Mi Choza De Nipa: 10/18/2009

Wednesday, October 21, 2009

Junk Food for Toddlers

By Dr Bill Maier

I've heard of starting babies on solid foods too early — but starting them on French fries?

Researchers recently studied the eating habits of 3,000 babies between the ages of four and 24 months.

What they found was alarming. A significant number of those kids had diets high in fat, sugar and salt. A lot of parents were giving their babies junk food like French fries and pizza, even before the age of two!

Soda was served in baby bottles to kids as young as seven months!

A one to two-year-old infant needs about 950 calories a day, but the survey showed most were averaging well over 1,200 calories! As parents, it's our job to help our kids develop a taste for healthy foods, especially when they're young.

From TODAY, Voices – Wednesday, 23-Sep-2009

Tuesday, October 20, 2009

Home Safety

Image by heraldpost via Flickr

By Dr Bill Maier

Hey parents, remember those school fire drills you had as a child? Maybe they weren't such a bad idea.

Most people will never have to deal with a major fire in their home but it helps to be prepared just in case. And children should be taught what to do if one erupts.

Make sure your young children know how to dial 999. And then take the time to practice fire drills in your home. Teach your children how to stay low to the ground if they see smoke and show them how to test doorknobs for heat before opening them.

Practice routes of escape from different rooms of the house and make sure your children know how to open windows quickly. Then agree on a meeting place — maybe at a nearby neighbour's house.

Obviously, it's important to check your smoke alarm batteries on a regular basis but a monthly fire drill may be the best defence against a possible disaster.

From TODAY, Voices – Tuesday, 22-Sep-2009