Affordable Child Care - Closer Than You Think

Any parents living in New York with young children can tell you of the trials and tribulations of raising kids in the helter-skelter environment that is a hallmark of New York. As a parent, I can empathize with the feelings of being overwhelmed and being pulled in a million different directions at once. For a long time, I just lived with these feelings, resigned to the fact that hiring additional help was out of my reach.

However, I've recently been doing more research on the subject, and to my pleasant surprise, I've found that hiring a New York nanny is much easier-- and affordable -- than I had ever imagined that it would be. What I hadn't realized is that the types of childcare services available (and reachable within my budget) were a lot more expansive than I had initially thought. Services range from the very basic, such as babysitting by the hour, to the other extreme, an au pair, for example.

My family's needs fell somewhere in the middle, and we were able to find a New York nanny that met all of our requirements, without sending us through the roof in terms of fees. We found our nanny by doing a thorough search on the internet.

We compile a list of all local providers that offered the services that we were seeking, then we parse though our choices by doing our due diligence on each prospective provider. Though it was a laborious process, we're happy with the result, and having a little extra help--even though it we had never expected to have it-- is a huge burden lifted off our shoulders.

TeacherCare, Inc (http://teachercare.com/) offers information on getting a New York nanny. Billings Farnsworth is a freelance writer.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Billings_Farnsworth

Burn Fat Safely and successfully

Fat burning is normally a leading goal of herbal weight loss pills. The green tea diet is no diverse in that is not only urges but requires the use of simple exercises to be completed along with the consumption of the dietary supplements. Having a green tea diet is associated with several health benefits. One of the benefits is providing a potential cure for cancer.

Green Tea is an incredible, 100 percent all natural, chemical free way to weight loss as green tea greatly increases your metabolism and in addition to that also heightens your body’s natural fat burning processes.

A green tea diet increments metabolism and oxidizes fat, and that too without raising heart rates. There are numerous ways to help people on the way to losing weight and some of the most popular quick fixes are the use of fat burner supplements and pills. Fat burning stimulates the secretion of natural antioxidants in the body to counteract the injurious effects of free-radical oxidation caused by anaerobic stress.

Fat cannot be spot-reduced, that is, you cannot target definite areas on your body (like the accumulation areas) with an exercise or two that works those areas. Because green tea diet has an conquering outcome on insulin, green tea diet therefore aids keep sugar from being stored as fats and instead, send them directly into the muscles for immediate use. You need to unearth the perfect Green Tea dietary supplement which contains a large amount of EGCG which increases your metabolism and also your ability to burn fat through its antioxidant capabilities.

The resolution to take supplements is yours. Aside from burning calories and increasing metabolism, these diet supplements are also highly valued to lower down cholesterol levels in a person. Similarly, the antioxidants found in super green tea diet supplements restrain the production of insulin, the hormone that stores calories into fats. Green tea weight loss supplements are also full of anti-oxidants that cause an increase energy use in the body, thus burning more calories.

Having a green tea diet is associated with several health benefits. One of the remuneration is providing a potential cure for cancer. When you switch over to green tea, you get your caffeine, you’re all set, but you will deteriorate your insulin levels and body fat will fall very rapidly.

Improving Child Health

The time of abundant joys and big challenges, adolescence is generally accompanied by accessory bloom problems that affect the child's well-being. Close medical ascertainment is assuredly a must, but there are lots of things a ancestor could do to anticipate trouble. Some of the a lot of common adolescent angel are colds and flu; how can you accumulate it abroad from the family? In autumn, winter and spring, the physique is added apparent to the assailment of viruses; therefore, you charge to access the algid aeon with an adherent system.

Besides a diet affluent in vegetables and bake-apple that strengthen the child's allowed function, there are several herbs that plan wonders. For instance, instead of administrating vitamin C tablets to your child, you can alter them with agrarian rose abstract added in the tea. Or you can even adapt tea out of agrarian rose fruit; it has a top agreeable of amoebic vitamin C, appropriately preventing infections and allowance to the assimilation of calcium. In the aforementioned band of abundant herbs that addition the child's amnesty we cannot leave Echinacea out, since, it works bigger than any antibiotic, with an activity agnate to a vaccination.

In adjustment to abutment the child's advance and cartilage formation, abounding parents accord their young, calcium, beneath assorted forms. What a lot of humans don't perceive is that chemically candy calcium is added agonizingly alloyed by the system, arresting capital cellular enzymes in the process. Hence, it is awful appropriate to use amoebic mineral supplements such as ability calcium, which is an amoebic abstract from the carapace of sea creatures. Accumulate in perception that all calcium treatments crave vitamins C and D for the assimilation. Fish is an accomplished antecedent of vitamin D, not to acknowledgment that sun acknowledgment accelerates the process.

Yogesh is an internet hobbyist who loves to browse web and internet companies and loves to write about various companies and technologies. He is working for CLICS, CLICS is the Community Led Initiatives for Child health and Survival.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Yogesh_Kumar_Gautam

Raising an Emotionally Healthy Child

We spend a great deal of time as new parents making sure that we are up to date on the latest medical wonders and vaccines. We make sure that our little ones are at every physical, ensuring that they are reaching their milestones every step of the way. If our child is sick, we don't hesitate to call the doctor. There are medicines to help soothe the ache or pain, to help cure it or to even prevent it. Chances are your cabinet has at least two of the three in it right now. However, many parents don't have any information at all about what to do with their child's emotional health needs.

Parents need to allow their children to work through certain processes that are natural to one's emotional growth. These are situations parents can't or shouldn't keep from happening to a child but rather be there to help them process the situation and work through it. These things include when a child fights with his/her friends, being left out of a group, people being unfair, etc. These can be very difficult situations to deal with and to handle. It is through some of these tough situations we go through as young people that help to shape and build our character. Kids need the help of an adult to sort through their feelings and thoughts when situations get tough. If a parent is too self-absorbed (involved in a bad relationship, financial difficulties) during these critical times of need, a child is left on their own to navigate their way through the rough waters. It is through their immature and blurry navigation that a child's emotional growth can become "stunted," or to go along with our seaworthy example, "drown."

How can we keep our kids afloat -- not allowing them to get lost in life's rough situations but to come out learning something and having stronger character and self-confidence? I believe there are five key areas that help promote stable emotional growth which leads to a healthy pathway for processing and handling life's rough situations.

1.The first is to be in check with your child's "love tank." Is it full? Or is it empty? Are they running on fumes, hoping to coast through a situation without too many bumps in the road or any downhill runs where they may wind up speeding out of control? Do they have a full tank where it doesn't matter how hard the bump -- the shocks will absorb the impact or how steep the hill -- the trip is under control? As parents we need to make sure we know exactly what helps our child to feel loved-- not what makes us feel loved. As a counselor, I often have young children or even teenagers sit in my office and say, "I don't think my mom" or "I don't think my dad loves me -- really loves me." Upon discussing such a statement with the parents, I usually get answers like, "How can Sarah think that -- do you know all that she has? We buy her everything. We take her everywhere and let me tell you about her birthday parties." Funny thing is -- when I mention those things to "Sarah," I'm told she couldn't care less about those things. Sure they are nice, but at the end of the day, the cool cell phone doesn't ask her how she's doing or spend any real quality time with her. Sarah's love tank was almost on empty and she was having a really difficult time handling some of life's situations that were coming her way in jr. high. Mom and Dad -- find out how your child feels love. Chances are it is not the same way you do, so you may have to step out of your comfort zone to communicate with them.

2.The second area is to develop clearly defined boundaries in the family. Children need to be aware of their role in the family and what the parents' role is. Expectations need to be clearly stated and communicated as well as rewards and consequences. A child needs to know their place in their family without having surprises around every corner when the rules suddenly change. A child may say they hate rules (which I like to call boundaries) and they wish they could live with a family where there aren't any. That child may feel that way, for the moment, because there is probably something they are wanting to do, or something they are wanting to watch on tv, or some place they are wanting to go that their mom and dad has told them no. Truth is, boundaries, or rules, communicate love. They tell a child, "I love you enough to think about what is good for you and what isn't." The child who has boundaries may not be able to see it until they are older. The child who grows up without boundaries, or rules, sees it immediately. I have counseled many teenagers who, through tear-filled eyes, have said they just wanted mom or dad to lay down a rule or put up a boundary and say no for once. They constantly tested to see if anyone noticed or if anyone cared. The fact that their mom and dad let them do whatever, whenever, communicated to them that they were not worth protecting or that they were not truly loved. Many of these parents thought they were being "cool" and "a friend to their kid." First of all, your kids will have enough friends -- what they need is a parent, so be one. Second of all, it is sad that the one thing these parents thought they were communicating actually worked against them, leaving their child feeling like they weren't worth their parents' time.

3.The third area is once you have clearly defined boundaries in your home, consistently reinforce them. Those of us who work like to know exactly what our bosses expect from us and how they want things done. We wouldn't want to operate on those notions at our job only to have our boss walk in and tell us we did it all wrong and question what is wrong with us because the company decided to change the rules overnight and didn't send us the memo. We would probably feel a lot of emotions, one of them being anger and the other one being frustration. The same feelings can be felt by children in a home where the rules or boundaries are not consistent. Children don't like it either and they deserve to be told what is going on as well. If we have defined boundaries in the home, we need to be consistent with them so that our children know exactly what to expect, how to act, what brings a consequence their way, and what brings a reward. If we are changing these defining lines based on our mood as the parent or how awful our day was, that is not fair to our children. Having clearly defined boundaries that are consistently enforced spells fairness to your children. It provides stability for them. As they grow, life will at times seem so turbulent for them or bumpy-- knowing what to expect at home adds a sense of security to their lives. I told you that boundaries communicate "I love you enough to think about what is good for you and what isn't." The truth is, boundaries not only communicate that, but boundaries that are consistently enforced communicate "I also love you enough to take the time to enforce these boundaries with you and make sure you are protected."

4.The fourth area is allowing children to experience different emotions without telling them how they should or should not feel. Many parents ask their children when they see them after school has let out, "how was your day?" The child begins to open up and describes a scenario that happened that has certain emotions or feelings that accompany it. The parent jumps right in telling the child how they should feel or maybe even telling them that they were wrong to feel the way they did. The child immediately identifies in their mind that this is not a safe person to communicate with -- this person will judge me or condemn me. As a result, the scenario has been set up for a future of telling the parent that "nothing happened today -- just school stuff" and the majorly important things are left out. The parent loses out on really getting to know their child and being welcomed into "their world." We want our children to be safe -- we have alarms on our houses and we make sure that our doors are locked at night. We need to pay attention to their emotional safety as well. If you want your teenager to tell you things, then set the stage when that teenager is little and looking for whom he/she can trust. Watch your language with them, and I am not necessarily talking about using profanity (although that should not be used either). Make sure you are listening and offering advice only if asked. Don't make judgment statements either-- don't put them down for handling a situation a certain way or for experiencing a certain feeling. Letting a child work these things out while you provide stability by being there for them is very important.

5.This brings us to our fifth area. As the parents, we need to be watching the example of emotional health that we are leading. What messages are we sending about how to relate to others and situations we are going through? Our kids are always watching us. They imitate us. Our emotional stability is not a definite predictor of theirs, but there is a strong correlation between the two. If we were physically sick with a cold or something we would not want our kids to have, we would take necessary steps to protect them starting with getting ourselves well. If we want to make sure that some of our bad experiences or life worries do not taint our child's world, then we need to make sure that we break the cycle. I have many young ones who sit in my office talking about their anger, depression, feelings of inadequacy, and lack of self confidence; and then I meet mom who talks about her childhood, and all of a sudden I feel like de ja vu. Their stories sound so similar. Sometimes, mom even describes grandma as being the same way. Nobody stopped the cycle. There wasn't a good picture in the home of emotional health. The child began to own and exhibit the same features as his/her parents. Stop the cycle parents. Pay attention to your own emotional health. This is not to take away from heredity and people having emotional instability that may be resulting in some chemical imbalances. However, if you as the parent has this as well, get help. Be a good example to your child of someone taking care of themselves -- wanting to live the best life possible.

Do these five areas promise to make a wonder child -- a child who never has any issues or problems? Absolutely not. If you do keep these areas in check in your home, you will find that your child is better prepared to weather the storms of life they will face--having all of their stabilizers in check. You will be keeping their emotional health up front with their physical health
as being important. You are helping to prepare them for success -- not emotional disaster. If the storms get really rough and you feel the path is getting too dangerous, do what you would do if they were physically sick -- seek professional help. Do that at the first signs of danger -- not waiting until it is too late.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/parenting-articles/raising-an-emotionally-healthy-child-600100.html

Oral Health Tips for Your Child's Healthy Smile

According to the Center for Disease Control (CDC), tooth decay is one of the most common chronic infectious diseases among U.S. children. This is a preventable health problem that begins early. 28% of children aged 2–5 years have already had decay in their primary or baby teeth. By the time they reach 11 years of age, approximately half of children have experienced decay. By the age of 19, tooth decay in permanent teeth affects two-thirds or 68% of adolescents. Low-income children have twice as much untreated decay than children in families with higher incomes. Problems such as pain, dysfunction, underweight, and poor appearance can result greatly reducing a child's capacity to succeed in the educational environment.

A healthy smile is a good indication of a happy child. Oral health experts are all in agreement that developing healthy smiles in children should start in infancy. CDC experts have promoted a set of pediatric oral health tips that if followed will help to prevent any child from suffering the embarrassment of tooth decay.

Pediatric Oral Health Tips

Start early. As soon as the first tooth appears, start with wiping to clean it daily with a clean, damp cloth. When more teeth come in, switch to a small, soft toothbrush. You can start using toothpaste with fluoride when the child is 2 years old and if your doctor recommends it you can use toothpaste with fluoride even earlier. Do not let a child under the age of 6 use fluoride mouth rinse unless the child's doctor or dentist recommends it.

Check with your child's doctor or dentist about your child's specific fluoride needs. After age 2, most children get the right amount of fluoride to help prevent cavities if they drink water that contains fluoride and brush their teeth twice a day with a very small amount of toothpaste with fluoride. When the composition of the drinking water doest not have enough fluoride parents of children 6 months and older should ask about the need for a fluoride supplement.

It was known that fluoride is an important element for the fight against cavities. But for children younger than 6 years old, swallowing too much fluoride may be detrimental to his/her health. Fluoride can cause white spots to appear in the child's permanent teeth. Always advise your child to use only a small amount of toothpaste (approximately the size of a pea) and tell your child not to swallow but spit out the toothpaste and rinse thoroughly after brushing.

Supervision. Until your child has the ability to handle a toothbrush you should brush the teeth of your child two times daily. After that you should continue to keep a watchful eye to make sure the child is doing a thorough job and using only a small amount of toothpaste.

As a parent be a good role model to your child by practicing good oral health care habits. Visit the dentist regularly for cleanings and checkups.

Always watch for the signs of periodontal disease. Symptoms include bleeding gums, swollen and bright red gums or gums that are receding away from the teeth and bad breath.

Sedation Technique And Sedation Methods

If dentists or the dentist office causes your child anxiety or panic attacks you may consider using a sedation technique in order to relax him/her through the dental procedure.

Ask the doctor which method would be best to help relieve your child's stress level. There are different types of dental sedation method to choose from. Today there are four such methods used by sedation dentists. They are oral sedatives, nitrous oxide sedation, intravenous (IV) sedation and general anesthesia. All of these methods provide varying degrees of sedation.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/dental-care-articles/oral-health-tips-for-your-childs-healthy-smile-540302.html

Child-Specific Nutritional Guidelines For Healthy and Active Kids

Kids need calories, protein, fiber, and some sugar and some fats in appropriate portion sizes. It is best to avoid an overabundance of "bad fats" and "empty carbs". To help busy parents who may not have the time to plan sufficiently to ensure that the kids are getting the essential nutrients required every day, I offer the following as a starting point.

QUESTIONS

1. Who prepares the child's meals? A parent? The child? The grandparent? Other?

2. Does any adult know what or how much the child is eating? Is there a limit on what the child eats? Who makes this determination? How often does your child get "seconds" at meals?

3. How many times per week does your child watch TV while eating a meal?

4. How many meals per week does the whole family sit down at the table together?

5. How many servings of vegetables and fruits does your child eat daily?

6. How many times a week does your child eat out? Eat home?

7. Does your child wake up on the middle of the night to eat?

8. What type of activities does the family do for fun?

9. Are there any issues related to your child's food habits or diet that you are concerned about?

TIPS

1. Monitor your child's weight regularly. Ask the doctor what weight and gaining patterns would be healthiest for your child.

2. Offer your child water, skim or 1% milk and diet beverages only. (applies to 4 years old and up)

3. Limit juice intake to no more than 4 oz per day.

4. Include at least 5 servings of vegetables and fruits daily into your child's meal and snacking plan.

5. Eat at home more often.

6. Eat family meals together WITHOUT WATCHING TV.

7. Increase your child 's physical activity to 60 minutes a day while decreasing "screen time" e.g. computers, videos, TV, handheld games to LESS THAN 2 HOURS PER DAY.

8. If your child eats in reaction to emotional triggers such as boredom, anxiety, stress, loneliness, you may wish to address these issues with solutions that DO NOT include food.

PORTIONS

1. If you are not in full control and knowledge of how much your child is eating, keep a food diary for 1 week to record the portions your child is currently eating. During this week, measure the portions as you prepare the food and write it down. If other measuring methods don't fit or make sense, then actually count the french fries or snack pieces.

2. Away from home you may consider sharing portions between children or taking home half of the serving. Avoid supersize meals. Share desserts.

3. Use smaller plates and bowls at home to help control portions.

4. Create or purchase "100 calorie" snack packs.

UNDERSTANDING SERVING SIZES BY USING YOUR HAND

1. A fist or cupped hand = 1 cup

1 serving = 1/2 cup ceral, cooked pasta or rice
1 serving = 1 cup of raw, leafy green veggies
1 serving = 1/2 cup of cooked or raw chopped vegetables or fruits

2. A Thump TIP = 1 Teaspoon (the nail area of your thumb)

Measure servings of fats such as butter, peanut butter, and mayo with your thumb tip to keep serving size to a minimum.
3 teaspoons = 1 tablespoon

3. A Thumb = 1 oz of cheese

1.5 oz of low-fat cheese counts as 1 of the 2 - 3 daily recommended servings for dairy.
Measure by using your whole thumb down to the base.

4. Palm = 3 oz of meat

2 servings or 6 oz of lean meat (poulty, fish, shellfish, beef) should be part of a daily diet for adults and most older children.
One palm size portion = about 3 oz or 1 serving for your smaller child.

5. Handful = 1 to 2 oz of snack food such as nuts, trail mix, dried fruit

PORTIONS BY FOOD GROUP

1. PROTEIN

3 oz meat is about the size and thickness of a deck of playing cards.
2 tablespoons of peanut butter is about the size of a golf ball
1 oz nuts is about 1 handful

2. VEGETABLES

1 cup of mashed potatoes or broccoli is about the size of your fist

3. FRUIT

A medium size apple is about the size of a tennis ball

4. DAIRY

1 oz cheese is about the size of 4 stacked dice.
1/2 cup of ice cream is about the size of a tennis ball

5. GRAINS

A 4" pancake is about the size of a CD.
1/2 cup of cooked rice or pasta is about the size of an ice cream scooper

6. FATS

1 teaspoon of butter is about the size of the tip of your thumb.

YOUR CHILD'S PLATE SHOULD BE:

25% protein
25% whole grains
15% fruit
35% vegetables
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/childspecific-nutritional-guidelines-for-healthy-and-active-kids-581012.html

The Prevalence Of Child Obesity

Child obesity has quickly become a major problem in America, the degree to which may not even be fully realized at this point. To consider all the aspects of obesity, a systems approach is necessary in identifying all factors involved. From this perspective, a more encompassing view of the prevalence of child obesity can be observed.

Statistics show that the prevalence of child obesity has dramatically increased in America with a rate that is triple of that 30 years ago. This very disturbing trend needs serious and immediate attention. Recent information provided by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention indicate that 17 percent of children between the ages of two and nineteen are severely overweight. Actual numbers are expected to be much higher as regularly conducted surveys indicate people tend to provide incorrect information concerning their weight and height. The Harvard School of Public Health also indicates that the prevalence of child obesity in the U.S. has been grossly underestimated and is of proportions that are rapidly spinning out of control.

Child obesity can be attributed to several factors. A child's eating habits, physical activity level, hormones, genetics and environmental considerations are all involved in the picture of child obesity. Obesity involves both physical and emotional problems. While medical risks for diabetes among others are well known, these children typically suffer from low self-esteem and social isolation from peers, which has equally devastating effects on child development.

The prevalence of diabetes in society is no longer considered just an eating problem, but now a lifestyle concern involving not just the child, but also the whole family. Parents of overweight children are often not aware of the risks of obesity and unwittingly contribute to an environment and attitudes that foster obesity. Some child health advocates go to the lengths of considering the allowance of child obesity as serious child abuse as parents are largely responsible for children's diets.

Children that are overweight need to be involved in more and regular physical activities while being less involved in sedentary functions such as watching television. Parents should take an active role in providing healthy eating choices and limiting or eliminating unhealthy snacking foods from the home. Enrolling children in after school clubs and activities, sporting teams and summer camp activities is one way to increase their activity level. This will also help them in gaining self-confidence and in socializing with other children. Just as diet has to be controlled by the parents at home, a child's physical activity level needs to be actively monitored by parents as well.

Children rely on their parents for their well-being, and obesity puts a child's well-being at risk. Taking steps to prevent obesity as well as to rehabilitate an obese child is important. Not addressing a child's obesity can put them at serious risk.
Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/health-articles/the-prevalence-of-child-obesity-92749.html