Development:

• The middle years of childhood are a time of enormous social and intellectual growth.
• Tweens are better able to reason and solve problems.
• Sports can contribute to physical fitness, develop basic motor skills, boost self-confidence, and teach teamwork.  Don’t push winning, but rather teamwork and good efforts.  Avoid early sports burnout.
• Children now prefer same-sex playmates.
• Puberty can begin as early as 7 for girls and 9 for boys.  The first physical sign in girls is usually breast budding between 7 and 13 years. Menstruation usually starts 2 years after the onset of breast changes.  Boys’ first physical change is enlarging testicles between 9 and 14 years.  Growth in height and weight is very rapid just before and during puberty.  Begin talking with your child about body changes now, before it’s too late!
• Encourage proper sleep for normal growth, development and behavior.
• Click here to learn about sleep problems, such as bedwetting, snoring, and insomnia.

Recommended Reading:

There are many books on the topics of puberty, sex, and talking with children.  These are some of our recommended books on puberty issues:

• For girls:  The Care & Keeping of YOU:  The Body Book for Girls by Valerie Lee Schaefer
• For boys:  The Boys Body Book:  Everything You Need To Know For Growing up YOU by Kelli Dunham
• For every parent (it's not too early!):  The Talk:  What Your Kids Need to Hear from You About Sex by Sharon Maxwell.
  

Nutrition:

• Children need a balanced diet of fruits, vegetables, lean meats or other form of protein, and limited fats and simple sugars.
• Vitamin supplementation may help round out the nutrients your child misses through the diet, but still encourage healthy eating.
• The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends all children take a vitamin D and iron supplement daily.
• Limit "pop", juice, pre-packaged snack foods with high fat and calories.
• Eating as a family at home has been shown to improve not only nutrition, but also family bonds.
• See our Nutrition page for more topics, such as fish oil, vitamin D, sports nutrition, weight loss and gaining tips, and more!

Discipline:

• Let your child know what the house rules are.
• Be consistent with discipline among all categories.
• Learn to talk with your child.
• Model behaviors for your child.
• Teach how to make good decisions.  Less explanation and more learning from natural consequences works best.
• Remember that professional help is available if problems become too intense or cause other problems such as decline in school performance, increased family stress or serious emotional problems.
• Family meetings are a good way to bring the family together, improve communication, recognize and reward progress, and to determine family member’s feelings.  Each member should be allowed to speak without criticism, to share thoughts, achievements, and hopes.  Parents can serve as discussion leaders.
• Screen time:
• Some television programs promote learning, but many have detrimental messages.  Violence is common and leads to aggression among kids.  Children do not understand the claims of commercials and may base their choice of food or toys on what they see.
• Watch television with your child.  Discuss what you see.  Keep television out of your children’s bedrooms!!  Turn television off during mealtime.
• Monitor computer/internet use.  Learn how to block objective content.  Click here for more on internet safety.
• Limit television, computer and other “screen” time to 10 hours per week.
• Click here for Common Sense Media, a website that has reviews of tv, movies, and video games for discerning parents.
• See our discipline page for more information.

 Safety:

• Use a booster seat until your child is 80 pounds, 4 feet 9 inches or at least 8 years old.
• Never place a child under 13 years in front of an airbag.  Remember:  You must be a teen to sit in front!
• Children learn by example:  Adults should wear helmets and seat belts.  Never smoke in front of your child.  Never drink alcohol to excess in front of your child.
• Avoid motorized vehicles such as mopeds, mini-bikes, snowmobiles, or all terrain vehicles.
• Use bike helmets for biking, rollerblading, skateboarding, and down-hill sledding.
• Learn swim safety.
• Teach first aid.
• Talk about tobacco, alcohol, sex, and drugs in a way your child can understand.  Remember they hear about these from television and friends, so you must tell them your beliefs too.
• If you own a gun, keep it unloaded and locked.  Keep the ammunition locked separately.
• Many children (mostly 11-16 years of age) have died from a game that they play to get a brief high.  This game goes by many names, including the choking game, blackout, dream game, and others.  Click here to learn the signs to watch for in your child.  Learn about the dangers of this game, and teach your children how dangerous it is.
• For information on safely disposing of medications in an earth friendly way, click here.
• Click here for more safety information!

Immunizations:

• Boosters are recommended at 11 years and up.  Please check our vaccine page for more information.
• Flu vaccine is recommended each Fall.

Visit our dental pages (Patient Education --> Dental Care) for information on dental health.

See our Website page (Patient Education--> Other --> Websites) for many recommended outside links.

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Please bring any required health forms to your well visits!