Doctors recommend ways for parents to prepare their children to be successful in the new year



By GEORGE MORRIS
Advocate staff writer at 2TheAdvocate.com

back-to-school

Parents can't study for their children, can't take tests for them and shouldn't do their homework. But, three local pediatricians say, there is much parents can do to increase their children's chance of success in school. Drs. Suzanne Hart, Brett Hutchinson and Amanda Talbot of the Our Lady of the Lake Physician Group led a back–to–school seminar that dispensed advice to parents in advance of the 2009–10 school year. Not all of it was medical.

Turn off the TV. No video on school nights, Hart said, a plea echoed by the other doctors. There is a direct correlation between the amount of TV your child watches and their academic performance. The more TV they watch, the lower their academic performance. The less TV they watch, the higher their academic performance. Might I even suggest the crazy idea of no TV on school nights.

That suggestion brought some chuckles from the crowd, the only such reaction in the hourlong seminar on July 22 at the OLOL Regional Medical Center Auditorium.

Much of the advice centered on having the children as physically ready as possible to learn – making sure they get plenty of sleep and a good breakfast to jump–start the day.

It has definitely been proven that kids who eat breakfast learn better, have better memory and verbal skills, can improve test scores, have fewer discipline problems, Hutchinson said.

A good breakfast doesn't have to be complicated, Hutchinson said. Relatively easy, nutritious meals can include such items as peanut butter on toast, melted cheese on whole wheat bread, oatmeal, yogurt or nonsugary cereals with fruit and milk.

Getting children to bed may be more involved. Hart suggests 8 p.m. as a good bed time for younger children, who need nine to 10 hours of sleep, and that means turning off the television and creating a quiet atmosphere for the last half hour. Keeping bedtime consistent on Fridays and Saturdays makes things easier on school nights, she said.

Do not let your child fall asleep in the den watching TV and scoop them up and put them in their bed, Hart said. Children need to learn how to put themselves to sleep on their own, so make sure that you put them to bed awake so they can learn to put themselves to sleep on their own.

A potential health issue that parents may not consider is that of backpacks if they have to transport lots of books from and to school. Hutchinson said backpacks ideally should be light and have two wide, padded straps to distribute weight and a padded back.

Backpacks can be social symbols and coolness when they're older, but their main function is to distribute the weight, he said. Books are heavy, and you want to distribute the weight evenly across lots of muscles and across the big muscles that are made to bear that kind of weight. Backpacks can definitely be too heavy, and they can be worn incorrectly and that can lead to injuries – muscle injuries, joint injuries, back pain, neck pain, shoulder pain and posture problems from an inappropriate backpack.

Talbot concentrated on dealing with the nearly inevitable childhood illnesses and how they might affect attendance.
  • Colds (characterized by runny nose, congestion, sore throat, early low–grade fever): Absence from school is not necessary if there is no fever; keep the child hydrated.
  • Fevers: Children need to be fever–free for 24 hours before returning to school.
  • Strep throat (often resulting in fever and swollen neck glands along with sore throat but no cough or runny nose): It is contagious, so keep the child home. Once starting antibiotics, children can go back to school if there is no fever in 24 hours.
  • Ear infections: Not contagious, so attend school if no fever and the child feels well enough.
  • Stomach virus (vomit, diarrhea): Contagious, so stay home and hydrate with small sips of a sports drink; drinking large quantities in a short time may cause vomiting.
  • Pinkeye: No school until the mucus discharge is gone.
  • Head lice: There are prescription and over–the–counter treatments. Wash bedding and clothes in hot water, and seal stuffed animals in plastic bags for a week to kill any lice that might have gotten in them.
  • Flu: Get vaccinated, and stay home if sick.
You cannot – not, not – get the flu from the flu vaccine, Talbot stressed.

Other advice included:
  • To deal with jitters of a child going to school for the first time, talk with the child well in advance, and emphasize the positives (getting to see friends, topics the child likes). Even if it won't be the normal pattern, try to drop them off and pick them up on the first day to reduce stress. Be patient if there is a meltdown.
  • Students need adult supervision through at least age 11 or 12. If no one can be home and no after–school program is available, have them check in with a neighbor and supervise them by telephone.
  • Create a good homework environment. Older children may do their homework in their rooms, but younger ones should do it where a parent is present to supervise and help.
Homework should not be done in the car on the way to baseball practice, Hart said.