Grand River Health will be present at the Garfield County Child Safety Fair on Friday, April 29th at the Rifle Middle School from 11am-2pm.
Take the opportunity to stop by and view the many resources we have in our county to keep our children safe and healthy!
The 5210 program spreads a simple message about health-promoting behaviors in your community and where families work, live, play, and helps parents learn how they can aid in supporting children’s health.
5 – Eat at least five fruits & vegetables a day. A diet rich in fruits and vegetables provides vitamins and minerals, important for supporting growth and development, and for optimal immune function. Most fruits and vegetables are low in calories and fat, making them a healthy choice anytime. They may also contain phytochemicals (fight-o-chemicals) that work together with fiber to benefit your health in many ways. Different phyotchemicals are found in different fruits based on their color—that’s why it’s important to put a rainbow on your plate.
2 – Limit recreational TV or computer use to two hours or less. Screen time includes TV, computer, and any gaming device. All are important to limit. Watching TV is associated with more snacking and increased obesity. Too much TV has been linked to lower reading scores and attention problems.
Healthy Screen Time:
1 – Get one hour or more of physical activity every day. One hour of moderate physical activity what this means is doing activities where you breathe hard like hiking or dancing. 20 minutes of vigorous physical activity means doing activities where you sweat, like running, aerobics, or basketball.
0 – Drink less sugar. Try water & low fat milk instead of soda and drinks with lots of sugar. Soda has no nutritional value and is high in sugar. Just nine ounces of soda has 110-150 empty calories. Many sodas also contain caffeine, which kids don’t need. Energy drinks are NOT sports drinks and should never replace water during exercise.
Q: What are some suggestions for picky eaters?
A: Picky eaters always need individualized approaches. For some kids involving them in food prep, shopping and meal planning it really helps. Others need recipes to help hide some of the nutritious qualities of the food. Pinterest has some helpful ideas. Others can be found online. For kids with real textural issues, I will refer to speech as well. Changing lifestyles also does cooking classes for adults and kids.
Q: Do you recommend educational, engaging, or complete free screen time (cartoons, video games, etc.)?
A: Kids now a days are getting loads of screen time at school. When we look at excess hours – 2 hours beyond – if it can be educational that is great. If it gets them moving even better. The real issues with screen time are sedentary time and disruption of sleep when they are on their screens too late.
Q: How can we accommodate play time in a busy household?
A: Play time in a busy household involves getting the children to self-entertain. My kids loved dressing up, playing house, etc when they were young. Now we incorporate some family game time/puzzles so we get to spend it together but we have to schedule this as they have gotten older and are going so many different directions. Encouraging kids to play outside – if it is a safe environment- is always a win win. It helps their sleep. They will generally connect with other kids. They get natural vitamin d when their arms and legs are exposed and their mood is often better. Older kids may do better as give them a job to help out the family such as walking the dog or running errands.
Q: Sugary drinks including natural sugars (apple juice, cranberry juice, etc.) or staying away from natural sugar drinks as well?
A: Sugary drinks do include juices as they are just natural sugar without their fiber component. Water with natural flavorings or infused is best if they just won’t drink plain water.
Q: What bedtime routines would you suggest?
A: The amount of sleep that kids need changes with age. The right amount of sleep is where they wake up easily in the morning. Generally, you are looking for 8-10 hours based on the child.
Q: My kid has night terrors, so he will end up sleeping in my bed because he is scared. What are some suggestions to help with this?
A: Night terrors are another challenge. Often they run on a pattern. You can start by waking them up before they happen and calmly putting him back to sleep. Consider looking for stressors in his life but there are not always stressors to be found. Weighted blanket can help with anxiety that leads to the night terrors. Help them come up with happy endings to their dreams. Draw a picture of their dream. Usually kids outgrow these in 1-2 years.
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