Here are some suggestions from Bright Futures experts that may be of value to your family
Oral Health
Healthy Teeth
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Help your child brush his teeth twice a day.
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After breakfast
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Before bed
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Use a pea-sized amount of toothpaste with fluoride.
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Help your child floss her teeth once a day.
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Your child should visit the dentist at least twice a year.
School Readiness
Ready for School
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Take your child to see the school and meet the teacher.
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Read books with your child about starting school.
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Talk to your child about school.
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Make sure your child is in a safe place after school with an adult.
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Talk with your child every day about things he liked, any worries, and if anyone is being mean to him.
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Talk to us about your concerns.
Mental Health
Your Child and Family
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Give your child chores to do and expect them to be done.
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Have family routines.
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Hug and praise your child.
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Teach your child what is right and what is wrong.
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Help your child to do things for herself.
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Children learn better from discipline than they do from punishment.
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Help your child deal with anger.
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Teach your child to walk away when angry or go somewhere else to play.
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Nutrition and Physical Activity
Staying Healthy
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Eat breakfast.
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Buy fat-free milk and low-fat dairy foods, and encourage 3 servings each day.
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Limit candy, soft drinks, and high-fat foods.
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Offer 5 servings of vegetables and fruits at meals and for snacks every day.
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Limit TV time to 2 hours a day.
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Do not have a TV in your child's bedroom.
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Make sure your child is active for 1 hour or more daily.
Safety
Safety
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Your child should always ride in the back seat and use a car safety seat or booster seat.
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Teach your child to swim.
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Watch your child around water.
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Use sunscreen when outside.
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Provide a good-fitting helmet and safety gear for biking, skating, in-line skating, skiing, snowboarding, and horseback riding.
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Have a working smoke alarm on each floor of your house and a fire escape plan.
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Install a carbon monoxide detector in a hallway near every sleeping area.
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Never have a gun in the home. If you must have a gun, store it unloaded and locked with the ammunition locked separately from the gun.
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Ask if there are guns in homes where your child plays. If so, make sure they are stored safely.
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Teach your child how to cross the street safely. Children are not ready to cross the street alone until age 10 or older.
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Teach your child about bus safety.
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Teach your child about how to be safe with other adults.
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No one should ask for a secret to be kept from parents.
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No one should ask to see private parts.
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No adult should ask for help with his private parts.
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