Every parent wants their child to be healthy. The trouble is that most parents get lots of conflicting advice and ideas about what exactly “healthy” means.
That's why we put together this ultimate parents' guide to children’s health. Here we offer an overview to ensure that your child is as healthy as possible.
Broadly speaking, your child’s health is contingent on three main pillars: nutrition, exercise, and illness.
Nutrition
First is nutrition – this is a crucial pillar since it concerns what tools and fuel your child’s body has to grow and develop properly. Without the right nutrients, your child could run into health issues.
Focus on a Healthy Diet
It’s important to focus on a healthy diet as much as you can. While lots of kids are picky eaters and may be resistant to eating a variety of vegetables, the key is consistency -- you need to try to convince them to “eat the rainbow” as much as possible. Kids’ growing bodies need tons of vitamins and minerals, as well as core nutrients, to feel their best and grow on schedule.
Include a Good Multivitamin
Also important is an excellent multivitamin. Unfortunately, lots of kids’ multivitamins are synthetic gummies that are full of sugar and unnecessary ingredients like pork-based gelatin, causing them to be more candy than vitamins. These vitamins might be popular since kids naturally love sweet foods, yet they’re hardly healthy, so you should be focusing on the non-candy alternatives.
For instance, Hiya’s Chewable Multivitamin is a healthy and natural ingredient-based multivitamin made with 12 organic fruits and veggies and supercharged with fifteen key vitamins and minerals known to support development, immunity, mood and more. Even better, Hiya is made with zero added sugar yet tastes great due to natural sweeteners.
Avoid Too Much Sugar
Speaking of which, make sure your children avoid excess sugar entirely. Too many parents let their kids consume sweets as a regular part of their children’s diets, which is part of why America is currently experiencing an obesity epidemic. And sweets aren’t just candy -- excess sugar can be found in breakfast cereals, breakfast bars, apple sauce and so much more.
Too much sugar might seem harmless yet it can lead to a variety of long term health issues. And that's why you’re there: to make sure they eat what’s good for them, not just what tastes the best.
Exercise
Next up is exercise. A healthy child needs to exercise a certain amount each day, and many kids get their exercise at school.
Regular Exercise is Key
If your child is a bit of an introvert, try to make sure they still get plenty of exercise every day by including them in walks or outdoor activities when they are at home. Even extroverted kids have to sit a lot during school.
Regular exercise helps your children learn about their bodies’ limitations and abilities, and it helps ensure that their muscles and bones grow properly and to the proper extent.
Too Much Sitting is Bad
Similarly, try to make sure that your child doesn’t sit around too much, especially after they get home from school. While reading and other cerebral activities are important, sitting too much could contribute to childhood obesity, especially since obesity is partially influenced by genes.
Illness Prevention
Lastly, parents should prioritize illness prevention as much as they can. It’s a tough job, given that many kids go to school and contract colds from their classmates. But it’s still an achievable goal.
Nutrition Plays a Role in the Immune System
Remember that nutrition plays a huge role in how active and effective your child’s immune system is. That’s partially why key multivitamins, like Hiya’s Chewable Multivitamin, includes so many essential vitamins known to boost the immune system. Zinc and Vitamin C for example are known to help your kid stay healthy even when other kids around them are sick.
A healthy child is less likely to get severely ill when they do inevitably contract a cold, too. All in all: double down on your nutritional focus and you’ll likely see passive benefits for your child’s immune system as well.
Regular Doctors Appointments
Of course, it’s also a good idea to regularly set up doctors' appointments for your kids. While most children are fairly robust, especially if you ensure that they maintain a good diet, only a pediatrician or another doctor can scan for more complex problems or developmental issues.
Keeping regular doctor's appointments will go a long way toward protecting your child from disease or long-term illnesses.
Bringing All Three Pillars Together
Holistic wellness isn't about focusing on one topic or aspect to the exclusion of all others. Instead, you should prioritize balanced nutrition, exercise, and illness prevention strategies in conjunction with one another. This is the best way to make sure your child is as healthy as possible.
A healthy kid will:
- Eat a balanced diet with plenty of fruits and vegetables and avoid too many sweets and desserts
- Consume a regular multivitamin, and preferably one without any added sugar or synthetic additives. Hiya’s Chewable Multivitamin is the ideal example
- Exercise every day, especially if they don’t get a lot of exercise at school. This is important even in the winter
- Not sit around too much, as this can lead to obesity or low energy levels
- Go to the doctor's office regularly, and at least annually. Only qualified medical professionals can screen your child for certain diseases or developmental problems that are best to catch early
Above all, just do your best and pay attention. Your child will likely show signs of health problems if there’s anything wrong. Sticking with the above strategies can help you keep your child healthy, even when they start heading to school.
Summary
Ultimately, managing nutrition, exercise, and illness protection will help your child stay healthy and active all the way to adulthood.
Don't forget to prioritize a chewable multivitamin like the kind we offer at Hiya – it can help your kid stay healthy if they're a picky eater. Try it for yourself!
Sources:
https://www.webmd.com/health-insurance/features/family-vitamins
https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/children/index.htm
