Routine exams and screenings help you and your kids prevent, identify, and treat health problems when they arise. Vaccines greatly reduce your child's risk of serious illness (particularly when more and more people use them) and give diseases fewer chances to take hold in a population. Unfortunately, misinformation about vaccines could make some parents decide not to immunize their children, putting them and others at a greater risk for illness.
Evaluate information on immunizations, talk to your healthcare provider if you have any concerns or questions, be sure to tell your healthcare provider if your child has health problems or allergies to medications or food, and be sure to discuss what specific vaccine schedules are recommended for your child.
Note: Failure to keep immunizations up to date could result in your child not being able to attend school. Each state has different vaccination requirements.
Children's health and behavior take a nose dive when their sleep habits are out of whack. Adequate sleep will boost your child's energy and enthusiasm. Good-quality sleep also can help your child learn more easily and reduce many behavioral problems.
Generally, between the ages of 6 and 9, most children need about 10 hours of sleep a night, while preteens need a little over 9 hours. Your child may require more sleep if he or she:
- Has a short attention span, or is irritable or restless
- Has unusually low energy low energy and activity levels
- Is more tearful, anxious, defensive or impatient than usual
- Set a regular time for bed each night and stick to it
- Avoid feeding children big meals close to bedtime
- Avoid giving anything with caffeine less than six hours before bedtime
- Make after-dinner playtime a relaxing time
- Establish a calming bedtime routine
- Get more sleep tips here
Note: Each child is different and has his or her own way of approaching sleep. Some take extra time to fall asleep, while others wake more often during the night. You know your child's personal habits best, so with a little trial and error, you should succeed in finding a routine that suits your family.
Eating right will help provide the nutrients needed to have energy, build strong bones, and fight diseases and other conditions. Pay attention to what and how much your kids eat. A change in eating habits may be an early warning signal for other problems.
Unfortunately nearly one-fourth of kids' daily energy intake comes from nibbling between meals. Much of this nibbling is on prepackaged snack foods, which are high in calories and low in nutrients. But snacking itself isn't necessarily bad. Young children actually need snacks. Their stomachs are small, so they often can't get all the nutrients they need in a day through meals alone. It's not always easy to persuade your kids to eat healthy snacks and their snacking habits aren't going to change overnight, but here are a few snack-time tips:
- Offer similar choices. Instead of ice cream or pretzels, offer your child frozen yogurt or soda crackers.
- Provide variety. Be sure to select snacks from a variety of food groups so your kids won't be bored with their snack choice.
- Be creative. Dress up fruits and vegetables offer celery with peanut butter, or carrots with a low-fat dip.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, up to 6% of children in the U.S. under age 3 have food allergies. They are less common in adults but, overall, food allergies affect nearly 4 million people. Along with milk, eggs, wheat, soy, and shellfish, peanuts are among the most common foods that cause allergies. For some kids, food allergies can cause only minor discomfort, like a little tingling in the mouth. But for others they can be severe, causing difficulty breathing, for example. Try to work with your child's school to find ways your child can be supervised to prevent contact with allergenic foods. Find out who would give your child treatment and discuss your child's allergies with that person, making sure that they have any necessary medications and medical information.
Although juice does contain some healthy nutrients, it's high in calories and it may contribute to weight gain and tooth decay if consumed in excess. Some juice drinks, even those with 100% juice, have more calories than sugary carbonated beverages do. Juice also lacks the healthy fiber that whole fruit has.
Note: The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that children drink no more than two 6-ounce servings of fruit juice a day.
Kids can choose any type of moderate or higher intensity physical activity, such as brisk walking, playing tag, jumping rope, or swimming, as long as it adds up to at least one hour a day. Work with your child's school to ensure the activity is age appropriate and, to ensure safety, provide protective equipment such as helmets, wrist pads, and knee pads to prevent sports injuries.
For children and adolescents, regular physical activity has beneficial effects on the following aspects of health:
- Weight
- Muscular strength
- Bone mass
- Anxiety and stress
- Self-esteem
Note: It is recommended that children and adolescents participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity most days of the week.
It's estimated that 24 million students nationwide start their school day with a trip on the school bus. Whether they walk, ride the bus or travel by car, teach your kids these few tips to ensure they get to and from school safely.
- Do not play in the street while waiting for the bus
- Carry all loose belongings in a bag or backpack and never reach under the school bus to get anything that has rolled or fallen beneath it.
- Line up facing the bus, not along side it.
- Move immediately onto the sidewalk and out of traffic after getting off the bus.
- Wait for a signal from the bus driver before crossing the street and walk at least 10 steps away from the front of the bus so the driver can see you.
- Never walk alone — always travel with a buddy. Try and find a friend, or make a new friend in the neighborhood to walk to school or ride the bus with.
- Wear reflective or bright color clothing to increase visibility.
- Respect traffic lights and street signs.
- Always wear a helmet when riding a bicycle.
- Avoid loose fitting clothing that could get caught in spokes or pedals.
- Make sure young children are in safety seats at all times, and that the seats have been properly installed.
- All children under 13 years should ride in the rear seat of vehicles.
- Remember that many crashes occur while novice teen drivers are going to and from school. You may want to limit the number of teen passengers to prevent driver distraction. Do not allow your teen to drive while eating, drinking, or talking on a cell phone.
