L A Parent Start Your Kids on a Heart-Healthy Path Skip to main content Close Select your preferred language English عربى 简体中文 繁體中文 فارسي עִברִית 日本語 한국어 Русский Español Tagalog Menu Close Call 1-800-CEDARS-1 toggle search form Close Los Angeles, 11 March 2019 09:41 AM America/Los_Angeles L A Parent Start Your Kids on a Heart-Healthy Path Heart healthy habits start in childhood, advises Michelle Kittleson, MD, PhD. Photo by Getty. Liebe, Munchen, Deutschland L.A. Parent recently interviewed Michelle Kittleson, MD, PhD, a cardiologist at the Smidt Heart Institute and a mother of three boys, about heart-healthy habits that parents should adopt for their children today to set them up for a healthier future. Kittleson told L.A. Parent that there are some simple ways to start forming heart healthy habits. Tip No. 1: Stop buying soda for your children. Instead, replace it with milk or water. "Once kids realize soda just isn't' there, they adapt. And they will get used to life without it," Kittleson told L.A. Parent. She also recommends keeping packaged sweets out of the house, planning exercise activities like a park playdate and setting a family rule that kids need to earn their screen time. "If you want to watch that half hour of TV per child per night, it means that you need to have cleaned up everything, you need to do a lesson in your lesson book, you need to have practiced your piano or you need to have run around and gotten some fresh air outside," Kittleson told L.A. Parent. Although heart problems in children are rare, Kittleson said there are signs parents should discuss with their pediatrician. "If you notice that your child isn't keeping up with other kids and doesn't seem to like exercise – not because they'd rather be on their screens, but just because they seem to not keep up and be short of breath – then it's always a good idea to discuss that with the pediatrician," Kittleson told the magazine. On your next visit to your child's pediatrician, Kittleson advises parent to ask the following three questions:Where do you think my kid is on the spectrum of healthy kids?Where are her/his behaviors on the spectrum of healthy behaviors?What could we do to make our family healthier? "I guarantee every pediatrician will be so happy to hear those questions," Kittleson said. Click here to read the complete article in L.A. Parent. Read more on the Cedars-Sinai Blog: Milk Mania: Cow vs. Soy vs. Nut. Contact the Media Team Email: [email protected] Contact Sally StewartAssociate Director, Media Relations; Editor-in-Chief of the Cedars-Sinai Newsroom sally.stewart@cshs.org Share this release L A Parent Start Your Kids on a Heart-Healthy Path Share on: Twitter Share on: Facebook Share on: LinkedIn Search Our Newsroom Social media Visit our Facebook page (opens in new window) Follow us on Twitter (opens in new window) Visit our Youtube profile (opens in new window) (opens in new window) Latest news 07 Oct 2022 - HealthDay: Black Women Less Likely to Get Laparoscopic Fibroid Surgeries 07 Oct 2022 - Faculty Publications: Sept. 29-Oct. 6 07 Oct 2022 - Fine-Tuning Organ-Chip Technology 06 Oct 2022 - KCRW: Want New Omicron Booster? Wait at Least 2 Months After Last Shot 05 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Schedules Free Flu Vaccine Clinics 04 Oct 2022 - Cedars-Sinai Showcases Hispanic and Latinx Art Newsroom Home