To ensure every child survives and thrives to reach their full potential, we must focus on improving care around the time of birth and the first week of life.

Health promotion, disease prevention services (such as vaccinations) and treatment of common childhood illnesses are essential if children are to thrive as well as survive.

In 2014, 194 Member States of the Sixty-seventh World Health Assembly endorsed the action plan (Resolution WHA67.10). Led by UNICEF and the World Health Organization, Every Newborn Action Plan (ENAP) was guided by the advice of experts and partners and by multistakeholder consultations and a web-based consultation with over 300 comments from stakeholders. The WHO Director-General has been requested to monitor progress towards the achievement of the global goal and targets, reporting periodically to the World Health Assembly until 2030.

It was targeted for 28 focus countries on collecting data through the use of a progress tracking tool. This systematic tracking of progress enables the assessment of the status of implementation of ENAP strategies, maps technical assistance needs and identifies barriers to implementation in line with the ENAP milestones and recommendations.

Besides, Another area of work is the Quality of Care Network. The main objective of the network is broadening the focus from access to care to include quality of care for maternal, newborn and child health to cut preventable maternal and newborn illness and deaths, and to improve every mother’s experience of care.

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Some tips for protecting children’s health:

Sufficient Sleep

Sleep is the time when the body heals, refreshes and energizes itself. Notice how lively and productive you are when you’ve had enough sleep? Having sufficient sleep also strengthens our immune system. Thus, it strengthens our bodies against germs and bacteria that can cause different types of illnesses.

Therefore, train your kids to create an environment conducive for sleeping. Encourage them to change their beddings regularly, clean themselves before going to bed, and listen to calming music. Enforce a “no gadget policy” to prevent them from doing activities that can stimulate their nervous system.

Train Them to Eat Healthy

It’s a known fact that most children today prefer junk over healthy food. This increases the number of obese children. So it’s important to educate children on healthy eating. The first step is to minimize, if not completely remove, the junk food in your refrigerator and cupboard. Replace it with healthy options like fruits, nuts, and vegetables.

What if your child is a picky eater? Then it’ll pay to be more creative with your dishes. Lifehack  has great, fun-looking recipes that you can try at home. Remember, it’s in the best interest of your children’s health.

Ready, Set, Exercise!

Obese or not, you should encourage your children to exercise. Especially since most youngsters today are glued to their gadgets and computers. This unhealthy habit has been proven to affect children’s vision, mental focus, and can lead to seizures and other diseases.

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The best way to deal with this is to set up your home with exercise gadgets. No, you don’t have to buy expensive equipment. Browse through some Pinterest boards to find some great fitness equipment that you can DIY and enjoy with your kids. Now, if you don’t have the time yet to DIY, allow your child to help you clean your car. It’s a great bonding activity that will also train him on how to properly clean and maintain a vehicle.

Make Clean Drinking Water Accessible

If your child prefers soda and other sweetened drinks over water, then it’s time to take action. Instead of stocking your refrigerator with soda and juices, try placing water in attractive containers.

Have a water jug in every area of your home that your child frequents – the living room, his bedroom, the kitchen, etc. This way, when he feels thirsty, he can easily grab a glass of water.

Keep Your Car Clean to Promote Children’s Health

Your child spends a lot of time in your car. Unfortunately, a car’s dark nooks and crannies are the best spots for germs and bacteria to thrive. This is why you need to keep your interior clean.

Make sure you use organic materials for cleaning the interior of your car. These products clean surfaces without leaving harsh chemical residues behind.

Better yet, clean your car with steam. It’s proven to kill 99% of germs and bacteria upon contact and leaves your car smelling fresh. If the idea of steam cleaning your interior daunts you, schedule an appointment witth us. We steam clean your car’s interior inside and out, top to bottom to get rid of all types of germs and bacteria that can affect you and your loved ones’ health and safety.

These are just five ways to improve your children’s health and safety. It might take time to train them towards a healthier, safer lifestyle, but all your efforts will be rewarded several times over when you see them growing up smart, lively, and healthy.