The people that deal with your children all day long have some things to say to you! School nurses have dozens of combined years of experience caring for children, and have tips to share when it comes to their health. Here are five tips from the pros that you should pay attention to:
Start the Day with Protein
Instead of putting a bowl of cereal in front of your little one in the morning, cook a high-protein breakfast. A breakfast of eggs, meat, and whole milk will ensure that your child stays focused through the morning. A breakfast high in carbohydrates will give your kids a burst of energy, but will leave them tired and cranky by 9am. If you don’t have time to cook breakfast for the kids in the morning, boil a few eggs the night before!
Use Sunscreen
You’d be surprised at how many parents neglect to put sunscreen on their children! Your kids should be wearing sunscreen any time they are going to be exposed to the sun for more than 15 minutes. To make it easy to remember, make sunscreen a part of your morning routine in the summer. After your child gets out of the tub, slather them with sunscreen labeled with an SPF of 30 or greater. Reapply the lotion every two hours or immediately after your child swims or perspires excessively.
Fevers Aren’t the End of the World
This tip applies only to children who are over two months old: don’t rush to the doctor because your child has a fever! The average body temperature of a human is 98.6 degrees. Remember that that is the average, not the norm. It’s not unusual for our temperatures to fluctuate throughout the day. A fever a couple of degrees higher than your child’s normal, with no other symptoms present, simply means that your child’s body is fighting off an illness or infection.
Eat What’s on Your Plate
One of the quickest ways to create a picky eater is to offer your child a separate meal. If your child doesn’t like what you’ve made for dinner, resist the urge to prepare them a special dish. Make a rule in your household that your child must try at least three bites of everything that is on their plate. If they still don’t like what you’ve given them, give them an extra helping of something else that you’ve cooked rather than making them something new.
Stay Up-to-Date on Vaccines
You may have heard that it is unnecessary to vaccinate your child; this couldn’t be further from the truth! By not vaccinating your child, you are leaving them susceptible to a wide range of diseases. The reason that children don’t get polio today is because they are vaccinated against the disease. If every parent were to stop vaccinating their kids, we’d soon have another epidemic on our hands.
No parent knows everything. Why not take tips from the people who have been dealing with children for dozens of years and have degrees in nursing? The five tips above are great for parents with children of any age. No one is trying to tell you how to raise your children; they’re just trying to help you raise them healthy.
Author bio
Nancy Lamb is a mother of two and a freelance blogger who writes about health topics. If you are interested in children’s health, Nancy suggests that you onlinenursingdegrees.maryville.edu to learn about getting a degree in nursing.
