For many of us, having children is on life’s checklist, such as finding our true love, succeeding in our career, owning a home, and many other life goals. However, if truth be told, none of the other plans is as significant a milestone as having a baby. From the moment you learn you are expecting, your journey as a parent begins, and you will likely feel the same overwhelming love that parents worldwide experience. It is wondrous how you can love someone so much before even meeting them, and when you do meet that little bundle of joy. Ah, there’s nothing that compares. It is the biggest miracle of life to have and hold in your own hands a little part of you and your partner, your own flesh and blood.
If you’re a parent or soon to become one, chances are you know exactly how it feels. That intense love and innate protectiveness you feel towards your child is unparalleled. You’d move mountains for them and do anything and everything within your power to keep them out of harm’s way. We understand your situation, and to help you ensure that nothing hurts your child, we’ve compiled a list of ways to ensure your child’s best health. Read on to find out what measures you, as a parent, can take to safeguard your child’s well-being.
Choosing the Right Doctor
Worries for your child’s health begin when they are in the womb. Hence, choosing the right doctor for your pregnancy and delivery would be best. This is essential to ensure your child is healthy and doesn’t suffer from a birth injury, details of which can be found on the Birth Injury Justice Center website. Generally, a birth injury refers to any injury suffered by a child at the time of birth, which the diligence of the doctors could have prevented. An expecting mother must take great care of herself and her unborn baby. A good doctor’s job is to guide the pregnant mother correctly regarding the care required of her. The doctor is also responsible for ensuring the mother and child are healthy during pregnancy and that the safest procedures are followed at every instance. Failure to carry out any of the said duties on the part of a doctor can lead to problems like birth injuries. There is no shortage of gynecologists anywhere, but choose the best option due to your delicate condition during pregnancy.
Administering Vaccines
Vaccines are essential for growing children, and without timely vaccines, children are vulnerable to preventable diseases that are potentially life-threatening. Vaccines are readily available in every country as a safe, convenient, and effective measure against dangerous illnesses. Diseases such as polio, whooping cough, and measles are all preventable with the proper administration of vaccines. In recent years, there has been a lot of dispute on the subject of vaccines, with many ‘anti-vaxxers’ arguing that vaccines make children sick or disabled. Due to this, there has been a significant rise in the number of cases of preventable diseases. For any educated individual, it is plain to see that issues arising from vaccinations in children are normal side effects. As with every medicine/treatment, there are bound to be some adverse effects. However, the benefits of vaccines greatly outweigh the risks. Hence, ensure your child receives timely vaccinations and get one step closer to ensuring good health.
Providing the Right Nutrition
For unborn children, nutrition comes from the mother’s diet. So as long as you’re eating healthy, your child will likely get all the required nutrients. Similarly, for infants who primarily feed on milk, formula milk or breast milk contains all the necessary things to ensure the health and growth of the child. However, a growing child requires proper nutrition. This can only be attained by having a balanced diet full of healthy fats and proteins. However, young children do have a reputation for being picky eaters. The trick is to find foods your kids like and learn to disguise other foods as part of the former. Maybe your little tyke doesn’t like to eat his cauliflower and carrots; how about boiling and blending them up into a puree that you can add to a pot of mac and cheese? With the color of the vegetables matching that of cheese, your little one will happily eat away a delicious bowl full of nutrients. If you need more ideas, various tricks and tips are available online for making children eat nutritious meals.
Teaching Good Hygiene
Children do not generally have the healthiest hygiene practices. This is very risky for health, especially for school-going kids. Playing in the dirt, sharing food with friends, and having all sorts of physical contact with each other lead to kids catching many illnesses. A preventive measure is to start teaching good hygiene practices from an early age. Simple things like regularly washing hands, not picking one’s nose, and not eating food picked up from the ground can have a huge impact. With your child simply washing hands between food and play, you can significantly reduce their risk of catching illnesses. An added measure would be teaching your child to recognize when someone is ill and to keep at a distance. This will reduce the risk of exposure to viruses/bacteria, and the frequency of illnesses brought home from friends. Another plus point of good hygiene practices is that it helps a child build a life-long habit of cleanliness. Hence, it further curbs their chances of getting sick later in life.
Getting Plenty of Rest
All of us need proper sleep and rest to function at our best. The same applies to children whose sleep requirement significantly surpasses our own. Children must stick to a routine and get their required hours of sleep to grow at a healthy pace and indulge in their daily activities. If your child has a fixed routine, you’ve got it sorted, but if you are one of the parents who struggle to put their kid down at night, do not worry. An afternoon nap will fix the problem. Get your little one to sleep after school for a few hours. This works because, at this point, their exhaustion from being at school makes it harder to put up a fight. So find alternatives to ensure your child gets the required rest and sleep so they can spend their days as a happy and healthy kid.
Final Words
At the end of the day, there is no rule book for parenting. Like all parents, you will learn as you go, and like all children, your kid will, at some point, get sick. However, if you’re here looking for ways to ensure your child’s health, you’ve already got the most crucial part covered, i.e., your love and devotion towards your child.
