10 Healthy Ways to Improve Your Children’s Healthcare Routine

How can you set your children up for a lifetime of good health?

It’s something many parents think about, since we want to do the best we can to keep our precious young ones healthy, safe, and free from disease. We all want to be good role models, but what exactly should we be doing?

If you’re wondering what more you can do to improve your children’s healthcare, there are plenty of ways to get started. To learn more, keep reading to find ten easy ways parents can help their kids be healthy.

1. Improve Your Children’s Healthcare By Finding a Great Pediatrician

It’s important for kids to learn from a young age that a doctor is a safe and trustworthy person that they can go to for help, at any point in life. To help them develop a good relationship with doctors, start out by finding a fantastic pediatrician.

You want a doctor who takes the time to make kids feel comfortable and explains what’s happening, so that they don’t become scared or nervous when going to a doctor’s office.

2. Cook Healthy Meals Together

Nutrition is a big part of a healthy lifestyle, so teach your kids from a young age what foods are healthy and which ones are occasional treats. To do this, why not involve kids in cooking?

This will help them learn to love cooking and it’s a special activity that you can do together as a family. Even young kids can help out in the kitchen, assisting with tasks like mashing veggies, rinsing fruit, or scrubbing potatoes.

As they get older, you can teach them more cooking skills, helping them become healthy adults.

3. Encourage Brushing Before Bed

We know to brush our teeth in the morning, but it’s just as important to brush before bed as well. Work with your kids to make a bedtime routine that encourages brushing teeth before storytime.

Overnight, our mouths can breed bacteria, so if you don’t brush before bed, you’re at greater risk of cavities and gum disease.

You’ll also want to make sure your kids visit a dentist regularly, who can also refer to an orthodontist in case you need braces for children.

4. Put Down the Screens

Screen time is a big problem for kids (and adults!), so limit it as much as you can. It’s not good for our eyes to look at the screen in the dark, and too much screen time encourages a sedentary lifestyle.

Instead, make sure kids play outside and aren’t always on their phones or tablets.

5. Enjoy Daily Exercise

Exercise is key to having a healthy weight all through life, so find time each day for the kids to exercise. This could be riding bikes, playing outside, or joining a sporting team.

It doesn’t matter which exercise your kids choose, as long as it’s something that they enjoy.

6. Set Regular Bedtimes

Growing kids need plenty of sleep to let their bodies recover and prepare for the coming day. Staying up too late leads to grumpiness and fatigue the next day, so make sure kids are getting enough rest.

To do this, set consistent bedtimes. This helps kids get into a routine, which also helps avoid disagreements over wanting to stay up later.

7. Keep Your Home Free From Smoke

An easy way to improve the health of your kids is by keeping them away from smoke. We know the huge risks that smoke and cigarettes have to our health, so keep it away from little ones.

Don’t smoke in the home or around your kids. If you do smoke, think about quitting and how it might improve the health of you and your family.

8. Keep Healthy Snacks in the House

It can be tempting to reach for chips or cookies when the kids need an easy after school snack, but these foods are full of empty calories and aren’t giving kids the energy or nutrition they need to power through their homework.

Instead, try not to keep junk food in the home and purchase healthy snacks. Kids will eat whatever’s in the fridge, so take the guesswork out of the situation and keep snacks on hand like fresh fruit, carrots and hummus, or nuts.

9. Make Hand Washing a Routine

Proper hygiene is always a good habit to get into. Teach kids about the importance of cleanliness when it comes to washing their hands, especially after going to the bathroom or playing outside.

You can make hand-washing fun too—it’s said the right amount of time to wash is the length of the ‘Happy Birthday’ song, so why not sing as you wash?

10. Encourage Kids to Talk About Feelings

Health isn’t just physical—it’s also mental. Mental health issues like depression and anxiety are common, so let your kids know that they can always talk to you, or another trusted adult, about their feelings.

Feelings like anger, sadness, worry, and confusion are all common in kids of all ages, so kids need to learn how to process and manage their feelings and thoughts.

Use These Tips for Healthy, Happy Kids

Children’s healthcare is something all parents need to think about, so use the tips above to develop a fun and healthy routine for your kids. This will set them up for a lifetime of healthy habits, giving them all the tools they need to thrive as an adult.

Nutrition, exercise, preventative care, and hygiene are all key concepts that kids need to learn about, so get started today and give your children the best chance for success!

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