What does it mean to raise a green kid? Apparently, Green is more than just a color these days. Green is the way we live, the way we must live in order to protect our environment AND be healthy.
AND, we MUST raise our children to be this way too.
1. Reduce consumption. Don’t buy what you don’t need, evaluate what you really want, and use everything you have.
2. Reuse when you can. Pass down clothing, donate, use papers again, etc.
3. Recycle cans, bottles, paper, books, toys, clothing, etc. Use Freecycle, eBay, and Craigslist instead of buying new.
4. Enjoy nature instead of …read more

Formula storage is one of the most tricky things about feeding a baby so I recommend purchasing a formula travel case and packing extra, empty bottles.
To properly store formula:

Feed your baby prepared formula immediately.
Immediately refrigerate prepared formula up to 24 hours.
Discard any extra formula after one hour because bacteria can grow VERY quickly.

If you are traveling, use the formula dispenser.

Formula is absolutely fabulous for us moms who can not or do not have the ability to nurse. Whatever brand you chose to use, Enfamil, Similac, Carnation Good Start, Parent’s Choice, make sure to follow certain protocols.
How to properly warm formula: the best way to heat a bottle of formula is to heat a bowl of water in the microwave and then place the previously prepared bottle in the bowl of hot water for a few minutes to warm. If you are short on time, warm water from the faucet but make sure to check the water on your wrist …read more

I will readily admit that I have never dealt with infant sleep but I have had my fair share of two-year old tummy aches, separation anxiety, and sleep trauma, and even neurological sleep issues.
In fact, our son, now takes sleep medication every night to help him get to sleep and stay asleep. Not every child has such extreme sleep issues as him but many children have sleep problems that can be avoided if taught from early on.
DO:

Make bedtime special time for cozy interaction. However, be firm about the time and place for bed.
Take notice of when your child gets sleepy …read more

A recent study at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln indicates that children who eat low fat or nonfat products are missing essential vitamins like vitamin E and vitamin C.
“Parents are eating a lot of lowfat and nonfat products, and we’re finding they also give their children such things as skim milk,” Driskell said. “The lowfat diet is probably associated with their being low in vitamin E.”
Their findings were that children’s blood values were low but not low enough to have deficiency symptoms. They were only at the point at which children needed to be treated with vitamins or food.
Parents stated that …read more

At Hidden Valley, Jodie Shield, a registered dietitian, helps kids all around the country eat their veggies. Jodie has been a a consultant and a spokesperson for more than two decades. She is a former national media spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association and has worked with the Rush-Presbyterian-St. Luke’s Medical Center in Chicago.
She is currently a complemental faculty member of the College of Health Sciences in the Department of Clinical Nutritian at Rush Univesity in Chicago.
As parents, you know how tough that can be, right? Here are twelve tips from Jodie to help you out you with a …read more

Bottom Line: Not if they eat right.
One third of kids in the U.S. take vitamins and most take a vitamin that contains vitamin C, calcium or iron but most take a multivitamin. However, the American Academy of Pediatrics does not recommend a daily multivitamin for children.
There is currently no research that shows that vitamins make you healthier or live longer.
CNN

I was talking to several moms in our special needs group the other day describing what services we were getting from our school and from outside services. We are getting nothing, BTW.
In school AJ gets Speech and Occupational Therapy because he has communication processing disorders, both verbal and non verbal and he has Sensory Processing Disorder. However, we recently had an evaluation completed with a neuro-psychologist who indicates that AJ also has visual processing disorders, auditory processing disorders, and ADHD mixed type.
Now, back when AJ was 2 we had an Early Intervention coordinator do an evaluation on him as well. …read more

When Early Intervention works correctly it is suppose to work (and believe me, I have seen it work…just not for us). I think that our Early Intervention Coordinator thought that because AJ had been in an orphanage that he would just “snap” out of it, that he would grow into a little boy like he was supposed to.
Unfortunately, that has not been our case.
He has, for the best part, worked himself out of his Post Traumatic Stress and his Institutional Autism but he still struggles every day with SPD, auditory, visual, and communication disorders, many of these things that …read more

Raising children today who are conscious of others can be difficult. I know this first hand because my son can be quite self-centered. I don’t know if it is part of his disability or part of his personality. Or, it simply could be that we have not been focusing on teaching him to look past himself and recognize others. I don’t think it is the later because we have always placed an emphasis on sharing, giving, and helping.
There was an article in the December edition of Reader’s Digest that focused on this topic…raising children who care. In the …read more