Raising healthy kids not only lies in nutrition but also entails bringing up children that are physical, morally, psychologically, and spiritually upright.
In this article, we are going to look at various strategies you can implement to raise healthy children.
Let’s delve into specifics.
- Plan for a healthy pregnancy
The health of your kid starts at conception. It is the reason why certain measures must be taken during pregnancy. For a healthy kid, ensure you take folic acid and do away with harmful habits like taking alcohol and smoking. Dig deeper into your family’s history to see whether your baby is at risk for any diseases or conditions.
Also, ensure you get all the required vaccines, as well as go for all pre-natal and postnatal appointments scheduled by your healthcare provider.
- Provide love and support
Children are constantly seeking approval from their parents, and showing them that you support and love them is great for their development. Be sure to cater to their physical and emotional needs.
For example, when a child is suffering from a sore throat, get them strepsils throat spray to reduce the chances of the issue escalating into a more life-threatening condition. If your child is a victim of bullying in school, do not tell them to toughen up. Instead, show love by reporting it to the relevant authorities or changing schools if the problem persists.
- Instill healthy early eating habits
The importance of nutrition in children can never be downplayed. It is vital to establish healthy eating habits while children are still young. Eating a balanced diet regularly provides the necessary nutrients to aid in the proper development of the child.
Eating five servings of fruit and vegetables each day helps in protecting children against chronic diseases such as cancer. It also keeps obesity at bay as children can make wise food choices when they are older.
- Teach them to wash their hands
Hand-washing is one of the best practices that help in keeping germs and bacteria at bay. This is because hands are the number one mode of transport to ferry bacteria from one place to the other.
Children are curious and will touch anything and everything. Germs are easily transferred to various parts of the body through touch. What’s more, the chances of spreading infections from one kid to the other increases whenever children are together. So, teach your children to wash their hands more frequently to reduce germs and keep infections at bay.
- Protect your child
Every parent must protect and keep their child safe. For starters, you must invest in car seats that are age-appropriate to keep them safe in case of accidents.
Secondly, ensure your house is baby-proof. This means putting away things that could harm the kids in any way.
Last but not least, ensure they are vaccinated because these immunizations go a long way in saving the life of your child. They protect your child from serious conditions such as polio, enabling them to have a better quality of life.
- Engage them in physical activities
Allowing your children to engage in physical activities helps them to develop skills in early childhood. By participating in their sports of choice, they develop self-esteem, build discipline, confidence, and social skills.
Through sports, they can learn the importance of teamwork and good sportsmanship. In a sports game, there is always a winner and a loser. As such, children learn how to accept defeat at times, which is an invaluable lesson in childhood.
- Listen as much as you talk
While it is okay to give instructions and guide children, it is equally important to give them a listening ear.
For starters, listening to your children builds a healthy relationship where they can confide in you. It also shows them the importance of being attentive to people, making them more likely to listen to others and you – of course.
Do not impose. Be open to their feelings and try to see things with their perspective. When you practice this trait, there is a less likelihood of children bottling up feelings that might affect both their child and adulthood.
- Be a role model
Some people believe that children learn things by listening to what they are being told. Failure to which, they should be spanked or given some form of punishment.
Fortunately or unfortunately, children learn from what they see as opposed to what they hear. So, being a role model for your children is detrimental to their growth. If you are in the habit of getting into fights and smoking in the presence of your kids, do not be alarmed if you catch them doing the same.
For kids to grow up to become all-rounded, you must exercise virtues such as love, patience, and kindness. By being a good role model, your children will have no excuse for being ill-mannered.
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