Any parent would want their children to grow happy and healthy. But careers often prevent us from keeping an eye on our kids 24/7. There is also the fact that our kids want to be independent.
We need to keep a good balance of proper childcare and granting our kids freedom. We must also offset the amount of junk food that they eat with the nutritious meals that we serve. We have to do this stringent balancing act to fight against childhood obesity and other ailments.
It is often a thankless but rewarding job. We can help you make your trip as a parent easier. Let us take a closer look at the things that can make your children healthy and happy.
Yoga
According to CDC, children should have at least one hour of physical activity daily. But this is hardly achievable when our kids would prefer playing with their gadgets. This is where yoga comes in. If you are fond of yoga, you should ask your kids to join you. Yoga will not only make your children physically healthy. But it can contribute to their mental well-being.
Our kids are also mentally affected by Covid-19. Yoga can help reduce their anxieties. As your kids practice the yoga breathing exercises, they can bring these into other aspects of their life. Doing this will help them relax. Thus, it lessens your kids’ stress and increases their capacity to concentrate. This will eventually lead to better school performance.
Yoga can also meet their daily physical activity need. It helps you keep your children healthy in mind and body. Yoga will also help your kids maintain good posture. If your child has some special needs, you can do a little research on how you can incorporate yoga into their lives. For example, you can have your kid sit in their wheelchair during the easy seat pose instead of sitting on the floor.
You can take things up a notch. When you do the dog, cat, or cow pose, you may make the appropriate animal noises. Doing this will make yoga more interesting to your kids.
Regular Medical Checkups
When we say regular medical checkups, these include those visits to the children’s dentist. Doing this will ensure that your children are up to date with their vaccines. Your children’s pediatrist will also see if they have met the developmental marker for their age.
If you have concerns about your children’s well-being, the scheduled medical checkup is the right time to bring them up. For example, you have noticed that your daughter often has sneezing fits. Her doctor can give out the right diagnostic exams.
Once the results return, the pediatrician can give out their diagnosis. They can give the proper medication and medical advice. These medical checkups will also help identify developmental disabilities such as Autism and ADHD. If your child is afraid of their doctor, you can bring their favorite toy. You may also offer a reward so that they will voluntarily come.
Healthy Meals
NBC reported last year that most kids eat more fast food. This has led to the rise of obesity and Type 2 diabetes in kids. You can counter this by preparing healthy and delicious meals. You can swap their processed snacks with fruits. You can do this by clearing out all the junk foods in your refrigerator. You should place ready-to-eat fruits (which means that they have already been washed) in a visible place.
Including fruits in your children’s diet will lower blood pressure and reduce the risk of heart disease. If your family is trying to lose weight, you should stick to non-starchy vegetables like green leafy vegetables and fruits like apples. When you use oil, you should use oil that comes from plants such as canola and corn. You should limit your use of butter. Instead of having ice cream or dessert, why not try fruits with yogurt. Your family can get their needed amount of protein with beans and peas. You should avoid processed meat as much as possible.
You should get your kids to drink as much water as they can. Instead of serving soda for snacks, let them have water to quench their thirst while eating their yogurt parfait. Keeping your child healthy requires a lot of effort. But it will be worth it. After all, a healthy child is a happy one.
Get your children to play more physical games as much as they can. Limit their screen time to keep the negative vibes away. Most of all, be there for them.
