Teething Tips

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Your poor baby is crying, drooling, feverish… in short, she is miserable! When I was a baby, the grandmothers used to say rub a little wine or brandy on her gums to dull the pain and help her sleep. They meant well, but I think we know better nowadays! How do we know whether our baby’s discomfort is due to teething, or if their symptoms are due to something else such as a virus? What are the safest and most effective ways to comfort our cranky babies?

The first teeth usually start to show up between 5 to 7 months of age, but every baby is different. Danelle Fisher, MD, chair of pediatrics at Providence Saint John’s Health Center in Santa Monica, Ca., explains that symptoms such as low-grade fever, diaper rash, fussiness and slight loss of appetite may be a sign of teething, but if any of your baby’s symptoms are not mild or last longer than 24 hours, you should consult your doctor, as it could indicate something more serious. WebMD notes that recent studies found that while teething may make babies cranky, it does not typically cause fever or serious digestion problems.

How do you relieve baby’s pain safely and effectively? My brother-in-law, a pediatric dentist, once told me that teething is like spending the day with a terrible headache. Use caution picking up a teething ring from the drug store. Many teethers, even those labeled BPA-free, or “non-toxic” have been found to contain levels of toxins, chemicals and endocrine disrupters. Jonas Sickler, from ConsumerSafety.org, says, “Since teething products are regulated by the CPSC (Consumer Product Safety Commission), they don’t have the same chemical limits that the FDA requires for food and drugs. If you are unsure about a product, check with your pediatrician when choosing a pacifier or teether.

So what are the safest, most effective ways to relieve baby’s pain from teething? Experts from the Mayo Clinic suggest offering baby a cool, clean washcloth to chew on (partially wet the cloth and put in fridge or freezer until cold), a clean finger and gentle pressure may help as well. Keep babies skin dry to avoid irritation from excessive drool. If your doctor says it is ok, baby Tylenol can provide needed relief.

Summer Eating for the Whole Family

Summer is a time to unwind, simplify, and enjoy a healthy lifestyle. What a better place to start than in the kitchen. Follow these simple steps to help ease stress in the kitchen and enjoy and a few summer time recipes that are sure to become family favorites.

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Nine Steps to Better Eating
by Suzanne Yearley, What’s For Dinner
Suzanne offers private and group cooking classes focusing on quick, tasty, and healthful meals for your family.

  1. Plan ahead! Those last minute marketing trips and scrambling around the kitchen amp up the stress. Take a few minutes two or three times a week to think out meals for the next few days. You will save time and money by shopping less, buying specifically what you need, and using up what you have in the fridge.

  2. Take the planning one step further and keep a grocery list on your computer. Print it out and check off what you need. Divide your list into sections the way that the grocery store is laid out. Follow your list as you walk through the store.

  3. Keep a binder with recipes that you have made or want to try. When you don’t know what to cook, page through it and you will have a list at your fingertips. Many prefer this to a digital version, since it is easier to page through. But by all-means, for tech-savvy cooks, online files work too.

  4. Put an end to mealtime complaining and get your kids involved. Let your kids select the dinner recipe a few times a week. Give them the responsibility of making the shopping list too. Older children and teens can even be responsible for helping to prep the meal. They are vested in the process and the outcome and more likely to eat their food.

  5. Make the food attractive and appealing. Kids will be much more likely to try something that looks delicious.

  6. Continue to put out new things. Kids who watch adults eating sweet potatoes may think they look good but may be hesitant to try them. Eventually, after watching the adults in their lives eat them they may take the plunge and find they are a favorite food.

  7. Try new ingredients with flavors that your children like. For example, if your children love Asian food, get them to try, like and eat sautéed broccoli and greens, shrimp, and rice noodles by preparing them with Chinese or Thai seasonings.

  8. The same is true for cooking method. If your kids like chicken fingers, try making fish sticks to introduce fish. If they like beef tacos and hamburgers, try using ground turkey instead. Once they have accepted a new ingredient, they will continue to eat it as you change how you prepare it.

  9. Finally, eating with your children, even if it is a quick dinner at the kitchen island, is the best modeling. If they see you enjoying a healthy and varied diet, they will be more inclined to do the same. And the phone-free family-time (even if only for a few minutes) is priceless.


SUMMER RECIPES

Click on each image below to read the delicious recipes!

Sweet Summer Corn Salad

Best-Ever Grilled Chicken

Watermelon Salad

Best-Ever Grilled Chicken

Best-Ever Grilled Chicken

by Suzanne Yearley, What’s for Dinner

Suzanne offers private and group cooking classes focusing on quick, tasty, and healthful meals for your family.

 

Ingredients:
1-2 Tbsp. olive oil
1 ½ to 2 lbs. thin-sliced, skinless, boneless chicken breast
½ tsp. salt
¼ tsp. ground pepper
¼-1/2 tsp. seasoning such as dried oregano, thyme, rosemary, ground cumin or smoked paprika
1 garlic clove
juice of 1 lemon or lime, optional

Preparation:
Place the chicken in a pie-plate or other low dish. Drizzle with oil. 

Sprinkle with salt, pepper, and desired seasoning. Crush the garlic with a garlic press and add to the chicken, using a fork to mix everything together. Set aside for 10-15 minutes.

Heat a cast iron skillet, grill or grill pan over high heat for 5-10 minutes. (Please note: no additional oil is needed!) 

Put the chicken in the pan, turn the heat down to medium-high, and cook the chicken, about 2-3 minutes per side, until cooked through.

Remove to a plate, top with fresh-squeezed lime or lemon juice if desired, and keep warm. 

Keeps for 3-4 days, refrigerated.

Serves 4-6

Sweet Summer Corn Salad

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Sweet Summer Corn Salad

by Melissa Wetzstein, A Pure Life Nutrition

Melissa is a Holistic Nutritionist practicing in New York. She helps clients find their balance, through whole foods and healthy practices.

 

 

Ingredients for salad:
4 ears of corn, shucked
1 avocado, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup of strawberries, cut in quarters length wise
1 nectarine, ripe but firm, cubed with skin intact
1/2 small red onion, very thinly sliced
6 fresh basil leaves, rolled together and thinly sliced crosswise
1/2 a lime or lemon

Ingredients for dressing:
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
4 tsp. apple cider vinegar
1 tsp. honey
fine sea salt and fresh pepper, to taste
Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl

Preparation:
Fill a large pot with water and bring to a boil under high heat.  Add corn, reduce heat to medium and boil for 6-8 minutes until just cooked, but still slightly crisp. Remove corn from pot and into a colander to cool.

While corn is cooking, prep avocado, strawberries, nectarines, onion and basil leaves, and set aside. squeeze lime/lemon over avocado to keep from browning.

When the corn has cooled, place ear of corn (stem side down) in a serving bowl. Working your way down from top to bottom, use a serrated knife to cut kernels off the cob and into the bowl. Add remaining ingredients, salad dressing, and toss gently to coat using two serving spoons.

Serves 5-6

Watermelon Salad

Watermelon Salad

by Jared Goldberg, as adapted from J. Kenji Lopez-Alt

Jared is a Boston University student who works in pastry at Bar Boulud, New York City, and is a Teen Chopped Finalist.

 

 

Ingredients:
3 lbs watermelon (1 small one or ¼ of a large watermelon), rind removed and cut into cubes
1 large, ripe tomato, seeded and sliced into bite size pieces
Zest and juice of 1 lemon
3 tblsp olive oil
¼ cup roughly chopped mint
4 oz. crumbled feta


Preparation:
Put watermelon cubes and tomato in a large serving bowl.  Zest the lemon on top.  Then squeeze the lemon juice, add the olive oil, mint, and freshly ground pepper.  You may add a pinch of kosher salt but use sparingly because the feta is salty.  Mix to incorporate and lastly, crumble the feta on top.  Serve cold.
Serves 4-6