Recommendations for Healthy Child Development

Prenatal Development:
It is advisable for a pregnant woman to avoid teratogens, such as drinking alcoholic beverages or smoking cigarettes. Teratogens are agents, such as chemicals and viruses, that can reach the fetus during prenatal development and cause harm. Consumption of alcohol by the mother during pregnancy can prime the offspring to be psychologically attracted towards alcohol, possibly leading to heavy drinking and alcohol use disorders during their teenage years. Moreover, it also contributes to the risk of low body weight, birth defects, hyperactivity, and lower intelligence in the offspring.

The effects can also be seen in instances of fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), which results in prolonged physical and mental defects.

Smoking during pregnancy leads to epigenetic scars that weaken the ability of the offspring to handle stress. Therefore, I recommend that pregnant mothers avoid consuming alcohol or smoking cigarettes for better prenatal development of their offspring.
 Infancy/childhood development:
For better growth and development of a child during his/her childhood, I would highly recommend parents adopt the authoritative parenting style. Authoritative parenting is a style that is child-centered, in that parents closely interact with their children while maintaining high expectations for conduct and accomplishments. It also includes a firm belief in open discussions and exceptions.

This is beneficial because research suggests that children with warm, concerned authoritative parents tend to attain high self-esteem, self-reliance, and social competence. Moreover, authoritative parenting makes children self-disciplined, assertive, and socially responsible. Children are open to communication with their parents who adopt authoritative parenting and are cooperative. They also become academically sound and show psychosocial development with very few behavioral problems. Therefore, I believe that authoritative parenting is one of the most effective ways for the better growth of children.

Adolescence Development:
I would highly advise parents to help their adolescent kid avoid forging (imitating) identity. Self-identity is defined as the qualities, beliefs, personality, and expressions that make a person. During adolescence, teenagers adopt different identities according to the different situations they find themselves in, and the different people they are interacting with. They try to imitate others to fit in the box. By doing so, they become confused about who they are and what they want to be. Self-identity is beneficial because it helps teenagers in learning their purpose in life, resilience, problem-solving, and the ability to express what they like or dislike. This builds a great sense of self and a more confident person for the future. Parents can contribute to this identification by trying to be their role models, respecting their decisions, providing moral support, and allowing them to experiment with new things in order to find their own selves.

Adulthood Development:
For better development during the adulthood stage of a human's life, I recommend that adults perform regular exercise. Exercise is beneficial for this stage because it helps prevent aging due to many factors. These include controlling obesity, preventing heart diseases, and enhancing muscles and bones. Furthermore, it aids memory by enhancing the development of the nervous system and promoting neurogenesis (the formation of new hippocampal nerve cells). Aerobic exercise improves an individual's memory and aids in making better judgments. It also reduces the risk of significant cognitive impairments. Therefore, daily exercise is a must for better growth during adulthood and for leading a healthy senescence!

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