Constantly wondering how to get your kids to eat healthier food? Wonder no more. With a little parental sleight of hand, finicky eaters will enthusiastically devour their legumes, nuts, and even veggies. Is it worth it? You bet. By making simple changes now, you&#39;ll help your kids avoid obesity, heart disease, and diabetes later, says pediatrician Jennifer Trachtenberg, MD, author of Good Kids, Bad Habits: The RealAge Guide to Raising Healthy Children. We&#39;re all on board with that, right? And it&#39;s never too soon. The American Heart Association urges parents to focus on healthful eating habits in kids as young as 2 years old. Yes, 2.

Here are five sneaky ideas to boost the nutrition in everyday favorite foods. Just think: No more begging and bribery. And no more food pushed around the plate en route to the garbage can.

Smoothies: All kids, toddlers to teens, love smoothies, and lots of parents blend in soy powder, fresh or frozen fruit, or antioxidant-rich cocoa powder to up the nutrients. 
Sneaky extra: Add a splash of omega-3-rich flaxseed oil, too. Kids will never taste it, and omega-3s help boost immunity and heart health, fight cancer, and promote brain growth.

<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/healthy-recipes-healthy-meals/healthier-spaghetti-and-meatballs" target="_blank">Spaghetti sauce</a>: What kid doesn&#39;t like spaghetti? If the sauce is based on tomatoes saut&eacute;ed in olive oil, and the pasta is whole wheat, you&#39;ve already got a healthy dish going. 
Sneaky extra: Boost the sauce&#39;s nutrition by adding minced steamed carrots or stirring in pureed baby-food carrots. Your kids will never notice the extra veggies.

Tuna salad: Minimize the mayo, add finely chopped celery, and you&#39;re off to a good start. 
Sneaky extra: Do what gourmet markets do to stretch their tuna salad profits: Mash and smash white beans, stir in as if they were mayo, and you&#39;ve instantly upped the protein and fiber in your child&#39;s sandwich.

Chicken nuggets: Breaded chicken pieces are a fave with kids across America, but the fast-food versions are a nutritional wasteland. That&#39;s easy to fix at home. Just use whole-wheat bread crumbs and bake -- don&#39;t fry -- the chicken. Make big batches and freeze in pint-size portions. 
Sneaky extra: To slip in more healthy omega-3s, simply mix ground walnuts -- a source of these good fats -- into the bread crumbs.

Pancakes: What kid doesn&#39;t do backflips for pancakes? Mix in blueberries to add vitamins and healthy plant nutrients. 
Sneaky extra: Stir some yummy, nutty-tasting flaxseed meal (available at any health-food store) into the batter to ramp up the fiber, protein, and omega-3 fatty acids.

<a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/diet-nutrition/article/how-to-get-finicky-kids-and-adults-to-happily-eat-more-broccoli ">Learn how to get picky eaters to eat vegetables.</a>

5 Sneaky Ways to Boost Your Kids' Nutrition

The Cowboy called Forgetful Jones is a Sesame Street character who can&rsquo;t even remember he needs his horse to take a ride around his ranch. That&rsquo;s cute&mdash;except when it&rsquo;s children who have problems with their working memory. That may happen because of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/hearing-damage/how-hearing-loss-affect-child">hearing issues</a>, ADHD or developmental difficulties, and can lead to problems with reading, learning and social interaction. A recent Canadian study found that preschoolers with a good working memory were much more likely to stay in school as teens.

If you notice that your child has a hard time following instructions, remembering what comes next in games or seems forgetful, you can help:

<ul>
	<li>Have your child teach you. Did he learn to jump rope? Have him instruct you in how it&rsquo;s done.</li>
	<li>Kids five and younger, <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/kids-teens-health/excessive-screen-time-affect-child">limit exposure to digital devices</a>. The researchers say, &ldquo;video games, smartphones, tablets and television can undermine cognitive control.&rdquo;</li>
	<li>Don&rsquo;t overload your child with information or tasks. Avoid saying, &ldquo;Pick up your coat from the floor and hang it up, and then grab a drink from the pantry.&rdquo; One thing at a time.</li>
	<li>Teach visualization skills. Encourage your child to create a picture (initially by drawing, eventually just by imagining) of what he/she&rsquo;s just read or heard.</li>
	<li>Play soft, pleasing <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/emotional-health/article/the-sound-of-music-therapy">music</a> while your child does tasks. As we mention in our book YOU: Raising a Child, exposure to music can improve memory.</li>
</ul>

And, remember: By working with specialists and helping your child with memory problems, you can see substantial improvements in focus, learning and social interaction.

Medically reviewed in December 2018.

5 Tips for Boosting a Child’s Memory

&quot;Knowing kids -- and parents -- need to eat healthy food is one thing. Getting them to do it is another. For starters, kids of all ages tend to hate at least one thing -- say, green beans -- and devour tons of another, like grapes. Don&#39;t worry about a few extremes; if your child&#39;s diet over the course of a week, for most weeks, is balanced overall, that&#39;s fine,&quot; says pediatrician Jennifer Trachtenberg, MD, mom of three and author of the book, The Smart Parent&#39;s Guide to Getting Your Kids Through Checkups, Illnesses, and Accidents and Good Kids, Bad Habits: The RealAge Guide to Raising Healthy Children.

&quot;That said, the more fun food is, the more likely kids are to eat it, especially when it comes to veggies and breakfast, two things they often resist,&quot; adds Dr. Jen. &quot;Here are some super easy recipes that can get even teens to eat smarter.&quot;

3 Tempting Breakfasts

<ul>
	<li>Oatmeal-Cookie Pancakes: Every kid loves these. To regular pancake batter, add oats, raisins, chopped walnuts -- all excellent fiber and nutrition boosters -- plus some cinnamon and a bit of brown sugar. Pour into fun shapes like snowmen, turtles, or Mickey Mouse. To beat the morning rush, make the batter the night before and refrigerate it.</li>
	<li>Breakfast Tacos: Teenagers who turn down everything else will often eat these. Spoon scrambled eggs into warm whole-wheat tortillas, top with shredded low-fat cheese, a dollop of low-fat yogurt or sour cream, and salsa.</li>
	<li>Smoothies for Two: These are a treat on hot summer mornings and are filled with enough protein, fiber, and nutrients to keep kids fueled for hours. Just combine 2 frozen bananas, 1 cup frozen strawberries, 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt, and 3/4 cup juice in a blender.</li>
</ul>

3 Fun Snacks

<ul>
	<li>Graham Sandwiches: When your child wants something sweet, here&#39;s a delicious cheesecake-like treat that&#39;s healthier than kids realize. Spread half a graham cracker with low-fat cream cheese; top with a little raspberry puree and the other cracker half. Yummy!</li>
	<li>A Feast for Giants: Broccoli &quot;trees&quot; and carrot &quot;logs&quot; are even more fun when you can dunk them in a yogurt-based dip. Mix up to 8 ounces of plain low-fat yogurt with some chopped dill, a little Dijon mustard, and a dash of soy sauce. Try dipping bell-pepper-strip &quot;canoes,&quot; cherry-tomato &quot;boulders,&quot; and cucumber-slice &quot;bridges,&quot; too.</li>
	<li>Creepy-Crawly Crackers: Spread peanut butter between two round whole-wheat crackers, add pretzel sticks for legs, and raisins for eyes and you&#39;ve got one fun, spidery snack.</li>
</ul>

6 Fast, Healthy Recipes for Frazzled Parents

Babysitting your grandkids can be one of the most rewarding experiences of being a grandparent, but a fun trip can quickly take a turn if the little one gets hurt. Good thing this isn&#39;t your first rodeo! Bumps, bruises, fevers, a choking fit or two&mdash;you&#39;ve seen it all. Or have you?

These days, kids can get into a number of new hazards. In 2013, nearly one in five U.S. children went to an emergency room at least once. Some of those ER trips were likely for the obvious stuff. But here are 6 other health problems that you need to keep on your radar, too.

Breathing problem: You can probably spot a breathing problem, right? Their tummy is moving in and out with each breath, or their muscles and skin between the ribs are sucking in. But watch out for this, too: If your grandchild is having coughing fits or making a high-pitched whooping sound, they may have <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/adult-vaccination/article/why-you-probably-need-the-tdap-shot">whooping cough</a>. This disease has made a major comeback in recent years, so be on the lookout. Also, a swollen tongue, throat or lip -- along with trouble breathing -- could mean they&#39;re having an allergic reaction to food or insects, even if they&#39;ve never had one before.&nbsp;

Tummy aches: While you might be tempted to just chalk it up to food sensitivity, stomach pains can point to several potential sicknesses. Call the doctor if your grandchild complains about their tummy and also has a fever, vomiting, diarrhea or lack of appetite. Beeline for the ER if there are signs of drowsiness, a bloated or tender belly, bloody stool, or inability to walk.

Rashes: A harmless rash, say from laundry detergent, will normally clear up on its own in a few days. You should start to worry if it doesn&#39;t, or if your grandchild also has a headache, joint pain, blistering, bleeding, trouble breathing or a fever. Watch out for red, bumpy blotches on the face and behind the ears that come with a fever&mdash;which could be measles. A 2015 measles outbreak that began at Disneyland lasted four months and infected 147 people in several states.

Neck pain: A stiff neck with a high fever could mean your grandchild has meningitis, a sometimes deadly infection that affects the brain and spinal cord. The symptoms can vary, depending on your grandchild&#39;s age, but take them to the ER if there are signs of sensitivity to light, extreme irritability, drowsiness, severe headache, vomiting or difficulty eating. If neck stiffness appears a month or so after a tick bite and comes with flu-like symptoms and a rash, it could be a sign of Lyme disease.

Ingestion: It can be hard to remember just how curious little ones are when you&#39;re not constantly around them. They can find a way to get into bottles of bleach, cleaners or medicine (like from your bag or purse). Call poison control (800-222-1222) and tell them what was swallowed. They&#39;ll be able to tell you if the ER is necessary.

Head injuries: It&#39;s probably time to call 911 if your grandchild is dizzy, sleepy, disoriented or vomiting after any head injury. Tests or CT scans may be needed. 
 
When in doubt, it&#39;s better to be safe than sorry. Talk to the kid&#39;s parents beforehand and find out what they&#39;d like you to do in the case of a medical emergency. Have the pediatrician&#39;s phone number handy, map out the nearest preferred ER, and <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/parenting/article/when-parents-are-away-info-every-caregiver-must-have">fill out a consent form</a> with the parents that says you can make medical decisions for the child.

To prevent mishaps during your next weekend together, be sure to put child locks on lower cabinets and place pills out of reach. And always stay up to date on the <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/safety-preparedness/article/many-grandparents-dont-have-recent-child-safety-information">latest safety information for kids</a>.

Medically reviewed in December 2018.

6 Reasons Your Grandkid May Need the ER

Encouraging a love of learning is one of the greatest gifts you can give your children. Although your level of involvement will change often -- sometimes directing, sometimes stepping back -- enriching their environment, ensuring needs are met, supporting them through challenging periods, and applauding every success are all essential to raising lifelong learners. The seven strategies on this printable page are good guiding principles. Hang it on the fridge with the latest macaroni art from your little geniuses.

<a href="https://s.sharecare.com/newsletter/OHG/lifelong-learning.pdf" target="_blank">Print Your Seven Steps to Raising a Lifelong Learner List.</a> (PDF)

Seven Steps to Raising a Lifelong Learner

The emergency room is not a place you go to learn about parenting. Yet, after years of working as an ER doctor, during moments ranging from tragic to the happily poignant, I&rsquo;ve picked up a few lessons. Now, as a new parent, I&rsquo;m trying to implement them in my own life and wanted to share them with you. Read on. And leave the Cheetos at home (see #4)!

1. Monkey see, monkey do. <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/school-age-child-emotional-health/my-stress-rub-off-children">Your child will mirror your actions</a>, not your words. When children need stitches, they look to their parents. If you&rsquo;re calm (ok, you can be entirely freaking out on the inside, but it&rsquo;s what your child sees that counts), your child has a much greater likelihood of being less terrified. Brave parent = brave munchkin!

2. The best laid plans . . . (you know the rest). Remember that lovely little arts and crafts area you set up at home? Your 4-year-old felt it was the perfect location for placing beads up his nose. So, your afternoon of domesticity is spent with . . . me. In the ER. Positive? We got the beads out. Negative? You&rsquo;ll never be able to look at beads again without nausea. Second takeaway? (This one&rsquo;s a freebie.) Watch your kids whenever they&rsquo;re playing with anything smaller than their nostril.

3. Life moves quickly. Babies and toddlers move even more quickly. Your vigilance has to be nonstop. Anyone who has a child knows that they move the fastest when they seem to be getting into trouble, whether it&rsquo;s entertaining themselves by chewing on an electrical cord or tasting your hairspray. You. Just. Turned. Around. For. One. Freaking. Second! My infant can&rsquo;t even crawl&mdash;she moves in a combination of spinning and rolling over&mdash;yet she gets around quickly when in the direction of danger. How anyone who essentially moves in a series of &ldquo;five-point turns&rdquo; gets anywhere that fast is beyond me. But so it goes.

4. Cheetos equals good prognosis&mdash;and a potentially longer ER stay. One ER where I worked had a vending machine with Cheetos. I knew two things when I walked into the room and saw a happy child with an orange mouth: 1. Their condition wasn&rsquo;t life-threatening (eating Cheetos is apparently just not something you do when your life is on the line) and 2. They were going to have a long ER stay while we waited for the Cheetos to digest before we could sedate them to stitch their cut, fix their fracture, etc. Lesson? If you&rsquo;re <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/critical-care/how-prepare-children-emergency-room">taking your child to the ER</a> for any reason, don&rsquo;t let them eat Cheetos or anything else while you&rsquo;re on your way or waiting in the ER!

5. It&rsquo;s all (or at least some) in your head. Who are some of the toughest people on the planet? Kids. I&rsquo;ve seen many a child leave with a cast and a popsicle while an adult with the same injury requires a prescription for Percocet and a note of absence for work. Seeing this really speaks to the power of mindset&mdash;how we view setbacks and how we respond to them.

6. If it crosses your mind that something in your home might be dangerous, fix it. I have seen too many parents who said &ldquo;I just knew that was a hazard.&rdquo; You&rsquo;ll probably never know what injury you averted, and that&rsquo;s ok.

7. No one. No one. Is more crazy protective than a mom. Don&rsquo;t. Cross. Mama. Bear. I appreciate that you would rather have me cut off your own arm than place an IV in your child or perform some other painful treatment, no matter how mild. I really do. You can be an excellent advocate for your child by remaining calm and asking questions. (See item #1.)

8. Delete &ldquo;that will never happen to me&rdquo; from your mindset. When we hear of something tragic, we tend to think that it can happen to &ldquo;other&rdquo; people&mdash;leaving a child unobserved by a swimming pool even for a minute, driving while <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/kids-teens-health/article/parents-driving-distracted">looking at your phone</a>. This thinking makes us feel safe. Falsely safe. I&rsquo;ve taken care of enough patients to know that these things can happen to people just like me, just like you. I don&rsquo;t say this to frighten you, but to take away a false sense of security and leave in its place an awareness that will keep you and your family safe.

Life is short. This doesn&rsquo;t require explanation. But I&rsquo;m reminded of this in ways that don&rsquo;t necessarily include the tragic. When I see a parent step up after a child&rsquo;s health scare, or even a little munchkin bounce back after an injury, I&rsquo;m reminded that it&rsquo;s never too soon to make changes, no matter how scary or hard they may be.

8 Lessons I Learned About Parenting in the ER

Sometimes it&#39;s easy to say very little or just stick to short phrases with young kids because most can&#39;t do much talking anyway. But <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/parenting/quizzes/baby-talk" target="_blank">everything you&#39;re saying helps</a> your child&#39;s emotional development as well as her language development. The best way to talk to your child is by pretending that she can converse. Say things like, &quot;Do you need a nap?&quot; or &quot;It&#39;s been a long day, hasn&#39;t it?&quot; or &quot;These yams are pretty nasty looking, aren&#39;t they?&quot;

Talk to her as if she were filling in the gaps. That will help her recognize language and word patterns that she&#39;ll need and use soon enough. Speak slowly and in short phrases, using gestures and facial expressions to reinforce the meaning of your words. Here are some examples of how to involve your child in your conversation:

Say, &quot;Do you think the doggie is hungry?&quot; 
Instead of, &quot;I&#39;m going to feed the dog now.&quot; 
Why? Because questions initiate conversations and engage children with changes in inflection.

Say, &quot;Doesn&#39;t dirt look cool close-up? Just try not to get any in your mouth, because it tastes yucky and can give you a tummy ache.&quot; 
Instead of, &quot;If I have told you once, I&#39;ve told you a thousand times not to eat dirt.&quot; 
Why? Because positive observations encourage curiosity; negative commands stifle it. Also, explaining the consequences of an action gives a child the knowledge she needs to make the correct choice on her own in the future.

Whenever you&#39;re out, be one of those pointer-outer parents. Point to things you see, hear, and smell; teach your child about the world. This applies wherever you are, whether it&#39;s in nature or at the mall. It&#39;s also really helpful to show your child how things change: Leaves change color, flowers bloom, batter turns into cookies, and so on.

And remember, your child takes most of her cues from signals that you send her through your body language or your expressions. Words simply convey information. Emotion gives it meaning. In fact, more than 90% of what your child &quot;hears&quot; you say comes from nonverbal communication. The total impact of parental messaging breaks down like this:

<ul>
	<li>7% verbal (words)</li>
	<li>38% vocal (volume, pitch, rhythm, and so on)</li>
	<li>55% body movements (mostly facial expressions)</li>
</ul>

That&#39;s why communicating emotion is at the heart of smart parenting. Try these techniques:

<ul>
	<li>Make eye contact. It opens the flow of communication and conveys interest, concern, warmth, and credibility.</li>
	<li>Be expressive. Authentic facial expressions convey warmth, happiness, friendliness, and bonding. Don&#39;t forget: Smiling is contagious.</li>
	<li>Use gestures. Being lively and animated captures kids&#39; attention and facilitates learning. Head nods, for instance, communicate positive reinforcement and indicate that you are listening.</li>
	<li>Check your posture and body orientation. The way you walk, talk, stand, and sit speaks volumes to your child. Standing erect, but not rigid, and leaning slightly forward sends the message that you are approachable and receptive.</li>
	<li>Vary your voice. Droning on in a monotone is boring. Mix up your tone, rhythm, inflection, and volume to keep your child&#39;s interest.</li>
</ul>

Baby Talk: How to Talk to Your Children

Feeling just a little bit guilty because you&#39;re having so much fun with your grandkids ... maybe more than you had with your own kids? All the joy, and none of the daily grind, right?

Forget the guilt! Keep on playing with those little munchkins as they grow up, because you&#39;re doing a lot more than just having a blast. Turns out doing simple things together, like gardening, cooking, shopping, and taking a staycation, has big health and happiness benefits for the whole family.

Among them:

<ul>
	<li>Feelings of self-worth, self-esteem and life satisfaction rise faster than that loaf of bread you bake together.</li>
	<li>Understanding and communication improve, too. Kids see that grandparents aren&#39;t just geezers; they have skills and know-how to share ... and grandparents see what whiz kids their grandchildren are (start with their uncanny grasp of high-tech gadgets.) When grandkids realize they can teach grown-ups a thing or two (&quot;Hit the escape button&quot;), it helps the youngsters to forge ahead in a brave new world.</li>
	<li>Playing around with the young set also satisfies that need to leave a legacy and impart what you&#39;ve learned. Besides, since you&#39;re probably gonna live a lot longer than your grandparents did (thanks to healthy eating and exercise, right?), you&#39;ll have more time to bond across generations.</li>
</ul>

Are you as young&mdash;or as old&mdash;as you feel? <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/static/realage">Take the RealAge Test</a> to find out.

Remember: The family that plays together stays together. Have fun doing it. Check out some other <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/happiness/article/try-this-get-happy-strategy">get-happy strategies.</a>

Best Gift Grandparents Can Give: Playtime

First off, ask your pediatrician, of course. But do some detective work, too. Start by calling or stopping by the hospital to speak with the director of emergency services and asking these questions:

1. Do you have a pediatric emergency-care specialist on staff -- or at least pediatricians available 24/7? About 40% of ERs in the United States don&#39;t even have round-the-clock access to pediatricians, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. You want to be sure that your child&#39;s ER is staffed with pediatricians, pediatric nurses, and, ideally, pediatric emergency-medicine specialists (not just general emergency physicians). If it is, it&#39;s the strongest indication that they&#39;ll have the right equipment.

2. Do you have medications in doses appropriate for children? Are they available in chewable or liquid form? This is important. Many hospitals don&#39;t have <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/parenting/article/pediatric-pain-medication">pediatric medications</a>, and it can cause life-threatening complications.

3. Does your ER have child-sized resuscitation equipment? Are there beds, IVs, and oxygen masks made for children? They need to be well stocked in extra-smalls.

4. Do you have a separate area just for pediatric patients? A good pediatric ER will have a kid-friendly section that will look more like a Chuck E. Cheese restaurant than an acute medical care facility. You should find a TV, cartoon DVDs, a few toys, and coloring books (though try to remember to bring comforting favorites from home, too). While the distractions are helpful, here&#39;s the real benefit: Your child will be shielded from the drama in the average ER. As a bonus, so will you. When it comes to germs, stress, and sanity, this is better for everybody. Unfortunately, many hospitals don&#39;t have a special emergency area for children.

5. How many children under the age of 5 years do you treat every week? More than 50 is a good answer; 3 is not. You want an ER staff that&#39;s adept at dealing with screaming babies, frantic toddlers, and -- not that you&#39;ll need this angle of their expertise, of course -- hysterical parents.

6. Do you have a separate urgent-care satellite center? If a nearby hospital doesn&#39;t have a dedicated pediatric ER, at least you&#39;re likely to get treated faster in the satellite center than the general ER. Similarly, the ER will be less crowded with non-life-threatening cases because of the satellite center.

7. Is the hospital accredited by the Joint Commission? If so, it means the hospital has voluntarily met national health and safety standards. You don&#39;t need to interrogate an ER staffer to find this out; you can use the Joint Commission&#39;s Quality Check to see whether the hospital is accredited (as well as how it&#39;s performing in several key areas).

8. Are there translators on site? You may speak English, but -- and this is a big point that many people dangerously overlook -- does your child&#39;s nanny, babysitter, or grandparent who watches her every day speak English? Believe me, this can be critical.

Once you&#39;ve identified your best emergency option, map out how to get there, and do a couple of dry runs before you actually have a crying little one gushing blood in your backseat. In a real emergency, you might not be driving -- you might not even be in your own vehicle -- but at least you&#39;ll know how to get there. Someday, that might also help you decide whether to drive yourself and your child to the ER or to call 9-1-1. But don&#39;t throw away your list of other choices. If an emergency strikes when your daughter is at a sleepover four towns away or your son is playing Little League in a neighboring community, it may come in handy. Unfortunately, by their very nature, emergencies are unplanned. <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/parenting/article/8-lessons-I-learned-about-parenting-in-the-er">Be prepared</a>. Have backups.

How to Find the Best Pediatric ER Near You

Childhood obesity is rising faster than the national debt. About 1 in 5 school-age kids are obese&mdash;1 in 3 in some cities. You might think that even if &quot;baby fat&quot; is still accumulating in elementary school, kids don&#39;t run the same scary health risks that adults do. There&#39;s time to turn things around, right? Not so much.

Heart disease isn&#39;t for grown-ups any more. If you have overweight preteens, they can have heart disease by age 15 or 16, according to new research. And although girls&#39; heart health seems to bounce back to normal if their weight does, in boys, cardio dangers can hang on.

Ready? Help your child get healthy now:

<ol>
	<li>Do as I do. Kids are often like a video camera with the sound off: They tune out what you say but watch everything you do. If you and your partner are obese, there&#39;s an 80 percent chance your kids will be, too. So ditch the junk and be a role model.</li>
	<li>Relax as you eat. Family meals should be fun. Playful conversation (&quot;Hear any good jokes today? What superpower do you wish you had?&quot;) allows everyone to slow down and savor the meal, so the brain has time to signal, &quot;You&#39;re full&quot;&mdash;before you overeat.</li>
	<li>Make life a playground. Pumping up activity is critical to losing weight. Turn off the TV, and <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/parenting/article/best-gift-grandparents-can-give-grandchildren-playtime">get the whole family outside</a> for a game of touch football (there&#39;s a reason the Kennedy clan stayed thin) or a walk around the block.</li>
</ol>

Medically reviewed in January 2020.

Childhood Obesity Prevention: Keep Tabs on Kids' Weight

It&#39;s a bad idea to fib about or downplay the possibility of pain your child may experience when unpleasant tests or procedures need to be done. After all, you wouldn&#39;t be in the ER if there wasn&#39;t something really wrong. Kids are pretty smart creatures. You know your kid best, but you shouldn&#39;t try to trick your child into thinking that getting his arm reset, for example, isn&#39;t going to hurt. It&#39;s best to be honest and tell him that it will hurt for a moment, but then everything will be okay. Of course, that may not be completely honest, but it&#39;s honest enough. Don&#39;t lie and say it won&#39;t hurt in order to assuage his fear or give him hope. That will only work once, and he&#39;ll then be certain that every subsequent procedure will be agonizing, no matter what you say.

Young kids will be helped by a simple explanation and maybe even a drawing of what is going to happen, while older kids may appreciate more information. Making comparisons to other ouches can be helpful. For example, if your child is afraid of a shot, you can say it will hurt for a second, just like a pinch or a bug bite, but then it&#39;ll stop. The pediatrician may ask him to yell &quot;Ouch!&quot; or use <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/kids-teens-health/what-help-child-frequent-shots">another tactic to distract your child from the pain.</a> Do your best to get him some real pain relief whenever possible, too. If your child needs to get a shot, have blood drawn, or get stitches, ask about &quot;ouchless&quot; options. For example, there&#39;s a numbing cream the doctor can apply to his skin through a patch, but it takes about 1 hour to work. For minor lacerations, you can ask the doctor if skin tape (called Steri-Strips) or skin glue might work instead of stitches.

Medically reviewed in January 2020.

How to Help Your Child Handle Pain

I mean, best news ever, right? I have no doubt that it wasn&rsquo;t just the students celebrating when Texas teacher Brandy Young told her second graders that they wouldn&rsquo;t have homework this year&mdash;you know the parents were ecstatic. You would be, too.

But is it best for our kids? Should kids even have homework in the second grade? (Did you and I? I&rsquo;ll deny it, but that was a long time ago.)

Is homework bad or good?&nbsp; 
Well, that depends. On the plus side, homework teaches responsibility and time discipline, and it&rsquo;s a good way for kids to catch up on an area in which they&rsquo;re struggling. On the downside, in some cases, homework can take a long time. And let&rsquo;s be honest: if the homework is so difficult that a parent is doing the work, it&rsquo;s not benefiting anyone.&nbsp;

The bottom line? The sole act of completing homework isn&rsquo;t what will set your child up for success; it&rsquo;s how your child does homework and what else they do in their afternoon that will make a difference.&nbsp;

What exactly makes the difference? Here&rsquo;s what to do:

<ul>
	<li>Prioritize homework: If your child does come home with homework, get it done early. Come home, have a quick snack and get the homework out of the way.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Incorporate physical activity and, if possible, some free play. Structured club sports are a great way to get in physical activity and camaraderie, free play is also a great outlet. Both&nbsp;<a href="https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/physicalactivity/facts.htm" target="_blank">benefit their academic performance, from better grades, to concentration and attentiveness</a>.</li>
	<li>Allowing a child to read books they choose has been shown to correlate with school performance. In fact, <a href="https://www.aappublications.org/content/early/2014/06/24/aapnews.20140624-2" target="_blank">3rd grade reading proficiency is one of the most significant predictors of high school graduation and success in a career</a>, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.&nbsp;</li>
	<li>Do you sit down together at night for dinner? Some nights, I know that it&rsquo;s just impossible, especially with working parents&rsquo; schedules. Eating family dinner together, even if that&rsquo;s just three to four nights a week, <a href="https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/family-dynamics/Pages/Mealtime-as-Family-Time.aspx" target="_blank">teaches your child healthy food choices</a> to prevent obesity, reduces eating disorders and even yields better social and emotional health. No time? Don&rsquo;t underestimate the value of heating leftovers, using a slow cooker, or cooking and freezing on Sunday!</li>
	<li>Kids&mdash;and parents&mdash;need their sleep. Having devices in their rooms impacts that. One study showed that kids who had a smartphone in their room fell asleep up to four hours later than those who kept phones out of the room. Have a plug-in place and time that&rsquo;s outside of the bedroom and ends an hour or so before bedtime.</li>
</ul>

Medically reviewed in December 2018.

No More Homework!

In 2017, the American Academy of Pediatrics updated its schedule of the preventive screenings children and adolescents need. The most notable changes involve testing kids for serious illnesses such as high cholesterol, depression and HIV, depending on their age. But is universal screening really necessary? We caught up with Sharecare Advisory Board Member <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/user/dr-tanya-altmann">Tanya Altmann, MD,&nbsp;FAAP</a>, for her take. For a summary of what&rsquo;s new in the guidelines, see the list at the end.

Several of the new recommended screenings used to be targeted to kids at risk. Why screen everybody instead? 
Dr. Altmann: We used to do targeted screening and we found we were missing a lot of children and teenagers. Often the risk factors aren&#39;t apparent. With targeted screening you may miss some things, like depression or cholesterol.&nbsp;

The guidelines call for cholesterol tests for kids between ages 9 and 11. Do many 9-year-olds have high cholesterol, and how do you manage it?&nbsp; 
Dr. Altmann: One of the interesting things is that these guidelines were actually approved back in 2014, so many doctors have already been following them. I&#39;ve been doing cholesterol screening in my office for the last five years, and I&#39;ve seen firsthand how many children are affected. They&#39;re not always overweight and they don&#39;t always have a family history of high cholesterol -- instead, their condition is due to the good ol&#39; American diet. With screening, we&#39;re able to intervene at a young age and hopefully prevent some of the serious problems, such as heart disease, that can develop as these kids get older. Sometimes it&#39;s about making small changes: changing from fast food, switching to low-fat milk, increasing fruits and vegetables, adding exercise. But small changes like these can make a big difference.

Did any of the changes in the guidelines surprise you? 
Dr.&nbsp;Altmann: The one that I found most surprising was the universal HIV screening. For my practice this will be the most challenging to sell to parents. Many kids aren&#39;t at risk -- or the parents don&#39;t think they are -- so the screening is going to take a little while to get used to. But the reality is that 60% of teens and young adults who have HIV don&#39;t know it, and one in four new HIV infections are in 13- to 24-year-olds. While many parents may be uncomfortable with having their child screened, based on these stats it is a good idea.

What are the recommendations for depression screening? 
Dr.&nbsp;Altmann:&nbsp;Routine depression screening is officially now recommended. In the past pediatricians asked questions and sort of &quot;read the faces&rdquo; of their teen and young adult patients, and now a more standard test exists. Suicide is the leading cause of death in adolescents, so it&#39;s important to pick up those cues so we can get them help.

Fluoride varnish is recommended for kids ages 6 months to 5 years. Why is that important, since those baby teeth are just going to fall out anyway? 
Dr.&nbsp;Altmann: Cavities in young children are a big problem nationwide. Even though they&#39;re just baby teeth, having damage early on can mean damage to permanent teeth. Applying the fluoride varnish to toddlers twice a year can decrease the rate of cavities and serious dental consequences later. It&#39;s simple to do -- it comes on a little swab and you just rub it across their teeth and gums. It kind of tastes like a toothpaste or mouthwash.

A summary of guidelines:

<ul>
	<li>Anemia screening for toddlers at 15 and 30 months, plus additional testing at other ages based on risk assessment</li>
	<li>Autism screening at 18 and 24 months</li>
	<li>Blood pressure screening at every checkup, beginning at 3 years</li>
	<li>BMI check at every checkup, beginning at 24 months</li>
	<li>Cholesterol screening for children ages 9 to 11, and again between 17 and 21</li>
	<li>Congenital heart disease testing in all newborns</li>
	<li>Fluoride varnish treatments for children ages 6 months through 5 years</li>
	<li>HIV testing in teens ages 15 to 18</li>
	<li>Annual screening for depression in young people ages 12 to 21</li>
	<li>Drug and alcohol risk assessment (not a drug test) for all adolescents ages 11 to 21</li>
	<li>Pap testing for pre-cancerous cells (cervical dysplasia) to be done in young women at age 21 (previous guidelines called for risk assessment every year from ages 11 to 21)</li>
	<li>Screening for sexually transmitted infections from 11 to 21, based on risk</li>
</ul>

Medically reviewed in May 2019.

New Screening Guidelines for Kids: What Parents Should Know

If pediatricians prescribed only drugs approved for kids, we&#39;d have a lot of sick kids. So it&#39;s extremely common for doctors to prescribe medications <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/health-care-basics/what-risks-off-label-medications">off-label for children</a>. Off-label is the term used when a doctor prescribes a medication for a purpose or age group that the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved&mdash;in other words, that&#39;s not spelled out on the label. Yet, off-label prescribing is very common, totally legal and often excellent medicine.

In fact, around 80 percent of medicine used for kids is <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/health-care-basics/how-child-prescribed-off-label">prescribed off-label</a>. In some cases, there is good research showing that a particular drug is safe and effective in children, but the pharmaceutical company only applied for FDA approval to use the drug in adults&mdash;because each separate approval (adults and kids) is a long, costly process. For example, you probably remember hearing about Prozac being approved for treating kids with depression. Actually, doctors had been prescribing it to children off-label for years. The drug company just had not applied to the FDA for approval for kids. Albuterol, used for asthma, is another good example. Even though it&#39;s only approved for kids over 2 years old, docs regularly prescribe albuterol for children younger than that if it is needed. Not treating asthma is a poor alternative. And albuterol has been used for so long with so much success that it&#39;s now generally considered safe.

The downside of a doctor using medications off-label is that pediatricians have to estimate the dosage for kids based on the amount that&#39;s been proved effective in adults (or, sometimes, in older children). Pediatricians have had a lot of experience with this. But there&#39;s always some risk of a child getting too much or too little medicine if the dose isn&#39;t calculated correctly, so that&#39;s why caution is key: I always give the smallest dose possible to do the job in order to minimize the odds that the drug will cause side effects.

Medically reviewed in January 2020.

Medication Questions: Why Pediatricians Go Off-Label

Want insights from an <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/critical-care/how-help-child-emergency-room?myAttribute=yay">emergency room</a> (ER) insider? Listen to someone who&#39;s spent more than 10 years handling emergencies in several types of ERs: my old friend Karin Berger Sadow, MD. She&#39;s currently medical director of PM Pediatrics, an urgent care center in Mamaroneck, New York. She&#39;s also the former director of the pediatric emergency department at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City. Here are her most important emergency tips:

1. Don&#39;t give your child anything to eat or drink if there is a possibility that she may need sedation or anesthesia for a surgical procedure. We see children who need immediate surgery, but we can&#39;t sedate them, because the parent gave them food in the waiting room or on the ride over. Bad idea! So if you think there&#39;s a chance your child will need anesthesia or sedation to treat an injury or illness -- such as surgery to treat abdominal pain or a procedure to realign a broken bone -- <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/critical-care/can-child-eat-emergency-room">don&#39;t give her anything to eat or drink</a> on your way to the ER or while you&#39;re waiting there.

2. Say what you see, not what you read. Patients will say, &quot;My daughter&#39;s lethargic and has labored breathing,&quot; because they just read those terms when looking up conditions on the Internet. That tells the ER doctor nothing. If a doctor says, &quot;The child is lethargic and has labored breathing,&quot; it means she&#39;s semiconscious and likely needs to go on a ventilator immediately. When a parent says it, it means she&#39;s sniffling and watching TV instead of running around. &quot;Respiratory distress&quot; is another term to avoid. About 10 parents a day say their child has respiratory distress. Thankfully, we see only one child a week who really does, and that child usually needs to have a breathing tube inserted. So say what you see. Is she limping? Is she cringing in pain after coughing? Nodding off at the dinner table? Say that -- don&#39;t use medical terminology.

3. Say the magic words. If your child&#39;s symptoms have worsened while you&#39;ve been waiting to be seen, tell the triage nurse, &quot;My child&#39;s getting worse.&quot; Then describe what&#39;s changed. You won&#39;t be able to show the triage nurse if it isn&#39;t true, but if it is true, you will get his or her attention. It means what was written down on the form 3 hours ago may not be valid now.

4. If necessary, ask for a &quot;doctor-to-doctor&quot; call. If you&#39;ve been waiting an excessive period of time (over an hour), you really believe your child needs to be seen immediately, or his condition is getting worse, and you cannot get the triage nurse to notice you, call your pediatrician and ask him or her to call the ER again. Ask your pediatrician to speak directly to one of the ER docs to let them know you&#39;re waiting to be seen.

Medically reviewed in January 2020.

4 Tips from the Pediatric ER

What makes Allison Janney&rsquo;s TV character, Mom, so comical is that she&rsquo;s pretty confused and messed up. It&rsquo;s all about her&mdash;not her daughter Christy (Anna Faris) or anyone else. That&rsquo;s the opposite of most real moms with kids, especially those whose children face challenges such as <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/autism-spectrum-disorders">autism spectrum disorder (ASD)</a>, <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/add-adhd">ADHD (attention deficit activity disorder)</a>&nbsp;or <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/video/health-topics-a-z/parenting/how-to-spot-dyslexia-in-young-kids">dyslexia</a>.

Unfortunately, many real moms believe that since their child comes first, they come last. But it&rsquo;s not a zero sum game: A study from Tel Aviv University shows how beneficial it is for moms to focus on their own needs and aspirations and not just their child&rsquo;s difficulties. And that&rsquo;s not just for Mom&rsquo;s sake&mdash;it also improves her child&rsquo;s quality of life!

The researchers looked at 30 moms of kids with ASD and discovered that when the moms <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/healthy-habits-nervous-system/article/health-benefits-of-having-a-hobby">engage daily in personal and professional interests</a> and obligations they gain a sense of personal satisfaction AND the child does better at everything from brushing teeth to playing with friends. The researchers concluded: &ldquo;If you participate meaningfully in life, it is likely that your child will participate too.&quot;

But we know it&rsquo;s difficult to <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/types-exercise/mom-can-time-exercise">make time for yourself</a>: You need to find a great support system, good school programs, and caring family/friends to make this work. Start to build that network now. If you have a child with special needs or know someone who does, check out yellowpagesforkids.com, a state-by-state listing of resources for children with a wide variety of needs, and <a href="http://nationalautismassociation.org/" target="_blank">nationalautismassociation.org</a>.

Medically reviewed in January 2020.

Mom, Take Care of Yourself!

Shocking fact: Approximately 20.3 million people in the United States are addicted to drugs and/or alcohol, according to 2018 data from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). That&rsquo;s about 1 in every 14 Americans age 12 or older. Among those, an estimated 916,000 kids ages 12 to 17&mdash;or 3.7 percent of all adolescents&mdash;had a substance abuse disorder in 2018.

That&rsquo;s right, even preteens struggle with addiction.

Statistics like these are a stark reminder that it&rsquo;s crucial to talk to your kids about drugs and alcohol. Pediatrician Tanya Altmann, MD, of Calabasas Pediatrics in Calabasas, California, shares some advice on how to broach the topic.

Sharecare: At what age should you start talking with your child about drugs and alcohol?

Dr. Altmann: Kids are less likely to use drugs when parents provide guidance and clear rules about not using drugs, don&rsquo;t use drugs themselves, and spend quality time having meaningful conversations. I usually recommend parents start having the conversation with their kids about drugs and the dangers of drugs during the elementary school years. Even for preschool children, it&rsquo;s not too early to teach them to take care of their bodies and make good decisions.

Sharecare: What are some things you should say when speaking to your kids about drugs and alcohol?

Dr. Altmann: Make sure you directly state what your house rules are regarding drug and alcohol use. Don&rsquo;t leave space for wiggle room. But let your kids know that you are there if they have any questions or concerns.

Also, educate your kids about the harmful effects drugs and alcohol have on their brains, bodies, and their ability to learn and play sports. Teach your kids how to say &ldquo;no.&rdquo; Give them the words to use and role-play conversations they may have with their peers. They can say things like, &ldquo;No. I&rsquo;m not into that.&rdquo; Or, &ldquo;My parents would ground me forever, so I can&rsquo;t.&rdquo;

I usually tell my families that&rsquo;s it&rsquo;s ok to blame the parents or even me, their pediatrician, if it helps. Also, remind your child that real friends will never ask them to do something that is unsafe or that makes them feel uncomfortable.

Sharecare: Anything you should never say?

Dr. Altmann: Never give your kids an out or an excuse to try drugs. Don&rsquo;t say things like, &ldquo;everyone experiments.&rdquo; Also, don&rsquo;t praise other kids as being cool or popular because you don&rsquo;t know what those kids are doing that your own children may try to emulate. Instead, praise your own kids for their hard work, good behavior, and integrity.

Sharecare: What are some clues that a child may have a drug problem?

Dr. Altmann: <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/substance-abuse-addiction-recovery/article/facing-up-to-addiction" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">Warning signs of addiction</a> may include behavior and physical changes. Behavior changes may include changes in mood, sleeping, eating, friendships, and school performance. Physical signs your child may be using drugs or alcohol include having bloodshot eyes, losing or gaining weight, tremors, slurred speech, and either smelling like smoke or wearing heavy perfume to cover it.

Sharecare: What steps should you take if you suspect your child has a drug problem?

Dr. Altmann: Talk to your pediatrician or an addiction specialist if you think your child may have a drug problem. They can help you figure out the best way to confront your child, get them tested and treated. There are many <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/substance-abuse-addiction-recovery/article/treatment-options-for-substance-use-disorders" style="color:#0563c1; text-decoration:underline">treatment options</a> available depending on what your child needs.

Sources:

Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). Key Substance Use and Mental Health Indicators in the United States: Results from the 2018 National Survey on Drug Use and Health. August 2019.

Talking to Your Kids About Drugs and Alcohol

In the world of #MeToo and accusations of <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/wellness-healthy-living/article/whats-sexual-harassment-at-work">sexual harassment</a>, we should all take a hard look at the emotionally-charged issue of physical touch and consent. While the media is primarily focused on <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/sexual-assault-violence/article/what-everyone-should-know-about-sexual-violence">inappropriate behavior between men and women</a>, this topic is also relevant to physical affection between adults and children.

Whether you&#39;re talking about grown women in the workplace or children, two things are the same, says <a href="https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/therapists/paula-j-jean-richmond-va/32158">Paula J. Jean, PhD</a>, a licensed clinical psychologist in Richmond, Virginia, who specializes in women&rsquo;s mental health.

<ol>
	<li>A sense of entitlement of the person doing the touching.</li>
	<li>The disparity of power between the person who touches and the person who is touched.</li>
</ol>

&ldquo;There is an expectation that adults are entitled to show affection to children&rsquo;s bodies,&rdquo; Dr. Jean says. &ldquo;We pass babies around and touch them. People chuck&nbsp;children under the chin, pinch their cheek, pat them on the head or pick them up. Children themselves, in some ways, come to expect this.&rdquo;

Unfortunately, this expectation deprives children, even young ones, of agency over their own bodies and the ability to make decisions about who they will&mdash;and will not&mdash;be physical with and how. Parents can help create a safe environment for children to express their wishes, while teaching them about consent, physical and emotional boundaries and appropriate ways to behave in social situations.

&ldquo;Children, for the most part, don&rsquo;t feel like they have any choice at all about [physical contact],&rdquo; Jean says. And, intentionally or not, parents, for the most part, perpetuate this. &ldquo;We&rsquo;re giving [children] the message that they don&rsquo;t really have a choice about it if an adult wants to touch them.&rdquo;

Your kid should be the boss of his or her own body 
Talk to children about the right to their personal space and assure them they are the &ldquo;boss of their own body,&rdquo; writes psychologists Rachele Davis and Chiu Lau on a blog post entitled 5 Ways To Teach Our Children Body Boundaries.

Give your child permission to not hug Uncle Frank in greeting, not thank grandma with a kiss for the gift or to say &#39;no&#39; to tickling. Instead, give them socially acceptable ways to express affection or gratitude, such as:

<ul>
	<li>A handshake</li>
	<li>Fist bump</li>
	<li>High five</li>
	<li>Encourage them to write a thank you note</li>
</ul>

&ldquo;We can say, &lsquo;You can do whatever feels most comfortable for you,&rsquo;&rdquo; writes Davis and Lau, including saying, &ldquo;no, thank you.&rdquo;

Given this kind of safe, structured environment, Jean says, kids learn they can make a choice about how and with whom they want to show affection without fearing negative consequences. Don&rsquo;t become upset if your kid chooses not to hug a loved one. If you punish your child, or they feel you are angry with them for expressing their preference, they won&rsquo;t feel like they can make a choice again.

Some people won&rsquo;t understand&mdash;but enforce it anyway 
These situations are challenging for adults as well. Relatives and family friends may take offense if your child does not want to hug or kiss them. This is where parents need to step up to the plate, Jean says.

&ldquo;The onus is on the parent to tell others, &lsquo;We are trying to teach our children to make choices about this. We&rsquo;d like you to ask [if it&rsquo;s okay to give a hug or kiss] or offer a handshake instead and let [him or her] decide,&rsquo;&rdquo; explains Jean.

Some family members are not going to understand, Jean says. That doesn&rsquo;t mean you shouldn&rsquo;t make the connection for them. &ldquo;As older adults, we&rsquo;re going to have to come to terms with the fact that we don&rsquo;t have rights to children&rsquo;s bodies, even when we&rsquo;ve been their caretakers.&rdquo;

The right to have a choice is just as important for boys as it is for girls. However, Jean says, when girls in particular learn they have a right to decide what they are comfortable with, and they can practice it safely within their family system, they are more likely to take care of themselves as adults.

Teaching children they can decide if and how to demonstrate physical affection does not give them a license to be rude or impolite. They must still learn to say &#39;please&#39; and &#39;thank you,&#39; to greet people warmly and to express gratitude. However, Jean says, they don&rsquo;t need to be touched when they don&rsquo;t want to be.

Fortunately, Jean says, most children will want hugs and physical affection from grandparents and other people close to them. But, occasionally they won&rsquo;t. And, in those situations, she says, the child&rsquo;s preferences should prevail.

No, You Shouldn’t Force Your Kids to Hug Anyone

Physical punishment&mdash;punishment that involves spanking, slapping, hitting or pulling, also known as corporal punishment&mdash;is one way parents discipline their kids. But spanking and other physical forms of discipline may have lasting consequences for children&rsquo;s health and wellbeing.

A 2018 study published in the Journal of Pediatrics found that kids who were spanked, slapped or struck with an object as a form of punishment were more likely to have recently committed <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/relationship-abuse/slideshow/lasting-impact-physical-abuse">dating violence</a>.&nbsp;The study&rsquo;s authors surveyed 758 young people between the ages of 19 and 20-years old to draw that conclusion.

Other studies suggest that physical punishment is not even effective, and could take a toll on children&rsquo;s development. Physical discipline may also be associated with certain mood and anxiety disorders, substance abuse and personality disorders, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. A 2019 study, published in JAMA Network Open, supports this view. For the study, researchers analyzed data on 36,309 adults from the National Survey on Alcohol and Related Conditions. They found those who were subjected to child maltreatment, such as physical, emotional and sexual abuse or neglect, were more likely to exhibit antisocial behavior later in life. The same was true however, for those who weren&rsquo;t abused or neglected as kids but experienced harsh physical punishment, such as pushing, grabbing, shoving, slapping or hitting. The study&rsquo;s authors speculate that child abuse, physical punishment or both could account for nearly half of all antisocial behaviors among men and women in the United States.

So why are some parents still using this form of punishment and how bad is it really?

We talked to Felicia Nevarez, LCSW, a social worker at <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/group/medical-city-healthcare">Medical City Green Oaks Hospital</a> in Irving, Texas, to understand more about how physical punishment impacts a child, and the ways she recommends parents approach discipline instead.

Physical punishment: What is it exactly, and why exactly do parents use it? 
Physical punishment can be described as a type of punishment used to correct a child&rsquo;s behavior by way of physical force meant to cause pain or discomfort, says Nevarez. Spanking is one of the most common forms of physical punishment, but here are some of the others:

<ul>
	<li>Slapping, pinching or pulling</li>
	<li>Striking with an object like a paddle, belt, hairbrush, whip or stick</li>
	<li>Forcing a child to eat soap, hot sauce or any other unpleasant ingredients</li>
</ul>

Why do some parents choose to discipline their children this way? The answer to this question isn&rsquo;t a simple one. According to the 2015 Parenting in America report from the Pew Research Center, one out of six parents admit to using spanking as a form of discipline some of the time.

There are many factors at play when we talk about just how many parents are still using physical punishment&mdash;race, geographical location, college education and a history of physical punishment are all factors. According to the report, African American parents are more likely to spank than white, Asian Americans or Latino parents and those without a college education are more like than those with a bachelor&rsquo;s degree or graduate degree.

Choosing to physically punish your child may seem like the only option, especially if that&rsquo;s how you were punished as a child.

Nevarez hears comments like, &ldquo;I was spanked and I turned out fine&rdquo; all the time&mdash;but the fact of the matter is, it can have long-lasting effects. And, even parents who have tried to steer away from physically punishing their children may revert back to spanking or slapping when they get angry.

Negative impacts of physical punishment 
Over the years, there have been many studies intending to prove physical punishment can have short and long-term health effects on children. And it was in the 1990s when the connection between physical punishment and developmental problems first began.

In 2012, the Canadian Medical Association Journal published the report, Physical Punishment of Children: Lessons from 20 Years of Research, and the general consensus was that physical punishment:

<ul>
	<li>May increase the risk of developmental issues</li>
	<li>Cause aggression, especially towards parents, siblings or other children</li>
	<li>May prevent them from learning how to deal with anger or discomfort, so they revert to physical aggression in stressful situations</li>
	<li>Can confuse them&mdash;they may have trouble understanding why their caretaker is hurting them</li>
	<li>May lead to spousal violence and aggression later in life</li>
</ul>

And the 2019 study suggests that physical punishment and child maltreatment, occurring either separately or in conjunction with one another as a child, are associated with symptoms of antisocial personality disorder such as:

<ul>
	<li>Failure to conform to social norms; repeated commitment of unlawful behaviors resulting in arrests</li>
	<li>Deceitfulness, including repetitive lying, use of aliases or conning others for personal profit or pleasure</li>
	<li>Impulsivity or failure to plan ahead</li>
	<li>Irritability and aggressiveness, as indicated in repeated physical fights and assaults</li>
	<li>Reckless disregard for safety of self or others</li>
	<li>Consistent irresponsibility when it comes to work and financial obligations</li>
</ul>

The bottom line? Research shows that physical punishment does not provide positive benefits related to development or upbringing. In fact, it may even have negative effects during childhood, as well as adulthood.

You have to find the parenting style that&rsquo;s right for you 
Every parent has a different <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/mental-health-kids-safety/article/6-tips-for-parenting-a-troubled-child">parenting</a> style&mdash;and every child is completely different (different ages, different personalities and different stages of life) so a parenting style that works for your family, may not work with your neighbor&rsquo;s.

Here are some of the ways Nevarez recommends you approach discipline with your child:

Communicate about rules and expectations: Communicating effectively about what you want your child to do (or not do) is key. Talking through <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/health/family-relationships/rules-should-develop-for-family">family rules</a> (with a positive tone of voice) and why you&rsquo;ve established these rules will help them understand the correct behavior and the reasons you expect it.

Use positive reinforcement: In almost every parenting book, online resource or study, you&rsquo;ll read about the effects of positive reinforcement&mdash;that is, giving your child verbal praise for good behavior.

We all like positive reinforcement. Knowing that our loved ones&mdash;the ones that are caring for us&mdash;are pleased with our actions, makes us feel good, even as adults, says Nevarez. And the same holds true for your career&mdash;it&rsquo;s very likely you respond well to praise, and are motivated to keep up the good work. Kids react in the same way&mdash;if they receive praise for their behavior, that helps them behave appropriately, because they want to please the care taker, she adds.

When they do a good job with something, let them know and let them know why you&rsquo;re proud of them, too. Say things like, &ldquo;I think it&rsquo;s wonderful you&rsquo;re helping your little brother learn to ride a bike.&rdquo; In turn, they&rsquo;ll start to become more aware of what constitutes good behavior.

Give choices and consequences: It can also be helpful to give them choices, explain the consequences for those choices and follow through with those consequences, says Nevarez.

For example, you can say, &ldquo;You can choose to pick up your toys and then we can go outside. Or, you can choose to leave your toys out and later on, you&rsquo;ll have to take time to put things away, which won&rsquo;t leave much time to go outside.&rdquo; This can help the child understand that the consequence occurred because of the choice they made, rather than just because you&rsquo;re giving the consequence.

Stay calm: Whether you&rsquo;re setting rules, talking through consequences or giving praise, you always want to remain calm when talking with your child.

&ldquo;A child can hear anger and frustration in your voice, so if you&rsquo;re calm, they&rsquo;re going to better understand what you&rsquo;re discussing, which will encourage them to make better decisions,&rdquo; says Nevarez.

Parenting is hard work, but you don&rsquo;t have to go at it alone. <a href="https://www.healthychildren.org/english/family-life/family-dynamics/pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">HealthyChildren.org</a>, <a href="https://kidshealth.org/" target="_blank">KidsHealth.com</a> and <a href="https://www.boystown.org/parenting/Pages/default.aspx" target="_blank">BoysTown.org</a> are all great places to connect with other parents and get discipline tips from professionals.

Medically reviewed in January 2019.

Spank, Slap or Hit Your Kids? Your Parenting Style Could Cause Them Problems Later On

When Peter Townsend sang The Kids Are Alright in 1965, he was correct in assuming they were basically okay, but clueless about how kids are when it comes to figuring out what their peers are up to. A study reveals that jocks, burnouts, brainiacs, independents and the &ldquo;popular&rdquo; crowd all act about the same -- they just think they&rsquo;re distinctly different and that kids in other groups (and their own) are doing more potentially harmful activities than they are.

In the study, researchers asked kids how often members of groups other than theirs had sex, drank, <a href="https://www.sharecare.com/video/heart-health/quit-smoking/how-can-i-help-my-teen-stop-smoking">smoked cigarettes</a>, used drugs, studied and broke the law (shoplifting for example). They then asked kids in each group for an honest report on their own activities.

All kids overestimated what was going on. For example, everyone (including fellow jocks) thought jocks were drinking and having sex more often and that the burnouts were doing more drugs and breaking the law more, than any of them really were. In truth everyone studies more (except the brainiacs, who study less) than assumed, does fewer drugs, has less sex and acts less rebelliously than classmates think. Jocks and popular kids reported levels of sexual and illegal activities that were about the same as the burnout and brainy groups.

Understanding this -- and the fact that teens tend to emulate what they think others do -- lets parents talk about resisting peer pressure, and gives them a chance to help kids negotiate the perils of the teen years more successfully.

Medically reviewed in January 2020.