http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4838a3.htm

Since 1992, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has designated October as Child Health Month to increase public awareness of the value of preventive health care for children. This year, Child Health Day is October 4. To promote the health of the approximately 78 million children and teenagers in the United States, CDC recommends the following for children and parents.

Children should

• 1) learn to wash their hands to prevent infections;
  
• 2) eat breakfast before going to school;
  
• 3) not smoke and avoid the smoke of others; and
  
• 4) exercise and play safely and appropriately use protective gear.
  

Parents should

• 1) read to and be actively involved with their children;
  
• 2) get their children vaccinated;
  
• 3) get their children health-care insurance;
  
• 4) check for health hazards in their home and eliminate them;
  
• 5) place children weighing less than 40 lbs in child safety seats and all others in safety belts in rear seats of automobiles;
  
• 6) seek medical advice if their child is slow to learn; and
  
• 7) avoid tobacco use and limit alcohol use. In addition, women of childbearing age should take vitamins with folic acid to prevent certain birth defects.

Additional information about Child Health Month is available from AAP, telephone (847) 981-7871, or on the World-Wide Web at http://www.aap.org; http://salud.unm.edu/asthma/chm/Childmo.htm; http://www.census.gov/population/www/estimates/uspop.html; and http://www.hrsa.dhhs.gov/childhealth/outreach.htm .*

* References to sites of non-CDC organizations on the Internet are provided as a service to MMWR readers and do not constitute or imply endorsement of these organizations or their programs by CDC or the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. CDC is not responsible for the content of pages found at these sites.

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Information above taken from http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/mm4838a3.htm