Healthy Kids in Lockdown
Have you been struggling to keep healthy kids in lockdown?
It's no laughing matter here at the moment, with kids bouncing off the walls, trying to keep the work done, the sugar high's DOWN, the online schooling finished, the kids happy and exercised... and we haven't even started on the state of the house.
#mindblownmama
This post will share the three main ways I have focused on keeping my family healthy during the August hard lockdown in Victoria, Australia, in 2021.
This time, they've even closed local playgrounds, skate parks and everything. Everyone is worried about the Delta variant.
(If you're reading this in 2031, I hope you don't even know what I'm talking about. Just saying.)
*Disclaimer: By the way, there are some affiliate links in this post. I may receive a commission if a product is purchased through a link, at no extra cost to you.*
But many parents are working, many mamas are at home with their kids WHILE trying to work a full-time, suddenly online job, while their partner does the exact same thing.
It is wearing everyone down.
I can understand why there just isn't enough time to worry about things-like, the kids are fine as long as they're fed, right?
In my house, wrong.
Everyone, repeat, everyone, is 'starving' constantly.
And if you're ever seen a hangry 3 year old, you will know that this is no laughing matter, especially when he decides that this is his moment to start annoying his big sisters and scream.
(Anyone else have these issues? Being a parenting coach/consultant doesn't mean your kids don't get hangry, unfortunately. Who knew.)
So this time I decided to get intentional.
One of the biggest challenges Mamas around the world have been finding with their children home all the time, is that they EAT so much!
I mean, how do they usually survive on so little at school, kinder and so on? #baffled
Well this lockdown (we're up to number 7 here now) I could see it coming and got intentional about making sure my kids were being as overall healthy as possible throughout- and not eating too much.
Three things I focused on for my healthy kids in lockdown:
- Healthy, nutrient-dense food
- Healthy lifestyle (exercise, fresh air and mental stimulation)
- Running to a reasonable routine (to save eating constantly)
Get these fresh ideas for cooking at home from Woolworths!
Healthy, Nutrient-Dense food
For number 1 I've been making sure I prepare food including protein for lunches, and not just overloading on bread/carbs. (This was always a trap for me) I find bread the easiest way to feed kids, and to be honest, we ate a LOT of bread as kids ourselves, even though we were otherwise pretty healthy. Do what you see, right?
So this time, I've focused on filling my kids up with more protein, lots of fruit and vegies, and less bread.
It's working SO well. They are less hungry, more satiated and NOT 'at me' for more food nearly as often.
For instance, adding tuna into a cheesy toasted wrap, boiling a couple of eggs, or making sure we have a yoghurt at lunch rather than after dinner.
Not hard changes, but simply making sense and filling them with more protein which lasts for longer.
Healthy Lifestyle
For the second dot point, I've been making sure we regularly go for walks and keep up the mental game.
This is a two-part strategy for me!
Energy expulsion, and mental stretch.
I find my kids have a lot of energy first thing in the morning. We can often use that up playing, scooting in the backyard, or any number of play activities.
Join my 7 Days of Play here in my FB group!
If we don't go for a walk early, I often take them out late morning or even just after afternoon tea for a play at the oval or even just for a walk.
(Often by then I can't be bothered, which isn't a great attitude, but I work in the afternoons when I can, which means I'm so tired and still have to get through dinner!)
The second part of this is mental stimulation.
My kids, two of them in particular, need mental stimulation just as much as they need energy expulsion.
Even a walk, or a scavenger hunt, a 'new view' for awhile, means they just settle better and are more calm for the remainder of the day, and often have better imaginations, too.
Finally, a reasonable, regular routine.
I literally wrote a routine (mostly for my own benefit) that says what time I will be offering food. (My kids are all over 3 and big enough to wait, although I very occasionally change it up for Mr. 3.)
I needed to see a specific TIME to give my children food, because otherwise they are all over me all day, asking for it.
And that means I'm not my best self, and I can't function with that every day, all day.
If you can, you're amazing!
So we have breakfast when we get up at 7-8am, then fruit at 10 or so.
After that we have lunch around 11:30-12, and follow that with afternoon tea around 2:30-3.
(They might have an apple or drink of milk in between)
The protein in the meals means that while they are hungry for afternoon tea, they are not asking for food constantly from 1pm like before.
So there you have it, the 3 things I have been implementing in this lockdown that are actually really working!
Do you struggle to keep healthy kids in lockdown?
You're not alone!!