Since it’s the summer holidays (again, where did that year go?) I thought I’d write a post about how I try to keep my boys healthy. This post was inspired by KidsKalm by probio7. They recently reached out to me to see if I’d like to write about the product. I agreed I’d be more than happy to since I already
buy and give KidsKalm powders for Roo. I haven’t been paid for this post but I was sent a months supply for my use by them.
Summer is a time for us when we need to juggle childcare and hopefully enjoy some holidays time, so now more than ever I want the boys to be healthy. No one wants their children to be ill on holidays. If you’ve been reading my blog a while you’ll know I suffer from emetophobia (the fear of sickness) and I’ve written about it before here. So any illness in my boys triggers anxiety in me.
So bearing that in mind I thought I’d write about my top 5 tips for keeping them healthy, things I do everyday.
1. Drink Water
Leave reusable bottle lying around the house, or if they are at holiday clubs send them in with water. Water is great for keeping hydrated and keeping you well. Dehydration is not fun and can make children (and adults) really poorly.
2. Wash Hands
This is a very important one. Always after using the toilet and before eating. Teach your children how to wash properly, with soap and running water. Taking their time to make sure they’ve washed all the areas including fingertips and palms.
3. Daily Probiotics
I’ve been giving my boys probiotics since they were all around 9 months. Once they started eating solid foods and picking up all sorts of things form floors to chew on I wanted to make sure they had a healthy gut. Probiotics are putting the good bacteria in your tummy that help keep you healthy to support good digestion and immune health. The last few months I’ve been using Probio 7 KidsKalm powders. The powder is tasteless and can be put on food or added to cold drinks. It’s vegan and the great thing is unlike a lot of children’s probiotics you don’t need to keep them in the fridge.
4. Exercise and Fresh Air
Theres nothing worse than feeling sluggish after you’ve done nothing but sit around all day. I try to get the boys out at least once a day even if it’s just the garden for a while. If its rainy or cold dress up for the weather and just get outside. You never know how much fin you can have until you’ve seen a puddle through the eyes of a toddler!
5. Balanced Diet
It’s all too easy in the summer holidays to go from one day to the next wondering what to feed the small people. Especially if they are like mine and just constantly want to eat things!
So during the day if we are at home and they want something to eat there are a few rules. If it’s a snack they want before they have anything unhealthy then they must have some fruit and water. IF after that they still want something then they can have up to two small unhealthy snacks a day. They are not allowed snacks pithing 45 minutes of a main meal. If they are hungry they can wait until the meal is ready. And the last thing is having a drink before a snack incase their hunger is actually thirst!
All these rules do go out of the window if we are on an actual holiday though and not at home. On holiday there are no rules and they can pretty much enjoy what they want. Everything in moderation so if adults can indulge on a holiday so can the smalls as long as they eat healthy while at home.