Ways That You May Be Putting Your Child's Health At Risk

When you become a parent, your main focus in life goes from taking care of and providing for yourself to doing so for your child. Their health and well-being become your first concerns in everything that you do. However, what you may not know is how some of the decisions you make and things that you do in the pursuit of taking care of their health can actually adversely affect them. Get to know some of the ways that you may be putting your child's health at risk so that you can try to avoid making these missteps and can work together with your child's pediatrician to keep them as healthy and safe as possible.

You Joined The Anti-Vaccination Movement

There has been a major push in recent years to question the safety of the routine vaccines that pediatricians administer to children. The vaccines are designed to protect children today from contracting illnesses that were pandemic in the past and were serious illnesses that could be fatal.

The parents and activists questioning these vaccines often refuse to allow their children to be vaccinated. This means they have no immunity whatsoever against infections like chicken pox, the mumps, measles, rubella, polio, and a host of other diseases. As such, if they come in contact with a person who is a carrier or who is infected with the disease (or in many cases even touches a surface that the infected person has come in contact with), they can become seriously ill from diseases that have limited treatments once infections take hold.

If you have been avoiding getting your child vaccinated for some reason, consider the fact that you may be putting them at risk of contracting a disease that will make them seriously ill and can even be fatal. Polio, for example, can cause paralysis and can cause recurring pain and further paralysis later in life even if it clears up in childhood.

You Rely On Processed And Packaged Foods

While you likely have a very busy schedule on a day-to-day basis, one of the ways that you could be putting your child's health at risk is by relying too heavily on processed and packaged foods for your child's meals. These types of foods are often higher in fat, salt, and sugar content, making them taste good, but also making them unhealthy and addictive to children who crave the potent flavors and effects these foods have on the body. 

This can lead to lifelong health issues and obesity as well as diabetes. Try to feed your children meals with whole grains, fresh fruits and vegetables and lean proteins to foster a healthy relationship with healthy, natural foods.

If you are too pressed for time to do all of the meal preparations yourself, there are numerous services now that will do all of the preparations for ingredients for you (like measuring, chopping, portioning, etc...) and all you need to do is cook the meal for a short time. This can help you ensure your children get healthy, balanced meals without causing problems in your busy on-the-go lifestyle.

Now that you know a few of the ways that you may be putting your child's health at risk, you can better care for your child and avoid these possible pitfalls in the future. Contact a pediatrician's office like Willow Oak Pediatrics for more information on how to keep your kids healthy.

Share