Balancing all the demands of life with alongside being a parent is tough. A healthy diet, exercise and sleep can all get disrupted. If you can, talk to your partner about ways you can both have some time and space as well as enjoy quality time together. Keeping yourself fit and well is important for your family - you can't pour from an empty cup. You can find out more local support for healthy lifestyle below.
Healthy lifestyle
Change 4 Life also has lots of advice, recipes and tips to eat well, move more and live longer, including games, information and ideas to be a healthier family.
Eating well is one of the best ways to reach a healthy weight and feel better about life. Check out One You Kent's exclusive 'Food Smart' film series for some great healthy eating ideas, top tips and advice on food labelling, cooking on a budget, snacking well and watching your sugar intake.
Small changes can make a big difference and One You Kent advisors can support you to make the changes that will work for you. So whether you want to quit smoking, lose weight or just generally feel better about life, One You Kent lifestyle advisors can help. This is a free service from the NHS offered over six sessions. You and your partner can both be referred for support but will be seen separately. Please call 0300 123 1220 or email oneyou.kent@nhs.net for more information.
Keeping active
Being active is good for your mind and body. Every minute of activity counts and the more you do, the more you'll benefit, physically and mentally. Try to build activity into your daily life. Start gently and build up gradually with smaller goals to keep you motivated. Try a walk - it will boost your energy, lift your mood and make everyday activities easier. Once you start achieving things you will want to do more. Think of exercise as time to focus on you and the chance to try something new.
Smoking and alcohol
If you smoke, now is a great time to try to quit. Smoke irritates your child's airways and may cause breathing problems as well as chest and ear infections. Quitting will also save you money and help you feel healthier and reduce stress levels. For free stop smoking support, including nicotine replacement treatment and weekly sessions where you can talk about your quit journey with someone who can help you get through any tough times contact One You Kent. You can visit One You for advice on reducing your drinking and to download the new app 'Lower My Drinking'. Kent County Council has more information about local drug and alcohol services.
Sexual health
The Kent and Medway Sexual Health Service can provide contraception, sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment, psychosexual therapy services as well as care for people living with HIV.
Your mental health and wellbeing
Mental illness might make it harder for you to navigate the challenges of family life. If you've been experiencing negative or frightening feelings and thoughts for more than a couple of weeks and these feelings are getting in the way of your daily life, it's a good idea to seek some help. Your GP or health visitor is here to support you if you are struggling.
Visit our mental wellbeing section for more information and support.
Keeping healthy
As your child gets older it is really important for them to continue to have a balanced diet with a variety of foods. Eating with your child will encourage them to try new foods and enjoy meal times. Encourage your child to help you prepare food and try out new recipes. It can help with reading and learning how to measure ingredients. NHS.uk has useful information on what to feed your child.
It is recommended that your children aged 6 months to five years are given vitamin supplements containing vitamins A, C and D every day.
Sugar causes tooth decay. It's not just about the amount of sugar in sweet food and drinks, but how long and how often the teeth are in cgettontact with sugar. Sweets and sugary drinks in formula bottles are particularly damaging, because they bathe the teeth in sugar for long periods of time. The acid in drinks like fruit juice and squash can harm teeth as well whereas the sugars found naturally in whole fruit and milk are less likely to cause tooth decay, so you don't need to cut down on these types of sugars.
Limit sweets or sugary drinks to mealtimes if you can and dilute one-part juice to ten-parts water. Your child can have one drink of 150ml fruit juice daily as part of their five-a-day.
Ask family and friends to limit the biscuits or sweets they offer your child as well. Stickers, hair slides, crayons, colouring books and bubbles make great alternatives and although more expensive than sweets, they tend to last longer. Ask your pharmacist or GP for sugar-free medicines.
Keeping active
Your child will probably be happiest running, climbing, and playing - these all support their development. Join in and have fun! Play provides children with the opportunity to learn new skills. It also gives them a chance to socialise with other children, develop coordination, balance and body awareness.
Give your child opportunities to play alongside other children. This is really helpful for both physical and social and emotional development. Going to the park or attending groups at your local children's centres will allow your child to play alongside others and take part in physical games and activities.
Swimming can give you and your toddler time together and the chance to play and enjoy water.
Your child should be physically active for around three hours every day with at least one hour of high intensity activity - for example running. You can have bursts of activity throughout the day both indoor and outdoors. Using a climbing frame, running and chasing are a great way for toddlers to get active but light activities such as rolling or dancing are also great. Change 4 life has great 10 minute shake up games you can do with your child.
Allowing children plenty of opportunity to be physically active both indoors and outdoors will help to support healthy growth. Showing how much you enjoy being physically active is important for them as well. Try to plan your day so that you can fit in some outdoor activity throughout the day. Encourage your child to walk if possible, and let them move or dance in any way that they enjoy.
Getting them more active is the most important step you can take to help them achieve a healthy weight.
Find more ways to have a great time with your child with the Born to Move app. The app supports parents and carers on the amazing journey from pregnancy all the way to their child starting school. You can download the app wherever you get your apps from.
Your local Health Visiting Team can support you find out more about local services and ideas to support your family be healthier.
Keeping safe
The NSPCC has tips and advice to help keep your child safe. PANTS helps children understand that their body belongs to them, and they should tell someone they trust if anything makes them feel upset or worried. PANTS stand for:
- Privates are private.
- Always remember your body belongs to you.
- No means no.
- Talk about secrets that upset you.
- Speak up, someone can help.
There is a useful video that you may wish to share with your child from the NSPCC on PANTS.
Supplements
Children aged six months to five years should be given vitamin supplements containing vitamins A, C and D every day.
Dental health
You can find lots of tips to keep your child's teeth healthy at NHS.uk.
Your child is entitled to free dental NHS treatment up to the age of 19. Ring 0300 123 4412 to find your nearest NHS dentist.
Regular tooth brushing is an important habit to continue - tooth decay is one of the biggest causes of hospital admission in the under-fives. Continue helping your child to brush their teeth until you are sure they can do it well enough themselves. They need to brush their teeth twice a day including once before bed and one other time in the day using a small amount of fluoride toothpaste.
The best drinks to protect teeth are water and milk. Fruit juices and sweetened squashes can damage teeth due to the 'free sugars' so if drunk, dilute well with water and offer with a meal rather than between meals to protect teeth.
Our Community Dental Team has put together a useful guide on starting school with a smile with some tips for healthy packed lunches too.
Eyesight
Get your child's eyesight tested at a local optician to make sure any problems are picked up early. Getting treatment or glasses makes sure your child's learning isn't affected by their poor eyesight.