Keeping your kids healthy makes for a much better school year for them and you!
There are so many things to think about! Here are a few ways to help your kids (and you) have a great school year.
#1 Check your kids’ backpacks.
Heavy backpacks cause neck, shoulder, and back pain. There are a few things you can do to make sure that pain isn’t something your children have to deal with.
- Provide a good backpack that has two straps.
- Be sure the backpack has cushioned padding.
- Check the weight when it’s full. A full backpack should not weigh more than 10% of your child’s weight.
#2 Establish good eating habits(Avoid HANGRY).
Have you heard the slang “HANGRY?” When a child is Hungry and tired, it makes them Hangry! Ensure your kids get a healthy breakfast, lunch, and dinner, along with plenty of water throughout the day.
- A healthy breakfast that includes protein, dairy, and whole grains is correlated to positive behaviors throughout the day and helps your child focus and concentrate
- A nutritious lunch includes protein, whole grains, fruits, and vegetables
- Promote healthy drink choices like water and milk. Limit or eliminate sugar-sweetened and caffeinated beverages. Caffeine can increase your child’s heart rate and blood pressure, interrupt sleep and cause nervousness and irritability
#3 Have healthy family dinners.
Family dinners have been proven to help kids in many ways. Even as few as 3 meals a week in a relaxed manner with the family makes a huge difference. It’s important to have NO screen time, and no TV, to give your kids an opportunity to talk about their day, and of course, provide a healthy meal. Below is a list of things that have been proven with family dinners (from the American College of Pediatricians):
- Improved academics
- Improved family relationships / socialization
- Improved nutrition / decreased obesity
- Decreased screen time, television viewing
- Decreased risk of drug, alcohol, and nicotine use
- Improved mental health / emotional well being
That is a pretty impressive list. We highly suggest family dinners!
#4 Make sure your kids get plenty of sleep.
According to the Sleep Foundation: “Sleep is of paramount importance to young children. Early in life, a person experiences tremendous development that affects the brain, body, emotions, and behavior and sets the stage for their continued growth through childhood and adolescence.”
It’s a well known fact that establishing a bed time, especially with kids in school, makes it a lot easier for kids (and parents) to get to bed on time. Follow a routine as best as possible for homework, dinner and bedtime. And stick with it as best as you possibly can.
How much sleep does a child need? Below is a chart from the Sleep Foundation.
| Newborn | 0-3 months old | 14-17 hours |
| Infant | 4-11 months old | 12-15 hours |
| Toddler | 1-2 years old | 11-14 hours |
| Preschool | 3-5 years old | 10-13 hours |
| School-age | 6-13 years old | 9-11 hours |
This is a great beginning to a happier, healthier and more successful year of school. The more you can stick to a routine the better it is for everyone, kids and parents.
Being a parent is hard!
We get it. We are here to help you take care of yourself as well. Get regular chiropractic adjustments, get a massage, take on a mindfulness practice, exercise, and be easy on yourself.
No family is perfect! We hope you stop in soon. And if you have any tips you’d like to share, comment below.
Dr. Hughes, Dr. Shannan, Dr. Harris
