3 keys to improving your child’s health

Raising kids seems so complicated. Parents can feel overwhelmed with advice from family and friends, offering convincing but often contradictory advice about how to be the best possible parent.

Perhaps it’s not all that difficult. What if you could focus on only a few key issues, and ignore the noise from the rest of the experts?

This may now be possible. Fascinating research just published in the journal Lancet Child and Adolescent Health discovered three keys to improving children’s cognition — sleep, exercise, and restriction of screen time.

The researchers studied 4,500 children between the ages of 8 to 11. They assessed whether the kids met predetermined guidelines and then correlated those results with children’s global cognition. The five percent of kids who met all three standards had a significantly higher cognitive functioning in language, memory, attention and processing speed. Thirty percent of the kids met none of the three guidelines.

This is one of the first scientific studies to show a direct correlation between three lifestyle habits and subsequent cognitive performance. These guidelines are connected. In a separate survey conducted by Mott Children’s Hospital, 56 percent of parents attributed their teens’ sleep problems to their use of electronics and social media.

These experts are telling us to focus on sleep, exercise, and limiting screen time. It seems pretty simple.

However, why did only five percent of the kids meet the recommended standards?

Our lives feel so hectic. We confuse being busy with doing meaningful things.

We mistake doing more with doing better. One of my standard questions during a clinical interview is to ask kids what they would like to change about themselves and their parents. Years ago, children would typically say that their parents were “mean” or “argue too much.” Today, the most common answer I get is that kids wish they didn’t have so many after-school activities like dance, sports lessons, etc.

Change happens in small steps, not gigantic leaps. Here are a few suggestions for acting on this research.

1. Change is a family affair. Reflect for a moment about your family life, and the myriad activities that consume you. Some are meaningful. Many are not. Your children won’t change unless you do a better job of focusing on what matters.

2. Take a small step.

It won’t work if you suddenly try to enforce new bedtime rules, expectations for exercise, and restrictions on electronics. Where should you start? I’d suggest you begin with limiting screen time. While fun and entertaining, electronics may be one of the biggest threats to your kids’ overall mental health.

Maybe parenting isn’t that complicated after all.

E-cigarettes

Dr. Ramey is the executive director of Dayton Children's Hospital's Pediatric Center for Mental Health Resources and can be contacted at Rameyg@childrensdayton. org.

Dear Heloise: We are moving after being in our house for a long time. How can I find a reliable mover?

I don’t know where to start. — Terry from Texas

Dear Terry: Moving is a big step, and it can be expensive.

Doing your homework is key.

First contact the American Moving & Storage Association (www.moving.org). They certify movers to make sure that you are getting a professional operator. Then take these steps:

1. Make sure you fully understand the bid. Get a binding estimate rather than a “guestimate,” where the price might be higher than the quote.

2. Read the fine print carefully, so you know precisely what’s included.

3. Consider purchasing extra insurance, if that is an option, in order to have plenty of coverage for potential damages.

P.S.: If you can move in the off-season, from around April through September, prices will be lower. — Heloise

Knife knowledge

Dear Heloise: I have just gotten married, and I’m starting to cook. How many knives do I need in my new kitchen? What kind? — Becky from Illinois

Dear Becky: Most cooks know that it’s important to have a good, sharp knife to take care of kitchen cooking. In fact, you only need three basic knives to do your culinary duties when you begin cooking. You may add more as your skills develop. Here are the basics:

1. A long chef ’s knife will be key for chopping and slicing.

2. A paring knife with a 2- to 4-inch blade will be good for peeling vegetables and fruits.

3. A serrated knife is essential for slicing bread.

— Heloise

Spilling liquids on keyboard

Dear Readers: All of us eat drink and eat around our computers, although it’s not the best idea. And, of course, accidents do happen. If you spill liquid into your keyboard, act quickly. Shut the computer down and disconnect the keyboard. If the liquid is a non-sticky beverage and it’s not a big amount, turn the keyboard upside down to drain out as much of the liquid as you can. A hair dryer will help to dry out the keyboard, but don’t hold it too close. Be sure to move the dryer around. Wipe off any leftover moisture with a clean cloth.

— Heloise

New breakfast ideas

Dear Heloise: My children are tired of the same old breakfast foods. Do you have any ideas for something else I can feed them? — Emily from Connecticut

Dear Emily: Yes, I do. For example, you can put cut-up fruit and yogurt in ice-cream cones, or you can make this crunchy breakfast bread.

Mix together 2 lightly beaten eggs, 1/2 cup chunky peanut butter, 1/4 cup honey and 2/3 cup of non-fat dry milk powder. Add 3 cups of your child’s favorite dry, pebble-type cereal. Spread onto a greased 8-inch pan and bake for 20 minutes at 325 degrees. Cool and cut into bars. — Heloise

Send a money-saving or timesaving hint to Heloise, P.O. Box 795000, San Antonio, TX 78279-5000, or you can fax it to 1-210-HELOISE or email it to Heloise@Heloise. com. I can’t answer your letter personally but will use the best hints received in my column.