New Year, New Outlook for Families
As the year comes to a close, many people take a closer look at their life and set goals for the future. Whether you call these New Year’s resolutions or goals for the future, deciding to change a part of daily life for the better takes thought, planning, determination, and courage. It’s much easier to keep the status quo and not think about how life could be better.
As a Pediatrician, I have the privilege of being part of families in their struggles to “be better” in all aspects of life. Parents come to me for advice on many different parts of parenting, behavior, and family dynamics. Today, I have put together some recurring themes regarding positive life changes that come up every day in my practice as a Pediatrician. These are not earth-shattering or things parents have never thought about. They are, however, things that consistently cause discomfort, conflict, and health issues with kids and their families. They are all parts of life that could use improvement. Some families may need to work on everything in this list, but most of the time just a few of them apply.
Sleep
So many kids do not get adequate sleep. Sleep allows the body and the brain to rest and recuperate. Sleep deprivation causes mental fogginess, poor behavior, difficulty with memory, decreased school performance. It also leads to increased risk of accidents and injury and obesity, along with increased mental health issues.
Recommended amounts sleep by age:
- Infants: 12-16 hours
- 1-2 years old: 11-14 hours
- 3-5 years old: 10-13 hours
- 6-12 years old: 9-12 hours
- Teenagers: 8-10 hours
More articles about sleep can be found here (infants and toddlers), here (teenagers), and here (difficulties with sleep).
Nutrition
It can be tricky to get kids to eat the right foods, no matter what age they are. Starting early can help, with exposures to a variety of healthy foods sometimes leading to improved diets, but honestly sometimes kids are just picky about the foods they will eat. Strive to offer well-balanced meals with appropriate portion sizes, but understand that good nutrition is an on-going process. Your child will likely not eat everything they need every day, but continue to offer healthy options with each meal.
Here are some easy ways to make a difference right away:
- Avoid making separate or secondary meals as much as possible
- Be careful of excess snacking – this is often not nutritious foods and can lead to meal avoidance.
- Avoid sugary drinks – focus more on water intake.
- If you don’t want your child to eat or drink it, don’t buy it! Keeping children away from sodas and unhealthy snacks can be as easy as not keeping them in the house.
More articles about nutrition can be found here.
Screen Time
There has been much research devoted to the impact of screen time on the developing brain. The use of media at a young age should be carefully monitored and restricted, both for its impact on development and the inherent safety risks associated with time spent online. Devices such as phones, tablets, and televisions can be easily used as pacifiers or babysitters for busy or distracted parents, but often this only leads to more difficult parenting situations later on.
Recommended amounts of screen time by age:
- Younger than 18 months: none, or as little as possible
- 18-24 months old: minimal use and with parents only
- 2-5 years old: 1 hour per day, monitored closely
- 5 years and older: ideally, 2 hours per day. However, this can be difficult with digital schoolwork.
More info about screen time can be found here and here.
Exercise
Get those bodies moving in the new year! Exercise is so important for overall health in children. Childhood obesity is an epidemic in our society and while it is not solely a result of decreased physical activity this has certainly contributed to the problem. Exercise for children does not need to look like exercise for adults. Active play leading to physical activity is enough to get the heart rate and breathing up. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all children 6 years and oder be active in some capacity for 60 minutes each day. This does not have to be continuous, it can be broken up throughout the day.
The key to making exercise or active play a consistent habit is to find something your child enjoys. Make it a family activity if possible, and set a good example as a parent.
More information about exercise here and here.
Mental Health
In recent years more attention has been focused on improving mental health in all age groups. Our teenagers are at particular risk for increased symptoms of anxiety, depression, eating disorders, and stress in general. Turning our focus towards actively monitoring for these symptoms in teenagers can help us to intervene and get them help more swiftly. There is not a simple solution to the problem of mental health, as it can be demonstrated in very different ways. I have written many articles dealing with mental health, including recognizing signs of stress, anxiety, depression, seasonal affective disorder, ADHD, eating disorders, self-esteem, and risk of suicide. These can all be found here.
If your teenager is struggling with any of these mental health issues, please don’t wait any longer to address them with both your child and your family’s Pediatrician.
Final thoughts
Sometimes we need a reset. A definitive point in time to say “NOW I will make this change.” It’s why New Year’s Resolutions are so popular – the start of a new year is an easy time to start something new or get rid of an unhealthy habit. The trick is keeping it going and not giving up. I think part of having success in starting or changing behaviors is to keep it simple. Maybe you read this article and only found one thing that could be improved in your family, but maybe you read this article and realized that all of these areas need attention. My recommendation is to start with one. Make an effort to improve one aspect of your child’s life, whether that be improved sleep, better nutrition, or increased activity. Once that one new habit is established, then move on to the next.
It will take cooperation from the whole family to make some of these changes – you cannot tell your child to go outside and play while you sit on the couch and watch a movie. You cannot expect your child to grab an apple for a snack when your pantry is stocked with chips and crackers. Making healthy changes in your child’s life will also enable healthy changes in your own. Making these changes takes time, effort, and energy…but the rewards in the life of your child is worth every effort.
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