The early years in a child’s life are critical in laying the foundation for a child’s future health and wellbeing into their adolescent and adult years. Breastfeeding There are wide ranging benefits to breast feeding including reduced risk of SIDS, Type 1 diabetes, improved maternal child bonding and improved immunity. It is recommended that infants be exclusively breast fed until 6 months of age.
Dental Health Current recommendations are to start cleaning a child’s teeth with a soft toothbrush as soon as they erupt, to introduce a small amount of low fluoride toothpaste onto the brush at around 18 months of age and to switch to full fluoride toothpaste from school age.
Overweight and obesity Some lifestyle choices that can minimise the risk of childhood obesity are to avoid sugary foods and drink, to include 2 servings of fruit and 5 servings of vegetables each day, to minimise screen time and to stay active as a family.
Childhood development milestones When a child progresses from infancy through the toddler and preschool years, multiple distinct changes take place in the developing brains. If you have any concerns about your child’s physical, emotional or intellectual development, please do raise these concerns with us and we can make an assessment together. Our practice nurses, Chelsea, provide a comprehensive vaccination program and Vaccination Catch Up program for babies and children of all ages.