Top 5 Healthy Habits for Children

It's flu season once again and as parents, we want our kids to stay healthy. Here are some recommendations by whattoexpect.com:

There are good habits and bad habits, but these five healthy ones are keepers!You do all you can think of to prevent your child from coming down with a cold or an upset tummy — from feeding her balanced meals to scrubbing the floors she plays on. But that’s only half the battle: She has to learn how to keep herself healthy. And there’s plenty of lessons to teach her: Start by explaining that germs are responsible for the yucky feeling she gets when she’s sick. Then instruct her on healthy habits. You’ll have to demonstrate these hygiene lessons over and over, but pretty soon she’ll be able to grasp them — and follow through on them (at least most of the time!). So what are the most important lessons to start with? The top-five healthy habits for children are:

HEALTHY HABIT #1: Give Hands a Good Scrub
Hand washing tops the list of healthy habits children should learn for one simple reason: Doing it often — and doing it right — can reduce the number of colds, flu, and other infections children get by 50 percent! That’s a lot of sore throats, runny noses, and just-plain-ickiness a child can avoid simply by stepping up to the sink, especially at key times: before eating or heading to the playroom with a friend (this will keep germs on shared toys to a minimum), after coming in from playing outside, and after sneezing, coughing, petting an animal, or using the potty.

What’s more, even a baby can start to pick up on this all-important healthy habit — by watching as you wipe off her hands (do it frequently; according to some research, crawling babies handle and mouth the random stuff they find lying around more than 80 times per hour); and then, when she’s old enough to follow simple directions, by mastering these hand-washing how-tos:

Use warm water and soap.
Make lots and lots of suds; bubbles trap germs.
Scrub for at least 20 seconds — about the time it takes to sing the ABC song or “Happy Birthday” twice through (at normal — not breakneck! — speed).
Rub fronts and backs of hands, and between every little finger: Friction is as important as soap and water for getting little mitts clean.
Rinse thoroughly, so that every single germ goes down the drain.
Dry hands on a clean towel.

HEALTHY HABIT #2: Do the “Sleeve Sneeze”
What’s next on the list of healthy habits for children? When your kid feels an “achoo” coming on and there’s no tissue in sight, show him how to let loose into the inside of his elbow, rather than into his hand or the air. This way germs won’t wind up on his fingers — 80 percent of germs are transferred through touch — or spewed out into the air. This healthy habit applies to coughs as well — and to you too, so be a good role model whenever you sneeze sans tissues.

HEALTHY HABIT #3: Toss That Tissue!
Once your child has mastered the fine art of nose-blowing, get her into the habit of disposing of dirty tissues right away, rather than leaving them lying around on a table or the floor: Some bacteria and viruses can live for two hours or more outside the body, so getting rid of tissues is another healthy habit for children to learn. Make sure there’s a trash can in every room your child spends time in or teach her to flush yucky tissues down the toilet.

HEALTHY HABIT #4: Don’t Share
Certain items can harbor germs and other icky things, so your child will have to learn that some things are not meant to be shared. Explain to your child that while it’s nice to let pals play with toys, there are things he should keep to himself — namely combs, brushes, and hats (sharing these items is the number-one way lice spread from kid to kid); toothbrushes; cups, forks, and drinking straws; whistles, horns, and other objects you put your mouth on (good luck with that one!); and, of course, tissues.

HEALTHY HABIT #5: Flush and Flee
Now for some potty talk: While it’s tempting for a child (particularly a toddler who’s in the middle of toilet training) to want to watch the precious products of her efforts swirl away, it’s not such a great idea to encourage her to do this. With every flush, droplets of water containing minute particles of whatever was just deposited (yes, that means pee, poop, or vomit) spew into the air. Not only could this geyser of germs land directly on your kid, it could settle on nearby surfaces. So if you want your children to pick up this particular healthy habit, show them how to put down the lid (carefully, of course — a mashed finger isn’t any more fun than a tummy ache that can result from the type of bacteria lurking in the toilet.).

Milestones: Motor Development

by Pampers

Jump!

Sometime around your child's second birthday, you'll notice that she's become airborne. Soon her jumps will be higher and longer. Toddlers this age are so active that they'll find ways to practice skills like jumping whenever they can. Provide opportunities for a workout by taking her to the park, someone's yard, or a kiddy gym every day. By emphasizing the joy of movement at this age, you'll help your child develop a lifelong healthy lifestyle.

Milestones: Understanding How the World Works

I found this article that may help one realized if your toddler is hitting the appropriate cognitive milestones for his or her age. This helped me understand what Kirstin is going through at this stage because as you will find in my previous post, she's exactly doing what was described in this article. The article discusses the significance of play and its role in a child's life.

The Significance of Play
by Susan Dixon, M.D., M.P.H.

At 2, themes of play emerge and strings of imagination come together. Two-year-olds start to use their toys to put together short stories in unique ways.
For example, your child might make a square out of blocks — a sort of room. He puts a girl doll inside the room and says "Go home" as he brings a boy doll closer. "Knock, knock! Come in!" he says as he pushes one block aside to let the second doll enter the room. Then the two dolls embrace.

By playing out a scenario like this, your toddler demonstrates his ability to use symbolic play. That, in turn, brings out imitation, which shows that he understands how his world works. Unstructured toys like blocks help your child exercise his imagination. Give him time and space to create. Show interest, but don't probe too hard — he's not quite sure what he's up to, either.

How Young Children Learn
By: Jeanne W. Lepper, M.A.

Play is perhaps the most important activity of young children. It's their "work," their principal occupation, and how they learn! Even when this process may not be obvious, learning occurs all the time for young children. They learn by exploring the world around them, interacting with people they meet, and experimenting with things they come across.

Children Learn From Playmates

When children play with siblings and friends, they learn from each other. As questions, challenges, and conflicts arise, they figure out how to solve problems. For example, 3-year-old Sarah is playing with blocks, trying to balance a structure and put a roof on her "house." Four-year-old Lakisha has some experience with this task and suggests, "Let's try the longer block—it looks like it might fit better." In the end, Sarah learns a new strategy and Lakisha succeeds in solving a problem and further developing her social skills.

When your child plays in a group made up of different ages, he has the opportunity to learn in two different ways: first by modeling the behavior of the older children, and second by "teaching" the younger or less advanced children.

Children Learn by Doing

Learning is an active process. The more hands-on experiences your child has, the more curious and capable he'll become. Children are fascinated by the work grown-ups do—cooking, household chores, and fixing things. What's more, these real-life tasks have tremendous learning value for children. So give your child his own small bowl of pancake batter to mix and buy a child-sized broom so he can help sweep the floor! Outdoor play—running and climbing—is essential for healthy physical development, and it's a chance for him to investigate nature.

You can further expand your child's learning opportunities by keeping open-ended materials around the house. Open-ended means they allow him to express his ideas. This is more active and promotes his learning. These materials don't limit your child's play to one or two activities the way many toys do. Some good open-ended materials to offer your child include:

• Paper, pencils, crayons, scissors, glue, and tape for drawing, writing, and constructing
• Cardboard boxes and other commonly found objects
• Easel paints and watercolors
• Water, sand, playdough, and clay for sensory experiences
• Building blocks and Lego's
• Dress-up clothes, hats, and props
• Dolls and doll clothes
• Simple musical instruments and opportunities to listen to music

Children Learn From the Adults in Their Lives

"She's so wonderful!" you exclaim as your baby is born. This begins a lifelong offering of unconditional love and support that is essential for your baby to thrive and develop. This relationship provides the sense of security and positive self-esteem your child needs in order to achieve and to learn. With emotional support in place, you can help your child get the most out of play (and therefore learning) by following these suggestions:

Be specific and supportive. Telling your child, "You must share," isn't very helpful. At best, she'll cooperate while you're looking on. But if you guide her through the turn-taking process, she'll understand more about how to share next time. For example, if 2-year-old Maggie wants a turn pulling a wagon full of leaves, tell everyone, "Maggie wants a turn when Jason is finished. Let's see what Maggie can do until the wagon is ready. How about getting the next pile of leaves ready?" This gives Maggie a way to enter the play, rather than just waiting. Using emotionally supportive language like this encourages children to view adults as their advocates and helps them solve problems rather than turning the situation into a struggle.

Help your child be a good observer. Children learn from actively studying the world around them. When you take a walk with your toddler and come upon a construction site, your child will likely be curious about the activity. Share her interest by stopping to watch and exclaiming, "Wow! Look how big the wheels on that dump truck are." Helping your child become a good observer provides her with a skill she'll find useful throughout her life.

Ask open-ended questions. Encourage your child to think and reflect by asking open-ended questions: "What made the shovel move like that? What do you think the driver is going to do now?" Give your child time to come up with her own answers, even if they are misconceptions, before you provide more information.

Help your child build on what she knows. When your child shows an interest in something, capitalize on it. Look in books for more information about construction vehicles. Provide props, such as shovels and trucks, so she can pretend to do the powerful work of the dump truck driver; replaying her experiences and acting out what she's observed helps your child understand. Visit the construction site again so your child can see the progress, gain more information, and clarify misconceptions.

Model positive behaviors. One of the most powerful ways your child learns is by following your example. This process happens naturally and almost unconsciously. For example, when your child sees you reading regularly, she will want to read and be read to. And reading is one of the most important things you can do with your child! (Be aware, however, that she will also model any negative behavior she sees! So it's important for us to display respectful rather than disrespectful behavior ourselves.)

Use positive language. Everyone responds better to positive words than to negative ones. So instead of issuing a command or a prohibition ("Don't throw the ball over there!") offer a suggestion of what your child can do ("That's a good place to throw the ball").

Play is the work of childhood. It's how your child learns about the world and how to get along in it. When you support your child in this challenging job, then your child's work really will be child's play.