Are your kids picky eaters?  Well, mine are.  That’s quite a challenge when your kids are small.  My children are 5 and 3, and both have learning disabilities, so for me, it’s very important to get them to eat properly.  Between busy schedules, therapies, active children, and fussy eating, getting my children to eat anything healthier than a multivitamin is QUITE a challenge.  So what is a parent to do?

Substitution-One thing I’ve done is NOT to worry so much.  Every day you read the dangers of sugar, or wheat, or dairy, or red meat.  It’s enough to make a parent go crazy. Unfortunately, time and budget do not really allow me to buy organic, sugar-free, gluten-free, etc.  I do the best I can with what I’ve got to work with.  For example, as much as possible, I use extra virgin olive oil for cooking rather than other kinds of oil.  I believe this is probably why my good cholesterol, or HDL, levels are very high.  I happen to also like the flavor that olive oil adds to my food. It is pricier, but we rarely fry foods anyway.

Fruits and Veggies, Any Way They Want-When Amelia was little, her therapist reminded me that sweet potatoes are a good source of iron. I was surprised, because I had given up eaten potatoes years ago.  My daughter loves mashed potatoes so I make them FRESH.  My kids also like potato salad, which I make fresh with potatoes, fresh green beans, tomatoes and onion, drizzled with balsamic vinegar.  My little one like anything with a red sauce and since cooked tomatoes are healthier than fresh, I frequently give her tomato sauce and salsa.  My other daughter likes fresh vegetables uncooked, but only if I serve them in a fancy tray with dip, so snack time becomes a fun mini-party for me and the kids.

Healthier Stuff-Rather than eliminating things from their diet that they like, I’ve taken the road of buying healthier versions of the foods they like. My kids are very fond of chocolate chip cookies, and Kashi makes a version with whole grain products and no sugar.  They love peanut butter, and it’s a good source of protein, so I spend a little extra and make sure there is no sugar, additives or palm oil, just “made from peanuts”.  We are not seafood fans, but buying pasta with Omega-3 and made with whole grains eases my mind that they are getting this important nutrient as well.

Plenty of Liquids-I’ve noticed my kids are thirsty a lot and it’s hard to keep them in milk and juice all the time.   I’ve started giving them more water, or glasses full of ice (they love to munch on it), and that makes me feel good that they are getting their fill of liquids.  I keep lots of juicy fruits, like oranges, on hand as well.

It isn’t easy, but with a little creativity, patience and LOTS of label reading, meal time does not have to be the most difficult part of child rearing.  Making sure that kids think of meals as a time to socialize with their family and enjoy themselves can also go a long way to helping busy parents get their picky eaters to eat right.

Thanks Gina! We have so much to learn as parents. Follow @ginabad on Twitter and her blog at Mom-Blog. For more on the picky eater check out the post from a couple of weeks Are your kids picky eaters?

Our guest Rosabel Yip shares her thoughts on video games, how they affect our children, and some healthy alternatives:

In today’s world, most children are exposed to video games, play station, internet online games, mobile phone games etc. In fact, video games are dominating our childs lives today. It is a trend. Older children are now talking about latest games in the market or internet. They compete with each other on the scores that they get from the games. Children beg their parents to buy them play station or computer so that they can keep up the trend. Even younger children, who do not understand “trend”, will just follow what their older brothers or peers do. Some parents even use them as a reward if their child behaves or achieve the parents’ academic expectations.

I’m not against video games, but I do agree that adults should control the video gaming. We should set some rules and limitations. Some of the games are very violent – killing, beating, hitting, bombing, slashing and so on. There are researchers claims that the violent video games do not have any effect on our children. People are still debating the issue.

I discourage young children’s exposure to violent video games. They do not grasp what is violent, what is right and what is wrong. They might not know how to differentiate appropriate and inappropriate behaviors.

Children love to imitate other people. If a child snatches a toy from another child and the adult involved just lets it be without taking any action, the other child who sees this might imitate the action without understanding appropriate and inappropriate behavior. Imagine if he is exposed to violent video games where the characters in the game can just keep beating one another, what does he captured in his subconscious mind? Beating can be one of the solutions to get what he wants? Moreover, children get addicted to video games easily if we do not control the gaming. Do you want your child to sit in front of the TV or computer just playing video games?

There are many games that we can get our child to be involved in. Games such as running, jogging, basketball, football, climbing and so on are very healthy for our child. These games enable them to stretch and move their body. Your child gets to reinforce his large and fine motor skills as well as better body coordination. He gets to sweat to promote detoxification. The whole body movements also improve blood circulation of his body. More oxygen is carried in the blood to the brain which helps in his intellectual development.

Take the child to the park, water fall, lake, beach, jungle tracking etc. enjoy and learn to appreciate nature. Do gardening together with the child. Cultivate the love of nature among our young children. Take the child to the library or book shop. Cultivate the good reading habits. Reading provides information and knowledge. The child who reads more tends to be more flexible in their thinking and more open to new ideas. He also develops the ability to understand how other people feel and think.

Start by selecting video games that are educational and appropriate for their age. Read the rating symbols on the cover before buying any game – EC (Early Childhood), AO (for adults only 18+), E (for everyone), E10 (for Everyone 10+), T (for Teen) and M (for Mature 17+). Restrict the time and day of the video game activity, encourage your child to participate in the outdoor activities that can bring physical, mental and emotional benefits.

With our world becoming so addicted to technology, we tend to become less active, leading to an unhealthier society. Maybe we want to include some old school activities into our childs lives?  Rosabel has so much to share, visit her at Nurture Our Child with Love and Patience!

Our guest this week is a mother of three kids, a graduate of Health Education,  president and developer of the Super Healthy Kids, Healthy Habits Plate. A very busy individual indeed, please welcome Amy Roskelley!

Many parents are concerned about their kids eating behaviors.  Kids can be picky, stubborn, and can go for long periods of time surviving on mac and cheese. It can get even more frustrating when you find something healthy they like, only for them to reject it the next day.  So how do you make sure they are getting what they need without turning into the Grinch?  Here are a few ideas.

•           First, chill out.  If they are growing and have energy to sustain them for the demands of their little lives, than you probably are overly concerned.

•           Stop buying what you don’t want them to eat.  If you truly think your kid will starve if you stop buying hot dogs altogether, I promise you are wrong. I cut my 5 year old off cold turkey from hot dogs, and 1 year later, he is still asking for hot dogs.  But we don’t have any, so he eats something else.

•           Let them get hungry.  Food always tastes better, and they are more likely to try something if they are hungry.

•           For preschoolers, use the red light/ green light method.  Foods are all assigned red, yellow, or green.  Green light foods can be eaten anytime; yellow light foods, sometimes; and red light foods should be avoided.

•           Do not regulate the amount your child is eating.  You should be the one to decide WHAT they eat; they can decide HOW MUCH they eat.  Leave the “clean plate club” in the past where it belongs.

•           Be a role model.  If you eat good, healthy food, your child will more likely adopt similar habits. It’s been proven example is more effective than bribing when it comes to eating something.

•           Place a poster of the food guide pyramid into your pantry. Kids as little as 2, will look at our poster to decide what food they want to eat. Educating them about variety and good food choices gives them information rather than battling the “because I said so” model.

Fantastic tips! Amy has such a creative way to get the positive message out at her blog. The kids in her blog are Cereal Boy, 9 years old. Then The Flip-flopper, She’s 7 years old. Also there is ketchup boy….he is 4. Visit Super Healthy Kids for fun, healthy reading!

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1. Hopscotch

Grab a piece of chalk and head to the driveway for a game of hop scotch. All of the hopping and bending will make your legs burn and your heart race. A good game can last 15-20 minutes.

2. Jumping Jacks

We all are familiar with Jumping Jacks, the heart pumps while having fun. Try 50 jacks, 4 times…my kids love these for some reason!

3. Obstacle courses

Challenge kids to use a variety of different skills by setting up an obstacle course at the park using playground equipment or other items, such as jump ropes, balls and cones. A fun workout!

4. Playground Health Club
Join your child on the exercise equipment. Swing, hang, slide, skip, crawl, climb, laugh.

5. Dancing

Turn the music on and dance away….if you have a toddler put a mirror out. Fun to watch their expressions!

-Maybe replace one day each week to the gym with some of these fitness fun activities? Your child will probably appreciate it and maybe even give you a big hug!

Children who get regular exercise have advantages over those who do not. They tend to have more stamina, less health problems, higher self-esteem, and an ability to control their weight more easily. So turn off the computer and the television, oh yes hide the handheld gaming machines. Encourage children to get more exercise.

More on children and exercise:

Kids and Exercise

Fun Fitness Activity

The Benefits of Exercise

Some interesting lists:

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The Top Ten Reasons That Kids Should Exercise

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Top Ten Sports Injuries and some treatments – The injury that I have most often (hip flexor) is not on the list. If you have questions about any of the listed injuries, an excellent online resource is MyFamilyDoctor.*

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Top 10: Ways To Maximize Cardio Workouts

A very nice, common sense approach to your cardiovascular workouts.

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Top 10 Relaxation Techniques To Reduce Stress On-the-Spot

# 4 on the list refers to anxiety and depression.

An excellent online resource for mental health is: JANE’S mental health source page.*

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Top 100 Children’s Books-National Educations

In my book…no pun intended, it is always important for my child to read. My favorite place to buy books is at Amazon.

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Healthy/Unhealthy Food Lists

A previous post from June, 9th. A list of healthy and unhealthy foods.

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What do you think?

*I always recommend that you consult with your medical professional*

I think we tend to get wrapped up in our lives and forget that so much of what happens in todays world has a huge impact on our children and the children of tomorrow. Think about it. “What are you doing each day that could be indirectly or directly affecting the children?”

Is the car you drive affecting the air we breathe? Are the pesticides used on fruits, vegetables affecting the food our children eat? How is the media affecting the children? With so much technology our children tend to be less active…don’t they? What steps can we take to turn the tide before it is too late?

“Every waterfall starts with a drop.”

I would like to get different perspectives from children and people of all ages.

We will call this “The Children’s Corner”