Put away the devices, pack the tissues, and get ready for start of school

With the school year starting soon for Townsville families, a return to routine and a game day exit strategy guaranteed a positive start Townsville University Hospital paediatrician Dr Jason Yates said today.

“In the lead-up to school, routine is king,” he said.

“Kids feel safe with routine including set bedtimes and mealtimes and that’s a good headspace to start school,” he said.

Dr Yates said for Preppie parents, starting school was a ‘mixed bag of emotions’.

“It’s excitement mixed with a little sadness and a bit of anxiety, shared between parent and child, about what this new adventure is going to bring,” he said.

Dr Yates said it was important parents stayed calm because kids were ‘little radars’ for parental anxiety.

“Be as measured and calm as you can; you may think you’re holding it together but your child will sense any worry on your part.

“Tears are okay but don’t linger over your goodbyes or come back for multiple hugs and kisses.

“It’s like ripping off a Band-Aid, it hurts a bit more to do it quickly but it settles down faster.”

Dr Yates said healthy habits, including good sleep and healthy lunchboxes, were key to children’s learning and emotional regulation.

“Lack of sleep has major cognitive impacts on children including an inability to lay down memory, mood instability, risk of metabolic disease, and difficulty listening and concentrating,” he said.

“Prep children need at least 10 hours sleep a night so parents should be aiming for a 7.30pm to 8pm bedtime.”

Dr Yates said children using devices in the lead-up to bed caused sleep disturbance and difficulty falling asleep.

“Parents need to remove electronic devices that emit blue light, including iPads, smartphones, and smart TVs, at least two hours before bedtime,” he said.

“The blue light mimics sunlight tricking the body into thinking it’s daytime and interfering with the release of melatonin, the body’s natural sleep hormone,” he said.

Dr Yates said lunchboxes should be healthy but uncomplicated.

“A sandwich, piece of fruit, fruit muffin, and yogurt are all easy and popular,” he said.

“It’s also important to stick with what your child likes to eat; if they don’t eat carrot sticks and hummus at home, they’re unlikely to eat them at school.”

Dr Yates said regular check-ins with children starting school ensured that parents were across any issues.

“Check in with your kids and if you notice any behaviour that is out of the ordinary like erratic moods or looking for excuses to not go to school, ask a few more questions, give them an extra degree of safety at home, and encourage them to find their voice,” he said.

“If you’re still worried, quietly check in with the teacher,” he said.

Dr Yates said while he welcomed the recent ban on social media for children under 16, he urged parents to be aware of lesser-known digital platforms.

“There are other modes of digital media, including gaming programs and apps, that encourage social interaction but sometimes this interaction is not what our kids should be seeing, doing, or saying.

“While the manufacturers of games like Roblox have some impressive algorithms that pick up on anti-social text and language, they’re not perfect and parents need to be on the ball,” he said.

“Online is so much more than it used to be but devices, including Apple and Android, have inbuilt age restrictions and child protection software that parents can set to not share photos or access certain content.”

Dr Yates said parents also needed to be aware of predatory online behaviour.

“Devices are a gateway to our children’s private world and we wouldn’t accept someone we didn’t know walking into our children’s rooms so we shouldn’t accept it online,” he said.

“Parents need to be monitoring online interactions even if their kids aren’t fans of the idea.

“It’s okay not to be the cool parent on this one.”