Tricks To Make Your Kid Eat..

End the Power Struggle

"Picky habits start when children test their limits, around age 2," Shu says. "Parents don't like rejection. They hear 'no' once or twice, they don't go back to that food."

But many preschoolers need to be offered new foods several times before they taste them. Serving a new food among five or six familiar choices can take the pressure off, says Boston pediatric nutritionist Linda Piette, RD, author of Just Two More Bites!

Trouble Eating

Some kids may still be mastering how to chew and swallow. Some may be inexperienced chewers.

"Many prefer meltable, crunchy carbohydrates because they're easy to eat and have a single texture," says pediatric psychologist Kay Toomey, PhD, of Greenwood Village, Colo.

Show your child what to do. "Banging a carrot on the table and talking about how hard it is teaches that the teeth will need to use pressure to break it apart," Toomey says, "versus yogurt, which is wet and smooth and can be just sucked down."

Not Hungry

Your child might be full from eating too many beverages or snacks.

"Kids carry around portable snack containers and boxes of juice, then they're not hungry for anything later," Shu says. 

Her advice: Serve fewer, healthier snacks. "If the child didn't finish lunch, give those leftover peas or carrots for a snack instead of pretzels or cookies."

An Emotional Reaction

If people are arguing at the table, your child may just want to get out of there. 

"Kids may try to make mealtime shorter," Shu says. "Alternately, they may try to get more attention by not eating, if they think enough attention isn't coming their way."

Rethink Your Meal Strategies

Between meals, analyze clues that may cause your child's pickiness.

Is the TV on? Adults tend to overeat when they're watching TV, but that's not true for picky children. Research shows that kids who watch television during meals can become overstimulated, making it harder for them to try new foods.

Is the whole family eating together? Children may be more likely to relax and try new flavors if everyone else is enjoying the same meal. "It makes a world of difference for our family," says Elizabeth Johnson Willard of St. Johnsbury, Vt., whose children shunned most meats, fruits, and vegetables when they were very young. "Seeing us try new foods helps encourage our children to do the same."

A child who eats alone may also sense your anxiety about their pickiness. "The parent hovers over every bite the child takes, which doesn't help," Piette says.

Are you setting a good example? Taste at least a little bit of everything that's served, and show a good attitude about it. "Kids are smart," Piette says. "They can tell by the look on your face."

Re-Do Dinner

When you introduce new foods, an offbeat tactic may help:

Let them eat cake . Don't offer dessert as a reward for eating vegetables. That sends the wrong message. If dessert is on the menu, consider serving it with the meal, instead of at the end.

Emphasize style. Entice a picky eater to try a fruit salad by arranging it into a smiley face. Christen Cooper of Pleasantville, N.Y., realized that her then-3-year-old daughter would try almost anything served on her princess tea set.  

Show interest in their interests. Did your son's favorite character eat carrots and string beans? Offer the same foods. This trick worked for Leigh Steere of Boulder, Colo., whose son tried new foods when the recipes came from a Star Wars cookbook.

Encourage food play. Little fingers poking at dinner can help kids get used to food textures, which are sometimes bigger stumbling blocks than flavors for picky eaters. "Parents should be tolerant of the messiness," Piette says. "It does help. It's a sensory thing."

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The Basics of Anaphylaxis

What Is Anaphylaxis?

Anaphylaxis is a sudden, severe allergic reaction. It's a medical emergency.

Most people with allergies never experience anaphylaxis. But when it happens, it works like this:

Within minutes or hours of being exposed to your allergy trigger, your body starts a chain reaction that temporarily widens your blood vessels, which can lower your blood pressure. You may pass out. You may get hives and swelling, especially around your face and throat. You may have trouble breathing, talking, or swallowing.

What Causes Anaphylaxis?

The most common causes of anaphylaxis are:

• Foods, including peanuts and tree nuts (particularly almond, walnut, hazelnut, Brazil, and cashew nuts)
• Shellfish, especially shrimp and lobster
• Dairy products
• Eggs
• Insect stings, such as those from wasps, bees, ants
• Latex
• Medications

In some cases, anaphylaxis can also be caused by exercise, usually after eating certain foods that trigger your allergy.

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7 Ways to Protect Your Child's Oral Health

When the toddler came to her office, 4 of his 16 teeth were so decayed, they required dental crowns.

Although this case may sound shocking, it's not rare, says Beverly Largent, DMD, the Paducah, Ky., dentist who cared for the child. She tells parents it's crucial to care for baby teeth. "You need to brush from the first tooth," says Largent, past president of the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry. 

In fact, tooth decay -- although largely preventable with good care -- is one of the most common chronic diseases of children ages 6 to 11 and teens ages 12 to 19. Tooth decay is five times more common than asthma and seven times more common than hay fever in children, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. By kindergarten age, more than 40% of kids have tooth decay.

Neglecting baby teeth is not the only misstep parents can make when it comes to their child's early oral health.

Here's your 7-step game plan.

Start Oral Care Early

Your child should see a dentist by the time he or she is a year old, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics and the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry.

Getting preventive care early saves money in the long run, according to a report published by the CDC. The report found that costs for dental care were nearly 40% lower over a five-year period for children who got dental care by age one compared to those who didn't go to the dentist until later.

Teach the Brush & Floss Habit

Dental visits are just part of the plan, of course. Tooth brushing is also crucial from the start.  "A lot of people think they don't have to brush baby teeth," Largent says. If your baby has even one tooth, it's time to start tooth brushing. "If there's just one tooth, you can use gauze."

Even before your baby has teeth, you can gently brush the gums, using water on a soft baby toothbrush, or clean them with a soft washcloth.

Once there are additional teeth, Largent tells parents to buy infant toothbrushes that are very soft. Brushing should be done twice daily using a fluoridated toothpaste.  

Flossing should begin when two teeth touch each other. Ask your dentist to show you the right flossing techniques and schedules, Largent says.

Also ask for your dentist's advice on when to start using mouthwash. "I advise parents to wait until the child can definitely spit the mouthwash out," says Mary Hayes, DDS, a pediatric dentist in Chicago and consumer advisor for the American Dental Association. "Mouthwash is a rinse and not a beverage."

So how long until Junior can be responsible for brushing his own teeth? "[Parents] have to clean the teeth until children are able to tie their shoes or write in cursive," says Largent.

During dental visits, ask your dentist if your child's teeth need fluoride protection or a dental sealant.

And remember, the most important time to brush and floss is just before bedtime. No food or drink, except water, should be permitted until the next morning. This allows clean teeth to re-mineralize during the night, from the minerals in the saliva and toothpaste.     

Avoid "Baby Bottle Decay"

For years, pediatricians and dentists have been cautioning parents not to put an infant or older child down for a nap with a bottle of juice, formula, or milk.

Even so, says Largent, many parents don't realize this can wreak havoc with their child's oral health.

The sugary liquids in the bottle cling to baby's teeth, providing food for bacteria that live in the mouth. The bacteria produce acids that can trigger tooth decay. Left unchecked, dental disease can adversely affect a child's growth and learning, and can even affect speech.

If you must give your child a bottle to take to bed, make sure it contains only water, according to American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines.

Control the Sippy Cup Habit

Bottles taken to bed aren't the only beverage problem, says Hayes. The other? "Juice given during the day as a substitute for water and milk," Hayes says.

Often, that juice is in a sippy cup. It's meant as a transition cup when a child is being weaned from a bottle and learning to use a regular cup.

Parents mistakenly think juice is a healthy day-long choice for a beverage, say Hayes and Largent. But that's not the case.

Largent says she often sees children walking around all day drinking juices and other sugary beverages from a sippy cup, and that's hazardous to dental health. "Prolonged use of a sippy cup can cause decay on the back of the front teeth," if the beverages are sugary, she says.

Juice consumption has been linked to childhood obesity and the development of tooth decay, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. In its current policy statement on preventive oral health, the organization advises parents to limit the intake of 100% fruit juice to no more than four ounces a day. Sugary drinks and foods should be limited to mealtimes.

"Pediatricians I know are telling parents to use juice as a treat," Hayes says.

Ditch the Binky by 2 or 3

Pacifiers used in the first year of life may actually help prevent sudden infant death syndrome, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics. They suggest using a pacifier when placing the infant to sleep but not to reinsert once baby has drifted off. Long-term use can be hazardous to dental health. Sucking too strongly on a pacifier, for instance, can affect how the top and bottom teeth line up (the "bite") or can affect the shape of the mouth.

Largent tells parents of her young patients: "Pacifiers are for infants, not for toddlers walking around with them in their mouths." She discourages long-term use of even the "orthodontically correct" pacifiers.

Largent says she prefers that pacifiers be dropped by age 2. The American Academy of Pediatrics suggests getting a professional evaluation if the pacifier habit continues beyond age 3.

Beware of Mouth-Unfriendly Medicines

Many medications that children take are flavored and sugary, says Hayes. If they stick on the teeth, the risk for tooth decay goes up.

Children on medications for chronic conditions such as asthma and heart problems often have a higher decay rate, she finds.

Antibiotics and some asthma medications can cause an overgrowth of candida (yeast), which can lead to a fungal infection called oral thrush. Suspect thrush if you see creamy, curd-like patches on the tongue or inside the mouth.

"If your child is on chronic medications, ask your child's dentist how often you should brush," Hayes says. You may be advised to help your child brush as often as four times a day.

Stand Firm on Oral Hygiene

Parents often tell Hayes that their children put up a fuss when it comes time to brush, floss, and rinse, so parents relent and don’t keep up with oral care at home as they should.

Hayes strongly advises these parents to let their children know they don't have a choice about taking care of their teeth and gums.

"It has to be done," Hayes says. But she understands that children can get cranky and difficult. She suggests these tips to coax reluctant brushers and flossers to get the job done -- or if they are too young, to allow their parents to help them do it.

• Plan to help your children longer than you may think necessary. "Children don't have the fine motor skills to brush their own teeth until about age 6," says Hayes. Flossing skills don't get good until later, probably age 10.
• Schedule the brushing and flossing and rinsing, if advised, at times when your child is not overly tired. You may get more cooperation from a child who isn't fatigued.
• Get your child involved in a way that's age-appropriate. For instance, you might let a child who is age 5 or older pick his own toothpaste at the store, from options you approve. You could buy two or three different kinds of toothpaste and let the child choose which one to use each time. You may offer him a choice of toothbrushes, including kid-friendly ones that are brightly colored or decorated.
• Figure out what motivates your child. A younger child may gladly brush for a sticker, for instance, or gold stars on a chart.

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Energy Drinks' Health Hazards For Adolescents

Many energy drinks have ingredients which can have a harmful effect on adolescent health, especially when mixed with alcohol, says a news report published in Pediatrics in Review.

The article - "Energy Drinks: What Teenagers (and Their Doctors) Should Know," - summarizes recent evidence regarding the content, benefits and risks of energy drinks which are consumed by teenagers.

Energy drinks are beverages with caffeine added to them. They are advertised as a means to enhance performance, boost the immune system, or create a "buzz".

The most popular energy drinks contain elevated, unregulated quantities of caffeine and other stimulants which give the caffeine an extra kick.

Caffeine is known to produce detrimental health effects in adolescents, including dehydration, digestive problems, obesity, anxiety, insomnia, and tachycardia.

Some energy drinks contain alcohol. Sometimes, people mix them with alcoholic drinks.

When energy drinks are mixed with alcohol, the potential dangers for adolescent health are much greater; there is also a risk of abuse.

The authors advise health care professionals to ask their adolescent patients whether they consume energy drinks. They should explain what the dangers of consuming both energy drinks alone or with alcohol are. Doctors should become aware of the signs and symptoms of energy drink consumption.

The authors say that teenagers are no strangers to energy drinks. Over the last 24 months, the media has heightened the awareness of doctors, lawmakers and parents.


About 66% of energy drink consumers are aged between 13 and 35.

Lead author Dr. Kwabena Blankson, a U.S. Air Force major and an adolescent medicine specialist at the Naval Medical Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, said regarding energy drinks:

"They contain too much caffeine and other additives that we don't know enough about. Healthy eating, exercise and adequate sleep are better ways to get energy."

In 2010, nine students at Washington State University were admitted to the hospital. Doctors attributed their illness to fruit-flavored caffeinated alcoholic drinks. One of the students nearly died. Twenty-three students were hospitalized one month later in New Jersey after drinking the same combination as the Washington students.

Energy drinks mask the effects of consuming alcohol

When we mix energy drinks with alcohol, the "cocktail" can make us feel less drunk than we actually are. Many adolescents are not aware of this, the researchers explained. Consuming just one energy drink with alcohol may be equivalent to drinking a whole bottle of wine and several cups of coffee.

The average cup of coffee has approximately 100 milligrams of caffeine, compared to 160 milligrams in a 16-ounce energy drink.

According to Dr. Blankson, teenagers should consume a maximum of 100 milligrams of coffee per day. Other ingredients found in energy drinks increase caffeine's potency, such as guarana and ginseng.

According to a US government report issued in January 2013, twice as many people visited hospital emergency rooms because of energy drink consumption in 2011 compared to 2007. The majority of hospital visits were by teenagers and young adults, said the SAMHSA (Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration) report.

Approximately 42% of emergency room cases in 2011 involved energy drinks mixed with either alcohol or medications, such as Ritalin or Adderall.

Believe it or not, the human body knows when and how much alcohol it is drinking and emits cues when the person should stop for the evening and get some rest. Some people try to overcome these cues by mixing energy drinks with alcohol.

A study carried out by Cecile Marczinski, a psychologist at Northern Kentucky University, found that combining energy drinks with alcohol removes our built-in checks that stop us from overindulging.

Marczinski said:

"Even with just alcohol alone, young, underage drinkers are bad at deciding how safe a driver they are, but I think this (mixing alcohol with energy drinks) would make that situation far worse."

Nine years ago, the French government banned the sale of Red Bull, a popular energy drink. The French Scientific Committee on Human Nutrition found that Red Bull had too much caffeine, it also raised concerns about the beverage's other ingredients, taurine, an amino acid which Red Bull promoters say can "kick-start" the metabolism, and glucuronolactone, acarbohydrate.

After an appeal, Europe's highest court upheld the French Red Bull ban.

In this latest report, the authors say that the readers should be able to:

• Understand how large the energy drink market is, as well as recognize the most common brands


• Realize that teenagers are great consumers of energy drinks, which they use as performance enhancers


• Know what the ingredients of energy drinks are, and how they may impact negatively on health


• Understand that energy drinks can cause obesity, high blood pressure, tachycardia and other medical problems in teenagers


• Understand how dangerous it is to mix energy drinks with alcohol


• Understand the relationship between alcohol tolerance/dependence and caffeine tolerance/dependence


• Understand how important it is to screen adolescents for energy drink consumption, and offer suitable counseling.

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Mother's Kiss To Dislodge Objects Stuck In Kid's Nose

What do you do when a toddler or small child sticks something up his nose? This is a problem many parents and guardians have to face. Do you call someone, do you look for some tweezers, or take the child to hospital?

Dr. Stephanie Cook, a GP (general practitioner, primary care physician) at Buxted Medical Center in East Sussex, England, reported in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) that foreign bodies getting stuck in the nasal cavity can be resolved with the "Mother's Kiss", a remedy that has been around at least since 1965. 

Dr. Cook and colleagues set out to determine how safe the technique is.

What is the Mother's Kiss?

You have a child with a foreign body lodged in his nose.

• Place your mouth over the child's mouth


• Hold the unaffected nostril, effectively closing it with one finger


• Blow into the child's mouth


• Air will push through the nostril that has the foreign body stuck in it; this may force it out

The researchers searched through Embase, CINAHL, MEDLINE, AMED Complementary and Allied Medicine, and the British Nursing Index for articles that mentioned Mother's Kiss. They excluded articles that dealt only with animals.

Their primary outcomes were how successful the technique was at extracting the foreign object from the child's nasal cavity, as well as any reported adverse events.

They checked for factors which might predict the chance of success of Mother's Technique.

The researchers eventually had eight published articles which met their inclusion criteria. Using Mother's Kiss was found to have an overall success rate of 59.9%. There were no reported adverse effects.

Dr. Cook concluded:

"Evidence from case reports and case series suggests that the mother's kiss technique is a useful and safe first-line option for the removal of foreign bodies from the nasal cavities of children."

The advantage of Mother's Kiss is that it appears to have a high success rate and virtually no adverse effects. In fact, the worst that can occur is that the object stays stuck where it is.

Doctors say they often use this technique in emergency departments, and children do not find them scary or uncomfortable. It depends on whether the emergency doctor can persuade the parent to do it.

Most health care professionals advise parents and guardians only to perform Mother's Kiss with a doctor present. It is important that it is done correctly and that the object does not get stuck more, or makes its way into the lungs.

Most experts agree that Mother's Kiss is preferable to using suction, forceps, hooks or sedation to remove foreign object from the nose. However, if the technique does not work, something more invasive will need to be done.


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First Successful Treatment for Progeria, Rare Childhood Disease

Results of the first clinical drug trial for children with a rare rapid-aging disease, known as Progeria, has shown successfulness with a farnesyltransferase inhibitor (FTI), a drug first used to treat cancer.

The clinical trial results showed significant improvements in bone structure, weight gain, and most importantly, the cardiovascular system, according to new research published in Proceedings of the Natural Academy of Sciences.

Also known as Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome (HGPS), Progeria is a rare and fatal genetic disease displaying an appearance of rapid aging in children. The disease becomes fatal when those affected develop the same heart disease (atherosclerosis), as millions of normal aging adults. Instead of this occurring at 60 or 70 years of age, children with Progeria can suffer heart attacks or strokes starting at the age of 5, with the average age of death being 13.

Leslie Gordon, MD, PhD, lead author of the study, medical director for PRF, and mother of a child with Progeria, says:

"To discover that some aspects of damage to the blood vessels in Progeria can not only be slowed by the FTI called lonafarnib, but even partially reversed within just 2.5 years of treatment is a tremendous breakthrough, because cardiovascular disease is the ultimate cause of death in children with Progeria."

Hutchinson-Gilford Progeria Syndrome is a childhood disorder caused by mutations in one of the major architectural proteins of the cell nucleus.

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Photo source: The Cell Nucleus and Aging: Tantalizing Clues and Hopeful Promises. Scaffidi P, Gordon L, Misteli T. PLoS Biology Vol. 3/11/2005, e395

The two and a half year drug study consisted of 28 children from 16 different countries, accounting for 75 percent of Progeria cases worldwide. Twenty-six of the 28 children had the classic form of the disease. All 28 children traveled to Boston every four months to receive extensive medical testing through Children's Hospital's Clinical and Translational Study Unit.

The oral medication, the FTI lonafarnib, was given twice daily over the course of the study. The research team assessed the children's rate of weight gain, compared to their pre-study rate. They viewed this as the primary outcome because these kids suffer from critical failure to thrive, characterized by extremely slow weight gain over time. Researchers also inspected stiffness of the arteries (a predictor of heart attack and stroke), as well as bone rigidity and density (a predictor of osteoporosis). Every child participating in the study showed significant improvement in weight gain ability, bone structure, or flexibility of blood vessels.

Noteworthy Improvements

• Weight: One in three children demonstrated a greater than 50 percent increase in annual rate of weight gain, or switched from weight loss to weight gain, because of increased muscle and bone mass.
• Bone Structure: Bone rigidity improved to normal levels after FTI treatment.
• Cardiovascular: Arterial stiffness, associated with atherosclerosis, decreased by 35 percent. Vessel wall density also improved.

A Blueprint For Progeria Treatment

After the discovery of the gene that causes Progeria, FTIs were suggested as a potential drug treatment. These kids have a genetic mutation that produces the protein progerin, which is responsible for the disease. Progerin blocks normal cell function and causes harm to the body via a farnesyl group, a molecule that attaches itself to the protein. FTIs prevent this attachment from happening.

Mark Kieran, MD, PhD, the study's senior author and associate professor of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School explains:

"In the early stages of planning for this clinical trial, we realized that my team's experience using FTIs to treat children with brain cancer could bring together PRF's preclinical research efforts and the expertise we needed to study the drug in children with Progeria. The premise behind studying this drug was that by stopping the attachment of the farnesyl group onto progerin in children with Progeria, progerin may be inactivated, reducing some effects of the disease."

The results of this study are extremely encouraging. A second clinical trial funded by the Progeria Research Foundation and the National Institutes of Health is under way, while more are expected to follow.

Previous research has shown that progerin is produced in all humans and increases in the body with age. Several earlier studies have seen associations with normal aging and progerin, including a link between progerin and genetic instability. Investigators plan to continue researching FTIs and their effects, which may help lead to more information about cardiovascular disease as well as the normal aging process that affects every population.


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