There's not much you can do when your kids are born with Mum's knock-knees or Dad's eczema. But that doesn't mean you're sidelined when it comes to laying the foundations for your child's health. Here's your checklist:

Teeth
"Fluoridated water is certainly the most important preventative means for having healthy teeth," says Professor Frank Oberklaid, Director of the Centre for Community Child Health at Melbourne's Royal Children's Hospital, "and there's an added benefit of teaching your kids good habits when they're drinking water rather than sugary soft drinks or juices."

Weight
We've all heard about the obesity epidemic afflicting modern kids. Oberklaid's advice? Get in early. "There's strong evidence about the benefits of breastfeeding in their early stages in terms of nutrition and lifestyle patterns," he says. "Some research even suggests that if you introduce a high-sugar diet early you can re-set receptors in the brain so that there'll be a lifetime craving for sweet things. So it's best if there's no solids before six months and, after that, a de-emphasis on junk food."

Immune system
The first part is simple: "Make sure they're fully immunised," urges Oberklaid. After that, it's what you don't do that could have the greatest benefit. "While there's all these germ theories, I think there's much too much emphasis on having everything sterilised and spotless," says Oberklaid.

According to Oberklaid, we take the same sledgehammer to fevers, viruses and other common ailments. "We over-medicate our kids. Getting sick is part and parcel of growing up as the immune system hones itself to recognise bugs."

Lungs
As with the immune system, so with their bellows. Again, Oberklaid advises against going overboard chasing dust mites, pulling up carpets and cleaning rooms. Far better to ensure no-one's smoking around young children. "It's not just the evidence about how bad passive smoking is, but the damage done by modelling behaviours." [[Image:ar_end.jpg]]