Local doctors with Prisma Health offer back-to-school tips for students

COLUMBIA, SC (WOLO) — The beginning of a new school year is only weeks away for students across the Midlands.

Doctors with Prisma Health are offering tips for families as children and teens gear up to start a new grade.

Before students hit the hallways, Pediatric Infectious Disease Dr. Anna Kathryn Burch says there are eight immunizations that students are required to have in SC unless they have a medical or religious exemption.

“Those traditionally are your childhood vaccines, those things consist of DTap, Hib, MMR (measles, mumps, rubella), Varicella, Hepatitis A, and Prevnar which is for Pneumococcal (Disease),” says Burch.

Other vaccines for influenza and Covid are recommended as well but not required.

Another concern? The days of staying up late and sleeping in will come to an end.

Child and Adolescent Psychiatrist Dr. Brittany Peters says try to get kids back to their school schedule of sleep two weeks before their first day.

“Every couple of days try to back up that bedtime, maybe 15 minutes, and then at the same time, back up the wake time in the morning by about 15 minutes so they’re getting closer and closer to that typical school schedule,” Peters says.

And when Day One approaches, Athletic Trainer David Webb wants young people to prevent shoulder and back pain by wearing their backpacks correctly.

“The best way to combat that is to pull the straps to tighten it up to where it should come right up to the trapezius muscle right at the base of the neck. That will allow the shoulders to be relaxed and also allow your body to stay in a more economically advantageous position,” Webb says.

Dietician and Nutritionist Lisa Money says breakfast is still the most important meal of the day for students and should include foods with protein like dairy or eggs, as well as high energy items like whole wheat cereal or grits.

Snacks for those extracurricular activities are also crucial.

“Try to include foods that are whole grains. Because whole grains are going to be giving them fiber, and it helps keep them full and gives them long lasting energy for that afternoon practice, so things like a pack of goldfish, whole grain pretzels, honey wheat pretzels might work, even trail mix that has cereal added to it, can be a great option for kids, and then when they do pick fruit, they might want to pick a fruit packaged from mother nature, like a banana, apple or orange, so they’re not always getting fruit that might be a fruit cup which doesn’t have as much fiber,” says Money.

To help keep your kids mentally healthy, Dr. Peters believes in keeping open conversation and asking questions.

“What do you think are some things I need to know about growing up as a kid today? What are some of the things you think might be different? And sort of just having an open dialogue about that,” she says.

To ease anxiety, Peters recommends that families participate in their school’s Open House or Meet the Teacher event so kids can visualize their day to day schedule.