University of Texas doctors offered advice for parents who want their children to get off on the right foot as school begins and to keep them healthy during the school year.
Parents can give their kids a solid foundation for the year by taking them to their family doctor for routine appointments over the summer, a posting by Robert Cahill on the Texas Medical Center website said.
Doctors said that parents can get their kids used to a routine for sleep by starting in the late summer with a schedule where kids go to bed and get up earlier than they had been during their vacation time. The doctors suggested changing the sleep schedule by 15 minutes every day and to stick to that regimen Saturday and Sunday as well, the posting said.
The doctors also suggested to get kids bookbags that are correct for them and to watch that kids don't put too much into their bookbags.
The doctors also advised that parents keep up-to-date on their children's vaccines; make sure the kids can see well; take kids to consistent doctors' appointments, even when the kids are illness-free; ensure that kids take care of their teeth; and have doctors check their child's hearing.
