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  • Small changes in sleep habits can reap big rewards

    Could sleep (or lack of) be to blame for your child’s behavior at school?

  • Potty-training woes? Sometimes we just need to laugh

    Have you heard about my potty-training woes?

  • Report cards for your child's weight?

    It’s all over news headlines: childhood obesity. It now seems to be an issue that just won’t go away, despite all of the programs and campaigns to help encourage kids and families to become healthier. It’s just so hard with countless fast-food chains, ever-evolving technology that gives kids one more reason not to move from the couch, and school systems that have been resistant to change. However, the school system has been attacked hard, and slowly, schools are now making a greater effort to become healthier. Some schools have even taken it to the next level with what are called, “BMI report cards”.

    What on earth are BMI report cards?

    Let’s first start by defining BMI. Body mass index, or BMI, is the ratio of a person’s height and weight as a way to determine whether that person is overweight or obese. It is often used to help identify those who are at risk for weight-related health problems.

  • The Puzzle Theory

    Are puzzles in your toddler’s toy basket? If not, you may want to reconsider. These challenging games are a great tool to keep your child entertained and help stimulate their minds. Unlike a toy truck or baby doll, puzzles are interactive and keep children interested and willing to try and try again until they get the perfect fit.  Now, not saying toy trucks or baby dolls are a bad thing; they’re great! But we all want our babies to grow up to be little Einsteins right? Or at least that’s what we tell ourselves.

  • Time to shape up your plate

    March is National Nutrition Month, sponsored by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, which makes it a great time to get your family’s plate in shape. We tend to do what we’ve always done when it comes to food. We eat familiar foods, sometimes over and over, and usually consume the same quantity of food.

  • What it means to give back

    Last month, the Holy Family Catholic School hosted their first mother-daughter fundraiser to benefit Arnold Palmer Hospital! It was a special night for young girls to experience what it means to give back to the families in their community. Several families shared emotional stories of their time at Arnold Palmer Hospital. These little girls who are students at the school, have battled diseases that many people will never have to face in their lifetime. They were the inspiration behind this community event. Their strength, courage, and determination to fight set the tone for the evening. You could see the overwhelming joy these families had for Arnold Palmer Hospital and the doctors and nurses who were with them throughout their journey as tears started welling up in their eyes while telling their story. These families wanted to be able to give back to the hospital that had done so much for them, and this was their way to say thank you. It was amazing to see how every mom and daughter rallied around these families throughout the night. Everyone loved on them and made them feel like the stars of the night.

  • What goes on at your dinner table?

    Dinnertime is not what it used to be. It used to be a time for the whole family to sit down around the table and spend an hour of quality time together. It was the one time of the day where everyone could sit down to a nice home-cooked meal and share stories from their day, catch up, and have meaningful conversation that otherwise wouldn’t happen on-the-go. It was the normalcy and the time of the day that parents looked forward to.

  • Learning to read nutrition labels

    Do you find yourself confused over all the nutrition info and marketing on food? With practice at label reading, we can become smarter nutrition detectives. Reading the nutrition panel tells us what is in our food and allows us to easily compare products so that we can make healthier choices.

    To get started, we must look at the serving size.

    The serving size on the nutrition panel shows how much of the food item we should eat to get in all of the nutrients listed on the label. For example, if the serving size is 1 cup. The label will tell you how much nutrition you will get per 1 cup. (NOTE: Many packages contain more than one serving, so measuring out the serving size amount is important. If you eat double servings you have to double the nutrition stats).

    Do you know the 5/20 rule?

    When looking at the nutrition label, the far right hand side lists the percent daily value of each nutrient. Daily value is based off of a 2,000 calorie diet and represents the total amount of each nutrient to eat over the course of an entire day.

  • Concerned about your teen's weight?

    When it comes to dealing with teens and their weight, there are no easy answers, and a new study shows that some of the things parents are doing to help may actually be harmful.

    Don’t talk about weight or size; focus on healthy eating

    Researchers studied more than 2,000 teens and their parents to determine what effect the conversations parents had with their children may have on their eating behaviors. Teens whose parents talked to them about their weight, whether or not the teens were overweight, were more likely to engage in unhealthy eating behaviors such as dieting, fasting or using laxatives. Teens whose parents engaged in conversations focused on healthy eating without any mention of weight or size were much less likely to engage in unhealthy eating behaviors.

  • Early Intervention: a window of opportunity to help your child thrive

    What is Early Intervention?

    Early Intervention is a federal program that originated in the 1975 Education of All Handicapped Children Act. It is currently Part H of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), the law that helps states provide services to babies and toddlers under the age of 36 months who have been diagnosed with a disability, who are not learning and growing at the same rate as other children their age, or who are at risk of having developmental delays in their learning and growing.

    What is the goal of Early Intervention?

    All infants and toddlers grow and develop uniquely. However, some children may show significant delays in attaining their developmental milestones at a young age. The goal of early intervention is to prevent future difficulties and promote the necessary conditions for healthy development.  Early Intervention programs minimize and in some cases prevent delays in development of infants and toddlers with disabilities. They can decrease the need for special education and related services when a child enters school, and increase the child’s independence.

    Why is it important to “Intervene Early?”

    Research has shown that the time between birth and 36 months of age is a critical developmental period in a child’s life. These months offer a window of opportunity for learning that will not be available later. Children whose special needs are identified and addressed during these crucial early years have a better chance of reaching their full potential.

    How do I know if my child will benefit from Early Intervention?

    Does your child have special health or learning needs? Was your child born with a very low birth weight? Do you think your child is slow to begin sitting up, crawling, walking or talking? Does your child have vision, hearing or feeding problems? Does your child have trouble relating to other people? Does your child have a condition that may cause him/her to have a future delay in development?

    What services are included in Early Intervention?

    Early Intervention Service programs and funding are different in each state. Typically, Early Intervention programs are designed to address five areas of development with specific services customized to meet each child’s particular needs. These programs take a family-centered approach, and are usually provided in the child’s “natural environment” (home or child care center). Cognitive development: how a child thinks/learns. An Early Intervention specialist/teacher may provide home-based learning enrichment or preschool classroom services may be recommended to address these needs. Physical development: includes fine and gross motor developmental milestones, vision and hearing. Occupational and/or physical therapy may be warranted to address these needs. Children may also be followed by services for children with low vision, or for the deaf/hard-of-hearing. Language, speech and communication: these skills may be further evaluated and treated by a speech-language pathologist Social-emotional development: these skills may warrant the need for evaluation and treatment by a behavioral therapist, counselor or developmental psychologist Adaptive/self-help skills and development: these skills may be further evaluated and treated by an occupational therapist.

    How can I learn more about Early Intervention in my area?

    Families and Advocates Partnership for Education web site: www.fape.org The Developmental Center for Infants and Children at the Howard Philips Center (Early Steps) 407.317.7430 ext. 2121 Florida Directory of Early Childhood Services: 1.800.654.4440  www.centraldirectory.org www.zerotothree.org