4 Ways to Make Dinnertime Work

When you arrive home after a long workday, your mind is on your family … plus the stack of bills to pay, the pile of laundry to do and the list of phone calls to return. But dinner? It’s tough to imagine how you’re going to make this meal happen at all, let alone make it healthy, tasty and maybe even fun. But believe it or not, you can. Here’s how:

1. Get the Kids in on the Action

“Parents often park their children in front of the TV, then rush around making supper. Why not get the kids to help?” says Miriam Weinstein, author of The Surprising Power of Family Meals: How Eating Together Makes Us Smarter, Stronger, Healthier, and Happier (Steerforth Press). “Making kids part of the effort gets them invested in what you’re cooking together, so they’re less likely to complain about it later.”

Younger kids can:

• Get out the ingredients
• Pour them into pots or bowls (you measure, they pour)
• Wash fruits and veggies
• Tear lettuce for a salad

Older ones can:

• Chop fruits and vegetables
• Toss and dress the salad
• Make pasta or rice
• Measure and mix ingredients

2. Get Ready, Get Set …

To make fast, enjoyable meals each day that are still healthy, you have to prepare, and sometimes cook, in advance. For starters, buy extra of things you use often so you always have staples on hand. Choose dishes that don’t require you to stand at the stove: stews, roasts, casseroles that can be assembled the night before. While they are cooking or reheating, you can take the time to sift through your mail, check your child’s homework, or return phone calls or emails.

Things to do the night before:

• Make the sauce
• Chop the vegetables
• Sautee the onions
• Marinate the meat
• Wash the lettuce (store in a plastic container in the fridge)

3. Double up

Rather than making just one meal at a time, try doubling recipes when you cook. Freeze whatever you don’t use for a later dinner that can be reheated easily.

4. Commit to the Ritual

Studies show that eating together as a family reduces the risk of obesity and encourages children to try new foods. It also helps kids learn good manners. But the biggest benefit to having family dinner is that it brings everyone together — for perhaps the only time during the day. It provides a regular opportunity to connect: to ask your kids about their days, joke around or make family plans.

“Eating together is a gift you give yourself and your family,” says Weinstein. “It doesn’t matter if the food is perfect — just that you enjoy it together. Then mealtime becomes a chance to feel good about your family instead of just one more chore.”

Should Your Child Wear a Mouth Guard?

Playing team sports are a wonderful experience for children. There are many physical and emotional health benefits.

There can also be safety and protection issues. Any sport can increase head and mouth trauma. Injury can not be completely eliminated but damage can be lessened. Mouth guards can decrease the potential for harm by up to 60%.

Besides preventing permanent loss or disfigurement of the most visible, front teeth, mouth guards can prevent a concussion.

The younger your child starts wearing a mouth guard, the more likely they are to continue wearing it through their sporting career. Custom fitting mouth guards allow your child to speak and breathe more comfortably, performing with the greatest confidence.

Benefits of a mouth guard:

• You increase the chance of damaging your teeth 60x if you don’t wear a mouth guard while playing spots
• Injuries to your teeth can result in permanent disfigurement of your most viable front teeth
• It is estimated that a lifetime dental costs to a tooth that is knocked out can be up to $20,000

As stated earlier, the habit of wearing a mouth guard is developed at an early age.  Make sure you talk to your dentist about the best type of mouth guard for your child. There are several different types available to you.

Be safe this sports season!

An Important Story – Must See for Parents

On yesterday morning’s edition of the “Today Show” there was a very important and very well done piece on the devastation caused when children are left, even inadvertently in a hot car. Also featured are many inexpensive solutions. It also begs the age-old question; why are such devices not regulated and required.

Please click here to watch.

Enjoy Breakfast as a Family

You’ve heard the saying so many times it seems trite: “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.”

But even though it may be cliche, nutritionists will tell you this tidbit is absolutely true. “Not only is skipping breakfast bad for a child’s metabolism, but it also means they’ll be so hungry later that they’re much more likely to make poor food choices throughout the day,” says Heather Cupp, a registered dietitian at Riley Hospital for Children in Indianapolis.

Anyone with kids knows, however, that weekday morning meals are usually the most hectic. With a limited amount of time to get everyone up, dressed and off to camp, school or day care, it’s no wonder that fitting in a healthy breakfast can seem like an impossible feat.

No matter how busy your weekday mornings, the whole family can still eat well. All it takes are a few key planning decisions and some smart food choices. Below, our experts’ strategies for turning the rushed (or nonexistent!) morning meal into a healthy, enjoyable group activity:

1. Prep ahead.

Do as much as you can ahead of time to minimize the morning rush. If you’re having blueberry pancakes for Sunday brunch, make a few extra batches that you can freeze and use throughout the week. If hot cereal is a favorite, prep a few days’ worth of servings in your slow cooker and keep a big bowl in the fridge. Save even more time by setting the table and packing the car the night before.

2. Optimize your kitchen setup.

Save valuable minutes in the future by taking time now to organize your kitchen so you can easily find the things you regularly need for breakfast, says Kim Cosentino, owner of The De-Clutter Box, an organizing company in Westmont, Illinois. “Think of the cabinets on either side of the stove as prime real estate, and use them for items that you use on a regular basis,” says Cosentino. “If you cook hot oatmeal a lot, put the oatmeal box in the cabinet next to the stove.” Similarly, store glasses near the fridge and sink, and stash dishes and silverware near the dishwasher to save time unloading.

3. Think outside the box.

If you’ve got a picky eater who turns up her nose at traditional breakfast foods, there’s no reason the morning meal can’t be a sandwich or even last night’s dinner. “When I have leftover pasta of some sort, I heat that up or make a point of cooking some sort of pasta the night before so I just have to nuke it in the a.m.,” says Susan McQuillan, a New York City-based registered dietitian, writer and mother. “Usually the pasta already has some sort of vegetable in it, like broccoli — or I just add chopped-up cherry tomatoes and olives before serving.”

4. Put the kids to work.

The more routine steps your kids do on their own, the more time you’ll have to prepare and serve a healthy breakfast. So make it easy for them to pick out their own outfits and dress themselves every morning by organizing their closets and drawers by type of clothing (underwear in one drawer, shirts in another, etc.). Also put a “clean or dirty” magnet on the dishwasher to get them involved in setting the table and clearing it afterwards.

5. Make it quick, easy and healthy.

“The ideal breakfast includes protein and fiber, both of which fill kids up and sustain them all morning,” says Elisa Zeid, a New York City-based registered dietitian and the author of Nutrition at Your Fingertips. By contrast, a couple of hours after eating a sugary, high-carb breakfast like a donut or pastry, “a child’s blood sugar will drop, and he won’t be able to concentrate.” Preparing a well-balanced, nutritious breakfast doesn’t have to take a long time. All of the following kid-friendly meals can be put together in just a few minutes:

• A peanut butter and banana sandwich with a glass of milk
• Trail mix made of nuts, dried fruit and whole-grain cereal
• Yogurt parfait made with high-fiber cereal and fresh fruit
• Slice of leftover veggie pizza, warmed in the toaster oven
• Corn tortilla with melted cheese and salsa
• String cheese, a handful of nuts and a banana

My New Buddy Brian – Questions for Every Parent

This past weekend I was out walking my pack o dogs on one of our many trails. We were almost back to the parking lot and let me tell you we were hot. I had some bottles of water for me and a jug of water for the dogs. Right where we were to turn off to the parking lot there is a “T”. You could go North or South or to the parking lot. Here at this T junction was a special needs teenager on a adult tricycle looking back and forth, North and South, North and South. I watched for a minute while the dogs panted and waited. I asked him if he needed help and his response was to ask where his Dad was. This young man’s name was Brian. He had passed me about ten minutes earlier and was alone- no one else was with him.

Brian did not know whether to go North or South or which direction he had just come from. On his own he did not know what to do. He did know his Dad’s cell number. Brian did not have a phone but I never go anywhere without mine so we called his Dad. Of course we got voice mail but Brian left a message. We walked/rode to my car and we all had some water. Within about 10 minutes, Dad called back, very worried. Dad did not know the area very well and another hiker and I were able to eventually talk him to where we were. Brian had actually made it quite far- several miles at least.

When Dad along with Mom showed up one of Mom’s questions was to ask whether or not Brian had asked for help-whether or not he recognized he was in trouble on his own and asked for help. My answer to Mom that he did not- visibly upset her. Even though this was a minor event that turned out well- I’ve given it quite a lot of thought.

• When does a child know they are in trouble?
• When do they know it is time to ask for help?
• When is a child too young to go off riding on their own or walking to a neighbor?
• A recent article here on PediatricSafety reminded parents to teach the 911 number to their young children. Along with 911 do our kids know our phone numbers?
• What is the right age to consider a cell for our kids for emergencies if for no other reason?
• Do our kids know our real names are not Mom and Dad?
• Do they know their address?
• If we are separated from our kids do they know what to do? Do we?

I like to think that I’m a pretty decent guy and I tend to think most people are too. Most- not all as the headlines remind us. It only takes seconds or minutes for something bad to happen. I realize this asks more questions that it provides answers. I hope others chime in and offer sound advice.

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