How to ensure optimal health for your child:
1. Positive Parenting
Babies and children are least stressed and therefore healthiest when parented in a loving and positive way. The best way to care for your baby is to breastfeed on cue, carry him or her in a sling, provide lots of skin to skin contact and talk and sing to him or her. Most of the brain development happens in the first three years of life. Early experiences are imprinted in the brain and influence how we interact with others later in life.
Find ways of enjoyable interaction with your child: play catch, build with blocks, paint or sing – let your child lead you in fun activities.
Do not yell, or physically hurt your child. If you get stressed out, ask friends or family to help or call the help line at Barnardos, Youthlink or Plunket.
2. Healthy Nutrition
Babies are meant to be breastfed exclusively for 6 months, and then continue to breastfeed along with solid foods for about 2 years. Please see the Breastfeeding page for more information.
The best way to eat is fresh, unprocessed, organic and local, mainly vegetables and fruit. Drink plenty of water. Dairy is not a health food – it is made for calves, and many human children are sensitive or allergic to it and get much healthier once they stop consuming dairy. Do not eat large fish such as shark, tuna and swordfish, as they contain high levels of mercury. If you eat fish, choose small fish, which contain less mercury.
Eat whole grains rather than processed white rice, pasta or bread. Whole grains contain minerals, vitamins and fibre, which all get lost during the process of making it white. Processed grains mainly provide calories, and are a cause of obesity. Do not offer any junk food to your child – these are high in calories, and low in nutritional value. Many children react to junk food and sweets by becoming hyperactive and difficult to manage.
Avoid hydrogenated fats, and transfatty acids such as in margarines and store bought baked goods – they cause heart disease. The best oils to use are olive and flax seed oil for salad dressings and coconut oil for cooking. Do not use olive oil for cooking as it denaturates when heated.
More and more children are becoming sensitive to gluten, and it may be worth having a three month gluten free trial if your child has symptoms that could be caused by gluten contained in wheat, barley and rye. Avoid all artificial additives, such as colourings, preservatives and flavours. These are neurotoxins and affect children’s behaviour negatively. Many children become hyperactive after consuming these artificial additives.
3. Exercise
Your child should get plenty of exercise: at least one hour a day of vigorous physical activity, such as running, playing sports or swimming. Limit sedentary activity such as watching TV, playing on the computer or on electronic games (Playstation, Nintendo, XBox, etc) to a maximum of one hour per day. Children under 3 years of age should not watch any TV at all. The more they watch the more likely they are to become hyperactive at school age.
4. Clean Environment
Avoid all toxins. Children are exposed to a myriad of toxins and pollutants every day: from personal care products, such as shampoos and lotions, to air deodorizers and insect sprays, toxic building materials and air pollution. You can make safe choices - please go to the Clean Environment Page to continue reading.