In life, staying healthy requires a life-long commitment. In this journey, diseases are inevitable. The good news is that the majority of them are preventable. Parents are responsible for their kids’ care and health. Parents need to teach their kids healthy habits and practices early on to counter common health issues in children. The best way to do this is by setting a good example as kids imitate and emulate their parents. There could be others, but here are some of the best ways to keep your kids healthy.
Keep Them Vaccinated
Parents need to avoid common vaccination myths. Most of these myths undermine the importance of vaccination in preventing diseases that children face. Remember, doctors have your kid’s best interests, and so you should uphold their recommendation.
Wherever you stay, there are always known diseases that have a higher risk of erupting every year. Accompany your kids to their pediatrician to get vaccinated against these common diseases such as flu. You could learn a lot more about other unknown ailments from visiting your kid’s pediatrician.
Have Them Eat Healthy Foods
As a parent, you need to ensure that your kids have a balanced diet to boost their immune system. Children need protein-rich meals to aid their growth and development. You need to keep them off processed foods that are rich in sugar and unhealthy fat.
A high intake of sugar may trigger diabetes and tooth decay in your kids. There are always healthy alternatives out there that you may not know or have simply overlooked. By seeking professional advice, you will learn about them.
Develop Their Eating Schedule
Along with eating healthy, kids need to eat small portions of food that are spread at different times. Sticking to such a routine provides time for digestion of the consumed foods and regulating their weight and fitness. Parents need to keep their kids off the clean-plate and 3-meals-per-day rules.
Kids, much like adults, know when their stomachs are full. Forcing them to finish off their plates is a bad eating habit and unhealthy.
Ensure They Get Enough Sleep
Most of the kids’ growth takes place when they sleep. During sleep, the cells are usually growing and replicating much faster than when the kids are awake. Sleeping also rejuvenates them while providing them with energy to carry out other activities after they wake up.
Creating a sleeping routine will help them have the recommended amount of sleep, which is more than 8 hours. Parents need to ensure that their kids sleep and wake up early.
Encourage Them to Play and Exercise
Parents are encouraged to have their kids switch off the tech gadgets and free them out to play. Physical exercises help to keep your kid healthy and fit by shedding some unwanted calories. It would also help to encourage them to play mind-engaging games like puzzles or board games such as chess. Such games help in stretching their creativity.
Playtime also provides the kids with opportunities to refine their social skills as they interact with their mates. This is very crucial for the kid’s mental health.
Learn About Common Childhood Ailments
As kids go through their activities, whether at home or in school, they get exposed to common illnesses. These diseases may be caused by germs, or even viruses picked up while playing. As a parent, talking to older kids’ fellow parents will enlighten you of common ailments and their solutions.
Better yet, parents should seek doctor’s advice on some of these ailments to help them prevent their kids from getting infected by them. Such knowledge will aid you in picking up signs and symptoms early on before their health worsens.
Better Safe Than Sorry
Parents have a say in what their kids eat and what they don’t. Parents need to introduce their kids to various types of meals as they grow. This reduces the risk of nutritional deficiencies. For instance, get healthy cereals for kids and incorporate other classes of foods like natural juices.
Remember, what matters most is the quality of food that they consume and not the quantity. Kids also need to have regular breaks when performing activities that take a long duration. These breaks serve to restore their energy and increase their attention span.
Parents also need to teach their kids healthy practices, such as washing their hands regularly. This keeps diseases caused by germs at bay. It may be challenging to monitor every aspect of your kids’ health, but you will be glad you did. Your kids, too, will appreciate your hand in their health later on.
This is a contributed post.
