Want Some New Year’s Resolutions Worth Having?
Teaching our kids about healthy habits that impact their daily life is a great idea for the new year. Make it a resolution this new year to talk about health topics and why they are important. Adults and children alike can benefit from these quick tips to staying healthy and happy in 2018!
Tip #1 – Think Water
When it’s time for a snack or meal children often reach for sugary sports drinks, caffeinated sodas or rich chocolate milk. The human body is made up of 65% water in children and 60% in adults. Water is used as a means for transporting nutrients throughout the body, gauging the bodies temperature, eliminating waste from the body, cushioning and supporting the brain and many other factors that are extremely important for overall health. Pediatricians suggest taking a child’s weight and dividing it in half. This is the amount of ounces your child should consume daily. When the body has not been getting enough water it is more susceptible to illness and feelings of tiredness and distraction. Try letting your kids pick out a cool, fun water bottle all their own. This way you can make sure you know how many ounces they are being offered throughout the day. It also makes kids more likely to grab their own water bottle and take a swig.
Tip #2 – Talk About Catching Head Lice
Honestly, no parent in the world wants their child to bring home head lice. Yet, many parents fail to teach their kids prevention tactics. Explain to your children that lice are bugs that live on the human head. They get transported from direct head to head contact and through sharing things that touch the head. Help them understand not to share head gear like hats, helmets, hoodies, beanies or any clothing that rubs on the back of the neck. Remind them to only use their own hair brushes, hair combs, hair ties or any other hair accessories. If your child is in sports or involved in an activity where lice is commonly caught, like a sleep over, gently remind them beforehand to be careful. Make sure kids know lice is not a life threatening situation and can happen to anyone. As a parent, watch for warning signs and symptoms. Do lice head checks often.
Tip #3 – Make Hand Washing Fun with Glitter!
No one likes washing their hands over and over. Instead of nagging about handwashing show them in an entertaining way how germs are spread. Take your child’s hand and get it slightly damp. Using glitter, demonstrate how germs are stuck to our hands as we go about our normal activities. They played on the playground, sprinkle some glitter. They sneezed in their hand, sprinkle some more. You get the idea! Quickly their hand will be full of glitter and ready to wash. Before you wash it off, have them scratch their nose. Explain that when our hands are covered in germs and we touch our face the germs are transmitted to areas such as our nose, eyes and mouth where they can easily find their way inside and infect the body. Now keep track of how long it takes to wash off the glitter in warm water and soap. This is the time they should use to wash hands every day.