CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Many parents of CMS students made the last-minute dash to get their routine doctor checkups and required vaccines done before the new school year begins Monday.
Dr. Holton Dunville, an outpatient pediatrician at Novant Health, said the start of the school year can be a stressful time for parents and kids.
"You're getting a new routine and got to get back into the swing of things," Dunville said.
He suggested thinking about the basics, like regular meals at regular times, starting with the first one of the day, breakfast. Ideally, he said, it's something with protein.
"I recommend just one yogurt. You can get it with 20 grams of protein. Just pound it before you start your day and get on with it," Dunville said.
He also recommended packing your child's lunch as often as possible.
Although schedules can be challenging, he said having dinner together is good for a number of reasons.
"It's good for parents so they know what's going on in their child's life. And it's good for your child to feel heard," Dunville said.
Dunville goes by the American Academy of Pediatrics' recommendation of at least 60 minutes of moderately vigorous activity. That can include cardiovascular exercise. For teenagers, that might include light strength training. Student-athletes should have a sports physical.
"We want to make sure there's no concussions, no heart issues, no underlying muscular skeletal issues," Dunville said.
He also cited recent studies on how to best encourage your children.
"I know grades are important but it's pretty clear that we should focus on the effort and not the final numeric result," Dunville said.
Dunville said mental health concerns can show up at any age, but there are a couple of age ranges that stand out.
"Five to seven tends to be when ADHD shows up on the earlier side. So be in communication with your teachers to know exactly what's going on in school," Dunville said.
He added that puberty and teenage years are when signs of depression and anxiety tend to show up.
"If your child is sort of withdrawing, losing interest in things they previously had an interest in, please bring them in so we can have a conversation about that," Dunville said.
He said the more routine your kids have, the less anxiety they'll feel.
Dunville also said it's not necessary to keep your children out of school for everything.
"A lot of this is coming from a sort of, pandemic mindset, where, 'Oop my child is coughing. We have a little bit of a fever. Let's get them out of school for a week.' Come touch base with us. We'll assess and make sure your child is okay," Dunville said. "But more often than not, it is fine for your child to go back to school because we don't want them staying out of school for too long."
Finally, he advised a student's backpack should be no heavier than 20 percent of their body weight.
He also said putting a little sunscreen on their face is a good call for all-day sun protection.