What More Could You Be Doing To Keep Your Kids Healthy?

Let’s be honest: keeping your kids healthy is a nightmare. You do your best to teach them about hygiene and safety, but they’ve always got their fingers in their mouths, or they’re always “forgetting” to wash their hands after going to the toilet. We were all that age at one point, and in some cases it’s good for your kids to pick up some germs and get the odd cold in winter. This all helps to build up their immune system. However, there’s building up a stronger immune system and then there’s being generally unhealthy.

If you want to be doing more to keep your kids healthy then there are ways in which you, as a parent, can take control. You can’t wrap your kids in bubble wrap before they go to school every day, but there are things you can do at home or lessons you can instill in your little ones to help ensure that they grow up to be as healthy and strong as possible. Don’t give up hope just yet. The following pieces of advice might just help clean up your mucky pup of a child.

A better sleeping pattern.

It’s something with which every parent struggles. Kids always want to stay up, and you can’t click your fingers and force them to go to sleep. Everybody knows by now that eight to ten hours of sleep is ideal for young children, but I think it’s important that we recognize there’s more to it than that. It’s about the quality of sleep. There’s a difference between light and deep sleep.

You should be ensuring that your little one isn’t overstimulated right before bed, so it’s a good idea to a half-hour pre-bedtime “cooling off” period during which no technology is used. This will give your kid’s eyes and brain a break. You should also look into the mattress your child uses, so as to ensure they’re properly supported and aren’t enduring aches and pains throughout the day. Sleeping well is about fighting off illnesses too, so it’ll keep your kid healthier overall to get into a better pattern.

Eating and exercising.

These are the two big ones, really. It is important to keep your child healthy, even if their fast metabolism tricks you into thinking that they must be eating and exercising enough because they’re so skinny. Exercising is about more than keeping your weight down; it’s about keeping your body healthy. Your child needs to stay active if they want to have an active brain and a healthy heart.

It’s a good idea to eat as a family so that you can control the meals your child is having; better that than them feasting on snacks or overeating. You know better than they do when it comes to portion sizes and a balanced variety of foods. Making packed lunches rather than relying on them to get their own from school is also a good way to ensure they’re eating healthily. If you want them to be more active then you could get out in the garden and play some sports with them; there’s always more you can be doing to get your kid up and moving.

Get a dog.

You might be rolling your eyes at this point as you think of all the times your kids have begged you for a pet, but it’s something you should really consider. Yes, a dog requires looking after, but a dog can also provide numerous physical health benefits to your child such as boosting their immune systems; they reduce the risk of your kid getting allergies or asthma.

It is still a big decision, nonetheless. You could check out this ultimate guide to training your puppy if you’ve no idea where you’d begin with a pet. Of course, I’m sure you know already that the benefits of owning a pet extend far beyond making your children physically healthier. The joy any family experiences with their brand new wagging-tailed little buddy has emotional benefits. It could be a huge boost to the mental health of your child or children; a puppy is a friend as important to them as any of their human pals.

Get out in the sun.

Vitamin D is nature’s way of looking after us, and you should be letting your child soak up as many rays as possible as soon as summer swings around. Head out to your local park, or just have fun in the garden. It doesn’t matter what you do. Just get your kid out there into the sunshine because we all spend far too long indoors these days.