First Aid for Kids

October 26, 2008 · Posted in Kids Health and Safety · 1 Comment

First Aid Kit

In our family, summertime is when most of our injuries occur, but we have to be prepared all year long. After all, with two toddler boys, it’s nearly impossible to avoid booboos. If we are not prepared our kids could end up very unhappy, and when they’re unhappy, we’re unhappy.

I have compiled a list of items that are very important to have within moments of an injury. Whether you are at the playground, a friend’s house or even outside at home, a first aid kit is a necessity. You can find a very inexpensive empty case at a dollar store or other discount store. I highly recommend placing the following in a “kit” of sorts.

Band-Aids in a variety of sizes, preferably character, colorful and fun ones
Gauze pads in a variety of sizes
Antibiotic ointment
Antibacterial wipes
Antibacterial hand sanitizer
Anti-itch lotion
Burn gel
Tweezers
Thermometer
Instant cold packs

In addition, I always carry suntan lotion, bug spray, Wet-Ones and tissues in my vehicle.

If building your own first aid kit seems daunting, you can buy great “already prepared” kits. I have found one of the best sites for kid’s first aid kits to be www.mypreciouskid.com/first-aid-kit.html.

Be safe!
Rae Lynn Glispin
www.kidzcomfort.com

Tags: Child Safety, First Aid, first aid for kids, Health

Lullaby Music and the Benefits of Music to a Child

October 4, 2008 · Posted in Toddler Bedtime Routine · 1 Comment

One of the most enjoyable ways to prepare a child for sleep is to play soft and pleasant music, such as lullaby music. It can be a great part of a child’s bedtime routine. It will turn into something that your child will look forward to, allow them to decompress from their day and have a little calm and quiet time to help them get drowsy.

While actually calming a child’s mind and relaxing their body, lullaby music has some pretty profound benefits. Soothing lullaby music has been proven to affect the deepest structures of the human brain. Would you believe it has been said to make your child smarter? Music can help with a child’s mental development, coordination, math skills, social skills, memory, creativity and the list goes on and on.

Music has become a science. It has many healing and biological powers and is often used in some forms of therapy…yes, music therapy. It is often used in many settings including some children’s hospital settings to help sick children actually feel better. It has been shown to aid in the healing process. It has even been found to engage autistic children in play with others, bridging a gap.

Music is found to be very effective for babies who are obviously in a stressful environment for the first few months. Imagine going from a warm, quiet and dark place having only been hearing primarily your Mom’s voice for nine months, and then going into a new world rather suddenly where it is bright, cold and often far too noisy. Lullaby music is a stress reducer and it has been replicated in a number of studies that music can take an agitated baby or child with thrashing arms and, when the soothing lullaby music is played, they go into a more restful and calm state, often falling into a restful sleep.

At the least, there is NO down side to playing your child soothing lullaby music as they prepare for bed. After all, the bedtime routine can be one of the most frustrating times of the day for a parent. Why not make it easier for yourself and your child. Bedtime routines can be enjoyable. Add a little lullaby music today.

Sleep Well!

raelynn @ Kidz Comfort

Tags: Bedtime Routine, benefits of music, child sleep, Family, Health, lullaby music, putting children to bed, sleep issues

Picky eaters can be defeated!

September 30, 2008 · Posted in Cookin' Kids · Comment

As most know, we have two toddler boys. It is often very difficult to make a single meal that everyone will eat. Outside of making three seperate meals and jumping through hoops, which I refuse to do, I have come up with some great tips for keeping toddlers interested in eating a variety of foods. These tips have helped us, and obviously wont work for everyone, but we swear by them…

Tips for Keeping Kids Interested in a Variety of Foods

Let them help…Even simple things like a Parent cutting up some veggies and letting your kids put them into a big bowl to help make salad. They can even mix it all together afterwards. My kids often do a lot of taste-testing…how can I complain about my kids munching on veggies?!
To encourage my kids to eat more healthful, rather then strictly telling them they should, I often just ask them to come help me prepare some foods so that they are more interested in tasting their creations. Kids can always help with the mixing process, or with the adding of ingredients…So when you are preparing anything that requires several ingredients, there is nothing wrong with letting kids do the adding and mixing (as long as it is not over a hot stove)
Smoothies are another great thing to make with the kids. You can pre-cut some fruit so that your kids can add it to an unplugged blender. They can then add the yogurt, milk or juice as well. I usually plug it in when it is ready to blend and let the boys push the correct button. They take turns blending…therefore, no fights!
Make your own pizza night is great! Buy some readi-made pizza crust, preferably the mini ones. Put small bowls of each topping in front of each child…pizza sauce, shredded cheese, pepperoni, etc. The fact that they are preparing their own pizza makes them so excited about actually eating it.
Play restaurant…We often put out all of the TV trays in a row in our family room, sort of like a counter at a restaurant. Then we fill about eight little bowls with what we call “snack foods”. We use baby carrots, cucumbers, strawberries, celery sticks, cheese sticks, wheat crackers, apple slices, goldfish crackers, etc. The kids have a great time playing restaurant while also eating a healthy snack.
We find that letting our kids “serve” themselves from the dinner table works so much better than preparing their plates for them. It seems to change their mindset from us telling them what they are going to eat, to them making the decision on their own as to what they will eat. Dinnertime becomes more successful that way.
Making their food into shapes is a huge success in our house as well. We make grilled cheese shaped like robots. We make sandwiches shaped like circles, squares, triangles, etc. If your kids like raisins, you can use them as eyes, nose and mouth. Be creative.
If you are not a very good “home-made baker” (like me), you can add mashed fruit into almost anything that you are making from a package…muffin mix, bread mix, cake mix, cookie mix. It makes me feel a little better about giving them something not so healthy.