Back to School Health Tips for Parents

I'm about to begin my ninth year in the first grade. As I imagine you've already guessed, I won't be attending as a student but as a teacher. And throughout my 16 years of teaching, I've come up with a few tips for parents to help keep their kids healthy during the coming year.

You might be surprised at the number of six year olds who try to take cat naps during math class. I see these chronically tired children in my classroom every year. One of the most important things you can do to help keep your young student healthy is to choose a bedtime...and stick to it. According to parents.com, a child of 5 to 11 years requires 10 to 11 hours of sleep each night. Don't wait until the night before the first day of school to enforce this new bedtime. Begin at least a week before school starts so that your child can adapt to her new schedule.

Make sure your child has appropriate and safe clothing to wear to school each day. As you do your back to school shopping, you will probably want to buy clothing in sizes that your child won't soon outgrow but don't over do it. Pants and skirts that are too long can cause nasty falls.

Back to school time may also be new shoe time. Tennis shoes that are too small can cause foot problems and blisters for the wearer, and shoes that are too large may cause tripping. If you are unsure about how to fit shoes, find a salesperson who is experienced in this area.

If your child is not able to tie his own shoes, it's time to teach him. Trust me, double knotting the shoes before he leaves the house isn't going to cut it. Either he'll stumble on the laces all day or he'll interrupt me again and again to tie them for him. An acceptable alternative is to find tennis shoes with Velcro or stretchy straps. Flip flops, crocs and sandals are not safe to wear while playing at recess or during gym class, and can cause tripping while walking in the halls and on the stairs.

If your child has any health concerns such as asthma or allergies, summer is a good time to schedule a check up with your pediatrician. Be sure you pass any pertinent information along to your child's teacher. If your school doesn't offer back-to-school conferences, you may want to schedule a short conference with the teacher to explain any concerns you have about your child's health.

Whether your child is a walker, a bus rider or is dropped off each day, this is a good time to review bus and traffic safety rules. You may also want to do a dry run of your child's walk to school to determine the safest path.

Become acquainted with your child's school's health policies. For instance, my school's policy states that a child should not return to school until twenty-fours after he or she has last vomited or had a fever. This policy benefits not only other children in the class (and the teacher!) who do not wish to share your child's illness, but it also gives your child a chance to recover completely. I've often said I wish I had a dollar for every time I've heard a child say they threw up the night before. I'd take all that money and buy myself a nice dinner...just as soon as I recover from my nausea. It's often difficult for parents to miss work to care for a sick child so each family needs to have a backup plan. Perhaps a family friend or relative would agree to care for your child as she fully recovers from an illness.

Yes, I know we've all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, but it bears repeating. I know from experience that a hungry child can't concentrate on anything that's going on in the classroom. If you have a picky eater at your house or one who just balks at eating so early in the day, try some foods that may not be considered traditional breakfast fare. Perhaps a peanut butter and jelly sandwich or leftover pizza offered on the way to school may appeal to your reluctant eater.

The beginning of a school year is a great time to make a fresh start, and ensuring that your child is safe, well fed and rested will help her achieve her full learning potential.

Source: http://www.parents.com/baby/sleep/basics/age-by-age-guide-to-childrens-sleep/