Family Health Guide 2021-2022• RMPARENT.COM
HEALTHIER HOLIDAY EATING PAGE 4
BRING CALM INTO YOUR FAMILY’S LIFE PAGE 10
SAFETY TIPS FOR THE HOLIDAYS PAGE 6
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Healthy treat choices
Getting kids’ buy-in to healthier holiday eating LEA HANSON
E
veryone loves the holidays— the decorative lights, time with family, and of course, holiday meals. As parents and caregivers, we try constantly to teach and model healthy eating habits. And, it can be extra hard to stick to a healthy eating plan during the holidays, especially for kids. Both adults and children tend to over-indulge on treats that are filled with sugar, butter, and other ingredients that while delicious, are bad for our bodies. People tend to gain the most weight during the brief winter break. Interventions aimed at reducing weight gain during the holiday season can be an effective strategy in controlling weight for both kids and adults. Even if you’re not concerned about your kids’ weight normally, weight gain on kids is tougher on their bodies and can prevent them from maintaining a healthy body weight as they grow. Although it feels so difficult, the holidays can actually be a perfect time to teach kids how to make healthy choices when faced with tempting treats. Katelyn Barrons, personal trainer and health coach (www.hellostrength. com), says the way we talk about food to and around our kids is one of the most important things – around the holidays and throughout the year. “We subliminally put food into two categories, especially to kids: the foods we HAVE to eat and the foods we GET to eat.” Around the holidays, this can be emphasized even more by the way we talk about looking forward to all the treats and desserts that come with the season. Instead, Barrons says, consciously talk about excitement around the healthier options of the meal, too. Create hype around the turkey and vegetable dishes that your family associates with the holidays. And if there aren’t many, try to work some into your traditions—and include
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Healthy tips & substitutes:
the kids in preparing them. Kids get excited (as do adults) about making holiday treats; baking and decorating holiday cookies is fun! In addition, include the kids in food preparation beyond the treats. Allowing the kids to help prepare the healthier options can create buy-in at eating time, too, as they’ll be more likely to take a serving of a dish they helped prepare. And, while you’re creating hype around these exciting things that only come around once a year, remember that you can actually eat any of these things any time of the year. Barrons
• Cauliflower can be substituted for mashed potatoes • Plain Greek yogurt can almost always be substituted for mayonnaise as well as for sour cream • Most dessert recipes won’t taste different if you add only 2/3 of the called for butter and sugar • Using olive oil spray instead of liquid oil will ensure you use far less oil, thus saving on calories and fat
says, “People seem to have the idea they can only eat their favorite holiday foods during the holidays so they splurge on them. But, even if it feels funny, that’s not necessarily true. Remember, you can also make a pumpkin pie in May!”
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Safety Tips
for the
holidays
Use caution with batteries, choose age-appropriate gifts
T
he holiday season is here and for most families that means toys—for kids of all ages! Approximately 50 percent of all toy purchases in the United States occur between the Friday after Thanksgiving and Christmas. Electronic gadget purchases included, which pose a new safety concern—button battery hazards. DID YOU KNOW? The coin-sized batteries children swallow come from many devices, most often mini remote controls. Other places you may find them are: singing greeting cards, watches, bathroom scales, and flameless candles.
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• It takes as little as two hours to cause severe burns once a coin-sized lithium battery has been swallowed. • Once burning begins, damage can continue even after the battery is removed. • Kids can still breathe with the coin lithium battery in their throats. It may not be obvious at first that something is wrong. • Repairing the damage is painful and can require multiple surgeries. • Each year, more than 3,500 swallowing cases were reported in the U.S. Children under the age of 4 are at the greatest risk.
KEEPING YOUR KIDS SAFE Electronic devices are part of daily life. It only takes a second for your toddler to get hold of one and put in his mouth. Here are a few easy tips for you to follow to protect your kids from button battery-related injuries: SEARCH your home, and any place your child goes, for gadgets that may contain coin lithium batteries. SECURE coin lithium batterycontrolled devices out of sight and reach of children and keep loose batteries locked away. SHARE this life-saving information with caregivers, friends, family members and sitters. IN CASE OF EMERGENCY Keeping these batteries out of reach and secured in devices is key, but if a child swallows a battery, parents and caregivers should follow these steps:
• Go to the emergency room immediately. Tell doctors and nurses that your child may have swallowed a battery. If possible, provide the medical team with the identification number found on the battery’s package. • Do not let the child eat or drink until a chest x-ray can determine if a battery is present. • Do not induce vomiting. • Call the National Battery Ingestion Hotline at 202-625-3333 for additional treatment information.
For additional information, visit www. TheBatteryControlled.com. TOY SAFETY “Right now parents and caregivers are in the middle of the country’s busiest toy-buying season, and the improved safety standards allow them to shop with more confidence than ever,” says Janet Werst, Community Health Supervisor at UCHealth. “However, new hazards pop up with new technology—shoppers should still make sure they are buying age-appropriate toys and following important toy safety guidelines. The Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) continues to monitor the marketplace to ensure that toys comply with these standards.” Before shopping for toys, consider the child’s age, interest and skill level. A fun, but inappropriate toy for a particular child can be dangerous. Safe Kids Larimer County offers top tips for making sure children’s toys are safe during this holiday season. Contact the Safe Kids local office at 970-495-7502. For a pocket guide to safe and age-appropriate toys, toy safety fact sheet and much more, visit the Safe Kids
Worldwide website at www.safekids. org and search ‘toy safety.’ And if any ‘wheeled’ gift—such as a bicycle, skateboard, scooter or inline skates is on Santa’s list, be sure to include appropriate safety gear such as a proper fitting helmet, elbow/knee pads, and wrist guards. To stay informed about harmful products in the marketplace, parents can go to www.recalls.gov and sign up for email alerts on recalled children’s products. “It’s too difficult to get your information piecemeal from TV or the newspaper,” adds Werst, “so if you get the emails sent to you each time a recall happens, you’ll know right away which products to avoid.” Provided by Safe Kids Larimer County
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Take a
deep
breath
10 ways to bring calm into your family’s life LYNN U. NICHOLS
I
f you are feeling overwhelmed, take a deep breath. In fact, that’s the simplest way to lessen stress. We can get calm quick and help our kids to do the same despite our busy, bust-a-move world. Here are 10 ways to bring calm into your family’s life.
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1. EXPLORE MEDITATION AND YOGA Many people find peace and a sense of being centered and calm through the ancient practices of meditation and yoga. If your child is stressed or upset, encourage these activities in a class setting or at home. An easy
meditation technique for kids is OM mantra chanting: Sit up straight and place your hand in the Gyan Mudra position (tips of thumb and index finger meeting while resting your wrists on your knees). Close your eyes and take a deep breath. Then exhale and
chant “OM” as long as you can. Repeat. If desired, replace the OM with simple deep breathing, staying aware of each breath. Need a class? Local gyms and city recreation centers offer yoga classes for kids and families. Also, lots of yoga classes are now offered on Zoom. 2. CONNECT AND LISTEN TO YOUR KIDS Really connecting with others brings calm. This may seem obvious, but sometimes we don’t slow down enough to really sit and listen to our kids and engage in what they are saying. Practice this habit, even if they are rattling on and on about a video game or a friends’ personal drama. Feeling heard by the ones who love us and feeling like others really “get” us is a powerful feeling—it tells us that we matter—which brings a sense of inner peace and stability. “I really stress the simple notion of just spending time together. It doesn’t have to be a big event. It can be simply eating together or going on a bike ride. If kids have this connection in their own family, they’ll reach out and create it with other people,” says Kristin Glenn, Education Coordinator for the Women’s Clinic of Northern Colorado. 3. TEACH RELAXATION SKILLS Sit still and hold your child. Take deep breaths. You’ll discover that your child’s heart beat and breaths will slow down to match yours. Help your child identify when her heart is beating fast or when she feels butterflies in her stomach. When she does, ask her what makes her feel better and do it—whether it is taking time to sit and snuggle or running around the back yard. 4. READ A DAILY MEANINGFUL QUOTE OR WRITING This could be a habit at the breakfast table to set an intention for the day, or it might be something you do as a tradition on holidays or when out in nature while hiking or camping. However often you do it, it’s a good habit to have. Feeling inspiration or wonder in other peoples’
writings and ruminations on life enrich our own views and give us a wider perspective, besides setting a mood of calm. 5. EXPERIENCE NATURAL BEAUTY Marveling at nature is a universal way to experience a sense of peace. Gazing over a vast space or at the stars can make us feel like our own lives and inner worries are small and insignificant, helping us find perspective. It also makes us feel part of an incredible whole. “Spiritual calm and nature are often synonymous. People gain solace and peace by being outdoors and taking in natures’ magnificence,” Glenn says. Get out and sit on a rock at Horsetooth Reservoir or drive up the Poudre River and have a picnic by the river. If you don’t have time for that, simply walk the bike path or explore a local city park. Just get out often and regularly with your kids. 6. GET INVOLVED AND MAKE A DIFFERENCE People who volunteer are happier, and hence, calmer. There’s great satisfaction in helping others. Explore the United Way of Larimer County (uwaylc.org) for volunteer opportunities that you and your children can do together. 7. LOVE YOUR KIDS UNCONDITIONALLY Having high expectations for your kids causes stress. Kids care what their parents’ think, and if they get the message that they have to achieve certain milestones to earn your praise, respect, or love, then they feel stress. A study by UCLA found that kids of parents who were not emotionally warm were more stressed due to pressure to succeed, without the balance of affection. Kids who were stressed experienced more high blood pressure, cholesterol and heart issues whereas the kids who felt unconditionally loved and received their parent’s affection had less of these health risks. Show your kids unconditional love by sending the message that you respect their interests, personalities
and choices. It’s never withholding love or affection; rather it’s creating a safe atmosphere where your child feels comfortable to tell you about their life without fear of ridicule, punishment or judgement. 8. HELP KIDS FIND MEANING When kids are doing something they enjoy or are excited about, they feel more freedom and less stress. They lose themselves in the moment. “Today’s youth seem freer to find spiritual meaning in their own ways. I’m impressed by young people today that help out in their community, show caring for friends, and find meaning in attending church or in being in nature. More and more, they seem to be given permission to explore what brings personal meaning to life. There’s a confidence and inner strength that accompanies that,” Glenn says. 9. E NCOURAGE ART, DRAWING, JOURNALING AND STORYTELLING Confidence and self-respect creates a sense of peace. Help your child gain a respect for who she is by encouraging her to record her own personal history through artwork and writing. Have her create a story book of one of her favorite days and describe how it made her feel. Or ask an older child to journal about what brings him happiness in life. Or, encourage him to describe what it was like to make the winning goal or be honored at the science fair. By writing and drawing personal stories kids gain a sense of who they are. If they are sure of who they are they feel less compelled to prove themselves or compare themselves to others, which causes stress. 10. MOVE YOUR BODY It may seem like exercising or moving your body is the opposite of calm, but stress builds up in our bodies, so letting out tension through physical exercise helps us sleep better, digest better and feel better about ourselves. Make it a mantra to move every day.
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