Dr. M.J. Bazos, MD, Patient Handout
10 Year Old Anticipatory Guidance

• Supervise the child's activities with peers. Be a role model for the child by having a healthy lifestyle.
• Ensure that the child gets adequate sleep.
• Encourage regular physical activity.
• Enforce reasonable television and music standards.
• Supervise the child's personal care and hygiene.
• Counsel the child about avoiding the use of alcohol, tobacco, and drugs. Ensure that the child's school curriculum includes information about substance abuse.
• Reinforce important safety considerations. Anticipate that the child may make errors in judgment due to increased risk-taking behavior. Anticipate providing less direct supervision.
• Ensure that the child wears a seat belt in the car at all times.
• Reinforce with the child safety rules for swimming pools. Teach the child how to swim.
• Keep the child's environment free of smoke. Test smoke detectors to ensure that they work properly. Change batteries yearly.
• Reinforce with the child safety rules for the home, including what to do when home alone. Discuss visitors, not tying up the telephone for long periods of time, and what to do in case of fire or other emergencies. Conduct fire drills at home.
• Ensure that guns, if in the home, are locked up and that ammunition is stored separately.
• Reinforce safety rules for bicycles. Ensure that the child always wears a helmet when riding a bicycle.
• Reinforce sports safety with the child, including the need to wear protective sports gear such as a mouth guard or a face protector.
• Teach the child to avoid high noise levels, especially when using music headsets.