Back to school health tips for your kids

Back-to-school health tips for your kids

Going back to school after a long summer off can provide a jarring change of routine for your kids, which in turn, can impact their health.

Going back to school after a long summer off can provide a jarring change of routine for your kids, which in turn, can impact their health.

This week on KARE 11 Saturday Children's Minnesota Nurse Practitioner Hannah Kull stopped by to talk about healthy back-to-school habits, including keeping a balanced diet, getting enough physical activity, maintaining regular sleep patterns and handling anxiety. 

How much sleep should my child be getting for school? The National Sleep Foundation recommends 

the following sleep guidelines:

For preschoolers: 10-13 hours

For school-aged kids: 9-11 hours

For teens: 8-10 hours

Right about now (mid-August) is when parents should start slowly putting kids to bed 15 minutes earlier at night and waking them up 15 minutes earlier in the morning to get them slowly back to their school schedule.  It makes for a better start to the school year for everyone.

How do I keep my child on a healthy diet once they go back to school? 

You want to empower your child to make healthy decisions, so using the summer as a time to work with them developing a healthy diet is important. Teach by example: let them see you eating healthy and let them be part of the shopping or the meal prep.

If your kids eat school lunch, talk to them about healthy choices and show them those choices when eating out together so they will be more inclined to do so when you are not around. If you pack your child’s lunch, this is a great way to know what they’re eating at school and a way to get some fruits/veggies in.

Keeping easy, healthy, grab-and-go snacks in the fridge - like cut-up fruits and veggies and yogurt - is a good way to keep kids from munching on junk after school. 

How can I help my kids with back to school blues or anxiety?

If your child is going to a new school, visit the school a week before and see if you can get a tour to acclimate them to the building. Meet the teacher if possible so they know who to expect on the first day.

If they are anxious (which many children are), talk through anxieties with them and get to the bottom of what is causing their fear, but don’t dwell on it. Have an action plan for more serious anxiety-provoking situations, such as bullying.

An end of the summer BBQ with old school friends is an easy way to engage with those familiar faces and get re-acquainted. Perhaps they can plan to walk in together on the first day. 

While it varies from family to family, many children feel less anxious about school if they walk to the bus stop with a parent/s and can count on a parent waiting for them at the end of the day.

With smaller children, playing school can help prepare children for what to expect and ease their worries about the process.

How can I teach my child about friendships and bullying?

Bullying can have serious psychological effects on kids no matter what age. It is important to teach our kids to show empathy to those who are different and also to emphasize that ridiculing others for their differences is unacceptable. Kids should know it’s important to speak up to a teacher or parent if they see or hear someone, including themselves, being bullied.

Talk to your kids about what it means to be a good friend and ways to show kindness at school; such as inviting kids that are eating alone to eat with them, welcoming a new kid at school to hang out with them, or giving a smile or hug to someone who is upset at school.

Lead by example. Be a good neighbor, consider bringing your kids along to check in on the elderly or those who may be lonely as a way to show them how they can be kind and make a positive difference.

Women's Health: Food Tips to Help New Mothers Recover Post Childbirth

Women are taking over the world in an unprecedented scale. They have begun populating the workplace greater than ever, and the market is increasingly making laws to facilitate in maximum proportions. However, women also tend to give up on their successful job for various reasons, one of them being childbirth. With hectic work schedules and competitive targets, managing work life and motherhood becomes tough. According to a latest study, providing flexibility to women at their workplace may help them to maintain their careers after childbirth.

The study notes that "the ability to take advantage of the opportunity to work flexibly is most useful" in preventing women from dropping out of the labour market after having their first child." The research led by Heejung Chung of the University of Kent's School of Social Policy, Sociology and Social Research, revealed that women who were able to use flexitime were only half as likely to reduce their hours after the birth of their child.

The findings published in the journal Human Relations revealed that more than half of women in their study sample reduced their working hours after childbirth, while less than a quarter of women who were able to use 'flexitime' reduced their hours.

Flexitime is a system of working a set number of hours with the starting and finishing times chosen within agreed limits by the employee. The study noted that it is the use of flexitime - rather than perceived access to it - that makes the difference. The team noted that, "for mothers with new-borns, perceived access to flexitime in itself may not be enough to tackle the work-life balance demands they are faced with. The flexibility needs to be enacted to really make a difference.

The post pregnancy phase or the recovery phase is very crucial for new mothers. Traditionally in India, new mothers are offered certain foods during the first 40 days after childbirth to gain strength and nourishment, and one such treat is the famous 'Gondh ka Ladoo'.

Made with edible gum(gondh), desi ghee, sugar, raisins and a whole lot of chunky nuts and dry fruits; the ladoo is high in calories and is required to meet the extra calories needed by a new mother while she's breastfeeding the new-born.

It can be mixed with methi dana, saunf, black pepper, til seeds and ajwain also for better benefits. These ladoos help in lubricating the joints and reduces back pain along with other joints pain. It can be served to lactating mothers for the nourishment of their body. It's rich in fat and fiber and can be given to lactating mothers to build their immunity as it helps stimulate the immune system.

Consultant nutritionist Dr. Rupali Dutta says, "Nursing mothers should ensure the calorie quotient is maintained. Lactating mother needs 600 calories or more per day, whereas the protein and calcium requirement is 20 grams and 1200 grams per day.

It must be ensured that you skip no meals. It is also the time to boost up your iron intake, load up on green leafy vegetables for energy. Nimbu and amla also serve as great energy sources. Every vitamin or mineral should be eaten according to the requirement so that it is sufficient for the patient. Healthy fat sources in peanut oil and mustard oil are also essential.

Milk and dairy products like ghee are also fruitful in the recovery phase. Intake of traditional food like panjiris and pinnis are also an effective way to keep up your energy levels."