Nut-Free Treats for the Whole Class

These days, kids have a variety of allergies or food sensitivities which can make bringing in a treat for the whole class challenging. Nut allergies are big on the list. Here are some nut-free snack options the kids will love and nobody will miss the nuts. In fact, they’ll go nuts over them!

Banana Crème Roll-ups

Kids love finger foods and these banana crème roll-ups are so simple to make and share. Simply take a small whole wheat or white flour tortilla, spread a thin layer of sour cream or cream cheese all over it, sprinkle with cinnamon and a dash of sugar and lay out thin slices of banana across the center. Roll up, slice in half, and you’ve got a fun and healthy treat that’s nut-free. You can try variations such as adding raisins, chocolate chips, or strawberry jam. The class will go bananas over this easy-to-eat delight.

Savory “Ants on a Log”

The original “ants on a log” uses peanut butter, which is a no-no for our nut-free snack list. So how about something savory? Take some celery stalks and fill the middles with hummus spread or cream cheese. You can even experiment with other bean dips too. Top that with some herbs and spices, diced up veggies, or crushed pretzels. The kids will devour these at snack time, and they’ll be getting a healthy veggie snack you’ll feel good about. Get ready to crunch!

Applesauce “Sundaes”

Applesauce, especially the kind in the individual cups, is easy to transport and is just the right size for little mouths. You can make the healthy treat even more fun with a variety of tasty toppings the kids can put on themselves. Place out bowls of toppings such as raisins, dry cereal, marshmallows, chocolate chips, and cinnamon sugar. The kids will feel like it’s an ice cream parlor, but with the new twist of applesauce instead of ice cream. Experiment with new toppings every time and the kids will love trying new combinations.

Homemade Frozen Fruit Pops

Kids love something cool, but lots of store-bought ice pops are full of sugar. Try making your own in an ice cube tray. Fill each section with some natural fruit juice of your choice, and inside each one, drop a few blueberries or chopped up strawberries. You can also try making a fruit puree in the blender and freezing that in the tray. Simply use a sturdy toothpick or small wooden stick for the kids to be able to hold the treat. Stick that in when the pop is about halfway frozen so it stays upright. Nearly every fruit works, and the kids will enjoy the variety of chilled popsicles.

What are your kids’ favorite nut-free treats? Let us know! For more fun articles like this, visit All My Children daycare.

By: Melissa A. Kay

Healthy Recipe Swaps Your Kids Will Never Know You Made

Parents know it can be difficult to get kids to eat healthfully. With all the TV commercials advertising fast food, candy, sugary cereals, and other not-so-good-for-us treats, it’s no wonder Brussels sprouts aren’t what kids are asking for. There’s hope though, and you can sneak some healthy ingredients into foods your kids will actually eat and love! Try these 4 simple swaps to include nutritious ingredients into everyday recipes. Your kids will never know the difference, and you’ll feel good about feeding them something healthy.

Use Unsweetened Applesauce Instead of Oil

Who needs all that excess fat and grease? Use the same amount of unsweetened applesauce to replace the oil in your favorite muffins, cakes, and other baked goods. Not only does applesauce add a nice, sweet flavor, but the serving of fruit you’ll be providing your kids is much healthier than oil. The kids will never know you’ve made the swap, and you’ll know they’ve gotten their “apple a day”! Try applesauce in place of sugar in recipes too, just reduce the amount of liquid in the batter.

Greek Yogurt as “Mayo”

We use mayonnaise all the time… in tuna salad, cole slaw, as a condiment on cold cut sandwiches, in macaroni salad, and so many more dishes. All that fat is unnecessary for our kids. Make your meals healthier my using thick, rich Greek yogurt wherever you’d use mayo. Not only is it so smooth and fresh, but it packs a wallop of protein and calcium which your kids need to grow strong. You can even add some herbs and spices to liven up the yogurt for an extra zing. The kids will never realize you’ve replaced their mayo and you’ll know their lunches are healthier than ever.

Seltzer with Fruit vs. Soda

There’s simply nothing positive about giving our kids sugary soda. However, they can still enjoy that fizzy sensation with a healthier twist. Try adding sliced fruit and a small amount of fruit juice to plain seltzer water, and the kids will be satisfied. You can even add a few drops of food coloring to create a similar appearance to the drinks they are used to. If they claim their new beverage isn’t as sweet as the soda they’ve grown accustomed to, add a few sprinkles of a natural sugar-free sweetener like Stevia. You can even use a bit of regular sugar and your new drink will still have way less sugar than the sodas they’ve been sipping in the past.

Cauliflower for Potatoes

Lots of kids won’t even try cauliflower. Who can blame them? It looks funny and has an unusual consistency. However, when you steam and mash cauliflower and add a little salt, pepper and a tiny amount of butter or low-fat sour cream, the kids will swear they are eating mashed potatoes. The end result looks just like a heap of mashed potatoes, but the veggies in your creation will have the kids none the wiser. Try a half and half recipe of potatoes and cauliflower at first and then go for the full-on change. Everyone will be asking for seconds.

Have you tried any food swaps? Tell us! For more info like this, check out the All My Children website.

By: Melissa A. Kay

Speed Up the Morning Routine

No matter how hard we try, it always seems that the mornings before work or school become a race against the clock. By prepping beforehand, you can get the kids and yourself out the door stress-free and on time. Try these three simple strategies to make the morning the peaceful time it was meant to be.

Lay Out Clothing the Night Before

Who has time to scramble for matching socks and a stain-free blouse first thing in the morning? If you pick out your outfit (and the kids’ too) the night before, you’ll have more time to select a put-together look and be ready for morning. If your kids are picky, give them a few selections to choose from so they feel they’ve had a say in the matter. If you really want to go for it, pick out all the weekday outfits on Sunday night, and you’re good to go for the full week! Being organized, even when it comes to clothing reduces stress. Plus, you’ll likely notice your drawers and closets remain tidy!

Make Breakfast a Snap

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so it’s a necessary part of the morning routine. That doesn’t mean it needs to take up too much prep time. You can prepare tasty and healthy breakfast options the night before and simply pop them in the microwave in the A.M. Try a breakfast burrito with scrambled eggs, cheese, and chopped veggies all tucked into a whole wheat tortilla. You can also make French Toast the night before and heat it up with some sweet maple syrup in the morning. Or, go for something belly-filling with crockpot oatmeal, chock full of dried fruits, seeds, and nuts which can simmer overnight. The kids will appreciate a break from cold cereal and breakfast bars!
Speed Up the Beauty Routine

We all want to look our best, but you can still look great and even have the kids look well put together with a simpler get-ready program. Try to wash everyone’s hair the night before. That way, you can quickly style in the morning, throw hair up into a bun or ponytail, or even braid it overnight to release stylish waves come morning. Try to minimize your makeup by only using what will make a difference in your overall look. If you have tired eyes, a swipe of mascara makes the biggest punch. Leave off all that eye shadow and liner if you are short on time. A swipe of lip gloss livens up your face more than you think. Before you do a full face, try popping the lips first. Moisturize your skin (and let the kids do so too) before bedtime and you will all awaken with soft, smooth skin.

With these simple tips, you won’t be pressed for time before a hectic day. You may even have a few extra minutes to sit with the kids and talk about the day ahead, giving them encouragement for a positive outlook! Do you have some time-saving ideas to share with the community?

Read more tips like these at All My Children.

By: Melissa A. Kay

Tips for choosing child care providers

Choosing the right child care provider can be daunting for every parent. It’s easy to get overwhelmed with all the choices available so you’ll need to use some criteria to narrow down the options to find the solution that’s right for your budget and your child’s needs.

Here’s a handy checklist you can use to sort through all the options.

First off, you’ll need to ask yourself whether you’ll need full time or just part time care. Of course this will largely depend on your employment and how many relatives and friends you have in the immediate vicinity. You’ll need to look at the specific days of the week when you’ll need these services and whether your requirements will be constant or fluctuating.
Of course your child’s needs must be considered as well. Keep in mind older children need more stimulation that the younger set. These children are often developing play and leaning styles that should be continually stoked by the environment they’re placed in. This means interaction with other children is important in the child care facility you finally wind up choosing and you’ll want to be sure their fledgling curiosity is being nurtured.

There are other individual benchmarks to use and of the more personal involves taking into account your child’s temperament. Although that means you need to be aware of their individual likes and dislikes as well as their ability to get along with other children, there are some age markers you can use to make the right choices. For example, children under one have a bigger need to be nurtured and held and you should inquire about this kind of individual attention at the day care center you’re looking at. It’s important to consider that by the age of three or four, children are ready to respond to a structured environment where they will have some exposure to playmates.

After you’ve used these initial criteria to narrow down the choices, it’s time to start asking the kind of questions that will help you to make a final decision. Some of these include:

Are the day care workers fully trained in CPR and First Aid? Toddlers have a way of getting an array of scrapes and bruises that are easily remedied, but there’s always the chance that something more dangerous can happen and that’s why these courses are a must.
Find out the policies and procedures for dealing with a number of other issues like separation anxiety and the experiences available to enhance the child’s mental and physical development.

Finally, some of the best recommendations can come from the parents of the children in the day care facility. You can ask them further questions like whether children are monitored in the playground and about the policy on parental visits. Remember to listen to your inner voice too to see if you get a good feeling about the prospect of leaving your children alone under the facility’s supervision.

For more articles related to childcare please visit our Blog.

Author: Rob Starr

Safety training for child care workers: Top Five Critical Areas.

It doesn’t matter how well prepared you think you might be as a child care worker, toddlers and other small children have ways of exploring the world without the foresight of knowing what’s dangerous to them. That’s why it’s important to be on the lookout for both the hazards we all face when it comes to safety and especially those that are the domain of that most precious cargo of all—the children left in our charge.

First and foremost is the need to recognize a few essential ways child care workers should react to children in crisis situations.

Keeping in mind they don’t have the stamina adults do means being able to see quickly when a child has stopped breathing and understanding what needs to be done in any and all crisis situations.

#1 CPR

This is number one on our list of the top five critical areas for safety training for child care workers. Recently, scientific research has further improved the chances of survival by modifying the technique so the emphasis is now on chest compressions first, then checking the airway and lastly providing breaths. Chest compressions restore blood flow to the heart and that’s considered of paramount importance.

#2 Choking Training

The journal Pediatrics recently reported 34 children are admitted to emergency rooms everyday because they’ve choked on food and that statistic is enough to place choking training in the number two position on our list. Knowing the ages that are most susceptible is a proactive move that will make a difference and children up to the age of four are most at risk with candy and gum being the usual suspects.

#3 Toddler Triage

Most little cuts and scrapes are just that but everyone who works in the child care environment needs to know the difference between those minor sores and the ones requiring serious attention. Being aware that bandaging and cleaning a scraped knee requires different techniques than a puncture wound and knowing how to treat each one is a valuable asset. On a bigger scale, knowing the difference between a bug bite and a more severe allergic reaction is essential.

#4 Evacuation

It’s especially important to know when and how to leave a dangerous space under any circumstances but even more so when a day care facility is involved.

Not only should every child care worker be familiar with protocol involving evacuation procedures, but what processes to follow when everyone is outside the building as well.

#5 Identifying Risks

The world is more complex today for parents and the professionals who work in child care. More emphasis is placed on issues like the different types of food offered and the allergies that can be triggered by each product. The amount of sun exposure children get is another important factor that needs to be considered along with a host of other proactive measures.

Keeping your children safe in day care is the domain of the professional child care worker. These are experts dedicated to the highest level of continuous training to watch over their charges.

For more articles related to childcare please visit our Blog.

Author: Rob Starr

Car Seat Myths Busted

Parents often debate when it’s safe, or necessary, to turn their little one’s front facing in their car seat, or when they officially outgrow their infant seat. There are common concerns that cause parents to turn their child around before it’s fully safe to do so. The article below addresses 7 most common concerns, which they call myths (because some are, though believable!). These myths are:

Myth #1: My child is too big!

Myth #2: My child’s legs are too long!

Myth #3: My child is SO uncomfortable!

Myth #4: My car is too small!

Myth #5: My toddler hates rear facing!

Myth #6: My child gets carsick!

Myth #7: Extended rear facing seats are so expensive!

Myth #8: My pediatrician said it’s fine.

To get the answers to these questions, and find out why they’re fiction not fact, view original post.

How to be assertive with your child’s doctor

Taking your infant or toddler to the doctor can be scary for so many reasons. Doctors know more about medicine than you do, their directions seem so inflexible, and at most pediatricians nowadays, the wait before and after means that even if they’re not rushed by the time your sick little one gets seen, you are! Here are a few steps to help make sure that your child receives the best care, and that you’re on the same page as his doctor.

Keep a notepad for each child’s doctor visits. Write down any questions that you have in between appointments, to ask next time. If your child is sick, write down temperatures, symptoms, and the time and date that you noticed them. Write down any instructions you receive for medication, food steps, or other medical issues. With these notes, you can track your child’s wellness, notice patterns, and be sure you don’t forget the questions that you wanted to make sure were addressed.
You are your child’s parent, not the doctor. While the doctor may know best for medical advice overall, you are your child’s biggest advocate. You are with her day in and out, know his normal behaviors, and have the parental gut instinct. Not every doctor will catch an issue the first time around, and it’s okay to go back and get a second opinion, or make the doctor double check. My 13 month old daughter developed a fever, and her pediatrician checked her ears and said they were clear as a bell and beautiful. Later that day, we were still worried, and took her into the local ER. One medical student and one resident checked her ears and said she was fine, but wanted a chest x-ray to check for pneumonia. That came out clean, but they still passed us on to a senior doctor, who took one quick look in my daughter’s over-prodded, sensitive ears and said “Wow, there’s a raging infection, in both ears!” If we had not kept pushing, we wouldn’t have been able to treat or comfort her properly.
Be informed. Dr. Innessa Donskoy, Pediatric Resident at University of Illinois at Chicago, reminds parents to “be open to [doctor’s] suggestions.” Keep in mind, though, that they are suggestions. There’s nothing wrong with taking the prescription you were given and plugging it into Google, or asking your social network if they’ve had experiences with it before. Be an informed consumer. Make sure you follow up with your child’s doctor and/or pharmacist regarding any changes to their instructions, before you make the change—some changes recommended by homeopaths and old wives’ tales actually contribute to the weakening effect of some antibiotics—but it is important to be an educated consumer. As well, look up the vaccination list to know what your doctor will most likely be automatically recommending, or what may be required for day care. Here is the CDC’s list: http://www.cdc.gov/vaccines/schedules/
Be on time and prepared. We know, it’s not fair, you always get kept waiting anyway. But part of the reason is the 5- and 10-minutes late that some people, particularly in the beginning of the day, run for their appointments. The more on-schedule, or even early, you are for your appointment, the more fluidly the doctor’s (and thereby your) day runs! Make sure you have all required information, such as your ID and your child’s insurance card, ready for check-in, and that your child is wearing clothing that is easy to maneuver in for weighing, the stethoscope, blood draws/vaccinations, and whatever other procedures are scheduled for this visit. Also, Dr. Meghna Nayak of Newkirk Family Health Center says, “parents often have a lot of little concerns when they come in, but what we need to know is, what’s your main concern, what’s the one thing that brought you in today.” While the other concerns are, of course, important, it’s easiest for your child’s pediatrician to check for the immediate need when a parent can articulate it clearly.
Don’t bring them in on the first day. If your child is sick and has no or a low-grade fever, but is generally healthy, is keeping down fluids, has regular wet diapers or is regularly urinating, and is relatively good-natured, don’t bring them in to the doctor’s office! Attending pediatrician at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY, Dr. Ravi Saksena says, “Usually, these things are viral anyway and there’s not much we can do other than recommend over-the-counter medication for reducing the fever and pain. Bringing your child in on the first day of illness only exposes them and others to more germs in our waiting rooms.” It’s okay to wait out a cold with a few days at home and some chicken soup plus over the counter pain relievers, and not step foot into the pediatrician’s office. He does mention, however, that if breathing becomes labored, your child isn’t taking fluids or urinating, or you’re concerned there’s a medical emergency, skip the pediatrician entirely and head straight to the emergency room! And if it’s been a few days and you’re getting concerned, you can always call your pediatrician or schedule an appointment.
Keep up with physicals and well-visits. The best way to be able to be assertive with your child’s doctor, and a strong partner in your child’s care, is to develop a relationship with your child’s pediatrician. Bringing your child in for their physicals and well-visits is imperative in her ability to develop a relationship with the doctor (even if it’s a practice, and you don’t always see the same doctor), and, perhaps more importantly, “allows us to keep tabs on if the kids are meeting their developmental milestones and how their nutrition is going, helps us figure out how the child is growing instead of doing everything all at once when they come in sick,” says Dr. Nayak. Basically, bringing your baby in for her checkups helps the doctors to establish a “normal” for their patient!
Understand antibiotic use. Antibiotics only treat bacterial infections. Most colds and a number of ear infections are caused by viruses, which can’t be treated with amoxicillin or other antibiotics. It’s cold and flu season; most kids are going to catch a cold in daycare and most runny noses are caused by viral infections. If your baby has a fever with their runny nose, you should keep them home. But, if your little one’s daycare has a policy that, even in the absence of a fever, runny nosed kids must be on antibiotics to attend, DON’T go running to the doctor for antibiotics and insist on receiving them! They most likely won’t treat the cold, this contributes to antibiotic resistance, and many antibiotics have side effects like diarrhea, which can contribute to spreading of any virus. For more information on the over-prescribing of antibiotics, check out this WebMD article.

ALL MY CHILDREN DAYCARE AND NURSERY SCHOOL OPENS IN LOWER MANHATTAN

All My Children Daycare and Nursery School opened its lower Manhattan location on Ridge Street in October in response to a high demand for its services. The day care and nursery center aims to provide young children a safe home-away-from-home that prepares them for school and life readiness in an eco-conscious environment.

All My Children Daycare and Nursery School offers programs for children ages 5 and younger, including infant and toddler care programs, preschool, and Universal Pre-K. These programs are an adaptive system, meaning it changes with the child’s developmental needs as he or she grows older.

To start children ages 6 months to 2 years on the path to learning, the infant and toddler programs introduce routines to teach focusing practices and prepare children for higher learning. This program’s activities include dabbling in art and exploring sand and water.

In the preschool and Universal Pre-K, 2- to 5-year-olds are provided with six different learning centers, which allow them to explore and be creative while learning. These centers include the Art, Library, Dramatic Play, Sand and Water, Blocks, and Discovery, which is stocked with tools such as magnifying glasses, balance scales, and other tools that allow children to explore the outside world.

All My Children Daycare and Nursery School is an eco-friendly environment. All classrooms are furnished with eco-friendly furniture, an interactive gardening system incorporated into program curriculum, and a wall gardening system to set the stage for the day care’s learning environment. Each classroom is equipped with green materials including organic, locally-sourced foods, toxic-free paints, and eco-friendly diapering. Gardens are used to teach planting and important facts about the ecosystem.

For this year only, enrollment is open through June.

View this Original Article, where All My Children Daycare and Nursery School was featured in NY Metro Parents.

5 Fun Indoor Activities When It’s Cold Outside

Who wants to go outside when it’s freezing? And why should you when you and your kids can have just as much fun playing inside while feeling warm and cozy! These 5 ideas for indoor activities with the kids may make the snowman a little jealous, but you’ll be having so much fun, he’ll understand (and probably wish he could join you!).

Try Indoor Camping You’ve heard of camping in the great outdoors, but the wintertime chill makes it close to impossible. Why not take the fun of camping right into your own living room? You can purchase a kid’s tent online or even create your own by cleverly pinning bed sheets to the tops of chairs and the sofa. Snuggle inside with the whole family and tell stories with a flashlight in the dark. The family pet can even join you. The best part? Make some s’mores!

Bake Something Sweet Ahhhh… the smell of chocolate chip cookies rising in the oven or the mouth-watering aroma of a loaf of banana bread puts any thoughts of the cold weather in the back of your mind. Kids love to participate in baking, and depending on their age, there’s a role for everyone. Even the littlest child can help stir the batter or help with scooping. Baking memories will last a lifetime even if the sweets only last a few minutes! Write down the recipe and make copies for your child to take to their daycare or school. The staff at All My Children encourage sharing and working together. Preparing snacks together is a great way to collaborate.

Make it a Movie Day When it’s too chilly to get the whole family out the door and to the local theater, bring the fun of film to your own living room. Let the kids vote on their favorite flick from a group you’ve approved of and cuddle on the couch with a big family-size bowl of popcorn. Since you’ll be stuck inside all day, you can probably get to watching a few movies. The kids won’t even miss getting outdoors as they enter into fantasy land on the TV screen.

Hold a Mini Fashion Show Kids love dressing up, so why not make it even more fun? You can be the MC of a kids’ fashion show right in your own home. Let the kids pull out all their favorite looks, including costumes, and even a few of your scarves and hats. They’ll feel like stars as they “walk the catwalk” right down the hallway of your home. Play some fun music and let the kids strut their stuff.

Create Crafts Kids love to use their imagination and what better way to show off their talents than by creating some unique crafts. As they are cozied up indoors, looking out the frosty windows can provide inspiration. It’s fun to draw snowmen, snow angels, and snow-covered trees. If you have some glitter, let the kids add some winter sparkle to their creations. Surprise grandma and grandpa by sending them the kids’ works of art as a special gift they’ll always treasure. Day Care Centers and schools like All My Children cultivate curiosity and creativity. Have your child bring in her creation to share during show and tell. With these fun ideas, kids will want the winter to last forever. Luckily it won’t, but while it lasts, it’s important to make the most of it.

What do you do with the kids when you’re stuck inside? Share with us!

Read more about topics like this, advice for your growing family, to hear from parents like you, and more at All My Children.

Author: Melissa A. Kay