Latch Breastfeeding Support offers a monthly prenatal breastfeeding class as an informative introduction to breastfeeding that builds on the instinctive behaviors that your baby possesses from birth.
Let me preface this by saying that I am not a nutritionist. However, I do want to teach my kids to have a healthy relationship with food. As parents, the goal is to help kids balance their food choices even when we are not with them. To do this, allow your kids a safe space to learn and make healthy food decisions at home.
While there is no perfect way to talk to kids about food, it’s best to keep things fun and positive. I’d like to share a few evidence-based ideas that I am currently working on with my children!
Neutralize Food
Food is food. Instead of categorizing foods as “good” or “bad,” change the conversation to talking about foods that make them strong or give them the energy to do their favorite things. Conversations about the color, shape, smell, taste, and texture of foods can also help make kids more comfortable with different kinds of food.
Taking food out of wrappers recognizable to children can also help neutralize foods. Giving snacks to your kids out of the packaging and in smaller portions with other foods allows them to enjoy the food while saving room for other food.
Allowing all types of food rather than restricting certain food groups is also helpful. Consider serving “bad” foods with the meal instead of afterward. At the start, your child may only eat the “bad” food, but with time the excitement around that food will fade, leading them to explore other food on their plate.
Food should never be “earned.” Pushing children to eat more “good” foods to earn “bad” foods can do three things:
It makes the “bad” foods seem more enticing.
It can make children dread the “good” food.
It makes kids eat when they aren’t necessarily hungry instead of listening to their bodies when they are full.
Talk About What Different Foods Can Do for Their Body
All foods give us energy, just some more than others. Discuss macronutrients in a simplistic way with your children. For example, protein helps build strong muscles and helps fix our body when it’s hurt. Carbohydrates include starches, grains, and sugars; starches and grains are our body’s main energy sources. Sugars, on the other hand, can give us energy quickly, but it does not last as long. Fats absorb vitamins, build cells, and provide long-term energy; plant-based and fish fats help keep our hearts healthy.
Eating the colors of the rainbow is also a great way to introduce the functions of different foods for the body and encourage eating a variety of foods. Explain that we need to eat a lot of different foods to do the things we love. For example, red foods support a healthy heart and improved memory. Orange and yellow foods help us not get sick and support our eyes and heart. Green foods are great for the eyes, bones, and teeth. Blue and purple foods can improve memory and help us not get sick.
Encourage Kids to Listen to Their Bodies
Teaching children to listen to their bodies is essential. Ensure they eat only when they are hungry and stop eating when they are full. It’s also important to remember that eating habits are not the same for everyone. While some eat more, others eat less, and that is okay!
Rather than encouraging “Clean Plate Clubs,” it helps to give the same reaction no matter how much food your kids eat. One way to plan meals is to give a 30-minute window for eating. Then, when the meal is over, any leftovers can be put in the fridge for the next day—no need to make a new meal or give liquid calories if they didn’t eat.
Consider allowing kids to serve portions for themselves. Giving them autonomy to make their own decisions and decide what they eat can be empowering. While you should encourage them to try new foods, you should not force them.
Kids can often seem fixated on certain foods. Make sure to acknowledge that desire and make that food seem available instead of restricted. To do this, try saying things like, “I know you love (favorite treat). Let’s leave the rest, so there is more for tomorrow,” or “Let’s add that to the grocery list to enjoy soon.”
As you eat with your children and guide their relationship with different foods, you’ll help give them the knowledge and confidence they need to make healthy decisions for themselves. Making these conversations normal, fun, positive, and informative is a great way to start!
Heart disease is the primary cause of death in the United States, with symptoms that vary based on gender. Heart attack symptoms often vary according to gender.
Generally, men experience intense chest pain while women may often show much more subtle signs such as unusual fatigue, abdominal pain, nausea and vomiting. Unfortunately, these signs are often disregarded until it is too late.
“Just like with many other medical conditions, there are things you can do to prevent issues and complications from season allergies,” SouthCoast Health Allergist Dr. Wasil Khan said. “Many patients think they should wait until their symptoms start to come see me, but it’s actually best to come in before the allergy season starts if you know you typically experience them during the spring months.”
Pediatrician searching? The team at Coastal Pediatrics does so much more than your regular office visit. They’re there for you to make sure you’ve got all the answers.
Every year in the United States, 33,700 women and men are diagnosed with cancer caused by HPV infection. The good news? The HPV vaccination can help prevent these diseases with a success rate as high as 90% in some cases.
“The age recommended for children to get their HPV vaccine has been getting younger and younger,” said SouthCoast Health Nurse Practitioner Carisa Elmore (pictured) “With its incredible success rate of preventing such awful diseases, it’s really a must for any child.”
Learn more about the HPV vaccine and how it affects your children here.
If you have any more questions about the HPV vaccine, schedule an appointment with an expert SouthCoast Health Pediatrician by calling us at 912-691-3600.
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Though the first few weeks of a new year offer an excellent opportunity for a fresh start, the time is always right to make healthier choices for you and your family. If you’re looking to prioritize your kids’ overall health this year and in the years to come, pediatric concierge care may be the right choice for you. Here are just some of the many benefits you’ll enjoy as a member of Dr. Alexander’s practice.
Ease of Scheduling Appointments With other pediatric practices, parents have to call first thing in the morning in order to even attempt to make a same-day appointment. If they’re lucky enough to be seen that day, they’re often placed with a random provider who has never even met their child. At our practice, we take the stress out of scheduling and work around YOUR schedule, and you are guaranteed to see Sam (our amazing NP) or Dr. Alexander every visit!
Direct Access to Your Pediatrician Do you sometimes feel like you’ve spent half the day simply trying to get in touch with your doctor’s office? With our practice, you can text or call your pediatrician directly to ask questions and avoid unnecessary visits — saving you time and money! In typical practices, parents are told they must schedule an appointment for any concerns. With concierge pediatric care, you can send a photo or video of your child directly to Dr. Alexander through a HIPAA-compliant messaging system, and you’ll often be able to start treatment at home.
After-Hours Access to Dr. Alexander Sometimes you don’t notice that your child isn’t feeling well until you get home from work and the doctor’s office has already closed. No need to worry! You can text Dr. Alexander through the Spruce messaging app and hear back right away, helping to give you peace of mind. If you need to schedule a sick visit for the next day, you can do so online, day or night. By having after hours access, we can often keep you out of urgent cares or emergency rooms so that your child’s care is consistently with your PCP, improving quality of care and saving you money.
Increased Quality of Care Do you often feel rushed when you visit your child’s pediatrician, or that you spend the majority of your visit in the waiting room? At our practice, we don’t overbook our schedules. This allows patients to be seen as soon as they walk in for their appointment, removing any need for a waiting room at all! Even more importantly, this allows our team to spend ample time (usually 30 minutes to an hour) with each and every one of our patients, ensuring our patients and their parents leave our practice with all of their questions answered and concerns addressed.
These are just a few of the many benefits of joining Dr. Alexander’s concierge pediatric care practice! Not only will these services help save you valuable time and money, but they will also offer peace of mind that your child’s health is always in the best hands. If you’re interested in learning more about whether concierge pediatric care is right for your child, schedule a free consultation with Dr. Alexander to learn more about her practice and how it can benefit you.
Coastal Care Partners, 4B Skidaway Village Walk, Savannah, GA 31411, 912.598.6312. Coastal Care Partners Concierge Pediatric Clinic is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser
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YMCA of Coastal Georgia is cutting the ribbon on EGYM smart strength circuit at three locations before the end of February, perfect for busy moms who need to get a in a full workout in less than 45 minutes.
First is the EGYM grand opening at the Effingham Y on 1/31, followed by the Islands Y on Whitemarsh Island 2/7, and the Liberty Y in Hinesville on 2/22.
What is interesting about EGYM is it provides a customized, full-body strength training workout in just 30 minutes, taking the guesswork out of strength training, and gives you a goal-specific training plan using a game-like interface.
That sounds like EGYM makes exercising more simple and efficient. We’re in!
Nearly all cases of cervical cancer — as well as other cancers including those of the vulva, vagina, penis, and anus — are caused by HPV.
But HPV is highly preventable.
Similar to vaccines for many other viruses, the vaccine for HPV renders the virus ineffective by training the immune system to produce antibodies that bind to it as soon as it enters your body.
Anyone between the ages of 9 to 45 can receive the HPV vaccine to protect against the cancer-causing virus. Though this may seem an uncomfortable topic for protective parents or guardians, including HPV vaccination as part of a 10-12 year-old’s regular health check-up can ensure they’re fully safeguarded well before they become sexually active.
Those who have already started having sex can also still benefit. “If you haven’t yet contracted the virus,” assures SouthCoast Health pediatrician, Dr. Blaine Crosland (pictured) “it’s never too late to shield against it.”
Was one of your New Year’s resolutions to give back to your community? One way to make a big difference in the lives of others: donate blood.
SouthCoast Health experts share tips on donating blood including: why donations are needed; what does the blood donation involve; what are risks of donating blood. Learn more here.
Giving the gift of blood is giving the gift of life — often with very minimal cost to you. To discuss a blood donation schedule and any other health goals for the new year, connect with SouthCoast Health online or call directly at 912.691.3600.
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Posted in Health/Safety, Healthcare | Comments Off on SouthCoast Health: What to know about donating blood
Pediatrician searching? The team at Coastal Pediatrics does so much more than your regular office visit. They’re there for you to make sure you’ve got all the answers.
Practicing gratitude is a great way to bring joy into our lives! With the busyness and craziness of the world around us, it is helpful to look to find the things we are most grateful for each day. David Steindl-Rast, a Jesuit Priest, once said, “It’s not joy that makes us grateful, it’s gratitude that makes us joyful.”Even after Thanksgiving season passes, here are ways your family can practice gratitude!
Keep a gratitude journal.Gratitude journals are an easy and inexpensive way to remind ourselves of everything we have to be grateful for. Writing down 1-3 things each day is a quick positive way to start or end each day. Even kids can do it! If they aren’t able to write, try having them draw what they are thankful for.
In my personal life, I have two gratitude routines I practice with my own children. First, in the car on the way to school, I ask them to say one thing they are grateful for that morning. Oftentimes, I have to cut them off at about three things so that everyone can have a turn. But it’s often simple things like, “I am grateful for the sunshine… the rain… for momma taking me to school…for soccer…Friday dance parties at school.”
The second routine I use to introduce gratitude into my kids’ daily routine is during dinner. At dinner every night, everyone takes turns saying the following:
1. Best part of their day
2. Worst part of their day
3. Funniest part of their day
4. What they are thankful for
My kids will often use the worst part of their day to tell on each other, for example, “when so and so hit me,” but getting it out in the open makes it less of a big deal and also normalizes that everyone has bad parts of their day. Talking about what we are thankful for at the end helps to redirect the focus.
Another great way to put gratitude into action is to talk about random acts of kindness that kids can do during the day like saying “Hello!” to someone new, opening the door for someone, or getting involved in the community. One of my favorite kid-friendly ways to get involved in the community is P.A.C.K. (People of Action Caring for Kids).
P.A.C.K. is a local organization that helps to feed children in Savannah, and kids can volunteer to help pack food and toiletry bags, or make homemade cards for children.
I hope that as this season of thankfulness passes you will continue to find ways to encourage gratitude in your family’s daily lives. By making a routine of it, it will become easier to do and be a source of joy throughout the day.
Coastal Care Partners, 4B Skidaway Village Walk, Savannah, GA 31411, 912.598.6312. Coastal Care Partners Concierge Pediatric Clinic is a SouthernMamas.com advertiser
Posted in Health/Safety, Healthcare, Pediatricians | Comments Off on Savannah pediatrician Dr. Kelsey Alexander shares tips how to practice gratitude with your kids
Statesboro- 912-402-KIDS-(5437)
Fresh fruit and crunchy vegetables
Statesboro: 912-402-KIDS (5437)
