As you know, we developed KidKupz to not only help children “take the ick out of sick”® and chase away the harsh taste of liquid medications,  but also to help parents ensure their child is always getting the proper dosage.  That is why KidKupz are made using standardized dosage cups with clearly marked measurements – no room for error and the cups can be used with ANY liquid medications.

Clearly, The Journal of the American Medical Association supports our concerns.  Here is the JAMA study, released yesterday.  Important reading for all parents and caregivers.

“ Evaluation of Consistency in Dosing Directions and Measuring Devices for Pediatric Nonprescription Liquid Medications ”

Also, here is the video from WABC and the esteemed Dr. Jay Adlersberg.

We’ve all heard the buzz about what are considered to be the top “super foods.” These are the foods that offer the greatest health benefits and needless to say, none of them are found at McDonalds. It certainly isn’t news that our kids need to eat more fruits and vegetables, but what may be news to you is that there are certain foods that can actually benefit our childrens’ developing brains.

On my trying-to-be-a-good-parent days I try to offer my kids some sort of healthy snack after school or I try and avoid resorting to chicken nuggets for dinner. So, while I’m at it, I figure I might as well go with the foods that doctors and scientists  may will actually aid my children as they tackle their schoolwork.  For instance, did you know that egg yolks are packed with something called choline which aids in memory development?  I often try and substitute egg whites for yolks in an effort to reduce fat and cholesterol but here is a case where the benefits may well be worth the few extra grams of cholesterol.

Take a look at this round-up from WebMD and get some great meal and snack ideas that may actually help your child get the most of out of his school day.

When my mother and I first created KidKupz, our main objective was to make taking liquid medications easier for children while at the same time making the job easier on moms, dads and caregivers.  Having spoken with many pediatricians and health care professionals, we were also concerned with another of aspect of administering liquid medications. We wanted to help ensure that children were receiving the proper dosage of their medication and that each dose was being taken in full. That is the reason behind our clearly marked dosage Kupz with standard, easy to read measurements.

We interviewed lots of moms who told us the many different concoctions they would create and mix with liquid medicines, including chocolate syrup and applesauce. The problem with this approach is that you can’t be sure your child is getting the complete dose if the medicine is mixed in with a larger portion of another food that is then not entirely consumed.

Our dream was, indeed, to “Take the ick out of sick” but most important is that children are administered medication safely, and accurately. Take a look at this Web M.D. article and see why perhaps Mary Poppins should have been singing, “Just a cup rimmed with fruity flavors helps the medicine go down..”

If your family is anything like mine, then summer throws your normal school year routine right out the window.  Of course, our kids aren’t heading out to class but that’s not the only thing that changes at my house. Sleep schedules, bedtime routines, meal times, reading time, eating habits and some semblance of a dress code…all of these things seem to take on a life of their own at my house come Summer vacation.

My kids still need to get wake up early so that I can drive them to day camp, but let’s face it, it’s camp and wandering in late in your flip flops is just fine. Meal times and schedules slide around and I even find myself allowing ice cream to sneak in more frequently during the week.  It is Summer, after all, and the ice cream and the fresh corn and the cookouts with smores, well aren’t they just a necessary part of childhood?

So, with summer slowly winding down, what is the best way to gradually start transitioning our children, and ourselves, back into more of a routine that will prepare us for back to school? Take a look at WebMD’s Ask the School Nurse for some practical advice that may not have crossed your mind while you were relaxing on the beach.

If you are planning a road trip this summer with the family you are bound to find the back seat of your mini van covered with greasy potato chip bags and empty soda bottles by the time you reach your destination. Let’s face it, chips, soda and snack bars are among the tried and true go-to snacks on the road. They’re easy to grab off the shelf and there’s no thinking involved. The problem is that both you and your kids will arrive at your vacation destination feeling sluggish and bloated. Of course, your best bet is to pack snacks from home including the obvious choices like carrots, pretzels, sugarless gum and bottled water. But think back, way back, to your own childhood road trips and remember that the last thing you wanted to snack on was something that mom had packed in her old cooler. Half the fun of the trip is begging for some money to spend at the 7-Eleven on a Slurpee and a Twinkie.

With that in mind, Health.com has put together some great suggestions that will help make this Summer’s road trip healthful while still allowing your family the fun of snacking along the way.  Whether it’s a gas station, a rest stop or a fast food chain, these tips for what to grab on the go will even keep your kids snack-happy!

Chances are if you ask other adults if they grew up having a best friend throughout the different stages of their childhood, the answer will be, “Yes.”  Fortunately, even for children who may not be jocks or cheerleaders or run with the popular crowd (whatever that is) it usually works out that most kids wind up finding a buddy that is just right for them. After all, as kids, isn’t it super important to have a best pal, someone who will stick by you no matter what and stand by you through the worst of any teasing or bullying? It really has never occurred to me that there could be any downside to having a best friend, but leave it to the “experts” because they have found one.

In this world of inclusion and political correctness, it seems that many educators and psychologists feel that it is better for children and teenagers to socialize in larger groups and to consider a broader group of children as their closest friends rather than to have one best buddy. While I can see the benefits for all of us, children and adults, to broadening our social horizons, my own childhood experience would have made this difficult. Having been an extremely overweight child and teen, I struggled to feel secure and comfortable around my classmates. I was always waiting to be excluded, or teased, or chosen last for a team. For me, knowing that I had a best girlfriend was a definite source of security and confidence. I agree that it is important for children to learn that they must treat all of their classmates with kindness and respect and never make another child feel excluded. However, I have also urged my own children to nurture and treasure their closest friendships because by doing so, they will learn how to develop other healthy and positive relationships throughout their lives. And let’s face it, as children and as adults, you just aren’t going to like everyone in your class or on your team or even in your office in the same way. Our instincts and our likes and dislikes will always draw us towards some peers and pull us away from others. Is attempting to micro-manage this dynamic even a realistic possibility?

Hilary Stout’s article thoughtfully explores both sides of this issue and the perspectives are eye-opening!

My 11 year old son is obsessed with baseball. In addition to knowing all the stats and all the players, he plays on a little league travel team which, especially this past year, consumed a big part of his life…and ours. The boys practice into the night at least 2 times during the week, year round and play double header games every Sunday. The games are often a 2 hour drive each way and the playing lasts for at least 4 1/2 hours straight with, at most, a 10 minute break in between games. My son is actually a very good player and while I don’t for one second believe that he will ever play professionally, his coaches have told me and my husband that he could go far in the sport with the proper coaching and commitment. This coming season, my son is being encouraged to join a more elite travel team which would involve more weekly practices, more games and more tournament play, including trips outside the U.S.  My son will be in the 6th grade come September and the workload will be intense as it is a big transition year academically. How much can an 11 year old handle and how many balls can he keep in the air without incident and without emotional and physical stress? There is a part of me that wants to insist that he stay in his existing league and not try and advance to the more advanced league. But what kind of a message does that send? Afterall, if your child has a talent and a passion for something, shouldn’t you support and encourage that passion?

The truth is, I am thrilled that my son is passionate about something other than video games and that he would choose playing ball in the park over watching TV any day. The question  is, when is enough, enough? Increasingly, young boys, and sometimes girls, are becoming more and more competitive when it comes to athletics. It’s no longer just a breezy fall Sunday afternoon ballgame in the park…it’s do or die and our kids are more and more sustaining significant physical injuries in an effort just to keep up.

Mark Hyman’s new book, “Until It Hurts: America’s Obsession with Youth Sports and How It Harms Our Kids” chronicles the toll that youth team sports may be taking on our kids and on the family unit in general. Take a peek and see if you see anybody you know.

It has been nothing less than blisteringly hot and humid here in New York over the last couple of weeks. My children are  finishing up the school year and summer camp is just around the corner. I guess it’s time to prepare for the great outdoors! I have always been pretty much of a city girl, and to this day I envy those families who can pack up a cooler on a summer morning and head to the beach for the entire day. You know who you are…running in and out of the ocean to cool off, playing Kadima and jogging up and down the beach with your totally even, golden brown tans. My husband and children and I are a fair skinned bunch and no matter what we do, we burn. A burn, by the way, that never turns into a tan, but rather dries up and peels off. We are the family at the beach cowering under our big umbrella. My kids love the ocean but they sure don’t love the sunscreen protocol that preceeds it.

Every year it seems like the brands and types of sunscreens on the market triples exponentially. It’s hard to make sense of all the buzz words and the latest and greatest new technologies. I always wind up buying 6 different sprays all promising to be “sweat-proof” and “long-lasting” and it always seems as though the second my kids get in the water, the product washes right off. I slather the thick, white SPF 70 pastes on their chubby cheeks and noses as they leave for camp in the morning and what comes home are 2 red faced, freckled lobsters.

Take a look at this ABC News video featuring Consumer Reports choices for this year’s best and most effective sun protection products. I have already stocked up on 2 of the sprays one lotion and I will let you know how we do. The results and the prices may surprise you. And remember…life’s a beach!

My son is now 11 and in the 5th grade. He is one of 34 children in the grade and the variety and range of sizes of the boys and the girls is truly fascinating. He is currently about 5″2″ and that is among the taller of the boys, however there are a few boys and girls who are taller. There are also some boys and girls who are tiny in comparison. These kids have been together since kindergarten and it is fascinating to see how they have all changed. Of course, good old puberty is just around the corner for most of these kids and the rest is anyone’s guess.

I am addressing this issue specifically because my son has always been very focused on his height and his height relative to his classmates. Ever since 2nd grade he was aware of how many inches taller or shorter he was compared to his peers. This was not just an observation either, he was determined that he must eventually be over 6 feet in height.  I’m not sure of where this originated. My husband and I are both 5″7″ and although that may not be considered “tall” for a man, it is certainly not something that has been a focus in our home.

We share in our son’s excitement when he comes from his annual physical and is told he is in the 99th percentile for height but at the same time we make sure that he knows that is no measure of his future success on the planet. My son actually worries that he won’t break 6 feet and I worry that that is even a concern. Fortunately, his dad is not sensitive to the issue or he would certainly feel that my son thinks of him as inadequate. Quite to the contrary. They have a super strong bond, and I think my son knows that his dad is okay with 5′7″…but for himself, he wants more.

Jane E. Brody recently touched on this subject in a NY Times article about the myths and misinformation surrounding the shortcomings of below average height people…pardon the pun. The bottom line? We should all be walking tall!

Okay, so we all know I’m big on educating kids about nutrition and helping them to make better food choices but this is taking it too far.According to CNN, County Supervisors in Santa Clara, California have just passed an ordinance forbidding toy giveaways in fast food meals that contain more than 485 calories. The assumption being that our kids won’t harass us for the crappy meal if there is no toy. This is where I feel like the lines are being blurred. Shouldn’t we as parents be telling our kids yes or no to a food choice based on the merits of the food rather than on them begging for the meal because of the toy? If your child no longer asks for the happy meal at McDonald’s because there is no toy they will still be asking you for the nuggets and fries. Unfortunately, the absence of a toy is not enough of an incentive to motivate a child to go for the salad instead. Fast food kids meals are also intended to be an inexpensive way for parents to feed their kids and that is certainly something that all families are very much in need of today. Wouldn’t a better solution have been to require that kids meals must contain under a certain amount of fat and sodium and calories, period, with or without a toy?  Less withholding and more knowledge and information would serve families better over time.

A toy in a meal is one of the many simple pleasures of childhood. Don’t take that away.   Our kids will still order the nuggets but now, with no toy, they will need you to entertain them while you’re having your salad.