Children's health

By Mayo Clinic Staff

Nutrition, fitness, sleep and checkups are key for children's health.

Teach your child early to move more and sit less for physical and mental health. Enjoy active hobbies together to set a good example. Also help your child get enough rest. Good sleep habits will serve your child well for years to come.

A balanced diet gives children fuel for growth and activity. Encourage your child to eat nutritious foods. Learn which nutrients are key and in what amounts and how the guidelines change as your child grows older.

Regular doctor visits for checkups and vaccines are vital too. Share any concerns you have about your child's health with a member of your child's health care team.

Keeping your child safe, from installing a car seat to teaching hand-washing, is a big part of caregiving. And talking about social and school issues grows in importance as your child ages.

Children’s health information and parenting tips to your inbox.

Sign-up to get Mayo Clinic’s trusted health content sent to your email. Receive a bonus guide on ways to manage your child’s health just for subscribing. Click here for an email preview.

To provide you with the most relevant and helpful information, and understand which information is beneficial, we may combine your email and website usage information with other information we have about you. If you are a Mayo Clinic patient, this could include protected health information. If we combine this information with your protected health information, we will treat all of that information as protected health information and will only use or disclose that information as set forth in our notice of privacy practices. You may opt-out of email communications at any time by clicking on the unsubscribe link in the e-mail.

Aug. 23, 2023