The Windsor-Essex County Board of Health encourages healthcare providers to use routine prenatal visits, well-baby appointments, and annual checkups to support healthy child development and family well-being. Brief, strength-based conversations and screening can help identify concerns early and connect families with appropriate local resources. This memo highlights two priority areas for routine care: healthy technology use and prenatal and infant food insecurity. This guidance supports recommendations outlined in recent Board of Health reports and resolutions, including the Digital Dependence Support and Prevention in Pre-School and School-Aged Children Resolution (February 2026), the Advocating for Enhanced Controls Around Social Media Use for Children and Youth Resolution (March 2026), and the Food Insecurity Compromises Maternal and Infant Health Information Report (March 2026).
1. Discuss Healthy Technology Use During Routine Care
Digital technology is a regular part of family life and can support learning, communication, and well-being. Excessive or poorly timed use, however, may affect sleep, physical activity, mood, school functioning, and family relationships.
What Healthcare Providers Can Do:
1. Screen for Technology Use
Incorporate brief, strengths-based discussions about technology use during routine visits. Consider asking:
For infants and young children (0-4 years):
- Does your child use screens? If so, what types, how often, and for how long? Encourage delaying/limiting screen exposure and prioritizing responsive interactions, play, and communication.
- What activities does your child enjoy instead of screen time (e.g., reading, play, outdoor activities)?
- Are screens commonly used during meals, before bedtime, or to help soothe distress?
For school-aged children and youth (5+ years):
- What screens or devices does your child use, when, and for how long?
- Does your family have screen-free times and spaces (e.g., meals, before bed, bedrooms)?
- Does screen use affect your child's sleep, mood, behaviour, physical activity, school, or relationships?
- Does your family have a media plan or shared rules for screen use, including screen-free times, online content, and device use before bed?
- Are there concerns about gaming, social media, online safety, cyberbullying, or difficulty limiting use?
2. Provide Age-Appropriate Guidance
Reinforce recommendations from the 24-hr Movement Guidelines:
- Young children (pre-school aged): Encourage responsive caregiver interaction, reading, play, and limiting screen exposure. In accordance with the 24-Hour Movement Guidelines, advise delaying screen exposure where possible, avoiding screen use for children under age two, and limiting screen time to one hour or less for children 2 to 4 years old.
- School-aged children and youth: Promote balance, healthy sleep, physical activity, digital literacy, online safety, and positive social media and gaming habits. Encourage no more than 2 hours per day of screen time.
3. Support Healthy Technology Habits
Use the Canadian Pediatric Society 4 M's framework:
- Minimize: Help families establish routines, limits, and screen-free times.
- Mitigate: Encourage quality content, co-viewing, online safety, and screen-free bedtimes.
- Be Mindful: Discuss when, where, why, and how screens are used.
- Model: Encourage adults to demonstrate healthy technology habits.
Resources for Clinicians:
The following resources from the Centre for Screen Use at the Canadian Pediatric Society can support discussions with families:
- Screen time: A clinician’s guide to counselling parents of young children.
- Digital media: A clinician’s guide to counselling parents of school-aged children and adolescents.
- Posters for clinic and office settings:
- Poster 1: “Don’t leave kids to their own devices”
- Poster 2: “Is she getting enough face time with you?”
2. Screen and Refer for Prenatal and Infant Food Insecurity
Food Insecurity now impacts one in four households in Windsor-Essex County. Pregnant women and infants are especially vulnerable to the stress and malnutrition caused by food insecurity. When not addressed, food insecurity significantly increases the risk of pregnancy complications, adverse birth outcomes, early breastfeeding cessation, and impaired child development. Health care providers play a critical role in the identification and management of food insecurity. Consider screening all prenatal patients and families with infants for food insecurity using a simple, validated screener, like Hunger Vital SignTM.
What Healthcare Providers Can Do:
- Help patients optimize household income
- Complete the Pregnancy/Breastfeeding Nutritional Allowance Form.
- Complete the Special Diet Allowance Form, when infant formula is required.
- Direct patients to tax clinics, as needed, to ensure access to the Canadian Child Benefit.
- Help families sustain breastfeeding
- Recommend free breastfeeding classes and direct to credible breastfeeding resources.
- Help patients access immediate needs, including food and prenatal supplements
- Recommend Building Blocks for Better Babies and the local food affordability directory.
- Continue to refer to Healthy Babies Healthy Children for comprehensive, in-home care.
Additional Resources
- Click here to order patient handouts about local breastfeeding and food insecurity services.
- Click here for more information about food insecurity screening and the associated referral directory.
Consistent conversations about healthy technology use and routine screening for food insecurity can have a meaningful impact on the health and well-being of children and families across Windsor-Essex County.