How I Take Care of My Children's Health

Part of caring for my children involves keeping them healthy. This big parenting job includes making them eat well, teaching them proper oral care, getting them physically active, and being on the lookout for potential injury dangers and health risks. Believe me; it was difficult to find out what was best for my children’s health. It was even harder to make them adopt healthy habits. However, after much thought, research, and practice, I’ve found ways to make them lead a healthy life and enjoy it as well. Here are the details.

Keep healthy snacks on hand

From personal experience, I’ve discovered that making kids grab healthy snacks when the unhealthier choices are readily available is no simple task. However, they’re also not born with a natural craving for unhealthy food options. The conditioning takes place over time. So I’ve also learned how to reprogram my kids over time so that they crave healthier snacks. How can that be? Simple: by limiting access to salty snacks and unhealthy sweets.

It’s been easier for me to convince my children to take an apple slice with peanut butter or pure fruit juice as a treat if soda, potato chips, and cookies aren’t available. What’s more, I keep the healthy beverages and snacks on the table or in the refrigerator so they can easily reach them. And if you need a recommendation for a good dentist, call the dentists in avon lake ohio.

Get creative with them in the kitchen

Kids are more open to trying healthy foods if they take part in the preparation process. I always make preparing meals as fun as possible for them. We cut foods together into fun and unusual shapes. We even try to make faces out of fruits and veggies and make a food collage. They help me out with small tasks like measuring liquids, peeling and cutting soft fruits with a dull knife, and adding ingredients.

When it’s time to eat, I always give them all the credit for the meals they help prepare. In fact, I even name the meals after them. And guess what? That makes them less likely to reject my healthy foods.

Lead by example

Of course, there’s no way my children will eat whole grains, fruits, and vegetables if they see me gorging on chips. I munch on healthy foods and show them how much I love it. And there’s no better time to set a good example about the importance of eating healthy than during mealtimes. We take meals as a family and eat the same thing. As we eat together, my kids can see me enjoying foods high in fiber and low in added sugars and fat while also controlling my portion sizes.

Give recipes a healthy makeover

I’ve transformed my recipes into healthier versions with less sugar, salt, and fats for the sake of my kids. For instance, I use more canola or olive oil and less butter and margarine. I cook foods with little salt and don’t bring the saltshaker anywhere near the dining table. I only choose low sugar cereals or those with dried fruit as their sugar source.

Addition of vegetables to soups and stews and drinking half a cup or a full cup of fresh vegetable or fruit juice has helped my children's load up on vital nutrients. Therefore, I always make sure I use the best juicer to minimize nutrient loss as I juice since its matter of their health. And at times, I add a splash of the juice to sparkling water to help my kids avoid sugary drinks when they get tired of drinking plain water.

Make oral care fun

Tooth decay is one of the most common childhood diseases. It’s among the last things I’d want my kids to develop because it could have painful and costly consequences such as problems with learning and speaking when left unchecked. I get my kids to brush their teeth and have fun while they’re at it by playing a song for them. This helps them brush for around 2 minutes. I also let them choose a toothbrush with their favorite colors or TV characters.

Limit inactive screen time

I don’t like my children having excessive sedentary time because that tends to limit their active playtime. I forbid them from spending more than 2 hours a day on screen time such as watching TV, surfing the internet, or playing inactive video games.

Being a role model to encourage exercise

These days, it’s harder to get kids up and moving due to TVs, computers, and handheld devices. I manage to make my little soldiers stay active by being a role model for them. I’ve added physical activity to my routine, and my kids join me too.

We play many competitive games, and I often let them win so that I can tell them how strong or fast they are that I can hardly keep up. My upbeat phrases keep them excited. They also make it easier for me to convince my kids to play for just a few minutes longer.

Some of the physical activities we do include brisk walking, taking family hikes, swimming, cycling, dancing, and jumping rope. I’ve also turned chores like washing our car, mowing the lawn, and walking the family dog into family activities to get everyone more active.

With the tips above, I’ve managed to instill healthy habits in my kids without turning physical activity or mealtimes into a war zone.