[blparent] What your child needs

[Veronica Smith]

Strategies you should take:

hours of sleep, depending on their age. But imagine you could help reduce
your son's risk of obesity or protect your daughter's smile in the same
amount of time it takes for you to warm up your car  or pay for a cup of
coffee. Some of the latest research shows just that. Here are eight quick -
and seemingly inconsequential - tips that can boost your kids' health in a
few minutes flat. Hide the clicker. Health boost:  Improve diet, exercise
and even grades. What's the harm in plopping your toddler in front of his
favorite cartoon marathon? You'll see when he hits grade school, according
to a new study published in the  Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent
Medicine . Researchers found that for every extra hour 2-year-olds spend
watching TV, by fourth grade, they spend less time doing physical activity
on weekends, consume more soft drinks and snacks, and show a 5% increase in
body mass index (BMI). They also are less engaged in the classroom and have
worse grades in math. Turning off the tube in early childhood may help cut
down on excessive media consumption  among school-aged children, as well. A
Kaiser Family Foundation survey found 8- to 18-year-olds average 4.5 hours
of TV time and 7.5 hours of total media use every day. The American Academy
of Pediatrics  recommends children watch no more than one to two hours of
"quality" TV a day. Use a good fluoride toothpaste. Health boost:  Prevent
tooth decay. Tooth decay has a greater effect on children in the USA than
any other chronic infectious disease: It affects one in four between ages 2
and 5 and half of kids ages 12 to 15. Daily exposure to small amounts of
fluoride reduces the risk of tooth decay - fluoride helps by removing plaque
and strengthening tooth enamel. Once your little one is preschool age, have
her brush twice a day with a pea-sized amount of fluoride toothpaste - too
much fluoride can cause permanent stains on teeth. (Any toothpaste with the
American Dental Association seal contains fluoride.) For younger children,
just use a soft toothbrush. Another way to get fluoride: Drink water that
contains it. If your tap water is not fluoridated, or if your family uses
purified water, talk to your dentist; he may suggest supplements or other
solutions.