Child ActivitiesChildren have a natural love of playing hard, but without encouragement, they may opt to sit around. Here’s how to help your kids stay active. Children seem to become more sedentary every year, watching television and playing video games instead of biking to the playground or playing kickball in the backyard with their pals. Even [...] |
Childhood ObesityThe reasons for a child’s obesity can be complex. The best solution involves the entire family. Over the past 30 years, the rate of obesity in the United States has more than doubled for preschoolers and adolescents, and it has more than tripled for children ages 6 to 11. |
Children SnacksWhen your child gets the munchies, be prepared to offer up that quick-and-healthy fix. Here is some helpful information to promote health on the go. Snacking is a major pastime for many American children — so much so that nearly one-fourth of kids’ daily energy intake comes from nibbling between meals. |
Healthy Diet GuidelinesYou want your child to eat healthy, but what makes up a healthy diet? Which nutrients are necessary and in what amounts? Nutrition for kids essentially is the same as nutrition for adults. In fact, everyone, regardless of age, needs the same types of nutrients — such as, carbohydrates, protein, fat, vitamins and minerals — [...] |
Solid FoodsIf you’re eager to expand your baby’s diet, take care not to move too fast. Follow these pointers for choosing and introducing the right foods. Does your baby reach for food at the dinner table? Is he or she still hungry after regular feedings? These may be signs that your baby is ready to start [...] |
Soy BeveragesThis kind of soy beverage, sometimes improperly called “soy milk,” should not be confused with soy based infant formulas. Unlike true infant formulas, which are nutritionally complete and appropriate for infants, soy beverages are lacking some of the nutrients infants need. |
Vitamin SupplementsThe American Academy of Pediatrics says “the normal breast-fed infant of the well-nourished mother has not been shown conclusively to need any specific vitamin and mineral supplement. Similarly, there is no evidence that supplementation is necessary for the full-term, formula-fed infant and for the properly nourished normal child.” |
Cooking LessonsEither milk and soy formulas are available in powder, liquid concentrate, or ready-to-feed forms. The choice should depend on whatever the parents find convenient and can afford. |
Whole Milk for 1st B-DayThere’s nothing like a cold glass of milk with a slice of birthday cake. That works out great for babies because, in general, parents should stop the formula and introduce milk around the time of a baby’s first birthday. |
FormulaThe most common sources of protein in infants’ formulas are either cow’s milk or soybeans. If the mother cannot or chooses not to breast-feed, normal, full-term infants should get a conventional cow’s-milk-based formula, according to John N. Udall Jr., M.D., chief of nutrition and gastroenterology at Children’s Hospital of New Orleans. |