The importance of giving children appropriate healthcare orientation from their foundational stages cannot be overemphasised. Enlightening your child on the importance of practicing simple healthy habits can go a long way in putting them at a lower risk of contracting common infections.

For example, teaching your child to practice a habit as simple as regular washing of hands has been proven to protect from a range of infections including diarrheal, respiratory infections, rubella and Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS), among several others. How can you take charge in safeguarding your child’s health through enforcing these habits?

The first and most obvious step to set the appropriate standards in your home is to step up and lead by example. As parents, you will serve as your wards’ biggest role models for most of their lives and it helps when they can mirror these healthy habits in their lives simply by observing your routines. Practice a “do as I do” approach, as opposed to a “do as I say” method. Activities like brushing teeth and dental hygiene, washing of hands, staying hydrated and regular exercise should be practiced together, as much as possible, to help register an early message in your child’s subconscious.

As you may have observed, children are very inquisitive in nature; knowing that something is important isn’t half as critical as knowing ‘why’ it is important for growing children. As often as possible, seize the opportunity to educate your wards on the benefits of practicing some of these healthy habits to their overall wellbeing.

Let them know how healthcare routines like proper good sleeping habits improve their mental health, productivity and performance, and aids the proper functioning of their immune system. Enlighten them on how regular exercise helps to constantly keep them in good physical shape; and so on. When they realise the importance of some of these practices, they are sure to get on board.

Enforcing healthy habits in your child’s lifestyle requires a very personal and intentional approach. Stay in control of their diets and routines. Teaching your wards about the importance of having a balanced diet can be done by intentionally fixing the proper set of nutrients in all of their meals.

Lay down an appropriate bedtime that allows your wards to fully maximise the daytime and get in the recommended number of sleep hours for their age bracket. Teach your child responsible screen time and mobile device usage to protect their eyes, and help them build actual interpersonal relationships outside of their systems.

Furthermore, offer some form of incentives to your children for practicing these healthy habits. Praise them for following instructions and in some cases give them small gifts that recognise their intentionality about safeguarding their health. These could be in the form of stickers or posters for their notebooks, a little snack for eating their vegetables or a toy they have always wanted.

Giving them these small rewards will certainly motivate them to continue practicing these healthy habits.