This post is in partnership with Nalturnal and The Megalomaniac Mommy blog.

Being a parent is the most difficult and the most rewarding job you will ever have. A very significant part of your job is to do everything you can to keep your children healthy and happy.

Although there is nothing you can do to prevent them from ever getting sick, you can take steps to minimize the number of times and the severity of any illnesses. Remember, when visiting any health care professional, be sure you maintain copies of any medical records for your own reference. You can request a copy of the doctors notes during the visit or record them on your mobile device.

Make Sure They Get Enough Sleep

• As an adult, you know how important it is to get enough sleep. Not getting enough sleep can cause children to gain weight
• The growth hormone is primarily secreted when your children sleep
• Cytokines (proteins) that the body uses to fight stress, infection, and illness are produced during sleep
• Increases attention span
• Children need sleep as much as you do for the following reasons:  They will have brain fog, become agitated easily, and have trouble making decisions if they don’t have enough.

Protect Their Skin

Playing outside or in the water during the warm summer months is fun for your children. Long-term skin damage, early aging of the skin, and cancer are the results of too much exposure to the sun.

As a parent, you must be sure to apply and re-apply sunscreen and dress them in sun-protective clothing.

Keep in mind that your children aren’t only exposed to the harmful ultraviolet (UV) rays when they are on vacation or at a beach or a pool. Whenever they are outdoors and the sun is out, they can get a sun-burn. Protect their skin whenever and wherever they are exposed to the sun.

Healthy Teeth Make Healthy Children

Taking care of your children’s teeth will keep them healthier. Many medical problems are caused by poor oral hygiene. It’s better to take your child to the dentist early, usually when they get their first tooth, to keep their mouths healthier throughout their lives.

Even though baby teeth fall out and are replaced by permanent teeth, they are important. Not only do they help your child chew and speak, baby teeth hold space in the jaw for the adult teeth.

If you child’s baby tooth gets a cavity, be sure to see a dentist for a filling. “Filling baby teeth will prevent the cavity from growing larger and leading to more severe problems and infections“.

Minimize the Amount of Sugar They Consume

It isn’t easy, but you should do your best to limit how much sugar your children eat. Too much sugar can cause health problems, weaken immune systems, and alter the balance between bad and good bacteria in the body.

You can help your children develop healthy eating habits. It isn’t reasonable or even smart to try to eliminate all sweets from your child’s diet. If you have ever tried to lose weight, you will understand why forbidding yourself from ever eating something that tastes really good, makes you want it even more.

Everything in moderation is a good rule to follow especially when dealing with high-sugar foods and treats. Below are some reasons that may help you decide to limit your children’s consumption of sugar:

• Causes energy dips and mood swings
• Doesn’t provide the nourishment the body need
• Makes you fat
• Spikes blood sugar levels and causes cravings
• Ruins your teeth by causing cavities
• High-glycemic starches and processed sugars cause inflammation
• You are eating sugar even though you might not realize There are many names on food labels that are sugar such as corn sweetener, corn syrup, and fructose

Encourage Exercise

Exercise and physical activity are important for both children and adults. Some of the reasons for getting enough exercise are:

• Alleviates stress
• Creates positive emotions
• Essential for muscle and bone health
• Prevents diseases later in life

Your children should get a minimum of one hour of exercise every day.

Regular Annual Physicals

Take your children to the doctor once a year for a basic check-up. Find a pediatrician that you trust and with whom you have a good rapport.

During these visits, the doctor will track your child’s height and weight and give them vaccinations for protection against serious illnesses like polio and pertussis.

Use this opportunity to ask your doctor any questions you have about your child’s emotional, physical, or mental development.

While there is no way to protect your children from ever getting sick, there are steps you can take to keep them as healthy as possible.

 

 

Maintaining healthy teeth and gums often require extra effort than most of us care to give. Proper maintenance of healthy teeth and gums go beyond the regular twice a day brushing routine most of us do. For anyone looking to have functional and healthy teeth throughout their lifetime, they must be committed to giving oral hygiene and dental care the necessary attention. Below, we have listed a few tips on effective and easy ways of maintaining healthy teeth and gums. 

Make proper oral hygiene a habit from an early childhood stage.
Creating and instilling the daily habit of brushing twice and flossing everyday in your young child could go a long way into helping them maintain the habit even during their adult life. Dental care for your young one should commence as early as the child starts teething and the first tooth pops out. You could apply a small soft brush or a damp cloth to clean your child’s teeth. As they grow, it is advisable to supervise them during the first 2 to 5 years, usually giving them directives on how they should go about it. This early training could go a long way in helping them maintain healthy dental lifestyles later on. Make sure to also take them to a reputable dentist Gold Coast residents visit for regular dental checks.

Brushing twice a day and flossing daily
Often sounding cliche, it is known as one the most efficient way of maintaining healthy teeth and gums. Daily oral care helps prevent many dental problems that may occur due to teeth neglected. These problems include decayed teeth, bad breath, bleeding gums and even critical issues like oral cancer. To achieve maximum dental hygiene, you should first make sure you invest in a quality toothbrush. Make a point of changing your toothbrush at least twice in three months because toothbrush wears out quickly even when it’s of high quality. Also investing in the right toothpaste is critical as some toothpaste may cause more damage than good. Therefore, knowing the right toothpaste for your teeth and gums may save you unnecessary dental costs while treating a problem brought about by using the wrong toothpaste.

While flossing might be ignored by most people, it is of equal necessity if you are aiming for healthy teeth and gums. Flossing is most useful as it removes food debris and plaque where the toothbrush is unable to reach. Efficiently flossing your teeth cleans the small gaps that usually a toothbrush cannot get on.

Maintaining a healthy diet and drinking water
It does not take much to maintain a healthy diet other than the choice to do so. Eating healthy food, mainly of fruits, vegetables and meat help in the provision of nutrients required for healthy and strong teeth. These nutrients include calcium, phosphorus, vitamin D and Magnesium. Daily dairy intake also helps strengthen the teeth. More often than not, dentists advise people to avoid a lot of sugar intake as it one of the most harmful things for the teeth and gums. Drinking a lot of water helps wash away the food bacteria left in the mouth and also neutralize the pH level that weakens the teeth.

Avoid or quit smoking.
Most dentists would advise their patients to maintain the above healthy habits and also avoid and quit smoking for the patients who smoke. The tar in the cigarettes causes the teeth to turn yellowish and also gives one lousy breath. Smoking also has adverse effects on your health as it affects the production of saliva and can cause throat and lung cancer. Therefore, avoiding cigarette intake leads to better dental care and general health.]

A healthy smile will boost your self-esteem as you can comfortably interact with people without worrying about bad breath or discoloured teeth.

 

Can you still remember how it was like when your wisdom teeth were pulled out? Of course. Who can forget the “chipmunk” face and teasing siblings? That’s not all, you’re not allowed to eat normal food for several days, and you should stick with soft diet. This can be pretty stressful for a kid, and as a parent, it’s your job to make things a little more tolerable and here’s how.

Before we move on to the tips, aside from choosing the best Brisbane orthodontics and fully preparing your kid, you’d probably want to bring a video camera or make sure that your phone is fully charged. Since your kid would probably be under anesthesia, the post-surgery experience could be a little hilarious. Better record this one for your kid to see later on.

1. Prepare Yourself As a Parent
A lot of parents usually focus on preparing their child to have his wisdom teeth extracted. However, aside from that, as a parent, you should also ensure that you’re fully prepared. That means you have to schedule appointments with the dentist, schedule school absence, take time off from work, and talk to your child. See if he feels anxious and scared about the procedure and reassure him that everything will be fine. Don’t stress yourself. Instead, do some research and if possible, journal the whole ordeal.

2. Introduce Your Child to the Dentist Before the Procedure

Another way to prepare your child is to introduce him to a wisdom teeth removal Brisbane dentist who will do the procedure. By doing so, you’ll empower your child as you’ll make him feel familiar with the dentist who will perform the surgery.

3. Stock Up on Soft Food

You don’t want to aggravate the treated area so that it can properly heal and prevent infection. That means you should be conscious of your food choices and stock up on soft food items such as soup and applesauce. In times like this, you should try your cooking skills and prepare some dishes that are delicious, yet easy to eat.

4. Discuss the Procedure with Your Child

There are instances where explaining how wisdom teeth extraction takes place can help your child feel that the procedure won’t be as bad as he thought it to be. To help you with this, you should probably use some brochures or pictorial materials that could help you explain to your kid what would exactly happen during wisdom tooth extraction. By doing so, you could prevent your child from being sharp and horrified during the actual thing.

5. Prepare Something Special

Your child would definitely feel anxious about the thought of having their teeth pulled out, and it can be worse if they have to undergo surgery. To make them feel a little better, offering a prize, gift or something afterward is a great idea. They’ll have something to look forward to, and believe it or not, this could actually lessen the pain brought by the procedure. You can get him his favorite toy or something else that they would surely love.

Take note of these tips to ensure that wisdom teeth removal will not be a stressful experience for your child.