Strategies For Dining With A Toddler June 27, 2008

Toddlers always scream in public. It can be embarrassing situation for every parent while parenting toddlers. Parents face difficulty when they take their toddlers for dining out. Here are effective ways in parenting toddler while dining out.

Effective ways in parenting toddler while dining out:

1. Preparation and practice! If you have preparation and practice while parenting toddler, dining out can be an enjoyabe experinece for the entire family. Dealing with infant needs only preparation, but parenting toddler requires both aspects.

2. Disruptive behavior! Toddlers behave in disruptive way when they are hungry, need a diaper change or tired. Toddlers get bored during the waiting periods that are a part of restaurant dining which leads to disruptive behavior. Parenting toddler is easy if you prepare for these situations before only.

3. Selecting the restaurant! Restaurant selection is the first step in preparation. Find out whether the tables are set far apart that other diners will not be disturbed by your toddler noise. Find whether there is a place for breastfeeding so that a mother can feel comfortable nursing her toddler.

Find if there is room for diaper changing. Find out whether the restaurant is busy and the peak dining hours. If the restaurant is busy, quick service will not be there.

4. Practice in parenting toddler! When you enter the restaurant, practice comes into picture. You have to teach the toddler how to dine out. Start small and work your way. When you are starting to teach your toddler, select a family friendly place so that they will accept the behavior and noise of toddlers. Fast food places are the better option to teach toddlers in the beginning.

5. Don’t choose! Do not chose the restaurant which have play ground types of acivities and equipment for children. Such type of restaurants encourages loud behavior which is not what you are trying to accomplish. Once your toddler is habituated with fast paced settings, you can slowly work on your way to more formal settings.

6. Be prepared while parenting toddler! Bring a blanket for breastfeeding at the table. Make sure to have plenty of formula for a bottle fed baby. For a toddler, bring finger foods or light snacks to nibble while waiting for the main dish. Arrange the dining time to coincide with the normal mealtime of the toddler. Don’t offer unnecessarily to save his appetite for the meal.

7. Time is important! Select the time as it is important factor. You can choose nap time for young infant because baby can sleep happily in car seat or in your lap with breast or bottle while you can have peaceful meal.

While parenting toddler, select the time for best performance level for meal out. If your toddler is tired and meal timings are changed, it can lead to difficult situation.

8. No boredom! While parenting toddler, come prepared with the things so that they cannot get bored. Encourage them to do their own activities so that you can spend some time with your dining companions. You can get crayons and coloring books so that your toddler can enjoy.

9. Get the toddler things! While parenting toddler, bring your own supplies. Toddler cup with spill proof lid, paper towels or napkins, and package of baby wipes are good preventive measures.

10. Quick getaway! Be prepared to make a quick getaway if necessary. If your toddler behavior makes that necessary, you can simply getaway. Don’t bribe or bargain a toddler for good behavior. You feel inconveneint getting up and leaving at that moment but it can lead to long term behavioral gains.

With preparation and practice, parenting toddlers will become easy at the restaurant. While parenting toddlers, you have to remember these things so that the toddlers follow and carry into other social situations and make meals at home more pleasant.

Childhood Obesity June 24, 2008

It’s no secret that as a nation we struggle with our weight. The rise of the fast food industry – as well as packaged and processed food, and the shift towards a more sedentary lifestyle has resulted in a nationwide battle of the bulge. As adults we wrestle with our diet and exercise habits in order that we avoid the various diseases associated with obesity. But when that obesity exists in a child, there is a greater responsibility to change lifestyle habits and avoid the possibility of disease at such an early age. But in order to make changes, it is first necessary to understand the causes of obesity in children.

Childhood obesity is defined by a more than 25 percent body fat percentage in boys and a more than 32 percent body fat percentage in girls ages 6-11. The causes of obesity in children are varied and focus mainly on lifestyle and genetics. Obviously if there is a medical reason for uncontrollable weight gain in a child – such as an issue with the thyroid – then those factors can be addressed medically. Often, with appropriate medication, the weight can be controlled and brought back within healthy limits. Additionally, genetics can play a large role in the propensity for weight gain. If the child’s parents and other family members struggle with obesity, chances are the child will also have similar tendencies. But genetics only gives us a clue as to what we are up against; controlling weight is still a matter of lifestyle modification.

Some of the more common causes of obesity in children include poor diet – including unhealthy choices and portions that are too large – and a sedentary lifestyle that includes too little physical play or exercise. Unfortunately both of these lifestyle issues are a direct result of the modern society in which we live; a society in which children play computer games and watch television rather than play outside; and a society in which convenience foods have replaced natural foods.

Addressing these causes of obesity in children require focusing on these lifestyle issues and making modifications while the child is still young enough to ingrain these new habits into their life. Limiting television and computer play and encouraging sports, exercise, and physical play is the first step. The other step is minimizing processed, high fat foods and instead focusing on whole, natural foods such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and lean proteins. Additionally, soft drinks and high-sugar fruit juices should immediately be replaced with water or low-fat milk.

Clearly, these are not easy changes to make. If they were then adults would not have their own weight issues with which to contend. But if we are able to proactively face the causes of obesity in children while these children are still young then we can help them make the changes necessary to ensure them a long and healthy life.