Age: 7 Years

Important information about your 7-8 year old

Family

Ask your child about their school, activities, and about their worries. Tell them to talk to you or an adult if they are being bullied. Make a quiet space for your child to do their homework away from the TV. Maintain family routines, and try visiting parks, museums and libraries regularly. Be sure to spend separate special time with your child if there are other siblings.

Development

Help your child deal with their emotions by modeling good behavior and habits. Discuss rules with your child and talk about consequences. Give your child chores and let them do things for themselves. Watch for body changes in your child and answer any questions they may have about their changing bodies.

Health

Do not allow more than 1 hour of screen time a day. Monitor what they are watching and tell them not to share personal information online. No TV in the bedroom or meals in front of the screen (phone, tablet, TV). Daily exercise is important for your child. Make it a family routine to play outside every day. Your child should brush their teeth twice a day and floss once a day. As your child gets older, they will still need plenty of sleep. They should sleep 9 to 12 hours a night.

Eating

Make sure your child eats 3 meals and 2-3 healthy snacks a day. Teach them to eat when hungry and stop when satisfied. Have snacks ready for your child like fruits, vegetables, turkey/cheese roll-up, and plain or vanilla yogurt (avoid snacks like yakult or danonino). Children need 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day. Half of every meal should be fruits and vegetables. Limit juice to 4 oz a day and no soda. Make sure your child is eating a healthy breakfast.

Safety

When riding in the car, your child should always be using a booster seat in the backseat. When riding their bike, they must always wear a helmet. Get to know your child’s friends and teach your child about peer pressure. Teach your child about “stranger danger”. Tell them that no adult should ask them to keep secrets and no one should touch/see their private parts. Remove firearms from home or lock the firearm and ammunition in separate locations. Your child should wear sunscreen when outdoors.

Poison Control: 1-800-222-1222

After Hours and Weekends
After 4:00 PM and before 8:00 AM
For medical advice when People’s is closed call After Hours Nurse line at 512-478-4939

Download PDF here.

Family Safety Checklist

Hey kids! How many of these does your family do?

    • Our family buckles up on every car ride
    • We always wear helmets when bicycling
    • We never cross the street alone
    • Adults always watch us carefully in or near water
    • We always wear life preservers or life jackets in boats, canoes, kayaks, and tubes
    • The hot water in our house is not too hot to touch (not hotter than 120° Fahrenheit)
    • Our home has working smoke detectors. We check the batteries every month.
    • Our family has window guards or rails to keep us from falling out of windows, down the stairs, or off of play equipment
    • We can’t reach cleaners, medicine, or vitamins
    • Our home has emergency phone numbers near the telephones and first aid supplies
Download Checklist

Healthy Eating for Preschoolers

Get your child on the path to healthy eating.

Offer a variety of healthy foods.MyPlate graphic from choosemyplate.gov
Choose foods from each MyPlate food group. Pay attention to dairy foods, whole grains, and vegetables to build healthy habits that will last a lifetime.

Be mindful of sweet drinks and other foods.
Offer water instead of sugary drinks like regular soda and fruit drinks. Other foods like hot dogs, burgers, pizza, cookies, cakes, and candy are only occasional treats.

Focus on the meal and each other.
Your child learns by watching you. Let your child choose how much to eat of foods you provide. Children copy your likes, dislikes, and your interest in trying new foods.

Be patient with your child.
Children enjoy food when eating it is their own choice. Some new foods take time. Give a taste at first and wait a bit. Let children serve themselves by taking small amounts. Offer new foods many times.

Cook together.

Eat together.

Talk together.

Make meal time family time.

Download Checklist

Family Safety Checklist for Parents

The #1 Health Risk for kids ages 14 and under is injuries. Follow these simple steps in this checklist to keep your family safe.

Tips for:

Traffic Injuries

Water Injuries and Drowning

Injuries at Home

Poisoning and Emergencies

Download Checklist

Healthy Basics: Be Active

Have fun moving your body!

Being active can be fun! Find something you like to do with your friends and family and… HAVE FUN!

Remember: you need to be active for one hour each day. It doesn’t have to be all at once.

Examples:

Dance | Walk | Skate

Join a team | Hike | Play

Kick a Ball | Run | Swim

How can I be active?

Being active is moving around or exercising!! It is moving your arms and legs enough to make your heart beat hard and fast. It gives you energy and keeps you healthy!

Why be active?

  • Being active makes your heart strong and healthy!
  • Being active keeps you from gaining too much weight.
  • Being active makes your bones and muscles strong!
  • Being active cheers you up and helps you feel good about yourself.

Get moving!

  • Get up!
  • Turn off the TV
  • Put down the video games

Healthy Basics: Eating Healthy

Be Smart: How to Eat Healthy

  • Eat slowly. Chew each bite well.
  • Turn off the TV when you eat.
  • Sit down to eat.
  • When you can, eat with your family.
  • Eat breakfast, lunch, and dinner every day.
  • Choose healthy snacks:
    • Raw vegetables
    • Piece of fruit
    • Yogurt
    • Low-fat cheese

How much food is good for me?

A plate of too little food

Too little food

A plate with a healthy amount of food

Just right

A plate overloaded with too much food

Too much food

Eat Right to be a Healthy Kid of Any Size

Eat all kinds of food each day

  • Over half your body is made of water!
  • Choose water instead of soda or juice.
  • Drink low-fat or skim milk.
  • Chips and sweets are treats – try not to eat them more than once a day.
  • Eat lots of fruits and vegetables every day.
  • Make your plate a rainbow!

Why is it cool and smart to eat healthy foods?

  • To make your body strong
  • To help you grow
  • To let your brain grow
  • To give you energy to play
  • To help your body heal

Children of all body sizes can be healthy

Size is not the same as health. Talk to your health care provider about what size is right for you.

Do you know why children are different sizes?

Your size depends on many things:

  • What you eat and drink.
  • The kind of work or play you do.
  • The size of your mother and father.

Making fun of someone’s size is never OK. Healthy children come in all sizes!

Healthy Basics: Healthy Teeth Bright Smiles

How do I keep my teeth and mouth clean and safe?

  • Brush teeth twice a day every day
  • Use toothpaste, floss and rinse with water
  • Get help from a grown-up
  • Eat and drink healthy meals and snacks
  • Avoid sticky and sweet snacks
  • Visit a dentist!

Dental Health means keeping means keeping your mouth and teeth clean, safe and free from germs

Why is it important?

  • Helps you chew your food, talk clearly and smile brightly.
  • Prevents holes in your teeth and bleeding from your gums.
  • Prevents pain in your mouth.

Brushing your teeth keeps you healthy.

What do I need?

Toothbrush laying on blue background

Toothbrush

Toothpaste laying on blue background

Toothpaste

Floss laying on blue background

Floss

How to Brush your Teeth

Child applying toothpaste onto toothbrush

STEP ONE

Put toothpaste on brush.

Child brushing teeth with toothbrush

STEP TWO

Gently brush teeth on all sides, gums, and tongue. Rinse.

Child mouth with floss between teeth

STEP THREE

Floss between teeth to remove food bits.

Child rinsing mouth with water

STEP FOUR

Rinse well two or three times.

Smiling child after brushing teeth

STEP FIVE

Smile!

Gun Safety

Gun Safety is Important!

Did you know that one-third of all families in American that have children also have guns?

Teach your children that they should not touch guns.

If they see a gun, they should leave it alone and tell an adult.

Talk to your child about the difference between real and fake or toy guns.

  • Real people can get hurt or killed if real guns are used.
  • The guns on TV and in video games are fake and people are pretending or not real.
  • Some toy guns look very real. Even adults can’t always tell the difference.
  • The best rule is not to touch any guns.

Parent talking to child about gun safetyIf your children play at another home, talk to the parents about gun safety.

Treat every gun as if it were loaded.

Always store guns unloaded.

Lock guns in a rack or safe, and hide the keys or combination.

Store bullets away from guns and keep them locked.

Don’t keep guns in your home if someone in your family may be violent, or has a mental illness or severe depression.

Domestic Violence is a Crime

Domestic Violence is a Crime

It may begin gradually as verbal or emotional attacks. It can start when your pregnant or when your baby is born. However, domestic violence is not okay.

What is Abuse?

  • Emotional Abuse
    • Constant criticism and jealousy
    • Making you feel bad and blaming you for when you are not at fault
    • Being lied to, punished, or threatened
  • Isolation
    • Preventing you from seeing friends or family
    • Your partner is very jealous of anyone else in your life
  • Threats
    • Your partner threatens your family, friends, pets, or property
  • Economic Abuse
    • Your control over money or income is threatened
  • Physical Abuse
    • Pushing, slapping, kicking, biting, restraining, use of weapon against your, or having things thrown at you
  • Sexual Abuse
    • You are forced to have sex or your partner refuses to practice birth control
  • Property Destruction
    • Smashing, destroying, stealing, or damaging things you value

Truths About Abuse

  • No one deserves abuse
  • Domestic violence is not mutual – it is not just an argument or a lover’s quarrel.
  • People who stay in abusive relationships do not enjoy violence – leaving is not simple, some people are too frightened while others hope the abuse will stop.
  • Abuse can be found in all parts of the community – people from any social group can be abused.
  • There is no excuse for violent behavior – violence is a choice, the abusive person is responsible for their actions.

If You are a Victim or a Survivor of Abuse

You are not to blame for another person’s violence.

You have the right to a safe, healthy relationship.

You deserve to be treated with respect.

Make a safety plan in case you need to leave quickly.

Establish contacts with friends/family to go to in an emergency.

Consider getting a protective order to protect yourself.

A pregnant belly being cradled by female hands

Abuse and Pregnancy

For 1 of every 3 women who are abused, the first abuse happens during pregnancy

An unhealthy relationship is not just physically hurtful. All abuses are dangerous to your well being and the well being of your unborn child.

Being abused before or during your pregnancy increases your risk of miscarriage, anemia, infections, bleeding during the first two trimesters, and having a low birth weight baby.

One hand reaching out and grabbing another in support

Reach Out for Support

  • You are not alone. Support and help are here.
  • Call the Safe Place 24 hour help line: 512-267-7233
  • National Domestic Violence Hotline: 1-800-700-7233
  • Austin Police Department Victim Services: 512-974-5037
  • Texas Department of Family and Protective Services: 1-800-252-5400
  • United Way Capitol Area: 211.
  • Dial 911 in an emergency.

This brochure is based on information provided by Safe Place.

Choosing the Right Seat for Your Child

REAR FACING CAR SEAT

  • Children under the age of 2 years should ride in an infant-only carrier-type rear facing car seat in the back seat.
  • Convertible car seats can also be used, but the rear facing setting should be used for children under 2 years old and under the maximum requirement for rear facing.

Illustration of a rear facing car seat

FORWARD FACING CAR SEAT

  • Forward-facing car seats are for children between 2-4 years old and 40-80 pounds.
  • Forward-facing car seats should only be used in the back seat.

Illustration of a forward facing car seat

BOOSTER SEAT

  • Booster seats should be used with children after age 4 and over 40 pounds.
  • Booster seats must be used with the adult lap and shoulder belt.
  • Booster seats should only be used in the back seat.

Illustration of a booster seat

SEAT BELT

  • Seat belts can be used after age 10 and your child is 4’9” tall.
  • Lap belts should be positioned low over the hips and tops of thighs.
  • Shoulder belt should cross the center of the shoulder and chest.

Illustration of a seat belt in a car

ALL children younger than age 13 should ride properly restrained in the back seat.

NEVER place a car seat in the front passenger seat.

For additional information and assistance contact EMS Car Safety Checks and Infant Safety Education at 512-972-7233 or www.atcems.org.

For other car seat check option call Dell Children’s Medical Center 512-324-8687 or Safe Riders 1-800-252-8255.

Never leave a child alone in a car!