If It's Too Hot, Get the Kids Out of the Kitchen!

LilSugar — Tue, 16 Jun 2009 12:19:41 -0700

We have a shoebox-size kitchen, so I have rules when my kids help me cook. Once the stove is lit, they need to stay seated at the table. All the tales of dropped pots of boiling water, hair caught in hand mixers, and fingers severed by bread knives have made me cautious.

The other night, my fears were realized when my husband attempted to puree some hot mushroom soup in the blender, but it malfunctioned and bits of the hot liquid splattered on our 2-year-old son. A blood-curdling scream sounded before my husband had a chance to shock our boy's skin with a cold shower. Luckily, our tot was more scared than scarred, and we all breathed a big sigh of relief when his affected limbs appeared completely normal. It's moments like those when your heart jumps into your throat that you realize you can never be too careful. Here are some tips for keeping your lil chefs safe.

If children are helping prep, sit at a table rather than chance a fall by having them stand on a chair or stool.
Do not allow children to crawl on counters or stoves when you aren't cooking. This way they won't feel comfortable doing so when the areas pose hazards.
Keep knives out of reach.
Use the rear burners when possible.
Turn pot and pan handles in.

To read the rest of the suggestions, read more.

Instruct tots to keep their fingers to themselves and not to hover when a parent is operating a hand mixer.
Make sure the floor is spill free before you transport pots of pasta and other boiling items to the sink.
Be mindful of lil ones shuffling behind when you open the oven door to remove piping hot casseroles.
Use age-appropriate utensils for different tasks. If you have a toddler in charge of snipping basil, have him tear the leaves with his hands rather than using a knife. If a preschooler is doing the job, allow her to use child-safe scissors, etc.
After washing the dishes with hot water, run the cold tap so your lil ones don't get burned if they decide to rinse their hands.
Keep the dishwasher locked.

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Baby Wellness: They Like to Move It, Move It

babysugar — Sat, 07 Jun 2008 05:00:50 -0700

Instead of drawing with crayons, I see kids busily punching their thumbs away while parents converse over dinner at restaurants. Slaves to electronic entertainment, mom and dad often welcome the distraction video games offers when they are enjoying an adult conversation or flying across the country. Sitting motionless for hours may keep the peace, but it's not doing your children any favors.

If you must indulge your child in video games at home, make it a virtual exercise game to get their bums up and moving. While it's no surprise that physically active video games are better for one's health than a stationary hand game, there are some that do a better job of "exercising" your child. To see what the experts say, read more. Dr. Gregory Brown from the University of Nebraska at Kearney said:

The kids burned two to three times as many calories when playing Wii Boxing and Wii Tennis than when engaging in traditional handheld video games. Their average heart rate shot up from 80 to 120 beats per minute - about what you'd expect when walking or doing a slow dance.

Viki Penpraze from the University of Glasgow in Scotland researched the heart rates of children watching television, playing a handheld game and those playing an interactive video game. She found that the first two activities provided no more exercise than reading a book. However, youngsters playing Dance Mat Mania and Eye Toy Boxing showed an increase from 80 to 160 heart beats per minute. She said this was the "equivalent of brisk walking or even jogging."

Of course no video game can mimic the exercise that a good tag, jump rope, hide and seek, or soccer game can provide. So if it's nice outside, open that back door and let 'em run themselves ragged. The calm is sure to come after the storm.