Category: Health

Parent Category for Health of a child
Allergies, fever, cold and all the health-related issues.

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Development Fun Health

Developmental Advantages Connected to Early Swimming

Children who learn to swim by the age of five are found to be comparatively smarter than their counterparts. These children gain significant developmental advantages while learning to swim. An extensive study revealed that children who learned swimming early experienced more rapid physical and cognitive skill development than other kids.

Physical and visual Motor skills

Swimming gives developmental advantages in balancing the child’s body and its self-propelled movements. Children who learn swimming before the age of five are more adaptable with many other physical tasks. Early swimmers are also able to grasp objects more easily when compared to others. As they start practising earlier, their brains are also sharper than other kids of their age.

Cognitive skills

Children possessing swimming skills are always at par with others in all activities. They have more proficiency in solving arithmetic problems, identifying numbers and even counting. As they start getting trained very early, they are very good at understanding and following instructions. They have a good hold over language, both oral and in writing and identify the shapes correctly in illustrations. These children acquire good memory skills. They have an edge over others in recalling stories, reciting rhymes and whatever things they learn.

Builds muscles

Swim time helps improve a child’s muscle development at a very young age. Children need to develop muscles required to hold their heads up, move their arms and legs accordingly, and work in coordination with their entire body. Swimming is an exercise that provides benefits both internally and externally. It helps strengthen the lungs, heart, brain and blood vessels.

Improves sleeping patterns

For babies, pool time takes a lot of energy. They need to work extra hard to use their bodies in new ways for coordination. This drains the baby of all his energy and he requires more time to sleep after swimming.

Improves appetite

The extra energy given for swimming burns a lot of calories. This leaves your baby hungry and you notice that a baby’s appetite increases after swimming. This is because of the physical exertion and energy they use underwater to stay warm.

Weight management

Swimming is an effective aerobic exercise which keeps the child’s body moving all the time. This avoids childhood obesity and weight is kept under control.

Improves intelligence

Early swimming has a positive effect on the brain. The children have a higher level of Intelligence as they have been following instructions from a very early age. We also have greater cognitive development.

Stress buster

Swimming helps release stress and frustration in mind. When it comes to children, swimming offers them a perfect time for relaxation and let go of their daily pressures. This, in turn, results in a happier and healthier state of mind, free from all tensions. Being away from academics, such activities are necessary for your child to have some time on his own for his physical fitness and outfit.

Babies and toddlers who participate in swimming use more muscles than young children. Water-resistance helps them build muscle strength. They induce early stimulation of brain development. Specific instructions that need to be followed by early swimmers make them obedient at a much younger age. Completing the complex movements in water keeps the body fit and muscles strong. You must encourage your child to learn swimming as early as possible for his overall mental and physical development.

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Development Health Parenting and Childcare

All You Need to Know About Your Baby’s Growth Chart: 0 to 12 Months

It is the responsibility of the parent to monitor the growth of your baby closely and check for the milestones to be achieved. But, it is vital to understand that the development pattern and growth of each baby differ. You should not be anxious if your baby discovers to walk later than others or his height is not in order like other kids of the same age.

In what way baby growth is measured?
  • Height
  • Weight
  • Attaining puberty
  • Other changes such as the growth of hair, the ability to speak, the arrival of teeth, learning to walk, etc.

Doctors usually are more concerned about the baby’s weight and height. While the height of a little one relies on his genes largely, it is very significant to monitor the weight chart of the baby boy. Weight can inform whether the baby can digest food appropriately and can take out nutrition from it.

Baby Growth Chart

A growth chart is vital to follow your baby’s growth consistent with his age. Though there is no perfect weight and height, there is a specific growth pattern that helps you evaluate your baby’s milestones. Girls and boys have diverse growth charts as boys are a little taller than girls. Also, growth patterns differ. The most excellent way to keep a track of your baby boy’s weight and height is to take him for regular doctor checkups. Your baby’s doctor will measure his head circumference, weight, and height and will then compare them with the standard growth charts.

Factors that can influence the growth of the baby

The growth of your baby boy’s rate depends partially on his metabolism and body type, and partially on his general health, the environment and feeding habits. The factors that have an impact comprise:

Your physical condition when you were pregnant: This can impact the store of nutrients your baby has when born. Your lifestyle habits, weight, and diet can also have an important influence on your child’s growth in his first year.

Feeding

Feeding offers your baby with the essential calories he typically necessitates to grow. Until he is 6 months old, he is reliant on breast milk or formula feed for nutrition. The duration and amount of feeding affect his growth.

Birth Weight Of Your Baby

It points out how well you have nurtured your baby during pregnancy. But, babies born with low birth weight grow quicker, and babies born with high birth weight grow gradually. It is also known as a catch-up or catch-down growth.

Your Physical Condition After Pregnancy

If you go through postnatal despair or are sick for any reason, it will be hard for you to take care of your infant. This may eventually affect his growth. But, it is not lasting and gets solved once you get well.

Genes

Genes also play a noteworthy role in the growth of the baby. If both the parents are sturdy, your child is likely to be healthy. Likewise, if both parents are skinny, even the baby would be underweight.

Minor Diseases

Diseases such as ear infections and flu affect the baby’s development, but only provisional. He may not want to drink milk when he is unwell, and this might have an effect on his growth. The growth comes back to normal after he starts drinking milk and feeling well.

If you feel that the growth is abnormally sluggish or there is a vast disparity in him and his peers you should consult his paediatrician and get appropriate guidance.

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Development Health Special Child

All You Want to Know About Toddler’s Developmental Delay

When toddlers are slower to develop communication, emotional, physical, and social skills than expected, it is called developmental delay. Developmental delay can turn up in the way children shift, behave, think, communicate and learn with others. When more than one of these areas is affected, it may be called a global developmental delay.

Developmental delay may be short term, or it may be the first sign of a long-term issue.

Lasting developmental delays are also known as developmental disabilities. Instances are intellectual disability, learning disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, and cerebral palsy.

Signs that indicate that your toddler’s development has been delayed

Every toddler develops differently but as a general guide, you might be worried about the developmental delay if you notice that, over several months, your child is not developing language, social or motor skills at the same rate as other kids of the same age.

Things to do for delayed development in your toddler

As a parent, you know your toddler better than anyone else. If you are worried about your child’s development, rely on your instincts and talk to your paediatrician, and nurse.

These health professionals can make a diagnosis of developmental delay after evaluating your child. Or they can refer you to other professionals who can assist.

People who can assist a toddler with developmental delay

Your paediatrician and nurse can assist if you think your kid might have developmental delay, or your kid has a developmental delay diagnosis. The below-mentioned experts can also assist:

  • Audiologist
  • Occupational therapist
  • Physiotherapist
  • Speech pathologist
  • Psychologist
  • Special education teacher
  • Social worker
Living with developmental delay

Like other toddlers, kids with developmental delays keep learning. But they take longer to develop new skills, and they may learn in somewhat different ways from other kids. For instance, most kids can learn skills fast and by instance. But kids with developmental delay may need to be shown skills in simpler, smaller steps. They may also require more time and chances to practise skills.

At preschool or school, your kid may need additional support to do well. It is always a good idea to talk with preschools and schools about your child’s requirements. And if your child has a disability diagnosis, you may be able to get school support.

Do not worry about delayed development

Keep in mind that children develop at different rates. But, if you think your child is developmentally delayed, consult with your doctor. If your school-age child is diagnosed with developmental delay, you may be entitled to special services. Specialized services differ as per the need and location.

Consult with your physician and your school district to discover what services are present. Specialized education, particularly when started early, can assist your child’s progress and achieve more in school.

Treatments for developmental delays differ as per the specific delay. Some treatments comprise physical therapy for assistance in motor skill delay and behavioural and educational therapy for help with ASD and other delays.

In a few cases, medications may be recommended. A diagnosis and an evaluation from a paediatrician are vital to come up with a treatment plan particularly designed for your kid.

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Parenting and Childcare Sleeping Habits

Get your Twins on a Similar Sleep Schedule

From bathing and feeding to putting the twins down for sleep and changing diapers round the clock, life with twins can be as strenuous as it is satisfying. Even though the first few weeks are a bit of a twister, you can work towards setting up a flexible sleep schedule for your twins, which will work together with their feeding routine. Experts explain by six weeks your infants’ feeding routine should be calming down and they should begin sleeping for no less than one long stretch at night and waking every three to four hours to feed.

Here are some effectual means to get your twins on a similar sleep schedule:

Make sure that the twins sleep in the initial weeks together

There is no doubt that twins feel comfortable with each other and are calmer when placed next to each other, particularly in the first six weeks after birth. A study reveals that when newborn twins sleep in a single cot, they tend to have the same sleep schedule. This is since they tend to move nearer to one another and contact, hug and hold each other. They also get up at the same time, which makes their life much easier. They also normalize each other’s body temperatures, which assists to keep them quiet and transition into the world after birth.

Feed them at the same time

Waking a sleeping baby to feed in the night may sound like a mad idea, but it is a perfect tactic with twins. In the early days, if one baby is wide awake and it is close to feeding time, feed both! Once your babies grow older, you will find that they are asking for more frequent night feedings and a longer stretch of sleep. Remember that twins grow speedily and are hungry frequently, so when they strike a growth spurt you may need to feed them repeatedly. This is usual and should not last more than a week.

Put down your twins drowsy but awake

It is easy to rock one child to sleep in a bistro or the car, but when it comes to having twins, try to allow them to fall asleep in their cots when it is nap time rather than holding or rocking both of them at once. If anyone of them is bothering at sleep time, lift him/her to pacify and put the infant to cot again when he becomes sleepy. Teaching twins to self-settle is a great lasting tactic.

Make a calming sleep environment

When it comes to assisting your babies to sleep during the day and night, refer to these below-mentioned tips:

  • Stop over-drowsiness by restricting their awake time between sleep to forty-five and sixty minutes during the day
  • Keep them swaddled in a stretchy 100% cotton blanket when it is time to sleep
  • Dim the light in the room by closing the curtains and using block out blinds so there are no bright lights that can over-stimulate them
  • Use white noise, such as the sound of the ocean or a fan, to imitate the sounds of the womb.
  • Keep night feeds silent by remaining in the sleep zone, in a dark room with restricted interaction.

Lastly, give it time. A schedule does not take place in a day; it evolves over weeks and months.

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Sleeping Habits

Why is White Noise Good for Babies

To assist your baby sleep better at night, paediatricians often suggest soothing activities, such as warm baths. When nothing seems to work, parents may turn to alternative measures like white noise. Babies like white noise. They are used to it. Before making an entry into the world, your baby spent his days and nights in the reassuring buzz of human life. The noise of the blood hurrying around your body, your beating heart, and your every breath created a reassuring dissonance somewhat similar to the roar of a vacuum.

When born, your baby all of a sudden found himself in a perplexing world of whispered tones and calculated steps. Even though all these are meant for the baby’s comfort, this makes him feel detached completely. This prevents your baby to sleep.

What is white noise?

White noise refers to sounds that cover other sounds that take place in an environment naturally. If you live in a city, for instance, white noise could help obstruct out noise related to traffic. Particular sounds may be utilized to assist encourage sleep irrespective of ecological noise. Examples include comforting beach sounds.

There are devices particularly designed for use with babies. Some are set with heartbeat noise that is meant to imitate that of the mother or instrumental lullabies.

Reasons as to why white noise is good for babies

Babies might be able to sleep faster with white noise in the backdrop. White noise can suppress household sounds.

White noise may help sleep

The primary advantage of white noise for little ones is the fact that it can assist them to sleep. If you see your baby falling sleepy at noisy times outside of usual nap time, they may respond optimistically to white noise. Your baby may be adapted to being surrounded by noise, so a totally quiet environment could have a conflicting effect when it comes time to sleep.

Sleep aids can camouflage household sounds

Families with kids of varied ages can also advantage from white noise machines. For example, if you have a baby who needs sleep, but another child who no more takes sleep, white noise can assist suppress the noises of siblings to assist your baby sleep better.

Tips to use white noise for baby sleep
  • Play with the sounds a little. Every baby reacts to diverse tones differently. Reduced rhythmic sounds may be better.
  • Turn white noise machines all the way down to the beginning. The plan is to make it work at the minimum volume possible. Most machines can surpass the highest decibel level suggested for hospital nurseries.
  • Music is not white noise so do not play it.
  • Put the white noise machine close to the crib, but not within it. Items in a crib can be very risky for children.
  • It can be enticing to turn white noise on in the hope it will make your baby sleepy but this would not work and will just decrease its efficiency.

Whether your baby is a challenged or an easy sleeper, white noise can help the baby in several ways. The consistent, gentle sound can soothe him to sleep. You can whisper ‘shhh shhh’ to assist pacify your baby, which is a natural sound that imitates a mother’s heartbeat, and it works. As your baby hears this type of sound, he can focus on it, which helps him relax and sleep.

Remember that every baby is special when it comes to sleep needs, so white noise can finish up being a trial and error process. If you plan to try white noise, you should do it cautiously.

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Health Parenting and Childcare

Tips to Recognise and Diagnose Your Baby’s Food Allergies and Sensitivities

Starting to feed solid foods to babies is an electrifying milestone for parents. But, it comes with a lot of concerns and questions, particularly about food allergies. Allergy is caused by antibodies that the body’s immune system pro­duces, which respond to a constituent of a particular food and then discharge chemicals that cause allergic symptoms such as sneezing, runny nose, itching, and coughing.

Start Gradually to Recognise Any Food Allergies

It is most essential to introduce a baby to new foods slowly, one at a time, in case of food allergies. If not, a parent may have difficulty finding out that the baby is sensitive to which food. For instance, if you offer your baby 3 new foods in a day and she builds up an allergic reaction, you would not know which of the foods triggered it.

The type of food or the order in which food is introduced is not much anxiety, as long as the foods you are offering are well-balanced and healthy for the baby. Every time you provide a new food, you should wait for a few days before adding another innovative item to the menu. Do not get rid of the previous foods your baby is eating during that time; as you know these are safe for your baby.

Food Allergy Symptoms to Look for in Your Baby

Food allergy symptoms typically appear very soon after the food is consumed. The reaction may occur in a few minutes to a couple of hours. If you are introducing new food to your baby, look for these symptoms:

  • Trouble breathing
  • Hives or welts
  • Loss of consciousness
  • Flushed skin or rash
  • Diarrhoea  and/or vomiting 
  • Lip, tongue, or face swelling
  • Wheezing or coughing
How to Diagnose Baby Food Allergies?

Doctors suggest that it is important to secure a reliable diagnosis before drawing any dietary conclusions. Remember that restricting a baby’s diet without your paediatrician’s guidance carries risks of its own. If your baby has stomach issues or is picky after meals, talk to your paediatrician and visit an allergist. Sometimes the issue is not related to food allergies at all rather it can be due to overfeeding, incorrect mixing of formula milk, etc.

If your little one is diagnosed with an allergy or is sensitive to a particular food, you will have to stay away from her trigger foods. If your little one is allergic to milk, doctors will typically put the baby on a hypoallergenic formula. Just keep in mind; while food allergies can be annoying and even frightening, they do not essentially last forever. Several kids grow out of them by age five.

If you expect a sensitivity or food allergy, verify your suspicions

If you see a few warning signs and start to suspect that your infant may have a food allergy or is sensitive to a particular food, then take appropriate steps:

  • Choose an elimination diet. This diet enables you to test how your baby reacts when you eliminate a specific food from her diet and then introduce it later. An elimination diet is a great tool to use if your baby’s symptoms are not life-threatening and acute.
  • Look for medical assistance if essential. If your kid’s symptoms are serious, seek medical attention at once. A paediatrician will be able to carry out a range of tests to give you a diagnosis.

After you have confirmation about your baby’s food sensitivity or allergy, let your paediatrician know about this. This comprises anyone who takes care of your baby. The people who will be supervising and feeding your little one must know exactly what he can and cannot eat.

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Development Health Parenting and Childcare

Guidelines on How to Track Your Baby’s Growth

The focus of your kid’s health proof is his growth diagram. Kids who are developing at the usual rate and whose weight and length or height is quite well matched are usually healthy. Your doctor will monitor your baby’s weight and height on a percentile chart. With time, your provider would be able to see whether your baby is growing at a normal rate.

How does Baby Growth Charts Work?

The curves you notice on a baby growth diagram imitate average development—in head circumference, length, and weight —for girls and boys depending on their age. The physician will measure and weigh the baby then include a mark to the diagram to plan your kid’s latest gains. The curve is simply those dots linked over time.

How frequently is the baby’s growth measured?

Doctors will whisk out the measuring tape and place baby on a scale during every checkup, which means at birth, after 3 to 5 days and at one, two, four, six, nine, twelve, fifteen, eighteen, twenty-four, and thirty months, then annually after that. The main thing your doctor is looking for is constancy.

If you are interested in the baby’s growth, check out the below-mentioned guidelines:

Newborn milestones

Week 1: It is only been a week, but your newborn knows he can depend on you. By now, he can distinguish your voice, and the acquaintance helps him adjust to the weird new world outside the womb.

Week 2: In the second week, your baby can focus on objects a few inches away. As you feed your little one, move your head from side to side slowly and see if his eyes follow you. This helps make his eye muscles and tracking skills.

Week 3: Though his movements are still jerky and haphazard, your baby can begin snuggling by week three. As you hold him, watch how he adjusts his position towards you. He finds your arms soothing and reassuring. 

Week 4: This week you will see your baby is using his vocal cords in ways other than crying. He may make ahh and coo sounds, particularly when he sees parents. Babies learn by imitating, so replay his sounds back to him.

1 Month Baby Milestones

Week 5: This week your baby’s movements become more purposeful and smoother. Make sure to give your little one a mini-drill by pulling him slowly to a sitting pose, or allow him to rest with belly-down on your arm. Make sure to support his head during activities.

Week 8: Although your child’s head is still unsteady, the neck muscles are getting firmer by the day. Your baby can lift his head about 45 degrees. Put him on his stomach for brief periods each day so he can practice.

2 Month Baby Milestones

Week 9: This week sounds attract your baby, particularly high pitches and tones. He is also interested in hearing you talk, and will stare at your mouth intently as you speak to him. He may even reply with cooing.

Week 12: The baby by now has discovered an everlasting source of delight: his hands. He has understood that the thumbs and fingers are individual objects. He can also get his hands together, staring at them and then place them to his mouth to taste.

3 Month Baby Milestones

Your kid is getting stronger by the day. He may protest when he is placed on his stomach, but he needs tummy time every day for exercising his chest, neck, arm muscles, and rib cage. This is important for sitting up, rolling over, and crawling.

Consider these simple guidelines for toddler growth in the first year: Till six months, a toddler can grow half to one inch a month and put on about 200 grams per week. Your baby can increase his or her birth weight by two –times at about 5 months’ age.

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Health

6 Ways to Boost your Toddler’s Immune System

Once the babies are weaned, they are prone to health issues like runny noses, gastrointestinal problems, colds, coughs, etc. How often have we attributed these symptoms to changes in the weather or allergies? Is it fair to just accept that your toddler is more susceptible to infections than other kids? Instead, why not boost your child’s immunity against common diseases?

Here are some useful tips for better immunity in children

Breast milk

Breastfeeding is the best immunity-boosting method for babies. According to an article published by the National Health Scheme, U.K. breast milk boosts immunity and protects babies from various diseases. Breast milk contains powerful white blood cells and natural antibodies. The nutrients will protect your child from respiratory diseases, urinary tract infections, tummy bugs, meningitis, and others. If you are a stay-at-home mommy and get plenty of breast-milk, then try to breast-feed the baby at least for a year. This will strengthen the immunity of the child much more than supplements do.

Eating right

Some foods have powerful phytonutrients that enhance the production of white blood cells that fight diseases. Add 2 tablespoons of fresh fruit and/or vegetable pulp in the daily diet of your pre-schooler. Green beans, berries, carrots, oranges, kiwi, etc. contain diseases-fighting nutrients like vitamin C, beta-carotene, etc. Other foods that improve immunity in toddlers are oily fish (containing Omega-3), almonds (vitamin B), garlic (sulphur), mushrooms (zinc), yam (vitamin A), and others.

Healthy hygienic habits

Teaching clean habits is one of the most important ways of improving your child’s immunity. There are many situations when toddlers are exposed to disease-carrying germs. They may be handling pets, not washing hands before meals, using shared soaps and towels, etc. Teach your child clean habits at a very early age so that they become second nature.

Adequate sleep

Toddlers need 11 to 15 hours of sleep per day depending on age. Adequate sleep and regular sleep cycles are good for toddlers. Kids with low immunity can be affected by Sleep Deprivation. You need to ensure that your child gets deep sleep in order to remain healthy and happy. On the other hand, Ingestion of the right foods will also help to counteract the side-effects of sleep deprivation to some extent.

Physical activity

You do not want your toddler to grow up into a couch-potato! But formal exercises will be boring for your delightful little toddler. Whereas, music and dance, cycling, follow-the-leader game (which involves walking), racing, ball games, etc. will be fun.

Avoid passive smoking

The parents’ habit of cigarette smoking in the presence of children is the most common reason for respiratory problems in kids. Second-hand smoking or passive smoking will cause low immunity in the child. This will make your kid more susceptible to chronic/recurring diseases like colds, coughs, bronchitis, pneumonia, asthma, or worse!

Your toddler’s well-being is entirely in your hands. The more you know how to improve your child’s immunity the easier life will be for your toddler. Good health and stamina will ensure that your little darling is always active and happy.

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Health Parenting and Childcare

6 Secrets to Raising a Healthy and Happy Child

As parents, what are our expectations of children? We all want them to be safe, healthy, and happy. But the habit of being a happy person has to be fostered in the early child development stage. This will help your kid deal with personal and professional relationships confidently.

Here are the 6 secrets of raising a healthy and happy child:

Build a strong bond

A child who feels a strong emotional connection with others will be happy. But the foundation for such connections must be laid in the form of parent-child-sibling bond. When you foster healthy connections, your kid will grow up feeling loved. Such a child will rarely develop bad habits like smoking, drugs, or drinking.

Avoid overindulgence

It is a mistake to overindulge your kid with toys and possessions. Your purpose is to make him/her happy but this gives the wrong signal. There is a very thin line between pampering and spoiling a child. If you cross this line repeatedly, your child will develop the wrong impression that money and possessions take precedence over family and friends.

Do not coddle

As parents, we are not responsible for every emotion that a kid experiences. Emotions like sadness, anger, frustration, etc. are part of life and your kid should be allowed to experience and cope with them. Instead of over-protecting your child from such feelings, you can teach how to deal with these emotions and bounce back into a cheerful state of mind. Also, keep a good balance between spending time together and giving space to each other.

Be happy

Your kid will take his/her cue from your behaviour. The best way to raise a happy child is by being happy. If you are relaxed, smiling, cheerful, and usually speaking in a pleasant tone, the child will develop the same habits. When surrounded by a happy family, the kid will learn to find joy in interrelationships and togetherness.

Teach responsibilities

Everyone has an inherent wish to be involved with others and be liked by them. Even a toddler does not want to be excluded from the family activities. Your toddler will feel included when you give him simple tasks. As the kid learns to perform these tasks properly, your kid will develop a sense of achievement and pride in a job well done. Even small jobs like feeding the pet or laying the table will give your child a lot of happiness, especially if you praise his efforts.

Avoid criticism

You may find it difficult to see your child struggle with a task and may criticise with the intent to instruct. On the other hand, to prevent failure you may feel tempted to take over the task rather than letting your toddler struggle with it. The right thing to do is to just guide verbally and let the child complete the given task. You must make allowances for failure because kids learn from their mistakes.

The most beneficial trait of raising a happy child at home is that your kid will grow into a cheerful and confident adult.

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Health

Negative Habits That Lower Your Child’s Immunity

Inertia and lack of fresh air, sunlight, etc. are some of the major reasons for low immunity in children. Some habits in pre-schoolers should be discouraged so that they grow up to be healthy and active individuals. Here are the most common habits that reduce immunity in children:

Inertia

Lack of activity leads to poor blood circulation. Less movement means that the child does not perspire. Perspiration is essential to get rid of toxins from the body. Hence, lack of activity is considered a primary negative habit in kids that should be stopped as soon as it is observed.

Solution: Encourage your toddler to walk, run, jump, climb staircases, and play vigorous games.

No outdoor activities

Playing outdoors for an hour a day exposes your child to sunlight, a natural source of vitamin D. This is essential for calcium absorption which strengthens the bones. Staying indoors for most of the hours can lead to vitamin deficiency and weaken the bones. Secondly, the bone marrow produces the vital white blood cells which are disease-fighters.

Solution: A visit to a children’s park in the morning sunlight is all it takes!

Bad food/water/sleep cycles

Breaking bad habits in toddlers is far more difficult than encouraging good habits. Foodstuff filled with artificial preservatives, additives, sugars, and other chemicals is harmful to your child’s overall development. Also, according to the National Health Service, U.K. a child needs 11 to 15 hours of sleep per day depending on the age. Lack of sleep can cause several health problems, including low immunity.

Solution: Make sure your child consumes freshly cooked home food, vegetables, fruits, and plenty of liquids. Encourage a proper sleep cycle by keeping technical gadgets like computers, tablets, smartphones, etc. away during their bedtime.

Overusing medicines

Another bad habit that several toddler-parents resort to is the overuse of antibiotics. Regular administration of these medicines will reduce the toddler’s natural resistance to diseases.

Solution: Try home remedies and/or alternative treatments for minor colds, coughs, and upset tummies. Visit a doctor in case of recurring or prolonged health problems.

Lack of hygiene

A weak immune system in a toddler can also be due to a lack of hygiene. If you do not wash the child’s hands before every meal, leave fingernails untrimmed, or let your kid play in filthy areas the immune system is bombarded with germs resulting in reduced immunity.

Solution: Teach your toddler at a very early age to wash hands before each meal. Keep the fingernails trimmed so that no dirt accumulates.

Stress

Can stress cause a weakened immune system? The answer to that is a definite “yes”! Just like in adults, the stress in toddlers can lower immunity.

Solution: Communicate with your child and listen to his or her worries so that you can sort out the emotional problems.

Passive smoking

Toddlers and even older children are more susceptible to the ravages of passive smoking than adults. Second-hand smoking can cause chronic problems like asthma, bronchitis, pneumonia, and even cancer.

Solution: Avoid smoking at home and keep your child far away from public smoking areas.

Keep your child happy and healthy!