Dayton Children’s Top 10 New Year’s Resolutions for Kids

Teach your children simple ways to make change

The New Year is already here and as your family gets ready to hit the ground running with school activities, work and busy schedules, you might have questions about how to fit in your New Year’s resolutions. The experts at Dayton Children’s offer their top ten New Year's resolutions for kids that can be easily accomplished. As parents, you should set realistic goals for your kids. Remember, small steps equal big results.

1. Eat healthier – try to eat five fruits and vegetables each day and drink no sugary drinks.
2. Get more active - spend less than two hours each day in front of the TV, computer or playing video games and get at least one hour of physical activity each day.
3. Take care of your teeth - brush your teeth twice a day. Tooth decay is the number one chronic childhood disease.
4. Be safe - make sure everybody in the car (including parents) is properly buckled in with a car seat, booster seat or seat belt.
5. Give back – help someone else in the community through volunteering, working with community groups or by joining a group that helps people in need.
6. Be kind - a smile and a kind word can go a long way. Tell your mom and dad, brothers and sisters or your friends that they are appreciated and loved. Be friendly to kids who don’t have any friends.
7. Try new things - find a sport (like basketball or soccer) or an activity (like playing tag, jumping rope, dancing or riding a bike) you like and try to do it a few times a week.
8. Protect yourself - never give out personal information such as your name, home address, school name or telephone number on the internet. Never send a picture of yourself to someone by cell phone, e-mail or the internet without your parent’s permission.
9. Lend a helping hand – pick up after yourself, put your toys away when you’re done playing with them and don’t leave your dirty clothes on the floor. Your parents are very busy and need a little help.
10. Express yourself - when you feel angry, frustrated or stressed out, take a break and find better ways to deal with these feelings, such as exercising, reading, writing in a journal or talking to your parents or a friend.

 It’s also important for parents to remember the following three things in order to provide love and support to their children all year long.

1. Talk less, listen more – children and teenagers will tune out needless words and explanations. However, every kid is different; learn how your child responds to you best. Ask open-ended questions so that you don’t get one word answers. Keep the conversation going by not interjecting your opinion immediately but rather ask them what they think first.
2. It’s not always about the QT – quality and quantity time with your children is very important. Put down the BlackBerry, turn off the TV and listen to your kids. Shorter periods of time spent each day is better than fewer longer periods of time. Talk to your kids at dinner, during car rides to school and activities or before bedtime.
3. Give praise and allow failure – give positive feedback to your kids for their efforts but remember constructive criticism is also very important in the development of your children. According to Gregory Ramey, PhD, child psychologist at Dayton Children’s, “Sometimes, failure may be the best option for your children. It teaches them personal responsibility, coping skills and persistence.”

“Remember, it’s not always about making a big change right away, but about the little steps you take to make the changes,” says Dr. Ramey.

“By teaching your children to do simple things to improve their health, become more active or learn to help others, you and your family can all be happier and healthier.”

 

Reach for the Red and Crimson Berry this Holiday Season

It’s time for holidays and there’s no better way to celebrate with your family and friends than cooking up something delicious and satisfying. This season consider serving your kids something that’s not only tasty but also colorful and healthy. The crimson fruit known as the cranberry is easy to spot and you can find it at your local grocer in the produce section, with the canned goods, in the freezer section, in the juice aisle, or even with the dried fruit. No matter which form you choose, your children and guests are sure to say yum while reaping the health benefits of the berry!

The tart red berry boasts as many ways to enjoy it as it does health benefits. This versatile berry adds pizzazz to most any dish- from entrées to baked good, relishes to stuffing- and can easily be added to many of your favorite traditional holiday offerings.

What’s so great about this native fruit? The research behind the berry is ongoing and there’s enough concrete evidence that this berry is one functional food that your family should not be without!

Fortify with Fruit!

Health professionals have long known that a diet rich in fruit and vegetables reduces the risk for chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease and stroke. According to the Cranberry Institute, this effect may result from the high antioxidant and polyphenol content of these foods. In comparison with other typically consumed fruits, the tart cranberry tops them all; the total antioxidant capacity of the cranberry exceeds that of the plum, highbush blueberry, blackberry, raspberry, red delicious apple, strawberry, red and green grapes.

In addition to being rich in vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants, cranberries contain proanthocyanidins, or PACs. These PACs help keep us healthy by providing “anti-adhesion” activity against various harmful bacteria. Because the germs can’t stick to the different organs of the body, they can’t multiple and leave the body. Therefore, you’re left with better health after eating cranberries.

Which form is best?

People enjoy cranberries in their raw form, baked form, boiled, dried, and juiced. But how you eat them doesn’t matter because no matter the form, cranberries still provide healthful benefits to you and your family.

What kind of benefits?

Naturally low in fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol, cranberries easily fit within the dietary guidelines as they are a nutrient dense choice; providing ample amounts of vitamins and minerals with relatively low amounts of calories.

Cranberries are recognized by the American Heart Association as “heart healthy” because they are low in fat while being rich in fiber, vitamin C, vitamin A, and potassium. Not only are cranberries a heart healthy choice, but the intake of cranberries can positively impact one’s overall health; from head to toe.

Cranberries have been shown to prevent cavities, fight off urinary tract infections, prevent stomach ulcers, and improve cholesterol levels. Because cranberries are so high in anti-oxidants, current research is looking into whether cranberries may be a key component in the fight against cancer.


As the seasons change and as you search for healthy dishes to serve in the upcoming months, don’t forget to include cranberries on the menu. For new dishes to enjoy this holiday season, check out http://www.uscranberries.com/, a site which contains a plethora of new and innovative recipes and can provide answers to all of your questions cranberries.

Meet Justice Thomas

Justice Thomas, 13, has suffered from hematemesis – an illness that causes her to throw up blood – since she was born, but her life has been drastically improved through her experiences and treatments provided by her local children’s hospital, The Children’s Medical Center of Dayton.

Justice Thomas and her family will travel to Washington, D.C. on June 18 and June 19 to speak with federal lawmakers about an issue of vital importance to them – the fate of children’s health care and the essential role that children’s hospitals play in the community.

The Thomas family will join patients and families from children’s hospitals across the country to advocate on behalf of their hospitals as part of the fourth annual National Association of Children’s Hospitals Family Advocacy Day.

Follow Justice and her family as they make this very important journey.