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For San Diego Moms and Moms-To-Be

Do you have a Dad Bod? Well…Get Strong!

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Kids, a job, a mortgage, tons of bills to pay and your wife says…”what happened to your body?” Like many men, back in college we were in great shape, ripped up, playing football, baseball, basketball etc. You could drink a 12 pack of beer and be burning it off as you were drinking it. Those were the days right?  Then like a brick wall it hits you in the face – RESPONSIBILITIES! Now your a husband, father and wage earner and the time you used to spend exercising is far and few in between.

This is why Dr. Travis Jewett has created Dad Strong, a simple program for busy guys like him. The cool part about this is that it gets your kids involved too. The program takes just a few minutes a day. Dr Jwewtt says, “I think that many parents make the assumption that teachers and coaches who run their kids’ teams and programs are paying attention to whether the children are moving correctly. While I admire the work these people do, often they’re oblivious to that part of it. So I wanted to educate parents about how to move safely so they could not only improve their own performance but also help their kids move well.” 

One thing to remember is proper nutrition plays a huge factor. It is very important to learn how to cook real food. You and your wife may both be working parents, with 4 kids, all in different activities, but it’s a good thing to make an effort to sit down at the table together with good, nutritious food. You and your wife should be splitting the cooking duties. There is no need to spend all of your money on supplements but you can get everything you need from real food.

If your worried about your Dad bod, and don’t want your kids to develop one at an early age, get in the gym, in the garage…anyway you  can get your heart rate up for at a minimum of 30 minutes a day…do it! It’s never too early to get your kids involved either.

To read more go to theinertia.com. 

 

SD Moms Podcast: Tired Mamas!

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Steph and Amber are radio hosts on San Diego’s #1 for New Country KSON and bloggers here on MYSDMOMS.com.

Each week they meet to vent about what’s been going on in their lives as moms and invite you to vent along with them!

Amber and Steph had planned on writing a short synopsis of this podcast…but they were just too tired.

Tips to Overcome Fear of the Dark

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Being afraid of the dark seems to be instilled in us at birth. It is a normal, very common part of development for children. It’s said that 30% of all children have sleep problems because of it. That results in behavior problems, mood issues and trouble concentrating at school. It is really important that we talk to our children without playing into their fears. Here are some ideas on how to do that.

It’s necessary to discuss the fear. Be sure to listen carefully to what your child is saying. There may be a trigger there to help you identify what’s causing it. Perhaps a fairy tale before bed or commonly something that happened at school But don’t be surprised if the fear won’t make much sense at all.

There is also the possibility of frightening images. There may be something that they saw earlier in the day and that may be replaying in their heads throughout their day. It could have been an image in a book, a video game or a cartoon. One never knows what a child is going to find frightening.

Don’t be afraid to let your child sleep with the light on. In time this will go away. You can use soft lights and different colored lights to gradually ween them off of sleeping with the light on. If this is going to help them get a good night’s sleep, there’s nothing wrong with it – It’s not forever.

One of the most important things you can do as a parent to help your child end this cycle is to stick with a bedtime routine. Also soothing music works well and try to stay away from letting them use electronics right before bed. Read a calming happy book together before bed. Positive images as they’re drifting off to sleep are invaluable. Let them play with the family pet before bed to create happy images.

For more ideas on how to combat the night time fear of the dark, read at sandiegofamily.com.

Of course if your child’s nighttime anxiety worsens, consult your family physician.

How Sick Is Too Sick To Go To School?

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The words any parent doesn’t want to hear – “Mommy I don’t feel good.” Oh great now your perfectly planned schedule of juggling a career, grocery shopping, maybe a lunch date with a friend just got thrown out the window because the first thing you think of is “She’s going to have to stay home from school”, which means you will have to stay home from work. But then you think…Hmm…maybe she’s not sick enough to stay home from school? That is the million dollar question.

On the one hand, she’s always got something dripping out of her nose and sniffling. If we kept them home for every time we wiped their nose, they’d never go to school. On the other hand, we for sure don’t want to make them possibly get sicker – or make other kids sick. Calling your child’s pediatrician for advice can never hurt, but also remember most schools have guidelines to follow.

First and foremost Fevers are a HUGE no no. If your child has a fever they do not go to school…period. A fever is any temperature of 100.4 Fahrenheit or greater. Your child will need to be fever-free for a minimum of 24-hours before she can return to school. Please do yourself a favor and DON’T PUMP THEM FULL OF TYLENOL to mask the fever and then send them to school. You’re risking making your child much more sick and infecting the rest of the school.

A small intermediate cough or sniffle usually isn’t enough to keep them home, but if it’s a bad cough and the mucus is thick, messy and gross…it’s best to keep them home for the day and see how they do.
The dreaded throwing up and, or diarrhea. Just talking about this one makes me feel stomach sick. This is an immediate stay home puke free for at least 24 hrs. after the last episode, not from the first time they threw up. Make sure everyone at home washes their hands really well, as stomach bugs tend to be extremely contagious.

Another reason to keep them home no questions asked is head lice. You will have to give the school a call as well so they can ANONYMOUSLY alert the other parents. Anyone can get head lice…don’t be embarrassed. The cleanest person in the world can get lice simply by having contact with someone else who had it. Just get the appropriate shampoo and comb and everything will be find. They can return to school when lice and nit free. Also remember to bad all stuffed animals, pillow cases, blankets and use recommended sprays to clean them. Great….now my head itches.

Just try to use common sense and remember that you know your child best. Ultimately, you get to make the decision. Your pediatrician will be there to guide you if needed.

You can read more at huffingtonpost.com.

 

Helping Kids Build A Relationship With Food Is Better Than Bribery

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Getting kids to eat vegetables is a task that no parent looks forward to. There are the rare few children that actually like them, but that’s pretty far and few in between. So what can we do as parents short of forcing vegetables down their throats?

Some parents hide veggies in parts of meals that the child is more prone to eat, such as mashed potatoes or pizza. The most common, stricter approach is refusing to let them leave the table until their plates are clear. That one is usually a losing battle for everyone. One method that has become particularly common and popular is bribing the kids with money. Some parents go as far as creating bank accounts to deposit the child’s bribery money in. The problem with these methods is they usually don’t last. Eventually they are stopped for whatever reason and the child goes back to not eating veggies. Also the child ends up expecting monetary compensation for everything they do.

So what can you do instead? First and foremost, start early. Vegetables also must be offered frequently and try not to pressure the child. Try really hard not to get discouraged by the inevitable “no” because there will probably be one, or two…or three. Parents can lose hope after offering the same vegetables between three and five times, but, in reality, toddlers in particular might need up to 15 exposures.

You also need to let your children experience the food with all of their senses. Don’t “hide” vegetables and don’t care if they hold them with their hands, squeeze them and mush them. Let them build a positive relationship with the food. Reward systems are great in some cases, but in the long run…this will pay off much better. Most importantly is DON’T GIVE UP – be consistent and it WILL pay off.

Read more at cnn.com

 

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