oday our children are growing up in the era of technology. Instead of playing outside after school, children are excited to come home and watch their favorite TV shows or play the latest video games. Unfortunately, all of this technology has significantly decreased our children’s play and physical activity. To reduce screen time try some of these suggestions:

• Remove TV, computer, and other electronics from your child’s bedroom
• Do not watch TV during meals or homework time
• Do not use the TV for “background” noise, try playing music instead!
• Chose which programs you will watch ahead of time and turn the TV off when the program is over

To help your child become more active, try one or more of the following:

• Play with your child!
• Play or make up a game that requires movement (think “tag,” “Simon says,” “Red Light, Green Light,” etc.)
• Enroll your child in an organized sport (soccer, t-ball, gymnastics, the options are endless)
• Turn on some music and dance!
• Create an obstacle course and challenge your child to beat their best time.
• Invite your child’s friends over and encourage outdoor play.
• Ask your child to teach you any active games he/she played in school that day.

Also, recognize that inactive time does not have to mean TV time– try reading a book with your child or allowing your child to play leisurely with toys. Current recommendations state that children less than 2 should not have access to TV, computers, or other screen time. And for children 2+ it is recommended that screen time be limited to 2 hours per day or less.

Physical activity is extremely important as it will help your child stay healthy and can provide an outlet for them to release their energy. Increased physical activity can even make your child a better student! By releasing their energy through active play, your child may be able to focus more in school or on homework. So get your child off the couch and be an active role model! Chances are if your child sees you having fun while being active, they will want to be more active as well!

For more information and ideas for active play, check out: https://www.choosemyplate.gov/preschoolers/physical-activity.html

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, hot dogs are the food most commonly associated with fatal choking among children. Other high risk foods include hard candy, peanuts, nuts, seeds, whole grapes, cherry tomatoes, raw carrots, apples, popcorn, chunks of peanut butter, marshmallows, chewing gum and sausages.

In my opinion, small blueberries should be OK, but could be halved for small children. Raw carrots should be quartered lengthwise, then cut into small pieces. Chicken on the bone may be a risk for some children depending on the cut and cooking method of the chicken, so I would advise that adults remove the chicken from the bone and chop it into small pieces.

To avoid choking, it is important that all foods are chopped into small pieces, and that children are not allowed to eat while running or walking around.

For more information, visit https://www.healthychildren.org/English/health-issues/injuries-emergencies/pages/Choking-Prevention.aspx.

This post was written by Monica Griffin, MS, RD, LD.

Parents or primary caregivers are the most important role models in a child’s life. Children cannot purchase or prepare their own meals, and are therefore dependent on the adults in their lives to provide healthy foods. Children, especially picky eaters, are more likely to eat foods they see their parents and caregivers eating and enjoying.

Providing a positive eating environment is as important a providing healthy foods. Children are born with a natural ability to regulate their food intake, as long as a division of responsibility in feeding is established. Adults are responsible for providing healthy foods at consistent times for young children. Children, on the other hand, are responsible for deciding to (or not to) eat, what to eat from the foods that are offered, and how much to eat. Don’t let yourself become a short order cook by only providing the 1 or 2 foods your child demands. If they are hungry, they will eventually eat, and if they skip a meal, they will naturally make up for it at the next meal or snack. Allow children to eat based on their internal hunger cues instead of forcing them to “clean their plate”.

Here are some other ways parents and caregivers can be healthy role models:

• Show by example-enjoy healthy foods and beverages in front of your children.
• Have family meals-sit down as a family to a healthy meal. Be sure to serve the same healthy foods to everyone at the table.
• Encourage your child to help with grocery shopping and cooking-children are more likely to try a healthy food they helped pick out and prepare.
• Don’t use food as incentive or punishment-reward with non-food items like hugs, encouraging words, playing a favorite game, or reading a favorite book.

For more information, visit https://www.choosemyplate.gov/food-groups/downloads/TenTips/DGTipsheet12BeAHealthyRoleModel.pdf.

This post was written by Monica Griffin, MS, RD, LD.

Good nutrition during pregnancy is essential for both mom and baby. Eating well can help mom feel better and more energized, set the stage for an easier labor, and lay the foundation for baby’s health. Because the need for some vitamins and minerals is so high during pregnancy, especially for iron, pregnant women should take a prenatal vitamin. Talk to your healthcare provider to find out which type of prenatal vitamin is best for you.

Each trimester is different, so here are some tips to get you through each:

• 1^st trimester: women do not need any additional calories in their first trimester. A healthy diet including plenty of water and a prenatal vitamin are usually enough to support the developing baby and placenta during this time
• 2^nd trimester: women need approximately 300-350 additional calories in the 2^nd trimester. This can be done by adding 2 healthy snacks to your diet, for example, an apple with peanut butter and a handful of baby carrots in the morning, and a bowl of whole grain cereal with low-fat milk in the evening
• 3^rd trimester: women need an additional 400-450 calories. This can be achieved by eating slightly larger portions at 1 or 2 meals or snacks, or by adding another small snack during the day, like a low-fat yogurt, handful of nuts, or hummus with whole wheat pita bread

Your doctor or dietitian may need to modify the above recommendations, depending on your pre-pregnancy weight, overall health, and history of medical conditions during previous pregnancies (like gestational diabetes).

Pregnant moms should avoid alcohol; seafood high in mercury (swordfish, shark, king mackerel and tilefish); undercooked or raw meat, eggs or seafood; deli meats and hot dogs; and unpasteurized milk, juice and cheese (many types of brie, feta, camembert, bleu cheese and Mexican-style cheese). Limit or eliminate caffeine, and talk to your doctor about any herbal teas or supplements you take.

You can get your own customized daily food plan for pregnant moms at https://www.choosemyplate.gov/supertracker-tools/daily-food-plans/moms.html.

You can find more information about nutrition and pregnancy at  https://www.americanpregnancy.org/pregnancyhealth/pregnancynutrition.html.  A pregnancy and nutrition resource list is available at https://www.nal.usda.gov/fnic/pubs/bibs/topics/pregnancy/pregcon.pdf.

This post was written by Monica Griffin, MS, RD, LD.

Breastmilk or formula provide all the nutrition baby needs for the first 6 months.  Before 6 months of age, baby’s digestive tract is not ready to tolerate any type of solid food, including infant cereal (which should never be offered in a bottle!). Signs that baby is ready for solid food include the ability to hold her head up, sit up on her own or with little assistance, turn her head from side to side, and when she has lost the tongue-thrust reflex. Babies who are not yet ready for foods still have a tongue-thrust reflex in place, and when food is put on their tongue, they will stick their tongue back out to spit out the food. That’s their way of saying “I’m not ready yet.”

Once baby is ready, around 6 months, their first solid food should provide iron. Examples include plain, pureed meat or iron-fortified infant cereal. Once baby learns to eat their first solid food, you can continue introducing new foods like vegetables, fruits and grains. Read labels to ensure the baby food does not contain added sugars or salt, and stay away from “baby desserts”. Introduce new foods, one at a time, waiting at least 3 days in between to help you identify the cause of any food allergies.

Because all babies are unique, your pediatrician may need to adjust these recommendations to fit your baby’s growth and eating patterns. For more information, visit https://www.healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/baby/feeding-nutrition/Pages/default.aspx.

This post was written by Monica Griffin, MS, RD, LD.

The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) requires food labels to clearly identify the 8 major food allergens:

• Milk
• Eggs
• Fish
• Shellfish
• Tree Nuts
• Peanuts
• Wheat
• Soybeans

The allergen may be identified in one of two ways:

1. In parenthesis following the name of the ingredient. For example:

Ingredients: Unbleached enriched  flour (wheat), sugar, butter (milk)

2. As a separate statement underneath the ingredients list. For example:

This product contains wheat and milk

The above major food allergens are responsible for 90% of food allergies, however, those with allergies that are not on this list will need to carefully read through the ingredients to ensure the food product is safe to eat. For more information, visit https://www.fda.gov/Food/ResourcesForYou/Consumers/ucm079311.htm.

This post was written by Monica Griffin, MS, RD, LD.

Consumer Reports recently tested samples of rice and rice products to determine arsenic levels. Arsenic is a potential human carcinogen and may cause other health problems. The results showed higher than expected arsenic levels in a variety of rice products, like infant cereal, ready-to-eat cereal, brown and white rice, rice cakes and rice milk.

Consumer Reports has published a set of suggestions for rice consumption:

• Limit infant rice cereal to one serving per day for infants
• Limit rice cereal to one serving per day for children under 5 years
• Do not serve rice milk or rice drinks on a regular basis for children under 5 years

If parents choose to eliminate rice cereal from their infant’s diet, it is important that they provide other sources of iron, like pureed beef or chicken, cooked egg yolks and some vegetables like sweet potatoes and broccoli.

A related set of tests published in January also found elevated levels of arsenic in apple and grape juice. Children 6 years and under should limit consumption to 4-6 ounces per day.

The US Food and Drug Administration has not made any specific recommendations for limiting rice consumption, but does recommend eating a balanced diet that includes a variety of grains. You can find more information at https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2012/11/arsenic-in-your-food/index.htm#chart and https://www.fda.gov/ForConsumers/ConsumerUpdates/ucm319827.htm.

In regards to posting within individual centers and family home providers, please be sure to check with your licensing consultant regarding specific posting requirements.  Parent who are not aware of the Consumer Report findings may certainly appreciate the posting of information.

This post was written by Monica Griffin, MS, RD, LD.

Helping your child develop healthy eating habits can be hard work! The way you feed your child is just as important as what you feed your child. Setting an appropriate division of responsibility in feeding can help make your job easier (www.ellynsatter.com).

• Parents are responsible for what, when and where.
• Children are responsible for how much and whether.

This means that a parent’s job is to decide what’s for dinner, when dinner time begins, and where dinner is eaten. However, the child gets to decide how much to eat and whether or not to eat, but from the food that is offered. There may be times when your child chooses not to eat, and that’s OK. Do not become a short order cook and give in to his requests. Accept his decision, and let him know there will be nothing else offered until the next scheduled meal or snack.

When offering new foods, remember that a child may need to see a new food up to a dozen times before deciding to try it. Offer new foods alongside foods you know he will like, and be a good role model by trying new foods yourself. Some preschoolers prefer their foods to be separate, for example, noodles, chicken and vegetables served on the same plate, but not necessarily mixed in a casserole-type meal.

Make trying new foods fun by allowing your child to pick out a new fruit or vegetable at the grocery store, and letting him help prepare dinner. Children that help in the kitchen tend to try and like more foods, feel important and proud of their accomplishment, and are learning early math, science and vocabulary skills. Find more information at www.choosemyplate.gov/preschoolers.html.

It’s possible that your son is feeling very hungry on the way home. Pack a healthy snack, like a piece of fruit, baby carrots, whole wheat crackers or string cheese. If he is not hungry enough to eat a healthy snack, he’s not hungry.

We develop our taste preferences in early childhood, so it’s important to expose young children to a variety of healthy foods. Be patient, and soon your child will get used to eating what, when, and where you choose.

This post was written by Monica Griffin, MS, RD, LD.