Blooming Bath Baby Bath

Who wouldn’t want to bathe their baby in this?  No need to worry about your little one slipping out of your arms while in the sink and hitting her head on the hard countertop.  The soft blooming bath keeps your child safe while bathing, and can go right into the washer and dryer to be cleaned.   What a great first bath picture this would make.  Find these at bloomingbath.com for $50.

Creatures

Little ones love these cute little fish to play with in the bathtub.  They can be opened and closed, are interchangeable to make different creatures, and can be filled with water.  It’s a great way for them to practice their hand-eye coordination while playing in the tub.  They are made by Boon and can be found at kangarooboo.com for $13.99

FLO faucet cover

This is such a great multi-functioning product for the bathtub.  It acts as a faucet cover, a fun waterfall experience, an easier way to rinse the hair, and as a bubble bath dispenser, which allows the little ones to press a button to dispense it.  My children love to play with running water, and I no longer seem to mind now that we have this.  We got ours at babygeared.com for $15.

Pesticides are chemical substances used to prevent crop destruction by insects. They have positive effects by decreasing crop losses and increased food per acre farmed. However, they may come with a steep cost to your health. Pesticides are powerful substances that are absorbed or ingested and may cause potential harm especially to infants and children, who eat more fruits and vegetables than adults relative to their body weight and who are still developing.

Additionally children play more on the ground where they have the greater potential to come in contact with pesticide residues. Children also may place contaminated hands and objects in their mouths.

Fruits and vegetables contribute essential nutrients, including fiber to the diet. However, it is very important that parents understand that certain fruits and vegetables named the “Dirty Dozen” may have a greater risk of pesticide contamination than other varieties due to the nature of the plant and how they are grown. This list includes:

• Celery
• Peaches
• Strawberries
• Apples
• Blueberries
• Nectarines
• Sweet Bell Peppers
• Spinach
• Cherries
• Potatoes
• Grapes
• Lettuce

A recent study from Harvard in the journal of Pediatrics[1] examined the association between ADHD and urine metabolites of organophosphates. Organophosphates are a common pesticide spayed on fruits and vegetables. The conclusion of the article was that children with higher levels of organophosphate metabolites in the urine were more likely to be diagnosed with ADHD, since high levels of organophosphates are purported to disrupt brain neurotransmitters. More research is needed to study the effects of diet on conditions such as ADHD.

The obvious and simple solution is to avoid pesticides and all chemical agents in the food supply wherever possible. Washing fruits and vegetables may not always be sufficient.  Therefore, organic foods, including fruits and vegetables that are made without the use of these pesticides may be one way to help protect our families.

Courtesy of The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. and Earth’s Best Organic® infant formula and baby food.  For more information on the complete line of Earth’s Best® foods for babies and toddlers, personal care and cleaning products, including where to purchase, log onto www.earthsbest.com.

© 2012 The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.   All rights reserved. 

The upcoming holiday weekend marks the end of a long school year and the promise of wonderful summer memories to come. 

Memorial Day weekend to many families means beach, sun, friends and food.  Whether you live close to a lake, river, ocean or just enjoy splashing around in the blow up pool, get the whole gang together for some fit family fun.

A day in the sun and on the sand is a great time to play family beach games. After everyone has had a chance to swim and build a sand castle, introduce the family to one of these fun activities. These activities can be played with toddlers, school age kids and adults, too.

Some beach games require a few pieces of equipment, but these are fun and simple to play.

Shell Sort — Sorting shells is a fun way to start a new collection and also teach the little ones a thing or two. Have each child run up and down the beach gathering as many different kinds of shells as they can. Draw a grid in the sand and have them sort the shells into different categories;  the kids can sort them by color, size or type. Make it even more challenging by combining two elements: group large, white shells and small, brown shells.

Beach Ball Balancing Act —   For this game, you'll need one inflatable beach ball for each team of two players. Each team must transport the ball across the finish line without using their hands. The ball can be balanced between their heads, pressed between their backs or whatever creative way they can devise.

Family Beach Boot Camp — Have some fun doing a few partner exercises together.  Try partner squats - Facing each other and holding each others' hands, slowly lower down, bending your knees and keeping your weight over your heels.  Stand back up, keeping your shoulders up tall.  Repeat for 10 reps.  Jog with your partner 10 yards down the beach, get down and give me 20!  Just kidding...10 partner push ups coming up.  Face your partner both in push up position, on toes or knees.  Complete one push up, then give your partner a high five with your right hand to their left hand.  Finish up with 9 more push ups.

Whatever you choose to do, remember little segments of activity can add up to your 150 minutes a week, as recommended by the Center for Disease Control (CDC).  Try 10 minutes of vigorous activity, 3 times a day, 5 days a week.  Mix up your activities so you will stay interested and keep moving all summer long!

• normal blood clotting
• maintaining a normal blood pressure
• nerve transmission
• regulate digestion
• fat and energy metabolism
• saliva production
• transport of nutrients and other substances across cell membranes
• works with magnesium in muscle contraction -- it is very important to have a balance between calcium, sodium, potassium and magnesium to maintain muscle tone
  

If snacks are meant to curb our appetite and stabilize blood sugar between meals, then why do we find ourselves raiding the vending machine at snack time?  How do we keep all of this unconscious noshing under control? 

First, we should be mindful of how much and how often we are eating.  Many people find keeping a food journal helps with accountability.  Doesn’t have to be very detailed, simply writing down the time and what you ate, “2:00 pm crackers” is enough.  Knowing you need to write down what you are eating may help you second guess if you are hungry and if you are making a wise food choice. 

Another way to keep snacking in check is to set a limit of three snacks daily and to keep them less than 150 calories each.  Sure, the supermarket is full of “100 calorie” snack options, but due to their lack of fiber and protein, many of these may leave you wanting more, rather than leaving you satisfied.  Keeping fresh fruit and vegetables in plain view in lieu of empty-calorie goodies will also help cut out some of those unnecessary calories.

Snacks can actually help to achieve a well-balanced, nutritious diet.  Pairing fruits or vegetables with lean protein or low fat dairy can help meet some of our nutritional goals such as five-a-day fruits and vegetables and three servings daily of low fat dairy (or comparable calcium sources).  Below you will find a list of healthful snack options to get you started: 

• Apple slices with almond or peanut butter or even a low fat cheese
• Vegetables and hummus, try sugar snap peas, carrots and sweet bell peppers
• Small handful of raw nuts
• Strawberries and fat-free yogurt
• Cottage cheese and fruit
• Walnuts or almonds with raisins or dried cranberries (keep the total portion to a handful)
• Fruit smoothie made with fat free milk, fat free yogurt and fresh/frozen fruit
• Pear slices with a slice of turkey and reduced fat cheddar cheese
• ½ a sandwich on high fiber bread with banana slices and chocolate hazelnut spread

Crystal Flores is a Registered Dietician on staff at All Children's Hospital (St. Petersburg, FL) and also recently started her own consulting business.  Crystal is mom to Selena and Zoe and has participated in Baby Boot Camp in St. Petersburg for the past six months.

Practical ideas in honor of Earth Day:

snackTAXI Sandwich Bag

You can never have too many sandwich bags for toddler snacks and older children’s lunch bags. Think green this month and replace the thousands of plastic bags you go through with these reusable cloth bags.  They have many different fabrics and sell for $8.95 at www.reuseit.com

Stainless Steel Baby Bottle

If you are tired of dealing with plastic bottles and all the risks they impose on your baby and the environment, then try these stainless steel bottles from www.organickidz.com They are 100 percent recyclable, are safe because bacteria can’t hide in it, and are extremely durable.  A 7 oz. bottles is $21.95.
 

Pacifier

The www.heveababyusa.com pacifiers are 100 percent rubber from the Hevea rubber tree.  They don’t leave marks, they are soft and gentle on your baby’s face, and they don’t create a vacuum around their mouth.  For those looking for the most sustainable products for their baby, this pacifier is for you.  You can purchase for $8.95.   

By Kate Geagan, MS, RD

I have a confession to make. We registered dietitians await the new USDA Dietary Guidelines with a giddiness akin to celebrity spotters during awards season. What will make it to the plate? What’s fallen out of food fashion? What are the trends looking forward?

Yet unlike awards season, you might have missed the news; there’s now a new USDA tool available for you, MyPlate, (www.choosemyplate.gov) which helps Americans make better choices and reduce the growing tide of childhood obesity and chronic disease.  It’s a powerful resource that can help you better navigate the many questions you have as you set about nourishing your toddler in the purest way possible.

The most immediate and sweeping change to MyPlate is just that-it’s finally a plate. Hooray! After all, we do eat off of plates, not pyramids. What I love is how it’s simple graphics provide busy moms a clear snapshot of how plates for children over age 2 should look when they sit down to a meal or a snack in order to meet their nutritional needs. Here are five ways you can harness the value of new MyPlate to nourish your family:

1. Fill Half Your Plate with Produce. MyPlate reminds us just how much produce children and adults need in their diets for optimal growth and health.  According to the 2010 US Dietary Guidelines for Americans, children do not consume the recommended servings of fruits and vegetables per day.  Aim to heap half of children’s plates with a variety of vegetables and fruits (some familiar, some that will stretch them). So add a handful of freshly diced seasonal fruit (or mashed for younger palates) like pears to your favorite Earth’s Best Organic® breakfast cereal.  Bring your toddler to the local farmer’s market and fire up their culinary curiosity: invite them to taste a new seasonal favorite that you can cook together at home, talk about the farm where the produce came from and ask the farmer how he or she grew it. NEW Earth’s Best® Organic Fruit Yogurt Smoothies provide a full serving of fruit for snack time in convenient re-sealable pouches, or try some fresh cut veggies with hummus. When you approach both meals and snacks using MyPlate, you don’t have to worry when your child eats less at one meal or another; you know your toddler is being exposed to a wide variety of healthy options regularly.

2. Make Seafood a Food for the High Chair. Did you know that your toddler’s brain is 60-70% fat?  Omega-3 DHA fatty acids are one of the brain’s favorite building blocks (DHA is 50% by weight of some brain cells), and are especially important to obtain through diet by consuming seafood. It is for this reason that the Dietary Guidelines recommend Americans over age 2 consume fish twice a week (most families consume only half that amount), making seafood a food for the high chair and beyond. If there were a  Toddler Superfood List, seafood would be on it: omega-3 DHA fatty acids are a key building block of several organs and pathways in the body, especially brain, eye and immune system development.

“One of the biggest challenges is working seafood twice a week into kids plates, as some moms can worry that it’s a strong taste for kids,” notes Elizabeth Ward MS, RD, author of the new book MyPlate for Moms, How to Feed Yourself & Your Family Better.    Choose  fish which contains Omega-3 DHA and EPA fatty acids for children and flake easily for little mouths, such as wild Alaska salmon, barramundi or chunk light tuna.  Want to start with something milder? Steamed tilapia with olive oil and lemon juice is a deliciously mild alternative. And don’t forget that the canned seafood and the freezer aisle offers some of the best bargains in the grocery store; now you can often find filets that are frozen at sea and shipped straight to you, making frozen taste just like fresh, but without the risk of costly spoilage. It may take time for children to acquire a taste for seafood; so introduce it to their diet consistently.

3. Get Plenty of Protein.  An average healthy toddler needs about 16 grams of protein a day depending on your child’s weight. Protein not only provides the building blocks for muscle growth and repair, but it is part of every cell and tissue in your toddler’s growing body. While it’s sometimes easy to fall into the habit of filling up on refined carbohydrates, choose whole grains and complex carbohydrates for your child. MyPlate recommends that 1/4 of the plate should contain protein at meals . Remember that not all protein is created equal—eggs, meat, milk and soy are defined as high quality proteins. And it’s easier to get there than you may think; just 1 ounce of grilled fish, organic chicken or organic pork loin provides 7 grams of protein, and is also a good source of B vitamins, iron and zinc. Need something fast and fun?  Earth’s Best Organic Yogurt is a nourishing snack with 5 grams of protein per serving. And beans, eggs and tofu are some of the most economical protein rich foods in the grocery store;1 egg contains 6 grams of protein, 1/2 cup black beans  or 3 oz. tofu each pack 7 grams of protein (Reference: USDA Nutrient Database).

Providing protein for your little one is likely to rub off on your own plate as well:  “In my experience, a lot of moms aren’t eating enough protein, they’re so busy meeting everyone else’s needs,” Ward, a mother of three, notes. So multitasking moms, rejoice! Packing protein will help you taking care of your own plate, too.

4. Stretch Into Whole Grains. For some toddlers, just paring down grains to around 1/4 of their plate might be an adjustment. The Dietary Guidelines also urge Americans to make at least half their grains whole, and now is a perfect time to introduce a variety of whole grains to your toddler’s plate throughout the week: the fiber helps keep them satisfied, and is important for healthy digestive systems, plus you’ll be getting antioxidants vitamin E and selenium as well as zinc and B vitamins that can be lost when whole grains are refined. Look for the Whole Grain stamp on Earth’s Best Organic® Frozen Mini Waffles with 100% whole wheat flour, or Earth’s Best® Sesame Street Organic Yummy Tummy Oatmeal with Organic Whole Grain instant rolled oats, it’s easier than ever to give your toddler a powerfully nourishing start to her day. For dinner, try serving her quinoa or barley for a delicious and hearty change from pasta or rice.

5. Organic Still is the Best Choice for Your Toddler. I hear from many moms who wonder “is organic still worth it?” once their toddler joins the family dinner table, and in my opinion the answer is a resounding “YES!” Choosing organic foods provides numerous benefits to you, your children, and the world around us. Many people choose organic food to limit their family’s exposure to potentially harmful pesticides that are often used in conventional farming. So continue to insist on organic for your toddler. Even on the go, the Earth’s Best® Sesame Street line of nutritionally sound snacks will let you feed your family with confidence; made with the finest  organic ingredients from their family of farmers, you know that you’re going above and beyond MyPlate to deliver the very best for your own little celebrity.

MyPlate in action: Chocolate Chili

Kids love the name and the taste, moms will love all the good-for-you ingredients in this easy and soul-satisfying chili. Unsweetened cocoa powder pumps up the flavor and adds a fun flair for kids (cocoa for dinner!)

• 1 pound ground sirloin or ground 100% turkey breast
• 2 tablespoons olive or canola oil
• 4 cloves garlic, peeled and diced
• 1 medium onion, peeled and chopped
• 1 green or red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
• 1 (16-ounce) can reduced-sodium black beans, drained and rinsed
• 1 (16-ounce) can reduced-sodium red kidney beans, drained and rinsed
• 28 ounces no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
• ½ teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa (optional)
  

Place a 6-quart saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the meat. Brown the meat, breaking it up into very small pieces as it cooks. Drain. Remove the meat from the pan and reserve. Season with salt and ground black pepper, if desired. Return the pan to the stove. Add the oil to pan and heat over medium heat. Add the garlic, onion, and peppers and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Add the meat back to the pan, and stir in the beans, tomatoes, cumin, and cocoa. Heat to boiling, then reduce heat and simmer for 10 to 15 minutes. Makes 6 servings.

Per serving: 286 calories; 29 grams carbohydrate; 9 grams fiber; 2 grams fat; 2 grams saturated fat; 25 grams protein; 331 milligrams sodium; 46 milligrams cholesterol; 80 milligrams calcium.

Recipe courtesy of Elizabeth Ward, RD, author of MyPlate for Moms, How to Feed Yourself & Your Family Better

Courtesy of The Hain Celestial Group, Inc. and Earth's Best Organic® infant formula and baby food. For more information on the complete line of Earth's Best® foods for babies and toddlers, personal care and cleaning products, including where to purchase, log onto earthsbest.com.   

© 2012 The Hain Celestial Group, Inc.  All Rights Reserved.

By Crystal Flores, R.D. 

When we start a new health routine, we often think we need more protein, but is this really the case?  Protein is vital for building and maintaining muscle, blood, skin, hair, nails and internal organs as well as provide enzymes to regulate bodily functions and transport nutrients, oxygen and waste throughout the body.

Is there such a thing as too much protein?  Yes there is.  Despite all the products on the grocery store shelves promoting their protein content, we typically eat more than we need.  Too much protein contributes to excessive caloric intake, resulting in weight gain.  Many high protein foods are also high in saturated fat and cholesterol as well, which will contribute to elevated blood cholesterol levels and increase your risk of heart disease and stroke. 

So how much do we need?  You guessed it, another math equation.  The average healthy adult needs around 0.3-0.4 grams per pound.  That means a person weighing 150 pounds needs roughly 50-60 grams of protein per day.  Children need roughly 0.7-1 grams of protein per pound depending on age.  The younger the child, the more protein is needed due to their fast rate of growth.  If you want to know how many grams you or your child needs specifically, ask your registered dietitian!

Below you will find a chart of common foods and the corresponding grams of protein based on serving size. 

You may notice it is not difficult to eat your required grams of protein daily.  If you have an egg at breakfast, three servings of dairy throughout the day and three ounces meat/poultry/fish at dinner, you’re covered (and that’s not including the additional grams you receive from all the vegetables and whole grains you are eating daily!).

Crystal Flores is a Registered Dietician on staff at All Children's Hospital (St. Petersburg, FL) and also recently started her own consulting business.  Crystal is mom to Selena and Zoe and has participated in Baby Boot Camp in St. Petersburg for the past six months.

MOLO Challenge: Nutrition, Week 1

Congratulations!  You have already taken the first step to take charge of your personal health by participating in Baby Boot Camp and now you are taking charge of your nutrition.  

Let’s face it, we’re moms.  We are the busiest people we know!  We always put everyone else first and then what?  We are exhausted!  Now more than ever, it is important we take care of ourselves so we can do what we do best…be an AMAZING mom.  So, for this first week, let’s start everyday right…with BREAKFAST!  No, a cup of coffee and the crust of your toddler’s toast do not count.

Here are some ideas to get you started.  Bonus, most of these recipes can be made in a large batch to give to the whole family!

Oatmeal:

I prefer plain old fashioned or steel cut oats.  Prepare according to package directions and make it tasty by trying some of these combinations: 

• Throw in 1/4 cup of sliced almonds and drizzle with honey or maple syrup
• Chop up 1-2 dried apricots and 1/4 cup of walnuts 
• 1/3 cup dried cranberries or raisins and a spoonful of sunflower seeds
  

Egg sandwich:

In a small non-stick pan, add 1 teaspoon cooking oil and 1 egg.  Cook as desired.  Place on a whole wheat English muffin with a slice of Canadian bacon and reduced fat cheese.  Have a piece of fruit on the side.

Smoothie:

• 1/3 cup low fat yogurt of your choice
• 1 cup fruit (frozen fruit works great)
• 1 cup 1% or skim milk

Blend the above together and add in ice to desired thickness.  May sweeten with sweetener of your choice.

Fruit and yogurt:

• Low fat yogurt of your choice.
• 1 cup of whatever fruit you have around (sliced banana, berries, mango, kiwi, melon…)
• 1 tablespoon ground flax seed/wheat germ OR 2 spoonsfull nuts (sliced almonds, chopped walnuts, etc)
  

In a rush?

Grab a fruit-and-nut granola bar, piece of fruit and a glass of skim or 1% milk (or a low-fat yogurt).

Crystal Flores is a Registered Dietician on staff at All Children's Hospital (St. Petersburg, FL) and also recently started her own consulting business.  Crystal is mom to Selena and Zoe and has participated in Baby Boot Camp in St. Petersburg for the past six months.

By Christie Bruner, Director of Fitness Programming

“You have to run fast to run fast”.  I don’t know if that really is a famous quote, but it is one of my favorites.  It’s not just about running fast, but it can hold true for any aspect of training.  You have to DO IT to in order to get better.  Just going through the motions doesn’t count.  Yes, getting out of the house is half the battle most mornings - but to really see a change in your body you have to put forth that extra effort.  And, it doesn’t matter what “fast” means to you.  Don’t worry about the mom next to you who can do 50 push-ups, or your friend who can run a six-minute mile.  Do what you can do, and always put in your best effort.

This week’s theme in the Mother Love Fitness Challenge is speed and reaction time.  While most of us aren’t Olympic sprinters, these two aspects of fitness are still applicable in our lives.  We need speed work to burn more calories and keep our metabolism high after our workouts.  Moving at a consistent, slow and steady pace will not ever challenge or change your body.  Short burst of speed work elevates heart rate and, with repetition, makes the heart healthier and work more efficiently.   When doing speed work, it should be done in intervals of short amounts of work, followed by enough rest to bring the heart rate down to a resting level.  Add reps as your body adapts to this training.

This video illustrates a speed drill - line hops.  This can be adapted to any fitness levels.  If you are not comfortable jumping side to side, you can modify by just tapping your feet over the line.  Take it up a notch by jumping over the line, then practice getting quicker and quicker.  Always take at least as much rest as the time you performed the exercise (30 second jumps, at least 30-60 seconds rest).  Add an element of reaction time by having a trainer or friend give you random cues about when to start jumping.  Be in your ready position near the line to begin jumping, the friend can give a cue, jump 30 seconds, rest approximately 60 seconds, then friend will call out another cue at random to begin jumping.

Next week we’ll begin the last month of the MoLo Challenge - the focus is on nutrition.  In classes and as well as videos posted here we will keep working on cardio and functional fitness elements to prepare for our final post-test assessments!