Babies & Kids Blog » Health

Everybody is freaking out about the H1N1 virus. A lot of people are running out and waiting for 6 plus hours to get the vaccine and just as many people are refusing to get it altogether. I don’t want to debate the vaccine, but I do want to share with you some tips on how to prevent exposure over Halloween. I’m sure your kids will be attending parties, and going trick-or-treating will expose them to all kinds of new people with who knows what illnesses. You should be cautious, but don’t lock your family up in fear.

Here are the tips: There aren’t many studies investigating Halloween candy and flu virus transmission. So the following 12 tips are based on practical advice from practicing pediatricians. They tell parents how to handle Halloween trick-or-treating for candy, with the goal of minimizing the risk of contracting H1N1 swine flu and other “bugs.

Forget Grab Bags. Consider Non-Food Treats

1. Give Non-Candy Halloween Treats. There’s national concern over childhood obesity. Instead of candy, Dr. Shu* recommends “trading cards, baseball cards, tattoos, bookmarks, balls, glow sticks, or plastic spiders,” noting that these treats “don’t promote obesity and tooth decay.“ Check Oriental Trading Company and Target stores.

2. Scoop Halloween Candy, to Avoid H1N1. When giving out candy, hand it or scoop it – but avoid the grab bag. “If kids are fingering through a bag of candy it could add germs to the mix,” says Dr. Shu. Instead, hand the candy to each trick-or-treater. Or, use a cup to scoop it from a bowl. That way, many hands aren’t touching the same chocolate candy kiss.

Halloween Candy: Put Aside for Two Days

1. Let Those Germs Die. Let Halloween candy “sit” for a few days before touching or eating it. Dr. Shu says, “two days is plenty of time for any contagions” like a H1N1 virus that happens to be on the candy wrapper to die.

2. Avoid Obesity. No need to be a killjoy, but make Halloween candy last. (read more!)

image: stewystuff

I read this article today on MSNBC and all I can say is: thank goodness we are too cheap to eat out very often. The amount of fat and calories most restaurants are serving to children is appalling! This is one of the worst offenders:

All kids like a good ice cream sundae right? How about a sundae with 860 calories and 38 grams of fat? Keep in mind, this is a dessert, this doesn’t even count as their meal!

Uno Chicago Grill Kid’s Sundae
860 calories
38 g fat (20 g saturated)
94 g sugars

Consider the repercussions of slapping three Baby Ruth bars’ worth of fat and sugar onto the end of your child’s meal. Weighing in at an astounding 3/4 pound, this abominable sundae is twice as big as the Kid’s Pasta, and twice as caloric as a child’s entire meal should be.

Reading this article made me angry. Childhood obesity is a major problem. Today we have more children than ever with diabetes, strained/injured joints and asthma. Recently it was reported that 18% of all children are obese. Obese children have a 70% chance of becoming obese adults.

So, if the restaurants and convenience food manufactures won’t do much to offer healthier foods, what should we do as parents? The most important: Cook at home. Stay home. Slow down your life and stop relying on the drive through. Your child’s life literally depends on it.

image: stolenchildhood

Is your baby teething? Here’s everything you need to get through it! Well…here’s everything you need to get BABY through it….mom and dad may want a bottle of wine instead!

Under The Nile Organic C’otton Teething Toy Tomato $4.80

They look like vegetables but are toys that are stuffed with 100% organic cotton. These veggie toys are also available as a group on this site. The toys are machine washable.

Combi 4 Month Teether $5.29

Designed to wean baby from the pacifier, this teether provides stimulus to the lips and tongue that help promote the transition from nursing to chewing.

Benefits:

* Prepares baby for eating
* Designed to wean baby from the pacifier
* Unique textured design provides comfort to gum surface
* Nipple shaped for licking and biting
* Round base stimulates lips
* Left and right hole for easy holding
* Comes with a convenient, sterile plastic carrying case

Orajel Baby Teething Pain Medicine $4.99

Hyland’s Teething Tablets $3.52

Shop for more teethers and teething medicine at Smarter.com.

When you’re pregnant, you go to the doctor a lot. You’re poked and prodded and your stomach is measured. You’re weighed at every visit (unfortunately!) and your blood pressure is closely monitored. As the weeks go on, you’ll undergo several tests. Hopefully you have a doctor that will thoroughly explain the reasons for each test and what the results may tell you but if you don’t, here is some information to help you on your pregnancy journey:

Blood Tests

If your health-care provider doesn’t already know the details about your blood, he or she will draw some blood early in the pregnancy. The blood will be taken from a vein on the inside bend of your elbow. This blood will tell a lot about…

• Your blood group: A, B, or O. This information is important in case a blood transfusion is ever necessary.

• Your rhesus (Rh) blood group: Your Rh factor may be negative or positive. The difference means nothing unless you are negative and the baby’s father is positive. In this case, your baby may be incompatible with your rhesus blood group, which can cause problems with future pregnancies. Knowing your blood type in advance lets your doctor prevent any trouble from occurring.

• Hemoglobin levels. Hemoglobin keeps red cells filled with oxygen. Hemoglobin levels often fall during pregnancy, causing anemia; your doctor will want to make sure your levels don’t go too low.

• Your immunity to rubella (German measles): If you have not built up an immunity to this disease, you will be cautioned to avoid exposure, especially during the first trimester.

• STDs: Because sexually transmitted diseases can cause many problems for the developing fetus and newborn, your blood will be tested for hepatitis B, HIV, and syphilis.

Glucose Screening

Most expectant moms are given a glucose-screening test between Weeks 24 and 28 of the pregnancy to check for gestational diabetes.

You are at risk for developing gestational diabetes if you fit into any of these categories:

• You have had gestational diabetes during an earlier pregnancy.

• You have previously delivered a very large baby.

• You are greatly overweight (approximately 20 percent over ideal body weight).

• You are over 35.

• You have high blood pressure.

• You have a parent or sibling who is a diabetic.

The test for gestational diabetes is not painful. It is long, however. To take the glucose screening test you will drink a sugar solution (which tastes like a thick, flat cola—I’m not saying it’s delicious, but it’s not all that awful either). An hour later, a blood sample will be taken and the blood sugar level will be checked. If the reading is abnormal (which occurs about 20 percent of the time) you’ll go home and come back at a later date for a diagnostic exam, called a three-hour glucose tolerance test, to verify the results. If you get a high sugar reading on the first test, don’t get too worried. Approximately 85 percent of those with a positive result on this screening test show normal blood sugar levels in the glucose tolerance test.

If you have gestational diabetes, it’s good to find out early. Your doctor can then help you create a diet and exercise program that will keep the problem in check and safeguard the health of your baby. He may also prescribe insulin if necessary. Finding out that you have diabetes is certainly upsetting, but it’s not cause for great alarm. Most women who develop diabetes during pregnancy go on to have normal, healthy babies. Be aware, however, that although gestational diabetes will probably disappear after the birth of the baby, some women ultimately develop full-fledged diabetes within the next 20 years. This is something you’ll have to watch out for at yearly follow—up tests.

Alpha-Fetoprotein Screening Test

Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a type of protein produced only by a fetus—you do not produce it on your own. Sometime between Weeks 16 and 18, your doctor will take a blood sample from you to check the level of this protein, which can give an indication of the risk of certain birth defects. A high level of AFP might mean trouble; a low level might mean another kind of trouble.

High levels of AFP indicate the possibility of various things: It could mean twins, or that you have been pregnant longer than you thought. It could also mean that the baby has a neural tube defect, such as spina bifida (a deformity of the spinal column) or anencephaly (the absence of all or part of the brain).

Low levels of AFP mean you might be earlier in your pregnancy than you thought, or it can mean that the baby has a birth defect called Down’s syndrome.

The AFP test is just like any other blood test and it is not risky at all—it will not hurt or harm you or your baby. The real risk associated with this test is the same one you’ll find with all screening tests—the results are not absolute and can cause a lot of needless worry. If your test results are low, for example, there is a very, very slim (some say minute) chance that your baby may have Down’s syndrome. To find out for sure, you will need to have further diagnostic testing done, such as amniocentesis. This test is a bit risky and has been known to cause miscarriages in a percentage of cases. A low or high result on an AFP test can put the fear of birth defects in your heart. The risks involved in taking the diagnostic tests add to the fear of miscarriage, as well. If the results come back either too high or too low, deciding what to do next is the most difficult part of the AFP test. The decision is ultimately what to do with a defective fetus. Do you abort it or do you want to know early on what the challenges are that you’ll be facing at birth? There are other choices, such as adoption for Down’s syndrome infants. Parents need to think, before they take an AFP, what they’ll do with the results. You may be advised to take the screening test again, seek a second opinion, and/or meet with a genetic counselor. Whatever your choice, you must always keep in mind that most women who get abnormal screening test results give birth to normal babies.

source: familyeducation, excerpted from The Complete Idiot’s Guide to Pregnancy and Childbirth © 2004 by Michele Isaac Gliksman, M.D. and Theresa Foy DiGeronimo.

photo: abbottnutrition

I’m sure you’ve heard the phrase that pregnant women are “eating for two”. While that is true–you are supplying the nutrition to a whole other person, it’s a misconception that you should just eat whatever and however much you want. There is more to just taking a prenatal vitamin and avoiding caffeine to consider when you’re pregnant. I am not an expert on nutrition, but I wanted to provide you with this expert advice:

10 REASONS WHY YOUR EATING HABITS MUST CHANGE by Dr. Sears

1. Both nutritional needs and intestinal function change.

2. Body cravings change but you must match all cravings with your knowledge of good nutrition.

3. Portion sizes change. You are likely to want to eat lighter, smaller portions more slowly, and more frequently. There will be days when you graze like a toddler, snacking all day long. Sometimes you’ll satisfy the “always hungry” feeling by eating all the time.

4. Your calorie needs change. You will need to eat an extra 300-500 calories per day to ensure adequate nutrition for both of you.

5. Your pregnant body needs specific nutrients: proteins, carbohydrates, fats, vitamins, minerals (mainly calcium and iron) and water. “Balancing” your nutrition during pregnancy means trying to get the right mix of these nutrients: 15% of your calories from proteins, 50-60% from carbohydrates, and 20-30% from fats, plus the recommended daily allowance (RDA) of vitamins and minerals.

6. Your need for fats changes. The pregnant body needs fats. Besides being a valuable source of energy, certain fats (called essential fatty acids) are necessary building blocks of vital tissues, especially the brain and nervous system. However, all fats are not created equal. Best nutrition is found in the fats of fish, nuts, avocados and all vegetable oils. Less healthy, but still necessary, fats are found in dairy products. Least healthy and least necessary fats are those that come from meat.

7. Your need for cholesterol changes. Your pregnant body and your developing baby need extra cholesterol. Growing little brains need cholesterol. Cholesterol is also a building block for pregnancy hormones. Pregnancy hormones make and metabolize cholesterol anyway, so it’s natural for cholesterol levels to increase during pregnancy.

8. Your protein needs change. Proteins are the structural element of your body and the body of your growing baby. Your baby’s tissues and organs grow by piling up millions of proteins on top of each other until each organ has reached full growth. Try these food combinations to get complete proteins:

* Cheese sandwich (whole grain and dairy)
* Cereal and milk (grain and dairy)
* Whole wheat pasta and cheese (whole grain and dairy)
* Peanut-butter sandwich (whole grain and legume)
* Granola and yogurt (grain and dairy)
* Bean or lentil soup with whole wheat or rice crackers (legume and whole grain)
* Rice pudding (grain and dairy)
* Beans and rice (legume and grain)
* Pasta with meat sauce (grain and meat)
* Broccoli in cheese sauce (grain and dairy with some veggie protein mixed in)

9. Your carbohydrate needs change. Best sources of complex carbohydrates are: pasta, potatoes, grains, legumes, nut butters and seeds. The time-released complex carbohydrates along with fructose and lactose provide slow, steady energy and give the feeling of fullness longer, resulting in steadier blood sugar levels and a greater overall feeling of well being.

10. Your iron needs change. Iron is necessary to make the extra blood you need to nourish your baby and to make the billions of red blood cells the baby needs. Insufficient iron (anemia) or “tired blood” makes for a tired mom. Most women need to double the amount of iron in their diet when they’re pregnant, taking in at least 60 milligrams of elemental iron each day, more if anemic or carrying multiples. It is nearly impossible to consume enough dietary iron while pregnant without eating excess calories. If iron upsets your already upset stomach, ask your doctor if you can safely delay taking iron supplements until after your morning sickness subsides, since the greatest demand for iron is in the second half of your pregnancy.

Another thing to consider is food safety. Here are food safety tips provided by the BBC:

Cook meat thoroughly and wash all fruit and vegetables before eating to avoid infection with toxoplasmosis, an organism that can affect your baby.

Avoid mould-ripened soft cheeses such as brie or camembert, and blue-veined cheeses such as stilton. All are associated with listeria, which can lead to premature birth and miscarriage. You should also avoid mould-ripened goat’s and sheep’s milk cheeses, such as chčvre.

Avoid pâté, for the same reason.

Make sure all ready-made foods are piping hot throughout before eating, as they are also a listeria risk.

Drink only pasteurized milk, which has had harmful germs destroyed.

Only eat eggs if they’re hard-boiled or scrambled, to avoid salmonella infection.

Don’t eat liver and liver products while pregnant, as they contain high levels of vitamin A, which can be harmful to your baby.

Avoid eating shark, swordfish and marlin, and limit tuna to no more than two tuna steaks a week or four medium-size cans of tuna a week. This is because of the levels of mercury in these fish. High levels of mercury can harm a baby’s developing nervous system.

You already know that you need to wear sunscreen, but you need to be extremely careful with the sun and your kids. Sunscreen is mandatory at my house as me and my daughter are both fair skinned and burn easily. Here are Dr. Sears tips for treating babies who have had too much sun:

Thin baby skin and summer sun do not mix. If baby’s skin is pink or lightly red and baby doesn’t seem to be uncomfortable, treatment isn’t usually warranted. Using aloe or a non petroleum-based moisturizer is always a good idea after sun exposure. In more serious sunburns, try the following treatments:

• If baby’s skin is very red and baby is crying and seems uncomfortable, immerse sunburned area in cool water, or use a cool compress for fifteen minutes, at least four times a day.
• Apply aloe or a non-petroleum-based moisturizer multiple times a day.
• Click here to read our burns article and learn how tell the different degrees of burns as well as more suggestions on burn treatments. If you think baby has a second-degree burn, and baby’s skin is blistering, call your doctor for a prescription cream and/or appointment.
• Give baby Ibuprofen to reduce inflammation and ease pain.

Burned skin is extremely sensitive to becoming permanently discolored by the sun. Once the burn is healed, you should apply sunscreen or cover the area with clothing or a hat. Continue this extra sun protection for 6 months.

Toddlers or older children sunburned? Here’s what to do:

• Remove your child from the sun at the first sign of over-exposure. Cover his skin with loose-fitting layers of cotton clothing if you are unable to find shade, or when he must return to the sun.

• Run a cool bath for your child to ease the pain and draw some heat out of the skin. While a shower may be the most practical solution, the spray of the water can be painful on the raw, tight skin of a sunburn. Soaking in a cool bath with colloidal oatmeal or baking soda added to it can be very soothing.

• Apply wet cloths or wrap your child in a wet towel, sheet or shirt, if you don’t have ready access to a bathtub. When you are at the beach it may be hard to find a tub, but water and towels are in abundance.

• Keep children hydrated. A sunburn is often accompanied by nausea and a headache, both of which are caused by the dehydrating nature of a sunburn. Make sure that children are drinking enough fluids or indulging in ice pops to replace fluids. Providing a cool and quiet place to rest can also help alleviate headaches and queasiness.

• Put calamine lotion or talcum powder on the affected area to help absorb some of the heat.

• Use a lotion or moisturizer that contains aloe vera after the sunburn cools down a little. The lotion will not only soften the sunburned skin, but aloe is also a natural healing product that reduces swelling and pain. For extremely painful sunburns, purchase and use a lotion that also contains a topical anesthetic.

• Give your child a children’s over-the-counter pain reliever, using the dosing instructions on the package, to help with the worst of the pain.

• Cover small blisters only if they will be compressed or rubbed by the child’s clothing. Use a loose gauze bandage but don’t apply ointment or cream underneath.

• Report your child’s sunburn at his next visit with the pediatrician. Even if it wasn’t severe enough to treat, it’s important that the doctor has a record of sun exposure significant enough to cause cell damage. It will give the pediatrician a head’s up to keep an eye out for any new and unusual skin lesions.

Sources: webmd, sunburn info: Dr Sears, eHow

You know how irritating and painful insect bites can be to you, so just imagine how your baby feels when they’ve been bitten! Bug bites are generally no big deal, but you do need to be aware of how to treat them and what to watch for in case of an allergic reaction in your baby.

Prevention:

Most commercial insect repellents that are marketed as safe to use on babies and young children will do a decent job of keeping mosquitoes away. (Note that repellents are not recommended for use on babies younger than 2 months.) Dress your baby in light-colored clothing that covers as much of his skin as possible when he’s going to be outdoors. Avoid bright colors and flowery prints. Once you baby is walking, make sure he or she wears shoes outside. Do not use scented lotions or soaps on your baby if you know you’ll be taking them outside. Avoid playing near still, standing water (mosquito heaven!) and high grass and flower gardens. Keep your food covered to keep the bugs from wanting to hang around. At home, make sure all of your window screens are free of holes. If you have a young infant, you can buy mosquito netting to use over their playpen outside. If you have pets, keep them flea free.

Some children are allergic to insect bites or stings, and in rare cases these allergies can be fatal. If your baby has any of the following symptoms after he’s bitten, call an ambulance:

• wheezing or trouble breathing

• vomiting

• hives or a rash on other areas of his body

• sleepiness or confusion, possibly indicating shock

• rapid heartbeat

• swelling of his lips or throat

While waiting for medical help, lay your baby down with the stung body part below the level of his heart, if possible. Try to keep him calm and cover him with a blanket.

A shot of epinephrine can stop a severe allergic reaction before the child’s throat closes or he passes out.

Talk with the doctor about your baby’s allergy. Together you’ll want to develop an action plan to follow in the event of a reaction. And you’ll need to make sure that everyone who is ever in charge of caring for your child understands the plan fully.

When your baby gets older, the doctor may recommend that you carry an epinephrine auto-injector (such as an EpiPen or Twinject), which he can prescribe and show you how to use it in case of a reaction. These devices look like magic markers and automatically administer the right dose of epinephrine to stop an allergic reaction. They’re designed for people weighing at least 33 pounds.

It’s also a good idea to have your child wear a medical-alert bracelet, so that if he’s bitten or stung his caregivers will know that it’s a medical emergency.

If there’s a stinger, remove it by scraping it out with your fingernail or a credit card. (Pulling it out with your fingers or tweezers could squeeze more of the venom into your baby’s body.)

Wash the area thoroughly with soap and water. You can help relieve any swelling or itching by applying an ice pack, calamine lotion, or a paste made from baking soda and water.

If your baby seems very uncomfortable, ask his doctor about giving him the appropriate dose of acetaminophen or ibuprofen. Never give your child aspirin, which can cause a rare but potentially fatal condition called Reye’s syndrome.

image:  iparenting

medical info: babycenter

Being pregnant is not easy, and being sick and pregnant is downright miserable. Before you were expecting, you probably never gave a second thought to downing some NyQuil when you had a cold or popping a few Tylenol whenever you had a headache. Now, you’re not so sure what medications you can take. Everything that passes through your bloodstream also passes through your baby’s blood stream so some medications are absolutely off limits because they can harm your baby.

Here are trusted pediatrician Dr. Sears do’s and don’ts for taking medication while pregnant:

• Do take the medicine in the exact dosage and for the length of time your doctor recommends. Taking more is not better, and it is often worse.

• Don’t take a lower dose than your doctor prescribes without consulting your doctor. The lower dose may do you no good, yet baby may still get the effects of the drug.

• Don’t read the PDR (Physician’s Desk Reference). The information in the PDR about drugs during pregnancy is there to protect the manufacturer rather than to inform the consumer. The warnings are needlessly scary and are often based upon research in which huge doses of a drug are given to experimental animals; the research may have little application to humans.

• Don’t take medicines, even over-the-counter ones, without consulting with your doctor.

• Don’t take over-the-counter remedies that contain several drugs unless advised by your doctor (e.g., cold remedies may contain mixtures of antihistamines, decongestants, aspirin, etc.).

• Don’t panic if you’ve taken a drug that you later read may be unsafe. Odds are greatly on your baby’s side that no harm was done.

• Do compromise. While some medications pose some risks to baby, a sick mom is not good for baby either. For example, if your nasal passages are so clogged you can’t breathe, a one-time dose of a decongestant spray, such as AfrinR, has been shown not to have any harmful effects on the fetuses that were studied.

• Do think about the effect of the drug on your baby. Because your baby’s liver and kidneys are immature, he cannot eliminate the drug as you can, so the drug may stay in baby’s system longer and at a higher level.

• Don’t use medicines if you are trying to conceive, especially in the first month. The first month of fetal organ development is a high-risk period for the effects of drugs. The “flu” you’re experiencing may turn out to be early-pregnancy nausea.

• If you are already taking physician-approved medications while pregnant, check with your doctor before taking an additional drug. Also, when your doctor gives you a prescription for a new medication, be sure to tell him or her about any other medications you are taking. Certain drugs may be safe if taken individually, but not be safe if taken in combination with others.

Image: parent24

Part of being a parent is being prepared for the worst. When you have a baby, it’s even more critical that you are always prepared for an emergency because babies are much more fragile than older children.

Keeping a well-stocked first-aid kit, kept within easy reach, is a necessity in every home. Having supplies gathered ahead of time will help you handle an emergency at a moment’s notice. You should keep one first-aid kit in your home and one in each car. Also be sure to bring a first-aid kit on family vacations.

Choose containers for your kits that are roomy, durable, easy to carry and simple to open. Plastic tackle boxes or containers for storing art supplies are ideal, since they’re lightweight, have handles and offer a lot of space.

The most important items in your family’s first-aid kit may actually be names and numbers. Securely tape, glue, or sew the following contact information inside your kit:

• Your family doctor or pediatrician and your local children’s hospital.

• The American Association of Poison Control Centers’ national emergency hotline: (800) 222-1222.

• Your local police, fire and rescue squad.

• Your two closest neighbors (in case you need immediate assistance, such as childcare for an older sibling or a ride to the hospital). You’ll also want to post these on the refrigerator for your immediate use and for babysitters.

Here are your first-aid kit must-haves:

• Infant and/or child thermometers (both digital and ear or rectal) and petroleum jelly to lubricate rectal thermometers.

• Children’s and infants’ non-aspirin liquid pain reliever (acetaminophen), as recommended by your pediatrician.

• Topical calamine lotion or hydrocortisone cream (1/2 percent) for insect bites and rashes.

• Rubbing alcohol to clean thermometers, tweezers and scissors.

• An antiseptic skin cleaner, such as Hibiclens (don’t use hydrogen peroxide, which causes tissue damage).

• Antibacterial cream, also for cuts and scrapes.

• Tweezers for removing splinters and ticks and a pair of sharp scissors.

• Child-safe sunscreen lotion and child-safe insect repellent.

• Pediatrician-approved children’s-strength liquid decongestant.

• Nasal aspirator bulb

• An assortment of adhesive bandage strips in various sizes and shapes

• Gauze rolls (1/2 to 2 inches wide) and gauze pads (2 by 2 and 4 by 4 inches), and adhesive tape.

• Sterile cotton balls and cotton-tipped swabs.

• Mild liquid soap (most antibacterial and deodorant soaps are too strong for babies’ sensitive skin).

• An oral syringe or calibrated cup or spoon for administering medicines to infants and children.

• A package of tongue depressors for checking sore throats.

• A hot-water bottle and an ice pack.

• A small flashlight to check ears, nose, throat and eyes.

• First-aid manual; Janet Zand’s Parent’s Guide to Medical Emergencies gives advice for handling a wide range of emergencies.

So, now that your first aid kit is ready, you need to brush up on your infant CPR and choking procedures. If you have not taken a class on infant CPR, you MUST. It’s vitally important that you SEE infant CPR demonstrated. The following clips are helpful, but are not to be substitutes for taking the actual classes:

Image: soredcross.org

First-aid info: babycenter, kidshealth

If your kids are spending the summer in various activities outside of the house, chances are you’re packing them lunches.  You may be caving to the pressure to buy pre-packaged convenience foods but the truth is:  they aren’t healthy and they’re a waste of money.  Here are my suggestions for lunches on the go for the summer and during the school year.

Ditch the soda:  It’s way overpriced and kids shouldn’t be drinking it anyway (or adults either!).  Buy a cool refillable water bottle.  Buy the individual powdered water flavorings.  Most of them have almost no calories and they are a great way to get kids to drink water.  Plus, kids will love opening the tiny package and pouring it in to the bottle themselves.

Keep it all cold with an ice pack:   Nobody likes warm lunch meat.  Get an insulated bag that fits an ice pack.

Dip it:  You know all those dipping sauces you get at the Drive-Thru?  Save them!  Throw them in the lunch bag with veggie sticks.  What a great way to entice kids to eat veggies!  You can also save your fast food condiments so that kids can spread them on their sandwiches at lunchtime!

No ordinary sandwich:  Use a whole grain tortilla, lettuce wraps, a pita…the possibilities are endless!  You can even use cookie cutters to turn a plain and boring sandwich into something fun!

Sweet treats:  Don’t load up the lunch bag with cookies and candy.  Try dried fruit or homemade granola.  It’s okay to indulge now and then, but a homemade chocolate chip cookie is always going to be more wholesome and healthy than anything made by a magic elf in a tree.

Be a copycat:  You know those boxes of individually sliced cheese, meat and crackers that your kid throws a fit for every time you go to the store?  They’re way expensive considering the amount of food you get.  Make your own!  Do you own slicing and carefully package it all together and you’ll not just make your kid happy, you’ll save money.

Another must have food item among children today is drinkable yogurt.  Again, the cost is sky high!  You can buy a small yogurt and throw it in the blender with enough milk to make it thin and smooth and serve it in your own cool container.  You can even freeze it in ice cube trays, add some toothpicks for handles, and make it into frozen yogurt pops!

You may be thinking “My kid wants what he sees on commercials and whatever his friends have.”, but I think you will quickly find that children really do appreciate the extra care you provide when you prepare their lunches yourself.

Images: oprah.com, missoulian.com

Find at Smarter.com:  Shop through a variety of affordable lunch boxes.