Author : Nicole Keller, D.O.

In my last blog post I talked about healthy eating habits to start with you and your family.  To round out the discussion on leading a healthy lifestyle, I now want to discuss how to get your kids active and healthy along with the rest of the family. It is recommended to get 60 minutes of physical activity 5 to 6 days a week – that’s a lot!  But I know you can get your kids (and yourselves) there if you make some effort during your everyday activities.

Here are my tips:

Nicole Keller, D.O.

Change your family’s daily habits – Instead of taking the elevator or escalator, take the stairs together. Instead of finding the closest parking spot at the store, park far away. Little changes like this can add up to make a big difference if done consistently.

Exercise during your favorite TV show – Instead of fast-forwarding through commercials, let them play and get off the couch!  Try running up and down your stairs, doing push-ups or jumping jacks, or running in place during commercials. Those two minute breaks during a TV show (or two) will add up to a good workout!

Better yet, ditch the TV (or tablet/computer, etc) – Instead of sitting in front of a screen, get your family moving!  Go for a walk, take a bike ride (don’t forget your helmets), or play running bases or tag.  Doing this with your kids will help them want to forget about their favorite electronic gadgets to spend fun active time with you.

Make a plan and get in a routine – Pick a time of day that works best for your kids and you to get active. For some people taking a walk after dinner might be a way to ensure the family gets moving. For others, you may want to set the alarm a half-hour earlier to get up and fit in some exercise in the morning. No matter when you do it, plan for it in your day and make it part of your everyday lives.

Small amounts often – You might see a trend here.  All my tips involve doing little things through your day to add up to a larger time being active at the end of the day. Exercising does not have to happen all at once.  If the kids are waiting for a friend to pick them up, go play catch until that happens.  Take 10 minutes together to jump rope, do some jumping jacks or run in place together in the home.  Whatever it is, by fitting in small activities during the day you’ll much more easily reach your activity goals.

Getting fit and staying active doesn’t have to be expensive, doesn’t need special equipment and doesn’t need to take up all your free time.  Find creative ways to encourage your kids get off the couch, turn off the electronics and get moving.  Good habits started earlier in life are more likely to stick later on when they are adults.  Plant the seeds now and go have some fun as a family!

Enjoy this warmer weather and stay safe everyone!  Don’t forget to look back at some of our older posts about staying safe around water and in the sun too.  Cheers!

Hello everyone! Yay for nicer weather – finally!

Nicole Keller, D.O.

This blog is going to be a two-parter – this week I’m going to offer you healthy eating tips and with my next blog I’ll follow-up with tips to stay fit and active.  Combine these two subjects and you’ll be well on your way to encouraging your kids (and yourself) to live a healthy lifestyle.

Eating well and staying fit is a family affair.  It is something the entire household should be a part of.  Here are my healthy eating tips for your family:

Re-vamp the way you grocery shop

• Make sure you make a healthy shopping list and stick to it.  Only allow yourself one to two “extras” that weren’t on the list to avoid buying unhealthy, but good looking, items.  If you don’t have the willpower to do that, try online grocery shopping.  Oh and don’t go shopping when you are hungry!  That’s when the cookie aisle is the most enticing.
• Skip certain aisles all together; the snack/chip/cookie aisle, the baking aisle, sometimes even the cereal aisle.  If you need something in these aisles look specifically for those items then turn that cart around and get out!  My husband and I love Oreos.  We rarely even go down the aisle that they are sold in so we aren’t even tempted.
• Look at labels.  I admit, they aren’t the easiest things to read, but, if you take a second to compare two items you might be surprised with what you learn.  Just because something is marked at “low fat” or “low sugar” doesn’t mean it is the healthiest option.  Look at calories (the lower per serving the better), fat (trans fats are bad!), fiber (more fiber makes you more full), and protein (lots of protein will keep you full longer) to get a well-rounded grocery item.
• Spend time in the fresh section.  Even though fruits and veggies can be expensive, if you spend some time, you can find items on sale that will feed your family well.
• Pick whole grains.  Make sure to do this for your bread items and whatever other options offer it.

Watch what your kids drink

• Drink more water.  Four to eight cups a day for school-aged kids is a great range to shoot for.  You can start giving your baby/toddler water after six months of age in a sippy cup or a cup with a straw.
• Milk is a healthy alternative to water for kids. From one to two years of age, kids should be on whole milk to get the necessary fat needed for brain development.  After two years of age, fat free milk is a healthy way to get them their dairy without the extra fat.
• Get rid of pop and juice. They should only be given on special occasions and in small quantities.  They are loaded with sugar and have little to no nutritional benefit (yes, even the ”all-natural fruit juices”).
• Cut out caffeine.  Caffeine is dehydrating and can make you crave more of that sugary drink it is coming from.  Plus, rarely do you need to give your kids more energy than they already have!

Get creative in the kitchen

• Eat at home and skip the restaurants.  Eating out is hard on your wallet and on your waistline.  Buying groceries and cooking at home will always be the cheaper and healthier option – and great for family bonding.
• Be sneaky with vegetables.  It is hard to get a picky toddler or school age child to eat all their veggies – this is a fact!  So try to “sneak” things in meals in a way your child might not even notice.  You can puree in cauliflower with mashed potatoes or mix it in with macaroni and cheese dishes.  Chop up carrots and acorn/butternut squash together – put a teaspoon of brown sugar on top to sweeten the dish and your kids will be gobbling it up before you know it.
• Be realistic with what you want your kids to eat.  Children’s taste buds are different than adults.  I remember as a kid I did not like brussel sprouts (I thought they tasted like feet!) but now I love them.  Offer your kids a variety of veggies and see what works – they might not have liked something in January but now in May they don’t mind it.  Don’t expect them to eat huge amounts either.  Sometimes just a couple spoonfuls are a victory.
• Make sure your kids know that they have to at least try their veggie (and other food items offered) before refusing them outright.  If they try a bite and don’t like them, then have a back up veggie ready (kids tend to like carrots, corn and green beans – try to have those around all the time).  Other than having a second veggie on hand, your child should eat what is offered to them at meal time and try not to become a short-order chef with whatever their demands at meal/snack time are.
• Snack healthy. For example, celery with light ranch dressing or a small bit of peanut butter can make for a wonderful healthy mid-day snack.  Chopped up apples are always a kid favorite and grapes are another filling fruit option.  Yogurt, string cheese or sliced cheeses are other good options too.
• Easy on the toppings.  Sometimes kids will like a veggie because it is loaded with butter, dressing or ketchup. It is fine to spice things up to get kids to like something initially, but, make sure you aren’t taking away all the nutritional value by overloading their veggies with toppings.
• Have a well-balanced plate at each meal.  Veggies and/or fruits should take up at least half your plate, grains/carbs (like potatoes, rice, bread) should take up about a fourth of your plate and your protein (usually a meat or fish item – or maybe beans for our vegetarians out there) should take up the remaining fourth of a plate.  Visit www.choosemyplate.gov for great online resources regarding healthy balanced food options.
• Make dessert healthy – but still fun.  Forget the chocolate cake and cookies, instead buy some mixed berries (frozen or fresh) and mix with light cool whip – tada!  You have a healthy sweet dessert light on calories and high in nutrients. Or, try low-fat yogurt with some honey or a fourth cup of granola – sweet, crunchy and healthy!  Remember, mom and dad, these desserts are for you too!
• Use free recipe websites/hand-outs.  I personally love allrecipes.com for ways to find how to creatively use a certain ingredient.

Watch your portions

• Visit http://www.webmd.com/diet/healthtool-portion-size-plate for easy to use portion guides to make sure you and your family are getting the right amount of food.
• Make sure to look at serving sizes.  Many times a food will boast “100 calories only” but you can only have a half a cup of that item to reach that caloric amount.  Make sure to glance at the serving size before you decide if that food is really as good as it is claiming.

Sweets are treats

• Cookies, cakes and candy should only be offered on special occasions.  Having them as an option for a daily dessert or snacks during the day can lead to bad habits.
• Don’t give in to a child who demands sweet treats.  Hunger strikes at meal times can be frustrating, but, giving in by letting your child have a sweet treat is no way to teach healthy habits.  They will soon only eat sweets and it will get harder and harder to get them to eat healthily.  Stick to your guns!

Now, try not to be overwhelmed – make small changes at first and keep at them.  If your child is overweight, they should be seen by their pediatrician several times during the year to monitor their weight closely.

If you would like more resources, check out http://www.rushcopley.com/services/healthy-weight/.  It is a great website designed to help you and your family find ways to eat healthy.

One last thing!  Now that farmer’s market season is here, make sure to check out your local vendors.  Here are a couple options:

Oswego, Plainfield, Naperville: www.kellersfarmstand.com
Aurora: http://theaurorafarmersmarket.com/

Please let me know if you have any questions or want more info – I’m happy to offer more suggestions or clarify my tips as needed. 

Nicole Keller, D.O.

Welcome to my first blog post!  I’m so excited that the Rush-Copley
pediatricians are able to offer you another resource to help you find reliable information on common child healthcare topics. We can’t wait to hear from you to see what topics you want discussed and what questions we can answer for you.

Before I get started with my topic, let me tell you a little about me.  I was born and raised in the northwest suburbs.  I’ve been a Chicagoland girl all my life.  Although I grew up in the ‘burbs and spent years living in the city, I’m a bit of a country girl at heart.  I love to ride horses and have 3 of my own in my backyard today.  I actually live on a working farm with my husband (who is a farmer).  I love the open space, fresh veggies (sweet corn and squash are my favorites), and a relaxed way of life.  When I’m not busy being a pediatrician, I love to sit on my front porch and relax with my pets (dogs and cats), go for a ride around the farm, or go running along our mile long driveway.  Even so, my horseback riding and running will be taking a back seat this summer as I am expecting my first child due in early September. Don’t worry though – I’ve had 11 nieces and nephews to help train me…along with all I’ve learned from being a pediatrician.

Enough about me – let’s talk about babies; specifically, your baby’s first appointments with the pediatrician.  I’m fresh off giving a “Bringing Home Baby” talk to new parents at Rush-Copley and I’d like to share that information with you now, blog style!  I love newborns so this topic is especially fun for me.

First of all, congratulations to you all!  Whether it is your first or your fourth child, it is a big deal!  Once you have given birth, your pediatrician will come to see your baby at the hospital in the first 24 hours of life.  We make sure baby is feeding well and has a normal physical exam.  There will be a lot of routine testing done in the hospital, but once that is all done, you’ll be sent home and it will be time to make baby’s first doctor’s appointment.

Your baby’s first appointment with the pediatrician should be two to three days after hospital discharge.  At this appointment we make sure baby has transitioned well to the home.  We’ll get the baby’s weight, height and head circumference and make sure they are all at acceptable limits.  We expect all babies to lose weight the first weeks of life, but, want to make sure they aren’t losing too much.  We’ll also ask you about feeding (how often, how much), voiding (we talk a lot about dirty diapers) and sleep.  Once we determine how things are going, we’ll talk about normal newborn topics: common rashes, normal noises (they hiccup…a lot!), fevers, offering tummy time, starting vitamins and more.  We’ll also give you some advice on what to expect from your baby and what to expect in the next couple weeks of life.  Last, but certainly not least, we want to make sure YOU are doing well.  Bringing home a newborn is no small feat and it is important to make sure mom and dad are handling things and have extra support if needed.

The next appointment is usually when your baby is two weeks old.  At this visit we want to make sure baby is back at his/her birth weight.  We’ll also reevaluate feeding, voiding, sleeping, etc.  We’ll answer your questions and see how the first two weeks have gone – time to pat yourself on the back at this visit…you made it through two of the hardest weeks with your new bundle of joy!  After the two week visit we’ll have you come in for another visit at one-month old.  This visit just makes sure baby is continuing to grow and develop as expected.  It gives us another chance to answer your questions as well.

After the one month visit, we wait until your baby is two months old for their next visit.  We’ll assess growth and development again, but, this is a “big” visit for another reason: this visit is where the first set of vaccines is given.  Vaccines are an important part of preventative health maintenance and should be given ideally on the schedule provided to us by the CDC. If you have questions about vaccines, please ask your pediatrician – possibly even before the two month visit – so you can work together to make sure the best decisions are made regarding your baby’s health and their vaccines.

Each appointment differs a little depending on your pediatrician but the above descriptions will give you at least an idea what to expect in the first couple months of life.  We still see your baby often after that (4 months, 6 months, 9 months, 1 year, etc) but these first visits really establish your relationship with your baby’s doc.  Please know you can always call our offices at any time if you have questions in between appointments.  You’ll either speak to a nurse, leave a message for your pediatrician, or talk to your pediatrician personally to make sure your questions get answered.  Newborns throw a lot of curve balls and we are ready to “catch them” whenever you aren’t sure what to do.

Here are some resources I particularly like for newborn care and questions:

Baby 411, 6^th edition (Authors: Dr. Ari Brown and Denise Fields). Windsor Peak Press, 2014.

 Healthy Sleep Habits, Happy Child, 3^rd edition (Author: Dr. Marc Weissbluth). Random House Publishing, 1999.

 The Happiest Baby on the Block (Author: Dr. Harvey Karp). Bantam Books, 2003.

The Happiest Baby: Guide to Great Sleep (Author: Dr. Harvey Karp). William Morrow Paperbacks, 2013.

What to Expect The First Year, 2^nd edition (Authors: Sandee Hathaway, Arlene Eisenberg, Heidi Murkoff). Workman Publishing, 2003.

AAP website for parents: www.healthychildren.org

 Pediatric practice blog: www.kidsdocblog.rushcopley.com

 Thanks for reading! Happy Spring everyone!