HealthyChild

by Martin Miron
This year, why not make the most of a long weekend by taking the family on a short trip designed to give kids a new, vibrant connection to nature? Everywhere across North America, birds, insects, animals and sea life are repeating their annual rituals of migration, a vital call of the wild [...]

Responsible parents create responsible teens
by Lisa Moore
When Wendy G. noticed changes in her 14-year-old daughter’s behavior, she chalked it up to the pressures of starting high school and teenage hormones. But after her once enthusiastic, high-achieving child experienced ongoing depression, mood swings and a drop in grades, she became concerned.
After smelling alcohol on her daughter’s [...]

by Lisa Moore
When back to school shopping this year there is one important item that requires special attention: the backpack. Backpacks that are poorly designed, overloaded or incorrectly worn may cause harmful stress to the entire spine. This growing problem is a source of shoulder, neck and low back pain in school age children.
A study [...]

by Carlotta Mast
Most kids are more likely to grab a French fry than a broccoli floret. Fortunately, a children’s-specific, high-quality multivitamin can help provide crucial, missing nutrients, as well as build an early shield against diabetes, heart disease and childhood cancers, according to the writings of Shari Lieberman, Ph.D., a clinical nutritionist often cited for [...]

by Barb Amrhein
Millions of new parents in the 1960s thought they had found the answer to their prayers in the mess-free convenience of disposable diapers. Sales of Pampers, Huggies and other brands continued to soar during the following decades.
Sadly, so did a host of related problems: tons of soiled plastic diapers that could potentially contaminate [...]

by Judith Fertig
Adults may think in terms of three meals a day, but kids are natural grazers, enjoying small portions of lots of different foods throughout the day. So it makes sense for parents to expand the notion of snack time and to have healthy foods ready when hunger strikes at a moment’s notice.
If kids [...]

by Dr. Michelle May
Parents are usually the main facilitators of life lessons for their children, but in some arenas it’s best to let the kids do the teaching. Their natural eating behaviors, for example, exemplify smart choices for us all. Here are some surprising rules of thumb:
Eat when you are hungry. From birth, babies know [...]

by Dr. Michael Smith, ND
Childhood obesity has more than tripled over the past 30 years and its effects are staggering. According to the CDC, obese children are more at his risk for cardiovascular disease, bone and joint problems, sleep apnea, diabetes, several types of cancer and poor self-esteem.
Fortunately, there are simple solutions to address weight [...]

Impacting the Lives of Kids Through Golf
by Lisa Moore

The First Tee of Charlotte is a non-profit, junior golf and mentoring program that focuses on delivery of fundamental golf skills as well as integral life skills to its participants.
The program for kids 5-18 is centered around 9 Core Values: Honesty, Integrity, Sportsmanship, Judgment, Confidence, Courtesy, Respect, [...]

by Larry and Christine Showler
We began kayaking with our son, Justin, when he was only a few months old, understanding that the earlier children become accustomed to being in a boat, the sooner everyone can enjoy the benefits of exploring the outdoors together. By the age of five, Justin was paddling his own recreational kayak, [...]