Wednesday, February 17, 2021

Providing Your Kids With the Best Upbringing Possible

Parenting is no easy thing. If you're about to become parents or are in the early stages of parenting, here are some ideas from a reader about how you can help your kids have the best upbringing possible.



Raising little ones will prove to be a journey. As soon as they are born, we want to provide them with the absolute best that we can. We want to make sure that they are always as healthy and as happy as possible. But this doesn’t always come of its own accord. Instead, we have to make the effort to ensure that they’re leading the best lives possible. But what can you do to provide your little ones with the best upbring possible? Here are just a few different areas that should top the list of your priorities!

Show Care, Attention and Support

Perhaps the most important part of parenting is providing your kids with constant care, attention and support. This may sound basic, but so many parents fail to do this! Life can be hard. There can be all sorts of distractions out there. You may find that you have high demand for your attention and time at work. You may find that you need to help other family members in need. You may have commitments to your community or a good cause. What’s important is that while you do these things, you still make time for your kids. Little ones crave your attention, so give it to them. This will help them to feel loved. Whether this is creating time for them on a day to day basis, reading to them before bed, having dinner together with a conversation rather than watching the TV, reaching out to them if they seem a little down and listening to their problems or anything else. Just make sure that they know that you are there for them.

Support Their Interests

Most of us, as parents, hope that our children will be interested in similar things to what we are. This is understandable. Sharing interests can help to create a bond. But at the end of the day, children are their own independent beings and they’re going to develop their own interests and passions. So, make sure to support them no matter what their interest is. If they like science, why not read to them about planets and discoveries? If they like art, take them to a local gallery and spend time drawing or painting with them. If they like to read, take them to the library and read with them. If they like sports, see if there are any local clubs they can join. If they like theatre, see if there are any local plays on and whether there are any local acting clubs. Whatever their interest, chances are there’s a good way to support them in expressing and enjoying it. Also bear in mind that interests can change over time, so let your kid grow and adapt. Sure, it can feel disappointing if you spend hundreds or thousands on ballet classes and then your kid decides it’s not for them anymore. But embrace that they had a good time while doing it and avoid forcing them to continue doing something that they no longer enjoy.

Provide Financial Stability

Financial stability is so important for children. Being able to lead a life free of financial worries should be a key part of childhood and money is something that kids should only really start to even think about as they grow to late teenage and adult years. Of course, this can be easier said than done, but there are things you can do to give yourself the best chances of providing financial stability to your little ones.

Stick to a Budget

It can be easy to overspend when you have children. The price of living is rising, but you still want to get them luxury items and treats, such as toys, games and more. What’s important is that you stick to a budget and avoid overspending wherever possible. Overspending simply places you in debt and places financial stress on your family. So, take your take home pay, deduct your monthly essential outgoings and note down the disposable figure available to you. Never spend more than this amount unless absolutely necessary.

Manage Borrowing Responsibly

Sometimes, you will need to borrow in order to meet essential costs in your budget. But when borrowing, make sure to borrow responsibly. Avoid borrowing from family and friends, as this can result in tensions and problems in your personal relationships. But at the same time, make sure to choose a good professional lender too. Companies like www.plenti.com.au offer low interest rates. This means that you don’t pay back a huge amount more than you borrowed in the first place.

Make Sure That They Get All of Their Vaccinations

Children tend to require a lot more vaccinations than adults. This is to prepare them against viruses and diseases from a young age and the positive effects of the vaccines can last a lifetime! Of course, there is a recommended schedule for their vaccines. Keep the guide below in mind and make sure that they attend all appointments needed. This also serves to protect children who can’t have the vaccines for health reasons, providing them protection through herd immunity.

Before the age of 8 weeks
  • 6 in one vaccine (protects against diphtheria, hepatitis B, Hib, polio, tetanus and whooping cough)
  • Rotavirus vaccine
  • MenB
Before the age of 12 weeks
  • 6 in one vaccine (second dose)
  • Rotavirus vaccine (second dose)
  • PCV vaccine
Before the age of 16 weeks
  • 6 in one vaccine (third dose)
  • MenB (second dose)
1 year old
2 - 10 years old
  • Flu vaccine (annually)
3 years and four months
  • MMR (second dose)
  • Pre-school booster
 12 - 13 years old
  • HPV vaccine
14 years old
  • Teenage booster
  • MenACWY

Make Sure That They Attend Health Checkups

There are a number of other health checkups that little ones will need as the years pass by. These are in place to check in on their overall health and wellbeing and to ensure that any underlying conditions or issues are highlighted, diagnosed and treated appropriately. One appointment your little ones should be attending relatively regularly is dental appointments. It’s recommended that you take your children to the dentist once every six months.This gives the dentist a chance to check their oral health, identify any issues such as cavities and provide them with advice on how to clean their teeth well. However, according to this expert dentist in Avon Lake OH, they may need to get their teeth checked more often depending on their dental situation. You should also take your child for an eye test once every two years. This will help to identify any changes in vision that may require prescription glasses lenses to rectify. If your little one reports any changes to their hearing, you may want to take them for a hearing test too!

Ensure They’re Eating Healthy Balanced Diets

All children should eat a healthy, balanced diet. This will ensure that their bodies are getting all of the nutrients that they need to grow big and strong. Generally, it is recommended that children consume the following calories according to their age, sex and activity levels:

Children aged 2 to 8 - 1000 to 1400 calories
Girls aged 9 to 13 - 1400 to 1600 calories
Boys aged 9 to 13 - 1600 to 2000 calories

Then, make sure that their meals are split into all of the food groups within moderation. While it’s fine for children to have treats here and there (you shouldn’t deprive them of sweets, chocolate and other snacks entirely), you do need to make sure that junk foods, takeaways and unhealthy snacks aren’t forming a significant part of their diet. It’s up to you to make sure that they are eating healthily, so make sure that their meals are always as healthy as can be!

Make Sure They’re Getting Enough Exercise

Generally, kids take care of exercise themselves. The majority of little ones love running around and playing. But if your kids are more indoorsy types and don’t tend to exercise of their own accord, it’s up to you to help them find a form of exercise that they do enjoy. This could be a sports club, a dance class, swimming, playing games with you outside or anything else. Don’t force your child into any particular form of exercise. Instead, find what they enjoy and then do what you can to encourage it.

Encourage Communication

You should encourage your children to be open and honest about their feelings. They should feel comfortable letting you know if they are stressed, upset, worried, down or any other negative emotions and should see you as a source of support when they are struggling. All too many children bottle their feelings up for fear of aggravating or upsetting their parents. You want to avoid this. Instead, encourage communication at all times. This will ensure that your child can trust you and will also help you to seek help if they seem to be struggling with any emotional or mental health difficulties.

Of course, every kid varies and different children will require different types of attention to thrive. But the above advice should give you some pretty good starting points to get their journey towards health and happiness off to the best start possible. Each area will benefit them. So, implement it into your parenting as soon as possible!

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