Contributed by: Healthians Team
We cannot deny the fact that your child is very important to you and his or her health matters to you a lot. If you want to take proper care of your child it involves a number of things you can include in his or her diet that leads to good survival and a healthy lifestyle. Being parents, you always guide your child to develop a proper healthy lifestyle so that he or she gets minimum exposure to infections and other bacteria.
You can be so busy with household activities that you may get very little time to do something to improve your child’s health in a better way. If you see, many children are the victim of obesity or being overweight. But If your child follows a proper guide of a healthy lifestyle it will help him or her to maintain a good weight and prevent them from various health issues such as diabetes, high blood pressure, asthma, and heart diseases. It is essential to start a healthy lifestyle at an early age and make smart decisions when it comes to cutting down sick days.
Teaching your child proper healthy habits can prevent him or her from being infected. You don’t need a degree to educate your child about health tips.
You just need to understand, listen and talk to them about the various consequences of unhealthy practices. The most important time to develop healthy habits in your child is during childhood. Following are some tips that tell how to keep your child healthy and fit.
10 healthy tips for your kid
1. Maintain a healthy and nutritious diet
Tell your child how some foods are so nutritious and healthy for him or her that if they avoid it, she or he will lose essential vitamins and minerals necessary for a healthy body weight. Include more vegetables, whole-grain products, lean meats, and fresh fruits in his or her diet so that your child can get all the essential nutrients present in them. You can allow chocolates and junk food once a week but avoid regular eating because it affects your child’s health
2. Have breakfast every morning
Breakfast is referred to as the most essential meal of the day as it refreshes your accumulation of glucose to increase your energy levels and attentiveness. It enhances your brainpower and intensifies the ability to concentrate in the short term. It helps in weight management, diminishing the risk of type 2 diabetes and heart disease in the long term.
3. Teach them to wash their hands frequently
Having food without washing hands is the quickest way to become ill. When your child comes after playing outside, using the washroom, coughing, sneezing, and blowing the nose, the germs and bacterias get attached to their hands. Such germs and bacterias enter their body whenever they eat food, touch their mouth, eyes, and nose without washing hands. It will create a lot of health problems such as diarrhea and respiratory infections. Washing hands frequently prevents germs and bacterias from transmitting into your body and other people.
4. Schedule time for physical exercise and outdoor activities
Doing some physical exercise every day should be developed in your child at their early age as it helps him or her to strengthen bones, hearts, muscles, and lungs. Regular physical exercise and outdoor activities improve the coordination, posture, balance, and flexibility of your child. It helps to maintain a healthy weight and reduces the risk of cancer, heart disease, and type diabetes in the future.
5. Make them sleep early
Taking proper sleep is key to lead a healthy lifestyle. If your child misses the proper sleeping hours, it can create several health problems such as heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes. Inadequate sleep leads to lack of concentration, lack of efficiency, overweight, depression, anxiety, and suicidal ideation. It impacts their performance in studies, exams, and the classroom. Taking adequate sleep prepares your child to cope up with the stress he or she gets throughout the day.
6. Keep the school bag’s weight in check
The schoolbag carries several things such as heavy textbooks, books, a water bottle, and a lunch box. When you go out to purchase a school bag for your child, try to find one that has broad cushioned shoulder straps and a cushioned back. The weight of the schoolbag should not be much heavy because that will hurt your child’s back. When you pack the school bag of your child, put heavy items in the middle of other items, and the total weight of the schoolbag should not exceed your child’s body weight. Also, ensure that your child carries the schoolbag on both of his or her shoulders rather than one because it strains his or her muscles.
7. Encourage increased water intake
Drinking water regularly provides several benefits such as it enhances mood, reduces fatigue, helps in digesting, controls weight, and enhances brain functions. Drink more and more water and milk and avoid beverages as much as possible. Encourage your child to drink at least 5 to 9 glasses of water every day and have herbal tea before and after having meals.
8. Teach them sneezing and coughing etiquette
Teach your child the proper etiquette of sneezing and coughing to avoid transmission of germs from one person to another. Tell his or her to always carry tissue papers or handkerchiefs so that whenever he or she coughs or sneezes, she or he can use tissue papers instead of putting hands on the mouth. Using hands for sneezing and coughing can transfer germs and bacterias to other parts of the body and even inside of the body.
9. Stay updated for vaccinations and immunizations
Vaccinate and immunize your child earlier to avoid getting infected with germs and bacteria. It will prevent germs and bacteria from spreading among other family members. Schedule vaccination and immunization with the doctor earlier as per your child’s age, health, and vaccine availability.
10. Regulate time for TV, video games & mobile phone
Praise your child to engage in outdoor activities rather than relaxing in front of the television, playing video games, or involving mobile phones. Restrict screen time to protect your child’s eyes from getting weak. Limiting time spent on mobile games and television would help to reduce the risk of obesity, and eye strain, headaches, and blurred vision.
The bottom line
Your child’s health is very sensitive and important. If you are not taking proper care of your child’s health, it will be difficult for him or her to deal with mild illnesses that he or she may get in the future. A strong immune system is necessary to deal with infectious diseases. Your child will only get a strong immune system if you make your child follow a properly balanced diet. Eating plenty of vegetables and fruits and drinking lots of water provides your child a number of benefits that you cannot count.
