Mealtimes and activities
Get moving
- Take time to play with your child and show her how fun it can be for both of you to play hide-and-go-seek or tag.
- Running, jumping, skipping, and hopping are all activities that allow kids to release pent-up energy and feel good.
- Although it might take a little longer, letting your child get out of the stroller and walk on her own is great exercise. Get her out and get her moving.
Eat smart
- Avoid using food as a reward. Instead, reward her with non-food items, or better yet, with your attention and praise.
- Offer your child lots of fruits and vegetables and do not be put off if she does not like something the first time. Try, try again. It can take as many as 15 to 20 exposures to a new food before a child accepts it.
Pull the plug
- Sitting your child in front of the TV may seem like a good idea, especially when you are busy. Before you give in to TV, consider an alternative, such as play-dough or dress-up. Check out these other rainy-day fun activities.
- Try using safety gates to give your child the freedom to play and explore in a safe environment while you are cooking dinner or doing something that needs your focused attention.
Drink well
- Water and milk are the best things for your child to drink. She does not need and should not have drinks with a sugary taste, including juice and chocolate milk. Routinely having sweet drinks trains her to expect sweet beverages. If she grows up drinking water when she is thirsty she will avoid a life of drinking unnecessary sugar calories that could lead to being overweight.
- Kids learn by example. Drink mostly water yourself. If you don’t buy sugary drinks, no one can drink them, and you won’t have to say no.
Continue to Development milestones
|
|
|
|
