Back to School: Are you S-E-T? Mr Alexis Goffe speaks
Back to School: Are you S-E-T? Mr Alexis Goffe speaks on Smile Jamaica TVJ about parents being S-E-T – establish a STRUCTURE, plan a healthy weekly menu to ensure ease of shopping and nutritious EATING and last, but not least…make time to listen and TALK to your little student this term.
Learn MoreBack to School: Eat smart! Nutritionist Kerry Weatherly speaks
Back to School: Eat Smart! Mrs Kerry Weatherly speaks on Smile Jamaica TVJ. There is no “bad” food or “good” food. Listen in and learn some tips on the right WAY to feed your school-age children.
BREAKFAST: hot or cold cereal with milk and a fresh fruit make a quick, nutritious and affordable breakfast
LUNCH: send your child to school with a fresh fruit even if they are getting lunch at school.
Even on a budget, you can serve the SAME FOODS prepared in different ways, and keep food interesting! Choosy kids enjoy being given the opportunity to be a part of the decision making. Get them involved!
Enjoy the video 🙂 and please share your comments with us.
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back to S-C-H-O-O-L tips for parents
Here are some tips for parents to keep in mind as we dive head first into BACK TO SCHOOL!!
SLEEP! A good night’s sleep is essential for the brain to process the day’s activities and lessons. Children 4-8 years old need 10 hours of sleep a night. A one hour nap before 4 pm can be a good supplement and should not affect falling asleep later. Children 8 to 11 years need 8-9 hours while teenagers (11-15 years) need MORE sleep than their younger siblings: 9-10 hours a night. Discuss bedroom rules, hours of sleep and a wind-down routine with your kids. No cell-phones, computers or televisions are to be on (or even accessible) during sleep time. Keep them in another room if necessary. Institute a reasonable bedtime the week before school starts.
NO! No caffeine.
COMMUNICATION! Your child needs to talk to you about school. Where will you find five dedicated minutes to listen? How about no electronics while commuting to and from school; or at mealtime together; and even 5 minutes before ‘lights-out’ at bedtime? With no television, cell phone or computer, your child will know you are ready to hear from them.
HOMEWORK! Create a homework spot, well-lit and away from distraction. Let your child pick out their own style of desk accessories, a cork board (for great test results and upcoming projects) and a jumbo calendar. Personalizing the space makes it easier for children to sit and tackle the task at hand. No Excuses!
OPEN-MINDED OPTIMISM! It’s a clean slate, a new beginning, a fresh start. Expect the best. Work hard. Block the negative messages you may hear about the new teacher, the new student or the new syllabus. This is an Olympic year: Go for Gold!!
LUNCH! Now more than ever parents are aware of the cost of buying lunch on-the-road and the low nutritional value of many pre-packaged snacks. Shop purposefully. Encourage your children to help make their own lunches as a part of their “winding down” every evening. Home-made sandwiches, a fruit (or two) and an igloo of ice and water can be prepared from the night before, and will be cheaper and healthier than “ a patty plus tax”. WATCH this video featuring some more tips from our nutritionist Kerry Weatherly.
A little planning ahead and a lot of agreement on goals can result in a fruitful year for every member of the family not just the ‘schoolaz’.
- S Sleep
- C Communication
- H Homework
- O Open-mindedness
- O Optimism
- L Lunch
Strong Body. Healthy Mind. Solid Foundation.
This is an edited reproduction of our editorial as it appears in the
Back to School Supplement of the Jamaica Observer
Friday Aug 17, 2012
Learn MorePreparing for the Doctors Visit 2: What to carry
What to carry:
Doctor’s Documents (The Doc’s docs)
Be sure to walk with all of your “Doc’s docs”. It is important to keep all documents related to your child’s health together in a waterproof “ziplock” style bag. Each child should have a clearly labelled bag of their own. These bags must be stored in a safe place with easy access.
The bag must contain:
1) The Child Health and Development PASSPORT is a must!
- If your child was born before Sept 2010, then their immunization card is necessary,
- If your baby was issued a health passport at UHWI include that too. Since it is quite big you might need to fold it and use a bigger bag to contain it completely.
2) Any casualty card, docket number or appointment card for any hospital or clinic to which the child has been. This will make it much easier to co-ordinate care and prevent unnecessary retesting.
3) Any unfilled or repeat prescriptions and a list of all current medications (if you don’t wish to bundle them all up and carry them with you) the information on the boxes is quite valuable: strength of medication, dose and frequency may all require adjustment to improve response. Walk with everything!
4) Insurance cards: this is a great way to make sure you don’t mix up Daddy and junior’s cards… not an uncommon occurrence.[[MORE]]
The bag may also include:
- Copies of results for previously done tests, or a note with the date, facility attended and impression of the test.
- Summary notes from any other physicians seeing your child, especially if they have a chronic illness.
- A notebook: with all your questions jotted down from at home. This will also allow you to record important points from the visit: scheduled instructions, flag signs of concern, points for follow-up, and other tips. Some “Techies” keep this lists on their smart phones 🙂
- Pictures or a videos of anything that has triggered your visit, made you concerned or is simply hard to explain. This can be anything from a funny sound, an unusual lump, a strange bowel action. Never be shy to share it with your doctor. A picture is worth a thousand words.
TOYS
You are the child’s primary playmate during the wait AND during the office visit when you are trying to communicate with the doctor. Be prepared! Carry two or three sturdy, under-used toys to increase the appeal of “re-discovery” when they are revealed in the waiting room. An old handbag, with a few small toys tucked inside, can be an excellent waiting-room distraction for toddlers and other young children.
If your child is old enough to read, a book may hold their attention, giving you just enough time to speak to the doctor before they interrupt you.
An ill child usually appreciates their own comfort toy to hug and hold.
FOOD AND CLEAN –UP
Children should not be allowed to have snacks while waiting. It is best not to eat or drink for one hour before coming to the doctor. This will make the examination more comfortable, especially while lying flat. In an acute illness, especially trauma, your child may have to be “starved” even longer. This is to ensure safe administration of strong pain-killers or sedation if, for example, suturing (stitches) or wound cleaning is required. Save the food and drink for after the visit. Hide it where they cannot help themselves to it.
For babies and toddlers take any food and changing items that you would normally travel with for a two hour trip.
Regardless of your child’s age, it is best to carry a change of underwear and a plastic (waterproof) bag. Many children have accidents while at the doctors’ office. Having a change of clothes will help to minimize the stress of a mishap.
Nobody likes to have to go to the doctor, but if you are prepared,
the whole visit can be a truly helpful, healing experience
and a learning opportunity for all involved.
Preparing for the Doctor’s Visit 1: Who and When
When to set appointments:
Schedule a time that will allow you to arrive about 10-15 minutes early. This will give you leeway for those “unpredictables” like tantrums and bathroom visits. It will also give you enough time to complete the administrative paperwork prior to meeting the doctor. This is critical to the smooth running of the office and easy delivery of health care for you. Be sure to fill in ALL of your (and other care givers) relevant contact information. You may also use his time to find out what the contact arrangements for follow-up and emergencies are for the practice in general and for your personal physician.
Who should come:
If this is the first time the child is going to see this doctor, or first trip for a referral then all care-givers should be there. All care-givers, aunts, grandparents, nannies etc, who are familiar with or manage parts of the child’s daily routine and especially those who will be implementing the changes and treatments recommended, should be present at the visit.
This can very tricky for working and / or out-of-town parents and caregivers, but the time spent coordinating everyone will make it MUCH easier for the doctor to get the facts right and give clear meaningful instructions the first time.
Nobody likes to have to go to the doctor, but if you are prepared,
the whole visit can be a truly helpful, healing experience
and a learning opportunity for all involved.
.
Intro: The Doctor’s Visit
For the beginning of 2012, we will be posting tips and advice about visits to the doctor with your child. Whether you are going to stop in at your health centre, see your family doctor or your paediatrician or visit a referred specialist for the first time, we will walk with you, and help you to be truly prepared.
The more prepared you are, the better the visit will be for everyone.
Please feel free to share your own tips and ideas, we LOVE to learn from you! You can share with us on tumblr, twitter or facebook; you can send comments via our website;
We at Caribbean Tots to Teens, want to hear from YOU.
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