Happy 2013! Time start those new year resolutions. If you are like many families, your kids are up early anyway so you might as well get started (or maybe they never went to bed). To jump start your list, we’re sharing a list of New Year’s health resolutions we’ve come up for our own families over the years.
1- I will make sure my child is up to date on her vaccines, including the yearly flu vaccine (there’s still time).
2- I will start to sleep train (if older than 6 months old).
3- I resolve to wean the bottle if my baby is older than one year.
4- I will read aloud to my child every day, even after he is old enough to read to himself.
5- I resolve to go through the medicine closet, dispose of out-of-date medications, and renew important rescue-type medicines such as epi-pens and albuterol.
6- I resolve to check to see that my child’s bike helmet still fits (consider putting name and contact telephone number on outside…just in case something were to happen) and tuck emergency phone numbers into her backpack.
7- I will start to read my child’s facebook page and phone texts. I’ll look for signs of bullying and signs of mental distress from my child’s friends as well as from my child. I will take action to address any problems.
8- I will remember to praise my child for acts of kindness and for working hard on school assignments.
9- I’ll get to know my kid’s friends and their families. I will start by getting out of the car to say hello when I drop my kid off at someone’s house.
10- I plan to encourage more self-sufficiency in my child. I’ll stop doing household tasks for my child when he shirks his duties.
11-I will turn off my cell phone while I am doing an activity with my child.
12- I will listen carefully to my child’s own New Year’s Resolutions.
Have a wonderful, healthy 2013,
Drs. Kardos and Lai
©2013 Two Peds in a Pod®
