Weaning is most often referred as a transition period for the baby to stop breastfeeding and to get all his nutritional requirements in other sources other than the breast. The idea of weaning may mean a lot of questions and problems faced not only by a mother but also of the father and the child. For this reason, it is necessary for the mothers to prepare the weaning period. It will take a lot of time and patience to help the child adjust in the transition period. However, not everyone will have difficulty; some others will find weaning a natural process. Just like any other developments or milestones for both the baby and the parents, the experience will all be different for everybody.

Weaning is not exactly time-bounded but usually, experts recommend that it should start after about one to two years after you have breastfed your child. No matter what decision you make, do not be pressured by what others will tell you. As a mother, you are given that primal instinct to know the right time. Also, be forewarned that weaning should not be seen as a power struggle between you and your baby. Analyze the different factors that might come into play when you plan on weaning. There are times that it should be postponed for a little while or it should be temporarily halted because of some reasons. You need to be wary that adjusting to a sick baby, to your new role as a mother or to a major life event like a divorce or a new job means that weaning may be more difficult but then again, sooner or later, you’ll have to decide and that be your own personal decision.

To wean your child, do it in a manner that won’t be traumatic. Take it in strides and do not rush about getting the result right away. You can try a lot of methods that will surely help you in ensuring that your child will not suffer greatly during the time of weaning. Here are some tried-and-tested methods:

• Cut your breastfeeding time gradually. Instead of spending around ten minutes in one breast, you may want to cut it by a minute every single day. You may also opt to let your child nurse for around eight minutes; the remaining minutes would be compensated by other feedings like a bottle or cup of milk. Reduce nursing time every single day and compensate it just the same.
• Try to distract feedings. One good way to distract feeding is to reason out that you would have to help the sibling. This may apply to the older children but for the younger ones, you might have to postpone breastfeeding at specific times of the day.
• Skip a feeding and offer something else. For babies, try expressing milk from your breast and instead of breastfeeding, give the milk using a bottle. If this won’t apply, you may use formula milk.  For the older children, you may have to offer healthier snacks like applesauce and other breast milk alternatives.

Finally, bear in mind that weaning doesn’t mean that you are now going to lose that magical moment you share with your child. The intimacy will always be there as long you have established this while breastfeeding in the earlier stages. Weaning is about moving on and letting your child experience the joy and difficulties of nurturing from other sources and of exploring the world he is yet to conquer.

Children see their parents as their perfect examples. What parents do, kids will follow. This includes what they are eating. If their parents are vegetarians, then it is given that their children will adopt that kind of diet especially when the reason of their being vegan is due to their faith and cultural practices.

Eating pure fruits, vegetables, and other foods coming from plants surely has benefits. But it also has it bad side as well. We all know that children are still developing and they need all the nutrients to keep them healthy.

If you are a parent who is trying to ponder on feeding your child pure vegetarian diet, here are some of the information that will help you come up with a decision.

Pros of Vegetarianism in Children:

• Vegetables are rich in vitamins like A, C, and E. All these vitamins are needed by your children’s developing bodies. Vitamin A helps prevent vision problems and healthy skin, Vitamin C boosts the immune system specially needed by the child since his immune system is still not fully developed, and Vitamin E which helps promote good skin and healthy cardiovascular health.
• Fruits and vegetables contain phtyochemicals that help get rid of the unwanted chemicals of the body. When your child grows up without the harmful toxins on her body, you have the confidence that he will be healthier and have lesser chances of acquiring conditions such as cancer.
• Foods coming from plants do not contain bad cholesterol which makes your child at lesser risk to become obese. Obesity in children is not a good thing because it can make your child prone to have conditions like hypertension and diabetes at an early age.

Cons of Vegetarianism in Children:

• Although fruits and vegetables are very nutritious, still it lacks other important nutrients that your child’s young body needs. Vegetarians lack Vitamin B 12 which is needed for red blood cells production. The vitamin is abundantly found on meat sources.
• Iron is much needed by the body and it can be found best on meat sources like liver and other organ meats. Deficiency of iron in the body makes your prone to have anemia.
• Protein is needed by your child for proper body development. It can be found abundantly on meat sources as well.
• Your child will also be prone to have bouts of constipation when following a strict vegetarian diet because the intestinal tract also needs fats and oil to eliminate body waste effectively.

If you are considering to following a strict vegetarian diet for your child to follow, make sure to see her pediatrician first as they know what is best for your child’s health.

As adults, we often remind ourselves to drink at least eight glasses of water in a single day. And we often have difficulty trying to figure out how we may be able to meet such demand of our body. As for our toddlers and pre-schoolers, it is a totally different thing. Younger children need to drink around six eight glasses in a single day. The amount of fluid ingested would also have to depend on several other factors like activity, temperature and the size of your child.

Foremost, parents should be aware of what experts push for these days; that the choice of children should be water after cow’s milk or even breast milk. There are several benefits when the taste buds of our children get used to water. Apart from curbing obesity, children who often drink sugar-laden beverages associate their thirst with sweets. In turn, the child may suffer from an unhealthy sweet tooth. Additionally, water is an accessible drink and therefore, if your kid is used to it, he would not have any major problem. Moreover, fluid helps the body in eliminating waste; surely, you don’t want your child to suffer from the ill effects of not having a lot of fluid in the body such as constipation and urinary tract infection.

Thankfully, water and other beverages at home and at school are not the only ones that make up for the fluid consumed by your child as there are a lot of other sources like some foods. When you offer your child yogurt, macaroni, vegetables and fruits; these are considered water-rich foods. Rest assured that you already have given 1 – 1 ½ glass of water. Topping the list of popular sources of water include watermelon and carrots. Both choices can be served as healthy snacks without being too costly. Undeniably, their attractive colors may help you with convincing your child that these snacks are yummy. Other options you may want to check out are banana, peach, apple, and grapes. You may also introduce broccoli, cooked brown or white rice, oatmeal, wheat bread and sweet potato.

Also, there are tips that you can try to help your child drink more water.

• A special gift like a tumbler or any similar container might help your child drink more. You may let your kid use the container at school or even at home. Similarly, you may also want to purchase a special cup designed only for your child. It is also a good idea to serve the water in a mini-cup for him not to feel overwhelmed by the amount of water he will take.

• Straw and ice are powerful elements. Let your child drink water through a straw and spice up your water (especially during the summer) using ice. You may also want to flavor the water served by adding in a squeeze of lemon or any other favorite fruit.

• If water is at all impossible, you still have other choices, natural fruit juices are good choices.

Admittedly, if it is already difficult to force ourselves to hydrate our body, it also goes the same with our children. As parents, we have to overcome this problem of not being able to help our child drink lots of fluid. We just have to be a little resourceful and patient.

Just like food, beverages or drinks play a very important role in promoting health to the body especially to your children. These drinks should be healthy and be filled with electrolytes and sometimes vitamins and minerals to keep your child’s young body functioning well and with lesser chances of having diseases. Your child should have ample amount of beverages because it is like fuel to his body to keep up with all the daily activities that he needs to do during the day.

But sadly one of the main factors that can cause your child to be unhealthy is the beverages that he drinks. Beverages just like food can make your child sick too. There are a lot of beverages that can be harmful to your child’s health. Sodas and energy drinks are just few of the drinks that can bad effects to your child’s body because it contains high amount of ingredients that are not suited for him. Sodas for instance contain high amounts of sugar and frequently giving them high amounts of it can lead to become overweight or obese and much worse making them prone to have conditions like diabetes mellitus.

As with your food choices, you should serve your children beverages that are healthy. The following are some of the healthy beverages for children:

Milk

All of us need the nutrition that milk gives but most especially your children. It contains important nutrients like calcium which is much needed by children to enhance proper development of bones. Milk contains 300 milligrams of calcium and is one of the best sources of it. Milk also has important nutrients and fats that help in the proper functioning of the brain.

Fresh fruit juices

Juices are very healthy for your children especially when they are freshly squeezed. Fruits juices are good sources of important vitamins like Vitamin C needed to keep children’s immune system healthy. Fruit juices are also good for your child’s skin to look good and be free from impurities. It is also a good source of fiber needed to keep your child’s digestive system functioning well.

Water

Water is life and it is essential that children drink the recommended amount of water which is six to eight glasses a day. Water is very important because it helps transport nutrients and oxygen to all parts of the body. Water also plays a vital role in maintaining a normal temperature and keep your child energized needed to keep his day going. Water is sugar free and does not have any calories so you won’t have to worry on any bad effects to your child’s health.

It’s but Mother Nature’s fault – when babies were created, they were made to recognize and appreciate sweet taste over all other tastes and flavors. It’s no wonder all babies prefer mild to severely sweet stuff, and kids love it even more. Even as adults, we have those days when a good piece of sweet and comforting chocolate cake would make everything in the world better.

But let’s face it – there are two kinds of sweets: The kind that naturally exists in foods and the kind that you add to make something sweet. Added sugar is obviously a danger to young children. Sweet snacks and desserts have heaps of this stuff which adds on ridiculous amounts of calories to a child’s diet (more than what he or she actually needs) but doesn’t exactly offer any nutrients. According to surveys, toddlers consume as much as fourteen tablespoons of sugar in a day, and preschoolers take in about seventeen spoonfuls.

This sugar habit can easily be identified as a culprit behind childhood overweight and obesity. It is also a factor behind juvenile diabetes and medical conditions such as hypertension and other heart ailments. Empty calories from sweet snacks, drinks and desserts have been found to decrease a child’s ability to concentrate in school.  

If you think your child is getting too much sugar, it’s time to break the habit by following these tips:

1. Set boundaries. Going cold turkey may not be a good idea, especially when your child has been used to limitless access to sugary items in the house. Instead, set some rules on what and when they can eat sweet things. For example, you may impose a once-a-day rule on any sweet food item. For example: if your child insists on opening up and eating an entire chocolate bar during the day, remind him or her that he or she can’t have any ice cream after dinner once the chocolate’s been eaten. You should also set the limit on how much your child can eat. For instance, limit access to b
2. Read the content label of your child’s foods. Don’t believe everything you read on the front of the packet or carton. Even when products boast of only health-friendly nutrients, it is more important to scrutinize the ingredients and nutritional label at the back. This is especially true in the case of juice boxes, breakfast cereals and fruity snacks. Four grams is equivalent to about a teaspoon of sugar.
3.  Downplay the sugar. When your child eats a lot of sweet foods during the day, his or her appetite will just keep revving. When choosing snacks, go for low-sugar versions of her favorite cereals, yoghurt, milk and juice drinks. Be sure to compare content labels. 
4.  Dish out healthier sweet stuff. When your child asks for a sweet dessert and you want to give him or her one, don’t feel bad when you know you can’t offer cookies or ice cream. The craving can still be satisfied with healthier desserts like a cinnamon-sprinkled banana or apples dunked in yoghurt.

No parent likes their child going hungry, but what do you do when your little one has something in his or her mouth all day?

Many experts say that in order to ensure a child’s nutrition, parents should divide meals into five or more little but frequent ones instead of three main ones. That is because children eat better in smaller proportions and the frequent meals help to keep their energy constant. But when your child simply wants to keep munching and nibbling all day, it is time to draw the line.

All-day snacking is a bad idea, firstly because your child won’t be able to appreciate mealtime if he or she is full from snacks. It doesn’t matter if he or she snacks on wholesome, healthy foods – the child still won’t be able to regulate proper eating habits when snacking happens too frequently. In many families, mealtimes, especially dinner is a great way for the family to bond, and a young child won’t be able to participate in this if he or she is full, distracted or bored.

Another reason why all-day snacking is a bad idea is that the child may fail to develop the skill of determining real hunger from fullness. If allowed to spend too much time nibbling, young children may not be able to tell the difference between real hunger and simply hankering for goodies. This skill is crucial to your child’s nutrition, food preferences and eating habits now and all throughout life.

If your child is used to freedom to snacking anytime he or she feels like, it is time to set the habit right. Here are some tips to help your child develop a healthier attitude towards snacking:

1. Be structured. Follow a schedule, one that you see fit for your child’s age and activities. Little kids gain more when they are subjected to structure and routine. The best time to offer snacks are mid-morning, mid-afternoon, and sometimes at bedtime. If you are consistent with this schedule, your child’s hunger will become regulated and feeding him or her during main meals will become a breeze.
2.  Don’t say no. Parents may feel bad having to say no when a child asks for a snack that’s outside of the schedule. You don’t have to say, “no” to this request. When you know that your child just wants to nibble on something, remind him or her that snack-time is in an hour or so. If you aren’t sure if your child really is hungry, offer a piece of fruit.
3.  Commit to making nutritious snacks. Do not rely on juice boxes and empty calories for your child’s snacks. Understand that snack-time should be filling and nutritious. Make sure he or she gets enough fats and protein as well as good-quality carbs in his or her snacks so that he or she won’t feel the need to nibble more. 
4.  Rearrange your pantry. If your little one has access to junk food, he or she will keep snacking on them no matter what you say. Keep junk food out of sight, and leave healthy foods on display and at little arms’ reach. For example, applesauce, peanut butter, and baby carrots are fine to leave where your child can conveniently reach them, but cupcakes and potato chips are better off hidden and locked someplace else.

Children, especially when they reach the teenage years, go through a lot of changes physically and mentally. And because of these changes that are rapidly happening inside their body, and the amount of energy they spend all day playing and engaging in different activities, they compensate by eating a lot of food. You can sometimes notice that they eat more servings than you do. It is but normal to assume that it is completely safe for your growing kids to eat a lot – grabbing food and chips here and there, and never letting leftovers be leftovers for long. But there are times when eating too much are not really good for kids as they seem to be. If you observe that your child eats a considerably large serving of food, which after doing so, they become secretive or feel guilty about it, they might be suffering from an eating disorder which is very common in children – binge eating disorder.

What is Binge Eating Disorder?

Normal children and adults alike see food as something that goes along with every special occasion that they celebrate. Whether it is the holidays, anniversaries, weddings, or birthdays, there is always a certain type of food that the family and friends can share. And it is in these said occasions where people get the chance to eat more than their normal consumption of food. But this is not the case for children with binge eating disorders. Their perception of food is different because every time they eat, they feel like they have already eaten too much but they cannot control it. In addition, binge eaters also eat a lot even on normal days, and it happens two to three times a week, and it goes on for many months.

Inside the Mind of a Binge Eater

Children with binge eating disorder have a perception of food different from normal kids. During the first binging instances, the food they eat provides them with a comforting or calming feeling. But later on as the binge more in the coming days, these kids feel extremely distressed and guilty. Binging is defined as eating very large servings of food in a very fast manner, which makes children feel that they lose control of eating. But binge eating does not occur regularly, and they can be interchanged with a normal diet program.

Binge Eating Disorder Statistics

Based on existing medical records, children who are overweight or obese are the common patients suffering from binge eating disorder. But based on the same records, binge eating disorder can also affect children who are considered healthy as well. Unfortunately, there is not enough information as to the number of children who are suffering from binge eating disorder because this condition has just been recently studied and other children feel very embarrassed to even tell their parents and ask for help.

How to Help Children with Binge Eating Disorder

With proper medical attention and care, a child can be diagnosed of binge eating disorder and be treated properly. With the proper support from the family and psychological therapy, the cause of binge eating can be eradicated.

If there is one thing that unifies every person in this world, that is food. Regardless of culture, race, heritage, age and gender, everybody must eat. People eat to get the required nutrients, energy and sustenance that is necessary for life itself. Eating is one of life’s basic essentials and every living organism needs food to thrive. The food we eat, comes from various organic and inorganic sources, we eat meat from animal sources like cow, pig, fish, and chicken; we also benefit from plant sources such as rice, wheat, fruits and vegetables. Food is prepared depending on one’s lifestyle, diet and preference. Majority of the population are conventional eaters, eating anything from meat products, vegetables, and other commercially prepared food items. Some people prefer to eat vegetables, or items that come from plant sources only, these people are called vegetarians or vegans.

A vegan diet is exclusively composed of non-animal products. This diet is free from beef, pork, chicken, fish, milk, and other meat and dairy products. A full vegan only eats fruits, vegetables, nuts and grains, but there are other types of vegetarians aside from the one mentioned. Some vegans are partial vegans who avoid red meat only. There are those who can eat eggs called ovo-vegans, those who can consume milk and dairy products called lacto-vegans and those who can drink milk and eat eggs, called ovo-lacto-vegans. Being a vegetarian is a lifestyle practiced by several people, from old people, adults, children and even infants. For children living a vegan lifestyle, one might initially think that this diet is unhealthy. It is expected to be skeptical regarding the health benefits of such diet, but based on recent studies, a well-planned vegetarian or vegan diet can provide all the required nutrients, vitamins and minerals the child needs to become healthy. A vegetarian diet is also high in fiber as well as low in saturated fats and cholesterol making it healthier compared to the non-vegan one.

In order for a vegan diet to be healthy for the child, it must be well planned, and well thought of. Since the nature of this lifestyle is quite restrictive, specific areas and food components should be made available in the entire diet. The one preparing should always remember to include all these nutrients in the child’s vegetarian diet. For the child to grow and develop normally he needs sufficient amounts of calories found in all fruits and vegetables, he also needs Vitamin B12 and Vitamin D which can be found on fortified soy milk or meat substitutes. Iron rich foods are normally meat and organ products, for vegan children they can take supplements as well as iron fortified wheat and grain products in the form of cereals, rice, bread and pasta. Calcium can be found on several vegetables such as leafy greens, broccoli, sweet potatoes and soy beans. Protein which is important in building muscles and repairing tissues can also be found in plant sources like nuts, grains, legumes and seeds. Zinc an essential mineral which boosts the immune system is found on spinach, whole grains, legumes and brown rice.