TODDLER
Secrets
of healthy kids
Winter can feel like the season of war with its ongoing
attacks of colds, flus and other bugs - especially with
small children who are so susceptible to these kinds of
things. And yet why is it that some kids don’t seem to
succumb so easily? It turns out that these kids share
6 simple habits that help them stay healthy, and which
your family can easily adopt.
1. Regular
hand washing
When your mother told you to
“Cover your mouth when you
cough!” she did so for good reason.
Live Science reports the average
human cough expels about 3 000
droplets of saliva, some of which
are propelled at speeds of up to
80 km per hour.
If a person is sick these droplets
may contain as many as 200 million
individual virus particles. And when
airborne, viruses in these tiny droplets
can survive for hours.
Sneezing is worse than coughing
– as many as 40 000 saliva droplets
are expelled in one sneeze, at
speeds of up to 320 km per hour.
Teach your toddler to wash her
hands before every meal or snack,
and after coming home from
preschool or playdates. This will
dramatically reduce her risk of
picking up respiratory and
gastrointestinal illnesses. Make
sure she scrubs her hands with
warm water and soap for 15 to
20 seconds to be thorough. And
of course, make sure you follow
this rule too!
2. Teach your toddler
not to touch her face
Cold and flu viruses enter the
body via the nose, eyes or mouth.
So if you can teach your toddler
to not touch her face, she will
reduce the opportunities these
viruses have to infect her.
3. Eat a balanced &
healthy diet
To keep your toddler’s immune
system in tip-top condition she
needs to eat a diet packed with
essential nutrients and vitamins.
Vitamins C and D are especially
good at fighting off illness so
feed her lots of foods packed with
these, like broccoli, strawberries
and oranges (vitamin C), and
tuna, cereals and fortified milk
(vitamin D).
4. Get plenty
of exercise
Moderate physical activity
stimulates the immune system
and helps prevent sickness. Make
sure your little one has the
opportunity to run around and
play, at least a little bit every day.
5. Get plenty of sleep
Lack of sleep has been linked
to an increased susceptibility to
colds and flu. In addition to naps
taken during the day a toddler
needs about 11 ½ hours of sleep
every night, so make sure she is
getting this.
6. Get the flu vaccine
Take your toddler for an annual
flu vaccination at the start of the
winter season so she can gain
maximum benefit from it.