Hansa Bhargava - Building Happier Kids: Stress-busting Tools for Parents

Additional Books From the American Academy of Pediatrics

Achieving a Healthy Weight for Your Child: An Action Plan for Families

ADHD: What Every Parent Needs to Know

Autism Spectrum Disorder: What Every Parent Needs to Know

Building Resilience in Children and Teens: Giving Kids Roots and Wings

Caring for Your Adopted Child: An Essential Guide for Parents

Caring for Your School-Age Child: Ages 512

Co-parenting Through Separation and Divorce: Putting Your Children First

Family Fit Plan: A 30-Day Wellness Transformation

High Five Discipline: Positive Parenting for Happy, Healthy, Well-Behaved Kids

My Child Is Sick! Expert Advice for Managing Common Illnesses and Injuries

Parenting Through Puberty: Mood Swings, Acne, and Growing Pains

The Picky Eater Project: 6 Weeks to Happier, Healthier Family Mealtimes

Protecting Your Childs Health: Expert Answers to Urgent Environmental Questions

Quirky Kids: Understanding and Supporting Your Child With Developmental Differences

Raising an Organized Child: 5 Steps to Boost Independence, Ease Frustration, and Promote Confidence

Raising Kids to Thrive: Balancing Love With Expectations and Protection With Trust

The Working Mom Blueprint: Winning at Parenting Without Losing Yourself

For additional parenting resources, visit the HealthyChildren bookstore at https://shop.aap.org/for-parents.

American Academy of Pediatrics Publishing Staff

Mary Lou White, Chief Product and Services Officer/SVP, Membership, Marketing, and Publishing

Mark Grimes, Vice President, Publishing

Kathryn Sparks, Senior Editor, Consumer Publishing

Shannan Martin, Production Manager, Consumer Publications

Sara Hoerdeman, Marketing Manager, Consumer Products

Published by the American Academy of Pediatrics

345 Park Blvd

Itasca, IL 60143

Telephone: 630/626-6000

Facsimile: 847/434-8000

www.aap.org

The American Academy of Pediatrics is an organization of 67,000 primary care pediatricians, pediatric medical subspecialists, and pediatric surgical specialists dedicated to the health, safety, and well-being of all infants, children, adolescents, and young adults.

The information contained in this publication should not be used as a substitute for the medical care and advice of your pediatrician. There may be variations in treatment that your pediatrician may recommend based on individual facts and circumstances.

Statements and opinions expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Any websites, brand names, products, or manufacturers are mentioned for informational and identification purposes only and do not imply an endorsement by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). The AAP is not responsible for the content of external resources. Information was current at the time of publication.

The persons whose photographs are depicted in this publication are professional models. They have no relation to the issues discussed. Any characters they are portraying are fictional.

The publishers have made every effort to trace the copyright holders for borrowed materials. If they have inadvertently overlooked any, they will be pleased to make the necessary arrangements at the first opportunity.

This publication has been developed by the American Academy of Pediatrics. The contributors are expert authorities in the field of pediatrics. No commercial involvement of any kind has been solicited or accepted in development of the content of this publication. Disclosures: The author reports a financial relationship with Freespira.

Every effort is made to keep Building Happier Kids: Stress-busting Tools for Parents consistent with the most recent advice and information available from the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Special discounts are available for bulk purchases of this publication. Email Special Sales at for more information.

2022 Hansa Bhargava, MD, FAAP

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any meanselectronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwisewithout prior permission from the publisher (locate title at ).

Printed in the United States of America

9-471/0122 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

CB0128

ISBN: 978-1-61002-573-7

eBook: 978-1-61002-576-8

EPUB: 978-1-61002-574-4

Kindle: 978-1-61002-575-1

Cover design by Daniel Rembert

Publication design by Rattray Design

Library of Congress Control Number: 2021904849

What People Are Saying

Dr Bhargavas compassionate, informed guidance will help parents and kids reset their priorities, focus on health and happiness, and move away from jam-packed schedules, screen time, and stress. Building Happier Kids is an important resource for addressing the mental health crisis children are facing.

Tanya Altmann, MD, FAAP, founder of Calabasas Pediatrics and editor in chief of Caring for Your Baby and Young Child

If you ask 100 new parents what one thing they wish for their childrens futures, all 100 will answer, Happiness. But then things get complicatededucation, sports, social life, electronic media, financial pressures interveneand the challenges of daily life overwhelm that simple wish. We and our children end up anxious, depressed, and exhaustedthe opposite of happy. In Building Happier Kids, pediatrician, journalist, and mother Dr Hansa Bhargava maps the way back to our original destination, helping parents steer away from those ruts and dead ends and get back on the road to joy where we all started.

David L. Hill, MD, FAAP, author of Dad to Dad: Parenting Like a Pro and coauthor of Co-parenting Through Separation and Divorce: Putting Your Children First

To my sisters, Dita and Aparna, who walk in lockstep with me and have forever stood by my side.

To my children, Ellora and Davik, who constantly give me joy, happiness, and gratitude for being a parent.

And to my mom, whose courage and love has taught me to be the best version of myself and that anything is possible.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Statement

The American Academy of Pediatrics is committed to principles of equity, diversity, and inclusion in its publishing program. Editorial boards, author selections, and author transitions (publication succession plans) are designed to include diverse voices that reflect society as a whole. Editor and author teams are encouraged to actively seek out diverse authors and reviewers at all stages of the editorial process. Publishing staff are committed to promoting equity, diversity, and inclusion in all aspects of publication writing, review, and production.

A s I look back at my journey in writing this book, I am filled with gratitude. I have been blessed by a caring community of people who helped me formulate ideas, guided me through the process, and provided incredible support that allowed me to turn my thoughts into a book for parents. I will not be able to do justice to all those who helped me but would like to try. I am greatly indebted to the families I have heard from and cared for over the years. These parents and caregivers have given me the privilege of caring for their children and shared their stories so that others could benefit. A special person in my life who truly impacted the writing of this book was my nephew Alec. Alec, a vibrant, young man full of love, battled mental illness for a long time, as well as substance use disorder. He tragically lost his life to fentanyl poisoning at the young age of 26. Ive always known the importance of emotional well-being for our kids, but his untimely passing gave me the personal impetus to write this book for other families.