We all want to have a healthy child. Most of us get our wish – a perfect baby, hale and hearty! From the moment they are born, however, we need to safeguard that health – at first by feeding them well through infancy, then by instilling healthy habits from the time they are old enough to learn.
Serve healthy food in your house, and encourage your child to try new foods. When they are very little you can only introduce a new food every few days, but if you make sure to keep trying then by the time they are toddlers they will have learned to enjoy many different tastes and textures.
Avoid keeping snacks and drinks that are high in sugar and salt in your pantry or fridge. Children can quickly acquire a taste for sugary and salty foods, and the habit is hard to break. If you stock carrot sticks instead of chips, and fresh juice instead of soda, your child will naturally make healthier choices.
If they establish this habit before they reach school age, it will be easier for them to continue making good choices as they grow and their health will remain good! They will have more energy and be able to do more things. Once their body becomes accustomed to healthy food, large amounts of fast food or sweets can make them feel sluggish or sick, so they will naturally want to eat well to avoid feeling ill.
The importance of drinking water cannot be stressed enough, especially if your child is into sports! If you make sure they drink plenty of water every day from the time they can manage a cup, they will be more likely to turn to it on hot days when they are in danger of dehydration.
Another important habit for life is exercise! Encourage your child to participate in physical activities in and out of school – they will be stronger and more energetic if they have daily exercise. Don’t forget to set an example – make a point to exercise with your kids when you can!
Regular exercise isn’t just for physical health – mental and emotional health can be improved by physical activity as well. The mind becomes sharper when the body is stimulated, and self esteem can be built by achievements in sports or other physical activity – even solo workouts can be measured against past records to encourage them to raise the bar and give a sense of accomplishment!
If you teach your children to respect the needs of their body by exercising and eating properly, you can easily lead into talking about the bad effects alcohol and drugs can have on them. Since they already know how important it is to treat their body well, they will be more inclined to listen to warnings about which things they shouldn’t put into their system!
