grow ready, set

Food…a necessary staple of life, but this necessity can also bring many concerns and challenges. As our kids grow our focus evolves, but the goal remains the same; to raise healthy, strong young adults. Here are some facts, tips and general info on food for our kids as they grow.

Thatsweet wee one! This miracle of life comes home with a simple schedule: eat, sleep, poop & repeat. The poop happens when the other steps are followed and hopefully the sleep happens more than less. The eating part of the equation allows for some decision making on your part, but still you really aren’t the one in control!

enough?

Initially you have one thing to worry about… breast or bottle? With our wee ones, our first concern is whether they are eating enough. With formula, the math is rather simple: what you put in the bottle - what is left in the bottle

= amount eaten by wee one

Prior to solid foods, your wee one will eat about 2.5 ounces per pound of body weight in a twenty-four hour period. So, 10 pound Billy should eat around 25 ounces of formula in a day. Obviously, breast feeding doesn’t allow you to actually see or measure what your wee one is getting, but there are signs he’s getting proper nourishment:

After eating, your wee one is relaxed and satisfied.

Your breasts feel softer after nursing because they have been emptied. After regaining his initial birth weight, your wee one continues to gain weight (many wee ones lose between 5 and 9 percent of their birth weight, but gain it back in the first 2 weeks). Once your wee one is getting milk, not colostrums, he should have around 6 wet diapers a day.

Everybody poops! Your wee one should have at • least 3 per day the first month. After the first month, he may go less frequently. Breast fed wee ones may even skip a day now and then.

If ever you have any concerns that your wee one isn’t getting all they need, talk to your trusted doctor.

Gimme A Spoon

Introducing solid foods can be challenging, messy and scary for us as parents. Timing is the first hurdle. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends starting solid foods at six months. Prior to this your wee one should get all their calories and nutrients from breast milk or formula, but like everything there are exceptions to the rule. As early as 4 months your wee one may show signs of transitioning readiness. Those signs include having head control, sitting well, losing extrusion reflex (tongue pushing food out), display chewing motions, significant weight gain, growing appetite, and an interest in what’s going from your plate to your mouth. Solid food introduction should start with rice cereal, then fruits & vegetables and lastly table food. As we introduce more “people” food, choking is a common fear. Keep things pea sized, don’t leave your wee one alone when he’s eating and get trained on infant/child CPR! Knowing what to do when a situation arises is the best insurance policy.

All that energy in our sweet tot. She has to be hungry, but meal time turns your tot into a stone faced, no eating, stare down artist. Our tots are establishing their independence, which can translate into meal time battles.

Tots

live to eat… eat to live

Fortunately, our tots (without medical complications) will eat according to their instincts. When to eat and how much to maintain their caloric needs is why you will see your tot eat everything in sight one month and what seems like nothing the next month. The growth rate of our tots is about one-third to one-half of what it was as a wee one so don’t be alarmed when she is eating less than usual. She simply might not need as much food to sustain development. On average your tot will need about 1,000 calories per day via 3 meals and a couple of snacks. So, respect your tots hunger or lack thereof. A good rule of thumb, average your toddler’s intake over the week as opposed to worrying about the day.

Hold The Nuts

Milk, eggs, soy, wheat, tree nuts, shellfish, and peanuts are among the most common foods causing allergies. Luckily, most kids will outgrow their food allergy. In fact, about 80% of those allergic to milk, 80% to wheat or soy and about two-thirds of those allergic to eggs will outgrow the allergy. Other food allergies, such as those to peanuts or tree nuts, will see only about 20% and 10% outgrow the allergy respectively. Fish and shellfish allergies are rarely outgrown and usually develop later in life.

Knowing the signs of an allergic reaction is important. A mild reaction will include:

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Itchiness or red bumps (hives)

Mild skin redness and swelling

Stuffy, runny nose, sneezing

Itchy, watery eyes

A more severe reaction will include:

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Swelling of the face or mouth

Difficulty swallowing or speaking

Wheezing or difficulty breathing

Abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting or diarrhea

Dizziness or fainting

When a reaction occurs:

• mild or you have concerns.

Contact your doctor if the reaction is more than

With a mild reaction, give an oral

• antihistamine, such as Children’s Benadryl. If the reaction is severe and you have an

• injectable epinephrine, use it.

Seek emergency medical care if the symptoms

• are those of a severe reaction, your child was exposed to a food or substance that has triggered a severe reaction in the past or if you administered an injectable epinephrine.

Preschoolers are learning to follow direction whether it is at preschool, church or kindergarten. Unfortunately this obedience doesn’t always find its way home or during meal time. Our active preschoolers need nutrients to keep going throughout the day, but sometimes they don’t always see it that way.

picky, picky, picky

One minute your preschooler loves eggs, the next can’t stand them. With no rhyme or reason your preschooler’s eating behavior can unpredictably change from week to week, day to day or even meal to meal. We call them picky, but typically these preschoolers are trying to exert their desire to be in control. It also needs to be remembered that kids taste food differently than we do. Your preschooler is more sensitive to strong flavors and usually will prefer bland foods. Pickiness may even be an instinctive protective mechanism as the gastrointestinal tract of your preschooler is not mature. Mother

Nature may just be protecting your preschooler from a tummy ache. Here are a few tips to minimize your meal time battles:

Stay calm. 1. Don’t create a battle of wills. Threats and punishments may only reinforce the struggle.

We’re in the neighborhood. Call today.

Kindermusik with Heidi Sue

Heidi Koepplin ∙ Licensed Kindermusik Educator

Phone: 701-238-0451

E-mail: kindermusikwithheidisue@yahoo.com

Home Page: http://heidisue.kindermusik.net recent survey of ND schools found the average elementary school lunch price was $1.52. kids (6–9 years) sit down already!

Watch the clock.

2. Limit juices and snacks for at least one hour before meals. Hunger can translate into motivation to eat.

Be sneaky. 3. Add veggies to the spaghetti sauce or hot dish, top cereal with fruit - do whatever works!

Routine, Routine, Routine.

4. Like everything else, our preschoolers like it when things are the same. Serve snacks and meals at about the same time each day.

Be a GOOD example.

5. They’re always watching! If you eat a variety of healthy food, your preschooler is more likely to follow suit.

Know when to get help.

6. If your preschooler is growing and energetic, she is probably fine. Talk to your doctor if your picky eater is compromising her growth and development.

Big kids are beginning to get busy with activities and homework. The days go fast, but we still need to encourage and teach healthy eating habits.

We’re all busy. Kids and parents alike! Our hectic lifestyles make it increasingly harder to sit down and eat together, but there are real benefits to doing so. Sitting together promotes conversation and communication. Some research has found that kids will make better choices when dining with their family. The National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse found that kids who dined with their family five times a week had their risk of smoking, drinking or using drugs cut in half. Makes sense, better communication, talking to your kids and knowing what they are up to is a no brainer in helping them make better choices. So, turn off the TV and cell phones, say your blessing and dig in together!

Keep Them Moving

Our big kids are in school, have homework and are increasingly interested in TV and the computer, which has all the makings of a couch potato. Being physically active builds strength, coordination, confidence and sets the stage for a healthy lifestyle. The National Association for Sports and Physical Education recommends our big kids get one hour or more of moderate and vigorous physical activity on most every day. Now that doesn’t mean your big kid needs to jump on the treadmill. Fifteen minute bouts of activity, sports or anything physical will do the trick. Remember that physical activities can teach your big kid about setting goals, meeting challenges, sportsmanship and teamwork. Our big kids are sharpening basic physical skills such as jumping, kicking and throwing so keep things in perspective regarding her age and developmental level, natural abilities and interests. There is enough time for your big kid to turn into the next Michael Jordon or Mia Hamm so, relax and let them have fun.

14% of US kids are overweight.

Tweeners are embarking on a time of change. Not just physical changes, but mental and emotional changes as well. They are also beginning to make choices that can shape their health and lifestyle.

tweeners (10–12 years)

A National Issue

Obesity is a huge problem in our country that crosses all ages, including our tweeners. Genetics can be a factor, but often too many calories in and too few worked off is the culprit. In the age of fast food, processed everything, working parents, 100 channel TV selection, internet and video games, there is one factor that should also be closely looked at. It’s called the ‘what you see is what you get’ phenomenon. In other words what your tweener sees from you is likely what they will become. So, what are you teaching your kids? What kind of an example are you? Here are some simple obesity fighting steps you can use to help your tweener: Walk the walk.

1. Live the lifestyle you want your kids to live. Get it done as a family.

Don’t be a nag.

2. Nagging your kids about their weight won’t help. It may have the reverse effect causing them to withdraw and become increasingly self-conscious. Be supportive and help them change their habits.

Set limits.

3. Layout guidelines and set times for TV watching, video game and computer usage and snack selection.

Be consistent.

4. Change is hard and sticking to your guns with a crabby tweener can be equally difficult. It’s important to stand behind the rules you set or nothing will change.

Don’t use food as a reward or punishment.

5. Talk about mixed signals! Food is fuel and that is how it should be treated. Get moving together.

6. Make physical activity a family affair. Go for walks, bike rides, build a snow fort – just make it fun!

Practice good eating habits.

7. Get your tweener involved in the kitchen and grocery shopping. Have healthy snacks available and make meal time a family time with no TV. Be patient.

8. It is going to take small steps to make changes and it isn’t going to happen overnight. Remember that you are trying to create habits to last a lifetime.

Build Those Bones

Our tweener daughters are at a critical point in their bone development. Too often they are not getting or doing what is needed to promote strong, healthy bones, which can increase their risk of osteoporosis later in life. The keys for our tweeners include getting at least 1,300 milligrams of calcium, which is equal to about 4 cups of milk, and participating in weight-bearing physical activity every day. Weightbearing activities include any activity where your tweener is moving her body against gravity such as, walking, jogging, playing soccer or basketball.

Dramatic physical changes and constant social pressures can make our teens feel self-conscious and concerned with how they look. These concerns can transition into an obsession that can become an eating disorder.