Even better if you can combine the nutritious with the delicious (see the cupcake recipe below). Some other ideas are chocolate covered fruit, chocolate covered pretzels, pineapple chunks w/ cheddar cubes on a toothpick, mini anything from sliders to mini-pizzas to catch the toddler's attention. If you can make the display enticing by placing the carrot sticks in a happy face shape for example, all the better to grab the children's interest. Anything to get a bit of food in before their blood sugar dips too low and crankiness sets in. Also, be sure to have enough sensible beverages around but definitely stay away from sparkling drinks. But while it is important to try and pack those vitamins in I do also think there are a few days a year (at least) when we should literally let our wee ones eat cake and don't fall victim to people giving you a hard time about this....as my Mother in Low would say cake is an essential food group!
Sunday, November 27, 2011
MY SURVIVAL GUIDE - BIRTHDAY PARTIES
Even better if you can combine the nutritious with the delicious (see the cupcake recipe below). Some other ideas are chocolate covered fruit, chocolate covered pretzels, pineapple chunks w/ cheddar cubes on a toothpick, mini anything from sliders to mini-pizzas to catch the toddler's attention. If you can make the display enticing by placing the carrot sticks in a happy face shape for example, all the better to grab the children's interest. Anything to get a bit of food in before their blood sugar dips too low and crankiness sets in. Also, be sure to have enough sensible beverages around but definitely stay away from sparkling drinks. But while it is important to try and pack those vitamins in I do also think there are a few days a year (at least) when we should literally let our wee ones eat cake and don't fall victim to people giving you a hard time about this....as my Mother in Low would say cake is an essential food group!
Friday, September 23, 2011
Coats/Snowsuits on children in cars, is it safe?
As the cold winter approaches, we start to look for out child s next winter coat, be it that duffle from Boden or the snow suit from Petit Bateau. Never a thought did I give to the thickness of the coat or how that could affect my child’s safety in the car. Did you know that thick winter coats or snowsuits can compromise your child's car seat safety.
In order for a baby car seat or toddler booster seat to function properly, the straps need to remain tight against the child's chest. Winter coats and snowsuits make car seat safety difficult because they change the way a child fits into the car seat. When the car seat straps don't fit the child properly, there is a chance the child could be ejected from the car seat.
The car seat harness needs to stay close to the child's body at all times. All coats and clothing will compress in a crash, but thicker winter coats and snowsuits could compress enough to create a lot of slack in the harness, allowing the child to be ejected from the car seat.
Check All Winter Coats for Car Seat Safety
It's easy to check and see whether a baby's winter coat or infant snowsuit is too thick to be safe in a car seat. This test will show you how thick the coat is and how much the coat will compress during a crash.
Take the car seat into the house.
Put the winter coat or snowsuit on the child.
Put the child in the car seat and buckle the harnesses as you normally would before car travel. Adjust the straps to the appropriate fit for your child.
Put the child back in the car seat and buckle the harnesses again, but do not tighten the straps.Take the child out of the car seat without loosening the straps at all.
Take the coat off your child.
If you can fit more than two fingers under the harness at the child's shoulder bone, the coat is too thick and is not safe for use with the car seat.
Tuesday, August 2, 2011
Raspberry Leaf Tea
Raspberry leaf also contains the alkaloid 'fragine' which is said to strengthen and tone the muscles of the uterus, helping them to contract more efficiently during labour. Research has found that taking raspberry leaf tea during the weeks prior to delivery helps to shorten the second stage of labour by making contractions more effective. Sipping raspberry leaf tea during and after the birth is also said to help the uterus contract back down to size, reduce after birth bleeding and help initiate the let down of breastmilk. While there hasn't been a huge amount of research into this area, the general consensus does seem to be that drinking raspberry leaf tea during the latter stages of pregnancy can help to make for a 'better' labour with few side effects.
However, because there is little research the certainty of these claims cannot be verified.
What we do know for sure is that raspberry leaf should, like other herbal teas, be drunk in moderation. Some midwives think it is not a good idea to take anything that might interfere with your labour, after all we are designed to give birth without any help, as hard as that may seem at the time!
If you do decide to try raspberry leaf tea, let your doctor or midwife know that you are planning to drink it. And really, whilst we’ve reached no real conclusion here, the best advice would seem to be like anything in life, moderation is the safest way to go. Oh, and I also think it should always be taken with a big slice of cake.
Wednesday, July 6, 2011
Festivals with kids ....
3. Take some comfort - this might sound totally obvious but when the tiredness kicks in kids need security and comfort. So take a favourite blanket or a few home comforts, pillow or cushion, to help them chill out whilst still enjoying being away from home.
Wednesday, June 22, 2011
The Super foods during pregnancy
Tuesday, June 14, 2011
The perfect holiday for children
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
The fashion of smocking
Smocking requires lightweight fabric with a stable weave that gathers well. Cotton and silk would be the favourites then, although according to Good Housekeeping: The Illustrated Book of Needlecrafts, "Any type of fabric can be smocked if it is supple enough to be gathered."
We have a number of girls dresses which boast smocking, take a look here and here. They make wonderful occasion dresses, for weddings, birthdays and christenings. Proof indeed that the times are changing again, and a long forgotten art form is coming back into vogue.
Tuesday, May 24, 2011
A healthy smile ....
Sitting in the dentist waiting room last week, I read an article by the Children's Dental Practice stating that tooth decay is caused, simply, by sugar. Surely that's just common sense isn't it? But with lots of hidden sugars in things which we think are healthy, fruit juice for example, we as parents can often be guilty. The best and simplest way to prevent tooth decay is by limiting the amount of sugar your child has. Here is some good practical advise which the article shared with it's readers:
1. Clean your child's teeth twice a day with fluoride toothpaste as soon as first teeth appear
2. Use a natural fibre toothbrush to start with (Mamissima stocks natural fibre toothbrushes)
3. Ensure sure the level of fluoride is at least 1000pm up to 3 years and 1450-1500 over 3 years of age.
4. Children should spit out, but not rinse
5. Keep sweets, cakes, chocolate as treats and avoid sugary drinks
6. Avoid fizzy drinks!
7. Be aware of hidden sugars in things like ketchup, baked beans, Nutella - dried fruits such as raisins contain natural sugar in a concentrated form, plus the sticky texture is very bad for teeth!
8. Fruit juices should only be given once a day
9. Offer children nothing but water after brushing their teeth at bedtime
10. Never give baby a sugary drink in the bottle
Tuesday, May 10, 2011
The power of the Liberty print ...
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Decisions, decisions ....
Wednesday, April 6, 2011
Christening Presents
Wednesday, March 30, 2011
How to Keep a Pregnancy Journal
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Glass bottles are better for baby .....
Glass feeding bottles are becoming increasingly popular with parents amidst scientific proof that they are safer for your baby, and the environment. Polycarbonate (plastic) baby bottles contain Bisphenol-A, which has been found to migrate from the bottle into the milk. Alarmingly, Bisphenol A is a Developmental, Neural, and Reproductive Toxicant. Whilst we are all exposed to this in bottled water and drinks bottles, and other plastic packaging, babies are especially at risk as the amount of toxin ingested is large compared to their body weight. Plus a baby's organs are still growing and will be more affected than those of an adult. For more information see the Environmental Health Reports on Baby Bottles.
So what's the alternative? Glass. Our Green Baby Glass Bottles are 100% safe and bisphenol-A free, therefore do not leach toxins, and the cap is a BA free polypropolane. They are also hygienic: glass does not retain smells or tastes from previous feeds; practical: made of heat resistant, toughened glass so can be washed in a dishwasher, boiled or steam sterilized; and another really important feature, sustainable: glass is a recyclable, renewable resource. They are available in 2 sizes; 125ml and 250ml, and all come with a size 2 (3-24mths) medium flow, orthodontic, anti-colic latex teat.
So when presented with this informed, and actually quite shocking, information(read the Health Report) it appears that there really should be no choice; our babies should be fed with glass bottles. Join the crusade against plastic and buy Green Baby Glass Bottles, because the less plastic we buy, the less will be produced.