You Need to Focus on All Aspects of Your Little Ones' Health!
If you have kids, their health and wellbeing is going to be top of your list of priorities. You’re going to want to do everything you can to ensure that they’re always in the best shape and that they can enjoy their lives. Hopefully, your actions will be able to get them off to the best start, minimizing risk of developing any conditions and allowing them to do everything that they want to do as the years go by! Here are a few things to take into consideration that will help you to achieve this!
Regular Health Checks
First, let’s start out with regular health checks that your child should be attending. Your doctor will be able to advise you on exactly when your child should be visiting specialists and what checks they should be having carried out by these specialists. Here are some examples of checks your kids should probably be having.
Vaccines
First and foremost, it’s your responsibility to ensure that all of your children are vaccinated. Not only does this help to protect them, but it helps to protect children who can’t have vaccines through herd immunity too. Here’s a list of recommended vaccines and the right ages for them to be administered!
Before the age of 8 weeks
6 in one vaccine (protects against diphtheria, hepatitis B, Hib, polio, tetanus and whooping cough)
Rotavirus vaccine
MenB
Before the age of 12 weeks
6 in one vaccine (second dose)
Rotavirus vaccine (second dose)
PCV vaccine
Before the age of 16 weeks
6 in one vaccine (third dose)
MenB (second dose)
1 year old
Hib/MenC
PCV vaccine (second dose)
MenB (third dose)
2 - 10 years old
Flu vaccine (annually)
3 years and four months
MMR (second dose)
Pre-school booster
12 - 13 years old
HPV vaccine
14 years old
Teenage booster
MenACWY
Dental Checks
Just like adults, your little ones should visit the dentist once every six months. This will give their dentist a chance to ensure that their teeth are all coming through or in place properly. It will also help to ensure that any signs of cavities or decay are detected early on. Most dentists are great with children and the trip should be hassle free.
Hearing Checks
Kids tend to have hearing checks when they are really young to ensure that everything is in working order. However, if your child has problems with their hearing, you need to take them to see an audiologist. This professional or a hearing instrument specialist will be able to identify any problems and resolve them where possible. This can range from syringing ear wax to using recommending hearing devices.
Exercise
When we think of exercise, the vast majority of us tend to think about our own exercise regimes. Images of the gym pop into our minds. We might think of our sessions with our personal trainer. We might consider our classes - perhaps yoga, spin class or something else. Some of us even attend sports teams and add a social element to things. But when’s the last time you considered your little ones’ exercise regimes? Thinking about how much exercise our children get tends to slip past our minds, as many of us simply assume that they’re getting enough. They’re smaller, so don’t need to exercise quite as much as we do, and they tend to run around a lot when they’re playing games or playing with others anyway. Think of all the playground games that they rush around with! Plus, they get exercise incorporated into their school routines. So, sure, chances are your kids are exercising on a regular basis. But the average child should get sixty minutes of exercise on a daily basis, so for some little ones who are less reluctant to exercise of their own accord, you might need to find a form of exercise that works for them in order to encourage them to reach this target! Of course, this isn’t to say that you should be getting your little one jogging laps of the garden, attempting press ups or squatting. These are exercises that adults do and that kids can often find dull. Instead, it’s a really good idea to try to find more fun forms of exercise for them to try out. Team sports, dance, gymnastics, frisbee, trampolining, roller skating or even alternative sports like fencing could do the trick!
These are just a few areas to focus on that will help to get the ball rolling in the right direction. Hopefully, some of the advice helps your little one!
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