Tips To Keep Your Toddler Healthy

Caring for toddlers is quite different from older kids as their needs and vulnerabilities are different. The minds of toddlers are filled with boundless curiosity as they are at a tender stage of development. Each experience they go through impacts their health and well-being and shapes their future. Therefore, it is crucial to provide them with an environment conducive to their mental, physical, and emotional development and well-being.

Furthermore, it is easier to communicate with grown-up kids as they can express themselves in words. However, in the case of toddlers, you must be more vigilant about non-verbal cues and use your intuition to understand their needs.

In addition to the joy of seeing them take their first steps and the sparkle in their eyes when experiencing new things, you must also prioritize their health. Some practical tips to keep your toddler healthy are mentioned below.

1. Stay informed about the health conditions related to toddlers

Staying informed about developmental problems, warning signs, and various health conditions in your toddler makes a significant difference in keeping them healthy.

One health condition parents should know about is cerebral palsy – a group of neurological disorders that can affect a child’s movement, coordination, balance, and muscle activity. In most cases, cerebral palsy occurs during labor and manifests within the first few years of a toddler’s life. The seriousness of its symptoms can vary between different children.

Knowing the signs in the early stages is often challenging. You can read this cerebral palsy guide to learn more about this condition and what to do if your child has it. In short, the following indicators must raise concerns, prompting you to seek help from a specialist.

• Delayed developmental milestones
• Abnormal muscle tone
• Lack of coordination and balance
• Persistent infant reflexes
• Lack of symmetry in movements
• Walking difficulties
• Tremors and muscle spasms

2. Ensure regular medical checkups for your toddler

Toddlers have a developing immune system; therefore, they can quickly develop health problems such as infections, nutritional concerns, and dental health problems.

Taking your toddler to a pediatrician for routine checkups helps you stay on top of their health and development. Frequent medical checkups enable you to detect problems well in advance and allow for prompt medical intervention. Apart from keeping the baby safe and healthy, these regular checkups give parents and caregivers peace of mind.

During the checkup, the doctor should thoroughly examine your toddler to gauge their physical growth and development, ensuring their developmental milestones correspond to their age.

Furthermore, ensure your child receives all the vaccinations on time to protect them from preventable health conditions such as measles, chickenpox, etc.

3. Eat together as a family

Eating together as a family contributes to your toddler’s physical health and promotes their emotional and psychological well-being.

When toddlers become part of family gatherings, they learn and are influenced by their elders’ eating habits, contributing to positive behavior.

Appreciate your toddler for adopting good eating habits, and celebrate milestones, such as finishing meals or sharing with others. Show your kid how much you enjoy your food to encourage them to try new things.

Besides encouraging them to enjoy different foods, eating together is a way to teach your toddler about social behavior. Your toddler can learn how to live and share moments as a family.

When eating with your toddler, make sure to serve food that they can easily chew and swallow. Use a high chair so your toddler can sit at the same height as the rest of the family members.

Toddlers can be slow and messy eaters; therefore, be patient when they eat. Forcing them to match your eating speed can cause them to lose interest in their food and stop eating.

To make mealtime enjoyable, avoid screens and promote unhurried eating. Instead, encourage activities like talking to each other and laughing together.

4. Don’t force-feed your child

Forcing your child to eat their meals can make them develop negative feelings about food and mealtime, making them picky eaters. On the contrary, letting them decide what and how much they want to eat can help them develop a healthy relationship with food.

Toddlers have the natural tendency to regulate their hunger and feelings of fullness. They may eat less on some days, while on other days, you may find them approaching food every time they see it. As parents, it is your responsibility to respect their preferences. Instead of forcing your will on them, you can do the following to ensure they eat enough according to their age.

• Offer them different types of food
• Make sure their portion size is age appropriate
• Be patient and relaxed when they eat
• Lead by example by demonstrating healthy eating habits
• Promote the habit of finishing meals
• Maintain regular meal and snack times

5. Adopt balanced hygiene for your toddler

Ensure your toddler washes their hands at various times, such as before and after eating meals, after using the toilet, and when their hands are visibly dirty. Teach your kids appropriate cleanliness habits such as covering their mouth such as covering their mouths when sneezing or coughing.

Conclusion

Taking care of your toddler to ensure good health and well-being requires taking various steps. You can encourage them to develop healthier eating habits, allow them to make food-related choices, and plan family meal times. These habits not only ensure the physical development of your toddler but also reinforce mental and emotional well-being.

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