Plastic baby bottles and water bottles are safe, a federal health official said Tuesday, seeking to ease public concerns about the health hazards of a chemical used in the products.
The National Toxicology Program said in a recent draft report that there is "some concern" that bisphenol A can cause changes in behavior and the brain, as well as reduce survival and birthweight in fetuses. It drew its conclusions from animal studies.
Toys 'R' Us announced today that it will phase out bottles and other "baby feeding products" containing BPA by the end of the year. Wal-Mart last week said that it will stop selling baby bottles made with BPA by early next year.
Stanford University pediatrician Alan Greene, author of Raising Baby Green, encourages parents to reduce their children's exposure to BPA. "I wouldn't use it for my children," says Greene, a father of four.
Greene says parents can avoid BPA by choosing glass bottles or shunning plastics labeled with a number 7 recycling code. Some bottles, such as BornFree, Medela and Adiri, are now marketed as BPA-free. Greene notes that BPA is found in a number of products, including the linings of formula cans. Because BPA may be less likely to leach into dry products, powdered formula could be a safer choice than liquid, he says.
Throw away the markers for labeling your kids' sippy cups. We have better and cuter options for you. A while back we featured Baby Labels on BBA. Now, here's another way to label your kids' sippy cups.
BumpyName Orbit Labels are a great solution for labeling bottles, sippy cups, snack containers and other drink containers. I haven't used them yet, but I've heard a lot of great things about them from other moms. They are no
n-adhesive, so you can use them to tag different items, but if you want to keep them on the same cups and containers all the time, they are also dishwasher and microwave safe.
$12.95 will get you four custom labels and you can get a four pack of two-line custom labels for just $1 more. The two-line labels are also great to list a food allergy below the child's name as a reminder to child care providers.
Researchers examined the eating habits of 5,390 pairs of twins between 8 and 11 years old and found children’s aversions to trying new foods are mostly inherited. The message to parents: It’s not your cooking, it’s your genes. According to the report, 78 percent is genetic and the other 22 percent environmental.
Check out these strategies for getting a picky child to try new foods, collected from child nutrition experts.
My favorite is to adapt dishes to child-friendly shapes and sizes. I think that has been one of our most successful ways to get Jack to eat things he would not touch otherwise.
More on picky eaters tomorrow...
You may want to skip over the high chair when you are registering. Instead, check out the infant to toddler feeding seat from The First Years. It's much more compact, it's portable and it grows with your child, so instead of buying a high chair and a booster seat (and later storing both in the attic), you can just get the smaller feeding seat from the get-go.
We went the route of the high chair and booster seat and it worked for us the way our kitchen and dining room were set up, but I can easily see how skipping the high chair altogether could be a better option for some. What do you think?
Melissa needs some ideas on our forum and I'm sure the feedback will help all of us when we host kid-friendly parties.
She says... "My husband's coworkers are always hosting what I like to call "driveway" parties, and expect everyone (even those with little ones) to attend. The problem is that the parties are never kid friendly. They've planned another party, so I would like to provide some kid-friendly foods for the toddlers to enjoy. I mean, do they really expect a two year old to eat ribs and stuffed jalapenos? Does anyone have suggestions for great party food for toddlers? Also, any ideas for keeping them entertained and out of the street would be appreciated."
Help Melissa out on her post! Feel free to reply as a guest or register for our Baby Blog Addict forum to offer other suggestions or seek advice from other parents.
Check out mykidseatfree.com to find out which restaurants in your city offer Kids Eat Free specials. Search your state and city here.
Here's another sneaky recipe for picky eaters. This one is for pumpkin pancakes. According to wikipedia, pumpkin is botanically a fruit, referring to a plant part which grows from a flower; however, it is widely regarded as a vegetable in culinary terms, referring to how it is eaten.
1/2 cup canned 100% pure pumpkin
2 large eggs
2 tablespoons canola oil
1 cup milk
2 cups all purpose baking mix (Jiffy or Bisquick)
1 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
1. In a bowl, mix together the baking mix, sugar and pumpkin pie spice.
2. In another bowl, mix together the pumpkin, eggs, oil and milk.
3. Add flour mixture all at once. Stir just until blended.
4. Coat a griddle/skillet with a spray of canola oil. Pour 1/4 cup batter for each pancake.
5. Over medium high heat, cook pancakes until golden brown, turning to cook second sides when pancakes have a bubbly surfaces and slightly dry edges.
*On our forum, shedrick suggests adding wheat germ to anything with flour or baking mix such as cookies, pancakes or muffins, since it's an excellent source of vitamin E and folic acid.
Yield: 10 pancakes.
See our other Picky Eater posts: V8 Splash, Triple-Stuffed Potatoes, Chocolate Pudding, Blueberry Muffins.
Some kids refuse to be fed by you (they want to be independent), while others refuse to feed themselves.
On our forum, txthompsons asks for help...
"My son just turned one and absolutely refuses to put anything in his mouth--including food. I mean, he's never put toys in, things he finds on the floor--nothing. I need some advice on what I can do to get him to eat by himself. He does pick the food up, but he looks me dead in the eye and throws it on the floor, which I give him a big NO for doing. Things I've tried include...putting food in front of him every 45 minutes thinking he would eventually eat, putting food in his hand and guiding it to mouth, giving him things I normally wouldn't (like sweet snacks) to entice him. All result in screaming. Anyone have this issue?"
Any advice or tips for txthompson? Share it on our forum.
Shannon has posted some great recipe suggestions (to get healthy food into picky eaters) on our forum. Here's a nutritious recipe from her for Blueberry Muffins.
1 3/4 cup all purpose baking mix or self rising flour
1/4 cup wheat germ
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg
1 cup blueberries
3/4 cup milk
Heat oven 375˚. Mix to good wet consistency. Use ice cream scoop to scoop into muffin pan (sprayed with nonstick spray or lined). Cook 12-15 mintues until brown.
Blueberries are loaded with antioxidants such as vitamins E & C. Wheat germ is an excellent Source of Vitamin E and Folic Acid.
To get some other great tips or share some of your own ideas, check out our forum thread on Picky Eaters.
See our other Picky Eater posts: V8 Splash, Triple-Stuffed Potatoes, Chocolate Pudding, Pumpkin Pancakes.
A couple of days ago, I gave you the recipe for Triple Stuffed Potatoes from The Sneaky Chef cookbook. Now for dessert. How about Store-Bought Chocolate Pudding with Green Juice (yep, that's spinach)?
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Make-Ahead Recipe #5: Green Juice
3 cups raw baby spinach leaves (or 2 cups frozen chopped spinach, or frozen chopped collard greens)
1 cup water
If using raw spinach, thoroughly wash it, even if package says "prewashed." Bring spinach or collards and water to boil in a medium pot. Turn heat to low and allow to simmer for 10 minutes.
Pour into a fine mesh strainer over a container or bowl, pressing the green "pulp" with the back of a spoon until all the liquid is released.
The liquid released makes about 1 cup of Green juice. Double the recipe if you want to store another cup of juice. Store in refrigerator up to 3 days, or freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers.
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Chocolate Pudding
1 Tablespoon Green Juice (see make-ahead recipe above) per 1/4 cup of chocolate pudding
Store-bought Chocolate Pudding (pre-made in containers or from a box)
This looks very strange at first, but keep mixing and the green will completely disappear into the brown color of the pudding.
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Result: Jack ate the chocolate pudding (rich in vitamins A, K, C, manganese, folate and iron) with no problem! He loves pudding and obviously could not tell the difference. I can honestly say that I didn't taste the spinach in it either. Although it is a little hard to swallow when you know there is spinach juice in your chocolate pudding.
To share your own ideas or ask for advice, check out the Picky Eaters section on our forum.
See our other Picky Eater posts: V8 Splash, Triple-Stuffed Potatoes, Blueberry Muffins, Pumpkin Pancakes.
Recently on the The Today Show, I saw a chef who was preparing some recipes from her cookbook titled The Sneaky Chef. Missy Chase Lapine hides healthy foods in kids' favorite meals. I was so excited to buy the cookbook, but when I actually flipped through it, I realized that these recipes are great if your kids actually eat mac n' cheese, pizza, hamburgers, spaghetti. But, like I said, Jack is VERY picky. He doesn't eat any of that!
I tried a couple of recipes (including the Triple-Stuffed Potatoes below) that I thought had the best chance of success and other than making a huge mess in my kitchen, I would have to say that it was fairly successful. I'm going to continue experimenting with more as he starts to eat the things that all kids like...mac n' cheese for one.
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Make-Ahead Recipe #4: White Puree
2 cups cauliflower, cut into florets
2 small to medium zucchini, peeled and rough chopped
1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice
1-2 tablespoons water, if necessary
Steam cauliflower in a vegetable steamer over 2 inches of water, using a tightly-covered pot, for about 10 to 12 minutes until very tender. Alternatively, place cauliflower in a microwave-safe bowl, cover with water, and microwave on high for 8 to 10 minutes until very tender.
While waiting for the cauliflower to finish steaming, start to pulse the raw peeled zucchini with the lemon juice only (no water at this point). Drain the cooked cauliflower. Working in batches if necessary, add it to the pulsed zucchini in the bowl of the food processor with one tablespoon of water. Puree on high until smooth. Stop occasionally and push contents from the top to the bottom. If necessary, use the second tablespoon of water to make a smooth (but not wet) puree.
Makes about 2 cups of puree. Double recipe if you want to store even more, which can be done in the refrigerator for up to 3 days, or freeze 1/4 cup portions in sealed plastic bags or small plastic containers.
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Triple-Stuffed Potatoes
3 large russet potatoes, scrubbed
1/4 to 1/2 cup White Puree (see make-ahead recipe above)
3/4 cup grated low-fat cheddar cheese, divided
2 tablespoons butter
2 tablespoons low-fat sour cream
1/2 teaspoon salt
Optional extra boost: mix in 1/2 cup chopped broccoli or peas
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Prick potatoes several times with a fork and place them directly on oven rack. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes until tender. Remove potatoes from the oven and set aside until cool enough to handle. Turn oven to high broil.
Cut potatoes in half lengthwise and carefully scoop out the flesh into a mixing bowl, leaving some potato in the skin to keep sheels intact. Mash potatoes lightly with a fork, adding the White Puree, 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese, butter, sour cream and salt. Refill the shells with the potato mixture, mounding slightly. Divide the remaining 1/2 cup of cheddar among the potatoes and top each potato half with aobut 1 tablespoon of the grated cheddar. Place on a cookie sheet and broil, about 6 inches from the heat, for 8 to 10 minutes until bubbly brown. Serve immediately.
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Here are my results. Jack will sometimes eat baked potato with cheese, so I figured he might like these. He didn't eat them for dinner that night, but I'm not giving up. I thought it was delicious! If I would not have known what was in it, I would have thought it was just a regular potato.
TIP: I scooped the leftover white puree into an ice tray (2 cubes=1/4 cup), covered it with saran wrap and put it in the freezer. When it was frozen, I removed the cubes from the tray and put them in a freezer bag for use later. Now, I can just pull out what I need for the next recipe that uses the white puree.
Stay tuned for Store-Bought Chocolate Pudding with Green Juice (yep, that's spinach) in it.
See our other Picky Eater posts: V8 Splash, Chocolate Pudding, Blueberry Muffins, Pumpkin Pancakes.
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