Along with regular visits to a family doctor, there are many ways you can help your little ones stay strong and get the nutrition they need as they grow. Getting your kids into healthy habits while they’re young will enable them to see the benefits of eating well and exercising throughout their lives. Take a look at what you can do to help your child stay healthy in the guide below.

What Parents Can Do to Raise Healthy Kids

1. Provide a Healthy Diet

Provide a diet covering all the major food groups and with plenty of room for flavor and variety. Avoid buying sugary, fatty, or salty snack foods. Instead, give your little one snacks like fresh raw vegetables, dried and fresh fruit, yogurt, unsalted nuts, and sandwiches made with whole-grain bread. It’s also a smart move to prepare meals using fresh meats and fish, vegetables, and grains.

2. Exercise Together

Family doctors encourage active play at home. Some kids may show an early interest in sports or athletics, which should be supported, as vigorous exercise can benefit every major muscle group, organ, and the skeletal system.

Even if your child isn’t particularly interested in formal or team-based athletics, they can benefit from at least 60 minutes of physical play every day. You can turn this into an opportunity for bonding and family fun by organizing trips to local parks or activity centers and playing with them, which can also benefit your own health.

3. Don’t Use Food to Punish or Reward

Offering sugary snacks as a reward for good behavior or academic achievement can cause children to associate candy and sweets with positive emotions and to seek out unhealthy foods. Withholding food, like sending a child to bed without dinner or forcing them to clean their plates, can cause them to get into the habit of overeating. 

Instead, offer non-food rewards for good behavior and consider gentler forms of punishment, such as taking away play time to encourage them to do what’s expected of them.

Find out more about how you can raise a health-conscious child with advice from the team at Dumas Family Practice. Serving patients of all ages throughout the northern Texas Panhandle, these family doctors draw on extensive experience and the latest medical knowledge and techniques to help kids grow up healthy and strong. Call (806) 935-9005 to schedule an appointment, and visit them online for more information.