Back to School Advice from the StoneTree Naturopaths

It’s that time again! We asked each of our ND’s for their best tips for a successful school year. Here’s what they had to say.

From Dr. Bronwyn:

My tip is to be thoughtful about how much sleep your kids need (depending on age anywhere from 8-11 hours per night), and get to an earlier, consistent bedtime by working back in increments of 15-20 minutes per day/every few days.

Include a consistent pre-bedtime routine that does not include screens, rather quiet activities like reading/stories/coloring.

From Dr. Kendra:

No sugar cereal or juice for breakfast (replace with eggs or oatmeal and a green smoothie) and get back on your vitamin D supplement!

From Dr. Candice:

Ditch the plastic! Plastic containers can leach toxic chemicals into our food especially when heated. Use glass or stainless steel to pack lunches, snacks, and water for the day. Additionally, BPA (a known hormone-disrupting chemical) is found in the lining of many canned food items; when buying lunch supplies look for cans that say BPA free, cook your own legumes at home, and/or buy foods packaged in glass jars.

From Dr. Shelby:

Mornings are busy enough… pack lunch boxes/bags after dinner! Always include 2 colours of veggies (Eg cherry tomatoes, green beans, carrot sticks, sliced cucumber &/or red pepper, etc.)

From Dr. Maggie:

As tempting as it can be, don’t over-schedule your kids. Keep at least a few days/week free from scheduled activities to let them engage in creative play, activities of their choosing, or simply rest. And remember that September is overwhelming for everyone, especially school-aged children, so keep activities and extra-curriculars to a minimum at the beginning of the school year as they adjust to their new routines.

Have a great and healthy September!