Tips to Keep Toddlers Safe and Healthy

The U.S. The Surgeon General's office has released a list of the top ways to keep your toddler safe and healthy.

1. Teach healthy eating. Provide three nutritious meals supplemented with two to three healthy snacks daily. Feed toddlers at the same time as other family members and allow them to grow into feeding themselves. Offer children nutritious foods and let them decide how much to eat. Avoid foods and drinks that are high in sugar. Be a good role model and follow the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.
http://www.healthierus.gov/dietaryguidelines/index.html


2. Begin a habit of good oral health. Brush your child's teeth twice a day with a soft toothbrush. Begin brushing for your child when his or her teeth first appear and continue until age 3 or 4 when you can start teaching your child how to brush. Introduce fluoridated toothpaste at age 2.
www.nidcr.nih.gov/HealthInformation/OralHealthInformationIndex/Childr
ensOralHealth/HealthyMouth/default.htm


3. Don't smoke. And don't allow anyone else to smoke around your child. Second-hand smoke can have a harmful effect on your child's breathing and can have long-term respiratory consequences like impaired lung growth, chronic coughing, and wheezing. Diseases of the respiratory system (aggravated by second-hand smoke) are the leading causes of child hospitalization and one of the leading causes of toddler doctor visits. Also, smoking kills half of all lifetime smokers, costing
them more than 12 years of their life. For help to quit smoking, please visit http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/how2quit.htm


4. Give positive feedback. Praise good behavior and accomplishments. Hug, talk, read, explore, and play together. This also begins to ensure a healthy bond between parent and child. Also, when choosing a caregiver, discuss their attitudes about discipline and be sure that they agree with your point of view.
www.mentalhealth.samhsa.gov/publications/allpubs/Ca-0048/default.asp


5. Always use a car safety seat. Be sure your child rides in an age- and weight-appropriate child safety seat, correctly installed in the back seat, on every trip. If you have any questions about how to install your child safety seat, many local fire and police departments will help you. http://www.cdc.gov/ncipc/factsheets/childpas.htm


6. Safety-proof your house. To prevent accidental poisoning, move all medications and cleaning products to high shelves. To prevent burns, set the temperature of your hot water heater to 120 degrees Fahrenheit, never leave cups of hot liquid on tables or counter edges, and never carry hot liquids or food while holding your child. To
prevent choking, be sure that any toys your child plays with do not have parts that are small enough to choke on. You can test any toy part by simply dropping it through a paper towel roll. If it goes through, the piece is too small and could become a choking hazard. Do not give toddlers under age 2 foods that may cause choking, like hard
candy, large pieces of raw vegetable or fruit, or tough meat. To prevent drowning, install a toilet lid lock on every toilet in the home. Drowning can happen in less than a couple of inches of water. http://www.hhs.gov/safety/index.shtml#injury


7. Never leave your toddler unattended. As a child grows, so does his or her natural curiosity to explore. It just takes a few seconds for an inquisitive toddler to get into a dangerous situation. http://www.hhs.gov/safety/index.shtml#injury


8. Make sure your child has a primary health provider. Prevention is the key to a healthy childhood. So make sure that your child has a primary health provider, such as a pediatrician or family practitioner, who knows your child before your child has an illness, injury, or developmental delay that requires medical attention.
http://www.ahrq.gov/ppip/childguide/


9. Fully immunize your child. Make sure your child gets all immunizations on time. Immunizations have prevented death and disease for millions of children throughout the United States and the rest of the world. Talk with your child's primary health provider about keeping up to date on all vaccinations.
http://www.cdc.gov/nip/recs/child-schedule.htm#Printable

10. Learn child first aid and CPR. Be prepared. Know how to call for help, including poison control. The national toll-free line for poison control is 1-800-222-1222. Also, learn child first aid and CPR. We hope you will never have to use these skills. But if you do, the life you save could be your child's.
http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/firstaid.html


11. Practice prevention and safety. Teach your child safety tips, including always swimming with a buddy, and wearing a bicycle helmet. Teach your child about sun safety, including wearing a hat outdoors and frequently applying SPF 30 sunscreen. Also, a growing child will come into potentially dangerous situations or may become separated from a parent or caregiver. Be sure your older toddler knows his or
her name, parents' names, and phone number. Help him or her to recognize police and fire officials as trusted individuals, while raising caution to other strangers. Get your child's fingerprints taken and keep a recent photograph in your wallet.
www.healthfinder.gov/scripts/SearchContext.asp?topic=160&refine=1


12. Have fun. Hug, talk, read, explore, and play together. Parenting is the most difficult job in the world. As much as you love your child, it can be stressful to be a parent. Be patient, manage your stress, and ask for help. All parents sometimes feel overwhelmed and frustrated as they tackle the challenges involved with parenting. If
you feel so stressed that you feel unable to cope with the demands of parenting, get help. http://www.nichd.nih.gov/publications/pubs/parenting/parenting_advice.cfm

 

 

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