Nutrition for babies, toddlers and preschoolers - what to eat?
What should your child be eating at each age and stage?
I have searched high and low to find the very best resources for you become informed and make the best decisions possible for your child’s nutrition and health. With obesity being the number one health condition in children under sixteen years old, good nutrition and exercise is something we simply can’t ignore.
For babies - visit Wholesome Baby Foods
The baby solid food charts on the following pages are general guidelines with solid baby foods that are age appropriate.
For toddlers - visit MyPyramid.gov
Enter your child’s information below for a customized MyPyramid Plan. The Plan will show what and how much your child should eat to meet his or her needs.
For preschoolers - visit Preschool Rock
Need a quick reference for planning your preschooler’s meals? You can use the Food Guide Pyramid as a framework to shape what and how much your preschooler eats each day.
Still more… do you want to watch the hassle of figuring out the daily menus disappear? I personally love the menu subscription service - Dine Without Whine - A Family Friendly Weekly Menu Planner. Check it out - I think you will like it too!
Early education is the key to retaining good nutrition and exercise habits in the future.
Add comment January 6, 2009
Setting family goals and rituals for 2009
The new year is a perfect time to set goals as a family. It is also the perfect time to create new family rituals that develop stronger relationships within the family unit. One thing is for sure, working as a team sure beats working all by yourself on anything in life!
So what goals or rituals are important to your family in 2009?
Here are some of the Stuckey family goals and rituals for 2009:
1. We will schedule daddy time for Rivers (our son and only child) every weeknight from 7:00pm to 8:00pm. I am sure it will be filled with pillow fights, gardening, fishing or any number of sports in the yard. Daddy frequently travels with his job and leaves to go to work early in the morning. By planning this time for Rivers and daddy we will be sure their relationship continues to grow and flourish.
2. We will take a family photo (with the digital camera) once a month to remember one of our favorite activities for that month and then compile them into a yearly calendar for 2010. In 2010 we will be able to compare whether our interests are the same.
3. We will choose a community service project to participate in at least every other month. We will begin in January by collecting supplies for our local animal shelter.
4. We will each have a small notebook to record every time we spend money. We have divided the pages into 2 columns - the left column says, “wants” and the right column says, “needs.” For Christmas, we bought ourselves a play ATM machine to deposit savings each week. Our goal is to save at least $50 per week. We look forward to a trip to Disney World in September with the savings.
So what are your family’s rituals and goals for 2009? Leave a comment to let the world know.
Add comment January 1, 2009
Give birth to your child’s creativity
Fostering creativity in your children demands a lot of creativity on your part.
When I taught kindergarten, I was amazed at how many children were already critical of their creative abilities. We live in a culture where only the best is good enough. It’s easy to see why children are inclined to give up before they start on a creative project.
I think both children and adults tend to think people are born talented. We lose sight of the fact that for centuries; people enjoyed creating products for what they were rather than to compare them to what is considered the best.
· In today’s society, only first place equals success.
· Often children equate being able to finish a project quickly with being good at it. Speed becomes the measure of success.
Therefore, we are dealing with quite a challenge in keeping our children enthusiastic and willing to take the risk of learning new creative skills (defined as innovation in the workplace).
We need to find ways to emphasize the joy of doing a creative activity to help them see that improving skills in any creative endeavor is a life long process worthy of the time and effort. Is there a new activity you can learn with your child? As you learn, talk about your creative thinking aloud and cast all fear of failure aside. By mistakes people have made, new inventions and services come to fruition every day.
Happy learning and growing…
Add comment December 30, 2008
Favorite toy
Now that Christmas is over and the excitement of all the new “stuff” is dwindling, my husband and I are faced with an all too familiar sound - “mommy/daddy will you play with me?” It doesn’t matter how many “things” he wanted and received from Santa… he still wants us the most!
Hooray! Yahoo! Whoopee! Woohoo! I am something money can’t buy and after five years I am still his favorite toy! It isn’t that I am jealous of the “consumable toys” he constantly asks for in a - I HAVE GOT TO HAVE THAT - kind of way. No, that isn’t it at all - what I am, is thrilled that television and print advertising hasn’t turned him against what really matters in life - PEOPLE and EXPERIENCES!
As an early childhood educator I know that relationships are far more important to developing a child’s abilities academically, physically, emotionally and socially and now my child has once again proven this research to be true. Over time we will play with all of his new toys but I will always be his favorite toy!
Off to think up our next learning adventure… early education is the key!
Add comment December 28, 2008
Rotating toys to keep play fresh and fun
After all the gifts are opened on Christmas morning it will be time to go through what your child already has in his play arsenal and make room for the “new” stuff.
What should you do with all of the old toys? Store at least half of them out of your child’s sight. During spring cleaning, exchange some of the toys on the shelf and in the toy box with the “old” toys your child played with before Christmas.
What is going to happen? Your child will look at them as “new” again. It will be like Christmas all over again. When the toy has truly been through all the cycles it (and your little one can stand) consider giving it to your local thrift store if it is still in good condition. Donating the toys to needy children is a great learning experience for children of all ages.
I am spending the next three days making room on my child’s toy shelves for all of Santa’s loot. I like to put the toys away without him watching so he doesn’t even know what toys he is missing. It makes it all the more fun when the toys are re-introduced in the spring.
Add comment December 22, 2008
