Your 12-14 year-old (Pre)Teen
Diet:
·
Offer
3 regular meals and healthy snacks. Eat meals as a family if
possible. Serve whole grain breads, cereals, and other grain
products. Proteins in the form of lean meats, chicken, fish, and
beans should be provided. Emphasize breakfast as the most important
meal.
·
Try
to avoid high fat, low nutrient foods such as candy, chips, soft
drinks, or energy/sport drinks.
·
Your
(pre)teen should drink 16-24 oz. of skim or low fat milk each day.
Other dairy products, like yogurt and cheese are important for
calcium needs. If milk is not consumed or “only with
cereal”-substitute calcium fortified juice or ask about calcium
supplementation.
·
Multivitamins may be used if your teen’s diet is consistently
inadequate.
·
Express any concerns about weight such as “preoccupation with
weight”/body image/eating/food choices with your provider.
Sleep:
·
Maintenance of a regular bedtime during the week and also on the
weekends is very important for a (pre)teen. Between 12-14 years of
age, 9-10 hours of sleep each night is recommended. Catching up on
weekends is not ideal.
Development:
·
Regular physical activity/exercise is very important. Be active with
your (pre)teen. Current recommendations are for 60 minutes/day. It
does not have to be all at once.
·
Peer
relationships and acceptance in a peer group become increasingly
more important. Your (pre)teen may need some guidance handling peer
pressure. There is tremendous power and energy amongst their peer
group, early adolescents may shun caution and engage in risky
behaviors to satisfy curiosity.
·
Signs
of puberty may have already appeared. Talk to your teen about body
changes and his/her feelings. Use correct terminology. Your
(pre)teen is preoccupied and anxious about the physical changes in
his/her body and may be overly critical of these changes- boost body
image. Beware! Your (pre)teen may wish for more privacy at this
time!
·
Answer questions about sex and about physical/emotional feelings in
an open, honest manner. Start talking about relationships when
issues arise on television, at school or with friends. Be open and
nonjudgmental, but be honest about your personal views.
·
Your
(pre)teen may wonder “am I normal” and “no one understands” – let
them know in words and actions that you care and have had similar
feelings.
·
Prepare/talk to your daughter about her menstrual cycle- encourage
her to plot its regular (or irregular) occurrence on a monthly
calendar.
Safety:
·
 Your
12-14
year-old should be secured in a lap/shoulder restraint in the
back seat. Be a role model and buckle up too!
·
Use
PABA-free sunscreen with SPF >15. Avoid tanning salons.
·
Keep
guns and ammunition locked in separate places.
·
If
your (pre)teen is a non-swimmer, enroll in organized swimming
lessons. Knowing how to “swim” does not ensure safety in or near
water. Supervision is still recommended. Your teen should be taught
where and how to dive safely.
·
Use a
properly fitted bicycle helmet and protective gear and teach
bicycle/roller-blade/scooter safety. Teach the “rules of the road”
when on foot, in a car, or on a bicycle (wear a helmet!).
·
Use
appropriate protective equipment during sports – helmet, mouth
guard, and shatterproof eye gear.
·
Discuss avoidance of tobacco, alcohol, drugs (including inhalants
and diet pills), and guns. Keep an open line of communication about
the hazards and the side effects- be a good role model. Clearly
discuss rules and expectations for acceptable behavior with these
substances in open conversations with your pre-adolescent.
General Parental
Guidance:
·
Schedule dental visits every 6 months, brush twice a day. Flossing
everyday is just as important.
·
Rules
and expectations should be discussed, clarified, and enforced.
Assign household chores with an allowance. Parental monitoring
remains critical to ensure that young teens remain safe while
gradually becoming more independent in their activities outside the
home. The new freedom of your early adolescent may represent
opportunities to mature in new responsibilities and develop and
utilize their strong decision-making skills. Mood swings and
attempts at independence may trigger volatile arguments and rule
challenges at home. Attempt to play the role of “authoritative”
parent by being accepting and firm but democratic. Authoritative
parents who have a balanced approach with unconditional love,
combined with clear boundaries (family rules, limits and
expectations) and consistent enforcement of discipline are building
a strong lasting protective bond. It is these family ties that are
the single most protective “risk behavior reducing factor” in middle
and late adolescence.
·
Limit
the amount of TV and monitor the types of shows your child watches.
Limit computer and video games. Set reasonable rules and guidelines
for tv/computer use and post them in the house.
·
 The
computer should be in a prominent location in the house to monitor
your child’s internet activity. Teach your (pre)teen to never give
out identifying information-home address, school name, or telephone
numbers while chatting. Get to know the services and websites that
your child uses. Get to know their “online friends” just as you
would all of their other friends. Find out what types of information
the site offers and whether there are ways to block objectionable
material. Encourage your (pre)teen to tell you if they encounter
messages that are suggestive, obscene, threatening or make your
child feel uncomfortable. SHAPE \* MERGEFORMAT
·
Spend
time with your teen everyday - encourage reading and hobbies, take
an interest in your (pre)teen’s day at school, and get to know your
teen’s friends. Develop a pattern of communication and support him
as an independent person. Make time every day to talk (mealtime,
bedtime, drive to school time) about lots of things not just the
unpleasant topics.
·
Do
not over schedule your (pre)teen. Too many activities outside of
school can be stressful for the whole family. Family and “down”time
are important.
·
Help
your teen learn about healthy lifestyles – hygiene, exercise and
good nutrition. Early adolescence is a key period for engaging
active participation in promoting optimal nutrition, physical
activity, academic initiative, and emotional wellbeing. Try to be a
good role model.
·
Teens
over 13 years of age can baby-sit after taking a babysitting class.
At Today’s and Each
Yearly Checkup:
·
Your (pre)teen will have a physical examination and have a
chance to ask confidential questions. Your questions and concerns
will be answered. A routine urinalysis will be done. Your (pre)teen
may be taught how to perform breast/testicular self exam.
·
Your
(pre)teen may need a tuberculosis skin test, tetanus with pertussis
booster (Tdap), Varicella booster (chicken pox), meningitis
(Menactra)
vaccine,
female patients may need a Human Papilloma virus vaccine (Gardasil).
Hepatitis A vaccine is now available for your (pre)teen.
·
 (Pre)Teen’s
Acetaminophen Dose:
Every 4-6 hours & no more than 5 doses/day
60-71 lb.= 2 ½ tsp 2 ½ 160 mg chewtabs
72-95 lb.= 3 tsp.; 3 160 mg chewtabs; 1
325 mg
96-119 lb.=4 160 mg chewtabs; 2 325 mg
·
(Pre)teen’s Ibuprofen Dose:
Every 6-8 hours & no more than 3 doses/day
60-71 lb.=2 ½ tsp.,
2 ½ 100 mg chews, 1 200 mg
72-95 lb.=3 tsp., 3
100 mg chews, 1 200 mg
96-119lb.= 4 100 mg
chews, 2 200 mg tabs
Additional
Reading:
The Care &
Keeping of You - The Body Book for Girls
American Girl Books
Girls: What's So Bad About Being Good? How to Have Fun, Survive the Preteen
Years, and Remain True to Yourself
Additional
Instructions:
|
