Children's Healthy Living
Good health with a healthy lifestyle and vibrant living as adults begins as a kid with your children's healthy living derived from "healthy living" and "healthy eating" with good kids nutrition over the child's years, plus consistent physical activity and daily exercise, combined with a healthy family life too.
Your child's health includes physical, mental and social well-being. Most parents know the basics of keeping children healthy, like offering them healthy foods, making sure they get enough sleep and exercise and insuring their safety.
It is also important for children to get regular checkups with their health care provider. These visits are a chance to check your child's development. They are also a good time to catch or prevent problems.
Other than checkups, school-age children should be seen for:
- Significant weight gain or loss
- Sleep problems or change in behavior
- Fever higher than 102
- Rashes or skin infections
- Frequent sore throats
- Breathing problems
Exercise for Children
Like adults, kids need exercise. Most children need at least an hour of physical activity every day. Regular exercise helps children
- Feel less stressed
- Feel better about themselves
- Feel more ready to learn in school
- Keep a healthy weight
- Build and keep healthy bones, muscles and joints
- Sleep better at night
As kids spend more time watching TV, they spend less time running and playing. Parents should limit TV, video game and computer time. Parents can set a good example by being active themselves. Exercising together can be fun for everyone. Competitive sports can help kids stay fit. Walking or biking to school, dancing, bowling and yoga are some other ways for kids to get exercise.
Eating well and being physically active are key to your child’s well-being. Eating too much and exercising too little can lead to overweight and related health problems that can follow children into their adult years. You can take an active role in helping your child—and your whole family—learn healthy eating and physical activity habits.
All children benefit from healthy eating and physical activity. A balanced diet and being physically active help children:
- Grow
- Learn
- Build strong bones and muscles
- Have energy
- Maintain a healthy weight
- Avoid obesity-related diseases like type 2 diabetes
- Get plenty of nutrients
- Feel good about themselves
Parents are Role Models for their Children
Parents play a big role in shaping children’s eating habits. When parents eat a variety of foods that are low in fat and sugar and high in fiber, children learn to like these foods as well. It may take 10 or more tries before a child accepts a new food, so do not give up if your child does not like a new food right away.
Parents have an effect on children’s physical activity habits as well. You can set a good example by going for a walk or bike ride after dinner instead of watching TV. Playing ball or jumping rope with your children shows them that being active is fun.
With many parents working outside the home, child care providers also help shape children’s eating and activity habits. Make sure your child care provider offers well-balanced meals and snacks, as well as plenty of active play time.
If your child is in school, find out more about the school’s breakfast and lunch programs and ask to have input into menu choices, or help your child pack a lunch that includes a variety of foods. Get involved in the parent-teacher association—PTA—to support physical education and after-school sports.
Your child’s friends and the media can also affect his or her eating and activity choices. Children may go to fast food places or play video games with their friends instead of playing tag, basketball, or other active games. TV commercials try to persuade kids to choose high-fat snacks and high-sugar drinks and cereals. When parents help their children be aware of peer and media pressures, youngsters are more likely to make healthy choices outside the home.
Calcium helps build strong bones and teeth. Milk and milk products are great sources of calcium. If your child cannot digest milk or if you choose not to serve milk products, there are other ways to make sure he or she gets enough calcium.
- Serve calcium-rich vegetables like broccoli, mustard greens, kale, collard greens, and brussels sprouts.
- Include high-calcium beans like great northern beans, black turtle beans, navy beans, and baked beans in casseroles and salads.
- Try calcium-enriched soy- and rice-based drinks. Serve chilled, use in place of cow’s milk in your favorite recipes, or add to hot or cold cereals.
- Serve lactose-reduced or lactose-free dairy products like low-fat or fat-free milk, yogurt, and ice cream. (Lactose is the sugar in milk and foods made with milk. People who cannot digest lactose often have stomach pain and bloating when they drink milk.)
- Try low-fat yogurt or cheese in small amounts—they may be easier to digest than milk.
- Give your child a snack or two in addition to his or her three daily meals.
- Offer your child a wide variety of foods, such as grains, vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy products, and lean meat or beans.
- Serve snacks like dried fruit, low-fat yogurt, and air-popped popcorn.
- Let your child decide whether and how much to eat. Keep serving new foods even if your child does not eat them at first.
- Cook with less fat—bake, roast, or poach foods instead of frying.
- Limit the amount of added sugar in your child’s diet. Choose cereals with low or no added sugar. Serve water or low-fat milk more often than sugar-sweetened sodas and fruit-flavored drinks.
- Choose and prepare foods with less salt. Keep the salt shaker off the table. Have fruits and vegetables on hand for snacks instead of salty snack foods.
- Involve your child in planning and preparing meals. Children may be more willing to eat the dishes they help fix.
- Have family meals together and serve everyone the same thing.
- Do not be too strict. In small amounts, sweets or food from fast-food restaurants can still have a place in a healthy diet.
- Make sure your child eats breakfast. Breakfast provides children with the energy they need to listen and learn in school.
Children who are overweight are more likely to become overweight adults. They may develop type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, and other illnesses that can follow them into adulthood. Overweight in children can also lead to stress, sadness, and low self-esteem.
Because children grow at different rates at different times, it is not always easy to tell if a child is overweight. For example, it is normal for boys to have a growth spurt in weight and catch up in height later. Your health care provider can measure your child’s height and weight and tell you if your child is in a healthy range for his or her gender and age. If your provider finds that your child is overweight, you can help.
Tips for Parents
- Make sure your child eats breakfast. Breakfast provides children with the energy they need to listen and learn in school.
- Offer your child a wide variety of foods, such as grains, vegetables and fruits, low-fat dairy products, and lean meats or beans.
- Talk to your health care provider if you are concerned about your child’s eating habits or weight.
- Cook with less fat—bake, roast, or poach foods instead of frying.
- Limit the amount of added sugar in your child’s diet. Serve water or low-fat milk more often than sugar-sweetened sodas and fruit-flavored drinks.
- Involve your child in planning and preparing meals. Children may be more willing to eat the dishes they help fix.
- Be a role model for your children. If they see you being physically active and having fun, they are more likely to be active and stay active throughout their lives.
- Encourage your child to be active every day.
- Involve the whole family in activities like hiking, biking, dancing, basketball, or roller skating.
Health Tip: Sign Up Your Child for a Sport
Enrolling your child in a baseball, soccer or other sports league can ensure regular exercise, promote friendships and instill a sense of teamwork.
Suggestions before you sign up your child for a team sport:
- Consider how much time the sport will take away from family time, homework and relaxation.
- Think about how sports participation will impact the rest of the family.
- Make sure you work out any transportation and schedule issues, especially if you have more than one child playing sports.
- Consider lending a hand to your child's sport. Volunteering can encourage your child to participate and help you spend quality time together.
Child Safety
Parents want to keep children safe from harm. Take steps to keep your children safe by:
- Installing the right child safety seat in your car
- Teaching children how to cross the street safely
- Making sure they wear the right gear and equipment for sports
- Installing and testing smoke alarms
- Storing medicines, cleaners and other dangerous substances in locked cabinets
- Baby proofing your home
- Not leaving small children unattended
