60 minutes of activity

Schedule at least 60 minutes daily for active free play. Toddlers need more than an hour of unstructured physical play in a safe place every day.

Calories in your tots diet

Drinks can sneak extra calories into your preschooler’s diet. Use this list to find out the calories and sugar in common preschooler beverages like juice, milk, soda, fruit punch and sports drinks.

Diet and health

Your two-year-old’s health is closely tied to how much he eats, what he eats, and how active he is. Obesity and weight-related diseases affect about 20 percent of all children today.

Nuts and seeds

Think of nuts and seeds as little storage units for nutrients. Almond butter, cashew butter, sunflower seed butter, and hazelnut butter are great alternatives to peanut butter but with the same healthy fats, minerals, fiber and vitamins.

Appearance of asthma

Approximately 50 percent of children with asthma appear to outgrow asthma when they reach adolescence.

Food first, suppliments later

Don’t be quick to give your child nutritional supplements such as Pediasure or other high-calorie snacks when he isn’t eating well. Instead of boosting calories this often backfires and fills your child up with liquids.

prepping for school colds

When preping for pre-school stock up on tissues, saline drops, antibacterial soap and gel, wipes, all the little items you wish you had in your pocketbook, car, or briefcase. As soon as the first cold hits, and it will, you’ll be so glad you did.

Asthma and air quality

If your toddler has asthma, then you may already be familiar with air quality alerts. Poor quality air is fertile ground for asthma attacks, a serious summer health risk for toddlers with asthma. Check your local news or online each morning to determine the status of air where you live and make plans accordingly.

Checking for Asthma

Is your child’s cough hanging on longer than normal? Then you may want to have him checked for asthma. Most of us associate asthma with attacks that leave children wheezing and having difficulty breathing.

Asthma triggers

Exposure to allergens such as dust mites, cockroaches, mold, pollens, or animal dander can trigger or worsen symptoms in some children with asthma.

Prevent and treat asthma attacks

It’s important that you work with your toddler’s healthcare provider to prevent and treat asthma attacks. With the right medications, education, an asthma action plan, and regular medical follow-up, most asthmatic children do just fine.

Asthma in Toddlers

Asthma in Toddlers is the leading cause of chronic illness in children. Asthma in Toddlers affects as many as 10%-12% of children in the U.S. and, for unknown reasons, is steadily increasing.

Overweight kids

According to the national Pediatric Nutrition Surveillance System, 10.2 percent of children in the United States under the age of five were overweight in 1998.

Hot weather tip

In the hot weather kids drink a lot of liquids so make time for frequent bathroom breaks. If your child is still in diapers, be sure to check them often to see if they are in need of a change.

Avoiding the sun in the heat of the day

If you can, avoid sun exposure from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. This is when the sun’s rays are most intense. Keep in mind that even on cloudy days, the sun can be just as strong; you’ll want to use these same precautions on those days as well.

Soaps and dry skin

Soaps, shampoos, and bubble baths can dry your child’s skin and may cause rashes, so use them sparingly. They may also be irritating to the urethra, which in turn might increase the risk of urinary tract infections.

Measuring your baby

It is crucial for the doctor’s measurements to be as accurate as possible because a discrepancy of as little as a few millimeters in length or a few grams in weight can make a difference where your baby falls on the charts.

Vitamin D recommendations

The American Academy of Pediatrics doubled the amount of vitamin D recommended for infants & children. In 2003, the AAP recommended 200 international units (IU) a day starting within the first 2 mos.

When tots start eating meat

Meat is started somewhere between 9 and 12 months of age. By age 1, she should be consuming about 2 servings from the meat, poultry, fish, dry beans and eggs group per day.

Autism and childhood vaccines

Despite much controversy on the topic, researchers haven’t found a clear connection between autism and childhood vaccines.