Fun Foods And Kitchen Activities For Kids

Food-Time Fun

Having kids can bring many challenges even in little things like eating. I wish I had a little more of a challenge to convince myself to eat, it's more like convincing myself not to eat.

Children can come up with all kinds of excuses at meal time and pick and poke at their food with this dumbfounded gaze into another world of princesses or pirates. What frustrates me more than anything is when I pay for a nice meal at a restaurant and an hour later I hear a little person moaning in the back seat, " I'm hungry, when are we gonna eat?" Reminding them we just ate they respond with this mental block excuse," Oh! I forgot."

We as adults usually stuff ourselves to the gills at dinner time so it's hard to understand and know how to deal with these antics in a calm, creative way.

Here is some ideas especially great for stay-at-home moms or daycare to make eating a thrill and an anticipated adventure for little ones.

Keep It Simple Yummy And Fun

Apples: 
First cut in half cross-ways so the kids can see the star in the middle. Take craft sticks and let them spread peanut butter or let them dip it in caramel dip. Apples are very healthy, my kids favorite snack.
Make their own apple sauce: 
Put three sliced apples into two cups of boiled water. Boil, mash( let kids do this with the back of the spoon), add sugar and cinnamon to taste. They can even make several batches of this and put in little jars and give as gifts with a label telling who made it.
Make their own butter: 
Put 1/2 pint of heavy whipping cream and 1 tsp of salt into a tightly sealed container.Shake several times until butter forms. You might want to sing songs or tell stories and jokes in between to pass time. With a plastic knife or wooden craft stick let them butter their bread, biscuit or crackers.
Green Eggs And Ham:
Your kids love the Dr. Suess book "Green Eggs And Ham" so read it to them and make it with them. All it will take is to add little green food coloring to the eggs and use sliced ham or even lunch meat.
Peanut Butter Play Dough:
Mix 1 cup of peanut butter, 3 tablespoons of honey and 1 cup of nonfat powdered dry milk, then form into silly shapes before eating with a side of graham or vanilla wafers.
Octopus Hot Dogs: 
Slice a hot dog two to three ways, leaving around an inch uncut at the top of the hot dog. Spread the legs out on a saucer. Then make mustard eyes nose and mouth. They love it. You can also put your octopus on a bed of ramen noodles.
Cookies: 
Let the children roll out the cookie dough and cut out neat shapes with cookie cutter. Invest in cake-decorating tips or just let them ice it and put sprinkles or candy to decorate. It is also yummy to dip half of a cookie in melted chocolate or almond bark.
Veggie Tales At The Ranch: 
Play your kids veggie tales and have them to act out their own veggie play with broccoli, celery, baby carrots, cauliflower and other veggies that are good raw. They can name them after their favorite characters and dip them in Ranch dressing ( bottled or homemade).
Fun-Shaped Pancakes: 
Learn the art of creating fun shapes while your pouring pancake better into the skillet, when your all done your kids get to guess what they are. Try hearts, boats, lips, teddy bears, puppies or you can even pour it in a heat proof cookie cutter.
Cheese Dip Swimming Pool: 
Most kids love cheese dip. They might eat a bigger helping if they act like it's a swimming pool and they are diving in, then diving back into their mouths. They can tell you a story from their own imagination. Be sure to smile and encourage their creativity.
Piggy's In A Blanket: 
This is an old favorite of most of us. Use refrigerator biscuits, hot-dogs and cheese for this quick, yummy treat. Let them help you put the cheesy pj's on the piggy's and wrap them in a blanket. This is a great take-a-long snack.
Pizza Pictures: 
Make a homemade pizza, have your kids to design a picture scene out of the toppings. Take your time and let them detail it with all the cheeses and different kinds of veggies. You can add a little green food color to the cheese to make grass, you can make green pepper cars with pepperoni wheels and olive head lights. You can have them make the pizza a picture of themselves. This would be a great craft idea for a group of kids, they can make small personal pan pizza's. Also a fun pizza party idea.
Homemade Bread: 
Children love playing with squishy things. Let the children participate in the long process of making homemade yeast bread or rolls. Educate them about yeast and how it's alive and rises. Then let them knead the dough and form the rolls. They will enjoy the anticipation of checking on the dough too see if it is rising.
Tea Parties And Picnics: 
Turning lunch time and snack time into tea parties using their little play dinnerware and tea pitcher make it more interesting and often they keep asking for refills.
Play Restaurant: 
Play restaurant, give them a menu choice, take their orders and be their waiter or waitress. Kids love when adults break down and play with them. Deliver their food and ask if they need refills etc.
Kiss The Little Cook: 
Get your kids an apron and chef hat and include them in the simple safe parts of your cooking. Let them help set the table, teach them how to do it proper, and give them a kiss on the cheek and allot of praise as the family sits down and eats what they helped you prepare.Kids are not pesky flies in the kitchen, if trained right they can cut allot of kitchen time. You can even have one cleaning up as you cook:.)
Creating Recipes: 
Parents you can have allot of memory making fun with this idea. Create a family recipe book. Teach your children about basic ingredients and how food cooks then let them create their own recipe's and name them. Have a taste testing party and try out their creations.Warning!Adult supervision required, you never know what their creations might consist of, may explode. Once the recipe is perfected they can take a picture of it with themselves for the book. "Grandma would enjoy a copy I'm sure."
Fishin Goldfish: 
All you need is a can of their favorite soup and goldfish crackers. The spoon is the fishing pole and they have to catch all the fish out of the pond. After they are all gone, re-stock the pond until the soup is all ate.
Smiley Cheese And Crackers: Somehow a bright cheesy grin makes this favorite snack more edible and they will want more:.) Use the squirt cheese for an easy smiley face:.)
Real Juice Ice Pops: 
Let them make their own Popsicles out of fruit juice, this will be a healthy tasty treat. You can even pour fruit juice into ice trays and let them add it to their water for extra flavor and color.
A Watermelon Whale: 
Kids go crazy over this!!! Take an oval watermelon and cut out a zig zag big wide open mouth. Cut out two eyes or draw them on, you can also make a tail out of the peel you cut out. The zig zag is the scary teeth. Scoop out all the melon meat and either cut it into to chunks or use a melon ball scoop. Add other fruits and fill the whale full. This is a good way to get kids eat allot of fruit. You can also make a good dip with Cool Whip, Cream Cheese and Brown or Powdered Sugar. It would also be cute to tell them the story of Jonah and the whale and do an object lesson.
Phonics and Number Lesson: 
You can teach your kids their phonics and numbers with food. This would be great for homeschooling. Each day have a new phonic and number. Make a food that has the phonic sound in it and a snack they can count. Example: The letter M - Meatloaf and 4 Big Marshmallows. Some of the more difficult letter you might have to create a fantasy name for the food.

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How to Cure Toddler Constipation

Toddler constipation is something you can work towards preventing, and doing so will save you heaps of worry. Holding a screaming child while she tries to eliminate is not something I thought would be a part of parenthood. However, this scenario plays out roughly once every two days. In addition, my toddler clings to me, contorts her face in agony and tightens nearly every muscle in her body.

My heart breaks in two when this happens. When I searched the internet to find a cure, I discovered that one site would say to avoid bananas while another said to eat them and so on.

Needless to say, I was confused, so I decided to write about what actually worked for us. We got advice from a pediatrician and then took steps to change our toddler's diet.

1. Remove Bananas from the Diet: 

This food, which had a binding effect on the body, should not be eaten by children with constipation troubles. You may already know that bananas form part of the BRAT (bananas - rice - applesauce - toast) diet that is recommended for diarrhea. You certainly want to encourage foods that will NOT bind.

2. Remove Wheat from the Diet: 

This is a hard one to do. However, a wheat free diet (http://wheatfreediet.wordpress.com) is completely possible. You can substitute rice or millet bread for wheat bread. Since more people have discovered their wheat allergies, there are a number of delicious products to replace the desire or need for wheat. You can get wheat-free soy sauce, wheat-free cookies, and plenty of wheat-free flours.

3. Encourage Pears and Watermelon: 

We had a great deal of success by encouraging watermelon. The high water content and fiber helped the toddler constipation situation. The doctor recommended peaches, and that works well, too.

4. Encourage Water Drinking: 
Water is not a food favorite of my toddler. I'd add some into her milk, but the doctor suggested we get her to drink it straight. To encourage the process, I'm using bendy straws only for increasing water consumption - anything to make drinking water fun and enjoyable.

5. Reduce Yogurt and Eliminate Cheese: 
Cheese (like bananas) is binding and slows down the digestive process, so cheese is completely out. About 4 ounces per day of yogurt can be eaten according to our pediatrician.

6. Get Moving!: 
The process of walking and movement helps digestion. It probably won't be hard to encourage your toddler to move around - they are always moving! - yet be sure you take some walks or run around after meals.

7. Read a Book: 
After feeling pain with elimination, your toddler may start to withold it to avoid the pain. This could cause problems later. An excellent book to read with your toddler is: "It Hurts When I Poop" about a boy named Ryan who hurts when he poops and overcomes it.

With time, and by following these guidelines, your toddler constipation woes should come to an end. It will take dedication and patience to heal the situation completely.

Hopefully, these guidelines help you improve your toddler's constipation, so she will feel healthy and comfortable - and so she won't be scared to use bathroom.

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How to cure the sleepless nights of your baby or babies

Sleepless nights

A baby who has trouble sleeping can cause many problems within the family household. The lack of sleep increases the irritability between family members, with parents snapping at older children and each other for no real reason and thus arguments occur when they need not.It is therefore very important to find the cause of your baby's sleep problem as soon as you possible can, not only for your baby's sake but also for your own sanity.There are many causes for babies having trouble sleeping, some can be dealt with easily, while others need a bit more detective work.Most babies should start sleeping through the night between 8 and 12 weeks, obviously as all babies are different, some may sleep through quicker some longer.

Why is your baby not sleeping when you put it to bed?

If your baby is not sleeping through the night then you should look at the overall situation,
Have you just moved them into a cot or a junior bed?
Have they just gone into their own room after being with you for some length of time?
Have you moved house?
Has there been something happen within the family to cause an unsettled feeling i.e. a death to close family member?
All of these things are enough to unsettle a baby at night.

Good baby Sleeping tips

One of the best ways to help your baby sleep at night is to have a very good bedtime routine. This should start the same time every night, and should follow the same pattern. For example;

6.30pm bath/shower
7pm a little play with quiet toys
7.15pm story time, maybe 1 or 2 small books
7.30pm lights out, kiss, cuddle and tell them ‘sleep tight and see you in the morning’ and maybe get them to cuddle their favourite teddy

Sleep disorders

A baby waking in the night

When a newborn first arrives on the scene you expect to be woken 2-3 times during the night, with this gradually decreasing as you get baby into a better sleeping routine. However when an older child/toddler starts waking 2-3 times in the night for no apparent reason or generally showing a total lack of sleep, it can be very annoying for the parent, and in turn you end up with a very tired toddler and parent.
So again you find yourself looking at the big picture and asking simple questions,
Are they cutting teeth? Remember a child can still be cutting teeth at the 2-3 years of age!
Are they still in a cot? It may be possible that the cot is now getting too small and they are waking themselves when they move in the night.
Have you just moved them into a child size bed? It is possible that they feel insecure by the amount of round that they have around them. Perhaps fill their bed with their favourite teddies.
Are they waking up wet with nappies leaking? This can be very uncomfortable for the child and you should be thinking about maybe cutting back drinks before bed and just allowing them to have their milk at bedtime. Or if they do not drink too much maybe you need to look at larger nappies for during the night, or even a different brand. They are all cut and fit slightly differently.
Have you started potty training but still have them in nappies during the night? If so this could be there way of telling you that they need a wee during the night.
Are they asking for a drink of juice every time they wake? If so, and you usually give your child diluted squash it could be that they are actually craving for the squash. Be brave and strong and just give them water for during the night and during the day dilute the squash so water only just changes colour.
Are they having a growth spurt and waking hungry? If so perhaps they need a more filling evening meal, meat/vegetarian option with vegetables, or maybe a pasta dish, followed by a filling pudding i.e. rice pudding, fresh fruit with any yoghurt. You could always give your child something simple to eat while you are reading a story and they are drinking their milk i.e. breadsticks or small piece of toast/bread and butter.

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Wheezing in children

Wheezing in children

Scenario 1:
Logan is a chubby 5 month old who goes to day care. One evening,his mother was told by the day care assistant that he has mild fever and runny nose. The next day his mother found him to have wheeze and questionable troubled breathing. What could be the cause for his wheeze?

Scenario 2:
Max is a skinny 5 year old, who has been having repeated episodes of cough, cold and wheeze since toddler-hood. Lately his mother feels that his symptoms are getting worse and he is increasingly woken up from sleep by breathing difficulty and wheeze. Is his wheeze due to asthma?

What is wheezing?

Wheezing is a high pitched whistling sound that occurs while breathing and it is caused by the flow of air through constricted breathing tubes. It is usually heard while exhaling, but also can be heard while inhaling. It is usually caused by the constriction of smaller airways deep in the chest but also can be due to larger airway constriction. There are many causes for wheeze and the mechanism by which they cause wheeze are the following.

1.spasm or constriction of airways.

2. blockage by a foreign object.

3. excessive secretion.

4.swelling of the mucous lining of the airways.

Wheezing is a very common symptom of childhood and infancy. It is rare in the newborn period, though.

Common causes of wheeze:

1. Asthma:

Not all asthmatics wheeze and not all wheezers are asthmatics. However asthma usually presents with recurrent episodes of wheeze and breathing difficulty.Other common symptoms that must clue you are
recurrent attacks of cold,coughing, wheeze and difficulty in breathing during activities like running, jumping etcprolonged coughing that worsens at night,a general feeling of being unwell.Asthma is exacerbated during exposure to cold, pollutants, certain food like egg or milk, allergens like pollen, pet fur etc. With modern treatment asthma can be controlled very well. It is important to visit your doctor if you think that your child has asthma.

2.Bronchiolitis:

It presents as low grade fever,cough, breathing difficulty, reduced feeding with or without audible wheeze. It is common during winter or late spring. Majority of cases are caused by 'Respiratory syncitial virus', rest are caused by adeno viru, parainfluenza virus or mycoplasma. Infants usually recover in 2 weeks but may have prolonged wheeze or cough. Occasionally a child with severe breathing difficulty may need hospitalisation.

3. Transient wheezing in infancy:

It is characterised by recurrent wheeze in non atopic infants and toddlers which usually disappears when child turns three. If the symptoms are severe and the child has allergic manifestations, he can go on to have asthma.

4.Choking on a foreign object:

If the onset of wheeze is abrupt on a previously healthy child, it may be due to choking on a foreign object. The choking can be observed or unobserved, may or may not present as an emergency but always deserves prompt medical examination and treatment.

5.Allergy:

Allergic reaction to cold, pollen, animal fur, insect bite, certain food can present with wheeze. The child may have red, itchy watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing and coughing. In food allergy, following ingestion of a particular food ,the child may get a rash, watery eyes, runny nose, vomiting, diarrhoea,itching and swelling of mouth, face and neck, wheeze and a worsening breathing difficulty (which is an emergency).

6.Gastroesophageal reflux disease:

This condition begins to present at 4 weeks, peaks at 4 months and subsides by one year as the child starts to walk around and starts taking solid food. It is due to the immaturity of the sphincter which lead to reflux of stomach content back. This will present as irritability, wheeze, noisy breathing, choking and hoarseness of voice.

7.Pneumonia:

Starts with symptoms similar to common cold but progressively worsens with high fever, cough, wheezing, grunting, difficulty in breathing and chest pain. The child looks sick, feeding declines and breathing difficulty worsens. Significant distress requires hospitalisation.

8.Cystic fibrosis:

Presents with frequent cold, long standing cough, recurrent sinusitis, bulky greasy stool with offensive odour, loss of weight and nasal polyps. An observant mother notices that the baby's skin is salty to kiss.

9.Other causes:

Most cases of wheeze in infants and toddlers are associated with viral infection.Wheezing also occurs in many other conditions like heart diseases, congenital malformation of airways, dysfunction of vocal cords, chronic lung diseases etc

Croup is characterised by stridor (which is a high pitched noise while breathing), breathing difficulty , barky cough and it may also present with wheeze.

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The 5 Most Common Childhood Illnesses

Along with a new bundle of joy, comes common childhood illnesses. Pediatric offices appear to be one of the many medical facilities that are filled to the brim, with anxious parents who are concerned about their child's health. From a runny nose to red bumps that appear out of nowhere, watching the clock in the doctor's office can become a nightmare. Listening to a child cry or hearing blood curdling screams while in the waiting room heightens the fear that something more severe could be wrong with your child.

Hoping to ease the pain of traveling to a doctor's office with a sick child, listed are the 5 most common illnesses among children. What to look for could your time at the pediatrics office a little less stressful.

Childhood illnesses can become a worrisome task. Hives appear out of nowhere, a large red bump appears on the arm or that sneeze does not appear to be just allergies. Due to our own upbringing we are familiar with some of the common illnesses such as a stomach, the flu, or even pinkeye. But there are many illnesses that we may have heard about and others that can be prevented. There are viral and bacterial infections that can be eliminated just by using an antibacterial soap or washing hands. When a child has a cold we should always teach them to cover their mouths and wash their hands. This lessens the chances of the infection to spread.

5. Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease

Do not confuse this infection with hoof and mouth disease. One of the most common childhood diseases causes a high-grade fever with blisters or sores that cover the inside of the mouth, palms and soles of the feet. Blisters may also appear on the buttocks of your child.
Prone to rear its head in the Summer or Fall it is caused by a variety of viruses called enteroviruses also known in the United States as coxsackievirus A16.
Not really serious once treated the nasty little bug disappears in about 7-10 days.

4. Croup

If your child's cough sounds like he/she is "barking" this common cough is called croup. Many children are hospitalized every year when left untreated. It is caused by a group of viruses called human parainfluenza viruses, which also aides in the creation of the common cold. Rarely fatal the treatment provided assist the child with breathing normally until the cough ends. If your child is diagnosed with Croup it normally only hangs around for about a week.

3. Impetigo

Discussing the little red bumps previously that weep fluid is called Impetigo. Highly contagious and adults can get it to. It is normally found in children 2-6 years old.

It appears as a cluster of weeping red bumps that are itchy and forms a honey-colored crust over them. Touching the bumps can spread to other children and adults. If your child appears to have these little red bumps. Do not touch them and continually wash your hands. Get them to the doctor so they can prescribe an antibiotic. They will not cause scars and you will see them disappear after about a week. Give them the antibiotic as needed and do not discontinue the medicine. Follow-up with the doctor as discussed at your appointment.

2. Fifth Disease

Commonly known as the "slapped cheek" disease because it causes a red rash on the cheeks that looks like a slap mark. A red rash may also appear anywhere on the body or the arms and legs. There are rarely any symptoms but a possible oncoming cold. It will not always make your child feel ill before the rash appears.
Fifth disease is caused by the human parvovirus B19. By the age of 5 up to 20% of all children may contract Fifth Disease. By age 19 up to 60% of all children have had this disease. Not normally serious the disease can go away in 7-10 days. The infection can also cause joint pain and be misdiagnosed as Rheumatoid Arthirits. Joint pain normally disappears within 3 weeks.

1. RSV

RSV is the most common viruses of all childhood illnesses. Commonly known as Respiratory syncytial virus it wreaks havoc more often then influenza. Many of us have had (RSV) by the time we were 2-years old. Symptoms can include runny nose, cough and fever. It may appear as a common cold.

From newborn to 1 it is the most common cause of pneumonia and inflammation of the small air passages in the child's lungs. Wheezing can be one of the symptoms of RSV and it is sometimes treated with hospitalization. Wheezing will not occur in most children and approximately only 2% of all children are hospitalized.

RSV infections normally last 2 week if treated with an antibiotic. Anyone can contract the RSV virus. Eventually after catching RSV a few times, then it is treated as common cold.

There are many more common childhood illnesses. But with any illness it is best to contact your physician to get the proper diagnosis and have it treated accordingly. Always follow-up with the doctor after the first exam. If you have a newborn to 2-years old, do not ignore the signs when they are sick. Seek immediate medical attention if you believe your child/children has contracted any of these illnesses.

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Stop Biting Nails for Kids

Kids Biting Nails.

If your constant nail biting in in any way causing you concern, it's high time that you seek for assistance. This write up looks at some of the easy techniques on how to stop biting nails for kids. Scroll down to know more on this.

Nail biting, scientifically known as onychophagia, is a nasty habit usually followed by many kids and even adults. Though this habit does not usually cause any serious health issue, it should be avoided since it can easily lead to very many negative effects.

For some people, nail biting is normally considered as an effective stress relief habit. Most nail biters see it hard to completely get rid of this habit since there is no specific cure for this nasty habit. Let us now have a look at some of the effective techniques that can be used to stop this habit in children.

How to Stop Biting Nails For Kids.

Here are some of the effective tricks, which might assist kids in effectively getting rid of this pesky behavior.

Applying Bitter Foul Tasting Solution on the Nails

Applying a bitter foul tasting solution on the kid's nails is a fool-proof remedy you can use for biting nails. This way, each time the child has craving to put his or her fingers on the mouth or also if unconsciously his or her fingers end up inside the mouth, the bitter tasting nails will act as an ideal reminder for him or her to stop biting nails.

It is essential also that you select a solution that is very bitter and apply it on your kids' nails. This solution should act as an aversion therapy and protect the child from being stimulated by it. Also, it is ideal that you ensure that this solution is reapplied each time the kid washes his or her hands.

Wearing Gloves

If the child has the tendency on inadvertently nibbling at his or her nails, covering up his or her hands or wearing gloves is an ideal idea. Putting on bandages or stickers on the child's fingers is another tested and tried remedy you can use to end this habit in your kid.

Offering the Kids with Rewards

This is another effective and essential technique you can use to end this habit in your kid(s). Rewards are believed to act as effective reinforcement for the changed behaviors. Thus, promise your child that you will buy him gifts if he stops this habit of nail biting.

Explaining to the Kid Why this Habit is Unhealthy

Explaining to your kid why nail biting is an unhealthy habit can also assist you stop this habit in your child. However, while explaining that, you must ensure that you use a tone that is matter of fact in order to prevent increasing the child's anxiety level.

Last but not the least; I guess by this time, you are conversant with effective ways on how to stop biting nails for kids. Start making use of these techniques today to witness their effectiveness.

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What Kills Head Lice - Vinegar

It is extremely difficult to get rid of head lice. Vinegar can suffocate and kill head lice and nits.

Head lice are quite a difficult problem to deal with. It is very difficult to get rid of head lice. They can survive up to 30 days. They survive on human blood. Lice die in two days if they are not in contact with human body. Children are very likely to pickup lice at school. They can make life difficult. They are creatures which are 2mm in length. Once they infest the head, they lay eggs profusely, which hatch and multiply. Lice eggs are called nits. These eggs get glued to the hair. Lice cannot fly as they are wingless. There are a variety of methods to get rid of them. Quite a few shampoos are available in the market for the purpose. But as they contain toxic chemicals, application of these may cause allergic reaction. A number of home remedies are also available for the purpose

Vinegar Treatment

Apple cider vinegar which is made from organic apples is suited to get rid of the lice. It has a higher concentration of 5% acetic acid in water and ideally suited to for the application. Acetic acid will remove the glue and release the nits. Vinegar has to be heated. Head has to be shampooed first and warm vinegar has to be applied thoroughly to the head and scalp. Then head has to be covered with a cloth or cap to let the vinegar soak.

The acidic properties of vinegar will suffocate the head lice and kill them. Vinegar also has a pungent smell which also helps. Then head should be washed off thoroughly using shampoo. The dead lice can be removed with the help of a lice comb. The process has to be repeated, once in seven days, two or three times.

Spread of Head Lice

Lice generally spread from one person to another through physical contact. They also spread by using comb, hair band or hats of another person. Head lice can also spread from pets like cats and dogs.

Preventing Reinfestation

The reinfestation of the head lice may come from cloth or bed linen. After the shampoo bath all the bed linen and clothes have to be soaked and washed in hot water. Three or four tea spoons of vinegar can be added to this water. To prevent the reinfestation of head lice put in a few drops of lavender oil behind the ear and the neck. As lice hate the smell, it will keep them away.

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