Prioritizing Mental, Physical, and Social Health in Your Child
As a parent, you want the best for your kids mentally, physically, emotionally, and socially. While it can be hard to keep track of everything you could or would want to do to enhance your child’s life, there are some ways that you can put your kid’s well-being first as you also take care of yourself and model what a healthy lifestyle looks like. As long as you’re trying your best, your child will see that you’re doing as much as you can and appreciate your efforts.
Stay Active for the Body and Mind
As we know, mental and physical health correlate with each other. When we feel better mentally, we tend to feel better physically and vice versa. During the summer, one fun way to relax and stay active at the same time is going to the pool.
Depending on where you live, it may be more or less common to have a pool in your yard. According to Angi, the state of Arizona is populated with roughly 505,000 pools. Of course, if you don’t own a pool, you can either go to a public one or use a friend’s pool if they have one.
During the winter, you can stay active by getting a membership at a local recreation center or finding indoor sports that you and your family enjoy like pickleball. Before you sign up for a membership at a rec center, you can ask if they offer discounts to local families. You can also explore your options to see if one might be cheaper if you’re willing to go a little out of your way to get to it.
Check Your Water Supply
From bathing to drinking to cooking, you use water all the time to take care of your family. Since water is an integral part of running the home, you’ll want to make sure that it is safe and healthy to use it. According to Forbes, about 85% of Americans report that their homes have hard water. Although hard water might not pose an immediate threat to the well-being of your family, it can be harsh on their hair and bodies when they shower so you should consider getting a water softener or finding another solution if you notice negative consequences from using the water in your home.
In addition to how soft or hard the water is, you should test it for common contaminants like lead and bacteria. While lead is invisible, it can have devastating consequences for your children’s health if they drink it or use water that contains it. There are regulations on contaminants in water, so if you suspect that your rented property contains lead or other contaminants in the water, you can contact your local health department to figure out how to proceed.
Put Dental Health First
While the teeth are just one part of the body, dental health can impact other parts of the body if they’re decayed or unhealthy such as the heart. To set your child up for a healthy life on a physical level, you should prioritize regular dental cleanings and checkups. You should also ask your child’s dentist about common treatments for children such as dental sealants.
According to MDA dentists, dentists tend to begin to apply sealants to kids’ teeth by the time they reach the age of six. If your child is older than six and their dentist hasn’t mentioned the benefits of sealants yet, you should bring it up at their next appointment. Sealants help to protect the teeth from decay and other problems.
As you put your child’s physical, mental, and emotional health first, don’t forget to take care of yourself. When you take your kid to a rec center to exercise or schedule an appointment, you can use that time to work out or try to schedule an appointment, too
