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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.

How to Deal with Saying ‘No’ to Your Child

Are you caught in a dilemma if you want to refuse your child anything or not? Do you fear that your child will retaliate aggressively after you say no to them? Will you mind succumbing to every demand he/she makes?

You are at the right place to deal with these complex problems effectively. Today, we are going to have a detailed look into the most effective means of saying no to them.

Some tips on saying no to your child

Here are some of the most remarkable yet simplest techniques to try for parents.

Substituting ‘No’ with some other phrases

According to research, children tend to retaliate if you say no to them very often. This word has a psychological impact on their brains in the long run. Hence, you can subtly replace no with phrases that suit the situation. Ensure that your child understands the message you are trying to convey. Also, the subtle phrase must have an equivalent impact on your child. For example- If your child eats too much chocolate ice-cream, do not say no directly. You can tell them that your teeth will get rotten. Instil a sense of fear that will prevent them from repeating this.

Let them have other options to choose

Your child does not want to be restricted a lot. They enjoy their freedom and their growth thrives when you provide them with this freedom. Hence, the next time you intend to say no to them, have an alternative ready in your mind.

For example- Let your child be adamant on having their favourite foods in unfavourable circumstances. Give them an option to eat the same foods which are home-made. This will ensure that the nutrition value is intact. Therefore, your child will not develop the habit of eating out a lot.

Assent with their demands putting certain conditions

The next time your child is too adamant on having something, you can simply tell them that they have your assent. However, this must come with a condition that they must fulfil before they get what they want.

For example- You can agree to buy their favourite superhero toy set. But, they must secure certain threshold marks and behave like a good child. This will help them understand their priorities well as they grow up.

Logical reasoning

This is one of the most effective tools to substitute the no with a better alternative. If your child wants to have a Dairy Milk chocolate before lunch, tell them that their stomach would fill up.

Also, tell them that you will not become healthy if you do not eat this. Let them picturise the repercussions of their demands before they agree with whatever you say. This will prove to be a very effective tool provided that you use it wisely.

Playful acts to divert their attention

Does it happen that your child wants to use your brand-new iPhone? You can playfully divert their attention to some activities that will make them forget about it. You can opt to indulge them in their favourite toys without saying no in this regard.

These tips will surely help you in dealing with these situations. We hope you liked reading this article. Thank you!