All any parent wants is for their children to be healthy and safe. And no matter what amount of time they spend at school or playing outside, your home is their haven. This is why you should do whatever is in your power to create a healthy environment in your home, so that your kids can be sheltered from anything bad there. Here are some suggestions on what to begin with.
Start with the basics
When it comes to wellness, the first thing you should pay attention to is your little ones’ basic needs, whether physical or emotional. It starts with a healthy diet, so always buy fresh ingredients and make it a rule to cook their meals from scratch. The food they eat should be organic and rich in all the nutrients they need to grow up strong and healthy. Don’t let them sit in front of one screen or another most of their time, but take them outside, encourage them to play and be physically active.
Take them to their pediatrician for routine checkups and always be alert in case anything out of the ordinary happens. Bathe them frequently, teaching them how to tend to their own hygiene in the process. If they forget to wash their little hands or brush their teeth, be there to gently remind them. Wash their clothes and always dress them in clean ones, but don’t get upset if they get it dirty sooner than they put it on. After all, they’re just kids and all they want is to play and explore the world.
Make your home a healthy place
A home can only be healthy if it’s clean, so keep your home spotless and avoid using cleaning products which aren’t natural and ecological. Every room in your home should be tidy, starting with the kitchen where you make your children’s meals, the bathroom they use and the rooms they sleep in. Kids are more sensitive than grownups and although your body may not even notice some pollutant, your kid could have some sort of a reaction to it. This is why you should free your home of things like dust, mold and cigarette smoke.
To stay on the safe side, it would be wise to invest in HEPA filters for your vacuum cleaner, as well as a high-performance HEPA air purifier to lower the number of allergens inside your home, and especially in your kids’ rooms. If possible, get furniture made of natural wood and avoid those pieces which were treated with paint or glue containing formaldehyde. Finally, it could also help to buy your children clothes, beddings and even mattresses made of organic materials.
Develop their emotional health
You’re their main role model for anything your kids do and become in life, so try being the best version of yourself for them. The way you parent them and how you treat others will have an enormous influence on them, so adjust your behavior accordingly. The relationship you develop with them should be a loving and stable one. Whether you want to or not, you teach them by example, so let them see from you that it’s perfectly acceptable to express any emotion that they experience.
Show them that communication with people around them can be full of understanding and appreciation, and never violent or disrespectful, which is why you should never argue with anybody or be aggressive in front of them. Teach them to be grateful, mindful of others and empathic. Last, but definitely not least, let them feel all the love and affection you have for them. Hug them, kiss them, cuddle with them whenever the chance arises and talk to them in a gentle, but encouraging tone to show them they always have your support and love.
Leave a healthy world for them
Once your child sees you litter, waste water or drive everywhere instead of walking, they’ll consider that behavior normal and desired. Don’t allow that. Explain that this planet is the only one they have, that it’s their home and that they have to do their part in keeping it clean and healthy.
Things like turning off the tap while brushing their teeth, switching to energy-saving light bulbs and packing their lunch in reusable containers instead of the disposable ones are important and could be a good starting point. Spend time hiking or cycling outside, plant a tree together and recycle whatever you can to make this world a better place for them to live in.
Make it your job to make your home and everything that surrounds your child healthy and safe. And never forget that the only way for them to grow into intelligent, kind and responsible people is by always being there for them.
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