Child Health and Wellness

Steps that may help your child to avoid becoming an Obese Adult

2011-04-15T05:44:00.000-07:00

Obesity is usually measured by the upper arm skinfold measurement and is described as excessive body fatness. Those over the 85th percentile are categorized as obese, while the group over the 95th percentile are superobese. Super obesity has increased tremendously over the past years.

Research shows that obese children spend more time doing comfortable, minimal energy consuming activities watching television, reading, and playing video games than any other group of children. If you have a young child or an adolescent who fits this picture , what are you doing about it ? What is your child doing about it ?

Obesity definitely does have its downside as far as health is concerned. There is a strong association between childhood and adolescent obesity and cardiovascular disease ,especially hypertension and its complications. Coughs and colds are more frequent , and respiratory diseases may impact obese children and youth though sleep apnea syndrome and later, the effects of chronic low oxygenation of the blood and other breathing problems and respiratory infections.

What Can Be Done for a child who is Obese or Overweight?

Acknowledge that there is a problem with your child's weight - and read about healthy food preparation and eating practices. Become informed. Do not follow fad diets, and do not limit the variety of foods eaten.

Talk to your child about his or her problem with love and support and offer help - Gently take charge of the situation with his or her permission. Help can come from you, your doctor, or dietitian. A psychologist may be able to give your family counseling as a unit, or you may prefer to consult a marriage counselor and so take the first step in helping your child.

Buy healthy foods - Do not be tempted to fill your cupboards with convenience foods high in fast and sugars. Provide balanced meals, and serve portions that suit the needs of each family member. Provide alternative low calorie foods, if necessary, for snacking.

Involve your child in more activities - Take things gently at first. Make some fundamental rules regarding the time to be spent watching television, and involve the family in physical activities that your child and you will enjoy. Keep a record of your child's weight and encourage the venture. Reward him or her for even small steps of success.

If you are overweight, nothing is better than being a good example. Work together on the problem. Be your child's buddy

Healthy packed lunch for kids

2010-10-23T17:11:00.000-07:00

According to totalgirl plan your kids school packed lunch to give him/her a boost all day.

Breakfast in the Bus

Mix a dash of cinnamon in vanilla yougurt then keep in a container. Slice apples and bananas then store in a separate container with the orange wedges. To eat, simply dip fruits in yogurt and enjoy!

During Lunch Break

Mix 1 cup shredded lettuce. 1/2 cup shredded carrots, 5 tablespoons store-bought Caesar dressing and 2 cups shredded and cooked chicken meat in a bowl. Divide evenly among 5 flour tortillas. Place in the middle of each then roll to make delicious wraps. After eating the Caesar Chicken wraps, have a quick and mess-free dessert by munching on seedless grapes.

After-School Snack:

Lay out the following items on the counter and combine a trail mix of choice raisins, nuts(try cashews or almonds), dried fruit, cereals, mini biscuits, sunflower seeds. Mix em up and dig in..

Mango Banana Smoothie

In a blender, mix milk or yogurt, sliced mangoes, bananas, honey and ice. Blend until smooth.

Laugh and Learn for Kids

2010-04-15T16:26:00.000-07:00

ABC - Most of us learned our ABC's by singing them - the rhythm and repetition of songs make things easy to remember. That's why you'll find fun, sing along songs, delightful music and sounds in all Laugh and Learn toys.

1-2-3 - Learning numbers is easier as part of baby's everyday world. The idea of numbers and counting starts to make sense when babies can point "one, two , three" peas on their tray or put four balls down the drain spout. The Laugh and Learn collection teaches numbers and counting in a natural way, with silly sing along songs to help baby remember.

Shapes and Colors - Sorting, stacking and unstacking help baby understand sizes, spatial relationships and shapes things that are basic to learning. Babies learn colors in a similar way- yellow isnt just yellow cup or yellow banana.. The Laugh and Learn collection is filled with colors and shapes to stimulate and educate even the youngest babies.

First word - At first , babies learn to associate sounds with images, such as "moo" or cow or "baa" lamb. They'll learn adjectives in context . like dog or red apple. Opposites too, like "up" or "down" This type of natural learning response is built right into the entire Laugh and Learn collection.

Making Friends - Playing together . Give and Take. Taking Turns. "Please" and Thank You ". They're all important parts of expressing emotions, developing friendships, sharing and realizing that "we" is as important as "me" .So the Laugh and Learn collection is home to friendly faces and lovable characters that baby can relate to and learn from.

TV's effects on Children's Values and Beliefs

2009-12-31T06:27:00.000-08:00

Recognizing that the family is by far the most important factor in forming children,s value systems most experts see TV as a kind of two way mirro that both reflects and shapes society's values. In the on-going debate about the good and bad found in all TV- from sitcoms and soaps to news, documentaries and talk shows- other observers have remarked that television consistently demonstrates the difference between right and wrong. In practical terms, this means that most parents will find that the basic values present in most type of TV programming are those that they are promoting in their own homes. By watching TV with their children parents can further ensure that the lessons being taught on the screen are those they want their children to be exposed to.

Children's Fears

2009-12-16T18:19:00.000-08:00

Children may be frightened of things that appear harmless to adults. The nature if children's fears change with advancing development. Many children's fears are temporary. What children fear at 2 years old of age will be different from what they fear at the age of 5 or 8 years,

Infants
By 8 months of age infants are interested in new faces, but may fear strangers or show anxiety when close to them. Infants remember familiar faces in new situations may frighten them. for example, a different hairstyle, shaving off a bead, wearing glasses. Infants are often afraid of falling and loud noises.

Toddlers
Two to 3 years old toddlers may fear things that make a loud noise they cannot understand, such as a vaccum cleaner or flushing toilet. They may also become fearful when things are not quite right- for example, if the furniture has been moved, a cup or plate us cracked, or adults are angry or upset.

Preschoolers
Preschool-age children 3 to 5 years old often fear imaginary danger's because they cannot easily separate real from pretend situations. Some other common fear are fears of the dark or mask covering a familiar face.

School-Age Children
Generally , the fears of School-age children are more reality based. They fear storms, fires or injury. However, they may fear these things out of proportion to the likelihood that they will happen. As their misunderstanding matures, these fears gradually go away. Children often worry about their parent's marriage or health, and they can easily misunderstand or exaggerate mild arguments or complaints they hear.

Individual Fears
Children can also have their own special fears, either because of their own experience or because they are imitating someone else fears. They might , for example, be afraid of dogs, spiders or snakes. Adults need to be careful about showing their fears in front of children.

Toilet Training

2009-12-13T23:29:00.000-08:00

Toilet Training is more suitable than "toilet trailing," since the emphasis should be on the active role of the toddler who is ready to learn to use the toilet or potty.

Readiness

Readiness for toilet learning's is usually achieved somewhere between 18 to 30 months of age, but the skill is often acquired more rapidly after 26 months of age 9 Azrin, 1976). The child's age does not matter nearly as much as the child's readiness. When children are ready for toilet learning, they will indicate their readiness through various signs.

Signs of Bladder and Bowel Control

- The child is dry or clean for several hours at a time.
- The child has an awareness of a full bladder or bowel(bowel control often comes before bowel control)

Signs of Physical Development
-Moves to the potty or toilet
- Pulls down loose-fitting pants
- Sits down and gets up without help
- Is aware of wetting or having a bowel movement in the diaper, that is, the child clutches the diaper when wetting

Signs of Readiness to Learn

- Knows body parts
- Understands wetness and soiling
- Use signs or words to show needs
- Wishes to learn and to please

Parents can share their understanding of the child's behavior and attitude to toilet training with caregivers. It helps if caregivers and parents discuss toilet learning before the child shows readiness (at approximately 1 year of age during the initial director/parent interview). This would familiarize caregivers with parents' attitudes and expectations . The sharing of resources and ideas between caregivers and parents also encourages a positive experience for the child and consistency in toileting routines between home and the child care setting. At the same time ,caregivers need to use their own judgment. Children may express different attitudes and behavior in the childcare program than at home.

Toilet training is most successful when there is no stress. It is a good idea to avoid beginning at busy times, such as around the arrival of a new baby, a family moves or a move to a new child care setting. Both parents and caregivers need to be easy going about toilet training. It also helps if the equipment and clothing are comfortable and suitable

- a potty chair or toilet seat with a stable support for the child's feet
- Loose clothing
- Training pants

The best equipment is a child's potty chair with a removable potty. This is more comfortable and less frightening for young children than a toilet det high off the ground. It is also steadier than a potty alone. Children should be encouraged to sit on the potty (With a caregiver near them) after meals , before and after naps, and before trips. However, it is not necessary to force them to remain longer than they wish.

It is important to praise the child for sitting on the potty or toilet. However, it might be necessary to delay flushing away the urine in the child's presence if it frightens the child.

When an accidental soiling or wetting occurs' scolding of forcing the child to sit a long time on the potty is not recommended .if the toddler seems unready for toilet learning, it is best to return the child, without comment, to diapers and try the process again later.

Sample Rules to Teach Children

2009-12-12T20:12:00.000-08:00

When developing rules for playground activities, caregivers should discuss the equipment available, the ages of the children and the skills required to use the equipment safely. Keep in mind the importance of consistency enforcing rules, while praising children who use the playground correctly.

Swings

- if another child is using the swing , you should approach the empty swing on the swing can see you coming
- Sit in the center of the seat; never stand or kneel on it
- Hold on with both hands
- Stop the swing before getting off. Stay far away from moving swings.
- Only one person can sit on one swing at a time.
- Do not swing empty seats or twist unoccupied rings.
- Keep head and feet out of the exercise rings

Slides

-Wait your turn in line, giving enough room to the person ahead of you
-Hold on with both hands while climbing steps on the slide.
- Before sliding , make sure no onee is in front of you
- Slide feet first, sitting up, one person at a time
- After sliding, immediately move away from the fron of the slide

Climbing Equipment

- Only one person at a time should be on any one rung or bar.
- Leave enough room between you and other children on the climber.
- Use both hands, and use the "lock grip" (fingers and thumb)

Horizontal Ladders and Bars

- Only one person at a time should be on any one rung or bar
- Keep a big space between you and the person in front
- Everyone starts at the same end and gose in the same direction
- Drop with the knees bent. Try to land on both feet
- Do not use the equipment when wet

Seesaws (for children 4 years and above)

- Sit up straight and face with each other
- Hold on tight with both hands
- Keep feet out from underneath the board
- Tell your partner when you want to get off. Get off carefully and hold your end so it rises slowly until your partner's feet touch the ground .

The Effect of Developmental Behavior

2009-12-12T03:22:00.000-08:00

A child behavior depends on both heredity and environment or "nature" and "nurture" . Each infant is unique, both in appearance and temperament. Temperament is a style of behavior for example, a child may be "easy-going" "slow to warm up or hard to manage".

Though every child is born with certain characteristics , the child rearing environment plays a strong part in behavior and development. Child development generally follows and orderly pattern, but there are considerable individual variations. Movement usually progresses from rolling to setting, to creeping and then walking. But some children never creep at all , and the age at which they start walking can vary widely, although in generally occurs between 9 and 18 months of age.

Language development, which involves hearing and understanding , as well as expressive speaking and signing, varies even more among children. Usually, speech progresses from cooing and babbling to the use of jargon , words, joined words, then phrases and finally sentences . Some children produce full sentences by the age of 2 years, while others may not do so until later. A useful rule is to seek professional help for those who do not have one word by 1 year of age, Two joined words by 2 years of age , Three joined words by 3 years of age. It is important not to delay seeking help for children who are either slow to walk or slow to talk when parents or caregivers suspect a problem:early help with difficult behavior may prevent later complications . Starting infancy, children are influenced by how adults treat them . Adults need to understand the typical patterns of development and behavior , while allowing for individual differences .Adults also need to consider children's level of maturity even more than their actual ages.

Teaching Kids What to Do During Emergencies

2009-12-11T07:58:00.000-08:00

1. Start by explaining to your child that he or he might need to make an important call someday.

2. Teach your child how to dial 911 or another emergency number located in your area. Show your child where the number can be found next to the phone.

3. Make sure your child knows his or her full name and complete address.

4. Brief your child what will happen when a call is made. Explain that a person will ask questions about the emergency and that he or she should remain calm and answer as best as he or she can.

5. Practice making emergency calls. Using an unplugged phone, have your child dial the correct number and say his or her full name and address into the receiver.

6. Suggest hypothetical situations to practice. For example, you might say, "What if I fell down and couldn't get up? What would you do? The coach your child on the correct response.

7. Emphasize that emergency numbers should only be dialed in emergencies-never for fun .

Play Experiences

2009-12-11T04:08:00.000-08:00

Play is full of rich feelings and movements that will help children to learn. Their interest watching moving objects improves coordination in reaching , grasping and handling. When they get control over sitting, children have a new, upright view of the world that opens new opportunities learning.
Play materials need not be expensive toys. Ordinary household objects make good toys: plastic cups, containers, spools, lids or other smooth items too large to be put in the mouth and cause choking.
Imitating sounds and words is part of learning language, and infants begin responding to adults meaningful words and allowing exploration within a safe,stimulating, developmentally appropriate environment are the best ways for caregivers to help the child;s development at this time.
The relationship that caregivers have with children at this stage will develop their trust in adults and their feelings of themselves as separate, distinct people. Children can sense the caregiver's approval, praise and delight, which then nurture their self-esteem. Self-esteem, or feeling good about one's self is necessary for a child to feel happy and competent.