Pumpkins for Health

Your kids love carving pumpkins, and painting pumpkins, but do they eat them too? I read an article a few days ago that stated that pumpkins are rich in fiber and cancer fighting antioxidants, low in calories, and high in Vitamin A (improves immune system and helps maintain vision). Wow... But how to feed them to your kids? An idea given - stir 1/2 cup canned or pureed pumpkin and 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon into your pancake batter. I know we've also used it instead of banana in banana bread - voila! Pumpkin Bread! We've also used it like you can use applesauce to reduce your shortening or oil in baking recipes - use sparingly if you have picky eaters or they'll see the orange color! Give it a whirl, and let me know if you have any other ideas!

Plastic Bottles?

I found this article by Vreni Gurd that does a great job informing about the possible dangers of plastic drinking bottles. Read on...

Plastic water bottles are very convenient for carting water around when we are on the go, as they don't break if we drop them. However, it is worth paying attention to the type of plastic your water bottle is made of, to ensure that the chemicals in the plastic do not leach into the water. If you taste plastic, you are drinking it, so get yourself another bottle.

To be certain that you are choosing a bottle that does not leach, check the recycling symbol on your bottle. If it is a #2 HDPE (high density polyethylene), or a #4 LDPE (low density polyethylene), or a #5 PP (polypropylene), your bottle is fine. The type of plastic bottle in which water is usually sold is usually a #1, and is only recommended for one time use. Do not refill it. Better to use a reusable water bottle, and fill it with your own filtered water from home and keep these single-use bottles out of the landfill.

Unfortunately, those fabulous colourful hard plastic lexan bottles made with polycarbonate plastics and identified by the #7 recycling symbol, may leach BPA. Bisphenol A is a xenoestrogen, a known endocrine disruptor, meaning it disturbs the hormonal messaging in our bodies. Synthetic xenoestrogens are linked to breast cancer and uterine cancer in women, decreased testosterone levels in men, and are particularly devastating to babies and young children. BPA has even been linked to insulin resistance and Type 2 Diabetes. For more of the science on the effects of BPA on our endocrine system etc. see these studies: Environmental Health Perspectives Journal. Nalgene, the company that manufactures the lexan water bottles also makes #2 HDPE bottles in the same sizes and shapes, so we have a viable alternative. Order one at Nalgene.

Unfortunately, most plastic baby bottles and drinking cups are made with plastics containing Bisphenol A. In 2006 Europe banned all products made for children under age 3 containing BPA, and as of Dec. 2006 the city of San Franscisco followed suit. In March 2007 a billion-dollar class action suit was commenced against Gerber, Playtex, Evenflo, Avent, and Dr. Brown's in Los Angeles superior court for harm done to babies caused by drinking out of baby bottles and sippy cups containing BPA. So, to be certain that your baby is not exposed, use glass bottles.

Check the recycling numbers on all your plastic food containers as well, and gradually move to storing all food in glass or ceramic.

Store water in glass or brass if possible, and out of direct sunlight.

Safety Training

I found a really neat website called The Police Notebook today. It's put together by the University Oklahoma, and is designed to be a tool used by parents to help their children protect themselves and handle emergencies well. It covers topics like internet safety, accidents, animal safety, and a bunch of others. Check it out!

Help?

Anyone have any great safety tips that they'd like to share? I'd love for this to be a forum of sorts....

Kids in the car

Seeing all of the little kiddos climbing onto schoolbusses last week has really gotten me thinking about automobile safety.

I found some interesting statistics on the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration's website that I thought I'd share. Be careful!!!!

Motor vehicle crashes are the leading cause of death for the age group 2 to 14 years old (based on 2004 figures, which are the latest mortality data currently available from the National Center for Health Statistics).

Every day in the United States, an average of 5 children age 14 and younger were killed and 568 were injured in motor vehicle crashes during 2006.

Research has shown that lap/shoulder seat belts, when used, reduce the risk of fatal injury to front seat occupants (age 5 and older) of passenger cars by 45 percent and the risk of moderate-to-critical injury by 50 percent.

Research on the effectiveness of child safety seats has found them to reduce fatal injury by 71 percent for infants (less than 1 year old) and by 54 percent for toddlers (1-4 years old) in passenger cars.

Important Safety Reminders

Failure to read the child safety seat instructions, in addition to vehicle owner manual instructions regarding seat belts, could result in serious injury or death as a result of a failure of the child safety seat to be securely and/or properly restrained. Children in rear-facing child seats should not be placed in the front seat of vehicles equipped with passenger-side air bags. The impact of a deploying air bag striking a rear-facing child seat could result in injury to the child.

NHTSA also recommends that children 12 and under sit in the rear seat away from the force of a deploying air bag. Children age 12 and under are safest when properly buckled in the back seat of a motor vehicle. Always read the child restraint manufacturer instructions and the vehicle owner manual instructions.
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Used Car Seat?

I had a garage sale today, along with a few neighbors, and checking out some of their stuff reminded me about something I wanted to look into. Is it okay to buy used car seats for your infant, toddler, or child? I found a great article on About.com about this:

Thrifty parents often ask whether it's OK to purchase a used car seat from a garage sale or an online auction. While a used car seat might be save dollars, it could also compromise safety. Steer clear of used car seats unless you can verify the age and crash history of the seat, and can use the model number to verify that the seat is not under recall. It's also tricky to determine whether used car seats still have all of the original parts needed for safety.

Each manufacturer sets the time til expiration for their car seats. Some manufacturers even put an expiration date on one of the labels. Check the date of manufacture, which must be on one of the seat labels by law. Most car seats expire 6 years from the date of manufacture, unless there is a different expiration date marked on the seat. If you're not sure, call the manufacturer. If the labels are missing from the car seat, it's best not to use it, as the labels would also give you important model information that would alert you to potential recalls.

If you cannot verify all of those things, the car seat is considered unsafe for use, even if it appears to be in good condition. Crashes can cause stress and structural weakness that isn't visible from the outside, and older car seats can be weakened by many seasons of heat and cold in the car. Unless a used car seat is coming from a close friend or family member and meets the above criteria, it is almost always safer to choose a new car seat for your baby.

Pump up your immune system!

Ok, so this isn't strictly safety, but kind of... If we can pump up our kids' immune systems, we'll be helping their bodies to stay safe from all of the nasty bugs out there!

A few foods that I've recently read about to help your immune system do its job:

• Canataloupe - just 1 cup is more than your days required vitamin C
• Broccoli - packed with antioxidants that fight free radicals (which cause disease and infection)
• Oysters and crab - loaded with zinc, which boosts that immune system and helps your body fight off infections