How To Raise A Happy Child

I've always been very proud of how my child is turning out. Of course she's not perfect - makulit, malikot, madaldal, matanong and very strong willed like her Nanay. Me and the bestfriend (Je's Anatomy) was talking about our respective daughters and we would just laugh because our daughters would show "attitude" na alam namin sa amin namana. Hahahaha!

But regardless, I still love the fact that my daughter is kind and appreciative and polite and smart and strong-willed and respectful and everything I ever hoped for and more. Most importantly, I know that she is happy!

See, I honestly believe that as parents it is very much our responsibility to raise our kids properly. Proper parenting talaga. Aminin natin that sometimes, we do things that is actually not good for our kids kahit na we do it out of love. Case in point, raising spoiled brats. And ako, I won't deny the fact na minsan I fall on the trap of giving so much to my child kasi nag iisa sya and sa totoo lang ang cute nila diba? How can you say no?

So when Fern Kiddimin invited me to a simple get together with my fellow parents and discussed how to we could all raise a happy kid, I'm all in.

See, Fern Kiddimin invited a developmental and behavioral pediatrician Dr. Rita Paz Rowena A. De Guzman, MD to help us understand our kids and their needs so we could raise happy, healthy kids.

Dr. Rita Paz Rowena A. De Guzman, MD

And because love ko kayo, I'll share them with y'all.

1. Our kids need a healthy, balanced diet. They need calories for their endless energy.
2. Our kids need a good sleep. For new borns (0-3 months) it is recommended to have 14-17 hours of sleep, infant (4-11 months) should have 12-15 hours, toddlers (1-2 years) 11-14 hours, pre-schoolers (3-5 years) should get 10-13 hours, school age (6-13 years) 9-11 hours, teens (14-17 years) must get 8-10 hours, Young Adults (18-25 years) and Adults (26-64)  should have 7-9 hours of sleep, while Older Adults (65yrs+) must get 7-8 hours.
3. Nap time is not needed for school age kids as long as they get the recommended amount of sleep mentioned above.
4. Shortened sleep duration, specially before 41 months, is associated with lower cognitive performance on neurodevelopmental tests. So sleep is a must!
5. Height comes from growth of the bones. Height heritability can be as much as 87-93%; while environmental factors, particularly nutrition, may contribute 20-40% of height. So while my daughter is kinda kulelat on the height department because of genes, we could still improve her height by giving her the right nutrition.
6. And Vitamin D, known to help strengthens the bones is very important. So don't be afraid to let our kids go out and play. This is one major aha! moment for me because the #FabSkye seldom go out of our room because she is allergic to her own sweat and I'm so afraid of letting her play outside. Wrong mga mumsh! Our kids need vitamin D.
7. Lysine also helps bone growth and formation of collagen while Taurine is essential for cardiovascular function and development of skeletal muscle, the retina and central nervous system. Another important nutrient is Chlorella that benefits the entire body by supporting healthy hormonal functions, promoting cardiovascular health, lowering blood pressure and helping in detoxification of the body.
8. Toddlers should have at least 60 minutes per day of unstructured physical activity and 30 minutes structured play. Pre-schoolers should have at least 60 minutes per day of unstructured physical activity and 60 minutes structured play. 
9. Top diseases for children include pneumonia, diarrhea, asthma, UTI, viral infection, and leukemia, which is alarming.
10. A child should hear 30,000 words per day. Average IQ of a child at age 3, regardless of socioeconomic status of the family is correlated to low, medium, or high levels of daily talk to the child during the first 3 years.
11. Handheld screen time is linked with speech delays in young children.
12. If the toddler is almost 3, has fewer than 25 words, and can't combine them in a simple sentence, you need to consult a specialist.

And that is why vitamin supplements like Fern Kiddimin is important. Of course we should always make sure that we give our kids a well-balanced and nutritious meal but there are times that we can't give complete nutrition so a supplement is needed. Take note, supplement lang to. Wag naman natin iasa lahat sa vitamins mga mumsh ah!

Krishna Javier, FERN Inc. Brand Manager

And when choosing vitamins for our kids, it is important that we get it from a well-trusted brand like Fern. I'm a Fern-C user myself. I'm one of those who take vitamin C overdose specially when I'm feeling a bit under the weather. So knowing that Fern now has a multi-vitamins meant for our kids is something I'm very happy about. Kasi nga trusted na.

Rosanna De Dios, Fern Inc. Senior Marketing Manager

Raise a happy, healthy child with Fern Kiddimin. Coz with Fern Kiddimin "Ang Sarap Maging Kid!". Fern Kiddimin is available in 120ML at 158.00Php and 60ML at 88.00Php in selected drugstores and FERN Kiosks nationwide.

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