(Provided photo)

It is hard to believe that I have been doing “First with Kids” for almost 29 years — but how time flies when you are having fun and trying to make a difference.

This week is my 1,500th column!

To commemorate this milestone, rather than focus on one topic, I thought I would count down my “Top 10” list of tips that I think do the most for keeping your children healthy — that’s one tip for every 150 articles.

Tip #10: Sleep safety. Remember that infants need a safe sleep environment to reduce their risk of sudden unexpected infant death. This means babies should be put to sleep alone on their backs in a crib free of clutter.

Tip #9: Wash your hands! To prevent the spread of germs from one person to another, the secret lies in everyone practicing good handwashing.

Tip #8: Eliminate or reduce smoking. To reduce the frequency of respiratory infections and breathing problems, try to stop smoking and/or vaping or at least reduce your children’s exposure to secondhand tobacco or vape smoke at home or in the car.

Tip # 7: Check the label. To ensure a healthy diet with adequate nutrients and avoidance of excess calories for your entire family, learn to read food labels and teach your children to do the same.

Tip #6: Limit screen time. To prevent obesity through less time sitting and snacking, limit the amount of video games and internet time spent daily by your children to less than two hours unless computer time is needed for schoolwork.

Tip #5: Get moving! To also help prevent obesity and promote good health, encourage at least 60 minutes a day of physical activities, especially those that the whole family can enjoy and do together.

Tip #4: Shine a light on your child’s strengths. To promote your child’s self-esteem and self-worth and make them less prone to being bullied or teased, focus on and reinforce the skills and activities that your child does well and not those that they don’t do well.

Tip #3: Lead by example. This tip is for parents — please be good role models in the behaviors you reflect in front of your children if you expect them to do the same.

Tip #2: Make safety a priority. This is a reminder for everyone in the family to prioritize safety such as fire-proofing your home, insisting on proper car seats, wearing seatbelts when traveling by car or helmets if by bike, and always encouraging safe play in sports and activities.

Tip # 1: Make and keep your appointments. Ensure the ongoing good health of all children by keeping all their scheduled medical and dental appointments and making sure immunizations are up to date.

Plus, one additional bonus tip …

That is to keep sending me your suggestions for future articles so that I can continue to make sure our region remains one of the healthiest and safest for our children and grandchildren for many years to come.

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Lewis First, MD, is Chief of Pediatrics at the Golisano Children’s Hospital at UVM Health and Chair of the Department of Pediatrics at the University of Vermont’s Larner College of Medicine. You can also catch “First with Kids” weekly on WOKO 98.9FM and MyNBC 5.