Segment Ideas:
Reducing Childhood Obesity
Healthy Eating for Babies and Toddlers
Making Baby Food

Childhood Obesity Crisis: Is Your Baby Headed for A Lifelong Battle ? 

The New Silent Threat Babies Face and What Parents Need to Know to Avoid Being a Victim

The facts are disturbing, 1 in 6 children in the US, will enter the 2005 school year overweight or obese, and obesity will affect more than 1/3 of all babies born in 2005. Child obesity rates are rising at epidemic levels, so quickly, that some researchers predict this new generation of children will have a shorter life expectancy than their parents.

With studies showing that you child’s eating preference are established by 3 years old what, when, and how you feed your baby can increase their risk of becoming an obese child. Learn the most common mistakes parents make, the damage they can cause and ideas to avoid them.

Topics discussed include:

• Formula feeding vs. breastfeeding
• Introducing solid foods too early
• Overfeeding at meals
• Too much juice
• Overuse of processed foods and fast foods
• Poor variety

The Critical Secret parents Need to Know to Save Their Child from the Epidemic that Threatens our Youth

Harry Truman once said, “A nation is only as healthy as it’s children.” With childhood obesity at epidemic levels, we are putting the future of our nation is at risk. The Center for Disease Control lists improving eating habits as a top priority to reduce this epidemic.

If parents want to raise healthier children, an area that needs more interaction is in teaching children how to make healthy food choices. Teaching your child to make healthy food choices is similar to teaching them good manners – it starts for before they have them. We’ll share 10 simple tips to get a new parent started on the path to healthy eating. (Can be done in 2 parts with 5 tips in each segment).

Tips are:

1. Be a role model. Your baby learns by mimicking you.
2. Teach your baby about different fruits and vegetables
3. Talk about what your baby is eating. Make it fun.
4. Encourage drinking water. Once you’ve started solids, offer a little water at each meal.
5. Don’t give up. Your baby’s taste will change daily.
6. Offer plenty of variety. Your baby needs a balanced diet.
7. Don’t be in a rush at mealtime. Relax and enjoy the time.
8. Set times for breakfast, lunch, snacks, and dinner.
9. Never force your baby to eat. 4-6 mini-meals are better than fewer large ones.
10. Make mealtimes a family event. Avoid distractions.

Healthy eating for babies and toddlers:

Introducing Solid foods 101: The basics

Just when you are comfortable with breastfeeding, your baby’s healthcare advisor gives you the go ahead to begin introducing solid foods. After a brief moment of panic, joy, or confusion, your first reaction is to ask “What, When, How, How much?????” This segment is perfect for new parents. Using the American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for solid food introduction as a backdrop we’ll walk through the basics of introducing solids, including:

• Timing
• One at a time method
• Detecting an allergy
• Baby first foods
• Food not good for babies
• Quantities and frequency of meals

Quality, Quantity, and Variety:

The first 3 years of a child’s life is a time rapid growth and development, what you feed a child during this time plays an important role in behaviors, learning ability and physical and emotional growth. Using the simple concepts of quality, quantity and variety of foods you feed a child can offer advantages that help a child thrive.

Topics discussed include:

• Quality: What are the best foods for my baby? Is Organic better than conventionally grown foods?
• Quantity: How much should I feed my baby? What’s the difference between serving size and portion size?
• Variety: What foods do I need to include to achieve a balanced diet?

Parent’s survival guide: Picky eaters and other unique toddler eating habits

Most parents are delighted when their child baby begins eating real foods. Many parents brag about how good the child eats. Inevitably, after a few great months of eating, something happens to your little wunder-child. Almost overnight, your child had decided to eat nothing, just one thing, spit out food, or eat the same thing, day in and day out. Believe it or not, these behaviors are all completely normal and you are definitely not alone. This segment will help explain some of the habits, and offer tips on how to get through this phase of your child’s development. Topics discussed include:

• 10 times rule
• Offering choices
• Introduce new foods at the right time
• Food jags

Making baby food:

Doing the right thing made easy

Experts agree home made baby food healthier, but it sounds time consuming and difficult. It’s not! Every mom can be a “super mom” in 30 minutes per week! Making baby food at home is easy, low-cost and convenient. Learn the tools, steps, and secrets involved in making baby food. Topic includes:

• Getting started
• Step by step instructions for making baby food
• 5 time saving tips

6 months old and ready for solids, so how old is that jar of baby food?

Processed baby food has a shelf life of 2-3 years. That’s right, those army green peas in the jar could have been cooked and jarred when your previous child was born or before you were married. If something about this fact does not sit well with you, there is an alternative to processed jars of baby food – it is homemade. Beyond freshness, baby food made at home has many benefits, this segment covers the nutritional, economical, environmental, and emotional benefits of homemade baby food.

Go gourmet baby!

While you don’t need a degree from the Cordon Bleu to make your baby’s food taste great, with a few simple tips and a little creativity, you can develop your baby’s palate for great tasting food early. Learn about:

• Introducing not-so-common foods
• Cooking with baby-friendly herbs and natural flavors
• Making tasty food puree medleys
• Having fun!