that way she can learn the heatlhy way to eating, instead of being restricted.  Positive Reinforcement always works better....

yeah i was gonna say that you dont! you just feed her healthy foods....stop giving her crap!

Have you checked with your daughter's pediatrician about her diet?  That's the first thing I would do.  Her pediatrician can evalute her and her dietary needs and give you a better idea of how many calories your daughter needs.  IMO, only a trained professional can determin how many calories your child should be consuming.  You have to remember that she is growing so her caloric needs might be more than you'd expect.  I don't know how active she is, but that's another factor in how many calories she should be consuming.  Rather than counting her calories, I'd suggest as beckab00 said, give her healthy choices and teach her about proper portion sizes and proper nutrition. 

 If you just give her healthy foods and snacks now, that's what she'll eat when she is older. Believe me, you don't want to instill the dieting idea in her now. It will tear down her self esteem and cause major problems in the future. I have a friend who is now anorexic because her parents pushed her to hard to be 'perfect'. Children are really impreshionable (I was one once:).

Read this thread:

http://www.calorie-count.com/forums/post/2933 8.html

she's EIGHT! don't put her on a diet. she is still growing, she might not be 'chubby' forever, it's impossible to tell at this point. how the heck can 8 yr olds be 'super skinny'? i'm sorry if this sounds harsh, but it's worrying that she is already noticing her weight at this age. she will pick up on these negative thoughts from you, whether or not you call her chubby.

like the others said, the best thing you can do for her is to not emphasise food or her weight at all, and focus on eating and cooking healthy for both of you so that she can learn healthy eating habits for the future.

The reason I posted the thread link above is because some people ran right into the arms of disordered eating because of their parents' attitudes toward food, including restricting it.

ellsierra, your daughter is not her weight. Feed her well, take her on walks and hikes and bikerides, go ice skating with her, toss a football or Frisbee around with her. Teach her to love her body, whatever size it is, whether it's the same shape or different from her friends'. And please talk to her doctor.

What?! sorry but I am surprised by this question, coming from a parent. If you feed her healthy food and not too much, she should not need to be on a diet. Not at 8. Is she highly overweight? Obese, not just a bit chubby? Have you seen a doctor? If she is very obese, I am sorry to say this but either it is your fault or she needs to see a doctor because there might be a problem with her metabolism. If she is just a bit chubby, let her grow and teach her how to eat well.

ppl really think this way, one is she even over weight? everyone keeps making comments like this about being chubby or overweight she never even mentioned that. ONE is unless ur child is serverly overweight (which only a dr can say) the only thing you should do is teach her to eat better. i have 4 kids and i use to buy ALOT of junk like kids yogart , fruit snacks with characters. etc. heres what i learned on my journey if ur kids like yogart buy reg its way better then the kids stuff doesnt have all that added crap, real juice or fruit, fruit snacks better yet real fruit. i have a 5yo that loves water and my 7 & 5yo love salad an all my kids like fruit. u as a parent have to teach them to eat better.

See a doctor. The doctor will tell you if your child's weight is abnormal for her age. If there are no medical problems, you can focus on good healthy foods and nutritious well-balanced meals. Help her learn to help herself by bolstering her self esteem with self-esteem building activities, activities that provide a challenge and a sense of accomplishment.

Don't, under any circumstances, restrict her caloric intake unless you are advised to do so by her doctor.

I have to agree with many comments here.  Take away the junk and keep easy access to healthier stuff for her. 

See if she wants to do sports/dance/bike riding or something active.  Not as "exercise" but as a fun thing to do that just happens to be healthy for the body and her mind (self-esteem and self confidence).

First and foremost, check with her doctor to see if you should even be concerned and for any suggestions. 

I've gotten commented about my weight since the age of 5 and it did NOT feel good and does NOT feel good remembering that either.

How can I count my child's diet with calorie count. I couldn't open an account for her because she is only 8. HELP

WHO said that she was trying to put her kid on a diet?  She just wanted to count her calories.  Maybe the child is under eating, maybe she is on a strict limit and the doctor has already recommended scheduled foods.. or maybe she is just curious.  Nobody said she was trying to make her child a stick LoL.  Ease up on the poor lady.

You could always open an account for an older person, and just use the tools to COUNT calories your child consumes, but thats the only way this site would be useful to you for that.

Star, her profile.

Yes ^^ Erica200... Check her profile too. :) That's where I got the 'chubby' thing from... as did some of the other people I suspect.

HEre are a list of sites that my daughters school links to.  Get her involved in exercising daily....playing having fun!   www.5aday.org   www.kidnetic.com   www.healthiergeneration.org   www.take10.net   www.mypyramid.gov   www.nutrition.gov   www.nutritionexplorations.org   www.nutritionforkids.com

I read your profile and it looks like she is not severely overweight, just chubby. This whole thing makes me angry.
If you put her on a diet just because she is getting concerned about her looks and not being as skinny as the other girls at school, I am afraid you are going to push her toward having an eating disorder. All girls are concerned about their looks, at all ages. But if she is taught at age 8, especially by her Mom, that she should monitor her food intake, not bc  she is obese but to be like everybody else, she is going to think that there is something wrong with her! I am not a psych but I know kids are easily influenced and if her own mom behaves in way which, to her, means "I am fat, even Mom wants me to be like the other girls", what do you think will happen???
You should teach her to love herself and be proud of who she is instead. Teach her self-confidence. I know I wish my Mom had taught me a bit of that.

agree with plume and others.  Learn and teach.  my kids love eating healthy foods and they love to go for runs!  you have to change your eating habits if you want her to change hers.  Let HER find something she would enjoy- roller skating, biking, running even!

be excited in whatever she would chose.  IF you tell her that she has a problem, she will have that problem for a long time.  If you change the way things are in your home, you will set healthy habits that will last a lifetime.

Well, I'm not a mom or a dad yet, but... my understanding, just from other people's experiences is that putting your 8 year old on a Diet will almost certainly do some serious lasting damage.

I don't think you want to do that.

Everyone's given you some really good ideas, but I want to add one more thought.
Your child is still growing, is still learning. Her personality is still developing. You can act NOW to help make her more active and have her eat better. Don't worry about calories, not yet, but instead teach her how to live HEALTHILY.
Lead by EXAMPLE... spend active time with your daughter. Go for bike rides and walks, play sports together. Find out what she likes to do (active) and DO it with her.
And keep good foods in the house. Don't feed her a Diet, but instead make sure to have healthy good-for-you food around. Let her explore the wonderful world of healthy food: Fresh Fruits (not just apples and oranges but Kiwi, Jicama, Star Fruit, Coconut.. be ADVENTUROUS with your daughter!), Fresh Vegetables (Having cut up fresh vegetables is ALWAYS a great snack, both for you and her!), low-fat dairy, etc.

Turn it into a LIFESTYLE, not a Diet. :)

You do that, and you MAY teach her to like good food, and exercise. And THAT, at this stage in her life, is what I think you want to do.

That's my $0.02

she is only eight she is still growing. Ever think she could be just about to grow a few more inches. Kids are fine to be a little "cubby" at that age. Teach her healthy eating habits and do some fun activites with her that is exercise and a fun way to bond, but most of all reassure her that she is beautiful how she is and that everyone doesn't have to be the same. Ruining a childs self esstem is the worst thing you can do.

My family always thought I was chubby when I was a kid and since I was in a pretty competitive dance class, the teachers insisted that I lose weight.  I gotta tell you... it was pretty hurtful when the teacher said those things and humiliate me in front of the whole class.  (Don't worry though.  The teacher got her punishment for that...)

However, what my family did was leave me only healthy things to snack on and encourage me to play outside more.  Gradually I got pretty fit and trim.  It was not until college and after I ballooned up.

I really do agree with everyone else here.  You don't need to teach them to eat healthy but just leave them Only the healthy food to snack on (Lots of fruit and yogurt).  Also, encourage your child to play outside more and do more physical activities with her.  Consulting a pediatrician is also a good idea.  Unless the child's health is in jeopardy, I really wouldn't count calories for her or start a diet.