As a parent, we can, and should teach our child healthy habits from a very young age. These habits, once inculcated, remain for a lifetime.

Eat Right

Junk food can appeal to your child’s taste buds but it’s not healthy food. Inculcate the healthy habit of eating fresh home cooked healthy food in her from early years to prevent obesity. Include lots of fruits and vegetables in her diet. And practice what you preach.

Wash

Washing hands is an important healthy habit also one of the easiest to teach. Studies have shown that doing it correctly (like before eating and after play, after potty and after petting animals) will reduce the number of cold and coughs and flu infections by 50%. Also, small children love taking baths but get impatient when they need to rub themselves with soap or shampoo their hair. Explain to your child how she must clean all parts properly to remove all dirt and germs.

Be Active

Kids, these days, tend to spend more time watching television and playing games on the computer rather than going out to play. As a parent, make sure your child gets at least an hour of fresh air every day. Get her interested in various health activities for kids like cycling, swimming or even an evening walk with you.

Brush

Toothache is painful and you can save your child from it by teaching her dental hygiene. This not only includes brushing her teeth twice but also how she brushes. The method is circles for the inner and vertical motion for the front teeth for 2 minutes.

Everything Can’t Be Shared

While sharing and playing with toys is good manners, your child also needs to be told that everything can’t be shared. It starts with water bottles at school (which can spread cold and cough germs) to toothbrush, combs and bath towels (which can spread lice) at home.

Use a Tissue

Teach your little one to sneeze into the sleeves of her dress (if she does not have a handkerchief) instead of into her hands or in the open. This way the sneeze germs won’t be on her hand and thus won’t get transferred through touch. Also, once your child knows how to blow into a tissue teach her how a disposable tissue should be tossed into the bin after she’s finished. Keeping used cloth handkerchiefs lying around is a breeding ground for virus and bacteria.

Don’t Look Into the Flush

When you begin toilet training your child, there will be moment when she wants to watch how the flush swirls away all the products. However, you will need to teach her not to do that but instead close the pot as when its left open, the drops of water that spew into the air contain minute particles of whatever was just deposited in the pot.