5 Tips for Creating a Healthy Environment for Kids

Guest Post by: Jana Free

Moms want the best for their kids. They want their children to feel good and to be happy. They want them with smiles on their faces and joy in their heart.

As a mom, do you often wonder if there is some kind of magic object that you can pull out of a hat, or a magic spell you could cast, to create this perfect scenario? I’m pretty sure there’s no object or spell, but I do know that a healthy environment is like a magic wand that can keep kids’ eyes bright and their bodies full of good energy.

How do we moms create a healthy environment for our kids? We focus on keeping physical spaces clean and we do more. We make sure that each aspect of our kids’ lives is as free from toxins as we can get it. Which means we look at the food we eat as well as the attitude we keep.

The following are 5 tips for creating a healthy environment for kids.

1. Model Good Food Choices

Children usually eat what they’re served and what they see others eating. As moms, it’s important that we serve nutritious food and that we show kids by example what healthy eating is. Parents should set a positive example when it comes to nourishing food by preparing plant-based meals filled with protein and good carb-rich grains and nuts, fiber-filled fruits and vegetables, and occasional sweet treats that aren’t made solely of high-processed sugars.

2. Show Kids How to Wash Hands Properly

Kids may need to be told 10 to 20 times a day to wash their hands, depending on what activities they’re participating in and their age. Even though it might feel monotonous to remind children this many times, it’s a critical task for keeping kids healthy. Before kids eat, after they use the bathroom, when they’re sick, and if they’re playing outdoors, they need to be told to wash their hands if they’re not volunteering to do so. A good hand-washing session includes a rinse in warm water, followed by a 30-second lathering of soap (out of the water), and finalized with another 20-second warm-water rinse.

3. Have a “Shoes at the Door” Policy

You can create a healthy environment for kids by having a No Shoes policy in your home. Our shoes come in contact with all kinds of dirt and grime from outside, and the soles are likely covered with bacteria. These yucky substances shouldn’t be on a carpet or floor where the family might sit or lie down. To help keep your house clean and free of things that could make your child sick, place a basket or shelf by the door and require people who enter your home place their kicks there.

4. Teach Kids to Sneeze and Cough Into a Bent Arm

It’s no fun having a sick child. Kids don’t like feeling horrible and moms worry that everyone else in the house is going to come down with whatever bug the little one has. Keeping a cold or the flu confined to just one family member is easier when kids learn to sneeze and cough into their bent arm (inside of the elbow), instead of all over the public areas or into hands that might touch something.

5. Keep a “Can Do” and “Mistakes Are Okay” Attitude

Creating a healthy environment for kids also means nurturing our children’s mental health. As we’re going about our days and nights, inside of our home and away, it’s imperative that we encourage our babies, toddlers, and teens to reach for their dreams and be okay with their mistakes. All of us, old and young, have experiences and thoughts that we’re drawn to. We should be encouraged to allow more of these activities and ideas into our lives, as long as they’re not hurting others or ourselves. We all make poor choices on occasion. We need to learn to forgive our family members, our friends, and ourselves.

These 5 tips are high atop a list of ways to create a healthy environment for kids, but there are more things that can bring health and happiness into kids’ lives. As moms, we can find other ways to keep children physically and mentally healthy by connecting with other moms - and by taking time to ourselves to reflect and to look at our lives from a new perspective.

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If you’ve ever thought you need time to do just that, there is a new childcare center coming to Las Vegas in the fall that will help you out. Imaginland is a 24-hour, on-demand childcare facility that gives moms the chance to take a break for a while to tend to themselves and to family responsibilities. Moms are able to register to become members and then make instant childcare reservations, anytime. Want to hit the gym for an hour or meet a girlfriend for lunch - perhaps to talk about the kids or nothing in particular? Imaginland is there. Need to tidy up the house or go grocery shopping without kids grabbing things off the shelf? Bring the little ones to Imaginland.

Imaginland employs background-checked staff members, including caregivers called “Fairy Godmothers,” to provide nutritious food choices and teach kids about staying healthy (physically and mentally) while you’re away just for a while.

The center offers a safe and fun place for their kids, just like moms would provide at home, while parents run errands, tend to emergencies, and even go on date nights with their spouses.

To find out more about Imaginland, and to learn how the premium childcare facility can be your partner in healthy kids and healthy parenting, visit the Imaginland website. (Imaginland is a secure facility that offers guaranteed childcare with instant reservations for members. Parents can view live streaming of all areas of center through the Imaginland mobile app, which also serves as an easy way to make childcare reservations anytime.)



Bio

Jana Free is the Community Relationship Manager for Imaginland. She’s also the mother of two boys, an animal rights activist, and an environmental steward.

Jana is busy mom who knows how important it is to have a safe and reliable place for kids while parents get things done or simply take a little break. She believes Imaginland is that place.