One of the hardest parts of being a parent is passing good, healthy habits onto your kids, especially when you have a buddy lifestyle. Sometimes, parents have to make unhealthy choices for themselves in order to get through the day – for example, taking the kids for a quick lunch at McDonald’s so they can get to dance in time! However, by taking the time to pass healthy habits onto your kids, you can set them up for the best start in life. Here are 7 tips for instilling a healthy lifestyle in your kids!
Have Healthy Snacks In The Home
Instead of having lots of crisps and chocolate in your home, you should invest in getting healthier snacks for your kids to try. Sure, kids love crisps and chocolate – but they’re great for a treat and not every day. If your kids get used to eating junk food, it is harder for them to give up as adults. Instead, try to keep healthy snacks in the house like fresh fruit, cut-up veggies, yoghurts or dried vegetable chips. This way, your kids will reach for nutritious snacks instead of unhealthy ones.
Exercise As A Family
One of the best ways to teach your kids about the importance of exercise is to do group activities and sports as a family. When your kids learn about moving their bodies as part of a fun family activity, they will be more likely to do it in the future. Furthermore, you are your child’s most important role model. If they see you getting more exercise, they will be more likely to continue exercising for their health. Try fun family sports such as going on walks, tennis, football, swimming and much more to teach your kids the importance of exercise.
Take Them To Their Appointments
When you make sure your kids get to their doctor’s and dentist’s appointments regularly, they will feel less intimidated or scared by the experience. Dental anxiety in particular is very common in children, and it can make going to the dentist a negative experience for them. However, keeping up with their appointments from a young age and encouraging them to ask questions will help them get more used to these appointments. There are many ways to get kids to love the dentist, so make sure to incorporate them into your parenting to ensure your child continues going to their appointments!
Teach Them Mental Health Tips
Mental health is not just for adults – since the pandemic, there has been a significant rise in mental health problems in children. However, teaching your child mental health techniques is one of the best things you can do in order to protect them from developing serious issues later on as a teenager. Teaching your child how to recognise and deal with their feelings, identify anxiety, and develop coping techniques are all essential when it comes to promoting good mental health in children. Have clear and frank discussions with your kids about mental health to promote better awareness.
Educate Them About Smoking and Drinking
When your children get older, their peers may offer them alcohol, cigarettes, and drugs. There is often no way to avoid this, no matter how much you might try to influence their friends. It’s important to have clear discussions with your kids about alcohol consumption and the dangers of smoking and taking drugs. Don’t scare or threaten them – simply tell them the facts. This will help them be more vigilant and be more likely to say no when they’re teenagers.
Promote Good Sleep Hygiene
Sleep hygiene is essential to a child’s development, and often, the sleeping patterns of adults were often set when they were kids. If a child doesn’t get good sleep, this could result in an adult that doesn’t get a lot of good sleep. Ensuring your child goes to bed at the same time each night as well as optimising their bedroom for good sleep are all important ways to promote good sleep hygiene. Taking away their devices an hour before bedtime is a great way to reduce their blue light exposure, which could have negative effects on their sleep. Children who get good sleep will usually have good sleep in adulthood.
Monitor Their Breathing
Breathing is an essential part of health – and it’s important that you monitor your child’s breathing and respiratory health as they grow up. For example, conditions like asthma often develop in young children and can be life-threatening. It’s important that you monitor your child’s breathing to make sure they get all of the treatment they need – if they develop asthma, they might need inhalers. However, leading researchers on rhinoplasty in Manchester found that patients with deviated septums often had problems with breathing since they were children. Monitoring your child’s respiratory health is essential if you want them to be healthy and have healthy habits into adulthood.
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