When your baby or toddler becomes mobile, you probably find yourself worrying about what kind of dangers your child will find in your home. You don’t want to go overboard and keep your baby in a bubble, but there are some precautions you’ll need to take. Looking for a happy medium? Check out Huffington Post’s Bubble Wrapped Babies.
Every parents wants their child to be healthy and physically fit, but it can be hard to get your little one to exercise when they don’t want to or there is not a lot of spare time in your day. Why not try to sneak in a little fitness with some of these tips? These great ideas include hitting the playground, walking instead of driving, washing the car and planting a garden.
Last week, the nation was horrified to learn that a little boy in New York, who was walking home alone for the first time, had been brutally murdered by the very person he’d stopped to ask for directions. The little boy was almost nine years old. This led to many discussions about how old kids should be when they are allowed to walk in public alone. What do you think? Was the little boy too young to be alone or was he just the victim of unfortunate circumstances?
By Debbi Miller Gutierrez
A recent study conducted by Ohio State-Temple University researchers found that 20% of America’s four-year olds are not only overweight, but obese. Though a great deal of this can be laid at the feet of poor diets, lack of exercise is also a prime culprit. Over the past few decades, more and more U.S. children and teens are drifting toward weight gain through a sedentary lifestyle. With many schools either reducing or eliminating their physical education programs due to impossibly tight budgets, parents are beginning to ask themselves: What can I do to get my child to exercise? Below are five simple suggestions:
1. Nifty Fifties’ Fad: The Hula Hoop
This inexpensive toy can get your children up and moving. Watch them wiggle and wriggle their hips trying to keep the hula hoop spinning. Set up daily or weekly goals as to the number of times they can spin the hoop without stopping or how many hula hoops they can spin at once. Reward them with gold stars, trips to the library, or one hour of TV a day. Better yet, challenge them to a contest. Children love to outdo their parents and will work hard to show you up.
2. Try a Trampoline
Investing in a child-safe trampoline can be well worth the money when you see your child rushing outside to fling themselves willy-nilly on their own trampoline. In no time at all, they’ll be bouncing back to health!
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3. Dance, Dance, Dance!
With the success of TV shows like “So You Think You Can Dance” and “Dancing with the Stars”, children can see first-hand what fun dancing can be. You don’t need to fly your kids all over the country for auditions. Just put on a CD and have them put on a dancing show for you. Or buy an inexpensive dance exercise video, or rent one from Netflix or On Demand, and away they go!
4. The Wonderful World of Wii
If your child is a video game addict, a Wii Fit might be just the ticket. With activities from snowboarding to cheerleading, your kids can be running, jumping, swinging bats, kicking, and punching their way to fitness. Even Jillian Michaels, the exercise guru from TV’s “The Biggest Loser”, has a Wii exercise game out that the whole family can use together.
5. Good Old Walking!
Walking is one of the best ways to get your child exercising. It’s free, natural, and helps families bond. Add your dog into the mix and everybody benefits.
Getting your children to exercise can have even more health benefits than weight management, stress reduction, good muscle development, and mental stimulation; it just might get their parents off the couch too!
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