Who doesn’t want to have a son that is as tall as Kobe Bryant or Yao Ming so that he can be a great basketball player? And who wouldn’t love to have daughter who is as tall as Tyra Banks so that she can be a stunning model? Unfortunately, not all parents are blessed with the “dream height” which may result to short height of their children.

Some parents are now looking at the growth hormones as one of their options so that their kids can be taller. Growth hormones can be used by children who are affected by growth hormone deficiency. Moreover, it can also be used by kids who have chronic renal insufficiency, Turner syndrome, as well as premature infants who are very small for their gestational age.

However, these growth hormones are not recommended to be used by normal kids. For one, FDA doesn’t approve it. Next is that growth hormones can be quite expensive (parents may spend as much as $25,000 every year). And these hormone shots may continue for a long time (usually 5-7 years)

Aside from milk, most parents serve eggs to their little ones especially if they are already starting to eat solid foods. But is it really safe for the infants?

Some parents do not to give their infants eggs because they are afraid that it would result to food allergy.  But if you think that food allergy does not run in your family (both yours and your husband’s side) then you can start feeding eggs to your kids as long as they are over twelve months old.

However, the egg yolk is considered safe and can be fed for infants that are between 7 months up to 10 months old.

It can be a great source of iron as well as DHA.

So if you want your 7-month old infant to have some eggs, trying scrambling it by including formula milk, butter, and a little bit of cheese as well.

To let your kids enjoy eating together with you and the rest of the family, it is not enough that you prepare a sumptuous meal for more than an hour.  Here are some of the things that you SHOULD NOT do if you want them to anticipate another great meal with the whole family.

1. Serve milk - if you want something else than water, then put sodas or juice at the table

2. Pushing everyone (particularly the kids) to finish all the food and clean the plate

3. Serve foods that are high in salt and fats

4. Give them foods straight from the can. If you will be serving processed foods, make sure that you heat it at the stove or microwave before you serve it at the table.

Got any more ideas to make lunch or dinner a family-bonding time?

Now that almost every parent is aware that the favorite foods and meals from the popular fastfood chains are unhealthy for their kids, many are trying to convince their children to eat healthy at home instead. But little do they know that they are also introducing and feeding their kids fastfoods even at home. Below are some of the most common fast foods that are served at home.

• french fries
• hot dog
• frozen pizza
• chicken fingers
• mac and cheese
• corn dogs
• pre-made sandwiches

If you really want to cut back on the grease and fats that your child can get from fastfood chains, start at home. Limit your child’s intake of the said foods to prevent obesity and other conditions that are not good for your child’s well-being.

More often than not, when parents do their grocery, they always choose the brand that is popular on TV or the brand that are best used by other parents as well. They don’t take so much time reading the label because they have so much trust on the celebrity advertising the product.

But try to take time to read the labels of each and every product that you will buy and compare to the other items in the shelves. You will notice that not all popular items endorsed by celebrities and alike have more nutritional values. Aside from that, by reading the labels, you will get to choose the foods that are healthier. You will realize that the commodities that have more nutritional values are sometimes cheaper than the foods that you usually buy.

Be wise without compromising the health of your family.

Unless you have proven that your child is allergic to peanuts, let them have a serving of P&J (peanut butter and jelly) at least every other day. Why? There are so many reasons why you should let them enjoy eating the most favorite sandwich around the world.

It is right that peanut butter is rich in fat. However, it is one of the good fats called mono-unsaturated fats. Some peanut butters also have poly-saturated fats as well. These are the fats that are not like the ones you find in greasy foods.

Aside from the healthy fats, peanut butter is also a great source of various vitamins including A, E, and B6.  Other nutritions that you can find in peanut butter are copper, magnesium, zinc, folic acid, and of course, protein.

Usually, if a schooling child gets apple for his/her snack, they would frown and feel frustrated. They were hoping that something greasy and fat-filled food would touch their mouth. Yummy isn’t? If you are having a hard time with your child who seems to hate apples, maybe you should give these reasons why an apple usually appears on his/her lunchbox.

1. It is healthier than any other snack!
2. Apples are low in calories.
3. This fruit is naturally sweet.
4. It is high in fibers.

See to it that you preserve the nutrients of the apple by serving it right. Don’t peel the apples because it will lose the essential fibers.  The same goes for the applesauce. Moreover, you must not give too much ready-made applesauce or apple juice because of the sugar content.

More often than not, infants up to preschoolers can’t seem to get enough of their milk during these ages. However, as they grow older, their craving for milk starts to dwindle.  Experts said that this is not because these kids are starting to hate the taste of milk. It is because they opt to drink other beverages instead such as fruit juice, fruit drinks, and of course soda.

As the parent, it is your job to make sure that your child would still drink milk even if they think they are already old enough to drink beer (is 16 the legal age?). Anyway, nobody is too old to drink milk!

Milk is the best source not only of calcium but protein and Vitamin D as well. These are all essential for the development of the child. Unless your child is allergic to milk, let them drink as much as 4 glasses everyday.  Try getting the carton that says “low-fat milk” so you too can enjoy the benefits of this healthy drink.

In order to fully nourish your child, you must feed them with all the right foods. It would not only boost their immune system but it would also allow them to become active and live a fulfilling life at the same time. Unfortunately, because most parents think that kid-friendly foods would allow them to feed their kids easily, they sometimes opt to serve these not-so-nutrional foods including nuggets, pizza, hot dogs, burgers, fries, and sodas.

Try not to feed these foods more often. Instead, let them have foods that are rich in calcium, high in fiber, has iron, low in fat, and nutrient-filled foods. This includes the milk, peanut butter, apples, tuna fish, yogurt, eggs, cereals with whole grain, oatmeal, and of course, vegetables.

As parents, we know for a fact that one of the healthiest treats that your child can get is fruit juice.  But according to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there are also different disadvantages if you give your child too much fruit juice.

Because of the sugar content of the fruit juice, drinking too much of it may lead to obesity. It may be one of the major factors that would lead your child to become obese especially if it runs in your family.

And again, because of the sugar content of these beverages, fruit juices may also carry dental cavities and would ruin your child’s teeth early. Therefore, letting your teething toddler have too much of the good thing is actually bad for their teeth and their fragile gum’s health.