(Family Features) Kids, no matter their age, love snacks, and often come home from school hungry and looking for something to eat. However, it can be a struggle to find snacks that kids enjoy and parents approve.
The snack experts at Kemps along with registered dietitian and nutrition expert Frances Largeman-Roth know the importance of finding fun and tasty ways to give hungry, growing kids the nutrient-rich foods they need. These tips can help you make the most of snack time (or any time) to keep kids healthy.
Look for Real Fruit Ingredients While quick and easy, many packaged snacks use sugar instead of real fruit. Make sure to read labels carefully to understand what is in kids’ snacks. Look for real fruit, not just fruit juice, and key vitamins and nutrients like calcium while skipping out on artificial flavors, preservatives, colors and high-fructose corn syrup.
Stock Up on Kid-Friendly Options One way to help make the most of snack time is choosing an option like Kemps Smooth Cottage Cheese. This first-of-its-kind whole milk cottage cheese is blended with real fruit to create a creamytaste and texture without curds that kids are sure to love. A quick and easy solution, it also allows kids to be independent with what they eat to make snack time more rewarding – just grab a spoon with no unnecessary cutting or preparation needed.
Start the Day Off Right It’s not always easy to squeeze a nutritious breakfast into busy mornings, but it’s an important way to start each day. Multiple studies show kids who eat a nutritious breakfast perform better academically and focus better throughout the day. Plus, starting the day off right helps kick unhealthy cravings while keeping kids full and energized. Once snack time rolls around, they’ll be ready for something healthy and delicious instead of reaching for something sugary.
Pack In the Protein To make sure your kids are staying full between meals and getting the nutrients they need, stock up on snacks that are high in protein. According to Largeman-Roth, dairy is a great way to accomplish this while also giving kids a tasty snack. Snacks like Kemps Smooth Cottage Cheese pack a protein punch with almost twice as much protein per ounce as most yogurts made for kids, plus it contains probiotics, another key ingredient to support gut health.
Model Healthy Habits Kids learn by example in countless ways, and the way you take care of your own health and well-being is no exception. When kids see grownups they admire making smart choices about nutrition, they’re more likely to adopt those behaviors themselves. Join in the fun at snack time and create meaningful family moments by preparing or enjoying a nutritious snack together.
Make Snack Time Fun There’s few things kids love more than fun flavors or seeing characters they cherish on their favorite foods. To make snack time extra exciting, get snacks featuring characters they love or with favorite flavors, like strawberry or mixed berry, which are popular among kids.
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To learn more and find fun recipes, visit kemps.com.
Parents can enhance their children’s screen-time value by choosing high-quality media – that is, content with educational benefit. PBS Kids has many popular shows, from “Nature Cat” to “Sid the Science Kid,” that would qualify as educational.
Two other elements contribute to the quality of screen time.
First, screen content should be age-appropriate – that is, parents should choose shows, apps and games that are specifically designed for young children. Using a resource such as Common Sense Media allows parents to check recommended ages for television shows, movies and apps.
Second, parents can look for shows that use evidence-based educational techniques, such as participatory cues. That’s when characters in shows break the “fourth wall” by directly talking to their young audience to prompt reflection, action or response. Research shows that children learn new words better when a show has participatory cues – perhaps because it encourages active engagement rather than passive viewing.
Many classic, high-quality television shows for young children feature participatory cues, including “Mickey Mouse Clubhouse,” “Dora the Explorer,” “Go Diego Go!” and “Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.”
Point out basic concepts, such as letters and colors.
Model more advanced language using a “think aloud” approach, such as, “That surprised me! I wonder what will happen next?”
No. 3: Connect what’s on screen to real life
Learning from media is challenging for young children because their brains struggle to transfer information and ideas from screens to the real world. Children learn more from screen media, research shows, when the content connects to their real-life experiences.
To maximize the benefits of screen time, parents can help children connect what they are viewing with experiences they’ve had. For example, while watching content together, a parent might say, “They’re going to the zoo. Do you remember what we saw when we went to the zoo?”
This approach promotes language development and cognitive skills, including attention and memory. Children learn better with repeated exposure to words, so selecting media that relates to a child’s real-life experiences can help reinforce new vocabulary.
No. 4: Enjoy screen-free times
Ensuring that a child’s day is filled with varied experiences, including periods that don’t involve screens, increases language exposure in children’s daily routines.
Two ideal screen-free times are mealtimes and bedtime. Mealtimes present opportunities for back-and-forth conversation with children, exposing them to a lot of language. Additionally, bedtime should be screen-free, as using screens near bedtime or having a TV in children’s bedrooms disrupts sleep.
Alternatively, devoting bedtime to reading children’s books accomplishes the dual goals of helping children wind down and creating a language-rich routine.
Having additional screen-free, one-on-one, parent-child play for at least 10 minutes at some other point in the day is good for young children. Parents can maximize the benefits of one-on-one play by letting their children decide what and how to play.
Even in small doses, parent-child playtime is important.Vera Livchak/Moment via Getty Images
A parent’s role here is to follow their child’s lead, play along, give their child their full attention – so no phones for mom or dad, either – and provide language enrichment. They can do this by labeling toys, pointing out shapes, colors and sizes. It can also be done by describing activities – “You’re rolling the car across the floor” – and responding when their child speaks.
Parent-child playtime is also a great opportunity to extend interests from screen time. Including toys of your child’s favorite characters from the shows or movies they love in playtime transforms that enjoyment from screen time into learning.Erika Squires, Assistant Professor, Wayne State University and Lucy (Kathleen) McGoron, Assistant Professor of Child and Family Development, Wayne State University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
(Family Features) In a digital landscape crowded with influencers, it’s not every day
you find one who doubles as a board-certified physician. However, Doctor
Mikhail Varshavski – also known as Doctor Mike – made a name for himself by
pairing medical expertise with charisma and clarity.
Now, his
work is taking on new global significance as he steps into his latest role:
UNICEF Ambassador.
With more
than 25 million followers and 4 billion views across platforms, Doctor Mike
built a career translating complex health information into accessible, engaging
content. As an ambassador, he will use that same platform to raise awareness
around the mission to ensure every child is healthy, educated, protected and
respected.
This
collaboration began in 2021 with a video explaining how COVID-19 vaccines work.
Since then, he’s continued using his platform to address critical issues like
vaccine access and child nutrition. In 2024, he visited UNICEF’s Supply
Division in Copenhagen – the world’s largest humanitarian warehouse – where he
helped pack and ship life-saving supplies to families globally. Later that
year, he teamed up with Regional Goodwill Ambassador and rugby star Tendai
Mtawarira for a child nutrition quiz to raise awareness around child poverty.
“I am
proud to serve as the newest UNICEF Ambassador,” Doctor Mike said. “This role
represents an important opportunity for me to continue my work of advocating
for children’s health with an organization that provides nearly half of the
world’s children with critical vaccinations. UNICEF’s mission to ensure that
every child is healthy, educated, protected and respected has never been more
important and I look forward to amplifying this critical work on my platform.”
Born in
Russia and raised in New York, Doctor Mike earned his B.S. and Doctorate in
Osteopathic Medicine from the New York Institute of Technology. He rose to
prominence during his medical residency at Atlantic Health System’s Overlook
Medical Center by sharing behind-the-scenes insights on social media and has
since become a trusted voice on health, regularly contributing to reputable
outlets and hosting his own podcast, “The Checkup.”
As an ambassador,
Doctor Mike joins a roster of notable advocates including Selena Gomez, Sofia
Carson, Laurie Hernandez and Jeremy Lin to use his voice to help ensure every
child can survive and thrive.
Find more
information by visiting unicefusa.org.
SOURCE:UNICEF
(Family Features) Many people don’t think much about whether their blood is clotting properly. However, when you have a bleeding disorder, a condition that affects the way your body controls clots, it’s no small matter.
According to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI), part of the National Institutes of Health, abnormal clotting can lead to a host of problems, including excessive bleeding after an injury or during surgery.
About 3 million people in the U.S. have bleeding disorders. Some types, such as hemophilia, are inherited, meaning a person who has it is born with it. Inherited bleeding disorders are caused by certain genes passed down from parents to children. These genes contain instructions for how to make proteins in the blood called clotting factors, which help blood clot. If there is a problem with one of these genes, such as a mutation – a change in the gene’s instructions – the body may make a clotting factor incorrectly or not make it at all.
You can also have what’s called an acquired bleeding disorder, meaning you develop it during your lifetime. Acquired bleeding disorders can be caused by medical conditions, medicines or something unknown. Your risk of developing a bleeding disorder depends on your age, family history, genes, sex, or other medical conditions. If bleeding disorders run in your family, you may have a higher risk of developing or inheriting one.
Symptoms of a bleeding disorder may appear soon after birth or develop later in life and can include:
Excessive bleeding or bruising, such as frequent or long nose bleeds (longer than 15 minutes) or frequent or long menstrual periods
Petechiae, which are tiny purple, red, or brown spots caused by bleeding under the skin
Redness, swelling, stiffness, or pain from bleeding into muscles or joints
Blood in urine or stool
Excessive umbilical stump bleeding
Excessive bleeding during surgery or after trauma
If you believe you, or someone you care for, may have a bleeding disorder, talk to a health care provider. Your provider may make a diagnosis based on symptoms, risk factors, family history, a physical exam, and diagnostic tests. Health care providers typically screen for bleeding disorders only if you have known risk factors or before certain surgeries.
How your bleeding disorder is treated depends on its type. If your disorder causes few or no symptoms, you may not need treatment. If you have symptoms, you may need daily treatment to prevent bleeding episodes, or you may need it only on certain occasions, such as when you have an accident or before a planned surgery.
If you have been diagnosed with a bleeding disorder, it’s important to be proactive about your health and follow your treatment plan. To lower your risk of complications:
A Story of Bravery, Balance, and a Bleeding Disorder
There are lots of things that make Mikey White Jr. special. He’s a dedicated athlete. He’s determined, disciplined, and optimistic. He’s also living with hemophilia, a type of bleeding disorder.
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White was diagnosed with hemophilia at age 3 after experiencing several severe bleeding episodes. He had to give up baseball and basketball, his passions, because of the high risk of injuries, but he found competitive swimming – and he’s been breaking records ever since.
“Competitive swimming is a noncontact sport, so it complements my hemophilia while still being an intense and rigorous sport,” White said.
Being an athlete with hemophilia requires support, White admits. He works with his healthcare team and coaching staff to make sure he safely manages his condition and balances it with his training. He hopes his story encourages others living with bleeding disorders to accept and appreciate their bodies the way they are.
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Erika Squires, Assistant Professor, Wayne State University and Lucy (Kathleen) McGoron, Assistant Professor of Child and Family Development, Wayne State University
This article is republished from The Conversation under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article.
