Search Results for ‘Vitamin D’
Favorite foods? Most children don’t list carrots and broccoli at the top of their list. They would much prefer a chocolate chip cookie or a peanut butter sandwich to a dish of hot steamed vegetables. If you have run out of ideas to get your child to eat more vegetables, you may be interested in the results of a new study. It shows a unique and very effective way to motivate children to eat more vegetables instead of just pushing them around on their plate.
Motivation for good child nutrition
This study was carried out by a group of child nutrition researchers at Cornell University and showed that four-year-old preschoolers ate more vegetables when the vegetables were given catchy, funny, child-friendly, names such as “super sonic spinach” or “topsy turvy tomatoes”, for example. It seems these types of names resonate with children and inspire them to eat the same vegetables they previously would have ignored.
In child nutrition there is power in words
In this study when vegetables were given names and presented to a group of pre-school kids, the four-year-olds ate fifty percent more than when the vegetables were called by their standard names. While this may sound silly to adults, as it turns out, adults aren’t immune to the power of names either. When menu items at restaurants are given fancier, more descriptive names, sales of these items tend to go up. It seems that there is power in words, particularly when it comes to encouraging your children to eat more vegetables.
Your child will be asking for seconds
Would this clever naming trick work in your own house? Start by choosing a healthy vegetable and before preparing it for your child, give it a nifty new name. Try to relate the name to something your child enjoys such as a favorite television show, cartoon character, comic book character, or a sports name. This will help your child better identify with it. When your child sits down to dinner, encourage him to help himself to the “power peas” and “blast off broccoli”. To your delight, you may find your child asking for seconds instead of struggling to eat the first plate. And more vegetables mean more antioxidants to help keep your child healthy.
Although this child nutrition study was conducted on four-year-old children, there’s no reason to think the renaming game won’t encourage children of all ages to eat more vegetables. Give it a try in your house and see if doesn’t inspire your own children to eat more veggies with less of a fuss.
Find more help to get children to eat healthy ant Child n’Parent.
By: Dr. Kristi
March 17th, 2009
The first moment that you gaze into your newborn baby’s eyes, you know that life will never be the same. In an instant, someone smaller than a watermelon becomes incalculably more important and precious to you than anything else in the world. We wonder about our children’s future and strive to give them everything they need to become happy, healthy, and confident individuals. Believe it or not, experts have concluded that process begins right away, before your baby can do much more than eat, sleep, and—well, you know. Here a few simple things you can do to give your baby the best start possible.
Hold your baby often.
Taking care of your baby is much more than bottles and diaper changes. You are actually helping your baby to thrive while enjoying your cuddle times with them! Your baby will instinctively know your scent and find comfort nuzzled up to you. Children who are held often know not just that they will be taken care of when they have a physical need, but that they are loved as well. Don’t worry about “spoiling” your baby during the first six months or so of life. Making sure they get plenty of physical contact each day will actually give them the security they need as they get older to handle being apart from you. You don’t have to carry them in a sling all day long or give up the crib for your bed; just be sure to give your baby some quality time each day.
Talk to your baby often.
No, newborns won’t know what you’re saying, but the sooner you begin communicating verbally to them, the sooner they will begin to understand you. Talking with your child encourages brain activity and gives them the attention they need as well. If you’re not sure what to say to a gurgling little being that can’t do anything but make spit bubbles in response to you, just say the things you are doing at the moment. For example, “I’m going to pick you up and change your diaper now,” or, “I am putting three scoops of formula into your bottle.” What you say, sing, or coo to your baby isn’t the important thing. They simply want to hear your voice and have their presence acknowledged.
Encourage your baby often.
Experts say that children need to hear ten positive comments to every one negative comment received. Set the precedence of being an encouraging parent early on. A newborn may not be able to understand you, but they do understand your body language and the tone of your voice. Tell them how thankful you are to have the opportunity to raise them and how wonderful you think they are. As your infant begins to grow and develop, clap for them, congratulate them, and encourage them in any way you can. Make sure they see that twinkle in your eye that says they are your pride and joy every day.
Thankfully, it doesn’t take much to give your baby everything they need to grow up to be happy, secure individuals. You really don’t need to spend a fortune on educational videos and parenting self-help books. As it turns out, all your baby really needs is the one thing you are sure to always have: love.
Find more help to get your infant to sleep through the night and better bottle feeding at Child n’Parent.
By: Destiny
January 4th, 2009
Flu season is on its way. Though getting a flu shot may seem like a no brainer to some, at $20 a shot for my family of six, I want to know if it’s really necessary.
New Jersey recently passed a law requiring flu shots for all pre-school and elementary school kids. Some parents are happy because it will mean their kids are less likely to pick up the flu at school. Others are furious that the government is regulating medical procedures for their children they see as risky and unnecessary.
According to the CDC the number of Americans getting the flu in a particular year could be as low as 5 percent or as high as 20 percent of the population. More than 200,000 people are hospitalized and 36,000 people die. Those most likely to die of influenza and related complications are the elderly and other immune compromised people.
Members of “priority groups” will get flu shots first if, as in recent years, there are shortages. This high-risk group includes:
• Children aged 6 to 23 months
• Children over 2 years old with chronic health conditions
• Children who are taking long term aspirin therapy
• Household members of children less than 6 months of age, since these babies are too young to get a flu shot themselves
• Women who will be pregnant during the flu season
• Residents of long-term care facilities
• Adults with any condition that weakens the immune system
• Any person in close contact with someone in a high-risk group, such as healthcare workers.
People who should not get a flu shot include:
• Anyone who’s severely allergic to eggs (ingredients for flu shots are grown inside eggs)
• Infants under 6 months old
• Anyone who’s ever had a severe reaction to a flu vaccination (although most people do not experience any side effects from the flu shot)
• Anyone with Guillain-Barré syndrome (GBS), a rare condition that affects the immune system and nerves
• Anyone with a fever
Flu shots are made of dead influenza virus cells and cannot give your child the flu. A nasal mist vaccination is available for children over 2. This is a live vaccine and your child could develop flu symptoms.
Some parents worry about the preservative Thimrosal contained in some vaccines can cause autism. Studies have shown no measurable connection. Thimrosal-free shots are available.
Flu shots are available at a variety of locations including some stores and pharmacies and your county health department. Most HMOs will only cover flu shots if they are given at your pediatrician’s office. You will then only be asked to pay your required co-pay. The flu shot cannot keep your children from getting other kinds of viral infections and may not even prevent some influenza strains.
The best way to ensure your child stays healthy this winter is to wash hands often, avoid crowds, and never share cups or eating utensils.
Find more great child health articles and Child n’Parent
By: Megan Wallgren
October 25th, 2008
Rickets are back. Not in a big way, but enough to raise questions among doctors. Rickets are caused by vitamin D deficiency and were once considered the bane of children. By the 1930s, however, the sickness was considered a thing of the past, with few children experiencing its symptoms.
Unfortunately, the disease made an unexpected comeback in the 1970s and ever since then, it has been a cause for concern among pediatricians and parents. The possible reasons why the disease has resurfaced are many. People are not getting as much sun as they used to, the modern diet is unhealthy. Not only that, but breast feeding has become more common, so more babies are getting their food from mothers with poor nutrition.
Vitamin D is important for maintaining the shape and strength of growing bones. Without it, a growing child may develop severe skeletal deformities. It also helps keep the calcium levels where they should be. The human skin absorbs vitamin D from the ultraviolet rays of the sun . The nutrient is also found in some foods, like cow’s milk. Human milk is deficient in iron, vitamin K and vitamin D.
Doctors recommend 200-400 IU/day of vitamin D for infants but, the levels of concentration in the milk of African-American women is usually only 35 IU/L and 68 IU/L in white women. Darker skin pigment makes it harder to absorb vitamin D from the sun, so deficiencies are more common in African-Americans.
When the mother takes supplements in order to enrich her milk, the vitamin levels do not rise enough to make up for the deficiency. Doctors recommend supplements for the infant, not the mother, as the best way to prevent malnutrition.
Many parents remain unaware that their baby might need supplements with their breast milk. The common belief that breast milk is ‘the perfect food’ for babies, does not help to enlighten the public. Nor are pediatricians eager to point out the few drawbacks to breast feeding, thinking it will scare others into using the bottle instead of the breast.
Controversy about the amount of vitamin D a baby should get and where they should get it from is rife within the medical community. Some doctors advocate supplements, some don’t so there is no consensus about the most likely treatment. Concerned parents should talk to their babies’ doctor. The next best thing a nursing mother can do for her baby is to ask questions. The best thing is to eat well and get a little sunlight.
For happy, healthy babies use our parenting tips at Child N Parent.
By: Stephanie Moore
September 5th, 2008
I was sitting in a small room trying to chat comfortably and ignore the needle in my arm when the nurse asked, do you want us to call you with the results of the blood test, or just send them to the doctor.
I was in my 18th week of pregnancy, and flabbergasted by the question. “Will I know what the results mean,” I asked. Going a little red I admitted, “I don’t even know what I’m being tested for.”
It’s my fourth pregnancy, so when my doctor said, “Go get your blood drawn,” I obediently went. I am, after all a very good pregnant lady, taking my prenatal vitamin every day, eschewing caffeine, and faithfully doing yoga for pregnant women.
I like to leave all the fancy medical terminology and the worries that go with it to my doctor. When a week later, the doctor told me the tests were normal, I breathed a sigh of relief, though I wasn’t quite sure what bullets my baby and I had dodged. As I left the clinic, however, I vowed to become better informed.
By Megan C. Wallgren
Read Megan’s article on prenatal tests and results at childnparent.com
August 29th, 2007
