Being a parent, it becomes our responsibility to take care that our kid is growing and developing at the right speed. We need to make sure that they are growing well when it comes to their mental health and physical health. And we talk about physical health; it is going to include their height and weight and to keep these 2 things in check, there are a lot of factors we need to consider. The task of keeping these things in check can be made easy with a height weight age chartfor your kid.
Here are a few things to keep in mind to ensure the right height and weight of the kids:
Inculcate your child with healthy eating habits to ensure that they are growing at the right speed according to their age and are having the right weight. Serve them with nutritious food. Offer them vegetables including the green ones and fruits that are fresh and juicy. You can have a baby food chart to make sure that they are getting all the nutrients equally and at the right time. Also, exclude food with added sugars from their diet and try to give them in portions instead of giving a pile at a time to maintain their weight.
Teach them to do exercise every day in the morning at least for 15-20 minutes. Doing exercise every day is going to help them grow at the right speed and also is going to assist them in having and maintaining the right weight. It is going to prevent them from obesity. You can involve them in different sports that are fun and going to help them in their development and growth. It will also make their bones and muscles strong, which is necessary for their fit future.
Make sure they are getting enough sleep in a day. It is because when they are sleeping their body is producing various hormones that are important for their growth. They should take 11-13 hours of sleep every day so that they grow and develop well and stay fit and active all the time.
Make them love milk. Serve them milk every day at least one glass a day. You can add different ingredients for flavours so that your kid drinks the milk happily every day. It is a source of calcium in a child’s body to make their bones strong. It is going to optimize their growth. So, make sure they are consuming milk every day.
Don’t let them skip their meals to ensure they have the right weight according to their age
Most of the parents are busy taking care of their kid’s eating habits and focus on preparing good and delicious food. But they forget to take care of their drinking habits. Liquid consumption is equally important for the kids because we all know that 70% of the human body is made with water. So, it is important for their body to have enough liquid for healthy growth and development.
– For this, you need to take a jar and fill it with 1/2 cup fresh orange juice, 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice, 2 cups of water or coconut water, 2 tbsp raw honey, and 1/8 tsp table salts.
– Mix all these ingredients well and serve well. If you want, you can store this drink for a while but prefer serving it fresh to your kids.
2. Drink from Coconut:
– You need to take a jar and fill it with 3 cups of coconut water, 1 cup water (It can be as per preference), 1/2 cup freshly squeezed lime juice, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 2tbsp raw honey.
– After putting all the ingredients in the jar, you need to mix them well and serve it fresh and chilled.
3. Strawberry and Coconut Drink:
– Take a blender and pour 3 cups of coconut water in it. Then add 1 cup of strawberries, 1 cup of fresh water, 1 cup of ice, 1/8 teaspoon of sea salt, and 2 tablespoons organic sugar or honey as per your taste.
– Now blend all the ingredients properly for even flavor. You should prefer serving it fresh and chilled in summers to your growing kid.
4. CPR Drink:
– You need to take a blender and fill it with 1 big red or orange carrot, 1 big sliced pear, 1 or 2 peeled oranges, 1 tsp honey, and a few mint leaves.
– Now blend all the ingredients properly for even flavor of all the items. You need to serve it fresh.
You can put some ice if you want it to be chilled. It is a really healthy option for your growing kid.
All the drinks are made with ingredients that are healthy and full of components that are necessary for the healthy growth and development of your kids. You can try these drinks for your kids and serve them chilled in summers and without ice in winters.
It is better to serve such drinks fresh, as storing them for a while can reduce their effect. If your kid is a fussy eater, don’t worry if he or she is going to like these drinks. You can find and try some more similar drinks. It is good to serve something yummy and fresh to your kids apart from water. The liquid is really important for their growth and development. So, apart from the food you also need to make sure that they are consuming enough liquid in a day.
Keeping a balance between taste and health needs some brainstorming. This balance becomes essential when it comes to serving meals to your child especially the school snacks for kids as kids spent significant time in school.
Here are some tiffin box recipes for school which will help you serve healthy food wrapped in delicious tastes as well as a bright smile on your kid’s face –
Besan Cheela –
Chop some onions, capsicum, tomatoes, and coriander leaves in small pieces. Now take a bowl and add some besan (gram flour) in it. Add water until the paste gets a runny consistency. Add all the chopped vegetables to this mixture and add salt, turmeric powder, red chilli powder, and coriander powder. Make sure that all the ingredients are mixed well. The mixture should be as thick as a cake batter. Now take a pan and heat some oil in it. Add a dollop of the batter and spread it in the circular shape. Now let it cook and then flip the side and let the other side cook. This is a quick and easy tiffin recipe filled with healthy ingredients.
Aloo paratha –
This is one of the staple tiffin box recipes for school, Indian kids love it. Boil potatoes and mash them in a bowl. Add some salt, chat masala, sabzi masala, red chilli powder, and coriander powder to the mash. Now mix everything thoroughly and keep it aside. In another bowl knead wheat flour into dough. Now take a small ball of the dough and add the potato mash in it. Roll this ball in a circular shape and cook it on a pan. Pack it in the tiffin along with some ketchup or tomato sauce.
Veg Cutlet –
Boil potatoes, mash them and keep them aside. In another bowl take chopped onions, capsicum, carrots, tomatoes and coriander. Add these chopped vegetables to the mashed mixture. Add a tablespoon of gram flour to it. In another bowl keep breadcrumbs and mix some chopped coriander leaves, oregano, and salt to it. In a pan heat some oil, take some of the mixture and roll it into a small ball. Dip the balls in breadcrumbs and fry those balls until they turn golden-brown. Serve the cutlets with sauce or green chutney.
Soybean kebabs –
Soak soybean in water overnight and strain the water from it. Now put it in a food processor and add some vegetable oil, salt, ginger garlic paste, chat masala to it. Chop some onions, green chillies, and chives into small pieces. Add chopped veggies to the ground soybean and mix all the ingredients well. If the mixture is not sticking together, then add some gram flour and a little amount of water. In a pan heat some vegetable oil. Make small balls of the mixture and flatten them with your hands before frying them in the pan. Make some parathas to compliment the kebabs and serve with green chutney.
These recipes have a high nutrition balance and compliment the immunity developing diet plan for children.
As a parent, to watch your little one grow is one of the most amazing experiences you will have. But, it’s not an easy feat if you don’t know what to look for in each stage of growth and development of your toddler.
In this article, we have elaborated on four of the crucial stages of growth and development of your toddler. We have also mentioned the signs of development to look for.
Physical development:
Toddlers tend to show rapid growth and development, especially when it comes to physical development which includes changes and growth of a toddler’s body. During this stage muscles and sensory organs of a toddler develop, too.
Anything that shows acute movement or involves precision is termed as fine motor development. Here are some of the fine motor developments to watch out for in your toddler:
Draw simple shapes such as squares and circles,
Draws lines and curves
Undress on their own
Drinks from small cups and glasses on their own (may spill)
Gross motor development:
In gross motor development, larger muscle groups are developed. Toddlers also engage in full or wide-range movements such as:
Jumping
Climbing a flight of stairs
Running without falling
Throwing a ball
Cognitive development:
Another important stage of growth and development in a toddler is the cognitive development. This development speeds up from the age of two and beyond. During this stage, your toddler’s brain develops at a rapid pace as they are exposed to more information in terms of color, relations, textures, foods, familiar faces, etc. At this stage, you will often find your toddler:
Recognizing familiar faces and family members
Completing sentences
Telling short stories
Narrating events of his/her day
Language development:
This stage of growth and development, too, takes place quickly. Once your child turns two, he/she will have a vocabulary of about 50 to 100 words. This will double every year. Some toddlers will even start using combinations of a couple of words or more. Here’s are some of the signs to watch out for:
Attempts to frame a sentence
Copies your sentences
Uses pronouns such as “me” and “you”
Can make phrases, such as “no bottle” or “want cookie”
Emotional Development:
By the time a toddler reaches the age of two, he/she has developed strong bonds with parents and people who are always around them. In this stage, it is very likely for a toddler to test the limits of parents or caretakers’ authority. To do so, you will often find your toddler experimenting with objects and situations in everyday life. Acting independently is also a trait that is high lightened in this stage. Here are some signs of emotional and social development that your toddler will show:
Feels happy
Feels guilty
Recognizes himself/herself in the mirror
Hugs and kisses parents, familiar people and pets
Shows frustration easily
Every child progresses at a different speed. So, there will be times when your toddler may miss a couple of these developmental signs, don’t worry. As long as they are showing signs of some of the developments in each stage, they’re good. However, you can consult your toddler’s pediatrician if you see a prolonged delay in certain movements.
Fun tip:
As a memory, you can make a baby growth tracker to keep a record of all the new developments that your toddler shows.
The first five years in a child’s life are very important. You must have heard this many times. But, have you ever wondered why and how your kid’s first five years can shape their future?
Most of a child’s brain development happens in their first five years. This is the time when your child goes under faster physical growth, along with their ability to learn behavioral, emotional, and social skills.
Thus your child’s diet as well as early experiences – what they see, hear, smell, and taste – affect their physical, mental, and emotional development that stay with the kids for a whole life.
So, how can you make sure that your child is all the things suitable for their healthy growth in their early years?
Kids get all the energy and nutrients for their healthy physical and mental development. Tasting new foods at this age will also help your child develop a sense of taste and nurture healthy eating habits that’ll stay with them for life.
Children at this age pick up on things happening around them. Set a good example for your child and help them make healthy and right food choices by preparing healthy breakfast recipes for kids.
2. Physical activity
Playing time is equally important for your kid’s physical growth as it helps kids develop motor skills, improve their thinking ability, and opportunity to explore their surroundings. Make sure your child plays indoor as well as outdoor games. Spend some active time with your kids and they will happily follow your lead.
3. Neighborhood
Your neighborhood and local community affect your child’s development as much as the friendly environment at your home does. Your positive relationships with neighbors and the local community will influence their social and communication skills. Having playgrounds, parks, and hospitals and child care centers closer help as well.
4. Health
Kids often fall ill. Fever, cold, cough, and seasonal infections are common among babies and kids under five. However, chronic conditions can severely affect your child’s physical, mental, and emotional development at the early stages. In the case of chronic conditions, it’s better to consult your family doctor or your kid’s pediatrician.
While you make sure your kid has a healthy diet, enough physical activity, and a good neighborhood, don’t stress on your child’s development than necessary. Remember, every child grows differently and in their own space.
So it’s alright your kid passes a certain age limit without uttering a proper word or taking their first step. Development is different for every child and in case of any doubt, you can consult the doctor to be sure.
It is hard to gauge what amount of sugar is excessive, but would you let your child eat 100 grams of added sugar a day? You may think that 100 grams of sugar may be nothing, but imagine, this is nearly 17 teaspoons of sugar daily!
The World Health Organization recommends that one must consume just 5 to 10%of daily calories from sugar. Abundant research has been conducted to prove that young children, who consume too much-added sugar, are at higher risk of being diagnosed with diabetes and heart diseases. In addition, most pediatricians strongly recommend not adding sugar or salt to your child’s food during their first year.
It is common for your child to develop a liking for sweet flavors, as the breast milk fed to them in their infant days contains milk sugars; and is one of the first flavors that your child had learned to get accustomed to. However, feeding meals loaded with added sugar makes your child addictive to sugar and a sweet tooth, which is the infamous habit to intake more sugar than required.
How High Sugar Intake Affects Health
Apart from diabetes and heart diseases, there are other problems, which affect your child’s health when their sugar intake is higher than required.
Tooth decay
Obesity or overweight
Behavioral problems like throwing tantrums and crankiness
Hyperactivity (partially true and proven)
Natural Sugar V/S Added Sugar
You might wonder what differentiates natural and added sugars. Sugar, which is present in fruits, veggies, dairy products, and whole grains, is termed as natural sugar; as it is naturally present and available in these food groups. Apart from being less sugary, these food items also have additional health benefits and many nutrients like proteins, vitamins and essential minerals like zinc and iron.
Added sugar generally means processed sugar, granules or even honey and maple syrup. Packaged foods, candies, cookies, and chocolates comprise of this added sugar. Doctors are concerned about this category of sugar; rather than worrying about the intake of natural sugar. This is because, added sugar has the characteristic of being easily broken down and dissolved by your body, causing a sudden increase in your sugar level.
Ways to Reduce Sugar in Your Child’s Diet
Avoid Sugary Drinks
Fizzy drinks are often loaded with added sugar, not only that but some health drinks, canned fruit juice, and smoothies also contain a heavy amount of sugar, which is not recommended for your child. You must ascertain that your child consumes natural juice obtained from freshly squeezed fruits, milk or homemade appetizers like smoothies, fruit milkshake, and such.
Follow Healthy Recipes
Promote good nutrition by following healthy recipes for kids. Oatmeal, porridge, pancakes are great options to quash the unwanted sugar intake among the kids from cookies, cakes, and muffins kids often munch on.
Stock Up Various Snacks
It is advisable to designate a shelf in your fridge or snack-rack for healthy and nutritious snacks like homemade tortilla chips, veggie fingers with dip, yogurt with nuts and many more.
Control, not Forbid
Research has shown that forbidding something to your child will make them want that more desperately. So be tactful in your approach as you gently deny them excessive intake of chocolates, cookies or dessert. Saying, “you can’t have that” will make them want it more. Instead, explain to them the hazards of over-intake of forbidden items and they will learn to gain control over their cravings over time.
Serve Appropriate Desserts
It is absolutely fine and natural for your child to crave dessert. Therefore, it is better to understand which ones you should avoid and which are healthier or preferable ones.
Ones to Avoid
Chocolates, lollipops, candy treats
Chewy and jelly-based toffees
Packaged cookies and doughnuts
Deep-fried sweets soaked in sugar syrup e.g. jalebi, boondi, Gulab Jamun
Sugary breakfast cereals
Preferable to Serve
Fruit chaat/salad
Kheer
Plain cakes
Homemade cookies (preferably oats or raisins)
Eat Healthy as a Family
Kids learn from adults, and they want to replicate the same. So set a good example for them. Make sure that the family follows the habit of eating healthy and less-sugary meals every day. This will slowly and steadily ensure that your child is developing an essential habit of consuming what is most required for their healthy growth.
Remember, curbing your child’s desire and intake of added or excessive sugar can be tough; but it is highly essential to ensure that they lead healthy, nutritious, and disease-free lives. Start following these tips to make sure that your little one’s sugar intake is right in proportion to what they require.
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