Baby it's Cold Outside!

Baby it’s Cold Outside!

 So rain is in the forecast, and it's not going to mess up my day. With three boys in our household rainy days are always a challenge as they like to stay active.  Bare Blendz understands that keeping our kids entertained can be challenging, but it creates memories. Here are some fun activities and snacks that your kids can help you make. They are sure to bring laughter for you and your children on those rainy days to come.

A Warm Breakfast to Start your Day:

*Pink Oatmeal

What you’ll need:

2 cups of raspberries

2 cups of strawberries

Coconut flakes (optional)

Oatmeal

Directions:

Mix the raspberries, and strawberries in the blender with 1 cup of water.

Mix into the cooked oatmeal, and top with coconut flakes.

Breakfast for Baby:

Bare Blendz Apple Pie A La Mode made with oatmeal, apples, and black strap molasses

*Available at http://www.bareblendz.com/

Arts & Crafts:

Each craft that is created allows your family to bond, and enhance your child’s fine motor skills as they use hand and eye coordination. Your toddler can enjoy these activities too as they are introduced to using these motor skills. (Parents please cut the pieces out for children that are younger.) Try using bright colors to stimulate your child’s thinking process.

Cheers to Magazines:

*We all have magazines in the house that we have read over and over. Instead of throwing them away why not make a funny picture with the cut out pieces. Find pictures of animals and make a farm collage, or tell your child to pick out pictures that describe their house hold and place them on construction paper.

Sock Puppet:

Get an old sock and hot glue buttons for the eyes, or allow your child to draw the eyes on. Yarn displays the puppets mouth and a cheerio for the nose. Create your own puppet show for the family to enjoy!

A fun “Make it yourself” Snack for kids:

These nutritious snacks allow the kids to help you prepare them. Another fun idea to keep the kids entertained! Did we mention that they are all made with raw foods. (yay!)

*Banana Bites

What you’ll need:

2 bananas, peeled with the ends cut off (This part is for the parents to complete)

12 raisins, dry

12 walnuts, dry

Directions

Slice the banana into 6 equal pieces (12 pieces total)

Push a raisin into one banana circle, and then top with a walnut…repeat the process.

BARE BLENDZ WALKS FOR KIDS!

JOIN BARE BLENDZ AND WALK FOR KIDS!

WE WILL BE WALKING ON APRIL 10, 2011 AT THE VICTORIA GARDENS IN RANCHO CUCAMONGA!

SIGN UP AT THE FOLLOWING SITE AND JOIN OUR TEAM TO COLLECT MONEY FOR THE KIDS:

http://www.walkforkids.org/bareblendz

HOPE TO SEE YOU THERE FOR THIS GREAT CAUSE!

Teething Biscuit Recipes

Bare Blendz' loves this article on Teething Biscuit Recipes. Check it out:



http://babies2toddlers.com/baby-teething/teething-biscuit-recipes

Teething biscuits and finger foods are not just about nutritional intake and helping teething discomfort. Giving your baby teething biscuits will help your baby develop motor skills and also start to find out what it is like to eat solid foods.

Making teething biscuits at home rather than buying branded foods
is one alternative, and would require learning about various recipes for teething biscuits. There are many teething biscuit recipes and making them yourself at home is a good alternative to buying branded ones.





Banana Bread Sticks

1/4 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup oil
2 eggs
1 cup mashed banana
1 3/4 cups flour (white, whole wheat, or a combination)
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda

Combine ingredients and stir only until smooth. Pour into a greased loaf pan.
Bake at 350 degrees F for about 1 hour or until firmly set.

Cool, remove from pan, and cut into sticks. Spread sticks out on a cookie sheet and bake at 150 degrees F for 1 hour or longer until the sticks are hard and crunchy. Store in a tightly covered container. Source: Feed Me I’m Yours by Vicki Lansky

Egg-Free Baby Cereal Cookies

1 cup flour
1 cup dry flavored or unflavored infant rice cereal
3 tablespoons cooking oil
ice water

Directions:
Preheat oven 425F
Mix flour and cereal.
Gradually stir in oil. Mix a little ice water at a time (start with 1/4 cup) until dough begins to form a ball and pull away from the bowl.
Roll out to the thickness of a cracker on a floured surface and cut into desired shapes.
Bake on an ungreased cookie sheet 10-12 min. or until lightly brown. Cool completely.

The obvious advantage to using your own recipes for teething biscuits and making them yourself is that they will probably be more nutritious for your baby plus it can help save you a lot of money. Also, there are many store-bought teething biscuits
that contain high sugar levels or other ingredients that can even lead to your baby developing allergies.

Emergency Preparedness

As you may know, last night, Japan was hit with a major emergency. A Tsunami struck the coastal communities after a 8.9 magnitude earthquake hit. I woke up at 11:00PM hearing a CNN News update on my phone and spent the next hour watching TV in horror. Cars turned on their heads, missing passenger trains, over turned ships! All i could do was pray. On my way back to bed, I took a look at my children as they slept and wonderd, If a major emergency hit our community, would we be prepared??

While events unfold in Japan and while other local coastlines are under tsunami warnings, Bare Blendz would like to take a moment to highlight some important tips on being prepared for an emergency, no matter the magnitude.


If your children are old enough to understand what happened in Japan, talk to them about what an emergency is. Tell them:

-Where to meet away from your home in case of a fire (like a neighbor’s house or the corner of the street);
-Where to meet outside your neighborhood if you must evacuate. You should pick a friend or relative’s house;
-Where to call to "check in" if you become separated from your family during a disaster. You should memorize the phone number of a favorite aunt or family member who lives in another state. You would call there to report where you are so your family can find you.
-Write down your family plan keep it in your backpack.




Prepare a disaster supplies kit for your home. Include:

• a first aid kit

• your favorite snacks

bottled water

• battery-operated radio

• flashlight or glow sticks (never use candles)

• an extra set of clothing

• include a family photo

• Phone numbers & addresses of relatives

• Color book & crayons




If your child goes to school, be sure that they have an emergency card.

Your child's emergency contact information should include:

• Child's full name, date of birth, special health care needs such as allergies.

• Names and phone numbers of primary caregivers and back up contacts, including one out-of-state contact in case of city-wide or state-wide disaster.

• Names and phone numbers of medical and dental providers.

• Names and phone numbers of preferred hospitals.

• Copies of current insurance or Medicaid cards (black out part of the Social Security Number if you are concerned about identity theft).

• Medications.

• Parent/guardian signatures authorizing emergency care.

Teaching while Creating a Bond

ways to have fun and bond with your baby:


1. Gently rock your baby as you sing. It can increase alertness as you make eye to eye contact.
2. Dangle a bright ribbon or scarf over your baby and say the colors that are on it.
3.Point to your baby's toes, knees, hands, etc. as you make it into a song by saying the name of the body part.



Have fun!

Goodbye Bottle!

Goodbye Bottle!

So you decided to say goodbye to your baby’s bottles. Although the journey may be hard, your baby is growing up which requires new transitions. Here are a few tips to make the process a little better for you and your baby.

1.   Choose fun Sippy cups with characters that your baby will love. Allow your child to pick his or her own “special” cup.

2.    While weaning your baby off of the bottle, try switching the bottle for a Sippy cup and put their favorite drink in the cup.

3.   Get rid of all of the bottles. Yes all of them. :-) By seeing the bottles in the house it will create confusion and possible tantrums as your baby will demand them back.

4.   As you get rid of the bottles make sure that your child sees you do it. Pack them in a bag and tell your child that you are sending them to another baby who needs them.

5.   .Stay motivated mom and dad! Once you have made the decision, stick with it. It’s going to be hard, but well worth it.

Congrats! Your child is moving forward by achieving new milestones. 

National Nutrition Month

Just Say No!

Just say No!

Many of the juices that are on the shelves for children contain high levels of sugar. Due to the increase in sugars a baby may experience baby bottle tooth decay. Baby bottle tooth decay is when a baby drinks juice from a bottle which allows the sugars to sit slowly as it is sucked from the bottle. The sugar turns into a bacteria as it sits in the child’s mouth, and transforms into an acid. Once it is in the form of an acid, it breaks down the enamel of the teeth which causes them decay. Now this can create tooth problems at a young age but the good news is that it’s 100% preventable!

If you choose to allow your child to drink juice, choose 100% juices that contain a minimum amount of sugar. Juicing fresh fruits and vegetables is the best source for children and adults to get the nutrients that they need without the extra sugar. Avoid letting your baby drink juice out of a bottle. By putting juice in a sippy cup the sugar can flow past the child’s teeth which avoids tooth decay. Last, do not let your child drink juice before bed. This process allows the sugars to sit on the teeth while they are sleeping.