When you have a child, your world begins to revolve around them. They’ll become the center of your universe, and you’ll do anything to ensure that they’re healthy and happy. The good news is that there are a number of steps that you can take to achieve this throughout the duration of their lives. Here are a few that you might want to consider!
DURING PREGNANCY
You can start looking after your child before they’re even delivered into the world. The easiest way to achieve this? Keep reading to find out!
Taking care of your own body
Now, your body is inevitably going to go through a variety of changes as your baby grows and develops inside you. You’ll find that you grow bigger and significantly heavier. Your flexibility will reduce. Your joints may swell and ache, and you’ll find yourself having to think a little more and put a little more effort into moving around comfortably. But ensure you still maintain a gentle exercise regime as advised by your doctor, filled with exercises and stretches that will help to keep you in good shape. Remember, you shouldn’t put too much pressure on yourself.
Eating a healthy diet
When you become pregnant, you do need to be careful about what you eat. There are several food products that you should avoid for the sake of your baby’s health and development. Foods that fall onto the list to avoid could make you ill and impact your baby’s development as a result, or they could make your baby ill. Common foods to avoid include specific cheeses. Soft cheeses with white rinds (including brie and camembert) should be ditched. Also, avoid soft goat’s cheeses that are ripened with mold (including chevre). On top of this, don’t consume soft, blue-veined cheeses. The problem with all of these? They could cause you to become infected with listeria. Pate can also contain listeria, so it is a no-go too. While actually developing this is pretty rare, it’s really not worth the risk. Just wait until your baby has been born. Raw or partially cooked eggs also pose a risk of salmonella food poisoning, so should be cut out. Other foods to avoid include raw or uncooked meat or fish, liver, game and shark, swordfish, and marlin.
EARLY YEARS
The early years of your child’s light can have a huge impact on their overall development. So, you’ll want these years to be as close to perfect as possible. The following steps can help you along the way.
Focus on Progression
Different children progress at different rates. But there are basics you can focus on to get your kids off to the best start possible. Don’t push your kid, and don’t place too much pressure on them. Instead, gentle encouragement tends to be the best approach. This can be applied to life steps such as learning to crawl, learning to walk, potty training, learning to speak, recognizing colors, recognizing facial features, recognizing animals and the sounds they make, learning to read, learning to write, and more. This will all be extremely exciting. Whichever area you’re trying to help your little ones with, there will be plenty of free resources out there that can help you along the way. Print out coloring pages are aplenty online. So are writing guides where your children can trace the lines. There are online resources for practically anything! You just have to look around for them. Many forums for parents will be able to give recommendations and advice!
Be Prepared for Potential Medical Problems
When you have a kid, you’ll probably feel on edge and concerned if they do so much as cough a little or sneeze. But it’s important that you are familiar with common health concerns that will actually barely affect your child and which will resolve of their own accord and the signs and symptoms of conditions that could prove potentially dangerous or even life-threatening. It would be nigh on impossible to list all potential conditions a child could face in just one article. So, do a little research around the subject. Reading simple articles like 12 ways to help your congested baby breathe will familiarise you with basic care to deal with simple conditions. Just remember, if you are ever genuinely concerned about your child’s wellbeing, don’t hesitate to reach out for professional help and advice. At the end of the day, it’s better to be safe than sorry, and most professionals will be understanding of this.
SCHOOL AGE
The day your child first goes to school can be an emotional one. It will often be the first time your kid spends time away from you or family members. This is going to be a huge period of progression and growth for your little one, not only physically but mentally, socially, and emotionally too. So, you’re going to want to really support them through this time. Here are a few steps to really help your child during this period.
Find a Good Quality School
Often, schools operate on a catchment area basis. Children who live within a certain proximity to the school will be guaranteed entry. So, when your little ones start approaching the age they’ll start school, start doing a little research into the best schools around. Hopefully, you’ll already have a good school nearby. But if not, you might want to consider moving to give your child a better quality education. Sure, moving can be a complex and stressful process. But all in all, you’ll be able to settle into this property for the whole of your child’s school life, and they’ll, hopefully, excel in their learning. If you’re not able to move or you’re already in the home of your dreams, but have your heart set on a certain school for your kid, it’s definitely worth getting in touch and finding out whether they accept children from outside of the catchment area. Often, schools will have a set number of spaces for kids from a little further afield. It’s always worth asking.
Starting Up Hobbies
This is the age that children are likely to start to develop personal interests and passions. There’s often no telling what your child will grow to love. Some will be predictable. Some will take you by surprise. Regardless, it’s important to encourage them and open as many doors and opportunities for them to progress in their chosen area. If your child doesn’t seem to develop many interests themselves, it might be a good idea to encourage them by giving them taster sessions and trials. Maybe they’d like to pick up an instrument. Maybe they’d enjoy dance classes like ballet or tap. They might be interested in martial arts. They might want to do arts and crafts. They might like to sing. Whatever it is, find classes in your area that you can let your kid attend or get what materials and equipment you can for them to practice at home.
Of course, your pursuit of giving your child the best start to their life is likely to continue until they are at least eighteen years of age. School isn’t where it stops. But hopefully, the insight above should help you to best prepare yourself for steps you may be likely to take in their early years!
