Our bodies are designed to maintain health and given the right nourishment and support, they will do just that. There is also a place for illness, it shouldn’t be seen as something that needs to be eradicated or something undesirable. Illness helps us to become more resilient and adaptable to our environment. When we get sick, we slow down and that may be what we need, time to rest. It is also normal for a child to become ill before having a growth spurt or a developmental leap. Have you noticed that after your child has an illness, they seem to have a major leap forward seemingly overnight?

Although eating a well-balanced diet is important for children, it is not the only factor in maintaining your child’s health and well-being. The focus needs to be on the whole person and not just the physical body. Following natural rhythms are important. As human beings, we follow a natural rhythm called a circadian rhythm, which controls our sleep-wake cycle over a 24 hour period. Nature too has natural cycles: the sun rises and sets, the moon waxes and wanes, seasons change as do the tides. When we align with natures rhythms, we enjoy good health and well-being. When children keep their own rhythm it helps with the proper functioning of the body, which is essential in preventing illness. They also learn to appreciate the world they live in and care for the environment.

Diet should be adjusted to the seasons. When it is cold, it is best to eat warming foods and have warming drinks. When it is warm, colder foods like salads can be eaten. This helps to strengthen the body. All children go through fussy phases, I remember when my kids wouldn’t eat vegetables easily, I got a recipe book called Deceptively Delicious where you puree vegetables into meals so your children get the nutrients they need without the fuss. Most importantly though, we as parents need to lead by example. If we eat a well-balanced diet, our children are more likely to follow suit. Also trust your child if there are certain foods they will not touch as there may be a sensitivity to certain foods.

Children inherently know what they need. They are usually pretty good judges of when they have eaten enough. This comes back to their inner rhythm and listening and trusting their body. Sometimes they may go off food as they sense their body needs a rest, this is common when they are coming down with an illness. Their body’s will naturally direct all resources to fighting infection instead of digesting food, so don’t panic.

Emotional health and happiness is a factor in your child’s health and well-being. Allowing our children to feel safe in expressing their emotions is critical to their well-being. Children are great imitators and will look to you as their example. As parents we don’t always get it right and there will be times when our emotions seep through and directly affect our children. We are human and I do feel that it is good for our children to see us expressing our emotions as it is a good lesson for them to see that it is OK to feel and express ourselves. Give your emotion a name and talk about it, it will help to create empathy in your child. If you have younger children who aren’t able yet to articulate what they are feeling, let them express themselves and then try and do it for them and give them a cuddle if they will let you showing them that you understand what they are feeling. This goes for older children too, sometimes they just need a hug and a good cry.

Make sure your child is getting enough sleep so that their body has time to rest and repair.

Children need to move and be outside in nature as much as possible. It helps to ground them and reset them and helps them to connect to natures rhythm. They also need to play, and as long as they aren’t in mortal danger, try not to hinder their play. Let them jump in muddy puddles and get dirty as this will help strengthen their immune systems. Let them try as this is how they learn, by pushing their own boundaries and seeing what they are capable of.

Vitamin D is a good immune system support and a good probiotic to support the gut, where 70% of the immune system is.

Homeopathy is a very gentle way of treating children and is something I have used to treat my children over the years. It works on the premise of like cures like on an energetic level without side effects. I have been amazed at the effectiveness and remember using Arsenicum Alb in the middle of the night, which stopped a sickness bug in its tracks. It truly is worth trying if you haven’t already.

Reflexology is another great tool to support children’s health and well-being and is something I have used on all three of my children since birth. It is incredibly effective in preventing illness and maintaining good health as it helps to balance the body by stimulating it’s own healing mechanisms. My children are very seldom sick. Many a time my children have felt under the weather and had a treatment at bedtime, to awake in the morning feeling fine. If you would like to learn how to treat your young child (Birth to 5 years) I have put a course together to show you how. I am busy working on one for older children.

How do you support your child's health and well-being?

I would love to hear from you so please send me an email or post on my facebook page and let me know how you support your child's health and well-being.

With love,