Back-to-School Guide: Keeping Your Children Healthy This Year with Ascend Medical
Whether we like to face it or not, summer is coming to an end. With the new school year in full swing, parents might be feeling a mix of emotions as they get themselves and their kids prepped and ready. They may even be wondering how other families are feeling, or what back-to-school (post-pandemic) might look like for them.
As your family settles into their school-time routine, choosing the right doctors for your family will be essential to their overall health. From annual check-ups to impromptu medical examinations, Ascend Medical brings the doctor’s office to you by providing a wide range of affordable clinical services virtually. Get the care you need from the comfort of your own home and find out how Ascend Medical can make managing you and your family’s health a little easier! Schedule your FREE Meet & Greet at no cost to get to know our primary care and pediatric doctors today!
Use Code AUSTINMOMS for a FREE Ascend Medical annual membership – up to a $449 value! Signup Here!
- 24/7 access to our care team – can reach doctors in the middle of the night, anytime vs. only during business hours for non-members
- Free, unlimited mobile in-home appointments. non-members pay $59 mobile deployment fee each time our mobile team is comes to a patient for an in-home visit
- Members receive discounted self-pay rates for any services that are not covered by a patient’s insurance plan
Individual memberships start at $199/year and family plans range from $249/year (2 people) to $449/year 6+ people.
Code AUSTINMOMS will give you a FREE annual memberships (individual and family) up to a $449 value!
Looking for more ways to keep your children’s immune systems going strong throughout the school year? Here are 7 tips to maintain their health and wellbeing in the classroom (and everywhere else).
1). Establish healthy sleeping habits
Studies have shown that kids who regularly get an adequate amount of sleep have improved attention span, concentration and academic performance. Establishing healthy sleep hygiene at an early age should be a primary goal, as good quality sleep is directly associated with a myriad of superior cognitive functions, including better learning and problem solving. Without sleep, children are more likely to experience increased cravings, temper tantrums, and difficulty learning new concepts within their school’s curriculum. While it’s true that sleep needs very from one person to another, there are some science-based guidelines to help you determine how much sleep your kid should be receiving in order for them to successfully grow and learn! Is your child getting enough sleep? Find out how many hours of sleep your school-age child or teenager needs each night below.
4-7 years: 11
8-11 years: 9.75
12-14 years: 9.25
15-18 years: 8.75
2). Keep your kids active after school
Being physically active is important for everyone, but it’s especially so for growing children. Children who are more active show greater attention, have improved self-esteem and a reduced risk of developing health conditions such as heart disease, cancer, obesity and type 2 diabetes. By helping your children exercise daily, you are setting them up for healthy patterns that will last into adulthood.
3). Stay current on immunizations
Vaccinations are one of the most effective tools we have to prevent a number of dangerous diseases. Not only do they protect your child from deadly diseases such as diphtheria, polio and tetanus, but they also act as a safeguard to the deadly diseases that used to spread from child to child. With new variants and sub-variants of COVID-19 continuing to emerge, protection against infection and severe disease is especially important. Remind your child that vaccines help to protect them from getting sick, and will allow them to participate in the things they enjoy with less potential for disruptions to school attendance and other activities.
4). Eat a well balanced diet
Promote your child’s health with a nutritious breakfast, lunch and dinner, along with adequate hydration throughout the day. Whether a preschooler or a senior in high school, children need a healthy balanced diet containing foods from each food group to ensure they receive a wide range of nutrients. Research has shown that different-colored plants are linked to higher levels of specific nutrients and health benefits. While eating more vegetables and fruit is always a good idea, focusing on eating a variety of colors gives your child’s body the nutrients it needs to function properly. Teach your kids to eat the “rainbow” diet, in which encourages them to choose a variety of different-colored whole foods throughout the day and week. The more naturally occurring colors on their plate at each meal or snack, the better.
5). Build healthy hygiene habits
To keep from getting sick and spreading germs to classmates, teach your children to wash their hands regularly, (before and after meals as well as after recess). Encouraging children to wash their hands regularly can be a challenge, but explaining the importance of keeping their hands clean may help them to understand why they need to do it. Explain to your child that one germ can multiply into more than 8 million germs in one day and washing their hands regularly will help to wash away all of the bacteria that they’ve collected in the classroom. Try washing your hands together and provide them with quick and easy steps for washing their hands properly. The easier you make it for your little ones to keep their hands clean throughout the day, the more they will feel inclined to practice clean hand washing hygiene.
6.) Limit screen time
Too much screen time has been proven to be linked to poor sleep quality amongst kids and teens. By delaying the release of melatonin, screen time pushes back bedtime schedules, and leads to a host of insomnia symptoms. Create a bedtime routine for your children to help your children wind down for a peaceful night’s sleep.
7). Help your children manage their stress and anxiety
Stress is often thought of as a grown-up condition, but children can also experience anxious feelings of worry, especially in times of transition and new chapters. School, sports, and social media are all major contributions to your child’s anxiety. Although these feelings are a normal part of development, it’s crucial that parents monitor their social media use and keep the communication lines open so that bullying or other sources of stress at school can be identified.
As parents and caregivers, we want to do all we can to help our little ones succeed in school and life. By creating a well thought out approach to the new school year, you may find it easier to keep up with your kids’ hectic schedules and ultimately encourage them to learn and thrive in a healthy environment! If you’ve followed the above tips and your child still is getting sick frequently, contact Ascend Medical to to plan out the best course of action from the comfort of your home.
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