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If you’re of a certain age, you remember the fat-free craze of the 1980s, when we all ate fat-free cheese on fat-free bread with fat-free turkey and wondered why it tasted terrible. (And we still gained weight.)

Many families are struggling to keep fit, especially with jobs and schoolwork increasingly taking place on screens at home. Because of physical distancing requirements, there aren’t as many opportunities for school team sports, and kids doing virtual learning aren’t getting PE classes at school. Think about how a brief walk to the school bus stop a few streets over and even walking between classes counts as daily exercise. Going from your bedroom to your computer hardly comes close as a substitute! 

Your kids likely have spent much of this past year camped in front of computer screens for virtual school, video chats and games — and not enough time running around in the great outdoors. But now that Florida’s weather has turned more pleasant, you may have more opportunities to prod them off the couch and back outside where exercise, sports and friends await. But has all that time inside left them vulnerable to injury? Even if your kids haven’t been doing the virtual school thing — and have remained active in recess, gym and sports — there are things you can do or encourage to reduce their risk of pulled muscles, twisted ankles and broken bones. 

Even with COVID-19 — the disease caused by the new strain of coronavirus — regularly in the news, a lot of unknowns still remain. Even with a steady string of updates, facts and statistics to digest each day, it’s difficult to know what to do or what to say inside the walls of your own home.

The “digital street” presents just as many safety challenges for children as the physical one. That’s why it’s so important to help your child develop a healthy relationship with technology, starting with the responsible use of their first phone.

Learning heart-healthy habits is crucial. 

As the new school year approaches, it’s important to discuss with your child about the upcoming changes that will be in place due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Limiting person-to-person contact is key to reducing spread of the virus. Yet healthy socialization and development still must be fostered among school-age children. How to keep young ones from touching surfaces and not their face is a difficult task, indeed — which is why hugs and handshakes will be discouraged for now. To ensure that social connections and well-being are maintained, other types of behaviors will be encouraged instead. 

With schools reopening, many parents will be returning to the workplace and relying on daycares and caregivers to look after their children. Many new public health precautions have been put in place to help limit the spread of COVID-19 in these settings. And there are steps you can take as a parent for your child to resume the benefits of socialization and education offered at daycares, while reducing their risk of infection.

Many parents and caregivers are aware of the safety basics in preventing children’s accidents such as burns. These include keeping young children out of the kitchen when cooking, placing pots and pans on back burners with handles turned inward and keeping hot beverage mugs out of the reach of toddlers. But some of the most serious and most common dangers lurk in not-so-obvious situations. This is especially concerning when you realize that every day, over 300 children receive emergency care for burns and that over 75 percent of these events could be prevented, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). 

If you notice your child is gaining weight, you might be tempted to suggest they use one of the many weight-loss apps that track food and exercise. But there are more dangers for kids using these apps than you may realize.