Maggie McKay (Host): You always know when back to school time is creeping up. The long lines at office supply stores, for one, and the children with their long lists of things to get. But how can parents prepare for a healthy, safe year ahead? Pediatrician, Dr. Jill Aiken, is here to discuss tips for a healthy school year.

 Welcome to the Better Health Podcast from Tidelands Health. I'm your host, Maggie McKay. Great to have you here today, Dr. Aiken. Thank you for making the time to talk about this very important topic that is really crucial to parents.

Jill Aiken, MD: Well, thank you for having me, Maggie.

Host: Absolutely. Let's start with diet. It is so important whether you're a child or an adult, but it seems like to start the day off right, especially during the school year, you really need to have that balanced meal.

Host: Don't you think it's important, like you said, maybe to plan ahead the night before, because everyone's always rushed in the morning. And I feel like if you know what you're going to cook or you have it half prepared, if that's possible, everyone can have time to eat.

Jill Aiken, MD: Yes, even if it's just a bit of oatmeal and you have thought about it, maybe a piece of fruit, maybe some peanut butter, so have a little bit of carbs, but also protein. These are important things to have for breakfast.

Host: I never will forget this special I saw on cafeterias in public schools in the U. S. where they consider ketchup a vegetable. So I'm just like, are you kidding me? That is awful. So I'm thinking that our kids need to get their nutrition at home. Especially like they say, isn't breakfast the most important meal of the day?

Jill Aiken, MD: It is, and we all should eat breakfast like a king, lunch like a prince, and dinner like a pauper, is what my father used to say, and I love that, because, breakfast is the king of the day. We should be eating, you know, if we can, not too heavy, like with bacon and eggs, but at least something that's balanced with protein and carbs.

Host: And the same goes for the lunch that you pack your kids, right? If they're in grade school.

Jill Aiken, MD: Yeah. And it needs to be balanced and not high in sugar, not snacky food like chips. Try to stay away from that. Maybe if your child will eat them, some fresh cut vegetables. Sometimes that's a hard sell, but, hopefully you can coax them into eating those if you have some fruit along with it.

Host: Right. And what about sleep? Again, that's so important for everyone, but especially growing bodies. What do you advise parents on the sleep issue for back to school?

Jill Aiken, MD: Well, I could talk for a whole podcast about sleep, because it's so important for learning, and when we dream, when we sleep, your mind takes what you've learned the day before and in the short term memory box, that we call the hippocampus, in order to transfer that information over to the prefrontal cortex, your body has to sleep and dream. So it is very important.

Host: So do you advocate the idea of going to bed at the same time and waking up at the same time for kids?

Jill Aiken, MD: If possible, and not using devices before bed, at least one to two hours before bed, no devices, read a book. Very simple, just read some printed words. It's much better for you.

Host: Okay, what about backpack safety? It always killed me when I saw these kids at my son's school and him included. They gave them so many heavy books, the backpacks were like weighing them down and their back was arched and it's like the backpack weighed more than the kids. How can you avoid that?

Jill Aiken, MD: Well, a good rule of thumb is 15 percent of your child's weight. So if a child weighs a hundred pounds, 15 pounds would be the max. And the backpack should fit on your child's back. So it's the majority of the weight rests in the small of your child's back. Have straps on either side, wearing both straps, not carrying to one side or the other.

Both should be cinched down so that the weight is distributed evenly. And the majority of the weight is at the small of the back, four inches above your waistline and at least one to two inches below your shoulders.

Host: Interesting. I never knew that. And I like the 15 percent rule too. What about reflectors on the backpack?

Jill Aiken, MD: Well, especially if you're walking early in the morning or at dusk where you really can't see too well, that's a great idea. And at night too, hopefully you won't be out too late at night, but sometimes it gets dark early. So I think that's a great idea.

Host: A lot of times classrooms can be a germ fest. So how can parents prepare their kids for that? And also the issue of personal hygiene in general.

Jill Aiken, MD: Well, personal hygiene is very important. I start with hand washing because you're actually washing the germs off if you're using water and soap. But if that's not possible, and if you can't, like the 20 second rule with the washing with water, at least carry hand sanitizer and rub your hands together for 15 to 20 seconds.

So that kind of gives you the option if it's just really not convenient or possible, or if the bathroom's a long ways away to use that hand sanitizer.

Host: Dr. Aiken, let's talk about stress. I mean, we maybe don't think about it, but kids have a lot of stress going into a new school year.

Jill Aiken, MD: You are absolutely right, Maggie, and school is their job, just like you and I have to go to work every day and there's a lot of stress, sometimes expectations of us at work, it's stressful to us, so our kids are experiencing that same stress, and then in this terrible social climate of social media and all the things that go along with that. So, I think it is very important.

Host: Right? To keep an eye on them and just check in with them, see how it's going the first few weeks?

Jill Aiken, MD: Yes, and have those dinner conversations. Sit around the dinner. Always it's important to have dinner time. So that you can process your day. Kids don't know how to do that. So you've got to teach them how to process their day and go around the table and say, what was a good thing that happened today? What was a not so good thing that happened today? And give them a chance to kind of decompress.

Host: And speaking of that, I don't know about you, but I think exercise is key now that everyone has computers and screens and video games. I really think it's important to get outside, breathe fresh air, see greenery, etc. How do you feel about that?

Jill Aiken, MD: I'm a big fan of outdoor exercise, especially. Now, if I can't get outdoor exercise, I do go to the gym, but walking outside, even if it's for like five to ten minutes during the day sometime, or when you get home from school, I think it's very important to work that in. Really, children need more like an hour of active cardiovascular exercise in a day. But a lot of times they get some of that at school, but at least make time in the afternoons after they've gotten their homework done to run around the yard, spin off some of that energy they've built up throughout the day.

Host: Definitely. They need to blow off that steam, just like we do. Is there anything else you'd like to add in closing?

Jill Aiken, MD: I think I would just stress the sleep because, that is something that we sometimes, if we're going to be short on something, we say, Oh, well, I'll stay up and finish this assignment and not sleep. And that's a very dangerous thing because you could get in that test or in that classroom and not be able to focus or complete any work because you're so sleep deprived. So I would stress sleep. Of all the things, eating is important, but sleep is so important for our stress levels and our ability to learn.

Host: Right. And our body needs to reset after these busy days we have. Thank you so much for sharing your expertise on this topic. We so appreciate it. And I've learned a lot.

Jill Aiken, MD: Well, I'm so glad and I enjoyed being here. Thank you, Maggie.

Host: Thank you. Again, that's Dr. Jill Aiken. For more information, you can call 1-866-TIDELANDS to learn more or to schedule an appointment. You can also find more information at tidelandshealth.org. And if you found this podcast helpful, please share it on your social channels and check out our entire podcast library for topics of interest to you.

I'm Maggie McKay. Thanks for listening to the Better Health Podcast presented by Tideland's Health.