Back-to-school tips to keep your children healthy and safe

As your children head back to school, Good Morning El Paso has some tips to help you keep them healthy and safe.

ABC-7 talked with Dr. Jorge Sainz, the medical director of pediatric care at the Las Palmas Medical Center, to learn all the tips you need to prepare for school.

First, children need a healthy diet.

“General rule is to try to stay healthy and stay natural. Stay away from artificial flavors,” Sainz said.

He also encouraged healthy snacks between meals for the kids and to eat in moderation.

Second, children love to run and play outside, but we live in a hot, dry desert.

“We live in a desert…the high desert so children usually, unless you are reminding them, they forget and neglect to drink enough water throughout the day,” he said. “They have excessive losses that are significant for children who are running around so they are always a little dryer, so you have to remind them to be drinking.”

Hydrated play is the best play. If kids aren’t getting enough water, they won’t be having as much fun. So it’s very important to make sure they stay hydrated.

Third, children need a good night’s rest if they are going to do well in school.

“Children are supposed to wake up the following day spontaneously without you having to wake them up. That’s the general rule to measure if they got enough sleep the night before,” Sainz said. “If they didn’t, you need to adjust their clock.”

They also need a cool, dark environment to get the best sleep possible. When it comes to electronics, he said they need to be off at least 30 minutes before your child heads to bed.