May 13, 2012
Nutrition, Parenting, Toddler
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by Jan Murray
Toddlers are very sensitive to the effects of food. Some of the things we know about food and toddlers are:
1. They need food regularly - follow a Routine
Giving regular food helps stabilize blood sugar levels. This prevents the emotional and behavioural roller coaster ride from rapidly absorbed foods.
Toddlers need six meals a day. The sixth meal (an hour after dinner) helps babies and toddlers get through the night, especially the early hours of the morning when they may be waking having night mares. Need help with sleep?
There are ideas for suitable toddler foods in ‘taste it’
A regular and appropriate mix of food reduces the severity and length of tantrums, (that wonderful behaviour toddlers are famous for). If a toddler is having more than three tantrums a day and if tantrums last more than 15 minutes it is definitely worth looking into the type of food they are having on a regular basis.
Correct foods reduce muscle fatigue making it more enjoyable for toddlers to play and discover the world around them.
More information on the world of living with and ‘Being a Toddler‘ here
2. Appropriate foods
We know that the body will store unused carbohydrates and processed foods in the body as fat. More and more young children are having increased amounts of these foods and less outside physical activity.
Obesity in children is 1:4 and is fast becoming a significant problem in our community and will continue to put a drain on the health system resources for years to come. It is thought that parents teaching and modelling poor eating practices and choices to their children are giving them a life expectancy 10 years shorter than their own.
Appropriate food gives children a steady source of sustained energy over a longer period of time. During the day, offer a meal with a mix of carbohydrates, fats and proteins. ‘taste it’ will give you some ideas of food combinations to try.
Appropriate food regulates sleep. Giving babies and toddlers red meat at lunch rather than the evening meal, helps the body concentrate on relaxing rather than digesting. Make sure the sixth meal mentioned above has some easily digested protein, carbohydrates and fats. Yoghurt and banana or a peanut butter whole grain sandwich would be suitable (depending on your child’s age of course). Avoid fruit (sugar) in the evening (accept banana) if you have a poor sleeper.
3. Allergy and intolerance
With allergy, the body is fighting a food protein. With intolerance, the body is reacting to a variety of food chemicals. Some of the common signs and symptoms of allergy and intolerance are:
- abdominal bloating
- wind
- skin rashes
- unsettled behaviour
- variations of poo
- vomiting
- cradle cap
- difficulty breathing
- facial swelling
- unsettled sleep
Some of the common offending foods and additives are:
- eggs
- dairy including soy and goat products
- peanuts and tree nuts
- seafood
- berries
- preservatives
- flavourings and colourings
- thickeners
Read ‘taste it’ for a more detailed look at the additives to avoid.
4. Sensitive under two
Toddlers under two years old are more at risk of getting sick from food contaminated with bacteria and parasites. The immune system at this age is immature and still developing. Be more vigilant with kitchen hygiene, cooking and not serving old leftovers. More information in ‘taste it’
5. Worms
Intestinal worms feed from the food in the digestive tract. If your child attends a day care and is not gaining weight and has restless sleep you may like to consider worms as the cause.
If you would like to include this article in your newsletter or website; you can, providing you include the following blurb with it:
This article was brought to you by Jan Murray, Private Child Health Consultant who is an internationally renowned expert in her field. Jan encourages parents in the area of infant sleep, nutrition, activities and family balance. She publishes regular ezine and blog articles to provide free parenting tips, tools and resources to educate and support those caring for young babies and children. For more online resources visit
http://www.settlepetal.com
April 24, 2012
Parenting
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by Jan Murray
I read an article recently by Jane Finlay in ‘The Australian’ which referred to the time of life that I am in as the ‘chandelier years’. It is the time between empty nest and grandchildren. It is when we are free to get up as our schedule allows, eat what we want, when we want and the house stays clean. There is room for a garden where the swing-set and slides used to be. The plants thrive rather than being in a state of repair from balls and hide and go seek damage.
It is definitely a time of readjustment. Life was busy having four young children to raise but I am glad it was. I enjoyed these fleeting years. I can look back knowing I didn’t miss out on watching then grow and helping them develop.
I listened back then to the wisdom of mums in their ‘chandelier years’. They said ‘enjoy this time, it doesn’t last long’ and they were right.
My son gave me a plaque one Christmas that read ‘ A mother’s life is full of frustrations but one day they will leave home’. So true. That is what we raise them to do - be independent.
Life isn’t going to happen when the busyness is over - it is happening now.
Take time to breathe every day and prioritize your thoughts and actions every day.
Enjoy parenting
Jan
If you would like to include this article in your newsletter or website; you can, providing you include the following blurb with it:
This article was brought to you by Jan Murray, Private Child Health Consultant who is an internationally renowned expert in her field. Jan encourages parents in the area of infant sleep, nutrition, activities and family balance. She publishes regular ezine and blog articles to provide free parenting tips, tools and resources to educate and support those caring for young babies and children. For more online resources visit http://www.settlepetal.com
March 22, 2012
Parenting, Toddler, preschooler
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This came into my email address and I thought you would enjoy a laugh
For all of you in education, with sons, grandsons, or who just love the things little kids say ~ a reminder that adult words are often taken literally……..
‘Circumcised’
A teacher noticed that a little boy at the back of the class was squirming around, scratching his crotch, and not paying attention.
She went back to find out what was going on.
He was quite embarrassed and whispered that he had just recently been circumcised and he was quite itchy.
The teacher told him to go down to the principal’s office.
He was told to telephone his mother and ask her what he should do about it. He did and returned to his class.
Suddenly, there was a commotion at the back of the room.
She went back to investigate only to find him sitting at his desk with his ‘private part’ hanging out.
‘I thought I told you to call your mum!’ she said.
‘I did,’ he said, ‘And she told me that if I could stick it out until lunchtime, she’d come and pick me up from school.
You can find more serious information on babies and toddlers at www.settlepetal.com
March 8, 2012
Parenting
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By Jan Murray
QUESTION:
My 6 and 8 year olds live in a street with a heap of kids. Its great as they are in the street (dead end so it’s safe) playing together after school and on weekends so it actually gives mum a bit of free time too to do those jobs around the house without having to come up with something for them to do every 2 minutes. They are great mates but a few are a bit older and are starting to “gang” up and form little groups which leaves my kids out a bit. I know it’s part of growing up, but it kills me when my little one comes in crying and worrying why little Amy up the road won’t tell her secrets and prefers to play with Alice. How do you explain to your kids that this is all part of growing up, when really you just want to go outside and get cranky at the others for making your babies upset.
ANSWER:
Playing outside in the street with other children sounds like the good old days – how wonderful.
This social interaction is a step further along the path of development from interacting in the sandpit as a two year old.
Being a Toddler eBook
These times of social interaction provide opportunities to help children learn how to share, how to choose friends, how to walk away from situations that make them feel unhappy and how to choose what to do when they don’t like what is happening. It is an opportunity for you to encourage and accept them wanting to express how they are feeling. This is a skill taken into adulthood and best learnt during these early formative years.
Help children build resilience and self esteem to cope with situations in later years. Give children coping skills rather than rescuing them from real feelings.
Every child has a different personality and therefore a different ability to cope in situations and with disciplines. It is important for parents to understand their own children because what helps one child may be different for another. Acknowledge that you understand they are upset and help them find something to do with the aim of helping them feel better. Give them time, listen to them and divert them into activities that you know they enjoy. Some form of expression helps if they are angry such as painting, drawing, running around or kicking a ball and reading a happy book, cuddles, water play and bubble blowing can help when they feel sad.
Discover what works to comfort and encourage your child and seek professional help early if their coping skills are not improving.
LOVE TO HEAR OTHER THOUGHTS BELOW?
If you would like to include this article in your newsletter or website; you can, providing you include the following blurb with it:
This article was brought to you by Jan Murray, Private Child Health Consultant who is an internationally renowned expert in her field. Jan encourages parents in the area of infant sleep, nutrition, activities and family balance. She publishes regular ezine and blog articles to provide free parenting tips, tools and resources to educate and support those caring for young babies and children. For more online resources visit http://www.settlepetal.com
February 20, 2012
Christian Influence, Parenting
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From the Message Bible
Proverbs 29
15 Wise discipline imparts wisdom;
spoiled adolescents embarrass their parents.
17 Discipline your children; you’ll be glad you did—
they’ll turn out delightful to live with.
Don’t feel sorry when you need to correct your children. It is a parents job to discipline in love and it starts with toddlers. Parents need to know whose standard they are living by first to be consistent.
More on toddlers ‘Being a Toddler’ eBook
January 7, 2012
Parenting, Uncategorized
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Jan Murray
Photos become irreplaceable memories as the years pass.
It is important to capture every moment that you can as your children grow.
Coming soon. A collection of Christmas photos from the Settle Petal community.
November 7, 2011
Uncategorized
No Comments
Jan Murray
If you have ever felt a wave of panic when you drop your children off at family day care; you are not alone.
Many parents are concerned about how happy their children are throughout the day and their associated behaviour. Did you know that how parents manage their children at home has a direct influence on their behaviour at family day care? Here are three of the top influences that could be affecting your child’s behaviour.
Influence One: Sending your child off for the day without a suitable breakfast or no breakfast. Food is fuel to a child’s body. What they eat determines the capacity of their output. If your child has no food or unsuitable nutrition at breakfast, it can lead to them having poor concentration with emotional outbursts of frustration or an inability to cope in challenging situations. They can also be uncoordinated and clumsy leaving them more at risk of falls.
What to do instead: Avoid giving your child milk throughout the night. This will allow them to be hungrier in the morning. Ensure the foods you offer for breakfast include protein, complex carbohydrates, fruit, essential fats and iron. Avoid simple sugars and processed cereals containing preservatives.
Influence Two: Putting your child to bed too late in the evening. Being overtired before going to bed makes it hard for your child to settle to sleep. When they eventually fall asleep their sleep is often restless and fitful with waking. Their activities before a late bedtime often include watching TV and mischievous behaviour, both causing unsettled sleep.
What to do instead: Introduce an age appropriate evening routine. This will include a suitable meal time, bath time and play time before a pre bed time routine of books. Encourage family time with no TV distractions during the one and a half hours before bed.
Influence Three: Eating foods that provide an unsuitable and adverse effect on a child’s body. Research shows obesity now affects 1:4 children in Australia and allergies and intolerances have increased 500% over the last 6 years. These preventable health issues are rapidly becoming the number one focus for our health industry’s funding.
What to do instead: Go back to basics. Avoid or at least reduce the amount of pre packaged food that your child consumes. Buy a lunchbox suitable for presenting natural foods in. Understand your child will not starve and you can create new habits with their eating behaviour. It is important to know; it is not up to your child to choose what to eat, only whether to eat. It is up to responsible adults to show children how to build a strong and healthy body for their future.
Jan’s book ‘taste it’ is available online. It is specifically helpful for parents wishing to address the influences discussed in this article.
If you would like to include this article in your newsletter or website; you can, providing you include the following blurb with it:
This article was brought to you by Jan Murray, Private Child Health Consultant who is an internationally renowned expert in her field. Jan encourages parents in the area of infant sleep, nutrition, activities and family balance. She publishes regular ezine and blog articles to provide free parenting tips, tools and resources to educate and support those caring for young babies and children. For more online resources visit http://www.settlepetal.com
November 7, 2011
Baby behaviour, Language Development, Toddler, Uncategorized, preschooler
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Jan Murray
Children learn about life and its surroundings through play.
Play is essential for brain development, sensual awareness (taste, touch, hearing, sight and smell) and muscle tone.
An environment rich in experiences of touch, taste, smell, sight and sound will stimulate a young child’s natural desire to discover and learn, leaving the brain to do the rest.
Babies, toddlers and pre-schoolers need to taste, touch, hear, smell and view the world from many different angles in order to get a balanced and broad perspective.
Roll, sway, push, tickle and rock your baby every day. Play with music and musical instruments (or anything that makes a sound) to enhance the development of the inner ear, essential for balance.
General play gives toddlers and pre-schoolers the opportunity to release any thoughts that may be worrying them. Give them opportunities of expression.
This could be talking, painting, drawing, tumbling, swinging, climbing, running and general safe activities.
Enjoy the sunshine which is known to enhance feel good hormones and vitamin D essential for strong bones and immune development.
Learn more about toddler play in ‘Being a Toddler‘ eBook
If you would like to include this article in your newsletter or website; you can, providing you include the following blurb with it:
This article was brought to you by Jan Murray, Private Child Health Consultant who is an internationally renowned expert in her field. Jan encourages parents in the area of infant sleep, nutrition, activities and family balance. She publishes regular ezine and blog articles to provide free parenting tips, tools and resources to educate and support those caring for young babies and children. For more online resources visit http://www.settlepetal.com
November 7, 2011
Parenting, Toddler
No Comments
Jan Murray
Toddlers are at an age (1-3 years old) where they are extremely inquisitive and fascinated by the world around them and the reactions of the people in it.
Toddlers are developing and growing the neural pathways in their brain at a rapid rate and require a varied range of sensory stimulation to achieve this.
They are not only growing and developing in ways that are obvious to see but also in the not so obvious such as:
1.The five senses of sight, touch, taste, smell and hearing
2.Immune system (helping to fight illness)
3.Digestive system (aids in good absorption of nutrients from foods)
4.Skeletal system (strong bones)
5.Muscular system (for strength and a protective barrier for bones and internal organs)
6.Nervous system (allowing for optimal sensations and reactions)
7.Circulatory System (healthy heart to pump blood around the body)
8.Urinary System (to filter toxins and waste products from the body)
9.Emotional control
With so much to experience and discover, is it any wonder that toddlers are forever getting in trouble for doing an unacceptable thing or being in an inappropriate place. They have a lot going on in their heads, so again, is it any wonder that they don’t remember to always do what you have asked them to do 5 minutes before or to not arrive where you asked them to be because they were distracted by something fascinating along the way.
Help your toddler to learn things in the quiet with you, as well as when it is busy in the company of others. They are learning new and different skills in each situation.
Toddlers need to walk with you and know about holding your hand but they also need to explore and run, therefore, try to not always hold toddlers back unless you know it is something that you do not want them to learn!
Enjoy their excited spirit as it will pass soon enough.
You can read more of what I have to say about toddlers in my ‘Being a Toddler’ eBook.
October 13, 2011
Sleep and Settling, Toddler
1 Comment
By Jan Murray
No socio-economic group is immune to intestinal worm and parasite infestations. Children still get worms even if they bathe daily. There is no point blaming the day care centre or the crèche at the gym for poor cleaning practices. Children get worms and it is thought to effect 1:5 children between 2 and 10 years old at some time. Many children have worms and are unaware of their residence before they clear themselves without treatment.
Worldwide the most common worm is the roundworm but the threadworm (also known as pinworm) is the most common intestinal worm found in Australian children. More rare varieties are the tapeworm found in sheep farming areas, hookworm and whipworm. Ringworm is not an intestinal parasite but a relatively common and contagious fungal skin infection.
Threadworms live in the human digestive tract and are seen in poo. They are ivory in colour and 2 -13 mm long. The female adult worm crawls out the anus to lay eggs and dies when her duty is done. The cycle would end here if eggs hatched and young worms died before entering the human digestive system, however, eggs can live for days and even weeks in favourable conditions on toilet seats, baths, benches, bed sheets, pyjamas, under fingernails and eating utensils. They are ingested when contaminated fingers enter the mouth. They hatch in the small intestine and travel down the bowel as they mature and the cycle continues.
Signs and symptoms of threadworms include itchy bottom (when worms are crawling around the anus), visible worms in poo or around the anal area (seen at night using a torch or first thing in the morning) restless sleep, teeth grinding, hyperactivity, irritability, bedwetting (irritated urethra), stomach aches, nausea and vomiting. Childhood habits like itching bottoms and putting fingers in mouths, sucking thumbs and chewing fingernails and toys, playing in dirt and sandpits, sharing lunch tables and benches and generally playing close to other children make it easy to spread eggs no matter how often hands are washed. Day Care environments are ideal for rapid spreading of worms as children play, eat and toilet in close proximity.
Thankfully, treatment is an easy over the counter medication that is taken once. ‘Merbendozole’ and ‘Pyrantel’ are the active ingredients that either kill or paralysis and purge the adult worms. A second dose may be required after two weeks if new eggs hatch. ‘Pyrantel’ can be used for 1 year olds but most treatments are for 2 year olds and above. If heavy infestations are left untreated it can lead to urinary tract infections, weight loss and other infections. Treat the whole family at the same time and wash the family dog to prevent reinfestation. Dogs cannot pass on threadworms to humans unless their fur had been contaminated by eggs from someone patting them. Prevent reinfestation with good personal and family hygiene – regularly cleaning toilet seats, baths and benches, regularly washing children’s bed linen, pyjamas and undies, encouraging effective hand washing after play, before meals and after toileting, keeping fingernails short and discouraging thumb sucking and nail biting.
Roundworms are not passed on from human to human but are picked up from contaminated soil, food and water. Commonly found in densely populated underdeveloped countries with inefficient sanitary methods of disposing of human waste.
Signs and symptoms of round worm infestation include bloody diarrhoea, upper abdominal discomfort, visible worms in poo, nose or mouth. In severe cases worms travel to lungs and other organs causing wheezing, coughing and difficulty breathing.
Treatment is over the counter ‘merbendozole’ and ‘pyrantel’ preparations but if symptoms are severe or you have been travelling to underdeveloped countries professional advice is recommended.
If you would like to include this article in your newsletter or website; you can, providing you include the following blurb with it:
This article was brought to you by Jan Murray, Private Child Health Consultant who is an internationally renowned expert in her field. Jan encourages parents in the area of infant sleep, nutrition, activities and family balance. She publishes regular ezine and blog articles to provide free parenting tips, tools and resources to educate and support those caring for young babies and children. For more online resources visit http://www.settlepetal.com
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