5 Healthy Habits for Kids

Setting healthy habits for kids is crucial as it lays the foundation for their lifelong well-being. During childhood, habits formed around nutrition, exercise, sleep, and hygiene have a profound impact on physical, mental, and emotional development. Healthy habits lower the risk of obesity, chronic diseases, and other health complications, fostering optimal growth. By establishing healthy patterns early on, you can empower little ones to make informed choices, promoting a higher quality of life throughout their journey to adulthood. Here are some healthy habits to start the new week right and introduce to your daily routine with your baby and family! 

Eat Good & Feel Good

🍽️ Spend time together at mealtimes and make it a routine:
It is important for your baby to develop a healthy relationship with food, and this process starts earlier than we may think. Good food and healthy eating routines with cozy family time will bring you all together throughout the year. Remember, babies and children, thrive on routines, and creating healthy routines will help your family and your children in their future lives.

🍉 Teach your baby to enjoy a variety of food:
You can let your baby enjoy a variety of flavors, textures, and colors of food when they are ready. If they reject a type of food, don’t just give up; offer it to them on at least ten separate occasions. “There’s a window of opportunity between six months and a year when babies eat pretty well, so this is a good time to introduce new flavors,” says children’s food author Annabel Karmel. Just praise them when they eat, and do not rush them. This way, you will raise non-picky eaters! 

Stay Active

🛋️ Tummy time:
Tummy time in babies is important for your baby to develop strength and muscle control, especially in their arms and abdomen. Put down a blanket or a mat and interact with him. For toddlers, keeping active and spending time outdoors will help their motor skill development. Let them run, climb, and dance, as long as they are safe. 

📲 Limit screen time:
We know sometimes all you need is to put your little one in front of the TV and relax a bit, but it is important to limit this screen time for the future development of your child. Babies, toddlers, and children learn through active play and social interaction/conversations, and spending a lot of passive time in front of a screen may not be a very good idea. 

Lengthen Their Attention Span

🧸 Simpler toys:
Don’t overwhelm your baby with a great number of complicated toys! Simple toys will let your baby focus on one thing and explore. This will help with the attention span. “The simpler it is and the less it does, the more work your baby has to do to fully explore it.” says Paediatric occupational therapist and co-author of Baby Sense, Megan Faure.

Sleep Well

💤 Sleep schedule:
Your baby may have a chaotic sleep schedule at first, but when he/she is 4 or 6 months, you can start establishing a sleeping routine and promote this healthy habit. The younger they are, the more sleep they will require. Also, you can add a bedtime routine as they get older. Teach them to brush their teeth before bed (also a great hygiene habit), give them a bath, read them a bedtime story, story, say goodnight to everyone in the family, or do whatever you’d like! 

Social Habits

💛 Sharing is caring:
Encourage sharing at home. It can be between siblings, friends, family, or whoever! Sharing toys, books, also chores will create good social habits for your child to use all his/her life!

🧼 Household chores:
Make your children help around the house! Give them responsibility; they can handle more than we may assume at first. These responsibilities may be simple, like putting away their toys when they are done, helping in the kitchen, or during weekly cleaning. Make these chores “not look like chores”, but a family activity that you all do together! 

🎙️ Talk and listen to your child:
As we mentioned before, children learn best when they are in social settings, through active play and interaction. Talking to your baby, even when you think they cannot understand you, is crucial because it will help develop their cognitive, linguistic, and social skills starting from an early age! When they start talking, listen to them, and treat them like you want them to treat you/other people. 

Extra tips for the superheroes of the house! 

Lead by example:  Parents are the most important influence in a young child’s life. If you want them to develop healthy habits for their future life, show by example! Develop healthy habits yourself. Remember, you should take care of yourself first, to take care of others.
Accept help: You’re not “less” if you have extra help! Your partner, your parents, your in-laws, your friends, hired help if possible, etc. All these people can be there for you and your baby, and there is nothing wrong with asking for & accepting help! You don’t have to do it all, you can only be an amazing mom by having a healthy and positive mindset yourself.
Mindful motherhood: Make guilt-free time for yourself. You can try Expectful’s mother-targeted meditation programs or Headspace’s super-easy meditation app. If you’ve got 10 minutes in your chaotic new-mom schedule, you can set aside that time to turn inside, slow down, and relax. You’ve been through a lot, and you deserve all the pampering you can get!

May your coffee be strong, and the naptime long!