Are your children prepared to return to school?
By Peter S. Waldstein, M.D., F.A.A.P and Julia A. White, M.D., F.A.A.P
Back to school time is upon us, which is a great opportunity to make sure your child is ready from a health perspective. There are new requirements this year for adolescents for vaccines. It is also a great time to refresh on illness prevention while being at school.
Staying Healthy
Maintaining proper health begins at home. Back to school time is a good excuse to refamiliarize your children on the importance of hand washing at home and school. Most illness is spread through contact, and hand washing has been proven to be one of the most effective ways to prevent your child from becoming ill while at school. Washing before eating, after playtime, and anytime before touching the face, mouth, or eyes is key. If you are not able to wash, you may use hand sanitizer instead. You can consider packing a small travel-sized Purell bottle in your child’s bag to encourage proper hygeine. Also remind your child to cover coughs with the arm. Should your child become ill, he or she should stay home to prevent others from becoming ill. Check with your pediatrician if you are unsure if they should stay home.
America is facing a real epidemic. The incidence of childhood obesity and Body Mass Index (BMI) has tripled over the past forty years. Childhood obesity is a primary concern of the nation and the healthcare community. It is estimated that over 30% of our nation’s youngsters are overweight and 15% are obese. 
Self-esteem is a term we hear a lot in child rearing, but what is it and why is it important? 
Just the thought of head lice can make your head itch. Unfortunately, we all know that head lice happens and if or when you do experience it first hand as a parent, you will want to have some basic head lice knowledge.
Strawberry Peach Smoothie (Serves 4)
Students love to learn about themselves and their bodies Inside your Outside, from the Cat in the Hat’s Learning Library by Trish Rabe, is a story that has an Inside-Your-Outside machine. At the end of the story after learning all about our bodies the reader discovers:
We all want our children to be safe, but research and case studies show more and more substances that were created to protect our children are actually toxic. The question we have at the moment is not if chemicals are a problem for our children’s health, but how. Pediatric health problems caused by environmental toxins and air pollution cost the U.S. $76.6 billion annually, that’s 3.5% of our country’s total health care costs, according to the Mt. Sinai School of Medicine. 
These days we’re all so busy that it’s easy to put your work-out low on the priority list – especially if you are a new mom. You’ve got a lot more to balance than just your own schedule. But it’s important now more than ever to set a good example and stay fit and healthy for yourself and your kids. Here are some great exercises you can do while taking the little ones to the park. It’s mommy-tasking at its best and it’ll take you from post partum to party girl in no time, all while bonding with baby. 
If you spend any time in the sun, you might be familiar with an old sun protector called Zinc Oxide. Recognized widely in the 80’s on the noses of lifeguards and sun babies, zinc has come a long way since then.