What Are The Basic Health Needs Of A Child

The early years of a child’s life are essential for their later health and development. One of the main reasons is how fast the brain grows, starting before birth and continuing into early childhood. Although the brain continues developing and changing until adulthood, the first eight years can build a foundation for future learning, behavior, and health.

Young children are more vulnerable and generally experience a wider variety of health problems due to their underdeveloped immune systems and high exposure to germs at schools and childcare facilities.

If health problems are not identified and treated, they can affect a child’s cognitive, physical, behavioral, and emotional development. Even though certain childhood conditions are mild in single instances, they can lead to long-term disabilities in children.

Parents play a crucial role in their children’s life. They are the pillars of support, guidance, and love. Parents should nurture children’s bodies and minds during their early years to ensure healthy brain development and a more robust immune system.

They need to identify and treat health conditions early to prevent or minimize the impact on overall growth and development.

Access to primary lifesaving interventions such as adequate nutrition, vaccinations, and early treatment for common childhood diseases can save many young lives. Read on further to know more about the basic health needs of a child.

Basic Health Needs of a Child

Although children may have varying needs, they all have a lot of everyday needs. As a parent or guardian, you should know more about a child’s basic needs. With a better understanding of these things, you can make sure the kids in your care are getting everything they need to have a healthy and happy childhood!

1. Nutrition

Good nutrition is essential during childhood, as it is a time of rapid growth, development, and activity. Your children need proper nutrients to stay healthy and strong. Everyone needs the same types of nutrients — such as vitamins, minerals, carbohydrates, protein, and fat. Children, however, need different amounts of specific nutrients at different ages. How your child eats today will have a striking impact on his health throughout adolescence and adulthood. Better nutrition is related to improved health, robust immune systems, lower risk of non-communicable diseases (such as type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease), and longevity.

The importance of good nutrition for kids

The key to better nutrition is a healthy and appropriately balanced diet. A balanced diet is about adding all the essential factors necessary for growth so that every body part gets what it needs to function correctly. Children require a variety of nutrient-dense foods such as fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains, meat, fish, and adequate calories to grow and develop properly. When children are not eating enough of the right foods or overeating the wrong foods, it leads to malnutrition, where they fail to reach their full potential.

What are the health risks related to poor nutrition?

Poor nutrition can cause several health issues, such as short stature and delayed puberty, nutrient deficiencies and dehydration, menstrual irregularities, poor bone health, increased risk of injuries, poor academic performance, and increased risk of eating disorders. A balanced diet is crucial for your kid’s overall health and helps prevent childhood obesity, a worldwide concern.

Childhood obesity puts children at higher risk of developing health problems that can affect their health now and in the future. The most common health problems include — cardiovascular diseases (heart disease and stroke), resistance to the action of insulin (the first step towards developing type 2 diabetes), liver diseases (cirrhosis), hyperlipidemia (abnormally elevated levels of cholesterol or triglycerides), and some cancers (lung cancer, oral cavity cancer, colon cancer, etc.).

Parental influence in providing better nutrition for kids

- Parents play a crucial role in the development of obesity among their kids, and it’s essential to focus on prevention by providing better nutrition.

- Parental influence also shapes their child’s food preferences and eating patterns. They should create a positive and nurturing environment that fosters healthy eating behaviors.

- Studies have shown that parents who engage in healthier eating are more likely to have children who mimic these behaviors as they grow into adulthood.

2. Exercise

Exercise is vital to the physical health and well-being of children. It helps build and maintain healthy bones, muscles, and joints during childhood. Regular exercise promotes healthy growth, develops essential motor skills, and boosts self-esteem. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that kids aged 2 to 5 years engage in active play several times daily. Older kids and teens should get at least 60 minutes or more moderate to vigorous exercise daily.

Health risks related to lack of exercise or physical activity in kids

Parents must recognize that lack of physical activity may negatively impact children’s physical and mental health. In the short term, it could lead to poor brain and cognitive development, decreased attention span, and increased sleep disruption. Long-term consequences may include childhood obesity and the health conditions like cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, and cancer.

Parental influence in engaging kids in exercise or physical activities

- Parents should try to maintain their children’s daily routine for a healthier lifestyle. They must limit the time spent in sedentary activities every day to allow them to engage in physical activities, sports, and games that fit their personality, ability, age, and interests. Through physical activities and exercise, kids learn about sportsmanship, setting goals, meeting challenges, teamwork, and the value of practice. It will put your child on a lifetime path to better health and fitness.

- Adopting healthy habits at a young age can keep kids fit and healthy into adulthood. Encouraging and turning exercise into a lifelong practice in children might take creativity, time, and hard work daily. Please take advantage of your child’s natural tendency to be active and incorporate fitness into everyday life. Most kids won’t mind a daily dose of exercise as long as it’s fun. They should see it as play, not as forced exercise. Also, it’s essential to encourage your child and find activities they enjoy. This way, your child will not find the exercise a chore, and they are likelier to stick to it.

- One of the best ways to entice your kids to be active is to ensure you (as a parent) are being active. You want to model the behavior of making time and prioritizing health and regular exercise for your kids. It is important to show them that their health, as well as yours, is something worth working on and working towards.

3. Sleep

Sleep is an essential building block for children’s mental and physical health. Research shows that sleep impacts alertness and attention, cognitive performance, mood, resiliency, vocabulary acquisition, learning, and memory. Sleep also has substantial effects on growth, especially in early infancy. Napping is necessary for memory consolidation, executive attention, and motor skill development in toddlers.

Why do we need sleep?

Sleep lets your body get enough rest for the next day. During sleep, your muscles repair themselves, your brain sweeps waste, and your memories form. Your body also releases hormones that play a role in everything from your hunger to stress levels. Sleep also helps boost your immune system function.

Why is sleep so important for kids?

Children need a solid routine at home that involves a predictable bedtime and, depending on age, adequate daytime naps. Sleep is crucial for enabling children to concentrate and participate optimally during play or school. Kids who don’t get enough sleep can have trouble paying attention, struggle with schoolwork, and have mood swings and behavior problems.

Tips on how to make sure your child gets better sleep at night

- Research shows that a consistent bedtime routine ensures your child gets enough sleep. A bedtime routine could include washing up and brushing your teeth, reading a book, or listening to quiet music.

- Turn off all screens (TV, computers, phones, tablets, and video games) at least 1 hour before bedtime.

- Daytime habits also affect sleep, so arrange a balanced schedule for rest and play. Provide a healthy diet and avoid giving caffeine, large meals, and sugary treats before bedtime.

- Studies have demonstrated that exercise can be beneficial in improving the quality of sleep as well as their physical and mental health.

If your child has daytime sleepiness or behavior difficulties in school that you think might be linked to a lack of sleep, you should visit your pediatrician.

4. Hygiene

Personal hygiene is one of the essential things to teach your kids right from the beginning. With the changing climate, unusual seasons, pollution, and Covid pandemic, etc., viral infections such as cold, cough, and flu are rising. Unclean hands and clothes are the mediums through which germs travel to spread various diseases. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), multiple diseases and ailments can be prevented by proper self-hygiene and frequently washing the body parts.

What is personal hygiene for kids? Why is it important for kids?

Personal hygiene comprises daily activities such as bathing, brushing teeth, and washing hands. Whether they go to school, a park, or any other place, children come into contact with dirt and dust that carry infection-causing microorganisms. There are germs everywhere in the environment. Kids tend to put their hands and toys in their mouths without realizing it. These germs could get transferred to their hands and find their way into the child’s body, causing various diseases and infections. Plus, their immune system is not as strong as that of adults. We can prevent this by teaching them personal hygiene habits.

Tips for teaching kids about personal hygiene

Personal hygiene contributes to keeping your kids healthy and plays a vital role in building confidence and maintaining self-esteem.

- Explain the importance of personal hygiene and how health and cleanliness are intertwined. So, list the good and bad hygiene habits — clearly tell them what is considered healthy and unhealthy. Repeat it as many times as you can in different situations.

- Start with the basics like washing hands and bathing regularly and build other practices. Dumping too much information or instructions about personal hygiene will yield no results.

- Explain to them the concept of germs and bacteria early on. Tell how they can catch germs and what happens when they don’t wash them off. Kids tend to do something if they understand it better.

- Kids remember something better when it is fun and makes them happy. Don’t make hygiene a dreadful topic for children. Make it fun. Try to teach them about personal hygiene in different ways, such as through games, fun activities, and online games.

- To encourage your child to follow good hygiene practices, you must start practicing them yourself. Be an example. Do little things like washing hands, cleaning the kitchen or the table, brushing teeth, etc. together.

If kids respect the value of personal hygiene and inculcate these habits in their life daily, they will understand the importance of public sanitation as well. If they learn to keep themselves clean, they’ll keep the house clean, eventually keeping the surroundings clean.

5. Health Care and Immunizations

Health care is essential for everyone to improve health via the prevention, diagnosis, treatment, or cure of disease, illness, injury, and other physical and mental health issues. Health care is delivered by health professionals and allied health fields such as optometry, dentistry, nursing, medicine, clinical psychology, and pharmacy. They provide various diagnostic, technical, therapeutic, and support services in connection with health care. The primary purposes of health care are to provide quality health services and prevent diseases. Its core purpose is to provide good health and prevent the onset of illness so that it improves the quality of life.

Why do kids need health care?

Children need access to primary health care, such as regular check-ups at the dentist and being able to see a doctor or specialist if necessary. Infants need regular visits with a nurse who will monitor milestones and healthy development and do basic health checks. They also need intervention, whenever possible, for congenital physical disabilities, visual and hearing defects, etc. Regular check-ups are also a vital part of keeping kids up to date on immunizations against many serious childhood diseases that can make children very sick, cause lifelong disabilities, and even death.

What are immunizations? Why are immunizations necessary for kids?

Childhood vaccines or immunizations protect your child from deadly diseases like polio, tetanus, and diphtheria. Keep other children safe by eliminating or significantly decreasing dangerous diseases that spread from child to child.

A vaccine is a dead or weakened version or part of the germ that causes the disease. When children are exposed to an infection in vaccine form, their immune systems can build antibodies that protect them from contracting the disease if and when exposed to the actual disease. Vaccines are some of the safest and most effective medicines, and they have made many dangerous childhood diseases rare today.

Most of your child’s vaccinations are administered between birth and six years. Many vaccines are given more than once, at different ages, and in combinations. You’ll need to keep a record of your child’s shots. Sometimes a vaccination is missed when a child is sick. Regardless, it’s essential to make up for missed immunizations.

Conclusion

The first six years of a child’s life are fundamentally important. Research has confirmed these years are particularly important for brain development. Children learn more quickly in these early years than at any other time in life. Since parents are the primary caregivers of children, it’s vital to know what the basic needs of a child are and how they can make sure those needs are met.

Many factors contribute to good health. Good nutrition, physical fitness, and a healthy sleep pattern are always important for child health development. However, there are more than three factors that contribute to overall good health for your child — practicing personal hygiene, getting the proper health care and timely immunizations, providing a positive quality of life, a healthy and safe environment, etc.

Always remember that meeting the basic health needs of your little ones can undoubtedly contribute to their better growth and development in many different ways.

Meghana Nair is a writer, photographer, and former math instructor from Bangalore. She is a mom of a toddler and strives to celebrate motherhood. She has a degree-she-never-used in Computer Science and Engineering. She is passionate about photography and was featured on Instagram’s list of Suggested Users from India in 2015. She loves bringing people together and took part in organizing Instagram Community meetups in Bangalore since 2013. Apart from this, she loves cooking, travelling, reading, gardening, DIY projects, and movies.