Tag: NaBloPoMo

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Works for Me Wednesday: Getting Kids to Take Medicine

Actually, in the medicine department, we are really lucky. Both kids are always super excited to be medicated. I say “time for vitamins” and they both start running and clapping and acting like I just said, “Here comes the ice cream truck!”

Taking Liquid Medicine

If you don’t have a lot of experience in this department, let me introduce you to the must have syringe:

A bulb syringe will make you crazy (I found them hard to measure exact doses), but this one? This one you just pull up as needed. By using a syringe, you don’t spill any liquid if your child turns his head, locks his jaw, turns up his tongue, etc. Meijer gives them out with every prescription.

Taking Capsules

My kids are both on an acid-reflux medication–MaM takes it once a day, Jr. takes it 2x per day. It’s available in a kid-friendly sol-u-tab (dissolves in your mouth), and we are so fortunate that it’s covered under our insurance plan. This year, however, the terms of our plan changed a bit, and we are looking into ways to cut the amount of money we spend on this drug (we use three doses a day).

Capsules are available, but MaM can’t swallow them yet.

Enter: the friendly pill cutter

I discovered I can slice open the capsule, pour the granules on a spoon (put something under the spoon in case it spills) and then top the spoon with a dollop of yogurt.  They lick the spoon clean, and the medicine is ingested! Phew!

What works for you when dosing up your kiddos?

Have an idea that others might find useful? Link up at We Are That Family!

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What’s the tooth fairy’s going rate these days???

MaM has been anticipating turning five with as much gusto as anyone I ever met (remember, I teach 3-6 yr olds), and she FINALLY has a developmental milestone that proves she is so close to five she can almost taste it.

For months, she’s been talking about “wiggly teeth”. Months. Last time we were at the dentist, MaM had her double check to make sure the doc hadn’t missed a wiggly one.

This morning she told me she had a wiggly tooth, and I merely “yessed” her. I was probably changing a diaper or pouring coffee or something when she told me.

Tonight at dinner, after she cried because her hard bread was too hard for her wiggly tooth, I inspected.

MaM has her first loose tooth!!!

I’ll be honest it took me by surprise, and it kind of took my breath away. I mean really, didn’t she just get these teeth? Didn’t we ache and moan for months to get these teeth? Four short years later, and she’s on to the next best thing.

I immediately thought of my favorite tooth-related book as a kid– Molly and the Slow Teeth. She, apparently, will be NO Molly!

Do you have a fav book about the topic of tooth-losing? It is SUCH a big deal in grades K-2 or so. Inquiring minds want to know!

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Trying New Foods with Toddlers & Beyond

A few posts back, my pal Stork suggested a post on trading ideas on how to get kids to try new healthy foods. I told her to stay tuned….because today’s the day!

A few weeks ago, I was contacted on behalf of  Sunsweet Growers and was given the opportunity to try a Sunsweet product.

I have to admit, I was skeptical. When I think of prunes, I think of my grandparents kitchen. I can picture the box sitting on top of their refrigerator, and I associate them with my Pop-Pop. Past that, I’ve never thought much about them. I didn’t feed them to my kids as infants, for I’d heard tales of their magical digestive powers and chose to steer clear.

So yesterday, with some hesitation, I opened a 60 calorie pack of cherry-essence prunes. Guess what? They aren’t dry and sticky like I thought they were. They are sweet and juicy. They are actually kind of delicious. I actually kind of have to pace myself to make sure I don’t eat too many!

Today we packed a picnic to take to the park, and MaM immediately noticed the foil package in her lunch bag. I told her they were healthy fruit snacks. She ate one and ran to the playground. She said she didn’t really care for it. Later, when Jr. was interested in his lunch, she showed him the new fruit snacks, and encouraged him to try it. He did, and then she tried it again. This time, they both ate two and were laughing hysterically the entire time. Success!

SunSweet has consulted with dietician Carolyn O’Neil and together they are offering 10 Tips for Tiny Tummies. It’s a good list for starting to introduce new foods to children who may be resistant.There are also resources on digestive health, an issue I know many moms take seriously. In a house where goldfish crackers and string cheese rule, trust me, I’m familiar with those struggles!

In our house, I was surprised about the first thing I had to get across to my children:

1) Be polite about the food on your plate. This means, not using words like “disgusting” in relation to foods I’ve chosen to serve.

After about 18 months of enforcing this rule, MaM is fairly polite most days about foods with which she’s not familiar. I am still working on getting Jr. not to throw food he’s not interested in, he still has a way to go in that department!

2) I’m sure each child is different, but for MaM, I’ve learned not to draw attention to any new foods. I’ve learned to serve just about anything with a dab of ketchup, and probably she’ll dip it and try it. Tonight she tried a samosa (she told me she didn’t care for it, and nicely put it aside on her plate) and she tried tilapia and she ate every bite I had given her. I was kind of amazed, and thought it was good timing, considering this post.

So tell me…what do you do to introduce new foods to your little ones?? Do you have tried and true methods for keeping your kids regular?? Please share!

Disclosure: Thanks to SunSweet for the free product coupon and reusable shopping bag in exchange for this review. The opinions in this review are expressly my own.