Preventive Care for Healthy Kids

It’s that time of year again when kids are heading back to school. Ensure the kids in your life have a healthy and happy school year with three easy steps.

Vaccinate your kids. Most schools require updated vaccination records each school year.
Get routine check-ups. Routine exams like dental and eye exams are crucial to finding problems early when treatment is more successful.
Prevent colds and other illnesses. Since many colds occur in the fall and winter when everyone is inside, encourage your kids to wash their hands frequently, eat a well-balanced diet with variety, stay active, and get plenty of rest.

The best way to ensure your kids make healthy choices is to model healthy behaviors yourself. You are an important role model to the kids in your life, and the things you do are often more powerful than the words you say.

Want your kids to eat well? Provide them with healthy choices. Be patient! Even if your kids turn up their noses at healthy foods now, they are more likely to try new things when presented with those options consistently over time. Make sure you are caring for yourself the way you want your kids to care for themselves. They will watch and learn from you.

Source: Centers For Disease Control. cdc.gov/family/parenttips. Accessed 28 June 2016.

Tags: Back to School, Check-Ups, Colds, health, Healthy Choices, Healthy Kids, preventive care, role model, Vaccinations