Find out ways to keep your family healthy. Balancing all the demands of life alongside being a parent is tough. A healthy diet, exercise and sleep can all get disrupted. If you can, talk to your partner about ways you can both have some time and space as well as enjoy quality time together. Keeping yourself fit and well is important for your family - you can't pour from an empty cup. You can find out more local support for healthy lifestyle below.
Healthy lifestyle
Change 4 Life also has lots of advice, recipes and tips to eat well, move more and live longer, including games, information and ideas to be a healthier family.
Eating well is one of the best ways to reach a healthy weight and feel better about life. Check out One You Kent's exclusive 'Food Smart' film series for some great healthy eating ideas, top tips and advice on food labelling, cooking on a budget, snacking well and watching your sugar intake. We recommend all women who are breastfeeding take vitamin D supplement to stay healthy. You can get vitamin D drops from your local pharmacy.
Small changes can make a big difference and One You Kent advisors can support you to make the changes that will work for you. So whether you want to quit smoking, lose weight or just generally feel better about life, One You Kent lifestyle advisers can help. This is a free service from the NHS offered over six sessions. You and your partner can both be referred for support but will be seen separately. Please call 0300 123 1220 or email oneyou.kent@NHS.net for more information.
Keeping active
Being active is good for your mind and body. Every minute of activity counts and the more you do, the more you'll benefit, physically and mentally. Try to build activity into your daily life. Start gently and build up gradually with smaller goals to keep you motivated. Try a walk - it will boost your energy, lift your mood and make everyday activities easier. Once you start achieving things you will want to do more. Think of exercise as time to focus on you and the chance to try something new.
Smoking and alcohol
If you smoke, now is a great time to try to quit. Smoke irritates your child's airways and may cause breathing problems as well as chest and ear infections. Quitting will also save you money and help you feel healthier and reduce stress levels. For free stop smoking support, including nicotine replacement treatment and weekly sessions where you can talk about your quit journey with someone who can help you get through any tough times contact One You Kent. You can visit One You for advice on reducing your drinking.
Sexual health
The Kent and Medway Sexual Health Service can provide contraception, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, psychosexual therapy services as well as care for people living with HIV.
Your mental health and wellbeing
Mental illness might make it harder for you to navigate the challenges of family life. If you've been experiencing negative or frightening feelings and thoughts for more than a couple of weeks and these feelings are getting in the way of your daily life, it's a good idea to seek some help. Your GP or health visitor is here to support you if you are struggling.
Visit our mental wellbeing section for more information and support.
Keeping your child healthy is always one of your top priorities as a parent. You can find some top tips below, but check out our feeding and caring for your toddler sections for more information.
Supplements
Children aged six months to five years should be given vitamin supplements containing vitamins A, C and D every day.
Healthy Start
If you are on certain benefits and are pregnant or have children under the age of four you can claim Healthy Start vouchers. Find out if this applies to you at Healthy Start.
These weekly vouchers can be used to buy milk, fruit and vegetables, pulses, and infant formula milk. You can also get vitamin supplements.
Dental health
You can find lots of tips to keep your child's teeth healthy at NHS.uk. Children should be supported to brush their teeth until age seven.
If your child is still using a bottle, this would be a time to stop as tooth decay is more likely drinking from a bottle. The best drinks to protect teeth are water and milk. Fruit juices and sweetened squashes can damage baby teeth due to the 'free sugars' so if drunk, dilute well with water and offer with a meal rather than between meals to protect teeth.
Immunisations
One of the best ways to protect your baby against diseases like measles, rubella, tetanus and meningitis is through immunisation. The routine vaccinations at two, four, six, 12 and 13 months of age protect your child against serious diseases that can cause them harm. Start4Life has a full list of the all the vaccinations you baby is entitled to and the diseases they will be protected against.
Children have their first MMR (measles, mumps and rubella) immunisation at age one. The MMR vaccine is a safe and effective combined vaccine that protects against three serious illnesses: measles, mumps and rubella (German measles). Getting vaccinated is important, as these conditions can lead to serious problems including meningitis, hearing loss and problems during pregnancy.