We all want to protect our children from ailments, but for many first-time parents, this is easier said than done. Keeping children safe and healthy is not an easy task, particularly if they are sickly by nature.
However, as challenging as the situation may be, it’s not as hard as many parents think. As long as you understand how a child’s body works, and what it needs to stay healthy, then you should be able to protect your child from most types of illnesses. So if you need help with this particular issue then here are five tips to keep kids from getting sick.
Prevent Germs From Spreading
One of the leading causes of childhood illnesses are germs, and most children are exposed to a lot of germs. The best ways to keep kids from getting sick is to keep them from as many germs as possible.
Help protect your child from germs through the following tips;
- Make Your Children Wash Their Hands Often. Make It A Habit.
- Disinfect Those Areas and Objects That Your Kids Often Touch.
- Keep the Bathroom and Bedroom Hygienic.
- Give Your Child A Hand Sanitizer.
- Teach Your Child Germ Etiquette.
- Wash Their Toys and Bags Often.
Aside from these tips, you should also clean your home regularly, particularly your child’s bedroom. Dust, for example, carry a lot of germs, which is why you need to keep them away from your child. As a general rule, the cleaner your home is the less likely your child experience colds and fevers.
Healthy Living
Young children need exercise, proper nutrition and a lot of sleep in order to stay healthy. So one of the best things that you can do for your child is to make sure that they lead a healthy lifestyle.
For starters, make sure that your child has the right diet. Veggies and fruits will not only prevent diseases, but they can also prevent malnutrition and obesity. For toddlers, breast milk is important for boosting their health, and for mature school children, protein, calcium, and vitamins will help prevent all kinds of diseases.
Next, you need to make sure that your child gets enough sleep. Toddlers need around 11 to 14 hours of sleep, pre-schoolers need 10 to 13 hours and school children need 9 to 11 hours. Sufficient sleep is not only necessary in keeping your kids healthy, but they also play a major role in keeping them physically active.
Finally, you will need to make sure that your kids are properly socialized. Socialization is not only important for a child’s psychological well-being, but it can also remove the urge to live a sedentary lifestyle, which happens to be one of the leading causes of many childhood ailments. So encourage your child to have many friends. It’s good for their mental, emotional and physical health.
Motivate Them to Exercise
A lot of children’s health problems are the result of a sedentary lifestyle. Too much time in front of gadgets or the laptop can weaken their bodies and immune system. In worse cases, the lack of physical activity can lead to obesity, malnutrition and, for those who have asthma, serious respiratory problems.
Exercise frequently to prevent these kinds of problems. Not only does regular exercise prevent common problems, like childhood obesity, it can also help improve a child’s physical development.
If your child doesn’t like to exercise, then there are other options you can try. You can, for example, enroll them in swimming classes, make them join youth clubs/sports clubs, or you can buy them a balance bike. If those don’t work, you can always bring them to the park on weekends. Any activity that encourages physical activity is good for your child’s health, so try to encourage them to be physically active as much as possible.
Be Prepared
Finally, you will need to be prepared for common childhood illnesses, such colds, fevers and severe coughs. Start by storing a nice supply of children’s medicine. This way, when your child does get sick, you will be able to keep it from getting worse.
Acetaminophen and Ibuprofen, for example, are useful for fevers, whereas Dextromethorphan, Pseudoephedrine, and Brompheniramine are best used for colds.
Additionally, you should also have the number of a good general practitioner close at hand. Not only is this a good precaution against serious ailments, but a family doctor can also help track your child’s growth and development.
Finally, you should get your child vaccinated. Vaccines offer the best defense against diseases and ailments, which is why you should get your child vaccinated as soon as possible.
