SAN ANTONIO — Summer is ending for many kids in San Antonio and as the school year approaches, a local pediatrician is sharing his advice for parents to make sure kids have a happy and healthy back to school.
Across San Antonio as classrooms are waiting for students to return. As a pediatrician with Christus Health Care, Dr. Joe Uranga has a few things he's been telling parents ahead of the school year that will set their kids up for success.
“Kids thrive on routine. And so, over the summer we're having fun and things let loose,” Uranga said.
"Once we start up school, we want to make sure that we're getting a good routine set so that we're at our best during the day, so sleep trends should be pretty consistent," he said.
Uranga stressed the importance of kids getting a solid 8 hours of sleep. He was quick to bring up screen time as a major disruption to sleep schedules for kids.
"We don't have any media inside or inside our bedrooms, the bedroom is a place for us to sleep,” he said. “And so computers, movies, tv, iPhones, everything should be out of the room about an hour or two before bed.”
Uranga said good food choices help students with concentration - and put them in a better position to fight off infections. He suggested eating fruits and vegetables, avoiding fried foods and drinking water instead of soda. He also cautioned that unhealthy eating habits can often be the culprit behind otherwise unexplained illnesses.
"Kids can run into problems, you know, like abdominal pain that doesn't seem to go away. It comes and goes,” he said. “They miss school. They have to come to the doctor's office. Parents get worried because they don't know why it happens."
He also reminds parents to double-check that kids are up to date on their shots. He said that schools may check the vaccine status of their students, but that the responsibility is ultimately with the parents and doctors.
"We do recommend getting your flu shots on board as well," Uranga said.
And he had one one final point for the kids.
"Have fun. You know, that's that's important,” said Uranga. “Eat well, get good sleep and stay steady in your routines."