Raising Healthy Children By Christin Bailey Healthy children

Raising Healthy Children By Christin Bailey

Healthy children need good nutrition, exercise, and plenty of sleep each night.

Ø Establish healthy eating habits at birth Ø Aim for three meals and two healthy snacks a day Ø Supplement your child’s diet with vitamins, if needed Ø Remember, breakfast is the most important meal of the day!

“What Should My Child Be Eating? ” Daily Food Group Servings Dairy 3 3 11 Meats Fruits 4 5 Vegetable s Breads

Ø Children should exercise 60 minutes everyday Ø Include the following each week: • Aerobic Activity • Walking or running • Muscle Strengthening • Gymnastics or pushups • Bone Strengthening • Jumping rope

Ø Make sure your child gets plenty of sleep each night. Ø Lack of sleep can lead to: • Irritability • Hyper activity • Decreased short term memory • Delayed response time • Inconsistent performance in school • Driving accidents in teens

How much sleep do children need? 16 14 12 10 8 6 4 2 0 6 -12 months 1 -3 years 3 -6 years 6 -9 months 10 -12 years Teens

Ø Be a good example! Ø Be active with your child Ø Try new foods Ø Turn off the TV

Remember… Childhood Health = Lifelong Health!

References: Ø Ø Ø www. Nutrition. gov www. My. Pyramid. gov www. Finess. gov www. CDC. gov www. Kids. Health. org