Healthy Kids: Back to school tips

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Most school-age children have been back in the classroom for weeks now.

Here to discuss some back to school health tips is Dr. Annette St. Pierre-Mackoul.

The Best Fit For a Backpack:

• Concerns: discomfort, fatigue, muscle soreness, and muscular pain.
• 28,000 sprains, strains, dislocations and fractures due to backpack injury.
• Make sure that backpacks fit.
• Fit requirements: use both straps, appropriate padding, weight distributed well.
• Backpack should weigh less than 10% child’s body weight.

Packed lunches: A balancing act:

• Hunger leads to poor school performance.
• Healthy students perform better than unhealthy ones.
• Healthy and filling lunches are crucial to learning.
• Be creative and vary the lunch choices.
• Involve your child in making and packing lunches.

Getting a good night’s sleep:

• Sleep recharges the body’s battery.
• Allows energy for schoolwork and protects against stress.
• Need at least 8-9 hours of sleep per night.
• Quality and quantity of sleep are important.
• Regular bedtimes, avoid napping and no electronics before bed.

Screen time and keeping active:

• Electronics before bed affects sleep quality.
• Limit screen time to 2 hours per day.
• Screen time = computers, TVs, and smart-phones (anything with a screen)
• Assure at least 1 hour of exercise outside of school’s PE program.
• TV off at mealtime – encourage conversation.

The importance of having good role models:

• All of the above is important for all ages.
• Children learn more by your actions than your words.
• Children with caring and less controlling parents are happier as adults.