Family Mealtime Matters

Sitting down for a family meal most evenings during the week has some obvious benefits. It’s a perfect time to talk to your kids about what is going on at school and any activity that fosters togetherness is a win-win. But, did you know there are health and mental benefits for your children?

According to a August 2004 survey conducted by the University of Minnesota that appeared in The Archives of Pediatrics & Adolescent Medicine, frequent family meals led to better nutritional intake, and a decreased risk for unhealthy weight control practices and substance abuse.

Another University of Minnesota study published in the Journal of the American Dietetic Association found that children who ate family meals consumed more fruits, vegetables and fewer snack foods than children who ate separately from their families.

A Harvard study published in the March 2000 issue of Archives of Family Medicine showed that families eating meals together “every day” or “almost every day” generally consumed higher amounts of important nutrients such as calcium, fiber, iron, vitamins B6 and B12, C and E, and consumed less overall fat, compared to families who “never” or “only sometimes” eat meals together.

Children who frequently eat meals with their families tend to do better in school as well. A 1994 Lou Harris-Reader’s Digest national poll of high school seniors showed better grades among students who frequently shared meals with their families. And a survey of high-achieving teens showed that those who regularly eat meals with their families tend to be happier with their present life and their prospects for the future.

Here are some tips to help you make family mealtime happen:

Plan some easy meals (20-minutes start-to-finish) and make sure the ingredients are in the house. On hectic days, make these quick meals instead of doing take-out.

If you have some picky eaters, have choices so everyone doesn’t have to eat the same thing.

Keep the conversation positive. Ask questions like “What was the best part of your day?” or “Mom told me you helped with the laundry today, I think that’s very grown up of you.”

Cold Medication and Kids

It is estimated that over 7,000 children are admitted to the emergency room each year due to overdose or adverse reactions to over-the-counter cold medication according to the CDC. According to this Reuters article two thirds of the cases involved children that took the medication without supervision.

Strangely, the article describes that these medications have not been proven to benefit young children:

Evidence suggests parents want to give these drugs, including cough suppressants, antihistamines and decongestants, to their children, even though they have never been shown to benefit young children.

The fear is that even if these medication are taken off the market, that parents may try to substitute adult medications in their place according to the CDC. The issue, then, is with the packaging. The article goes on to say:

Companies that make the drugs might consider changes to packaging to keep small children from getting into the medications, which are often flavored and colored to make them more appealing, Schaefer’s team said.

Another measure is that parents should not encourage their children to take the medication by describing it as tasting like candy. This may lead to children taking the medication unsupervised. And, obviously, you should keep all of your medication out of the reach of children.

Are You Raising a Spoiled Brat?

Do you want your child to have everything you didn’t? Providing a better home, more comfort and a better education than you had yourself should be the goal of every parent. But that doesn’t mean you need to give them everything or let them do anything they want. Here are a few real life scenarios and how to handle them to keep your kids from becoming the next Paris Hilton.

From time-to-time we all feel guilty for not spending enough time with our kids. Sounds like the perfect time to buy that Wii they have been talking about. Wrong. It’s time for you to take a time out and check your priorities. Fake a doctors appointment tomorrow afternoon and pick your child up from school to go see The Chipmunks (saw it, wasn’t half bad) or hit the batting cages or something else your child has been asking to do.

When you’re having a conversation with another adult does your child try to butt in take over? Unless you are discussing a recent episode of Sponge Bob Squarepants then your child has no business in the conversation. If the topic is appropriate, they can remain in the room but only if they understand the conversation does not involve them. Get them set up in another room with some art supplies or ask them to find a quiet place to read a book.

This last one is a big pet peeve of mine. When your child is struggling with something, such as finishing a puzzle or tying their shoe … let them. I’m not suggesting you sit their watching them bubble up to near tears, but make sure they have given a good effort before stepping in and showing them how to do something. Notice I didn’t say doing it for them.

The most important idea to remember is that children are more-or-less what we make them. Allowing seemingly harmless behaviors like the one’s above in your child’s early years can lead to much bigger problems later on.

Parenting Tips from K-Fed

Kevin Federline (played by Andy Samberg) gives some great “parenting advice” in this Saturday Night Live skit:

 

Working yourself to Death?

A 12 year study of British government employees revealed that of the 10,000 participants, 68% were more likely to die of heart disease, suffer a nonfatal heart attack, or develop angina if they had long-term job stress. This WebMD article draws a conclusion that the job-related stress leads to an unhealthy lifestyle and bad eating habits.

If you are feeling stressed out from your job, have a look at this Mens’ Health article: Before it Blows that describes six easy ways to dump the stress.

Caffeine and Miscarriages?

There is a Newsweek article detailing a troubling link between caffeine consumption and an increased risk of miscarriage. The study was performed over a two year period on 1,063 pregnant SF area women.

The summary of the study is described in this quote:

A study published Monday in the American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology (AJOG) reports that women who reported consuming more than 200 milligrams of caffeine a day during the first three months of pregnancy doubled their risk of miscarriage (from the 12 percent average among participants who used no caffeine to 25 percent). During a two-year period, 1,063 pregnant San Francisco-area women participated in the study.

The article describes how a regular Starbuck’s coffee, the “Tall”, contains 260mg of caffeine! While the link betwen caffeine consumption and mis-carriages is considered controversial, it certainly gives you and your wife something to consider. If your wife is a caffeine drinker have her consult her doctor.

Pregnancy – week by week

One of the parenting books in our household right now is Your Pregnancy Week by Week, Fifth Edition. It is easy to read for Dad’s and packed full of great info. As the title implies, it is a week by week guide to your wifes pregnancy with each chapter representing a week of pregnancy.

This is a great resource for expecting dad’s to read as each chapter brings you up to speed with what is going on with her body and the baby. It’s pretty amazing to learn about how the baby is developing throughout the pregnancy. There is also lots of information about nutrition for your wife, exercise tips (for both of you!) and lots more.

Being There While Away

We all have to travel from time to time. Some of us more than others. Whether your travel involves a trip to China for a walk through of the new manufacturing facility, or just a day in the office for work, your kids will miss you! Wouldn’t it be great if you could shoot home just to say “Hi” even when you are miles (or continents) away!

Well, chances are you already have all the tools you need to do this: a computer with internet at home? Probably. A computer for the road/office? Most likely. An internet connection on the road? I’m sure you’ll find one! Well then, go ahead and install Skype so you can make free skype-to-skype calls. Better yet…go get yourself a web cam for the home and your laptop and you can make skype-to-skype video calls for free as well!

"Home Work" from the Road

For those road warriors out there whose jobs take them away on business, listen up! Just because you can’t be home, doesn’t mean you can’t help out at home. There are so many ways to contribute when you’re away on business; even the little things can go a long way when your wife doesn’t have to deal with them. You can either get a head start on the house chores while you travel, or hang out with Ted from accounting, raid the mini-fridge and watch infomercials.

Paying the Bills
This is an easy one and you probably bank online already. If not, see if your bank offers online banking. It’s a huge time saver to begin with and if you can take care of your bills on the road, that means more time to spend with your family when you get home.

Making Appointments
You don’t need to be home to pick up the phone. See what calls need to be made, you may already have your list, but check with your wife to see if there are appointments to be setup (doctors visit, play groups, etc). If you are traveling between time zones, that may be to your advantage. You may be able make calls after hours your time and catch the Dr. while he is still in.

Grocery Shopping
In the Northeast we have Stop and Shop and their Peapod Home Delivery service. I am sure there are similar services available in your area so check them out. With Peapod you can create a set list of the items you always buy which makes it easier to do your weekly/bi-weekly shopping.

This was just a short list of tasks you can take care of while you are on the road so your wife doesn’t have to. I’d love to hear what things you do from the road that help out at home.

Pets and your Newborn

As we are expecting our first child we began wondering how our two cats, Nikki and Dakota, will take to having a new addition to the family. Nikki is a crotchety old lady and Dakota is blind and curious, but we were mostly concerned that Nikki would use the crib as her new bed. So that got us to do some research.

Here are some good tips I found:

• Keep your pets nails trimmed (if applicable, obviously!)
• Introduce your pets to your newborn gradually. Perhaps greeting your pets without the baby first. Then acclimating the pets to their new friend over the next few days.
• Be sure to spend quality time with your pets, make sure they don’t feel neglected.

And to keep the cat out of your baby’s crib you can place tinfoil over the mattress to teach your cats prior to bringing home the baby. Or BabyCenter.com readers recommend using a crib tent.