As a parent, you will understandably want to do all you can to care for your children’s wellbeing. On a daily basis, you will be working hard to protect their health and to advise them on what they should be doing to care for themselves. 

In this article, we will list a few things that you might be doing (or have done) already, but a few reminders are always useful if you need a little inspiration. 

#1: Take a first aid course

Thanks to rough and tumble play and occasions of carelessness, our children can be prone to more than the occasional bump and scrape as they live their young lives. Sometimes a sticking plaster and a little bit of ointment will be enough to mend their ailments. However, broken bones are not uncommon in children, and then there are other things to consider, such as burns and choking hazards. Would you know what to do in such situations? A first aid course might prove invaluable, so consider the courses on offer at MyCPR NOW or sign up for any course happening within your local community. 

#2: Be there to talk to your children

According to the CDC, 7.1% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 4.4 million) have diagnosed anxiety, and 3.2% of children aged 3-17 years (approximately 1.9 million) have diagnosed depression. The reasons for these mental health issues can be wide and many. Some children may be predisposed to such conditions while for others, they could be the result of stress at school or at home. This is why you need to be there to talk to your children. Talking can often relieve some mental health problems and in some cases, it can even prevent them from taking root in the first place. So, make time each day to talk to your children, and create an environment where they are free to discuss their worries.

#3: Schedule the appropriate health checks

We have already discussed some of the health checks your children need, so check out the linked article for some good advice. Keep up with these, even when your children are showing no signs of any health problems, as there may be issues that have thus far been undiagnosed. Going beyond these, it is also important to go back to our last point. If your children are showing any signs of mental distress, it might also be appropriate to book an appointment with a counselor or psychologist. The same applies if they are exhibiting worrisome behavioral traits as these could be indicative of a mental health issue. 

#4: Cook healthy foods

Children are fussy eaters we know, but that isn’t a reason to only give them junk foods and takeaway meals. They still need their daily quota of vitamins and nutrients, for both their physical and their mental wellbeing. Getting your children to eat healthily might be easier said than done, but these examples of healthy foods for picky eaters might be useful to you. 

There is a lot more you can do of course, and chances are, you are probably doing a great job already. So do all that you can and then speak to your child’s doctor for advice on the other things you can do to protect your children’s wellbeing.