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Make Your Kid’s Health Part of Your Back-to-School Prep: 4 Top To-Dos

By August 27, 2018March 24th, 2020No Comments

As you scurry around getting your kids ready for school – buying clothes and supplies, scheduling their classes and activities, organizing their tech needs – at the top of your back-to-school prep list should be: Your child’s health and wellbeing!

The rest is meaningless if your child is not at their best. They can’t excel if their brain can’t do its job. And this means good SPINAL HYGIENE! Why?

Every activity your kids do affects their brain-body connection, AND their brain-body connection affects every activity they do.

The brain-body connection means not just the spine, but the organs and muscles that all work together for your child to function optimally, and grow developmentally as they’re meant to do!  Children with good spinal hygiene are shown to exhibit:

  • Clear thinking and focus
  • Fewer colds and allergies
  • Quick healing from injuries
  • Strong bones and joints
  • Happy attitude and resilience  

As a chiropractor and wellness expert, here’s my #1 TO-DO: Have your friendly neighborhood chiropractor do a spinal assessment for your child. As a parent of three chiro-kids, I‘m proud to say that our children have been adjusted since birth AND they hardly miss school, never had ear infections, and are some of the most vibrant and aware kids in their schools!

#2 TO-DO: Support your child’s ergonomic health, especially through transitions.

Do you have a kindergartner who’s going into first grade, or a tween going from elementary to middle school? A LOT of changes are going to happen for them, such as greater homework load, shifting from playtime to more study time, adjusting to new, unfamiliar routines and habits.

What can you do to support your child ergonomically so they can focus on their studies and activities, not on neck and back pain? Make sure that they:

  • Have the right desk and chair arrangement that supports good posture.
  • Take regular breaks (preferably every 20 minutes) when they’re sitting studying for hours. Keep them active (off the desk chair or couch!) by encouraging breaktime activities that keep them moving.
  • Encourage them to start healthy habits like standing tall, sitting with their feet on the floor, and easy ways to calm themselves when they’re feeling stressed.

#3 TO-DO: Build your team of experts to support your child’s activities.

Is your kid starting a new after-school program? Maybe soccer, running, dance, theater, where they’ll be working new muscles or using their body in a different way than before?

How can you make sure the activity fits into your child’s life so they can continue doing it without hurting themselves?

Just like you have parent-teacher conferences, consult with the trainers, coaches, specialists, etc., on how your child can healthily support their activities at home. You may not be an expert on the proper way for your kid to sit at the piano, or warm up before gymnastics, or what the best eating habits are for your runner.

These are things your pros should know, and can show you how to help your child adapt and avoid injury.

#4 TO-DO: As the school year unfolds, be a super sleuth! Pay attention to your child’s posture, habits and routines, energy levels, moods, and attitudes. These can be indicators that there are blockages (called “subluxations”) in the flow of their nervous system  – the mind-body connection that keeps them in optimal health and wellbeing. Note: Subluxations could be happening even though the child is not complaining of pain or discomfort.

There’s nothing like starting your kids out right with proper flow, posture, strong immune system, and healthy habits — all things Chiropractic can offer! SPINAL HYGIENE is so important for your child’s development and performance in all aspects of life.

Intrigued? More questions? Give Dr. Christina or Dr. Brian a call at Rivulet Chiropractic at 925-385-8353 or email us at info@rivuletchiro.com to set up a consultation.