Raising a child is no walk in the park. With today’s busy schedules, there is often so much to do in a very limited time that even minding your own child’s health is no small feat. This is why today there are so many cases of children with obesity among other health issues. Families have for example resorted to junk food as opposed to traditional home cooked meals. Medics however warn against this, urging parents to ensure that their children’s diet and overall health should always be a priority. According to Dieudonne Bukaba, a nutrition expert in Kigali, ensuring a healthy lifestyle for children is the best way to prevent health issues such as asthma, obesity, diabetes, heart diseases among others. He therefore says that parents can try to achieve this by creating healthy habits early on in the younger stages of their children. Maintaining such standards can in the long run provide the essential basis for improved health. He says period of complementary feeding which is always between (6 to 23 months) is very vital. This is a time when young children are most vulnerable to under nutrition and consequent growth faltering. Feeding of children during this time is commonly referred to as complementary feeding. It involves providing food in addition to breast milk to meet the nutritional demands for childhood growth. “It is well recognised that an underlying cause of child under nutrition is inappropriate feeding practices. Changes in behaviours related to feeding practices are possible through well-designed and implemented behaviour that can only be done by parents,” he says. Bukaba therefore notes that adopting a feeding behaviour aiming to improve complementary feeding practices and child nutritional status are very important. Check-ups and vaccinations are crucial As your kids grow, they should reach milestones in how they play, learn, speak, and act. A delay in any of these areas could be a sign of a developmental problem. The earlier you recognize a delay, the more you can do to help your kids reach their full potential; this is according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. Their research also highlights the need for routine check-ups, including dental and eye exams. These help identify ways to stay healthy, provide the opportunity to receive preventive services, and help find health problems early, when chances for treatment are better. Vaccination on the other hand helps prevent many diseases and save lives. It is also advisable to provide healthy meals and snacks. Eating right will help provide the nutrients needed to have energy, build strong bones, and fight diseases and conditions. For babies, breastfeeding is best. As children grow, it is important that parents help their children choose healthy meals and snacks. Pay attention to what and how much they eat. This will help them stay on track and may uncover problems of which were unnoticed, the research shows. Teaching kids healthy habits is very important, experts reveal. These include brushing teeth, washing hands among others. Healthy children for sustainability Bukaba adds that children’s health is critical to the success and sustainability of the community. Bukaba says that the communities should be encouraged to embrace such healthy habits for their children. This can be done by teaching them the benefits of adopting such healthy behaviours. Health workers should on the other hand possess skills that can help them sensitize families on how to raise healthy children. editor@newtimesrwanda.com
