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Health

The Benefits of Swimming: You and Your Child Should Get Along “Swimmingly”

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RNLI lifeguard offering safety advice

Did you know there are many benefits to swimming? Bucknell University lists 9 physical benefits:

  • Improved flexibility
  • Increased endurance
  • Muscular balance
  • Heart strength
  • Improved physique
  • Increased circulation
  • Rehabilitates muscle
  • Improves ease of weight management
  • Low impact on weight bearing joints

All these are important, but for your children swimming is just plain fun.  What are some reasons to get your kids in the water and create a healthy habit for life?

Safe from the start

Helping your child overcome their natural fear of water comes from a safe and stress-free introduction to swimming.  Seeking out your local Red Cross approved swimming program will give you an age appropriate entry point.  From babies to adults, there are first timer programs that will ease their way into swimming, by developing proper techniques and safety consciousness.  Their ability to react calmly to situations in the water, because of good basic safety skills, could save their life or the lives of others. [Read more…] about The Benefits of Swimming: You and Your Child Should Get Along “Swimmingly”

Originally posted on September 26, 2016 @ 2:28 pm

When Your Child Doesn’t Talk: Hearing Issues Underlying Speech Delay

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parent talking to child

When you child doesn’t speak much, there are several different causes that might run through your head. First, there may be panic – parents tend to immediately worry that children who are slow to speak may be autistic, but limited speech isn’t the only symptom of autism. Those parents with chatty older children may also worry that the other siblings speak for or over their younger children, discouraging them from developing speech.

One commonly overlooked reason that your child may be slow to learn to speak, however, is that they’re suffering from hearing problems. These can be caused by any number of things, and using hearing aids and providing speech therapy early on is vital to helping your child meet communication milestones.

Causing Of Childhood Hearing Loss

Many children are born with compromised hearing, which may go undetected due to the difficulty of accurately testing hearing in young children. Children born prematurely or who spent time in the NICU are more prone to such problems, as are those who go on to suffer a large number of ear infections or who have relatives who also had childhood hearing loss. It’s also important to remember that young children are especially susceptible to hearing damage, so make sure you protect your child’s ears if they’re going be in a loud environment. [Read more…] about When Your Child Doesn’t Talk: Hearing Issues Underlying Speech Delay

Originally posted on August 3, 2016 @ 9:58 am

Ways to Make Your Likelihood of Getting Pregnant Easier

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Pregnancy never seems to happen at a good time. A couple is either trying to conceive for months and months before they have success, or it happens out of the blue to a couple who isn’t even thinking about having children.

getting-pregnant

To those who are having a hard time conceiving, it becomes salt in a wound every time you see that somebody else you know is expecting, especially when it seems like they didn’t even want the baby in the first place. If you’re facing infertility issues, you’ve probably researched a lot of options, but here are some ways to make your likelihood of getting pregnant easier: [Read more…] about Ways to Make Your Likelihood of Getting Pregnant Easier

Originally posted on May 9, 2016 @ 1:13 pm

Smart Parenting for Health and Fiscal Responsibility

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Smart parenting can be a bit of a touchy subject these days, with everything in society changing so fast that life is becoming a blur, and kids from one generation are so different from kids in another.

healthy-eating-habits

However, with that said, there are still some parenting techniques that can be considered ‘smart’ in a general sense, and those can exist in the categories of making sure to keep utility bills in order, putting money in banks wisely, remembering that health is a long-term nutritional investment, avoiding credit and loan traps, and learning from your own parents’ successes and failures. [Read more…] about Smart Parenting for Health and Fiscal Responsibility

Originally posted on December 20, 2015 @ 2:09 pm

How And Why To Add New Forms Of Protein Into Your Family’s Diet

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Americans basically get all of the protein they need with the amount of meat they eat on a daily basis. Most of them get far more protein than they actually need. With the rates of obesity and the health issues with certain meats, many people are trying to find different ways to get the protein that they do need.

kids-eating-vegetables

The average adult woman needs about 46 grams of protein a day, while men need 56 grams. It helps to know the size of a serving of meat, when it comes to protein and meat. One serving of meat is about the size of a deck of cards, and contains somewhere around 21 grams. [Read more…] about How And Why To Add New Forms Of Protein Into Your Family’s Diet

Originally posted on January 28, 2016 @ 2:35 pm

5 Pieces of Fitness Equipment Your Whole Family Can Enjoy

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Everyone knows that a big part of living a healthy life is fitness, and that is definitely something that you’re going to want for your family. When you imagine your family in a group photo, you probably want to see them as all smiling, healthy, and fit!

exercising-at-home

So what are some pieces of equipment that you can keep at your home that everyone can use? Especially considering that each one of these is going to be a bit of an investment, it makes sense that they are household items, in the end, and they fit in the categories of training bags, treadmills, weight benches, balance boards, and yoga mats. [Read more…] about 5 Pieces of Fitness Equipment Your Whole Family Can Enjoy

Originally posted on December 23, 2015 @ 2:38 pm

Teaching Teens About Drugs

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Teenagers are well known for rebellious behavior and nothing screams rebellion more than drug and alcohol abuse. You can talk and talk to your teenagers about the bad things that drugs can do to them, but in the end it is up to them. You can’t watch them 24/7, so all you can do is hope that your words and love are enough.

teens and drugs

The words you use are important though, because if you just assume they’ll do them whether or not you talk to them you may find yourself with a drug addicted teen. It may not seem like it, but kids do listen to their parents. It may seem like it is all in one ear and out the other, but sometimes something sticks, and if you don’t talk to them at all about the hard topics you aren’t doing your job as a parent.

Teens and Drugs Statistics

According to the National Institute of Drug Abuse, while the use of illicit drugs has dropped, as of 2014, they are still out there. Their studies found, though, that there has been less availability of certain addictive substances to the teenagers, which could equate for the approximately 7 percent drop since its peak in 1997. [Read more…] about Teaching Teens About Drugs

Originally posted on April 22, 2015 @ 2:00 pm

3 Things to Do When You Suspect Your Child is Using

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With nearly two million youth aged 12-17 using drugs or alcohol each day, it has become a prevalent problem within the United States. Many parents find themselves scrambling to know what to do upon suspecting alcohol or substance abuse at home. Finding a good way to go about dealing with the problem can help your addict on the road to recovery and ease the parental stress of it. Included here are a few things to do when you suspect your child is using.

teen drinking

Prepare Yourself

While you know it is important to confront your child about their habits, doing so with the wrong mindset can just lead to a blow-up. You are likely feeling personal guilt or shame as a parent that you need to first deal with. Acknowledge that your child is the one who got themselves into the scenario, it is not a result of you being a bad parent. Mentally decide what you need to talk about and deal with before you enter the conversation and emotions run high. [Read more…] about 3 Things to Do When You Suspect Your Child is Using

Originally posted on December 28, 2015 @ 3:30 pm

5 Tips for Staying Healthy During Pregnancy

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pregnant-woman

Pregnancy presents a multitude of challenges for soon-to-be mothers. You are faced with a changing body, changing health and huge impending life changes. Facing motherhood can not only take a toll on your mental health, but also on your physical health. While a loving support system can help ease the stress and worry, you can take steps to make your daily physical transition easier; not to mention, many of these tips have been said to make labor easier. Included here are a few tips for staying healthy during your pregnancy. [Read more…] about 5 Tips for Staying Healthy During Pregnancy

Originally posted on December 21, 2015 @ 7:37 am