Thanks, Mom!

Whether they are making a point of taking their prenatal vitamins, making healthy choices at the grocery store or ensuring they fit in half an hour of exercise a day, moms work hard to help their families stay healthy. Even when kids don’t appreciate it in the short term – cue cries of “But I hate broccoli!” – the choices Mom makes and the behaviours she models contribute to the long-term health of her family.

Here are five ways that moms keep their kids healthy. For these (and so many other things), we say, “Thanks, Mom!”

1. Healthy Mom, Healthy babies

Moms are motivated to make the best choices for their babies…even before they’re born. By eating a well-balanced diet, exercising regularly and taking pre-natal vitamins, moms are building the foundations of good health for their babies.

2. An ounce of prevention

Many childhood diseases can be easily prevented by ensuring that children are properly immunized. A moment’s discomfort from a needle is well worth avoiding the potentially fatal consequences of a bout of measles or a case of whooping cough. By ensuring their children are immunized on schedule, moms ensure the health of both their family and their greater community.

3. You are what you eat (and drink)

By modelling healthy choices, moms teach their kids how to nourish themselves properly. It can be as simple as packing a healthy school lunch or providing an alternative to sugary sports drinks, or as involved as teaching kids how to read food labels at the grocery store, but modelling healthy attitudes to food has lifelong benefits.

4. Move it or lose it

Being active doesn’t always happen naturally; moms play a big role in ensuring that kids get outside and get moving. Sometimes that might mean driving to soccer practice and back; sometimes it might mean instigating a quick game of Frisbee after dinner. And if Mom makes it a habit to exercise regularly, even better; it’s good for her own physical and mental well-being, and a great example for her kids.

5. Choosing wisely

Does that cut need a kiss and a bandage, or a trip to the emergency room? Will that cough get better with a packet of cough drops, or is it time for a trip to the family physician? Kids learn by example, and when it comes to health care, moms help them learn what sort of care is appropriate and when.

How do you help keep your family healthy? Do you have a favourite resource for healthy, active living? We’d love hear from you in the comments below.