Halloween is just around the corner. Children are excited because they can go around the neighborhood and nearby stores to trick-or-treat; while parents are hiding their misgivings because candies are often linked to weight problems, diabetes, and tooth decay.

So what should the parents do to prevent those kiddie teeth from aching due to candy binge?

1.    Divert the kids’ attention from trick-or-treating by taking them to a party.
2.    Feed those small sugar monsters with hamburgers or sausages before you allow them to eat any trick-or-treat candies. Protein and fat slow down sugar absorption.
3.    Pick out the best candies. Check the content of each kid’s bag. Candies containing hydrogenated oil, corn syrup, artificial colorings, and other questionable ingredients are unhealthy. Choose candies made with nuts, cereals, seeds, preserved fruits, and dark chocolates.
4.    Be prepared for the worst. Buy several bags of high-quality candies and hide them from the kids. If all candies did not pass your quality control, replace these with your healthy ones so that the kids wouldn’t be disappointed.

Some researches show, behavioral changes in children are not caused by the effects of sugar but rather the lack of sugar. When levels of blood sugar get too high, a hormone called insulin is released to flush out sugar from the blood. When sugar levels drop suddenly, the body will feel sluggish and will crave for sugar. Eating candies could be a nice treat when done in moderation.

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Time to get your child potty trained? Most children start learning to use a potty by their second birthday, although all kids are different and some begin earlier as well as later. There are many tell-tale signs to indicate whether your child is ready to be trained on using the potty, and these will be able to help you to get started. (more…)

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Does your baby or toddler have problems with their sleeping patterns? Do they keep you awake most nights with their tossing and turning? Most babies will keep their parents up to some extent, although it is estimated that over one-quarter of all youngsters have severe sleeping problems. If you are struggling to cope with your child’s erratic sleeping patterns, there are several tips that you can try that may help your child to get more of the much needed sleep. (more…)

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More and more parents around the world are deciding to give their child a greener and more environmentally friendly upbringing. This not only helps promote a more sustainable earth, but also helps your baby combat many childhood health problems such as asthma. (more…)

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Most babies get their first teeth when they are around six months old, although this does vary and can be as early as three months or as late as fourteen. Aside from seeing the tooth start poking through, there are many telltale signs that you can look out for to tell you that your baby may be starting to get their first teeth. (more…)

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hen babies are first born they have a little bit of natural immunity to disease, but immunisation will offer your child additional protection from serious illnesses.  Immunisation typically begins when your baby is two months old, which is when the natural immunity they received from the mother will begin to disappear. (more…)

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As every parent knows children going through a terrifying dream during night can be inconsolable. Children usually continue with their normal sleep once the nightmare is over, unless woken up. This happens even if they make loud noises and cries for help while the dream is in progress, and even if in some cases appear to open their eyes. Usually children do not have any recollection of the dream in the morning.

Parents cannot but be deeply affected by observing their child going through terror. They feel powerless to help. What can they do?

Most often night terrors occur in children aged between three to five years, when they change from taking naps at various times during day, to a regular sleeping period. It has been theorized by psychologists, that nightmares occur when the child who has fallen into a deep sleep after a tiring day without naps, try to transition from deep sleep to light sleep while going through the sleep cycle.

What parents can do
As a start, parents can help by not overtiring the child, thus cutting the need for a prolonged period of deep sleep at the end of the day. If the child is exhausted, let him or her have a nap during the day.

Take note of the time child goes to sleep and the occurrence of the nightmares. If the child goes to sleep at the same time the nightmare is likely to occur at predictable times. Parents can waken the child half an hour or so before that time to break the child’s sleep cycle. Spend few minutes with child talking and perhaps reading a story and then let him or her go back to sleep.

Children should not be cuddled when undergoing a nightmare since this may enhance child’s feeling of being trapped. Talk to the child in a consoling soft voice and play soothing music. You can do this regardless of whether the child has fully woken up or not.

Unless child wants to talk about it on their own will, no purpose will be served by discussing the content of the dream with the child, who as stated, would in all probability, have already forgotten about it. Take steps to prevent any reference to the subject especially teasing, in the presence of the child.

With time these nightmares will pass.

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While backpacks are an essential, parents must remember that regular use of heavily loaded backpacks can cause several long lasting problems.

These unwelcome side effects are confirmed by several studies including one by American Academy of Orthopedic Studies or AAOS. According to the studies, heavy backpacks stress and strain, spine and shoulder muscles. These strains in turn, in addition to fatigue, lead children to droop and to assume unattractive postures.

So how heavy is too heavy? That depends on the child’s weight and his or her fitness. According to AAOS guidelines, backpacks should not weigh more than 15 to 20 percent of the child’s weight. To illustrate, 100 pound child should not carry a backpack weighing 20 pounds. However this is just a guideline, if a child is very fit, he or she may carry a little more, and if not, must carry less.

Observe your child’s actual reactions when carrying the backpack to decide. If the child seems to droop, has difficulty in mounting the backpack to shoulders, complains of pain afterwards, and has marks on the skin, then you must immediately act to change the backpack and its weight.

You can also take some steps when selecting backpacks and later, to preempt problems that may arise. Select wide padded backpacks with padded straps to reduce strain. Buy backpacks with hip straps in addition to shoulder straps. Similarly try backpacks that can run on wheels when floor conditions allow. Encourage your child to correctly use and mount backpack and straps, in order to distribute weight evenly. When packing, tell your child to so place heavy items, in a way that they end up next to the spine. Encourage child to lift the backpack by bending and straightening legs at knees, instead of using hands alone. Finally encourage your child to make full use of school lockers and discourage carrying useless books.

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