Is your child thriving?
You may have heard the term Failure to Thrive before. Usually when health care providers talk about Failure To Thrive (FTT) they are referring to how your child is growing when compared to standard weight & height charts. This is also one of the ways that I assess children’s health as a change in growth can indicate underlying problems and I’ve written about this here. But I believe that failing to thrive isn’t just about growth, it’s about so much more. Which brings me to my personal definition of a thriving child.
I believe a thriving child is one who is growing normally but who is also vibrant, healthy and happy …and fulfilling his developmental potential. Even if children have a chronic or lifelong condition, I want them to live their best life possible. I know that as a mum this is certainly what I want for my girls. But how do we achieve this?
5 to Thrive
There isn’t one answer but there are many things you can do to help your child. I’ve spent years studying this including countless hours devouring journal articles and attending seminars. But don’t panic, I’ve taken all this knowledge and created a simple framework for you called 5 to Thrive. This framework describes health and lifestyle tips within 5 elements to help your child thrive. The 5 elements are: plate, play, pause, people & protect. Easy to remember when you count them on your hand! This provides a holistic approach to your child’s health including the foods they eat, their activities, relationships, mood, their environment and the gut microbiome.
Easy action steps:
5 to Thrive is detailed framework that I tailor to conditions and concerns and it includes literally hundreds of science backed recommendations. This means that I can’t go through every detail in this blog. But I’d like to give you few examples that I’ve extracted that are easy to implement right now to positively impact on your child’s health.
- Eat less sugar
- Get dirty
- Sleep better
- Hug more
Eat less sugar
Yes, we’ve all heard it before. But it’s worth repeating as it’s so important. Sugar can creep into so many of the foods and drinks our children have that it can be hard to keep track. And did you know that children are only meant to have less than 5 teaspoons a day? If this sounds like a lot just be aware that a small cup of apple juice contains 5 teaspoons.
Action step: Ditch soft drinks and juices. It’s not worth the sugar content!
Get dirty
Being outside and in the dirt is so powerful for children. They can move their bodies the way we’ve evolved to move which builds strength and agility. Getting out in nature also has direct benefits for their gut microbiome and immunity.
Action step: Plant a veggie garden. Playing in the soil is beneficial and growing your own foods and herbs makes children more likely to eat them!
Sleep better
Most parents can relate to this especially in the early months (& years!). Sleep is a time when brains rest and cement what’s been learned and bodies recover and grow. Read here to determine if your child is sleeping enough. It can be difficult to shift into better sleeping, one important step is to establish a regular routine.
Action step: Decide on a clear bed-time routine and stick to it!
Hug more
This may sound silly but studies have actually shown that this (& other social supports) can strengthen immunity and decrease certain health conditions. And for children, emotional connection is a strong predictor of both physical, intellectual and emotional development. I find it incredible that something so simple and mutually rewarding can have such a positive impact.
Action step: Connect and hug first thing in the morning. What a wonderful way to start the day!
Take home tips:
Monitoring growth is important
A thriving child is one who is living their healthiest happiest life
Small action steps can impact our children’s health
5 to Thrive is the holistic framework I have developed to help guide you
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