Archive for the ‘For Kids’ Category

How’s your family’s summer? Have you guys gone camping or swimming? If yes, then good for you. If not, don’t fret because summer’s still not over and you have lots of time to finally make it happen. However, if your work or limited amount of budget is getting in the way, don’t worry. You can still have fun with your kids this summer without leaving the comfort of your home. Why not try doing some fun garden activities?

Some fun garden activities could be games that you and your kids can play. Garden games are a great way to spend summer with your kids. They’re also healthy since you and your kids are moving about, unlike when playing video games or watching DVDs.

Some fun summer garden games are the following:

• Giant snakes and ladder. Here, the usual teeny sized board game is blown up to a scale in which you and your kids become the counters. This game comes with a board about 3 meters in size and an inflatable dice as huge as a pillow.

• Giant pick-up sticks. Pick up a stick from a pile without moving the others. This game is a classic. And with sticks about 3 meters long, this garden game becomes a more fun and exciting one.

• Sack race. Sack race is a game often played in camps, but you and your kids can still play it at home. It’s not only fun, but physically challenging too.

• Quoits. Test your skill of accuracy and hand-and-eye coordination through this classic game. Just throw and shoot the ring into the pegs and earn points along the way. Whoever garners the most points, wins.

There are more garden games and activities you can play with your kids. It’s just a matter of creativity. However, before going outdoors, remember to protect your children from the sun and the bugs. Use naturally safe but effective sunscreen lotions and insect repellents. Doing so would help protect you and your kids while enjoying the rest of summer.

There really is nothing wrong in giving your kids some toys, that is, if the toys do not contain any harmful chemicals like lead.

Lead is toxic. It can adversely affect your child’s health. Unfortunately, when tests were performed on over 1,200 kids’ items, 35% contained lead in levels exceeding federal standards for lead paint. Only 20% of the toys showed no traces of lead or any other harmful chemicals. Even toy giant Mattel recalled over 21 million of their China-made toys for not being lead-free. Mattel discovered that their toys’ lead levels are 200 times more than the acceptable amount.

It is your responsibility as parents to make sure that what you buy for your kids won’t end up hurting them. Lead poisoning is something to be taken seriously. The American Academy of Pediatrics released a recommendation stating that 40 ppm of lead is the maximum amount of lead allowed in any children products. Anything beyond this amount can result to permanent learning disabilities, behavioral problems, seizures, coma, or even death.

An example of unfortunate lead poisoning happened to a 21-month old baby. Before the poisoning occurred, the baby was showing perfectly healthy learning abilities, even surpassing developmental achievements fit for her age. She was speaking in full sentences, knew colors well, and could count. However, after a few weeks, she just stopped talking. After undergoing a mandatory blood test, results revealed that she had 26 mcg/dL of lead in her blood, an amount dangerous for children her age. It was later found that the lead poisoning was caused by crayons.

What the baby showed are just symptoms of lower levels of lead presence in the body. Symptoms of high levels of lead presence in the body include tummy aches, headaches, confusion, vomiting, seizures, muscle weakness, anemia, and hair loss.

So protect your kids. Before giving your child any toy, make sure it is absolutely safe and lead-free. To find out which toys have lead and other toxic chemicals present, go to http://www.healthystuff.org/.

Have you or your baby ever had those itchy and nasty looking skin rashes? That’s eczema. Eczema is the general term used to pertain to rash-like manifestations on the skin. It is very itchy and becomes inflamed and reddish when scratched. Millions of Americans contract this skin problem every year and it occurs on both adults and children. However, babies are the most frequent victims of this skin problem.

Eczema isn’t contagious contrary to what some might believe. However, since it is hereditary, you’d often find a family with all of its members affected. To avoid getting eczema, here are a few important skin health tips:

• Avoid exposure to too much heat and perspiration. If you want to exercise to stay fit, do so but always bring a towel with you to wipe sweat dry. Sweat can be a skin irritant which can also cause eczema. After working out, take a much needed shower and change into clean, dry clothes.

• Choose your bath products carefully, especially those for your baby. Avoid harsh soaps and baths. Choose more delicate and natural alternatives. Also, go for unscented or fragrance-free options to avoid allergic skin reactions.

• Since it is summer, reduce the risks of eczema by letting everyone in the family wear loose fitting and breezy cotton clothes.

• Avoid lotions with harsh ingredients. Again, choose those with natural and safe contents. A few of the best rated eczema creams out there are Exzaderm, Grandma’s Rash Remedy, Obre Oil, Exzemax, iS Clinical, Aveeno Eczema Therapy Moisturizing Cream, and BabyGanics Bye, Bye Dry™ Eczema Care Cream.

• Food can also cause eczema. Avoid common allergens like nuts and milk. Consult with your family doctor to know what specific food type may trigger allergic reactions in every member of your family.

• Pet fur and dander can also cause allergic reactions to manifest, especially in babies. So if someone in your household is allergic to pets, better keep your pet outside the house by giving him his own house.

• Do not scratch! Scratching can only make matters worse. So as difficult as it is not to, try your very best

• Keep the skin cool by bathing everyday then moisturize after every bath.

It is definitely a feat once your baby starts to crawl. Crawling is a sign that your baby is healthy as he develops his mobility skills. A baby starts learning how to crawl when he’s around 6-7 months old. He starts by lying on his tummy while lifting his head and chest up. The more often he does this, the stronger his tummy muscles get. Soon, he would be able to do commando-crawling, which is pulling himself forward while lying on his tummy. Then in no time, your baby would be able to get up on all fours.

When he reaches 8-10 months old, your baby can sit up by himself or without support. He’d use his hands and knees to be able to move. And by the time your baby’s a year old, he would have fully mastered crawling, which would force you to change the way to do things around the house.

You see, once a baby crawls, you need to ensure that your home is safe for him. Here are some useful tips to guarantee home safety for your crawling baby:

• Install safety caps in all electrical outlets. You don’t want your baby getting electrical shock once he sticks his fingers into things like a live outlet.

• Secure him by keeping all electrical cords out of his reach. If he grabs onto the cord and starts pulling, he can knock down a lamp, radio, or anything hard that may fall on him.

• Remove everything on the floor that’s unsafe for the baby. This can be small things which can be choking hazards, toxic substances, and more.

• You know how a baby can just stick his finger in his mouth, so clean the floor. Use naturally safe but effective cleaners like what GoodGuide.com has ranked as the best out of all tested floor cleaners – Method O-Mop Floor Cleaner All Floor One, Clorox ReadyMop Advanced Floor Cleaner, and Mop & Glo Hardwood Floor Cleaner. Other recommended options include BabyGanics’ Floors to Adore Floor Cleaner.

• Place safety gates to block off ways leading to the stairs, that’s both at the top and at the bottom. It would be better if you setup a playroom for him and place some safe puzzle mats as flooring to ensure that the floor is safe and conducive for your crawling baby (see Are Foam Puzzle Mats Safe?).

When it comes to packing your tots’ lunch or snacks for school, are you using resealable plastic bags or paper bags? It might seem like an odd question, but as we now know, everything we do has an effect to our environment. This question somewhat falls under the unending debate of paper versus plastic.

You see, the end justifies the means. Which of the two really does it function while creating much less adverse effect to the environment? Okay, for the sake of argument, let’s do the comparison.

Paper bags are great. Since they’re paper, there’s little to no health hazard. You can pack food in them without thinking that the food might get contaminated with any chemical. The problem lies with the paper itself. Since it IS paper, once it gets wet, then it’s a goner. Packing a BLT sandwich would prove to be a problem as the condiments could drench and tear the paper. Next thing you know, your sandwich is already on the ground gathering dirt and grime.

One more thing about paper bags is that they’re made from trees. To produce paper bags means trees need to be cut. If you argue that trees can still be planted and replaced, well yes. But the question is, is there always a balance between the number of trees cut versus those planted? Recycling helps, but not everyone segregates trash. So it boils down to us.

Now let’s move on to resealable plastic bags. Yes, they can withstand the wet ingredients, but we all know that plastic is non-biodegradable. One could take years (if not forever) to disintegrate from the phase of the earth. So the more plastic bags used, the more the waste.

There are also some concerns about their effects to health and safety, especially from moms. You see, to produce less waste, resealable plastic bags must be reused. But one can’t help but wonder: Is it safe? It all depends on the manufacturer and you.

Most manufacturers do keep resealable plastic bags sterile, so you’re pretty much on the safe side. Now the reuse of them would involve you. How you clean them would dictate their safety. Wash them using a safe and natural dishwasher, then open and hang them in a special drying rack. If you want to be sure, quickly soak them in hot (not boiling) water before drying.

Among the most recommended resealable plastic bags brands available are Ziploc, Glad, and Debbie Meyer Green Bags.

So, was the paper vs. plastic question answered? Not exactly. But one thing we’re sure of is that it all boils down to what we do. Reuse plastic bags to decrease the amount of waste thrown away. Use paper bags only on dry food.

It’s summer and you know what that means – time for another set of summer activities. While other kids enjoy swimming, some prefer camping. Yes, kids love the outdoors, especially when they can do all sorts of fun and games with their camp buddies. However, sending your kids to camp means they’re going to be away from home and you for a while. It’s therefore important that you pack everything they need to make sure they enjoy their camping trip.

Food, snacks, and water. For sure your kids will be provided their meals at camp, but it’s better if you pack them some snacks to munch on whenever they feel hungry. Kids are a bundle of energy, so they need to replenish and re energize whenever needed.

Toothbrush, toothpaste, shampoo, towel, and comb. It’s important for your kids to maintain their personal hygiene. This not only keeps them clean and healthy, but presentable as well.

Hand sanitizer, bathroom tissue, disinfectant or baby wipes. Being outdoors would sometimes require your kids to poop or pee in the bushes, so let them wash themselves clean anywhere through rolls of bathroom tissue, or some baby wipes. Add a hand sanitizer to keep their hands clean.

First aid kit (including cotton balls, cotton buds, antiseptics, bandages) and medicines. Since your kids will be outdoors and will do physical activities, it’s possible for them to get some cuts and bruises. Better arm them with first aid kits so they can treat their wounds immediately.

Sunscreen and insect repellent. Protect your children’s skin from the sun’s harmful UV rays and insect bites. Throw in natural and safe sunscreens and DEET-free insect repellents.

Swiss knife, scissors, flashlight, binoculars. Let your kids be prepared for some outdoor trekking and hiking. Give them Swiss knife only when they know how to use it.

Sleeping bag, blankets, tent. Even though it’s summer, it can be cold outdoors come night time. Better pack in their sleeping gear to help them sleep soundly at night.

Clothes, underwear, socks, jackets, shoes, swimwear, bonnets or caps. Pack in extra clothes designed for outdoorsy activities. Be sure your kids have enough underwear and clothes since they can’t really wash their own clothes if needed.

Favorite toy. Have them bring a little piece of home, like their favorite toys.

Disposable camera. Let your children document their experiences through a disposable camera. Doing so would help them look back on the memories as they grow older. They also get to show you what happened during camp, instead of just telling you.

Mobile phone and charger. Communication is very important especially when your kids are away. So better give them a waterproof, dustproof, and shockproof mobile phone. It doesn’t have to cost much. Just make sure they have a way letting you know how they are.

Each year, some 30 million Americans use products that have DEET. DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) is an active ingredient in most insect repellents. DEET works not by killing insects, but by repelling them. It stops insects like mosquitoes from biting on your skin. Hence, DEET helps prevent the spread of dengue fever, malaria, Lyme disease, and other insect borne diseases.

The U.S. Army developed DEET in 1946. 11 years later, DEET was registered for public use. There are about 140 EPA-registered products that contain DEET. Among these are a variety of liquids, aerosols, lotions, and impregnated materials like towelettes and wrist bands.

Since DEET is directly applied on human skin, its toxicity has been rigorously studied. After a long history of use by humans, DEET has been proven safe if used properly. However, there were some reports of seizures somehow connected to DEET exposure. The percentage, though, is very low. DEET can also irritate the skin, especially if applied on wounded skin or under the clothing. Nevertheless, DEET is considered by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) as safe when used properly and as directed.

However, there are still some health organizations like Health Canada, who banned the retail and use on humans of insect repellents containing more than 30% DEET. The agency suggested that products containing DEET can be applied on children aged 2 to 12 only if DEET concentration is 10% or below and that application should not exceed 3 times per day. Children below 2 years old should not receive over 1 repellent application per day, regardless of the DEET concentration. Any amount of repellent cannot be applied to infants below 6 months old.

For parents who would still like to protect their children from insect bites, there are alternatives to DEET. In 2005, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) proclaimed two more repellents that could take the place of DEET. These are oil of lemon eucalyptus and picaridin. Both are effective in repelling mosquitoes, and at the same time, better to use than DEET. Some picaridin brand names are Autan and Bayrepel.

There are also DEET-free insect repellents available. GoodGuide.com’s best reviewed DEET-free insect repellents are Badger Anti-Bug Balm, Badger SPF 30 Sunscreen & Anti-Bug Insect Repellent, and Kiss My Face Swy Flotter Insect Repellent. There are more DEET-free insect repellents available in the market, like BabyGanics’ Shoo Fly™ Natural Insect Repellent, which also has no sulfates, parabens, phthalates, and toxins.

A growing number of girls, as young as three years old, are already wearing shoes with heels. This is fast becoming a trend, ever since famous Hollywood couple Katie Holmes and Tom Cruise let their 5-year old daughter Suri wear shoes with heels several times.

There are quite a number of reasons why girls wear heels at such a young age. There’s the wanting to become a princess like Cinderella who wore those famous pair of glass shoes. They also want to be lady-like and sophisticated like their mommies. A lot of women may clearly remember the time when they, as young children, tried to dress up exactly like their moms, putting on lipstick and wearing their mom’s pair of high heels.

Children wearing high heels as costumes or as part of their playtime is okay, but children nowadays are wearing them NOT to play dress-up. Little girls like wearing heels even if they’re not supposed to, like when going to school or the mall.

Trendy as it may seem, little girls wearing heels are not advisable. In fact, wearing shoes with heels may cause health risks.

In an interview with ABC’s Good Morning America, New York foot disorder specialist Dr. Rock Positano said that children’s feet are in development, meaning the muscles, tendons, and ligaments are still not as strong as they should be. So putting children in heels is placing them at physical risk or jeopardizing their physical development.

Aside from potential health risks, having little girls wear high heels is pushing young girls to grow up too quickly. A lot of moms are reacting negatively to the trend, saying that it is hugely inappropriate for little girls to wear high heels. One said that young girls should be left to enjoy being little girls, and not to become little women.

When getting young daughters a pair of shoes, parents should always remember what their daughters’ activities are. If they’re athletic and active, then running shoes are the best bet. If they like playing outdoors, sneakers would be perfect. For special occasions, girly shoes like ankle wrap dress shoes are advisable. Parents, especially mothers, must bear in mind that it’s not what they want or what their children want; it’s about what their children NEED. Parents should focus on comfort and quality, and not on what’s hip and trendy.

Children just love sweets – chocolates, ice cream, candies, cookies, and cakes. Why do you think children love trick-or-treating during Halloween? Children’s love for sweet food is a normal thing. Actually, everyone is naturally born with a sweet tooth. Attraction to sugar starts at birth. Babies have this natural preference for sweet. Breast milk, the first and most suitable food for babies, contains sugar. When babies reach the age when they can eat solid foods, babies are generally attracted to sugar-containing foods like mashed fruits. When they reach toddler ages, kids get attracted to chocolate drinks, yogurts, cereals, and milk. Then there’s the ultra sweet confectionery.

It’s normal for every toddler to love sweets. Why exactly do children love eating sweet stuff? What is the real reason behind a child’s sweet tooth?

The answer lies in a child’s biological makeup. You see, for a child to physically grow, the human body requires high amounts of calories. So when a child is growing up, his or her body asks for more sources of calories, that’s why they crave for sugary and sweet stuff which are high in calories. As the child grows older, the lesser is the craving for sweets. As soon as the body growth stops, so does the craving.

However, there are cases when even adults like you still love eating sweets. It can be caused by a lot of factors. Nevertheless, sweet foods are sort of like a prize or reward for doing something good, for achieving something great, or just to feel a bit happier. That’s why eating decadent chocolate once in a while also means “indulging” one’s self.

So now you know the science behind a child’s sweet tooth. It may be a nightmare for parents like you, but it’s actually normal and somewhat needed. However, too much of something is always bad. That’s why you need to control your toddlers’ sweet food intake. Establish some ground rules when it comes to eating sweets. You simply can’t ban the kids from eating sweet stuff. You just need to control the amount of sweets they eat, and how often they eat sweets.

You also need to make sure that your children still eat a balanced diet, get some needed exercise, have plenty of sleep, and learn the importance of personal hygiene like brushing their teeth and washing their hands. It won’t hurt either if you invest in natural, safe, yet effective hand soaps.

Bet you didn’t know that your children’s craving for sweets is part of their growing stage. Now that you know the “why”, it’s up to you how to establish the “how many” and the “when”.

Face it. There will be times when you’d need to bring your baby with you in a restaurant. Even though the dinner meeting has been set days ahead, unforeseen events can still happen, like a last minute ditch from your baby’s nanny. So instead of giving away that hard-earned reservation to somebody else, why don’t you entertain the idea of showing up at the restaurant with your little one? You don’t have to be scared of the idea, if you’re prepared to handle such an event.

First, determine if the restaurant is child-friendly enough. If the restaurant you’ve chosen has a serene ambience and will make your baby’s every sound resonate in the entire room, then consider dropping your baby off to your mom’s place. But if the place has a more fun and lively atmosphere and accommodates families, then go for it.

Call the restaurant and check if they have the needed equipment for the baby, like a high chair. Make sure that the high chair is safe and clean. When in doubt, then bring a safe yet effective high chair cleaner or a pack of all-purpose surface wipes.

While you still have the concierge on the phone, ask if there are any cancelled reservations for tables near the window and see if you could be transferred since you’re bringing a baby with you and you don’t want the highchair to get in the way, or have a waiter accidentally spill hot food on your little one. Stay away from areas where there’s high traffic, like near the aisles, the kitchen or the bar, or in the middle of the room.

Pack what you need before leaving. This includes extra nappies, feeding bottle, milk and snacks, an extra bib, an extra set of clothes, and your baby’s favorite toy to keep your baby preoccupied while waiting for you. If the baby’s old enough to eat solid food, then bring his or her own set of utensils. You don’t want your baby throwing the restaurant’s dish or glass across the room.

Change your baby’s diaper before leaving. If you fail to do so, chances are, you’d be making the diaper change in the restaurant, and you don’t want that when you should be enjoying your dinner.

If your baby does start to cry when you’re at the restaurant, just hold him and keep him distracted. If you get those annoyed stares from other customers, just flash them an apologetic smile, but never feel embarrassed or pressured to leave right away. Babies can’t help but cry as it’s their only way of letting you know that they don’t feel well or uncomfortable. Moreover, it’s the adults’ responsibility to adjust to situations like this and be more understanding.

Lastly, remember that babies easily get tired and bored. So if you feel that you’re little one’s getting tired and sleepy, politely excuse yourself from the rest of the group and tell them that it’s your baby’s bedtime. They’d be quick to understand this.