Back to School Health Tips

teenagers going back to school

Summer is coming to an end, which means all of those bad habits need to too. Back-to-school is always a hard period with getting your child ready and back on track with their sleeping and eating schedule. Want to make sure that this is their best school year yet? Let us help you get your child back on track this school year. Follow these recommended back-to-school tips:

Encourage Healthy Sleeping Habits

It’s important that your child gets a good night’s sleep in preparation for school the next day, so start setting that back-to-school bedtime! Spending less time on devices such as; computers, tablets, cell-phones and television contribute to a well rested child.

To ensure your child maintains their good health they should be getting around eight to ten hours of sleep each night. Some things to avoid right before bedtime are as follows; exercise, large meals, technology, warm showers/baths and most importantly caffeine.

Hygiene First

Summer tooth brushing routines are over, time to get your child back in the two-a-day brushing routine. In order to keep those pearly whites and healthy gums, your child should be brushing their teeth at least twice a day and keeping up with their flossing once a day as well. As much as they may cry about it, try some fun ways to brush!

Good hygiene leads to better health. In order to maintain good health and preventing illness and infections from growing, have your child get used to washing their hands and body regularly. This will keep all the yucky germs from spreading.

Annual Wellness Visits

Every child is required to have an updated physical for each school year. The reason for this importance is that physicals ensure your child’s health and checkups are up-to-date. Annual physicals also build up medical history which only benefits your child in the long run. 

Having an updated annual physical for your child also allows them to participate in physical activities within and outside the school. Sports for example, almost always require a physical in order to participate. This factor only benefits your child’s health.

Healthy Eating

According to the State of Obesity, 18.5% of children ages 2-19 in America have obesity. This percent continues to grow, and that’s why it’s important to instill healthy eating habits in your child’s mind. Some children can be picky eaters, so to work past this make sure you continue to introduce new healthy foods, avoid buying unhealthy home/school snacks, replace juice with the actual fruit, and most importantly- BE THE MODEL.

Continuing a regular healthy lunch box or school lunch for your child gets them into a healthy eating routine- that’s the goal! When it comes to food shopping, be sure to check out the nutritional facts on the packaging; stay away from snacks that have lots of calories, are high in trans fat, sodium and sugar. Cook your at home meals smart!

Make the Changes Today 

This new school season is just around the corner. Have you started to change your child’s diet, or sleep habits? There’s still time! There is also time to schedule their annual school physical before the new year! 

Notice

During this surge in COVID-19 cases, our primary focus is meeting the high demand for tests, and we are seeing higher than usual wait times. This means we are unable to answer most phone calls. Please know that our teams are working very hard during this time to care for as many patients as safely as possible. Please click the button below for answers to common questions. We appreciate your understanding.