Dr R. Senthilkumar, M.D.(Community Medicine), D.C.H.,
Professor, Institute of Community Medicine, Madras Medical College, Chennai, Tamilnadu 600003, India
The words health and wellness are marketed all over the world! Many of us are familiar with the word ‘health’, and while it is generally well understood, the concept of wellness is not. We will discuss child wellness and review the many dimensions of wellness most commonly recognized by experts in the field. We also will look at what parents can do for the wellness of their children.
Let us restrict our discussion to children under 3 years of age.
Wellness is beyond a mere disease-free state.
The WHO defines health as a state of physical, mental, and social WELL-BEING and not merely absence of disease or infirmity.
So, is this definition applicable to children too – especially the concepts of mental and social well-being?
Ofcourse! Let us discuss a few of its aspects here. What I need is your interaction in this blog that will further help you address the more specific concerns of your child’s wellness.
The best way to discuss a child’s wellness is exploring their growth and development.
The World Health Organization states that to grow and develop optimally, a child must
- Have adequate nutrition
- Be healthy
- Feel safe and secure
- Have opportunities for learning from birth
These factors explain the social and mental components of well-being.
What Do We Mean By Growth And Development?
Growth is the simple physical growth measured by change in height and weight whereas development is assessed by milestones achieved by the child at different ages. These include the ability to walk, run, or use tools, identify language, practise speech,recognise parents, etc.
The early years of a child’s life are crucial for their health and development. Healthy development means that children of all abilities, including those with special health care needs, are able to grow where their social, emotional, and educational needs are met. Having a safe and loving home and spending time with family, and playing, singing, reading, and talking, are very important. Proper nutrition, exercise, and sleep also can make a big difference.
Principles OfDevelopment
There are several underlying principles of development to keep in mind:
- Development is lifelong and change is apparent across one’s lifespan. Early experiences affect later development.
- Development is multidirectional. We show gains in some areas of development, while showing loss in other areas.
- Development is multidimensional. We change across three general dimensions; physical, cognitive, and social/emotional.
- The physical dimension includes changes in height and weight, changes in gross and fine motor skills, sensory capabilities, the nervous system, as well as the propensity for disease and illness.
- The cognitive dimension encompasses changes in intelligence, wisdom, perception, problem-solving, memory, and language.
- The social and emotional dimension (also referred to as psychosocial) focuses on changes in emotion, self-perception, and interpersonal relationships with families, peers, and friends.
All the three dimensions influence each other. It is also important to note that a change in one dimension may cascade and prompt changes in the other dimensions.
What Are The Roles Of Parents In Their Child’s Development?
There are 4 recommendations by WHO based on evidence and extensive research.
- All infants and children should receive responsive care
during the first 3 years of life; parents and other caregivers
should be supported to provide responsive care.
- Parents must also promote early learning
- They also must integrate caregiving and nutrition
- Mother’s mental health must also be supported
Responsive care
An infant and parent are sitting on the floor. The child glances toward a nearby toy. The parent picks up the stuffed bear and hands it to the child, who reacts with a smile and a happy squeal. The parent returns the smile, makes eye contact and says, “Oh, you like the bear! I do, too. It has such big, brown eyes. Can you find the bear’s eyes?”
That’s an example of responsive caregiving, a teaching and parenting practice that promotes the social and emotional health of infants and toddlers. It involves:
Tuning into a child’s cues – eye gazes, gestures, facial expressions, sounds, etc.
Thinking about what the child is trying to communicate, and
Responding to the child in a sensitive way
Responsive caregiving recognizes that every child has unique needs and preferences and that young children learn best through back-and-forth social interactions with trusted adults.
Early learning
Early learning is crucial in helping a child become a more responsible, capable, and caring individual. The practice of early learning or early childhood education is not limited to preparing a child for preschool.
A child’s home, family, and daily life have a strong effect on their ability to learn.
Parents are the child’s first teachers, and every day is filled with opportunities to help the child learn. You can help by:
- Reading to the child, which must begin when they are born
- Pointing out and talking with the child about the names, colors, shapes, numbers, sizes, and quantities of objects in their environment
- Listening and responding to the child as they learn to communicate
- Practicing counting together
Integrating caregiving and nutrition
These include the following factors:
- Promoting exclusive breastfeeding for the first 6 months.
Mother’s milk contains adequate nutrition for the child’s growth as well as it provides immunity for the child. Artificial feeding may lead to infection, intolerance,and some non-communicable diseases later in life.
- Improving quality of the first food. After six months, introduction of solid or semi-solid food is important (along with mother’s milk). It should contain more calories and micronutrients to address the needs of the growing child.
- Providing micronutrient supplementation. As recommended by UNICEF, children need food supplementation, especially of micronutrients like iron. Iron helps prevent anaemia as well as improves the child’s learning capabilities.
Supporting mother’s mental health
Early Childhood Development programmes frequently depend upon the capacity of the primary caregiver, more often than not, the mother, to provide optimal care for her young child.
So, it is obvious that the mother’s mental health is vital for the child’s early development.
It is the responsibility of the family members to support her and provide proper treatment for her mental health should the need arise.
A child’s wellness is critical, and it starts at home. Any of your comments and queries for better understanding this topic are welcome.
