We all know how hard it can be when our little ones are suffering from illnesses or discomfort. As parents, we want to do everything possible to keep our children healthy, not only because of the disruption it causes to their schoolwork and our jobs but because seeing your children in pain is heartbreaking.
Most people go into an immune-boosting regime very quickly when their children are young so that they can build their immune systems as quickly as possible. Often this means exposing your children to germs so that they get sick and build an immunity to them. The good news is that there are things that you can do to boost your Children’s Health. You can go very technical with medication adherence packaging with your pharmacist or you can ensure that they are eating well and exercising regularly. As much as possible, you want to keep your children healthy, so we’ve put together a list of the best ways that you can ensure that your children are as healthy as possible.
Add salt to the bathtub
Did you know that most children are actually magnesium deficient? This is due to depleted soil and water levels. So when you add a handful of Epsom salts and a tablespoon or two of sea salts, you’ll be able to gently boost their magnesium levels. This can also help them to relax and wind down before bedtime. Not only will this help them to sleep better, but those magnesium levels are going to be much easier for you to manage from there. If you have children with allergies, skin conditions or asthma, this is one small step that can make a massive difference. Some children dealing with those conditions also need additional supplementation, so speak to your pharmacist and doctors to find out what you can do. Natural sea salt or Himalayan salt can often contain many trace minerals as well, and it’s very soothing to skin.
Let go of the night light
Exposure to artificial light isn’t always the best thing for your children. Overnight it can halt the normal melatonin production and interrupt the sleep cycle of your children. Unfortunately, many parents face issues with children being afraid of the dark, which can mean they like the light to stay on for longer but one night of interrupted or lost sleep has been shown to give a healthy person the insulin levels of a prediabetic! If your children are having poor sleep, it also interferes with the pituitary glands’ function and the leptin cycle, and that’s going to have consequences for a growing child.
Understanding the impact of artificial light on your children’s sleep cycle and overall health is crucial. While addressing their fear of the dark and ensuring they get a good night’s sleep, consider these tips to strike a balance:
Use Dim Night Lights
Opt for night lights that emit a soft, warm glow rather than bright, blue-toned lights. Red or orange lights are less likely to interfere with melatonin production, helping maintain a natural sleep cycle.
Establish a Relaxing Bedtime Routine
Create a calming bedtime ritual that helps your child wind down before sleep. This can include reading a book together, listening to soothing music, or doing some gentle stretches. A consistent routine signals to their body that it’s time to rest.
Limit Screen Time Before Bed
Encourage activities that don’t involve screens at least an hour before bedtime. The blue light emitted by phones, tablets, and TVs can disrupt sleep patterns. Instead, opt for non-screen activities that help them relax.
Gradual Exposure to Darkness
Gradually reduce the amount of light in your child’s room over time to help them become more comfortable with the dark. You can start by keeping the lights dim and slowly transitioning to using just a night light, then possibly removing the light altogether once they feel more secure.
Discuss and Address Fears
Openly talk about any fears of the dark your child may have. Understanding their concerns allows you to reassure them and find solutions together. Sometimes, simply knowing they’re being heard and understood can significantly alleviate their fears.
By incorporating these tips, you can help ensure your children enjoy a restful night’s sleep, supporting their healthy development while also addressing their comfort and security needs.
Say yes to muddy play
It’s very easy to keep children clean by putting their shoes and socks on and not allowing them to go jump around in mud outside, but you could say yes to that instead. If your kids want to get muddy outside in their bare feet, you should say yes and give them a chance to get filthy dirty from time to time. It’s counterintuitive to consider that mud will actually help them to be healthier, but actually, you’re going to be helping them to boost their immune systems. Consistently keeping children completely clean means they have no exposure to bacteria that they need to have exposure to if they want to build a healthy immune system.
Have fun in the sunshine
You know that you need to make sure that you are slathering your children in sunscreen in the sunshine making sure that they wear hats and keeping them in the shade when you’re outside. But a healthy dose of sunshine does exist. If you are constantly giving your kids sunscreen to wear, it blocks the healthy and normal production of vitamin D. So having at least 5 to 10 minutes in the sunshine before you add the sunscreen is a good idea. If you take your kids to the park, let them run around for five or 10 minutes, and then add sunscreen to their skin. This gives them some exposure to vitamin D to help them boost their levels, and it also still protects their skin from the sun’s UV levels.
Let them eat the cake
Absolutely. It would help if you were making sure that your children are eating a balanced and healthy diet, but that also includes cake and other delicious foods in that genre. Healthy fats like vegetable oil are a great idea. Ideally, every single meal your children have should have a fruit or vegetable with them, but that doesn’t mean you should say no to that birthday cake they want to have. Not enough fat in children’s diet is likely to do more harm than good. You need to make sure that they are getting a good balance of everything and not too much of one thing or the other.
Get creative with vegetables
Some children can be picky about their foods and how they are consumed, but one of the easiest ways you can get around that is with soup. Most children love dipping crackers or toasties in soup, and you can help them enjoy it better when you are making the soup together. Broth, for example, contains plenty of vitamins, and minerals and it’s great for the immune health of skin, hair and bones. That doesn’t mean you can’t whip up your favourite vegetable soup by going through the bottom drawer of the fridge and whatever you can find, adding it to a pot with some stock and blending it down. You can get your kids to consume broth on its own as a liquid, but it’s best to add it as a base for soups, stews, casseroles, spaghetti, and more.
Make sure that you are following the guidelines
A good way to keep your younger children healthy is to make sure that you are not feeding them solid food too early in life. Gut health is important and many of the issues that we are seeing in research to do with gut health being a problem is in adults over the age of 30. These adults have had their gut disrupted before the age of 6 months with solid food which comes back to bite them later on. When we know better, we do better. So try to follow the health guidelines no matter how ready your child may seem or how much they may reach to grab for your food.
Use fewer chemicals
We’ve all seen news reports about cancer-causing chemicals found in baby products and in body products, but the problem isn’t limited to a lotion. There are plenty of products that we use on our skin and on our children’s skin that can cause issues later on. From sunscreen to bug spray to shampoo, if you are constantly covering your kids with chemicals then this might be a problem for their skin and their health. Choose natural products where possible and use as many recipes to make your own natural products if you can. Not only is this better for their skin, but it’s better for you because then you won’t have to spend as much money.
Let them eat the peanuts and the eggs
One of the best practices you could do though is making sure that you give your children a known allergen, but give that to them nearby, to a clinic or a hospital, just in case you need extra help. Peanut butter sandwiches, for example, are a good way to start your kids. Early at six months onwards, strawberries and eggs are also another one.
Remember, every child’s journey is unique, and what works for one may not work for another. Embracing this process with patience, understanding, and professional support can make all the difference in navigating the world of food allergies with your child.
Encourage movement
Healthy children are the ones that move the most. Get them involved in sports, take them to the park on the weekends and ditch the car to walk more. Most children love to Sprint, jump, roll and play, so let them do that. It’s fine if they’re doing it in the mud, and it’s fine if they’re using the trees as monkey bars. Children love to be able to develop and move their bodies, so go to the trampoline centre on the weekend and take them to that soft play that they love so much. You could also add climbing equipment to your backyard and get them out there and move their bodies.
Last Updated on March 7, 2024 by Lucy Clarke
