12 Tips To Make Sure Your Child Grows Healthily

To make sure your child grows healthily is nothing less than a challenge for parents in the present times. Things are even worse for parents who are in full-time jobs. Meeting targets at work place while making sure that their child's nutritional and health needs are met effectively, has become very difficult for parents these days. Delhi-based paediatrician Dr Gorika Bansal has laid special emphasis on the fact that making their children tech savvy is harmful for the child's physical and mental growth.
 

1. Obesity is a very common problem these days among school children. It is one of the emerging problems in children. Thanks to the fast food that they eat and the tech savvy generation that we have, lack of exercise and lack of nutritious foods, we are going more towards obesogenic environment. Also, erratic food habits and erratic sleep timings are a common tendency among children these days. Sleep routine is something that many working parents tend to compromise on. Sleep deprivation results in higher ghrelin (hunger hormone) and reduces leptin (satiety hormone). It increases hunger, appetite and night time munching.

2. Parents go very wrong when they hand over gadgets to children to avoid answering them or take them out. Gadgets seem to be the best option to parents these days.

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3. Parents tend to distract children so that they eat better portions of food. Doing this is not such a good idea. Parents should avoid putting televisions inside their children's room. They should make sure that their child does not watch TV or use any gadget 2 hours before bedtime. Reading out stories to children, or talking to them before bedtime would be a great idea instead.

4. Eating together as a family and minimising use of media while feeding your children can be beneficial for them.

5. Parents should ensure getting all the vaccines for their children on time. Vaccines do not end at 2 years. Children need to take the shots even at 5 and 10 years of age. Iron fortification and increasing the calcium and protein intake during their pubertal age group - which is around 9-15 years - is important.

6. Parents should be a good role model to their children and try minimising the use of mobile phones once they are home. They should try minimising the use of computer too much in front of their child.

7. Outdoor playtime for at least 1 hour is very important for children of all ages. Involving them in physical activities and hobbies which can be done outside homes is very important. These hobbies could be activities like swimming, aerobics, dancing, etc.

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8. Inculcating the practice of yoga in your child at a young age is very beneficial. Breathing exercises as part of yoga help in balancing their mind and improving their concentration in studies. Breathing exercises enable the lungs to work better and hence they are beneficial for children. It gives a boost to their immunity. Yoga and meditation should be a part of children's daily curriculum.

10. It is important to get your children involved in the process of cooking. It is a good idea to take their inputs on what they want to eat. It creates their interest in food. It makes children feel that they are in control and prevents children from being fussy eaters.

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11. Parents should make sure that they get deworming done in every 6 months.

12. Parents should make sure that their children avoid carbonated drinks as much as possible. Energy drinks should be completely kept away from children. All these drinks are obesogenic in nature. They are nothing but empty calories.

(Dr Gorika Bansal is a Visiting Consultant Pediatrician at Max Hospital, Saket and Rainbow Children's Hospital.)

Disclaimer: This content including advice provides generic information only. It is in no way a substitute for qualified medical opinion. Always consult a specialist or your own doctor for more information. NDTV does not claim responsibility for this information.