Caffeinated Kids

Most parents, myself included, wouldn’t give a second thought to letting their kids eat chocolate or indulge in a soda every once and a while. But would I ever give him a cup of coffee? No way. This is why I nearly keeled over when an old teacher colleague of mine told me last week that a parent of one of her students actually blamed a poor test grade on the fact that she hadn’t had her morning latte. Grade Six? All that caffeine can’t be good on a young body. So, I did a little research.

Caffeine is a natural ingredient found in the leaves, seeds or fruit in a variety of plants, such as tea leaves, coffee and cocoa. It is added to carbonated drinks and some over the counter medications and is defined as a drug because it affects the central nervous system and is considered addictive.

People who are sensitive to caffeine can suffer from:
*sleep problems
*headaches
*anxiety
*irritability.

More seriously, it can cause an increase in heart rate and blood pressure, and affect calcium balance and bone health. It has also been potentially linked to reproductive and newborn health. It is recommended that healthy adults not consume more than 450 milligrams of caffeine a day (about 3 cups of coffee).

Children are at greater risk for the behavioural affects of caffeine, such as mood changes, attentiveness, and alertness. Children who consume too much caffeine are more likely to suffer from frequent stomach aches, head aches and have difficulty sleeping. It can also aggravate heart problems or nervous disorders and some children may not know they are at risk.

Canadian guidelines recommend that preschool children get a maximum of 45 milligrams of caffeine a day. That's equivalent to the average amount of caffeine found in a 12-ounce can of soda or four 1.5-ounce milk chocolate bars. So, how much caffeine are your children really consuming? Well, one can of Coke has 34 mg; a can of diet coke has 45mg; 5oz of brewed coffee has 115; 8oz of chocolate milk has 5mg; and tablet of cold medicine has about 30mg. (Taken from Kids Health .)

What is the best way to cut caffeine out of your children’s daily food and drink intake? First and foremost, eliminate soda and chocolate from your child’s diet. Encourage them to drink water, fruit juice or milk and keep tabs on the amount of candy your child eats. Second, make sure you wean them off caffeine slowly and understand that without their daily "fix" your child may become irritable, tired, and achy. Of course, you can allow your children to indulge in a can of soda or a chocolate bar once in a while. For any healthy diet, moderation is key and a little caffeine won’t do any to derail your attempts to keep your child caffeine free.

For more information, please visit Health Canada or www.KidsHealth.org.

Babysitting Made Easy

Over two years ago, I was blessed to be introduced to the woman who is now my nanny. She is loving, nurturing and responsible. From the moment I met her, I never had any hesitations about leaving my children with her – there was just something about her that felt “right.”

My nanny is not live-in, so on those rare occasions that my husband and I actually have somewhere to go at night, we have to rely on babysitters. Unfortunately, our luck in the sitter department has not been so good. We have been stood up, cancelled on, and once, we even sent a babysitter home when she showed up with her not-so-trustworthy-looking boyfriend. We have also been called home from a night out when our sitter couldn’t get our extremely mild-mannered and easy going son to stop crying. Needless to say, we learned the hard way how to choose sitters and how to make leaving our son at home as stress-free as possible, for everyone involved. Here are our pointers.

Interview your sitter while your child is home
You wouldn’t let a stranger house-sit, why would you let one baby sit? To find a babysitter, use a reputable service or get a referral from a friend. Then, arrange a face-to-face. Ask her lots of questions. What is her background? What sitting experience does she have? Is she okay bathing your child or changing a diaper? What does she do for a living? Also, take notice of how she interacts with your child. Is she calling him by name? Is she on the floor with him? Is she trying to engage him in anyway? What is your child’s reaction to her? First impressions are very important and what the potential babysitter does or doesn’t do during the interview can be very telling. They should want the job.

Arrange a trial run
You are entitled to know exactly how the baby sitter interacts with your child. Arrange for her to mind your child for a couple hours during the week, and stay home. Be out of sight, but do keep one ear open and listen to how she engages your little one. A test run also is the perfect way to get your child used to a new baby sitter without dealing with separation issues.

Chill Out
Even if you are nervous about leaving your child with a baby sitter, act relaxed. Children take their cues from their parents. If you are calm, they will be, too.

Actually being relaxed is even better than pretending to be relaxed. After all, you don’t want to be worrying the whole time you are away. Leave your cell phone number with the sitter, just in case, and assume that no news is good news.

Leave already!
If you need to be somewhere at 8pm, don’t wait until 8pm to leave your house. Just get up and go! Generally, children who cry will settle down after a few minutes. And, for goodness sake, make sure you say good-bye. Don’t sneak out of the house without telling your child where you are going. They will get scared when they suddenly realize you have gone and left them with a stranger.

When all else fails, distract them
Save a new toy or a favourite dinner for a night when a baby sitter is coming. A little distraction can go a long way when trying to soothe an anxious child.