Parenting in KFL&A
Baby crawling with adult sitting in background.
Hello!
We hope you and your family are doing well. Your baby is learning so much each day! We are so happy to be on this journey with you. Today we’ll be talking about family mealtimes, preventing falls, and smoke free homes.
Two adults and a baby sitting at the table.
Family mealtimes
Families that eat together eat better! Eating meals as a family is linked with healthy food choices, like more vegetables and fruit and less sugary drinks. Eating meals together also provides a chance for children to learn and for families to communicate.

Start making family meals a habit now (if you haven’t already). And include your baby at the table!

To make the most of family meals:
  • Limit distractions during mealtimes, such as toys and screens.
  • Enjoy light conversation.
  • Avoid using food as a reward or punishment.
  • Don’t pressure or force your baby to eat.
Your role as a parent is to decide what foods to offer, and when and where to offer food. Your child’s role is to decide how much to eat, and whether to eat at all.
Adult hand on baby gate.
Home safety
Toddlers often like to climb, but they don’t understand the idea of heights. They can be injured falling off furniture or pulling furniture like TVs and bookcases down on them.

Keep your child safe by:
  • Using window guards and keeping furniture away from windows.
  • Using gates at the top and bottom of stairs. Always use wall-mounted gates at the top of stairs.
  • Attaching furniture like TVs and sets of drawers to walls.
  • Making sure blind cords are secured up high and away from sleeping areas.
More safety tips
House door with no smoking sign in the window.
Tips to keep your home and family smoke-free
Having a smoke free home is healthiest for you and your children. Children who grow up in smoky air have more chest colds, coughs, ear infections, and asthma.

There are ways to limit the amount of smoke your child is exposed to:
  • Make your home smoke free. Let visitors know this too.
  • Go outside to smoke.
  • Make sure the smoke is not drifting back inside through open windows or doorways.
  • Have one ashtray and clean it out after each use. Cigarette butts are poisonous to children and pets.
Quit smoking
Adult holding a tablet.
SickKids Hospital
SickKids Hospital in Toronto has a great website where you can learn about kid’s health, in many different languages!
AboutKidsHealth
Goodbye! We'll talk to you next month!
KFL&A Public Health, 221 Portsmouth Avenue, Kingston, Ontario K7M 1V5
kflaph.ca