Tag Archives: cruise health

Chubby Babies Don’t Make Desirable Cover Models

In my opinion there’s nothing more delicious than a marshmallow-cheeked baby with Michelin Man arms and chunky monkey thighs. Unfortunately, my penchant for chubby infants is one of the reasons why I would never make it as a magazine editor in Britain. Fortunately, I would rather mother butterball babies than edit photos of them, so I’m not too broken up about my fate. However, there are plenty of parents on both sides of the Atlantic who are irate about re-touched photos of plump tots being featured on the covers of international glossies. According to reports, several British parenting magazines have … Continue reading →

Why Parents Should Say “NO” to the Real Life “Wonder Pets”

“Wonder Pets Wonder Pets We’re on our way To help a friend and save the day…” Parents with young children feel free to join in: “We’re not too big And we’re not too tough But when we work together We’ve got the right stuff… GOOOOOO Wonder Pets… YAY!!” I dare you to watch even half an episode of the popular animated Nickelodeon show about a determined guinea pig, an independent baby turtle, and an adventurous duckling without humming the theme song for the rest of the week. I should know. My preschooler has been a fan of the show for … Continue reading →

Are Your Kids Getting Enough To Drink?

A few days ago the heat index in our neck of the woods hovered around 105 degrees. It was a scorcher. My 3-year-old daughter and I high-tailed it to the pool where we remained for the majority of the day. My daughter splashed in the pool for hours. I didn’t blame her for not wanting to come out. However, pool rules state that food items and beverages cannot be consumed in the water, which meant if I wanted my daughter to consume liquids (and stave off dehydration) she would have to exit the pool. Dilemma. From what I could see … Continue reading →

Shrek—Health Role Model For Kids?

He’s the animated ogre who taught kids to love their appearance—no matter what. He was a hit on the big screen and was later adopted by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services to be a health advocate. But, now the green guy’s role with the department may be in jeopardy. A children’s advocacy group wants the Department of Health and Human Services to strip Shrek of his role as spokesperson (spokes-ogre) for an anti-obesity drive. Executives with the Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood say the latest Shrek movie–“Shrek the Third”—which is scheduled to be released next month, has … Continue reading →

Kid Fitness – Beware the Backlash

In the last few years, we’ve seen a lot of articles on childhood obesity. We’ve also seen a lot of reaction from the schools and school districts in response to concerns of the parents and the health administration. We’ve applauded the changes they’ve made to the school menus and the cafeteria offerings. We’ve applauded the soda ban and we’re very happy about that. But there’s another ban that’s happening in some schools that’s a little more troubling – it’s a ban on cupcakes. The cupcake ban is not only in the school cafeterias but also as it relates to any … Continue reading →

Healthy Websites for Kids: VERBnow

Trying to get your kids excited about getting more active this summer? Send them to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control website for young people between the ages of nine and thirteen: VERBnow. Your children may already be familiar with the VERB campaign from watching Cartoon Network or Nickelodeon; the VERB commercials run pretty frequently between shows. At the VERB website, your kids can log and track their activity levels, search for events in your area, and even make a ViRT… an animated avatar who does the activities you do! As you log more activity time, your ViRT learns new … Continue reading →

Stay Healthy At Sea

Is a cruise in your future? You may be concerned about recent news stories about illnesses on board cruise ships. Traveling on cruise ships not only brings you into a new environment, but surrounds you with large numbers of people. Infectious gastroenteritis is an inflammation of the stomach and small intestines that can spread quickly and easily in the contained environment of a cruise ship. It can be spread through contaminated food or water, or even personal contact. An infected individual can leave germs on handrails, elevator buttons, and other objects around the ship. So how do you reduce the … Continue reading →