Back To School Checklist: Doctor Appointments, Bedtime Routines & Healthy Snacks

NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Back to school means it's time to start getting ready -- not just with clothes, notebooks and pencils.

As CBS2's Dr. Max Gomez reports, it's also time to ensure a healthy start to the school year.

Summertime is winding down and doctors say one of the most important things you can do starting now to get your kids ready to go back to school is adjust their bedtime routine. In gradual steps, start moving bedtime earlier and start waking them up earlier until both time are what they will be during the school year.

Then there's the back to school prep most kids like even less: the doctor's visit.

"It's very important to make sure that you child has all the immunizations that he or she is supposed to have, and remember that flu season is coming. Make sure all your kids get the flu vaccine," Dr. Laura Popper says.

Once school starts, make sure before your kids head out the door they eat breakfast, even if it's something small. Young brains need fuel to learn. Doctors say a bit of protein, like yogurt, will keep them feeling fuller longer.

"A lot of kids will start to get headaches or feel tired mid-morning if they don't have something to eat. We've also found that it helps with their concentration if they have something for breakfast in the morning," Dr. Vaishali Flask, of Cleveland Clinic Children's, says.

Likewise for lunch. It's best to pack a protein, like turkey or peanut butter. And fruits and veggies are better than crackers, chips or pretzels for snacks, because those carbs aren't as filling. Something else to avoid: sugary snacks and drinks. Aside from being fattening, empty calories, they also can lead to a sugar crash a short while later, making your young student sleepy in class.

It's now a law in New York State that all seventh and twelfth graders be vaccinated by the first day of school. So now is the time to make that doctors appointment.