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Food for Day Care
Many mothers return to work when their little one is a toddler. Single
parents may also use day care as part of their parenting. This is a big
step for both parents and toddlers. Food can be one of the challenges.
When lunch time comes round at home, if your child refuses a particular
food today, you can offer something else. For day care, you must decide
early what you’ll send to the carer for your child. The best idea is to
send small amounts of a variety of favourite foods. Talk to the carer in
advance. There will probably be a policy about the type of snacks. At
many centres or family day care homes, only water, crackers and diced
fruit is offered to children mid-morning. Fruit may be chosen by each
child from a central bowl. This kind of snack is really healthy.
Bread, cheese, custard, yoghurt,
noodles, egg and diced vegetables are all healthy and easy to prepare
foods that will give your toddler energy and be fun to eat for lunch.
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Good food habits
Good eating habits begin as soon
as a baby begins tasting solid food. Some babies accept all food as it is
offered but some are fussy. It is best to persist in offering tiny tastes
of the same food until it is accepted. Savoury tastes are important to
develop. All too soon children develop a liking for the over sweet foods
that many food companies market. Raw fruit without added sugar makes an
excellent snack any time of day because it contains energy without
spoiling the appetite for the main meal. Look for the fruits in season.
Choose fruit juices that do not have added sugar. Better still, prepare
your own drinks from fresh fruit. Remember that commercial juice often
contains extra vitamin C and one glass per day of this type of juice
will provide enough. Drinking water is very important. Encourage this
habit when your child is very young.
Even toddlers under two years will love to help prepare food in the
kitchen. Helping is one way to develop an interest in new foods too.
Toddlers can help by:
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snapping fresh beans into pieces
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washing snow peas
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putting weetbix in the breakfast bowls
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pouring ingredients into the home-made muesli mix
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mixing muesli with the hands
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helping to knead scone dough
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spooning the mashed potato into the plates
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washing salad vegetables
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learning to pick up pieces of fruit with tongs (I see
toddlers doing this at child care centres)
Make
sure that your toddler is helping you in a safe place. Protect the child
from sharp and hot things.
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Hot boats
Kids love to eat and help prepare novelty food.
Here is a healthy fun snack.
Slit a bread roll scoop out most of the soft middle
fill with chopped ham or a spoonful of cooked mince and some chopped
tomato sprinkle with garlic salt, top with grated cheese. Bake in oven
or microwave until cheese has melted. Add a carrot stick mast. Eat.
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Treats for diabetic kids
With Christmas approaching, kids and
adults too are likely to be invited to parties where much of the food is
sweet and inappropriate for diabetics. As more and more people become obese
it is important to reduce fat and sugar in all our diets so concerned
parents will be on the lookout for ways to do this. Here is an idea I found
at
www.diabetic-lifestyle.com
Frozen Strawberry Pops
Ingredients
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8 large ripe strawberries
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2/3 cup frozen pineapple juice
concentrate
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2 cans sugar free lemonade
Method
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Blend strawberries with
pineapple juice until smooth
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Stir lemonade in well
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Pour into 8 small paper cups.
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Freeze for 30 minutes then stick
a pop-stick into the middle of each popper. Freeze for at least 3 hours.
To
serve, let stand at room temperature just until you can peel off the paper
cup. Eat at once.
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Fruit Faces
Summer time is great for fresh
fruit. Some pre-schoolers are unwilling to try new fruits, but a novelty
approach may work. Cars appeal to boys and it is easy to make a fruit car on
a plate. Use a half slice of watermelon for the car body and let your
imagination work freely to construct the rest. Suggestions are kiwi fruit
wheels, a banana driver, mango strips for the windows and peaches slices for
mudguards.
Girls may prefer a fruit dolly. Use
banana for the doll’s body and legs, cherry or grapes for feet, a peach
slice for her head and mango or melon for her skirt. Umbrellas, bags and
hats can be cut from pineapple, pawpaw and orange segments.
Children love helping to make fruit
novelties and you’ll find that they come up with lots of their own ideas.
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Fruit vegetables and fun
There is currently an excellent ad
on TV showing a child making a healthy food rocket. I’m sure it will appeal
to children because it shows a child doing something fun himself. At the
supermarket a couple of days later, I saw a free magazine at the checkout
showing a boy also holding a good food fun snack. I took the magazine home
and visited the website associated with it. The site is full of recipes
children can follow and every one promotes healthy eating habits in a fun
way. There are also interactive games for children to play. Do take a look
and get your children involved
www.freshfoodkids.com.au
Congratulations to the company. I
hope other supermarkets will follow this lead.
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Family exercise
Family exercise is a great way to
relax with the kids. When my children were small we had a pet donkey. Every
afternoon before dark we took the donkey out walking. One child rode and the
others walked alongside. The donkey, as well as the children looked forward
to this. Not many families will have a donkey but many have dogs that need
and enjoy exercise. Why not make it a family outing? In this way, everyone
benefits. The route can be chosen by a different member of the family each
day. Even for primary aged children it is good to have an adult along as
there can be problems. Barking dogs in gardens may frighten your animal and
other children may try to interfere with it. There is also traffic to watch
out for.
If you don’t have a dog, you could
walk to see a dog that belongs to someone else. There is sure to be friendly
person who owns a dog, in a street not too far away. If you stop to talk to
a dog owner and ask about the animal, they will soon welcome the attention
you and the children give. Remember though, to teach your children never to
touch a dog that is not familiar to them unless the owner says it is safe to
touch.
If you feel tired at the end of the
day, an energetic walk will revive your spirits and you’ll be setting a good
example for your kids to follow.
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Dancing
Dancing is an activity that can reach from birth to
death. It reaches across all cultures and can be gentle or vigorous, sad or
joyous, demure or sexy, and can be done alone or in groups. It is a healthy
exercise and one to be encouraged.
How can dancing begin at birth? Almost all
babies like to be jiggled and almost all parents spontaneously jig their
baby up and down to provide comfort. Jiggling is a form of dancing. Put on
some music, turn on the radio and dance while holding baby in your arms.
By the time baby is standing up holding onto some
furniture, he/she will probably be moving in time to the music. This is the
first dancing a baby will do spontaneously. Toddlers who see television will
be sure to join in dance routines in their own way. By pre-school age,
children are skilled copiers, and dancing and singing have become second
nature. By joining in yourself and initiating dance or movement each day,
children will continue to develop their skills and gain aerobic exercise at
the same time.
Dancing can take different forms. Many towns have
dancing groups so that youngsters can learn ballet, Scottish dancing, tap,
line dancing or ballroom dancing. Groups for adults are also available.
With the
Beijing Olympics approaching we have seen how gentle dance movements are
followed by Chinese people of all ages in public places to herald in each
day. All
forms of dance give wonderful exercise but if you dance at home to music of
your choice, it doesn’t cost a thing and can be such fun for the whole
family.
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Sport
The Olympics has focused a great deal of attention on
sport in the last month. From the media we see that many schools and
individual teachers have organised Mini Olympics for children, with emphasis
on taking part rather than on winning or with every participant getting a
reward. I have done this myself during storytime, by holding the Toy
Olympics, much to the delight of the children.
Sporting clubs
everywhere have had an upsurge of interest in sport from swimming to
athletics, hockey to gymnastics, basketball to boxing, beach volleyball to
sailing. Of course we are all pleased when one of our teams or athletes wins
a medal, but it is pleasing to see the media coverage given to so many
different events and athletes from other countries. I’m sure that
friendships will have been forged between athletes world wide. Hopefully the
upsurge in sports interest will continue so that more people take up an
active lifestyle.
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germs in the classroom
Children are prone to catch an illness easily because
they often have their heads together and don’t think to take preventative
measures. They learn at school that germs cause colds and flu, and other
illnesses but they find it hard to understand that germs will be passed
around even though they can’t be seen. Is it possible to reduce the number
of colds in the classroom or child care room by taking simple measures.
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Teach young children how to blow their noses in a
tissue and to put the used tissue in the bin
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Train kids to wash after using the toilet.
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Remind children to cover their mouths and noses
while coughing
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See that they wash their hands after blowing noses
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Have a washing routine after handling toys and
before eating
Have a policy of not accepting sick children in your
room. Have posters in your room about hygiene and be a good role model.
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More on germs
I learnt something new today and wonder if you already
know it. We teach children to cover their mouths when coughing but they
should cough into their elbow rather than covering the mouth or nose with
the hand. It makes sense, as germs transferred to the hand will be passed on
to people, toys, doors, chairs etc. whereas germs caught by the clothing or
skin on the inside of the elbow are unlikely to touch anyone else or any
toys. Research has shown that viruses can remain viable for several hours on
surfaces. Of course teach children to use tissues when blowing their noses
or wiping mouths and to discard the used tissue into an appropriate bin. Teach your child to blow one nostril at a time, closing
the other one off firmly as this is best for the ears.
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avoid heat stress
We were beginning to think that summer would pass
without any summery days. Half way through January, the hot weather has
struck with a vengeance. Some states are experiencing day after day of 35 to
45degree temperatures. Special care should be taken that children have
sufficient fluids to drink, especially water. They need shady areas to play
in and will need sunscreen reapplied often. While the water at the beach is
very inviting, remember that people burn very quickly there because of the
glary light and children burn fastest of all.
The best lunch time food for hot days is salad food. In
an esky pack tomatoes, lettuce, cucumber, pineapple pieces, raw beetroot
which is crunchy, tuna or smoked salmon, and thin sheets of Lebanese style
bread in which to roll up the salad fillings. Children will love helping
themselves to this type of food. Tomato juice or fruit juice without added
sugar is most refreshing to end this type of picnic.
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Too much water
It was almost unbelievable that while Victoria was
being devastated by bushfires, there were disastrous floods in Queensland
and then northern NSW. Where ever there is flood, there is a threat of
waterborne disease as the water goes down. Clean water is sometimes polluted
by unclean water getting into the system. River and creek water may have
dead animals floating in it or be polluted by mud. Water for drinking
should be boiled to avoid this
Mosquitoes breed quickly in any pool of water and with
mosquito bites comes the risk of Ross river Fever and Dengue Fever in
Australia, and in many countries there is Malaria. Here are some tips to
avoid getting bitten.
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mozzie proof your home with screens
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keep insect screened doors and windows shut
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don't sit outside in the evenings but if you do,
wear long sleeves and long slacks
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use insect repellent
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burn an insect coil near where you sit
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use a mosquito net to sleep under
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empty all outdoor water containers so mozzies won’t
have a place to breed
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Stop infections
spreading
No parent
likes to see their child sick and illness such as
gastroenteritis can spread very fast between
children. Gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the
stomach and intestines. It causes diarrhoea and
vomiting and is very contagious. Between three and
five million children die throughout the world every
year from it.
Vomiting is
always unpleasant for a child and for everyone else
around. It is particularly unpleasant for the adult
who has to clean up after the incident. Children
often vomit when they feel unwell and it does not
necessarily mean the child is very sick. The causes
are varied. It may be caused by
There may be
a more serious cause such as a blow to the head,
appendicitis or meningitis.
Preventing spreading infection
The two main
methods of prevention are hygiene and
isolation. Prevention is better than cure.
Always wear gloves when attending to a child’s
toileting. Always wash
Other ways
to stop infection spreading are
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keep
play things clean
-
use
disinfectant regularly
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refrigerate food promptly
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wash
thoroughly all utensils which have been used on
uncooked meat
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wash
salad food and fruit in clean water before
eating it
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boil
water for drinking if there is any risk of
contamination.
Learn to
look for symptoms that your child is unwell.
Symptoms may be
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loss of appetite
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child is
grumpy or moody, tired or listless
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child
complains of being cold when the day temperature
is normal,
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complains of aches and pains, or has a fever.
If your
child has any of these symptoms keep him/her at
home.
Treatment.
Always get
medical advice if your child vomits more than a
couple of times in a day. Dehydration occurs very
quickly so make sure that the child is drinking
plenty of water. Any child who has vomited should be
isolated from others, particularly if the child is
in day care with other children.
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Exercising
faces
We all know that exercising is
beneficial but generally think of whole body exercises or sport such as
swimming, running, walking, or gym workouts. Did you know that exercising
the face is beneficial too?
How many ways can you move your
face? push lips forward as far as possible, draw them back as far as
possible, move the forehead up and down, wriggle your nose, open and close
your jaw , stick out the tongue, put it in and out quickly, wriggle it side
to side, up and down, suck in the cheeks, puff them out. Move each part of
your face several times. Children will love to do these exercises and they
are a great way to start off a group activity in a child care setting. You
may find there are children in the group who can't say some sounds correctly
and the above exercises plus saying the sounds p, b, k, d, ch, s, f and th,
will help children develop these. Use cards with a single setter on each and
practise the sound a number of times. It won't be long before they recognise
the name and the sound of the letters. It is the sound of the letter
not its name that is important in these exercises.
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A Health report of concern
A picture of Australia's children
2009, a report that covers children 0-14
years, has both good and bad statistics about our kids. The good things are
that
- more children are surviving
leukemia
- asthma hospitalisation is down
- there are fewer deaths from
injury
- fewer kids are smoking
- immunisation rates are up
- involvement in physical
activities is satisfactory
- births to teenagers are
declining
However, there are also disturbing
statistics.
- Diet is poorer.
- Teenage binge drinking is
increasing
- Indigenous kids are three times
more likely to die.
- Indigenous teenagers are five
times more likely to have babies than other teens.
- Kids in remote areas have more
dental decay, higher death rates and lower literacy and numeracy skills
than city children.
While
there are more positive than negative statistics in this report, Australia
is only ranking 21st out of 30 OECD countries for under-five
child mortality. Parents, teachers, health personnel and kids themselves
need to take action to improve many aspects of our kid’s lifestyle.
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Children
and screen time
The above report, A picture of
Australia's children 2009 mentions that the recommended time for kids to
spend in front of the TV or other screens, is no more than two hours. Two
thirds of our kids are spending more than this concentrating on screens. Too
much time in front of screens is bad for the eyes as well as bad for the
posture of our kids. Parents must intervene as this situation is becoming
worse as schools presenting more learning in an electronic way.
- Teach your children stretching
exercises to do after leaving the computer.
- See that they have change close
vision tasks and distance vision tasks often.
- Alternate sitting and
physically active games and tasks.
- Set a good example yourself.
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vegetables
Food is a theme for me this month.
My four year old granddaughter has been a stubborn child when it comes to
eating fruit and vegetable. The problem is now being solved. Mum is
insisting that a small portion of every food the rest of the family eats
each night, must be eaten, otherwise the exciting overseas trip at the end
of the year, will be off. In only two weeks her
Only 3 per cent of four- to
eight-year-olds in Australia, and 2 percent of children between nine and 13
eat their recommended daily two to four serves of vegetables, excluding
potatoes.
Why is this so?
- Parents do not persist when
introducing new foods to their toddlers.
- Eating patterns are generally
formed by the age of five and will be retained for life. So getting your
child to eat a wide range of fruit and vegetables before this age is
important.
- The unborn baby whose mother
eats many different foods will accept different tastes after birth more
readily.
- Tastes enter breast milk and
this prepares children for a variety of tastes while formula is always
the same.
Not only does eating fruit and
vegetables keep obesity in check, but can contribute to the prevention of
cancer.
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Keeping clean
Now its winter time it can be quite
daunting even for adults to take off all ones clothes and shower or bath,
although the thought of plenty of hot water helps. Make sure the children
are washing as thoroughly as they do in the hot weather. Look at their
clothes too and make sure they are changed regularly. The washing takes
longer to dry, and sometimes a long spell of wet weather depletes the supply
of clean clothes.
Classrooms in particular can be
smelly places in winter if the windows are all shut. Shoes and socks are
amongst the worst offenders especially if the kids have to take them off for
music and movement or PE. Do the shoes at your place get washed or cleaned
regularly? Sports shoes can usually be washed but can be really offensive to
the nose. Airing shoes every day in fresh air or sun can help. Airing
jumpers and coats is a good idea too. Smoke and cooking smells get into our
clothes but the sun fixes the problem. Remember that clothes carry germs so
even when articles still look clean, they may be harbouring nasty cold
germs.
I saw a new ad on TV the other day
that showed someone vacuuming the mattress. Now that’s something I haven’t
done in a long time. I’d better get busy. There must be months of invisible
germs there even though the sheets are clean.
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Children with serious illnesses
Hope is a
wonderful thing. It gives parents the strength to carry on when a child has
a serious illness. People find hope in different ways. They find it in
religion, in support groups, through searching on the internet, through TV,
libraries, at schools and childcare facilities and through humour. Often it
is the child who inspires parents, friends and relatives to overcome that
feeling of desolation and aloneness when a serious illness is diagnosed.
Searching
on the internet, I read about The Humour Foundation that has been operating
in Australia since 1996. The Clown Doctors, who are part of the foundation,
now bring some humour and hope into the lives of 100,000 people, mainly
children, every year. A child in hospital may have many scary procedures.
That is why the Clown Doctors are so successful. They understand what is
happening to the children and know just how to distract them from
procedures, from pain, from fear, by putting humour into the child’s day.
There are teams of clown doctors who visit many hospitals now and in time
more and more sick children will benefit from this wonderful work. Donations
will help. Here is the link:
http://clowndoctors.org.au/
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