As parents, we all want the best for our children. We try to give them this so that they can be the best that they can be. It all starts with a child’s development and growth, but where do you begin? It can be so overwhelming! Every parent knows they need a little help sometimes.
The good news is Cetaphil Baby has been listening to the concerns of parents like you, and they’ve created Cetaphil Mommy Dialogues — a series of talks for moms that uses the holistic approach to child development. Here, the four pillars of healthy development, which are intertwined and work with each other, are thoroughly discussed. And with this knowledge, you can help your child to grow up healthier and happier.
But what are these four pillars and why are they so important?
The Four Pillars of Healthy Development
The four pillars that are defined for healthy development are Healthy Food, Skin, Sleep and Play. They all work together to ensure that every child is protected from the inside out. As parents, we want to ensure that our children are happy and healthy, and in so doing ensure that they are on a continuous path of proper development.
Pillar #1: Healthy Food
Nutrition is one of the biggest concerns of any parent. Through their diet, a child gets their nutrients, vitamins and minerals. What a child is fed will vary from family to family, but the one thing that different families share is the need for healthy food. This directly affects the development of the child.
Even if diets may vary from one family to another, the main focus of this pillar is making sure that children get their daily required proportions of grains, vegetables, meat, fruits, and yes, even legumes.
This is the best way to inject children’s systems with what they need and there are fun ways of doing it too! A hungry or a malnourished child is one that cannot function properly, and poor nutrition takes its toll on a child’s body, as well as his or her mind. By learning more about this pillar, you can ensure that your child gets the healthy food that they need to grow up strong.
Pillar #2: Healthy Sleep
We all know the benefits of sleep, and we see this benefit most in children.
When the body is given ample time to rest, recharge and reboot, the body functions better. Everyone needs to rest, and as our moms once told us, this helps your body GROW!
Proper amounts of rest and sleep help a child’s body and mind recalibrate itself, just like it does for grownups. But it is so much more important for a child because they are still growing, and their development is continuous and faster as compared to adults. That is why it is imperative that parents are able to let their kids rest and to not overwhelm or over stimulate them too much.
A warm bath at the end of the day can help rambunctious babies to settle down. Make sure to use a mild body wash like Cetaphil Baby Gentle Wash & Shampoo. It has a gentle caring formula that won’t dry out your body’s skin or scalp.
Pillar #3: Healthy Play
Yes, play is every child’s developmental best friend! Play may seem like goofing around to us parents, but to children, it is a time when they can cultivate their thinking process, build their imagination and hone their motor skills.
The way that a child plays shows the way their mind works and how they are developing their skills. To us grownups, those are just wooden play blocks that a baby is stacking, but for the child, they are refining their motor skills and learning hand-eye coordination. They are socialising with you, or with siblings. Every play session is a lesson in spatial recognition, math, and so much more.
So as you can see, all these Four Pillars of healthy development are all individually important, but together, they are a powerhouse of how to make sure our children develop in the best possible way they can. And Cetaphil Mommy Dialogues helps with tackling each one, and all four together to help all parents help their children to be the best of what they can possibly be.
Pillar #4: Healthy Skin
Why Healthy Skin? Well first and foremost, our skin is basically like our armor. It is our first line of defense. It is what helps keep out impurities, and it protects us from all that bad stuff that may get into our bodies.
The skin also works the other way around. When we need to release sweat for example, to cool ourselves down, it is through the skin that it does this.
Our skin is also able to show us signs of distress when internal things in the body may not be working at its best. So it is best to keep the skin healthy, and working properly to be able to function as it should. Eating plenty of vegetables and fruits helps to achieve this goal.
Of course, when it comes to healthy skin, skin care and cleanliness are so important. According to Dr. Gaile Robredo-Vitas, Fellow, Philippine Dermatological Society, water alone is not enough to remove dirt and other oil-soluble impurities. And since babies’ skin is more sensitive than an adult’s, gentle products are recommended. Like Dr. Gaile, Pediatrician Dr. Cristal Laquindanamun advises using a gentle, hypoallergenic, mild cleanser that removes microbes and allergens that come from environmental factors.
Your choice of baby products help to keep your baby’s skin healthy. Cetaphil Baby products are especially formulated to help keep babies sensitive skin clean, protected and moisturized. Dr. Gaile mentions that aside from regular baths, gentle massages can help maintain your baby’s skin barrier and promote mother-child bonding. Meanwhile, regular application of barrier cream can help keep diaper rashes away.
Also read: Discover More Ways To Healthy Skin with the Cetaphil Face Range
