Day Trip Packing Tips—Part I

In our last few postings, we explored healthy and fun snack ideas for families to make & enjoy together so take them along on your day trips! In our next two postings, we will explore day trip packing tips. Today is all about taking a day trip to the zoo or amusement park.

When you're heading off for a full day of fun at the zoo or park, you must be prepared! You'll be walking a lot in the bright sun. You don't want to forget any essentials and have to cut your day short. And we don't have to tell you what happens if you forget snacks...

Sassy Toddler and Big Sibling Art With Fruits and Veggies

Summer is the perfect time to be creative with your children. I love to get artistic with fruit and veggies to get those healthy juices flowing both in the mouth and the brain! Food art not only improves hand-eye coordination, it's a great opportunity to discuss different shapes and colors. My kids love it, because it's not often I let them "play" with their food! Here's the recipe to a fun food-art session.

Healthy, Fun Snack Ideas

Parent, baby & toddler summers are usually busy, busy, busy! Between summer strolls, a big sibling’s soccer game, water fun and simply enjoying family time in bright & awesome weather. Preparing for those long days of summer means we have our work cut out for us. Make your life a little easier with these fun and healthy snack ideas. They are perfect for busy and sassy families on the go.

Sassy Color Pops

One thing borrowed, one thing blue, one thing FROZEN for me and for you (familiar?). In our continuing series on healthy fun snacks that you can make and enjoy with your little one, we introduce Sassy color pops – a way to:

1. Encourage fruity fun even for little ones just starting to enjoy pureed fruits
2. Learn about colors  
3. Learn about the magic of texture and temperature – the room temperature blueberries mix with the cold yogurt and then become SUPER COLD in the freezer.  
4. Buy some wooden popsicle sticks or use plastic reusable ones  
5. Get an ice cube tray, popsicle mold or a small paper cup 
6. Pick out your fruit combo with your little one, thinking about the colors you’ll end up with. Bananas mix well with just about any fruit (mango, blueberries, strawberries, raspberries) and are simple DELISH frozen  

Sassy Kabobs and Sassy Chachos

Back to healthy & fun snacking with your toddler! We explored cereal necklaces and our sassy version of pizza, now we’re giving two ideas for fun activity based healthy snacks! Healthy food projects you can do with your little one create opportunities for healthy modeling, physical development and bonding. Getting your little one in the kitchen and part of the preparation process is a great way to start healthy eating habits. So, here we go with Dr. Jen’s SASSYKABOBS and SASSYCHACHOS! As always, follow our food safety tips and make sure to accommodate any allergies or special needs your child may have!

Sassy Pizzalicious Pizza

Welcome back to our series on healthy and fun snacking for toddler & family to enjoy. We covered healthy carb necklaces in our last post. Remember, our Sassy Suggestion is for a balanced colorful plate—so go ahead and switch these projects up—and we’d love to hear more about what you do on Facebook or Twitter.

As always, follow our food safety tips and make sure to accommodate any allergies or special needs your child may have!

Today we’ll focus on two super-sonic fun toddler foods that include various food groups:

Twist It Up Cereal Jewelry

In the next five posts, we’re going to explore cute, fun and healthy snacks for the family to make and enjoy together. Remember, our Sassy Suggestion is for a balanced colorful plate, so go ahead and switch these up, and we’d love to hear more about what you do on Facebook or Twitter.

As always, follow our food safety tips and make sure to accommodate any allergies or special needs your child may have!

Today we’ll focus on a super cool snack & some education about whole grains!

Healthy Bodies—On the Go!

Positive Modeling & Promotion of Healthy Bodies – A Four Part Series with Pediatric Obesity Specialist Dr. Dyan Hes

Part Four—On the Go!

We’ve so enjoyed our series with Dr. Dyan Hes; we learned about activity, portion control and the basics of preventive approaches to keep kids and families healthy. For our final installment (unless Dr. Hes agrees to come back again!), we’ll cover the challenge of how to maintain modeling and provide healthy options while on the go. We know Sassy families are hopping and bopping a lot!

Healthy Bodies—Portions!

Positive Modeling & Promotion of Healthy Bodies – A Four Part Series with Pediatric Obesity Specialist Dr. Dyan Hes

Part Two—Portions!

In the first installment of this four part series with Dr. Dyan Hes, we learned what being a pediatric obesity specialist was all about and the sensitive, positive, preventive approach that’s most effective. Today, we’ll focus on portion control.

Healthy Bodies—Choosing Language & Setting the Tone

A Four Part Series with Pediatric Obesity Specialist Dr. Dyan Hes

Part One—Choosing Language & Setting the Tone

For this exciting four part series, One Sassy Doctor had the opportunity to interview one of a select few of certified pediatric obesity specialists in the country. Dyan Hes, MD is board certified in both pediatrics and obesity medicine and a member of the inaugural American Board of Obesity Medicine. You can learn more about Dr. Hes by visiting her website.

Dr. Jen: Dr. Hes, thank you so much for spending time with us on the One Sassy Doctor blog. We’re all about healthy, happy, playful (and Sassy) babies, toddlers and families and are excited to learn from you. What does it mean to be a specialist in Pediatric Obesity and what got you interested in this field?

My Baby Has Periodic Red Cheeks, What Does That Mean?

Anchorette P: My son recently had a minor injury and needs to take antibiotics for a week to prevent infection but it's such a fight, he refuses the spoon, tube and won't eat food if we try mixing it, any ideas?
Anchorette, you’re describing a very common problem in treating babies and young children with antibiotics. Sometimes, the texture of the medication or the taste are simply yucky, and we need to be clever, Sassy parents getting it down!

Healthy Parents: Acknowledge Food Purchases

How could it get any better? A month full of nutrition tips from Heather Bauer—a nationally known nutritionist who has helped thousands maintain healthy lifestyles. We’re on the last of eight tips and this one is a good one.

Healthy Parents: Be That Mom

We’ve had some great feedback on Facebook & Twitter from these awesome nutrition blogs for parental behaviors from Heather Bauer at Nu-Train. In fact, thinking about whole family health and happiness is what Sassy is all about—happy parents mean happy children. So, we’ve covered the importance of a healthy buddy and the importance of planning ahead for birthday parties, and focused on the behaviors of healthy eating rather than calories or the exact foods to eat. Welcoming back Heather for Tip #7:

OSD: 7 is a lucky number. Give us a good one, One Sassy Nutritionist! 

H: Okay, here you go! Lucky 7!

Healthy Parents: Arrive Prepared

Have you been enjoying this month of nutritional tips from One Sassy Nutritionist? She’s amazing, huh? We love Heather from Nu-Train and these practical, sensible tips.

OSD: And what do you have in store for us this week? 
H: A great one! Haven’t you noticed, I’m sassy too, Dr. Jen!

Healthy Parents: Avoid Skipping Meals

So far this month we’ve heard about everything from packing snacks to avoiding being the human garbage disposal from One Sassy Nutritionist - Heather Bauer from Nu-Train. Her tips are super practical and focus more on the behaviors around healthy eating rather than telling us what to eat. That’s what One Sassy Doctor loves about Heather, she “gets it”—that diets are short term and habits become part of our lives.

Healthy Parents: Find A Healthy Buddy

This month we’ve been hearing about parental nutrition from Heather Bauer from Nu-Train and learning all kinds of simple, easy ways to be healthy. What we’re learning is it’s just as much about the behaviors surrounding our eating habits as it is what we’re actually eating. It’s not about diets—it’s about habits and modeling those habits for children.

Healthy Parents: Don’t Be The Family Garbage Disposal

This month of nutritional advice from One Sassy Nutritionist, Heather Bauer from Nu-Train has been wonderful. We’re all about sharing health, development and play tips on the One Sassy Doctor blog—and part of creating the healthy family balance is including parental nutrition in the mix. So, here we go with tip #3 from Heather!

Healthy Parents: Meet One Sassy Nutritionist!

We’ve written an awful lot about baby & toddler nutrition on the One Sassy Doctor blog and shared an occasional recipe for parents to enjoy with little ones. This month we are taking a break from infant advice & focusing on good nutrition for mom (applies to dads also!).

Mom Balancing Act: The Holidays Are Coming

It’s only October and we’re already planning for Thanksgiving and the rest of the holidays coming up! Ahhhh!

In this post, we’re going to explore mommy’s balancing act, how mom does it all. This time of year is, personally, the most frantic for me. With the kiddos in school, work in full swing, a billion birthday parties (two sets of twins…) and the holidays coming up, each day seems like it flies by. One Sassy Doctor still struggles with balancing it all, but along the way I’ve developed some effective strategies.

Healthy Sassy Smiles! Information About Healthy Dental Development

Wow, is this One Sassy Doctor’s husband obsessed with our kids having good teeth. Perhaps that’s because his late father was a dentist. Or perhaps he knows how healthy teeth create healthy smiles and reflect a positive projection into the world. Well, I married him for his glowing smile, so I suppose he’s right (lucky guy…).

Anyhoo … with tooth decay being the primary dental problem among children ages 2 to 5, we’re fortunate that it can be completely prevented! If we encourage healthy dental habits starting from the baby years (sassy baby years, if I may…), this will help foster positive habits and the healthy glowing smiles we want to see when they are all grown up.

Here are some One Sassy Doctor informational tips on healthy dental development—starting from birth!