It’s almost go time people – we are 2 weeks away from Back to School, which for many of us means getting back on schedule, getting back into alignment, and maybe even creating a new regime for you and your family.

NOW is the time to start implementing a back to school routine – start getting your kids to bed at an earlier hour. Spend a couple hours before bed as a calming period, this will help to reduce meltdowns and ease the adjustment of getting back into the swing of school. Teaching your kids how to calm themselves down at the end of the day is a great gift not only to you but also to your children. This sets them up for proper stress management in the future.

Some tools to help everyone chill out before bedtime:

  1. Homeopathic Remedies – PASCOE Natural Remedies – this one is great for the whole family, to help regulate your mood and ease tension before bed
  2. Essential Oil diffusers – Set one up in each bedroom to help everyone decompress and achieve a deep, restful sleep. Essential oils are safe, powerful and effective natural sleep-aids. Specifically lavender, sandalwood, ylang ylang essential oils are great for sleep.

Balanced Lunch-Time:

Children who eat healthier, balanced meals and stay hydrated throughout the day experience less fatigue, lower obesity rates, better focus and fewer meltdowns.

Make sure you are keeping it fun AND healthy will make all the difference for your kid. They will begin to look forward to opening their lunch box filled with goodies! Include a few “air snack” like Veggie Sticks. While they are not nutrient dense, they are still a better snacking option because they don’t include trans-fat or hydrogenated fat you get from a classic potato chip.

  1. Always include fresh fruit and sliced veggies – you can include a dip like guacamole or hummus; whatever engages your child to eat THOSE VEGGIES!
  2. Black rice noodles with left over roasted chicken, steamed edamame beans and sesame seeds – Black rice noodles are lower on the glycemic index, higher in minerals and easier to digest.
  3. Homemade trail mix – even though nuts are banned, you can get creative and include some dried cranberries, sesame seeds, dark chocolate chips and ceral to add that crunch factor.

Always try to get your child to drink a cup of water each morning before school to ensure proper hydration. Our school-aged children need about 1-1.5 liters of water each day. Include a 600-750ml stainless steel bottle in your child’s knapsack, and make sure they are drinking that throughout the day. If you have to infuse it with some berries or watermelon to get them to drink it, go ahead! Whatever gets the water into them!

There is nothing worse than a HANGRY child! (Hungry + Angry = Hangry!) Most schools don’t have afternoon snack time, your child comes home with low blood sugar and they are likely tired from the day and over stimulated from the buzz of getting out of school. Prep an after school snack that will keep them happy and engaged for the rest of the evening.

Check out Jenn’s latest spot on CHCH Morning Live talking about getting back into routine and how to make sure your kids go to school nourished and ready to thrive.

 

Posted in Childrens Nutrition, Nutrition