Daily Nurturing Habits To Keep Children Healthy

The health of a child depends a great deal on how they are nourished and nurtured. Many children thrive and grow up in good health due to the intentional efforts that their parents or caregivers put into caring for them every day.

In this post, we share five daily nurturing habits to keep children healthy.

Eating A Variety of Healthy Foods

Healthy food is important for little children. They need all the nutrients to support their growth and prevent diseases. The more healthy food choices a child has, the healthier their body becomes.

For children to get the best out of their meals, offer them foods that are rich in protein, healthy fats, carbohydrates and other groups of food. Foods like chicken, beef, eggs, meat, milk, yogurt, rice, yam, potatoes, soups, etc. should be regular in their meals.. 

Also, keep them hydrated with water throughout the day. This is especially good for their growing brains and skin. 

If your child is a picky eater or allergic to any of these foods, look for suitable alternatives that would provide the same benefits.

Showers After School or Play

Children are often more physically active throughout the day, and this means that they come in contact with a lot of germs and viruses. To keep their bodies healthy and protect them from diseases, make multiple showers a daily habit. Ideally, you want to give them a shower when they get back from school, to wash away all the sweat and germs from contact with surfaces and people. 

If they play outside, especially in the sand or around the neighborhood, give them a shower before they go to bed. This will keep them clean as much as possible and minimize the spread of germs.

Early Bedtime

According to The American Academy of Sleep Medicine, a toddler needs 11-14 hours of sleep every day, including naps. Getting enough sleep is proven to help with their overall quality of life, including mental health, learning in school, as well as their behavior. 

Make it a habit to get them to bed as early as possible, stick with the same bedtime routine, and resist the urge to let them stay up late whenever they want. You can set down rules that make it easy for them to go to bed early, like having a cut-off time for games and gadgets in the evening. Because children would often want to stay up late if you let them, you can also introduce fun activities that make them look forward to bedtime, like reading a story.

Sleeping early will be helpful to their growing bodies and minds.

Lots of Outdoor Time

Playing outside is important for a child’s overall development. According to the World Health Organization, children between the ages of one and five should spend at least three hours per day in physical activity, while older children should spend at least one hour.

Having daily outdoor activities help to boost children’s moods, strengthen their bones and provide them with balance and control of their bodies. Also, the more active a child is, the faster they can grow and hit their milestones.

Be intentional about how much outdoor time your child gets every day, so that they can stay healthy.

Emotional Connection and Support

Keeping children healthy is not just about the physical. It is also about the mental and psychological. Children thrive from positive emotional connection with adults. They look up to us for love and affection, and giving it to them is one of the ways we can support their health. To keep a child healthy, commit to filling their emotional tank with positive actions like hugs, cuddles, smiles and words of affirmation.

Use positive words when talking to them (even when correcting a misbehaving child), give them lots of hugs to help them stay grounded and feel safe, and cuddle them to build stronger emotional bonds. Protect them from frequent exposure to emotionally-charged situations that can make them feel scared and unsafe.

The safer a child feels with their parent or caregiver, the healthier they are in mind and body.

Remember that little people need adults to help them make healthy choices so that they can enjoy their bodies and grow into healthy adults.

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