3 Things Parents Can Do to Keep Kids Sickness-Free
Good health is something that everyone is entitled to, but staying healthy means you have to take an active role in maintaining the well-being of your family. As a parent, you must look out for your children’s health by teaching them good habits, checking in on them regularly, and taking them to pediatric doctors and dentists. Also, you and your partner should keep each other accountable for each other’s health, and this may be why many married Americans are healthier than single ones. Two loving, caring spouses will never fail to look out for each other, after all. Now, let’s review some great tips for keeping your entire family healthy all year round.
Research Healthcare Providers
Home remedies are one thing, but it is vital that you find reliable and cost-effective healthcare providers for everyone under your roof. What are your options? Fortunately, they are varied, and your or your spouse’s employer may offer some competitive private health insurance. Many jobs advertise health coverage benefits to job candidates, after all. Studies show that nearly 90% of Americans with dental coverage are getting those benefits via employers or similar group programs, and if your employer alters or cuts these benefits, or if you get a new job, it’s time to start looking around. And of course, you should find pediatric clinics and family doctors in the area, such as when your family moves to a new area or when your first child is born.
Finding family dentists and doctor’s offices means looking online first if you don’t already have a reliable personal reference to use. When looking online, it helps to be specific so you can narrow down the field of options fast, such as entering your town/city name and your ZIP code to keep the results local (ZIP codes are especially helpful in larger cities). You should also specify “top-rated” or “best” to find the highest quality healthcare providers nearby, and be sure to specify that you’re looking for a family doctor or pediatric dentist’s office like this Baton Rouge dentist. Some doctors or dentist offices won’t be equipped to handle child patients, after all. And when looking up pediatric urgent care centers, check their Facebook and Google patient reviews, to see what previous guests had to say about them. These reviews are between one and five stars and can help you avoid iffy or overburdened clinics that won’t provide your child with top-tier care.
Once you find a list of nearby doctor’s offices and dentists, you can contact them to double-check that they each accept your healthcare insurance policy, and you can strike out those that don’t, or those that are not accepting new patients or those that you deem too far away. With a shorter list on hand, you can now visit these doctor’s offices and dentists one by one, and visiting in person will give you a fair impression of what each one is like. While there, you can consult the doctors and assistant staff, and review each working professional’s credentials, such as their work history and educational background (and any awards or recognition they have). During follow-up visits to promising clinics, you should bring your child, so they can form their own impression and determine if they feel comfortable there. You can visit any number of doctor’s offices and clinics this way until you find the ideal one, and sign up as regular clients.
If you already have employer healthcare benefits, though, don’t take them for granted. Review them every few months to ensure that they cover your family’s needs, and if they do not, don’t be afraid to consult your superiors about it and try to negotiate a deal to expand coverage. You might even use leverage such as stellar performance at work or a recent promotion to help justify expanded coverage for you and your family.
Pay Attention to Your Kids’ Skin
The skin is the largest organ in the body, and it’s certainly always visible, so you can spot skin problems for your children early. What should you watch out for? Eczema is one such issue; estimates say that 10% of American children get it, and the condition may start improving by age five or six. This describes a whole variety of skin conditions that involve the skin turning red and irritable, or even inflamed. Rashes may appear anywhere from the hands and feet to the knees and arms, or the wrists. Affected skin may be thickened, dry, or scaly, and it may be itchy, too. In children with lighter skin tones, the affected area will probably turn brown or red, and in darker-skinned children, the affected area might turn a lighter color, or possibly turn even darker. Often, eczema is the result of the body’s immune system overreacting to various irritants, and in families with a history of allergies or asthma, eczema may be common. Be on the lookout for all this.
Other skin issues have more apparent causes, such as sunburn after a long day at the beach, pool, or soccer field, for example. Creams and lotions can soothe irritated skin, though of course, you are advised to apply sunscreen to any exposed skin half hour or even an hour before sunlight exposure for your children, including their faces and the back of the neck. Meanwhile, it is natural for children to play outside, but after any session outside, be sure to check your children for any cuts or scrapes, and wash any affected areas and use bandages or other solutions. And except for wintertime, check for any ticks or spider bites, and encourage children to check themselves, too. Some bites may be dangerous, such as ticks transmitting Lyme disease or Rocky Mountain Fever.
Cleaning the Place Up
Good health comes not only from a good diet and visiting pediatric offices but from having a healthy place to live. Many American homes are dirtier than they should be, and this ranges from dirty carpets to door handles to the very air. This is especially true during the influenza season, but all year round, you should be diligent about keeping the house clean. If you truly do not have the time or energy, such as if you and your spouse are busy executives, then consider hiring a maid service, especially if your house is fairly large.
Be sure to use anti-bacterial wipes on all door handles and stairway guard rails, and wipe down bathtubs, sinks, faucet handles, and similar surfaces to contain the spread of the common cold and flu. Consider doing this to computer mice and keyboards, too. Meanwhile, if you think the air might be dirty, have HVAC professionals check the air ducts in your residence for dust, pollen, or other debris, not to mention check the blower fans deeper in the system. Such professionals can clean out dirty and grimy air ducts, which lowers the concentration of VOCs in the air and r4educes the spread of bacteria and airborne irritants. This is especially important if someone in the household has allergies, or if there is a baby under your roof.
Don’t forget the carpets and rugs, either, and don’t be fooled by a clean appearance. With all those fibers, carpets and rugs can easily absorb a lot of dirt and germs, and thus they will emit VOCs. Set up a rigorous schedule for vacuuming the carpets and rugs, and take it a step further with regular carpet cleaning and shampooing, too. Every one or two months, use a carpet cleaner to go over every square inch of your residence, and you will be amazed by how much filth is removed this way. If you do not have the time for this, then hire a maid service, whose employees will handle it for you. For example, while you are on an extended vacation or business trip.
Keeping your family healthy requires juggling multiple balls, from wiping and vacuuming at home to looking up pediatric doctors to checking your children’s skin for rashes or ticks, but this is always worth it since good health is essential for a happy and productive life. This can teach your children some good habits, and it will help you reduce stress and lower the number of sick days you have per year. Prevention of sickness is key here, and it all starts at home.
