PitterPatterFeet

Getting your child to sleep whether they are infants, toddlers or preschool aged can be really challenging. It’s enough to make you want to google “how do I send a child back”. And although you wouldn’t do it even though you feel like that and really wish that there was a way to do that and then pick them up after you’ve both had a good night sleep, we all know that’s just wistful thinking. I ‘d like to share with 3 things that will help you with this dilemna. Read more »

Kids are so funny and can give you such a great laugh with the things that they do and say. I’d like to share some of those moments with you now.

My girlfriend has an adorable 3 year old boy. Her and her husband went out to dinner with him recently. After being seated they removed all of the knives from the table, as a safety measure. Well he was not having that and yelled to the top of his voice:”GIMME BACK MY WIFE!”

His father just recently got braces on his teeth. After admiring his father’s braces he said to his parents:” I want bracelets on my teeth too.”

His mom was driving and trying to figure out which way to go. As she was deciding he screams from the back seat: ” GO TO NEW YORK CITY AND MAKE A LEFT!”

My friend and I were having such a good laugh.  It felt so good to have a break  and laugh. I marvel at how wonderful her little boy is. In addition he is also very smart. They were in the grocery store and he says to his mom: “Mommy that’s just stupendous!” Shocked his mom looked at him and then he replies “You know Mommy stupendous like awesome.

Wow!!!! isn’t that amazing that not only did he correctly pronounce the word but he actually knew what it meant. That is a joy and a pleasure to hear.

Just wanted to share a chuckle with you to brighten up your day. If you have any funny things that your child or children have done or said please share them with us we’d love to hear them. Please post your comments below.

Can you imagine? Some one that conditions others to be stellar players collapses and dies. Wow that’s a lot right, but what does that have to do with my child you say. It relates to your child because a simple thing like dehydration was suspected as playing a major role in his death. And by the way dehydration is a very major thing that we do not think about too often.

Research indicates that the Read more »

A really fun way to prevent childhood obesity is by letting your child lead you in performing exercises. Notice the operative word here “perform”. There is a vast difference between doing exercises and performing exercises. Your child naturally knows this Read more »

Making sure that your child begins to drink water early is a great way to ensure that your child gets proper nutrition and creates a great habit to prevent obesity in their future. Even though water has no calories or nutritional value it is still very valuable to your toddler. A good amount to probably start with is 10-15 ozs.

According to pediatricians you should not give a baby younger than 6 months old water. First, there is enough water in their formula and breast milk( 94 percent water). Also, giving a baby younger than 6 months water can interefere with the body’s ability to absorb the nutrients that are in both formula and breast milk. And although small sips will not hurt the baby, it is much better to be safe than sorry, and to check with your pediatrician.

There is also a consideration of water intoxication. This happens when too much water dilutes the concentration of sodium that is in the body. This upsets the electrolyte balance and causes the tissues to swell. Water intoxication can also cause seizures and even coma.

It is a good idea to introduce the child to water before juices and other drinks with sugar in them, even 100 percent fruit juice. After milk make that a child’s second choice. So when they ask for something to drink give them water first. Another good idea is even with 100% fruit juice you can add water to dilute it slightly.

If your child absolutely does not like drinking water try giving them items that are made of predominately water like actual fruits, soup, milk, smoothies  etc. Also try making sure the water is cold as children don’t really care for room temperature water. Vegetables are also an excellent source of water, even though it’s not as direct.

You want to make sure that you don’t over do it. Giving a toddler too much water tends to make them feel full and could limit the amount of food intake that contributes to their growth. Remember toddlers have small tummies that can get full really fast. So you don’t want to diminish their appetite and jeopardize vital calories and nutrients that they need for growing.

This is the same reason why you do not want to give a toddler more than 4 ounces of 100 percent fruit juice. In addition to not wanting to spoil their appetite you also want your child to get the fiber from fruits and the additional nutrients in the actual fruit itself. 

Lastly, make sure you are a good example also by drinking water yourself. It is so  much more effective and impactful when you model the behavior you want your children to have.

It is easier than you think to prevent childhood obesity using specific movements designed to integrate the left and right hemispheres of the brain. These movements are particularly  fun when they are done with and to music. They can be dance movements, sports moves or moves that you wouldn’t ordinarily think of as something that would help to prevent obesity and get kids moving.

Really you say? Yes, really I say, this is because all movement helps to develop the brain. When children are moving they are learning. Read more »

Being a smart and savvy shopper when it comes to grocery shopping will carry you a long way in preventing childhood obesity. I know it seems so obvious, but when life is coming at you from 73 different directions and your head is spinning to try and keep up, planning and eating nutritous meals can fall by the way side. It is so easy and tempting to take the fast food route. With the rising costs of food today sometimes fast food isn’t even the culprit, it’s our neighborhood grocery store that can sometimes knock us for a loop.

I went to the grocery store today to get tuna fish. Read more »

Preventing childhood obesity is very easy when you start early with a child. It is never too early to start either. You can start even when the child is in the womb by rocking and swaying to music. It doesn’t necessarily have to be musical instruments or a CD or live band. A mother’s voice is a beautiful instrument to a child. It is beautiful music to their ears even in utero. You can make up your own songs which is a lot of fun and will give you a chuckle or two or you can sing nursery ryhmes or songs that were sung to you when you a child. The whole point of this is to Read more »

Empowering your child is a great tool to help in preventing childhood obesity. Children use food as comfort too, not just adults. Many people think of this as just a problem that adults have and never link it to children at all. You  can help prevent childhood obesity that may be caused by stress eating by helping children to feel good about themselves.

Helping children to feel good about themselves can be achieved in the following ways: teaching them something where they will gain independence and helping them to develop new skills. Children develop self esteem by Read more »

Getting children to behave is a universal challenge that every parent and teacher faces, but it doesn’t have to be. There are things that you can do if done consistently, that will help your child to behave. The key words here are “done” and “consistently”. I’m sure that you are all aware that in order to see results in anything you are going to have to actually do the things that you know you are suppose to do and do them consistently.

There are many different opinions and techniques that you can use to help your child behave but Read more »