LilSugar

Let Them Eat Cake...And Candy Canes!

LilSugar — Tue, 23 Dec 2008 06:00:23 -0800

I've never bought into the whole concept that candy makes kids hyperactive so I've never denied my children sweets when it came to holiday festivities. But, now there's reason for the moms who do attribute their tykes' energetic behavior to treats to relax. This Christmas, let your lil one have a candy cane. Guess what myth topped the list of holiday myths? To find out, read more.

On the subject of sugar making kids hyperactive, one report said:

The researchers cite 12 controlled studies that couldn’t detect any differences in behavior between children who had sugar and those who did not. Even when kids had a diagnosis of hyperactivity problems or were said to be more sensitive to sugar, they did not behave differently whether they ate sugar-laden or sugar-free diets. In fact, the biggest effect of sugar may be on parents. Parents rate their children as being more hyperactive if they are told the child has consumed sugar - even when the child hasn’t really had any sweets.

Slice of the Yule log, sweetie?

Source

Kid Suspended for Buying Skittles at School

babysugar — Fri, 14 Mar 2008 07:00:33 -0700

When I was in high school we had vending machines with sodas, potato chips and candy. Never mind that I went to Willy Wonka High but, nowadays many school districts have banned the selling of unsavory products as part of a school wellness policy.

To see what happened to a student in Connecticut, read more.

In New Haven, Connecticut, one kid paid the price for his sweet tooth. Unaware of the "crime" he was about to commit, eighth grader Michael Sheridan bought a bag of Skittles from a classmate. When he was caught doing the deed, the honors student was reportedly suspended for a day, forced to relinquish his throne as class vice president, and banned from an honors student dinner.

This all seems a tad harsh for a sugar high - do you think the punishment fit the crime?

A Spoon Full of Sugar Makes Shots Go Smoother

babysugar — Tue, 05 Feb 2008 11:00:00 -0800

Looks like Mary Poppins was onto something when she sang, "A spoon full of sugar makes the medicine go down!" It turns out that giving infants a small dose of a sugar solution just before they get injections seems to make the pain more tolerable. To see what the study said, read more.

Dr. Linda A. Hatfield and her associates at the Pennsylvania State University School of Nursing in University Park report,

Administration of 2 milliliters of a 24 percent oral sucrose solution two minutes before routine immunizations is effective in decreasing maximum immunization pain and shortens the time before returning to a near normal state in infants at two and four months of age.

The children were given the sugary liquid 45 minutes before the shots were administered. I might have to try this trick (and treat) before my daughter's next doctor's visit.

Tell us, do you think it's worth trying?

Source

Delilicious: Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs

LilSugar — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 12:00:37 -0800

Lisa Barnes, author of Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry, shares with LilSugar a classic sugar cookie recipe that works for all seasons - though it's especially great for a holiday party, cookie swap or playdate activity. Kids can help dump the measured ingredients into the mixing bowl and turn on and off the electric mixer to help make the dough. Of course the fun really begins with the cookie cutting and icing decorating.

To see how to make this tasty and classic holiday treat with your tots, just read more.

Sugar Cookie Cut-Outs
From Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink and Be Merry

Ingredients

2/3 cup organic unsalted butter, at room temperature
¾ cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
¼ teaspoon salt
1 large cage-free organic egg
1 tablespoon organic milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour

Directions
In a large mixing bowl, beat butter with an electric mixer on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking powder, and salt and beat until combined. Beat in egg, milk, and vanilla until combined. Beat in the flour, ¼ cup at a time, until all is incorporated.

Cover and chill dough for at least 30 minutes. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F. Line 2 baking sheets with parchment paper and set aside.

On a lightly floured surface, and using a floured rolling pin, roll dough out to 1/8-inch thickness. Cut into desired shapes. Place 1 inch apart on prepared baking sheets.

Bake for 7 to 9 minutes, until edges are firm and bottoms are very lightly browned. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Once completely cool these can be frosted with your child’s favorite royal or powdered sugar icing. For easy, frosting set out small spreaders and squeeze bottles so frosting ends up on the cookies and not your child, floor, and table. Add sprinkles to wet frosting for even more fun (and mess).

*Makes about 35 (2½-inch) cookies

Print recipe with images | without images

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Sugarbabies: Kicking Off Thanksgiving Sugarbabies!

babysugar — Sat, 21 Nov 2009 05:01:49 -0800

This picture was taken as my daughter enjoyed her first true Thanksgiving meal. She picked at the turkey but gobbled up the sweet potatoes, cranberries and the delicious stuffing. Though her brother was only days old, she gave thanks for being a big sister. In turn, we gave thanks for having a sweet daughter and a brand-new baby boy.

Share your old or new Thanksgiving pictures with us in the Sugarbabies group. We'll be featuring them all week long on the LilSugar website... don't miss out! It's super easy, and your tot will get a kick out of seeing himself on the site.

To see how to join, read more.

Create a PopSugar Account or login to your account.
Join the Sugarbabies group
Click "New Post" under the Sugarbabies tab at the top of the page.
Give your story a "Title."
Insert a photo of your babe.
Fill in the "Body" if you want to give us a snippet of the shot.
Add keyword(s) in the tag field with relevant tags (for example mine for this story was "Sugarbabies").
Click "Create Post" to submit content.

Sugarbabies: We Love Fall!

Lil Community — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 04:00:50 -0800

This post comes from user Amba123 in our Sugarbabies group!

We live in Oregon and it's beginning to get cold and rainy. I love this picture of Kenley. She looks like a miniature woman in her little peacoat! She loves hamming it up for the camera!

Don't you want to see your wee one on our LilSugar site? Don't wait another minute. Join our Sugarbabies group over in the LilSugar Community and share your priceless pictures. It's easy!

To see how to do it, just read more.

Create a PopSugar Account or login to your account.
Join the Sugarbabies group
Click "New Post" under the Sugarbabies tab at the top of the page.
Give your story a "Title."
Insert a photo of your babe.
Fill in the "Body" if you want to give us a snippet of the shot.
Add keyword(s) in the tag field with relevant tags (for example mine for this story was "Sugarbabies").
Click "Create Post" to submit content.

Life Just Got Easier - Mobile Blog Your Pics on LilSugar!

babysugar — Sun, 11 Oct 2009 05:00:37 -0700

When the kids are running circles around her ankles and the phone is ringing off the hook, mommy hardly has time to sit down at the computer to dish about her favorite television shows or tell us about her frustrations but she might have the time to click and shoot with her smartphone and upload her wee one's smiling mug and share it with us on our renewed Sugarbabies community. Mischievous, messy, giggling, sleeping babies are all welcome! Send away and maybe your baby will be the Sugarbaby in the LilSugar spotlight!

To get started on your mobile blogging adventure, follow these quick and easy steps.

If you're not already a community member, create an account.
Next, click Join Group on the top right-hand side of the Sugarbabies group.
After you register, go to Edit Profile under your member name drop-down, click on the Post by Email tab, and follow the simple instructions on that page.
Now you're free to post photos straight from your cell phone! Simply send a message with the photo attached, a title in the subject line, and any text in the body of the email to sugarbabies@onsugar.com - you'll get an email back asking you to confirm so just reply and it should show up in just a few minutes! (Get a detailed explanation of how to do this here.)

It sounds a lot harder than it is and once you've done it once, you'll be movin' and groovin'. Besides, it will be well worth the effort when we spotlight your wee one as our Sugarbaby!

If you want to add a photo straight from your home computer, read more.

First of all, join the Sugarbabies group.
Click the New Post button on the top right.
Enter a Title - like your child's name - and click Insert Image to upload a picture of your wee one.
If you'd like, you can add more details about your babe in the body section.
When you're all done click Create Post to submit content.

Honest to Peet: Amanda Peet in SELF Magazine

babysugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 07:00:43 -0800

Not one to shy away from controversy or the honest truth, it's no surprise that mommy Amanda Peet is the cover girl on the December issue of SELF. The sexy mum shows off her postpartum bod and dishes on her role in the vaccinations debate, her typical date night and how she stays in shape. As the star in the flick 2012, she's a busy mom who somehow seems to keep her priorities in line all while maintaining a beaming smile on her face. Here's highlights:

The affectionate mom on how her outlook has changed since having her daughter, Frances, in February 2007:

Generally, I've become much more corny since I've had my baby girl. I think it's important for her to know that you can fail and then recover and that failure is important. It's part of the thing. You cannot escape it. There's no way you can control everything that much. It was also really important to David and I that she have a sense of silliness. We resolved to have a silly child and she is pretty silly!

On body image and having a daughter:

I do feel like it's important for her to have me be as healthy as I can be. So, you know, I don't want her to have horrible eating habits. I don't want her to never exercise. But obviously I'd much rather have her play a sport than have a gym membership before she's 20. I mean there are kids in LA who go to the gym and they have a trainer. I'm like, Play a sport!

View 5 Photos ›

To see how she spends her date nights and her stance on vaccines, read more.

On date nights:

I’m obsessed with Julia Louis-Dreyfus. If she knew how much she was in my household late at night or in the wee hours of the morning, she might be disturbed. David [her husband] and I both have a crush on her.

The child-vaccination controversy spurred her to become an activist:

I got involved because it scared me when I learned how many parents were withholding vaccines from their children. [Peet is the spokeswoman for the Measles Initiative as well as the organization Every Child by Two.] It made me frightened of the possibility that some of these diseases are coming back. This is about the future of our children’s health. It’s about what happens when you become complacent and you’re not vigilant as a community.

To see how the beautiful mom stays in shape, check out what our girl FitSugar has on the subject and see more photos, quotes on Self.com.

Photos courtesy of Mark Abrahams

Product Reviews Group: Joolz One Grand Stroller

Lil Community — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 06:00:05 -0800

This comes from user meganmckenzie in our Product Reviews group.

This isn't exactly a product review, but more of a request for one! Has anyone seen, touched, or used this product? I absolutely love some of the features that I have read about, but I fear purchasing a stroller that I haven't seen. There isn't much information out there about this stroller. Anyone out there have a good review of the Joolz One Grand - or any of the Joolz strollers, for that matter?

Share your favorite books, products, toys and trends with other parents. Join our Product Reviews group over in the LilSugar Community!

10 Hints For Having Little Helpers in the Holiday Kitchen

LilSugar — Thu, 19 Nov 2009 04:00:22 -0800

Too many cooks in the kitchen is a good thing this holiday season. Lisa Barnes, fellow mom, chef, and author of Petit Appetit: Eat, Drink, and Be Merry reminds stressed out parents that, "The holiday season is a wonderful opportunity to allow your children to help with the meal preparation and offers quality time together as a family. This is a way to keep your children occupied, but is also a fun, educational activity that incorporates a range of skills and senses, such as counting, measuring, reading, touching, listening, planning, smelling, tasting, and creativity." To add some cheer to your cooking during this festive time, Barnes gives LilSugar readers these helpful hints for having your own little helpers in the holiday kitchen.

View Slideshow ›