All children should receive a flu shot every year.
Children who have not received a second Varicella vaccine should get it now.
Children who have not completed vaccines for Hepatitis A should do so now.
Use an approved car seat in the back seat of your car. If your child weighs more than forty pounds, use a booster seat with a high back. All children should stay in car seat devices until they weigh 80 pounds or have reached a height of four feet nine inches (4'9"). Seatbelts alone are unsafe and illegal for seven-year olds.
Teach your child how to swim; always supervise children near water.
Use sunscreen whenever your child is outside.
Provide a helmet that fits correctly and safety gear for biking, skating, skiing, snowboarding, and horseback riding. Children playing team sports should wear appropriate safety gear.
Make sure your smoke alarms and carbon monoxide detectors are working, and practice an emergency plan with your children.
Keep your home and car smoke-free.
Avoid having a gun in the home. If you must have a gun, store it unloaded and locked with the ammunition locked-up somewhere separately from the gun.
Teach children about street safety. Children are not ready to cross the street alone until at least age 10.
Know your child's friends and their families.
Teach children about safe behavior with other adults:
No one should ask children to keep a secret from their parents.
No one should ask to see private parts.
No one should ask for help with his/her private parts.
Teach children their address and phone number.
Teach children when and how to dial 911.
Monitor your child's computer use:
Teach children never to communicate with strangers via the internet.
Remind children never to post any personal information such as their name, address, age, or name of their school.
If children use social media sites such as Facebook or MySpace, make sure privacy settings allow access only to friends and family.
Install a safety filter.
Children should eat a healthy breakfast every day.
Eat together often as a family.
Buy fat-free milk dairy foods; encourage 3 to 4 servings each day.
Offer 5 servings of vegetables and fruits at meals and for snacks every day.
Avoid candy, high fructose drinks, and high-fat "junk" foods.
Help children brush their teeth twice a day, floss daily, and visit the dentist every six months.
Encourage your child to be physically active for at least one hour a day.
Avoid children's exposure to cigarette smoke.
At nine to ten years old, children should understand the connection between responsibilities and privileges.
Give your child chores and expect them to be completed.
Help your child to become independent with schoolwork and homework.
Help your child establish a homework routine, with a set time and a quite space in which to work.
Limit TV, videos, and computer games. We encourage no screen time on school nights, and limit weekend screen time to two hours per day.
Children should not have a TV or computer in their bedrooms.
Help your child select age-appropriate books; encourage reading.
Allow for "down time." Don't over-schedule your child.
Your child may start to ask questions about body image and sexuality. Answer simply and honestly. Allow for more questions. Ask us if you have concerns and/or questions.
