Child’s Fifth Year: Bite-sized Reminders for Mummy and Daddy

​Go green! Fruit and veggies are high in fibre and nutrients, and low in calories. Feel free to offer a second helping to your kid after meals, or as snacks.

​Wholegrains (e.g. brown rice) and meat/others (e.g. lean meat, fish, nuts, eggs, lentils) are nutritious and moderately high in calories. They give your child the daily energy he needs, but do watch the portions! 

Watch out for food high in sugar, fat or calories. These include: sweets, fried food, processed meat, gravy, curry, and soft drinks. Your child should be eating these in small amounts, and only sometimes.

​When out grocery shopping with the little one, try spotting food with the Healthier Choice Symbol — they're generally lower in fat and sugar, and higher in fibre and calcium. 

​Start flossing once your child’s teeth come into contact with each other. Help your little one with the flossing as he’s too young to do so on his own. Use a floss pick if you’re not confident with string floss.

Make sure to brush your child’s teeth for at least two minutes. Play some cheerful music to keep time — and to make toothbrushing more fun for you and the little one.

​Once a child has myopia, we can only try to slow its progression — there's currently no cure. Delay myopia by letting your child spend time outdoors, taking frequent breaks after near work, and limiting screen time.

​Protect the little one's eyes by limiting screen time to an hour per day, and make sure your child gets two to three hours per day of outdoor physical activity.