1 in 5 American 4 year olds are overweight

Information that we're raising a generation of overweight and out-of-shape kids is nothing new. But a newly-released report shows just how bad the childhood obesity problem is becoming.

The study, conducted by the National Center for Education Statistics, is an analysis of national representative height and weight data on 8,550 preschoolers born in 2001. Children were considered obese if their body-mass index (BMI) was in the 95th percentile or higher based on government growth charts. The results showed that almost 13 percent of Asian children were obese, along with 16 percent of whites, almost 21 percent of blacks, 22 percent of Hispanics, and 31 percent of American Indians. The figures translate to 18 percent of preschoolers classified as obese overall.

The findings had even researchers caught by surprise, especially in seeing the high percentage of childhood obesity at such an early age. The troubling statistics also pointed out racial and ethnic disparities in children's weight.

With studies already showing that obese children are absent from school more than their healthier peers, intervention is a theme being echoed by nutritionists and pediatricians across the country. This young generation will be at high risk for heart disease, high blood pressure, cancer, joint diseases and other weight-related illnesses.

Parents and child care providers are encouraged to turn off the TV, encourage physical activity, and reinforce healthy eating habits with their children. Of course, the best example is by making these lifestyle improvements to everyone in the family!

Family Time

Reading Tips for Parents of Preschoolers

Read early and read often. The early years are critical to developing a lifelong love of reading. It's never too early to begin reading to your child! The tips below offer some fun ways you can help your child become a happy and confident reader. Try a new tip each week. See what works best for your child.

Read together every day

Read to your child every day. Make this a warm and loving time when the two of you can cuddle close.

Give everything a name

Build your child's vocabulary by talking about interesting words and objects. For example, "Look at that airplane! Those are the wings of the plane. Why do you think they are called wings?"

Say how much you enjoy reading

Tell your child how much you enjoy reading with him or her. Talk about "story time" as the favorite part of your day.

Read with fun in your voice

Read to your child with humor and expression. Use different voices. Ham it up!

Know when to stop

Put the book away for awhile if your child loses interest or is having trouble paying attention.

Be interactive

Discuss what's happening in the book, point out things on the page, and ask questions.

Read it again and again

Go ahead and read your child's favorite book for the 100th time!

Talk about writing, too

Mention to your child how we read from left to right and how words are separated by spaces.

Point out print everywhere

Talk about the written words you see in the world around you. Ask your child to find a new word on each outing.

Get your child evaluated

Please be sure to see your child's pediatrician or teacher as soon as possible if you have concerns about your child's language development, hearing, or sight.

Free Infant Massage Classes

ATTENTION INFANT PARENTS, we are providing a FREE 5 week course on Infant Massage. First week starts Wednesday January 5th at 5:00pm. Classes will be every Wednesday at 5pm from January 5th to February 2nd.......and don't forget they are ***FREE*** We encourage you to come early on those Wednesdays so you can be involv...ed in this program. Let the office know if you have any questions.

Preventing Diaper Rash

As the old saying goes, prevention is better than cure. For all that we may fear the onset of diaper rash in our children, there is no certainty of absolute and total prevention, but there is a lot that can be done to make it far less likely, and it revolves mostly around keeping your baby dry and clean as far as is possible. Your baby will not be shy about letting you know when it is in any discomfort. This can prevent diaper rash from developing, but would obviously not be a way of preventing it before it begins.
The prevention of diaper rash is something that requires no small amount of diligence, as well as some luck. But there are some simple rules which can make the process a lot more straightforward. Firstly, you must change your baby’s diaper as soon as it is obviously soiled. This will prevent the infection from having somewhere to live. In the same spirit, it is important to clean your baby in the affected area after it has become soiled. Allowing the area to dry before putting on a fresh nappy is essential. A thin layer of ointment on the affected area will kill off germs while preventing others from taking hold. And applying the fresh diaper loosely will give room for the skin to breathe. Finally when your baby moves on to solid foods you should take a few days between introducing new items. This will help you determine if the infection is down to a food allergy.

The Right Age For Potty Training

One of the most frequently asked questions by first time parents is “what is the right age for potty training?” The short answer to that is There isn’t one. Regardless of what you may hear from well-meaning friends and relatives, the right age to potty train your child is when your child is ready. Attempting to potty train a child who has not shown any signs of readiness will frustrate both you and the child and very possibly make him resistant to potty training in the future.

Helping Your Child Get Ready

You can help your child get ready for potty training by encouraging his natural curiosity. Let him follow you into the bathroom and explain that you’re going potty. Let him learn how the toilet works. If his natural curiosity leads him to start happily flushing everything in sight, a simple toilet lid lock from the hardware store will save your sanity and your pocketbook.
You can also help him recognize that he goes potty. Ask him if his diaper is wet. When he starts to tell you on his own that he needs to be changed, he’s getting close to being ready for potty training. Switching to cloth diapers at this point will also help since the cloth diapers don’t wick the moisture away from his skin, he will be more able to feel wet.

Be Ready Yourself

Prepare for potty training by having the things you’ll need on hand. If you decide to use a potty seat or potty chair, have it ready. Your child will need training pants or underwear which you can let him choose. He may decide to give it a try if it means he gets to wear his special new Superman underwear.

Get Your Team Ready

Anyone who interacts with your child needs to be prepared to support your potty training efforts and methods. Daycare providers, relatives, friends or anyone who may need to help him needs to know what words he’ll use to tell them he needs to go potty and what do to help him.
He will become frustrated with the process if he tries to tell someone he needs to use the bathroom, and they don’t understand what he means or what routine he’s expecting. If you are using a sticker chart or other reinforcement/reward system, he will be very put out if he uses the potty and doesn’t get a sticker from grandma.

The only one who can tell you when your child is ready for potty training is your child. By being ready yourself, you’ll be able to act quickly and take advantage of the window of opportunity when it presents itself
http://www.pottytrainingtips.us provides articles and information on How to Start Potty Training for new parents.

10 Things Not To Feed Your Baby

1. Cow's milk and egg whites, which can cause tummy upset, eczema and other tummy troubles in kids under 12 months.

2. Food that is either sticky or really hard (popcorn, peanut butter, marshmallows); they can cause your baby to choke.

3. Raw veggies (grapes, carrots) or whole pieces of canned fruit--all choking hazards.

4. Nuts. All kinds present choking hazards in children under 4.

5. Honey. There's an off chance it may contain bacteria that can cause infant botulism (it doesn't typically happen in babies over 1 or adults, however).

6.  Anything caffeinated, such as soda or iced tea. Hey, the kid keeps you up enough as it is!

7. More than 4 ounces of fruit juice per day. It can cause diarrhea in infants.

8. Unpasteurized cheese, which has a slight food poisoning risk in young babies. Most cheeses sold in the U.S. are pasteurized, but just check the label or ask.

9. Fish, especially shellfish like shrimp, lobster, crab, scallops--these can trigger an allergic reaction in babies under 1. If fish allergies run in the family, then avoid fin fish until baby's at least 2 (it gives his immune system time to strengthen).

10. Swordfish, shark, tilefish or king mackerel, which are high in mercury. Even adults shouldn't eat these very often

Dealing With Temper Tantrums

Toddlers throw temper tantrums from time to time and some are really good at it. If you happen to have the knack for parenting you will be able to stop a temper tantrum almost as soon as it has started. Many parents will try to stop the temper tantrum right away by giving in to whatever the child is having the temper tantrum about. However it is best to let the temper tantrum go through the steps it needs to take.

When a child is between the ages of two to five years old, temper tantrums will start. Prior to putting a halt on temper tantrums you will first need to figure out why they have started. First and foremost you should keep in mind that your toddler might be hungry, toddlers eat less and more frequently then an adult. You need to show by modeling that temper tantrums are not productive. It is also a good thing to let your toddler have some different options to let them feel as thought they have the control this should prevent some temper tantrums.

If a temper tantrum erupts for no good reason it is best to ignore the child as much as possible, as long as they are not harming themselves or anybody around them. When you are doing this it will make you feel as though you are not a great parent but it will have your child feel as though they are not getting anywhere with their tantrum. If you keep this up the temper tantrums will soon get shorter every time until eventually they will stop completely. If you react to the temper tantrum by giving in every time your toddler will feel as though this is what they need to do to get what they want. You need to be the boss, not your child.
Over time your child’s temper tantrums should stop. If not you and your child should see a doctor about your child’s behavior. There might be some medical reason why your child is acting this way.

Tantrums can be annoying. However, they need to be handled with patience.