It was back-to-school for New York students this week, but there was a new policy in place. This year, a new policy went into effect, and students are being weighed as part of their health certificate. The data will enable health officials to map childhood overweight and obesity trends based on location.

There are 12 other states -- Arkansas, California, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Iowa, Missouri, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, and West Virginia -- with some form of student BMI reporting.

As a parent, I'm not overtly opposed to it. In fact, I remember getting weighed in gym class and during all of my physicals in order to play school sports. I do have a couple of concerns, though. I would hope that student privacy is maintained and their weight isn't being taken in a line where all the kids could see the number on the scale. I would also hope that health and a positive body image is being promoted -- the self esteem of children can be a fragile thing and I hope it's being protected.

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When my son and I go shopping, we always buy 100% fruit drinks for his school lunches. No matter how many times I insist on the 100% varieties, my son is always drawn to the sugary options. I know why, too. It seems as if the 100% juice products are packaged to attract parents -- with images of fruit and so forth. The sugar-added varieties are packaged to attract kids -- my son is drawn to the pouches that have surfers and skateboarders on their packages. But I insist on 100% juice. After all, fruit juice is sweet enough as it is... why would anyone need added sugar?

Healthcastle recommends the five top drinks to pack in your child's lunch box:

• Milk. If the school provides milk, you may want to send your child with the money to purchase milk there. (If you're opposed to chocolate milk, be sure to educate your child on that.) If you pack milk cartons, use an insulated lunch box and a freezer pack to keep the milk properly chilled.
• Yogurt drinks. Try freezing yogurt drinks before packing in your child's lunch box. By lunch time they'll still be chilly, but thawed enough to drink.
• Water. Always the best option for hydration, fill a reusable water bottle with water and ice each morning.
  
• 100% juice. There's no reason for the added sugar, so if you're going to pack juice make sure to purchase one that's labeled 100%. Keep in mind that 100% juice is still high in sugar, so don't let your child sip on these all day. One at lunch is enough.
  
• Soy drinks. Be sure to pick a soy drink that is calcium-fortified, lightly flavored, and lower in sugar.

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As Jacki pointed out last week, sleep is important for children's health. I can totally relate to her post about strict bedtimes ... we're going through this right now ourselves. After a long summer of lazy evenings spent with little regard to bedtime (and peaceful mornings where the kids slept in!), we now have to be up, at the latest, at 7 A.M. each morning.

Because my kids are still quite young, I know that they still need 10 to 12 hours of sleep a night. It's not easy getting them to bed early (my goal is 7:30), but I know that if we don't stick to the new bedtime routine, I'll have sleepy, grouchy kids who aren't getting what they need to be healthy.

So how much sleep do kids need? It depends on their age and their individual needs. My girls should be getting 10 to 12, but I know from experience that 12 is really optimum for them. Kids Health has a great article on sleep guidelines for kids. As a general rule:

• 0-6 months: Newborns may sleep up to 16-20 hours a day, split between day and night.
• 6-12 months: Between naps and nighttime, babies this age may sleep 15-16 hours a day.
• 1-3 years: Toddlers need 10 to 13 hours of sleep, including a nap
• 3-5 years: Preschoolers will sleep about 10 to 12 hours a night, and may start to drop their nap.
• 6-9 years: These kids still need about 10 hours a night.
• 10 to 12: Aim for a little more than 9 hours per night.
• Teens: Not quite adults, teens still need about 8.5 to 9 hours per night.
  

Of course, these are only guidelines. There are children who will need more sleep, as well as those who thrive on less. But in general, making sleep a priority will help your child be healthy and alert for whatever their day holds.

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Across the country this morning, kids are heading off to their first day of school. Hopefully, they're hitting the books with a solid, nutritious breakfast in their stomachs. Research shows that not only do breakfast eaters tend to eat fewer calories overall during the day, but kids who eat breakfast are more alert, do better academically, and feel better all around.

Not everyone is a morning person, however, and not everyone is a breakfast eater. That can make getting a good breakfast into a child or teen challenging. One way around a reluctant eater is the smoothie. Smoothies can pack an enormous nutritional punch, are easy to make, and are simple for kids to grab and go.

Diet-Blog has the basics on smoothie-making for beginners, as well as a few easy recipes. Once you get the hang of making smoothies, it's easy to play around with flavor and ingredients. You might even be able to turn a tween or teen on to the process, and before you know it, they'll be whipping up their own smoothies!

If cleaning a blender scares you off of smoothies, consider a product like the Shake and Take blender, which allows smoothie-lovers to mix up a single serving smoothie in a grab-and-go cup with straw and lid.

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There are certain times of year that make it easy to start fresh with new habits. Fall is one of them.

CancerProject.org recently put out an ad about the connection between colon cancer and processed meats. The ad (which you can watch below) depicts school kids announcing that they have colon cancer, interspersed with images of hot dogs, pizza, and sliced ham, which are all common hot lunch offerings. Studies show that adults who frequently eat processed meats have an increased risk of developing colon cancer.

Critics point out that the children in the ad don't actually have cancer, something some may find misleading. They also say that studies have been done on adults, not children, and that an occasional hot dog hasn't been implicated in an increased risk of the disease.

But here's my argument. Kids who eat hot lunch every day AREN'T getting an occasional serving of processed meat. They're eating them every day. The menu at our school reads like this: hot dog, pizza, meat gravy, chicken nuggets, sliced ham... all with french fries or mashed potatoes. Every week. Though there might not be a direct link between these kinds of meals and colon cancer, this is obviously poor nutrition, and we're serving it to millions of school kids every day.

I'm not sure how I feel about this ad, but I do think our hot lunch programs need a serious overhaul. What do you think?

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Don't have time to exercise as a family? Try making TV a weekend-only activity.

With the start of school just around the corner, it might be time for that annual trip to buy a new backpack for your child. Parent Center has put together a list of tips to help you choose the right backpack, and also to teach your child how to properly use his backpack, to avoid injury.

Some of the tips I found the most helpful and enlightening:

• Backpack loads should be no more than 15-20% off a child's body weight. The means if your kiddo weighs 45 pounds, her lunch, books, and goodies should never add up to more than 9 pounds. That doesn't seem like much, especially on library day!
• Teach your child to bend for his backpack with his knees, to protect from back injury.
• Pack the heavy items toward the middle of the pack, and teach kids to use both shoulder straps.

You can read the full list of backpack safety items on Parent Center, before you head out on your shopping trip.

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Summer is quickly drawing to a close, so why not take advantage of these last days before the school year starts and spend some fun, active time with your kids?

My son has been going to a great day camp this summer. He loves it, he gets tons of physical activity, and he's always filled with stories about the fun things he did. It's a great program. But, in some ways, the schedule keeps it from really feeling like summer at our house. So last week my son stayed home from camp. I still had to work, but I made sure we did at least one special, fun thing a day. We walked to the park and went fishing, visited the BMX track, stopped at the skate park, used a rock climbing wall, and went to the community center's pool. Even though we're nearing the end of the season, last week felt more like "summer" to me than any of the weeks before. I really enjoyed the special times with my son ... and I think he had a great time, too.

Summer fun doesn't necessarily mean time-consuming, expensive outings either. Check out the gallery to see some fun ideas of easy, low-cost activities to do with your kids. For more kid-oriented, summer fitness opportunities, check out this great article by Ace Fitness.

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Back-to-school means back to sitting in desks all day, a good time to remind kids about posture.

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My son has an excess of energy, so I don't know if he's a good example for a general statement. But if your kids are active from the minute they wake up in the morning, until right before bed, then your kids and my son have a lot in common.

When school starts in a few weeks, I know my son will have a rough transition. Given a choice, he'd love to be out riding his bike and playing kickball year-round. And physical activity has such a positive impact on his mood, behavior, and ability to focus. To help keep his activity levels as high as possible, we'll start the same routine we used last year.

• Before school, we'll head to the backyard (as long as the weather permits) and practice soccer moves, he'll ride around the block on his bike, or I'll throw him some pitches. In the winter, we'll have a.m. Dance, Dance, Revolution contests or I'll set up a relay race through the house for him.

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More than ever, kids are arriving at school by car or bus. Here's how to get kids back on their feet.

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Back-to-school is right around the corner. Not only will kids everywhere be getting back into their daily school routine, parents will find themselves adjusting their routines as well. Extra-curricular activities, homework, and the daily grind of getting every to and from school each day can put a pretty severe limit on a family's free time.

Being too busy is one of the most common reasons people give for not exercising. Don't let your summer exercise routine falter this fall. Instead, plan to make exercise a priority. Find an empty place on your calendar several days a week and write in your workout... in pen. Keep in mind that exercise doesn't have to happen in a gym or in a committed 45 minute chunk. Walking at lunch, bike riding with the kids after school, or any other activity that raises your heart rate and gets you moving will count.

Need some help getting organized? About.com and Buzzle both have great tips for maintaining your workout routine once school starts.

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