Coats, sweaters and caps have replaced shorts, frocks and skirts. Winters are here and so is a mother's worry. Soon the nights will become long, chilly and sun has started playing hide and seek during the day. The chilly winds in the winter season doesn't let the kids play in open area for long time. Most of the times mums like me are found to be cribbing around that kids are playing in water or are playing out without a winterwear on. With the first pinch of winter chills we cover our kids from top to bottom to ensure they don't catch cold. However, I always wonder if we are stopping our kids from having a normal childhood. Wherein they are allowed to play as much as they want and howsoever they want, especially in winter season. Well, in order to give my kids a perfect childhood, I am not going to stop them from enjoying this beautiful season that we have grown along with. I am trying my best to build my child's immunity from within with the help of Pediasure #90dayswithPediaSure.
In fact, I remember the early years of my daughter when she used to fall sick a lot that led to missing out on school, not getting to go out in open and play, not meeting her friends for days at length due to poor immunity.
Kids between the age of 4 to 7 years are the most active and need to do a lot of physical activity to drain energy and have peaceful nights. But, if they fall sick frequently the growth of a child is directly impacted. All of this made me constantly worry about her health and I desperately wanted to have a solution for this in long run.
In the back of my mind I always had this concern as to what can be done to improve her immunity and help her lead a better life and enjoy all the seasons especially winter since she falls sick the most in this season. After long hours of internet research and medical consultation we made few dietary and nutritional changes to make her lead healthy and happy life.
Here are few things that we did and hope they help you too.
Eat healthy and right nutrients:
Healthy eating habits should be inculcated in a child's life from early childhood. Eating junk in moderation is fine. Enjoying vegetables and fruits in natural form is something we must educate them. I always plan a daily meal by keeping all the nutrients in mind so that my child gets the perfect balance of all major nutrient in her diet. A daily diet packed with all major 6 essential nutrients including carbohydrates, fat, protein, fiber, vitamins and minerals is something I always ensure.
Nutritional drink /Energy Drink- Pediasure:
During my childhood, my mom gave us energy / nutritional drink twice a day. I do follow the same regime with my kids. We have been religiously giving Pediasure to both our kids that has shown tremendous difference in their health. These two glasses of milk in a day ensure that my kids are packed with nutrients and are growing up fine.
Pediasure is an immunity boosting drink with 37 vital nutrients which full fills my children's daily need for nutrition for their growth and immunity. I give Pediasure to my 8 years old and to my 2-year-old both the kids. My elder one requires nutrition for growth, immunity, brain development and health. It's been over 2 years that Pediasure is a part of our family and I am really happy to share that my kids are not missing there school anymore and do not fall sick with seasonal changes as well.
My younger child is picky and a fussy eater. To ensure that he gets all his daily nutrition I give him two glasses of milk along with Pediasure added to it. I still remember those days when with every change in weather I used to fret about my kids falling sick and missing out on so much in their life. From regular doctor visits to missing schools it was a regular scene at our house. Now after following a proper diet routine for my daughter along with Pediasure we are assured that she will fight back all the seasonal changes and will stay strong and immune too. And we are proudly able to enjoy the beginning of winters here.
Since my younger child is a picky eater he doesn't get all the essential nutrients that he requires for proper growth hence his growth was stunted and quite slow. Since the time we have shifted to Pediasure we are able to see drastic change in his health and overall development which has been phenomenal. The growth has increased to 50 % from the past year. Pediasure comes with growth nutrients like carbohydrates, proteins, calcium etc and immune boosters as well as Vitamin C, E, Zinc, selenium, probiotic. Most importantly like I said my elder one is a school going child and I need something to help her brain development Pediasure not only has DHA but it also has Alpha-Linolenic acid (ALA) and Linoleic acid (LA) which is again, essential growth elements for the brain.
Exercise and Physical activity-
A child who remains physically active is less prone to disease. Since the time we have started Pediasure we are less worried about our kid's health as they get proper nutrition that takes care of the health even during seasonal changes. We often go out and enjoy outdoor play and activities now without much worry.
Keeping kids indoor all the time is not good for their health as they do not get ample Sunlight which is the rich source of vitamin D.
Sanitation and hygiene:
Proper hand washing habit before having meals and as soon as you come back from outside is something we all follow religiously at home. It hardly takes 15 seconds to wash hands but once a child follows this rule he will have to never face any infection or other issues. Hand washing kills germs majorly. We always make sure our children do not skip bathing. Many people advised me often during winters, that its chilly outside skip bathing today. But, I firmly follow bathing as a healthy routine.
Rest and Sleep:
Yes, early to rise and early to bed is the best formula for a healthy body and mind. I feel a child who sleeps early and wakes up early are a happy and healthy child. They do not fuss around and they do not become cranky as well. During winters nights are longer than a day so we must make sure we follow a routine of sleep for our child so that he remains healthy and energetic entire day.
I am sure we moms do our best for our child. Every mom has a unique way to introduce healthy habits amongst their children.
I did my best by taking #90dayswithPediaSure challenge and have seen visible differences in growth and immunity of my children.
I am sure you would like to know more about Pediasure. Click here to know how Pediasure does best for our kids.
What do you follow as a routine to ensure your kids get complete nutrition? Do share your tips and suggestion with us in comments section below. We are all ears!
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