Ready, Set, School!

Whether it’s your child’s very first day—a very big experience—or your teen’s senior year, good parenting involves the “B” word: Breakfast!

Eating well clearly keeps energy coming ‘til lunchtime, and stable blood sugar levels enhance a young one’s attention span. The menu, though, is critical to performance.

Breakfast Tips for Back-to-School

• Shy away from pastries and sugared cereals. Look instead for high fiber content and grains. These days, good foods are disguised to attract even the fastest fast-food junkie.
• Get your girls to welcome calcium in any form, low-fat if they insist. More dairy is fortified now, so the weight-conscious can eat guilt-free.
• Encourage fresh fruits—all the time
• Breakfast may be the only meal of the day kids gravitate to protein. Take time to get eggs on the table, just the way your child prefers them.
• And don’t forget a back-to-school dental checkup. It’s an exciting time of year—a clean bill of health only enhances that first day.

Back-to-School Checklist
A few timely preventive healthcare reminders for families with kids:

• Immunization record up-to-date?

Make sure your children have all their shots before mingling with dozens of other kids.

• Pre-school dental checkup?

Help kids flash their best smiles the first day back at school, and remind them of the value of conscientious dental hygiene.

• Tooth-sealing treatment?

For kids between 5 and 16, it’s the most up-to-date way of preventing decay to cavity-prone back teeth. Not to mention peace of mind for mom.

•  Schedule orthodontic appointments?

If your child needs braces, begin during the summer. It’ll give him or her time to get used to them before that all important First Day Back.