Top Tips to Improve Kids’ Health and Development

Kids are resilient, but they go through many changes as they grow. Whether they’re having a growth spurt, going through hormonal changes or experiencing food issues, they sometimes need extra help to stay healthy. 

Let’s look at the best ways to develop good, lifelong habits for happier, healthier children.

Nurturing Healthy Children

To maintain a healthy lifestyle in childhood, it’s important for kids to eat a well-balanced and varied diet, as well as engage in regular outdoor exercise. If these good habits start in childhood, there’s a strong chance they’ll continue into adulthood – setting kids up for a sustainably healthy way of living.

At times when their diet might not be balanced and they may not be getting enough exercise, kids may have some gaps in their nutritional intake.  

Some kids may lack energy or have trouble staying focussed if they’re not consuming enough vital nutrients, such as B vitamins. A lack of exercise is another factor that can contribute to poor sleep quality and compound issues created by inadequate dietary intake.

Gut health for kids is also an important consideration. Gut flora influences many important bodily functions, like immunity and appetite, and contributes to overall wellbeing. Eating a balanced diet rich in a variety of fresh, high-fibre foods will help create a healthy gut. If you have any concerns, talk to your GP to find out more about how to improve gut health for the whole family. 

Fill Nutritional Gaps With a Multivitamin

A well-balanced diet usually contains a broad range of fruit and vegetables, along with a mix of wholegrains, protein, fish and dairy – or dairy alternatives where needed. 

But in today’s fast-paced world, the list of what it takes to keep kids healthy can sometimes seem overwhelming. Parents have to juggle long work hours and contend with the high availability of junk food. And then there’s technology, which often keeps kids indoors when they could be active outdoors. 

This is where a kids’ multivitamin can help to fill nutritional gaps. 

Healthy Habits Start Young

If you feel like you could make some improvements to your kids’ lifestyle habits, there’s no time like the present to start making changes. Here are some ideas:

● Join a local sporting group or school sports club. Team sport can be an uplifting way to foster a love of exercise.

● Include your children in making their snacks. This brings an element of fun and gives them a sense of control over what foods they are eating, while teaching them valuable kitchen skills.

● Suggest your children meet friends for a play date, bike ride, or scoot at the park instead of spending time indoors on a digital device.

You could also look up some evidence-based kids health articles for further ideas and tips.

Choose Supplements Kids Enjoy

Nutritional supplements can be a big support when it comes to kids’ health in their formative years of life. Whether they prefer to add a powder to shakes or take chewable vitamins, including supplements in a regular routine can help support your kids’ nutritional intake.

What to Look for in Kids’ Health Vitamins

There are many vitamins to choose from, but we’ve rounded up the most important ones for kids’ health below. 

• Vitamin D is important for bone and muscle health when dietary intake is inadequate, and helps the body absorb calcium

• Vitamin C provides antioxidant support 

• Zinc helps with immunity and is important during periods of growth

• B vitamins aid metabolism and brain function 

• Iron helps with energy levels, 

• DHA (an omega-3) assists in growth and brain development

Make Probiotics a Staple

Gut health can easily be overlooked with kids. They may seem fine on the outside, but it’s important to ensure things are well on the inside, too. 

Building healthy gut habits when kids are young will set them up for good health as adults. Taking probiotics can improve kids’ gut health, which can support healthy immune function and general wellbeing.

Set Them Up for Success

Keeping up with your kids’ health doesn’t need to be daunting. By instilling simple health and lifestyle habits early on, you can set your children up for a happy, healthy future.

Head over to our Kids Smart page to learn more.