Kid Stuf

As anyone interested in cooking can tell you, learning new techniques can open up a whole world of dishes and flavors in your food. What they might not realize is that many innovations in the kitchen in the past century were thanks to a little material known as plastic. Plastic plays an important role in the kitchen these days, from how we store food and organize our kitchen to the preparation and serving when we’re entertaining friends and family. It’s exciting to think how the plastic prototypes of today could change the kitchens of tomorrow.

One of the products that is often used today that we might not think about is plastic wrap. First introduced in 1933, plastic wrap has become an integral part of how many of us not only store food, but how we prepare it as well. Another food storage advance, the plastic containers known as Tupperware, became popular during the 1940s and 1950s. Some of the latest advances that have taken the cooking world by storm are silicone bakeware and oven mitts. Processes such as injection mold design allows for unique and affordable serving pieces as well.

There are a large number of food festivals held during the summer, making it a cooking aficionado’s unofficial season. These events often serve as the stage for introducing new products and cooking techniques. While not all of the plastic innovations are of interest to those who cook on a professional level, they serve to enhance the cooking experience in our homes.

When your kids reach the toddler stage, you better be ready to handle sudden refusals and pickiness when it comes to certain items of food. You will notice them refusing some kinds of food, while others might want to eat only certain types of food. At this point, do not worry about your child eating a well-balanced diet – all you need to ensure is that your child’s growth and energy levels are normal. If they are, you have absolutely nothing to be concerned about. This period of their life does not require too many calories as growth does not happen at a very fast rate.

With children, managing to provide a balanced meal which is accepted by them every day can be difficult. Instead, concentrate on ensuring that they get a diet that contains everything they need over a period of a week. If you feel your child is not getting the nutrition he should be, consult your pediatrician and start him on a daily vitamin.

While having a child who eats all three meals without a fuss would be a blessing, they are hard to come by. Therefore, ensure that at least one or two full meals are consumed per day. For instance, if your toddler has a hearty breakfast and then lunch, a half eaten dinner is alright.

Even if your toddler is really fussy about food, do not go to lengths to make him a separate meal. Offer what is prepared for the rest of the family. If he does not like it, let him be. One missed meal will not starve him. The minute you rush off to cook him his own meal, that, is exactly where all the trouble begins.

While furniture, clothes and diapers are always good gift items for a newborn, nothing welcomes a new arrival like jewelry. Gold and silver jewelry, such as customized silver and pearl baby bracelets, are heirloom items that make great gifts for a friend or family member’s new baby.

Savannah’s Treasures, a leading designer of hand-made baby bracelets, mother’s bracelets and grandmother’s bracelets, offers a large selection of classic and stylish baby bracelets that both mom and baby will love! Among the company’s many collections, the Faith Series baby bracelets are especially precious, as they are available in a variety of symbolic Biblical colors. For example, you can purchase an elegant bracelet with green and gold beads; green represents grace while gold represents heaven. To check out the beautiful baby bracelet designs, visit http://www.savannahstreasures.com/.

Playgroups are a great way for toddlers to play with other kids their same age, while being supervised by teachers. Playgroups are also fantastic for parents, as it gives them some time to meet other parents with kids around the same age, while also giving them a well-earned break from chores around the house.

Playgroup activities must be creative, and variety is key to its success. When deciding on the type of activity, take into consideration the children’s age and ensure that it is safe as well as a lot of fun. Here are a few ideas:

Dressing up – this is lots of fun. You can base it on a certain book, movie, cartoon or letter of the alphabet. This is a great activity as it encourages your child to be more creative. E.g.: If the letter of the day is N – then each child dresses up in something that starts with that letter.

Theme – this is easy to incorporate into a variety of activities. First, carefully consider the amount of time available as well as resources. If it is an animal theme, then you can play games about the sounds animals make, pretend to be different animals, make masks and so on.

Field trip – this is a bit more expensive, but is great for the kids. A trip to an amusement park, the zoo or even a supermarket will do. These trips help children to widen their horizons, giving them the kind of learning they will not get in a typical classroom.

If your kids turn up their noses at fruit – then just make them look flashy and watch them gobble it up!

A team of Dutch researchers looked into methods of improving the consumption of fruit in 94 children aged between 4-7 years old. When the fruit looked great, then kids ate as much as twofold of the fruit, when compared to it being served up in the usual, boring manner.

Colourful grapes, apples and strawberries were skewered and then placed on a watermelon – while the ‘boring’ serving style consisted of fruit, still skewered but laid out on a plate.

Contrary to popular belief, the study uncovered absolutely no evidence to prove that prohibiting children from consuming fruit makes them want to eat even more, unlike the case with sweets.

The kids were probably aware that the fruit would taste the same, but preferred to eat the fruit that was arranged in a more visually pleasing manner said one researcher. Another said that they probably opted for that option because it seemed more fun, and had nothing to do with the taste.
The researchers also wrote that based on this study, supermarkets, schools and parents should consider opting for more visually pleasing presentations of fruit and vegetables which are generally snubbed by most kids.

The study also does not indicate that a particular presentation would, over time, hold the interest of the kids. This only means that parents should continue to be innovative each time, and this could help boost fruit consumption in kids. The recommended intake of fruit for kids is 1-2 cups a day, as per the US Department of Agriculture.

Being an only child can be fun. Getting used to an additional person in the family can take some getting used to. You might tell your child that they soon will be the ‘big’ sister or brother, but this too will take some getting used to. Your child might have many questions to worry about. They will involve wondering if he/she will still be loved the same, the amount of attention received. If they like the idea of being the more responsible one, this new-found sense of independence can also take its toll.

Children are often excited at having a new brother or sister, only because they envision having a new contemporary to play with. This expectation soon becomes a disappointment when he/she discovers that the new baby cannot play with him/her but instead demands more attention from his/her parents and generally ends up being the more important child. Sometimes this can even make the older child resent his/her new sibling.

One good way to work around this is to give the older sibling more ‘chores’ related to the new baby. It can be as simple as helping with the bathing duties, bringing diapers. If you feel the older child is capable of more responsibility, then pile it on. You can have him watch the baby while you shower, help with feeding the baby, pick up toys, watching him/her during naptime, etc.

If you feel the older child is threatened by the new arrival – then perhaps you should consider carrying out things that will help him/her feel empowered and equally important. Talk about how they can do so many things the baby cannot do. Instil in him/her that being the older sibling is great!

Charitable organizations in today’s world accept small items such as cell phones but also big items such as providing car donation services for folks who would like to dispose of their unwanted vehicles. For most people, this is a better option as compared to making out a check to a charity, which is along the lines of ‘giving until it hurts’.

If you would like to make a car donation Los Angeles or from Maine, all you have to do is log on to the internet and one of their representatives will get in touch with you, and collect the unwanted vehicle (along with the title papers) from your place of residence, work or just about anywhere you specify with their nation wide towing service.

When you donate auto, this is done to help children of all ages that are in need of food, clothing, shelter, medicine and financial assistance for their education from around the world. You can be rest assured that your donation is helping children who are disadvantaged of the basic privileges that normal children get on a daily basis.

Of course, the bottom line of this all, is to cater to the needs of these children in order for them to grow up into healthy, productive adults that will go on to contribute to society. They understand that a little payback is in order, so you can also claim a tax deduction on your yearly tax returns.

So find a suitable charity that accepts unwanted cars (which you do not need) and make your donation that can make someone else’s life better.

Buying toys is no easy task. The choices are endless, and as for the prices, only the sky is the limit. When purchasing toys for your child, it is important that you take into consideration their age. If you have a few children, then look for toys that can be used by children of varied ages. Understanding which toys suit which ages is extremely important and useful, not just for you, but for the child as well.

0-2 months – Rattles and animals made out of soft cloth, music, baby mobiles

2-4 months – Teethers, rattles, shakers, baby gym

4-8 months – Cloth books, ‘push me, pull me’ toys

8-12 months – Blocks (large), board books, musical instruments, pop-up books, soft toys

12-18 months – Music, stuffed animals, balls, moving toys like cars, shopping carts, etc

18 months – 2 years – This stage is when children start using their imagination. They will want to be just like other ‘big people’, but still do not have the proper motor skills to handle small objects. Toys they would love would include puzzles, items to dress up in, crayons, play food

2-3 years – Cars, blocks, train sets, story books, crayons, and coloring books; play food, household play items

3-4 years – Options such as craft kids, story books, board games. At this stage, you will notice an interest towards others, especially their toys. Do not be alarmed if they make conversation with their toys.

4-5 years – Sports equipment, story books, board games, craft kits and building blocks are good for this age. This is a good time to start your child off on a hobby. It could be anything that involves collecting, be it stamps, feathers, sea shells, coins or even socks.

5 years upwards – Story books, board games, activity books, computer games, sports equipment.

If you have a shy child, then you probably know how uncomfortable your child gets amongst a lot of people in social settings such as in school or even the playground. If you were a shy child as well, then it would be easier to relate to them. Shy children lack largely in confidence and are quite unwilling to speak to unknown people and even children of their age. Bringing a shy child out of her shell can be quite a task, but it is important that you make an effort to do so for the sake of your child and their future.

One great idea is to have a forward, outgoing child spend a lot of time with your one. This might hopefully wear off on your child, and might bring her out of her shell. Or else, if you pair your child with another child who is twice as shy, your shy child might try to nurture the other and thus as a result become a bit more outgoing.

Another way to bring your child out of her shell is to get them involved in a lot of activity. These could be anything from sports to playgroups or whatever they take a fancy to. Do not force them into activities they do not like. All you want is for your child to make one or two close friends who will influence her personality positively.

Even at home, encourage your child to speak up and take part in conversations at the dinner table. Make her feel a valuable member of the family and that her opinion counts as well.

Getting your kids to actually do their chores can prove to be quite a task. There will always be constant arguments about whose turn it is, and so on. The first thing you should do is put up the weekly schedule on a board. That way, everyone knows what each one’s chores are and thus, there can be no arguments about it or any such confusion.

Sometimes, doing your own chores can be difficult. But it is important that you carry them out, in order to set an example for your kids. Ensure that every member of your family carries out their chores, and get the older ones to lead by example. Ensure that everyone understands that factors such as work, age and other such schedules will affect the amount of chores designated to each individual.

With children, it is important that you give them ownership of their chores. For instance, if your children wanted a fish bowl, then feeding the fish, cleaning the bowl, changing the water should all be on their list of chores. Give them a sense of responsibility. To create a good example, add one of the ‘fish bowl’ chores to your list, in order to show importance and your recognition of ownership towards their pet.

Rewards are also a good way of getting children to do their chores. While this is not an encouraged practice, it does help. Perhaps you could put up a chart that recognizes their efforts, and award stars or stickers for a job well done. Ensure to keep the chart duly updated and that everyone in the family is on it.

To make chores more fun, liven it up. Play some music while chores are being carried out. For younger kids, even setting a timer can be a good way of instilling that everyone has a fair share of work around the house.