Parenting Children

Many parents these days are stepping back and taking a closer look at some of the traditional parenting gear we all use in our homes. We are looking to make sure the bottles we buy are BPA free, we are using homemade remedies for bee stings instead of reaching for the tube of who-knows-what. With the internet now in almost every home and the availability of information, we are questioning what are children’s toys are made of and demanding better. Here are some things you can make at home and never again have to question what ingredients are in them, plus they are better then store bought!

Baby Wipes
cut paper towels in half so you have two short rolls and remove the cardboard. Keep them in a airtight container (like an old baby wipe box or tupperware container), and pour the mixture over the paper towels. Put the lid back on the box and turn it upside down so the solution is absorbed.
2-1/4 cups water
1 tbsp baby oil
1 roll paper towels, cut in half
2 tbsp baby shampoo
make sure to mix gently

Baby Oil
4 ounces of oil (olive, almond, apricot, or sunflower)
5 drops lavender essential oil
5 drops orange essential oil

Pour your ingredients right into a bottle so you can easily pour, try using an old baby oil bottle. Just give a good shake to blend the oils and you’re all set.

homemade baby oil, homemade baby wipes, parenting, infants, babies

They say, you are what you eat and that may just be true. What a woman eats before pregnancy may play a role in whether the baby is a boy or a girl, according to surprising new research. Women who have a good appetite, eat a lot of potassium-rich foods like bananas, and don’t skip breakfast appear more likely to have a boy. Among women with the highest calorie intake before pregnancy, 56 percent had boys. Women who had boys also ate an additional 300 mg of potassium daily on average, and about 400 calories more daily, compared to women who had girl babies.

Previous studies have also shown that male embryos do best with longer exposure to nutrient-rich lab cultures. The research involved first-time pregnant women. The study involved 740 newly pregnant British women who had not given birth before and who did not know the sex of their babies. All the women were white, non-obese, and had no medical problems. It seems to be the first study ever to show a link between a woman’s diet and the gender of her children.

Breakfast has always been billed as the most important meal of the day and that may be true if you would like a son. Although I don’t think most cereals are a good enough breakfast for anyone, since they are usually filled with preservatives and sugar. Eating regular, frequent meals, including plenty of fruits and vegetables and foods rich in folic acid is the best way to bring any child into this world.

nutrition while pregnant, eating for two, pregnancy, baby’s gender, diet influencing gender

According to the National Center for Health Statistics as many as 1 in 100 females between the ages of 12 and 18 have anorexia and by their first year of college, 4.5 to 18 percent of women have a history of bulimia. Eating disorders begin at a very young age mostly by age 13. These illnesses are most common in girls but boys can suffer as well.

Anorexia Nervosa is an irrational fear of being fat and thinking you are fat when you are thin. People who are anorexic starve themselves existing on little to no food. Anorexia may be a single episode with large weight loss within a few months followed by recovery, or it may develop gradually and persist for years. The illness may go between getting better and getting worse, or it can steadily get more severe. Symptoms include: refusing to eat, excessive exercise, dry brittle hair, weakness, having no menstrual period, obsession with calories.
Bulimia is characterized by binge eating and then vomiting. This can happen as much as a few times a day to a couple of times a week. People with bulimia can usually maintain a nearly normal weight, so it may be hard to realize your child could have a problem. Symptoms include: using laxatives or enemas, using the bathroom after eating, eating in private, excessive exercise.

Both types of eating disorders are commonly found in children who have low self esteem, and are hard on themselves, they expect perfection. If you suspect your child has an eating disorder seek medical help immediately. Focus on healthy eating and habits.
For more information visit this web site.

[tag] healthy kids, parenting, parenting teens, bulimia, anorexia, eating disorders, eating disorder in kids, healthy eating [/tags]

Sometimes I just get bored with sandwiches. Sometimes I just don’t have deli meats or bread in the house. (Hey, cut me some slack I just had a baby!) My kids get bored with sandwiches every day too, so I try to be creative and unique with lunches, or dinners for that matter, and give my kids variety and it gives them an opportunity to try new foods too! Here are some of our favorite ideas:

Veggies and dip. Put string beans in a hallowed out pepper, bake some pita to make your own pita “chips” and if your kids hate raw veggies cook and cool them first.
DIP
1 greek plain yogurt (7oz)
1 garlic clove, pressed
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2C mayo
1 tablespoon dill and mint chopped
1/2 cucumber
1 teaspoon lemon juice

To make:
Grate the peeled and seeded cucumber and squeeze dry in paper towel and add to bowl
Add the rest of the ingredients and combine
Serve with veggies

Try chicken salad or egg salad in a lettuce leaf instead of bread
Try hummus or guacamole (two of my kids favorites) instead of dips
Go pick your own at a local farm, your kids will be more likely to eat the veggies if they see where they are grown and pick them themselves!
Don’t forget about edamame, kids love these and you can even buy them chelled in teh frozen section of your grocery store

What are your favorite substitutes for sandwiches or traditional lunches?

kids, healthy kids, healthy lunches, feeding kids, parenitng, parenting children, kids health

Since I had my twins in 2003, I have had three pediatricians. We lost one when we moved and the new one here left a bad taste in my mouth. You rarely got to see the doctor and the physician assistants or nurse practitioners were rude and would question me on things like my vaccination choices and the occasional use of a bottle for my two year old son. So, now we are on our third kid doctor!

I know that doctors are only human, they make mistakes and have their own opinions. I know that they don’t always know the newest procedures or medications, only the ones who chose to read and/or learn about them do. I don’t have a problem telling a doctor what I want or don’t want, or questioning them on why they want to do something especially when it comes to my children.

A recent article on CNN talks about when it is OK to question your pediatrician’s advice. I think questioning your pediatrician is fine especially when it comes to opinions on parenting, like when to take away a bottle or pacifier. That is something, I think, is up to the parent and the child since no child is the same. Ask for different options, if your doctor is not willing to give you any then change doctors. You need to find a good fit for you and your family.
Do you question or interview your doctors before choosing them and do you question their advice?

pediatricians, choosing your doctor, choosing a pediatrician, pregnancy, infants, kids, parenting, parenting children

Today is World Autism Awareness Day. Now the autism rate is 1 in 150 births compared to 1 in 10,000 in 1983. The rate of autism in New Jersey bosy is 1 in 6, so you can see why I am scared. Does it have to do with the amount of vaccinations given, what is in the vaccines or the environment? I am not sure, scientists are not even sure, but something has to be done.

A new study in the April issue of Pediatrics, looked for early autistic behaviors, though not specifically for a diagnosis of autism, in premature infants who were born at a very low birth weight, about 3.3 pounds. It found that several factors associated with these early births were linked to a positive result on an autism screening test. They studied 91 babies who weighed less than 3 pounds at birth. MRIs were done on these infants around the time of their birth. At around 22 months, the researchers conducted an autism screening test, called the Modified Checklist for Autism in Toddlers or M-CHAT.
Twenty-five percent of these toddlers tested positive on the M-CHAT, suggesting that they had an increased risk of developing autism. Factors included lower birth weight, lower gestational age, being male, having an abnormal MRI, being ill when delivered, an infection in the mother before birth, or the mother experienced hemorrhaging during labor and delivery.

Are you scared about autism with your children? What do you think the causes of autism are?

For more information on autism, check out this web site.

autism, world autism awareness day, autism in kids, premature babies, premature infants and autism, preemies and autism, parenting, infants, vaccinations

I have to admit, I was a little naive about breastfeeding. I knew it would be hard and tiring. I knew it could be a struggle and not be as “natural” as I would think it should be. It has been two weeks and I am tired and confused. I think I need a live in lactation consultant!

My son had a tight frenulum, or a tongue tie. That is where the small piece of skin under the tongue does not allow to tongue to extend fully, causing problems eating and speaking, so yesterday he had that piece of skin cut and corrected by the pediatrician.
Yeah, I waited in the waiting room because that was too much for me.
I thought this was the problem with our latch, and it very well could be, but when should it get better?

The last few days though, it is if the baby has regressed and is not latching on properly. I can go to breastfeeding support meetings, but they are only on Fridays. I called my insurance company to see if they covered a lactation consultant coming out for a visit, but of course they do not.
I am watching proper latch on techniques online and reading everything I can about it, but having someone help you is just so much better.
I am still trying to breastfeed and it is a struggle.
Now I know why so many women give up.

Did you have any problems breastfeeding? What advice would you give me about breastfeeding?

breastfeeding, tight frenulum, tongue tied, nursing your kids, nursing, infants, new moms, latch on, troubles latching on, parenting

When the pediatrician came to check my newborn in the hospital, one of the first questions I asked him was if he thought my baby had jaundice. My twins had some jaundice after they were born, so I knew what to expect. The baby was slightly jaundice which is very common. But, what is jaundice and how can you combat it in your baby’s first few weeks of life?

The word “jaundice” comes from a French word meaning “yellow”. It describes the yellowish color of the whites of the eyes and skin of newborns. It usually appears in the second or third day of life of a newborn full term baby. It usually goes away after a week.
It occurs because the liver is not fully mature and not fully able to get rid of the bilirubin, which is the breakdown of old red blood cells that the baby needed in the womb.
Feeding the baby helps them have bowel movements which helps the body get rid of bilirubin. It doesn’t matter of you breastfeed or bottle feed any feeding is good for the baby although some doctors will recommend formula to help with jaundice, your milk will do just fine.

This is a common and temporary condition so don’t be too scared if you hear that your newborn has jaundice.
In some cases jaundice can become severe so call your doctor if you are concerned or if your infant’s eyes or skin looks more yellow then when they left the hospital.

infants, newborns, jaundice, bilirubin, babies, pregnancy, parenting parenting children

Did you know that regular generic prenatal vitamin you took when you were pregnant is now no longer the “in” vitamin. There is a new pre-natal on the block and it is not one, but two vitamins, one regular one and a oily type capsule that is filled with DHA (an omega-3 acid).
They vitamins I take are Vitafol and the only bad thing about them is the terrible packaging!

The current recommendations suggest that pregnant women get an average of 300 milligrams of DHA daily. These findings suggest that omega-3 consumption might be particularly important in the third trimester, when brain development is rapid. You can get DHA in food sources like fish, but large fisn and pregnant women do not go together because of the high levels of mercury in them.
What’s the harm in giving your baby a leg up in the brain development, ask your OB for these DHA prenatals.

prenatal vitamins, pregnancy, DHA, prenatal, infants, brain development, parenting

My mother delivered me by C-section because I was breech. I had a c-section with my twins because baby A, my son, was breech also. Now a new study, published in the March 28 edition of the British Medical Journal says that If one or both parents were born bottom first or feet first their children are twice as likely to be born the same way.

Most babies are born head first, but about one in 20 is born bottom first. The gene is as strong through the father as the mother. Finding out if the parents were born or presented in a breech presentation is important because a considerable number of breech presentations are not detected before labor. Breech delivery is dangerous because the largest parts of the baby, the head and shoulders should pass first so the rest of the baby can be born. If the head or shoulders cannot fit through the birth canal there is a high rate of mortality.

breech, breech deliveries, pregnancy, c-sections, giving birth

I realize I am still in the beginner phase of parenting with my kids only being five years old. On some days I don’t know how I will survive parenting teens never mind the five year olds I have that act like teens sometimes. Statistics like the ones that have come out this week just make me doubt my future parenting even more. A new study finds that one out of every four teen girls has a sexually transmitted disease.

Twenty five percent of teenage girls! Only half of the girls admitted to having sex that were questioned for this federal based study. Out of the girls who did admit to having intercourse forty percent had an STD. This is a shocking statistic. Of course some teens define sex as intercourse only but acts like oral sex can spread STDs as well.
Disease rates were significantly higher among black girls, nearly half had at least one STD, versus 20 percent among both whites and Mexican-Americans.

Obviously teaching abstinence and the health classes at schools are not working. Especially because in last year the government reported that the teen birth rate rose between 2005 and 2006, the first increase in 15 years. Talking to our children about the truths about sex at home seems the way to go. We don’t want our teens or “tween” to get misinformation about STDs and sex from their friends. Of course it is an uncomfortable subject, but one that has to be brought up for the sake of our children. Many STDs have no symptoms and can cause infertility, cancer and some are not curable at all.

What do you think of these startling new statistics?

teens, teens and sex, STDs, stds and teens, teenage girls, parenting, parenting children, abstinence, teaching abstinence

Making baby food may take a little more effort then just buying cans at the grocery store but more and more parents are doing it. Although it is not for everyone, making your own baby food can be simple and is great for your baby. You have control over the ingredients, it won’t have preservatives and the texture can be just what your baby likes.

Are you ready to make baby food? OK here it goes, remember when using fruits and vegetables, always wash and remove the skin. use organic whenever possible. Steam or boil food until it is soft and mushy, you do not need any seasonings or salt. If you are making this for the whole family, put aside and flavor some for the older members of your family.

You can mash the food in a blender, food processor or baby food mill and play with the texture to see what your baby likes and dislikes. Start with pureed food when you introduce your baby to solid foods (after 4 months or when your pediatrician tells you) and slowly move towards mashed or small pieces of food when baby learns to chew food. You can make these ahead of time and freeze them!
Make as much as you would like, then place into sanitized ice-cube trays to freeze. Once the food is frozen, pop them out and store in freezer containers and label. These will last for up to three months frozen!

Tell me, do you make your own baby food? If you buy jarred baby food which brand do you prefer?

baby food, make your own baby food, pureed baby food, infants, toddlers, parenting, parenting children, kids

There are so many things to think about and discuss with your spouse when you are pregant and once the baby comes home. One of the easiest things for E and I to agree on was the twin’s eating. We knew we would offer the best foods possible to the babies and plenty of variety! We didn’t want chicken nugget and french fry kids, you know they type, that is their only order no matter where they are eating.
I read that food preferences are established early and that eating is a learning process, if kids are given mainly sweets that will be their taste preference instead of trying new things. It seems to be true in this house my kids will want fruit over french fries any day and they prefer guacamole and hummus to chicken nuggets and hamburgers.

The stats are scary too, 25-30 percent of kids 9 too 24 months did not eat any fruit and 20-25 percent did not eat any vegetables. The most common vegetable eaten by toddlers? French fries.
That shouldn’t be so shocking considering the childhood obesity epidemic.
What can you do to build your child’s healthy eating habits? Here are some tips:

Give the baby grains at six months. Sure he may be weirded out by the texture at first, but I bet he will grow to like it.
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They say the most accurate way to take a baby’s temperature is rectally. I could never get up the nerve to do it with my twins and the one time I did, I did it wrong. I didn’t put it in far enough or for enough time. From then on, I always used a temperal thermometer. Now I know how to do it and have instructions for the new parents who are as lost as I was.

-Clean the end of the thermometer with rubbing alcohol or soap and water

-Put a small amount of lubricant like vaseline on the end of the thermometer

-Place your baby on his stomach on a hard surface like a changing table and hold her steady by placing your hand on her lower back.

-With your other hand, gently slide the thermometer 1/2 to 1 inch into his bottom. Never force it in!

-Hold it in place for one minute or until the thermometer beeps.

-Clean the thermometer
(Normal rectal temperature is 100.2 degrees Fahrenheit or less)

You should take your baby’s temperature if:
-baby is especially irritable
-baby’s skin is hot
-baby’s complexion is either very pale or flushed
-baby’s breathing is unusually fast, slow or especially noisy
-baby has a runny nose, is sneezing or coughing
-baby rubs his/her ear or rolls head and screams sharply

Also, remember that overdressing, or too hot of an environment can cause a high temperature. If the baby is overdressed, remove some clothing and retake the temperature in 30 minutes.

At least New Jersey is doing something right! New Jersey is leading the way in postpartum depression (PPD) care and prevention. As of October 2006 a new law states that hospitals have to screen new mothers for postpartum depression before they leave the hospital.

Postpartum depression has risen significantly over the past few years, probably because of better diagnosing. Symptoms include, feeling angry, irritable, depressed, sad, guilty and inadequate.
I know it is hard to decipher what could be PPD when your hormones are going crazy also and you have a brand new human depending on you. You can always talk to your doctors, nurses or family about what you are feeling. Getting help is very important.
If you need more information or to find help in your area visit www.postpartum.net.