NPR: Can Your Saliva Prevent Allergies in Your Child?

I was pretty astonished listening to NPR’s Morning Edition. The story was: “Parents’ Saliva On Pacifiers Could Ward Off Baby’s Allergies.”

Can spit really be good for your baby? It may, shows a small study of Swedish babies in the Journal of Pediatrics.

A new study in Sweden has shown that sucking, yes – by parents!, could be the most beneficial way to clean your baby’s dirty pacifier.

They explain that “microbiomes” describe the collection of bacteria that live in and on our bodies. A child’s exposure to microbes early in life can affect their health because it influences their “microbiome.”

Parents who clean their child’s pacifier by sucking on them changes their child’s microbiomes. The study shows that children were significantly less likely to have allergies if their parents cleaned the pacifier this way.

This is true not only for allergies, but asthma and eczema as well – both caused by allergic reactions.

The study followed how parents cleaned their child’s pacifier when it fell out of their mouth. Did they rinse with water, boil them, suck them, etc.? Apparently sucking it and giving it back is a common way to clean a paci.

There was a significant difference between kids whose parents used this method of cleaning to those who didn’t. Overall, “scientists think that when parents suck their child’s pacifier clean, they transfer some of the harmless bacteria in their mouths to their child.”

These bacterias can stimulate a child’s immune system and teaches their body not to overreact to common allergens like peanuts, pollen, and cats.

The question: Are kids today growing up too clean? Not that every parent wants to suck on a paci that just dropped on the ground, but exposing your child to some bacteria may be just fine.

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day ~ Easy Chicken Stir Fry

Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution Day is on May 17th! He is doing some amazing things with his Food Revolution Foundation. Check out his page, get involved, and take a stand for healthy food!!

I made this video in support of Food Revolution Day 2013! I invited Private Chef, Jennel Tiller, to bring you an easy chicken stir fry dish. Jennel is an incredible chef, she cooks on super yachts and for high profile clients, but in this video she shows you how quickly you can throw together a healthy family meal.

This dish is quick, easy, and very healthy! See below for the recipe.

Healthy Parents = Healthy Kids, it starts with YOU!

Not only is a healthy balanced diet essential for proper development but it’s an absolute must for your child  to be able to function properly. A poor diet will affect your child’s behavior so take a good look and know what you’re feeding your child. Teach them how to make healthy choices. Habits are formed easily, so start them at a young age and be a good role model.

Here are some really important and interesting facts from Jamie Oliver’s Website.

Easy Chicken Stir Fry Recipe:

Serves 4-6 people

Marinade:

½ cup soy sauce

1 cup teriyaki sauce

1 cup rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp sesame oil

½ cup water

1oz toasted white sesame seeds

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1 tbsp ginger,minced

Whisk all of the ingredients in a bowl, separate a ½ cup of marinade and reserve for finishing the dish.

Ingredients:

4 chicken breasts thinly sliced (can substitute thighs or a mixture of both)

1 tbsp garlic, minced

1 tbsp ginger, minced

1 cup shitake mushrooms, sliced

¼ cup scallions, thinly sliced

1 ½ cup carrots, julienned

1 cup purple cabbage, sliced thinly

1 ½ cup sugar snap peas, halved on an angle

1 ½ cup broccoli rabe, stalks trimmed, and cut into bite sized pieces

¼ cup of water

2 tbsp olive oil divided

• Garnish w/ chopped cilantro and roasted peanuts

Directions:

1. Place cut chicken in marinade,  coat well and let sit while preparing the rest of the dish.  Set aside the reserved marinade.
2. Bring a large pot of water to boil.  While waiting for the water to boil, heat a large frying pan with one tbsp. of olive oil over medium high heat.
3. Add garlic and ginger to the pan and sauté until softened.
4. Add the scallions and carrots, sauté.  Add ¼ cup of water to help steam vegetables in the pan, cook off the water.  Turn off the heat.  By now your water should be boiling.  Add the peas and boil for 3 minutes (keep their crunch)  Using a vegetable skimmer, remove the peas from the pot, letting as much water drain as possible and add to the frying pan of vegetables.  Do the same with the broccoli rabe.  Mix well and place vegetables in a large mixing bowl.  Set aside while cooking the chicken.
5. Reheat the fry pan over medium high heat with one tbsp. olive oil.  Add the marinated chicken.  Sauté,  browning the chicken, until cooked through.  Add the chicken to the vegetables.  Add the reserved marinade to taste.  Serve over cooked brown or white rice and garnish with cilantro and peanuts if desired.

See more from Jennel Tiller at: JennelTiller.com.

Enjoy!

With love,

Emma x

As Earth Month Comes to a Close…

April is Earth Month and as it comes to a close, I wanted to share some final thoughts.

Did you know Earth Day, April 22nd, began in 1970? It began as a “teach-in,” modeled after the civil rights and anti-war movements. As parents, we are our children’s first teachers. The world we live in is what we are leaving to them, so it is our responsibility to teach them how to care for, preserve, and love our earth.

While today’s children are more more “eco-friendly” and educated on the importance of being “green” and environmentally sound, Earth Month is yet another opportunity to reinforce why we take steps like recycling, turning out lights, and not letting the tap run, etc.

The Nature Conservancy is an excellent resource and a leading conservation organization that works around the world to protect ecologically important lands and waters for nature and people. If ever you want to donate your time or money, join them. You can adopt an acre, adopt a coral reef, plant a tree – and they have so many other ways to sustain our environment.

The Nature Conservancy’s theme for the month of April is ‘sustainability and food sources.’ They offer interactive activities, such as pinning your picnic on a virtual map and uploading photos of your family enjoying the time outdoors.

Not everyone will have a chance to participate in the event, but it’s the time of year where planting a garden – whether you have a large yard space or a small window pot – will help teach your children where food comes from. A child of any age will benefit from getting their hands dirty in the garden!

Great things to plant this time of year include: string beans, tomatoes, a variety of squash & many others depending on your region. As you plant, talk to your kids about the Earth and what your garden needs to grow – soil, sun, water, and love.

You can even turn it into a science activity for the older ones. Have them measure the growth of your plants, keep a progress chart and observation log. As younger gardeners may be a little more impatient, they can draw pictures of what their plants may look like or read a book about gardening. This may satisfy their minds before they’re able to enjoy the fruits of their labor.

I absolutely adore Stacy Torino’s book ‘Project Garden.’ Her Web site, Stacy Grows, also has tons of family activities and projects for garden time fun! I actually found this book at Whole Foods.

Some other excellent gardening books for kids:

• Oh Say Can You Seed? All About Flowering Plants by Bonnie Worth

• From the Garden A Counting Book about Growing Food by Michael Dahl

• The Vegetables We Eat by Gail Gibbons

• I Can Save the Earth! One Little Monster Learns to Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle by Alison Inches

• The Earth and I by Frank Asch

Are You Afraid of Saying “No”?

One of the things that most surprised me when I moved to the States was how rarely I heard parents say “no.”

“No” is a powerful tool. It’s best paired with a concise, simple explanation: “No, you can’t touch the oven, it’s hot and it could burn you.” “No, you mustn’t hit your brother, because that hurts his body.” Doing this helps establish that your rules aren’t arbitrary.

“No” doesn’t have to be angry, and children shouldn’t automatically worry that they’re in trouble. Parents often display anger when they’re frustrated or frightened—much better to go to your child, get down on his level, touch him, and calmly but firmly deliver your message.

Wielding a firm “no” is especially important for those times when you can’t get to your child fast enough to prevent bad or dangerous behavior.

Here’s my top tips for using “no” effectively in my latest video.

Stay tuned for more on this topic…

Praying for Boston

The tragedy at the Boston Marathon has left me nearly speechless but I want to post a short something offering my condolences to all those affected. Runners, families, friends, Boston residents, and those we lost.

It will take time for the horror of what happened to set in. Two bomb blasts that killed people, including an 8-year-old boy, will forever change America. It’s an absolutely horrific crime and I hope they catch who is responsible soon.

It is best to shield your children from these horrific events and images. However, if they get wind of these tragic events it’s best to talk about it and be honest. Encourage an open forum so your child can ask questions.

Younger children can’t process horrific events like this, and really only think about how things effect them or could potentially effect them, so be sure to reassure your child that they are safe.

If you’re in need of one, an excellent resource is the National Child Traumatic Stress Network.

They have specific terrorism resources for parents and children. How to heal after a crisis, how to talk to them about it, and what to do when it comes to media coverage. They also have resources for children and families who were injured.

The thing that can bring us hope is all the heroes that rushed to aid those hurt by the explosions, who risked their lives and invited strangers into their homes with open hearts.

Don’t forget to Tweet #PrayForBoston and show your support.

Love,

Emma

The ‘I Love You’ book by Todd Parr

I review my first book on my newly launched YouTube channel, the I Love You book by one of my favorite children’s authors, Todd Parr.

He has published over 40 books, all of which are absolutely brilliant. His books are simple yet empowering and kids love them.

Don’t forget to subscribe if you like the video!

Em x

Autism Awareness Month

April marks Autism Awareness Month. Autism was only discovered in 1989 when a new mother, Susan Senator, was wondering why her toddler behaved so differently from other children.

She has written 3 books about her experiences; must-reads for parents of children with autism. I especially like her emphasis on staying strong as a family through your diagnosis.

Did you know an estimated 1 of 110 children are affected by autism in the US? [Most recent analysis by the CDC] The earlier the intervention the better. Children can be diagnosed as young as 1-year-old. A diagnosis is the first step to getting your child and you the right care and support.

Since autism spectrum disorders are widely prevalent in the US, there is a movement to change the name to ‘Autism Acceptance Month.’ I think this is an important change. The goal here is to celebrate the autistic culture and community, says the Autism Self Advocacy Network.

Awareness and acceptance are both important factors, but acceptance requires a shift in how you act and think. The more we talk about what autism is, the more we can understand the diagnosis, and realize that people with autism are not that different from you and I.

In doing my research, I came across these awesome resources:

Autism Speaks - The place to go for news on autism, events in the community, and tons of family support. They even provide what they call “Family Support Tool Kits” to help each and every member of your family, young or old, understand their emotions around this diagnosis.

Autism Now - A resource for parents, teachers, employers, and individuals. This is a great site for getting involved in the community as an autistic individual. They have everything from navigating through college to finding a job.

Get the facts and medical information, but it’s also important to stay connected. Thanks to social networking, there are many amazing autism blogs and support groups online.

Our friends at Babble just published their Top 30 Autism Blogs for 2013 so check it out.

Making the A Team: The Rights and Privileges of Childhood

Earlier this week, I caught up with a friend who teaches swimming to children. She’s a fantastic coach — she swam competitively throughout college — with lots of experience training kids. As many coaches do, she divides children into ‘A’ and ‘B’ relay teams for competitions so that they can swim with others at a comparable skill level.

Recently, however, one mum took issue with this. She approached my friend after a lesson and asked her to rename the divisions the ‘A team’ and ‘A-minus team.’ Being part of something labeled ‘B team,’ she worried, was hurting her daughter’s feelings.

My friend was taken aback, to say the least. Fifteen years ago, when Barb started coaching (and I started nannying), parents who suggested that their child’s delicate constitution required such adjustments and euphemisms were seen as oddballs, and their requests were met with a raised eyebrow and a firm “no.” Now, not even a generation later, Barb and I are astounded to find that parents like these are everywhere.

Somehow, over the last fifteen years, parents have increasingly embraced the idea that rules are for other people’s children, and that bending them to make things easier in the short-term is a good idea. But being a good parent doesn’t mean keeping your children happy in every moment. It means raising them to be healthy, independent, gracious and happy as adults. It means setting them up for success, not a rude awakening. When short-term and long-term happiness appear to conflict, the choice is easy.

………………….

Read the full article on the Huff Post Parents Blog, originally published on March 28, 2013.

Kim Kardashian’s Pregnancy ~ Emma’s Top 5 Tips

Hi everyone, welcome to my latest video!

Kim Kardashian is getting slammed by media and body experts about weight gain. While, I’m not Kim Kardashian’s advocate, I really think all the comments about her weight gain are simply disgusting.

Let’s look at the bigger picture here! What message is this sending to pregnant women and women in general? That it’s not acceptable to gain weight during pregnancy?

Let’s be realistic here, Pregnancy = Weight Gain!

All these people with nothing better to do than comment on Kims weight gain, need to back off and leave her be! As my mum always said, “if you don’t have anything nice to say, don’t say anything at all”!

Pregnancy is a beautiful thing and it’s a wonderful time in Kim’s life. All that matters is that Kim and her baby are healthy!

Congratulations Kim!!! Keep your head up, stay healthy & enjoy your journey!

Emma x

Bulletproof Backpacks: Parental Fear or Legitimate Safety?

I was watching ABC’s ‘Nightline’ Wednesday evening and they did a segment on bulletproof clothing and backpacks for children. I have to say, coming from England, where the police didn’t even carry guns when I was growing up, this came as a bit of a shock.

Does this seem like a precaution we should be taking? Isn’t this the acceptance of gun violence? I think we’ve lost sight of the real issue here, which is combatting gun violence. I totally understand parents being nervous in light of recent tragic events like Aurora and Sandy Hook and we should absolutely take precautions but this just doesn’t seem like the right direction.

Are we over-preparing our children? I worry that we’re breeding insecurity and I don’t think a 4-year-old should be burdened with such a heavy issue. I think before taking such a drastic measure we need to study the long-term effects, like anxiety.

It’s definitely a different world and we need to keep our kids safe but we also need to be careful not to rob children of their childhood.

My heart and deepest sympathies go out to all the victims and their families of these horrendous acts of violence.