Edmond Pediatrician Shares Reminders To Keep Students Healthy Year Round

A local pediatrician is sharing reminders to insures your students stays healthy during the school year. 

Dr. Joshua Essel with Edmond Pediatrics said little tweaks to a student's sleep schedule, lunch and even how they wear their backpacks can make a big difference in how well the child does in school.

Social media is flooded with pictures of kids heading back to school, wearing backpacks sometimes as big as them, ready to be filled. Dr. Essel said it's all about how the student wears the bag and how much it weighs.

"The weight shouldn't be more than 10 to 20 percent of the kids total body weight," said Dr. Essel. 

The bag should be as close to the back as possible, resting just above the waist. Dr. Essel said It's best that the straps are big and padded and are always on both shoulders, otherwise their muscles could be strained.

Dr. Essel said ensuring your student gets enough sleep is another key part in how well they do in school and in their overall health.

"Good sleep can also help with their attention, with their behavior and even their emotional regulation," he said. 

Children from 3 to 5-years-old should get at most 13 hours of sleep, where as children from 6 to 12-year-olds should be getting about nine to 12 hours. Teens need about eight to ten hours of shut eye every night.

And what goes great with a good night's rest? A full breakfast and a nutritious lunch!

"Especially [students] who might be struggling with obesity, eating breakfast actually helps out in the long run to help produce the amount of calories they'll end up needing throughout the day," he said. "Whenever you pack lunches including things like whole grain, and multiple gains, and obviously doing more fruits and vegetables if possible."    

Dr. Essel also said it's important to keep an eye on portion sizes, making sure they're suitable for you children.