Dictionary For Dads

The immune system of a child is not as strong as adult; therefore children are easily attacked by cold flu and virus.  Fathers need to be sensitive to the child's immune system and practice good health care. The father's primary job is to provide good nutrition and  a safe environment for their child’s immune system to develop. If your child's immune system is strong, the body is able to fight against colds and bacteria that are often trying to invade the child's body.

• Ensure our child has sufficient night sleep every night, e.g. 8 to 10 hours sleep depending on the child’s age group.  Practice a regular sleep routine at home.

• Teach your child to eat fresh fruits and vegetables (e.g. oranges, apples, grapes, broccoli, carrots, spinach etc.) as they provide lots of vitamin C that can improve our body resistance towards illnesses.  Some children hate to eat fruits, but we have to keep trying.  Cultivate  good eating habit among the children.  Stay away from processed food and junk food.  Replace this food with fresh food in your child’s daily menu.

• Teach your child to wash his/her hands regularly, especially before and after meal.  Teach our child the right way to wash his hands - rinse hands in the running tap water, apply soap/hand wash, rub and scrub hands and fingers, finally rinse off the soap and dirt under the running water.   You should monitor how your child washes his/her hands in the beginning until they develop proper and regular hand washing habits.

• Avoid public areas such as swimming pools, shopping malls that are crowded with people. Take the children out to the park.  Let them enjoy the nature and exercise their muscles by running, hopping, jumping etc. Exercising also encourage better blood circulation that transfer oxygen and minerals that are useful to our body cells.  Our body cells become stronger!

Find a good doctor do not jump around:
Establish a long-term relationship with a pediatrician or family doctor who can
get to know your child and keep complete medical records of things like immunizations and growth. In addition advise your pediatrician of your family’s medical history.
 
Don't skip checkups:
It is very important to keep regular checkups even when kids aren't sick this way, doctors can make sure they're developing as expected and can catch any health concerns early so that they don't become expensive and hard-to-treat medical problems later.Letting regular check-ups lapse may save time and money in the short-term, but ultimately might translate into bigger bills and longer waits at the doctor's office. If parents wait until kids are really sick to see the doctor, they're likely to require more intensive — and expensive — medical care.

Keep vaccines up to date:
Checkups are especially important so that kids can stay current on their immunizations. In recent years, vaccines have been developed to stem illnesses like the flu, infantile diarrhea (rota virus), hepatitis, meningitis, and human papilloma virus (HPV). Parents have more opportunities than ever to keep kids healthy and safe from contagious illnesses.
                                          
Don't delay care:
When kids are sick or injured, it can be difficult to decide how much medical care they need. Ultimately, if you're unsure about what medical care your child needs, your doctor will determine what to do. The important thing is to ask questions.

Don't Be Your Own Doctor:                                                                                  More health and medical information is available than ever before — on the Internet, through support groups, in magazines and newspapers. All that information can be helpful, but you should never rely on it as a substitute for medical care or advice given directly to you by a medical professional as stated in our website disclaimer. It's important to check out anything you hear or read that might be relevant to your child's health with a doctor or nurse before you act on it. He or she can tell you whether that information is accurate and appropriate, given your child's health and medical history.