Hitting

Q.:Now that the children are outdoors more, I notice that my child is hitting other children. I tell her we don’t hit and that it hurts, but it hasn’t stopped her. What’s next?


A.:Children learn conflict resolution the same way they learn to eat, talk, or dress. They need practice and a facilitator – the adult. Children up to the age of four don’t know how to solve problems so they may hit or bite, especially if they are tired, hungry, or over stimulated. Children need to know what to do rather than what not to do.

Be descriptive, give your child appropriate choices, and use positive language when you see her hit. “Suzy, I saw you hit Jimmy. Use words to solve your problem. You could say, ‘Jimmy, I had the ball. Please give it back, or Jimmy, if you want the ball, please ask me for it.’ Which do you want to say to Jimmy?” Notice all the words are positive, she has a choice of what to say, and she has the opportunity to practice a new behavior. Before going on the next adventure, remind her how to handle problems. “Remember to use your words when you have a problem, and if you can’t solve it with words, please ask for help.”

Children learn by example, so be sure that you never hit your child. Keep your child away from aggressive and over stimulating situations including those viewed on a screen. With practice, your child will become a peace keeper.

Transitioning to Preschool

Question:My child has never been to school before. How to I prepare him for his first preschool experience.


Answer:
Your child should have an opportunity to visit the school before his first day. If possible, take pictures of your child at the school and the teachers. You can put these photos in a small album that your child can look through whenever he wishes. The school should have some type of orientation for new children. There are as many ways to do this as there are schools. Some children come for a one-on-one visit, some schools have a day for new children, some schools phase new children in over several days. Ask your child’s school what their process is.

Ask your child’s teacher what your child can expect on the first day. You can share that with your child. Use positive statements when talking to your child and keep it simple. “You teacher is Miss Sally. She said you will sing songs, have snack, and play outside. You’ll meet some new children. It will be a great adventure.” Avoid statements that plant negative seeds such as, “Don’t worry. I’ll come back.” Let your child know when school will begin about a week before. Young children can often relate to “sleeps.” Five more sleeps until you go to school. Be sure your child has a good night of sleep before school. If you have to wake your child, he’s not receiving enough sleep. Let your child know that you will not be staying with him but that you will come back at pick up time.

It is best if your child can leave you rather than you leave the child. If a school has “drop off” service, use it. Make your good- bye short, a quick hug, kiss, and cheery “Good-bye.” You may want to give your child a picture of you or the family to keep with him. If your child is crying when you leave, be sure to be a few minutes early for pick up to avoid the chance that he may be the last one picked up.

Give your child about two weeks to adjust to the new routine. Always be cheery and upbeat about school.

the Trouble with Cereal

A study from Yale University shows that there are 19 brands of cereals that are marketed directly to children through the Internet and television. Yale researchers also found that the most heavily advertised brands are also the least healthy. Cereals that target children have 85% more sugar, 65% less fiber, and 60% more sodium than cereals for adults. Many of the child-targeted cereal also have artificial food dyes.

With one third of American children overweight or obese, unhealthy cereals targeted at children are a concern.

The ten worst cereals of the most heavily advertised brands:

Cinnamon Toast Crunch
Honey Nut Cheerios
Lucky Charms
Cocoa Puffs
Trix
Frosted Flakes
Fruity or Cocoa Pebbles
Reese’s Puffs
Corn Pops
Froot Loops

Froot Loops is 41% sugar. Let’s go back to whole, fresh foods for breakfast ditch the sugar!

The threat of Plastic

Americans, especially our children, are under siege. The U.S. produces or imports 42 billion pounds of industrial chemicals per day. Those chemicals find their way from products into to the environment and eventually in living things. The CDC has found traces of 212 environmental chemicals in Americans. This includes toxic metals like arsenic and cadmium, pesticides, flame retardants, and rocket fuel (perchlorate).

Our health and our children’s future are threatened by the potentially serious impact on our health by even small amounts of toxins like bisphenol A (BPA) and phthalates, which are key ingredients in modern plastics. They may disrupt the endocrine system leading to developmental problems. Rising rates of obesity, diabetes autism, attention-hyperactivity disorder could have chemical connections. There is an understanding emerging that children are highly susceptible to environmental hazards.

Why are children more susceptible than adults?

1. Children ages 1 through 5 eat three to four times more per unit of body weight than the average adult.
2. Infants and children drink more than 2½ times as much water as adults on a percentage-of-body weight basis.
3. A resting infant’s air intake is twice that of an adult, and a baby’s surface-to-volume ratio of skin to weight is 2 ½ times greater per unit of body mass compared to that of an adult.

This means that children have an exposure to environmental toxins at greater levels than adults.

The Toxic Substances Control Act (TSCA) has been a failure. The burden of proving chemicals dangerous falls almost entirely on the government while citizens and regulators are denied information about how substances are made and what their effects are because of industry confidentiality built into the TSCA. The Environmental Protection Agency has lacked the power to ban even a dangerous carcinogen like asbestos.

If we look at BPA, we see that it is a synthetic estrogen, and plastics with BPA can break down when they’re washed, heated, or stressed which allows the chemical to leach into food and water and then enter the body. BPA has been found in 93% of Americans over the age of six. Higher levels of phthalates have been linked to earlier breast development in girls which is a possible risk factor for breast cancer and are suspect in the rise of hypospadias (a deformity of the urethra in boys). A recent study by Shana Swan of the Center for Reproductive Epidemiology at the University of Rochester found that women that had higher levels of phthalates during pregnancy were more likely to have children with behavioral problems.

A fatal flaw in testing is that only one chemical in a body is tested at a time. The reality is that we encounter several chemicals in combination, which might react differently.

What can parents do to protect their children?

1. Use glass, ceramic, and stainless steel for storing food. It’s the safest way to protect against chemicals.
2. Never use or buy products (food, personal care, or cleaning items) in plastics number 3, 6, or 7. See description at end.
3. Plastics numbered 1, 2, 4 or 5 may be used for storage of food that contains no fat and is cold.
4. Never use plastic to reheat food and never reheat with plastic covers or plastic wrap.
5. Contact New Jersey Senator Frank Lautenberg and Illinois Representative Bobby Rush to express your support of their pending updates to the TSCA.

Let’s protect our children.

Plastic number 3 – PVC may contain phthalates which can pass into food, water, and cosmetics. The chemicals also can emit gas from curtains or pipes and can be breathed in.

Plastic number 6 – Polystyrene, a toxic chemical, leaks into contents and is not biodegradable.

Plastic number 7 – Polycarbonate can contain BPA which can leach into food and water.

Bibliography

Goode, Caron B. EdD. Raising Intuitive Children. New Jersey: New Page Books, 2009