Do you want to learn how to promote good nutrition and healthy eating at home? Check out the following healthy eating guides and more from Nationwide Children’s Hospital!
What topics are covered?
The guides include information on food groups, portion sizes, how to read food labels to better understand ingredients, how to save money at the store, and tips for shopping in your local grocery store. All resources are available in English and Spanish. To get started, check out the following resources:
According to the Greater Good Science Center at Berkeley University of California, mindfulness is the practice of “maintaining a moment-by-moment awareness of your thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, and the surrounding environment through a gentle, nurturing lens.”
When practiced, mindfulness techniques can relieve stress, decrease blood pressure, and regulate your breathing. Mindfulness techniques also provide opportunities for children and adults to practice self-control, compassion, kindness, and emotional regulation.
Mindfulness Guide
To help families learn about mindfulness, the New York Times created an online guide for families. The guide explains mindfulness and provides strategies for infants, toddlers, young children, older children, and teenagers. Additional resources are also provided. To learn more, view the guide!
Additional Resources
To learn more about mindfulness, view the resources listed below:
Every person has their own preferences when it comes to physical touch, and that includes young children. While touch is a fundamental need for babies and toddlers, it is important to teach children that they are allowed to set boundaries and have the self-confidence to stick to them. This helps them advocate for themselves and plays an important role in teaching them how to identify and get away from inappropriate or dangerous interactions with adults or others.
Your child may not be comfortable hugging a person they do not know (even if that person is a family member), or they may have moments where they do not want to be tickled or touched. While it can be difficult to hear your child say that they do not want to hug or touch at that time, caregivers should not assume that a child is comfortable with an interaction or demand that they participate in that interaction. By asking for consent, caregivers help their children identify and vocalize their boundaries. These skills not only help them in the present moment but also benefit them long-term.
Resources
If you are interested in learning more about the benefits of teaching your child about boundaries and strategies to support, check out the following resources:
The COVID-19 pandemic has been challenging for children and adults alike. While it can seem impossible to juggle both your needs and your family’s everyday needs, make sure to prioritize your well-being as a parent or caregiver. This will not only benefit your health and wellbeing but will also benefit your family.
About
To help families identify ways to prioritize self-care, Child Mind Institute created the resource, “Self-Care in the Time of Coronavirus.” The resource explores strategies families can incorporate, including setting boundaries, prioritizing healthy choices, reconnecting with things you enjoy, and more.
Family Infant Oral Health Televisit, University of Pittsburgh
Are you interested in keeping your child cavity-free during the pandemic? Schedule a free Virtual Oral Health Visit for tips on toothbrushing for young children and getting your child dental care.
About
This research study involves meeting one-on-one with mom and Pediatric Dentist, Jr. Jacqueline Burgette, D.M.D., Ph.D., for a televisit on Zoom to receive information on Infant Oral Health, a brief Oral Health Consultation, and support coordinating care for dental needs.
For more information and to schedule a televisit, email at jacqueline@pitt.edu.
News
January 21, 2021
Through the Eyes of a Child, Harvard Medicine
About
Direct and indirect exposure to racism and discrimination during early childhood can have lifelong impacts on a child’s development, physical health, and general wellbeing.
In “Through the Eyes of a Child,” Elizabeth Gehrman explores these topics and more, including: racial trauma; the difference between positive, tolerable, and toxic stress; lifelong impacts on health; trauma-informed care; and more.
Featured Quotes
“We do surveys with Black youth here in Pittsburgh, and kids ages 10 to 15 are reporting that people have been racist toward them. By tenth grade, about fifty percent of them have encountered racial discrimination.” – James Huguley, Interim Director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Center on Race and Social Problems
“The general public belief is that early experiences don’t have lasting impacts until kids get older. But now we know that even very young kids are affected. Biology makes it clear: The body doesn’t forget. Early experiences both positive and negative literally shape the architecture of the developing brain and other biological systems from the beginning.” – Julius B. Richmond FAMRI Professor of Child Health and Development at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and Harvard Graduate School of Education
“Part of the work of becoming an adult is learning how to modulate the fear response and move toward safety. But when the sense of threat never goes away, and you’re in a chronic state of seeking safety, that short circuits higher-order functions.” – Alisha Moreland, Director of Trauma-Informed Treatment, Consultation, and Outreach at McLean Hospital’s Center of Excellence in Depression and Anxiety Disorders
“No child can survive significant adversity by pulling themselves up by the bootstraps. But whether it’s a parent, a childcare or health care provider, a neighbor, or a teacher, just one person can confer the protective effect, bringing the stress system back to baseline by providing caring support.” – James Huguley, Interim Director of the University of Pittsburgh’s Center on Race and Social Problems
In addition to teaching exercises, physical education teaches children vocabulary words such as muscle, pulse, and endurance to help them better understand their bodies. To help your child better understand healthy activities, check out this resource from PlaygroundEquipment.com! For extra fun, try making and decorating vocabulary flashcards to practice at home!
Child Care Emergency Plan, Child Care Aware of America
About
Child Care Aware of America reported that 38 percent of parents were unsure of their child care provider’s emergency plan, with another 7 percent stating that their program doesn’t have one. To ensure your child’s safety, Child Care Aware recommends that caregivers be proactive by asking their child care provider these 10 questions.
Recommended Questions
Do you have an emergency preparedness plan for disasters that are likely to occur in our area?
How will you safely evacuate my child to a safe, predetermined location?
How and when will I be notified if a disaster occurs when my child is in child care?
If I can’t get to my child during or after a disaster, how will you continue to care for my child?
Have you and your staff received training on how to respond to my child’s physical and emotional needs during and after a disaster; for example, are all staff first aid and CPR-certified?
Will you teach my older child what to do in an emergency?
Do you have a disaster/supply kit with enough items to meet my child’s needs for at least 72 hours?
Do the state and local emergency management agencies and responders know about your child care program and where it is located?
How may I help you during and after a disaster?
After a disaster occurs, how will I be notified about your plan to reopen?
“If a child is preoccupied with fears or anxiety, or is dealing with considerable stress, no matter how intellectually gifted that child might be, his or her learning is going to be impaired by that kind of emotional interference.”
“When we talk about healthy development in the early years, and particularly when we talk about preparing children to succeed at school, we cannot separate cognitive development from social and emotional development. You can’t have one without the other.”
“Excessive prolonged stress early in life is associated with a higher prevalence later, not only of learning problems and behavioral difficulties but also physical and mental health problems.”
The Brain Architects Podcast, Center on the Developing Child
About
Launched in January 2020 by the Center on Child Development at Harvard University, The Brain Architects Podcast explores common questions that parents and caregivers have during the early periods of their child’s life. The podcast brings together experts and practitioners from pediatrics, social services, education, and other fields of study to help guide caregivers in improving the lives of their young children.
