5 Tips on Managing Your toddler

My Toddler Drives Me Crazy!

By Jodie Lynn
eDiets Guest Columnist

Who knew your bundle of joy would become a teasing, silly toddler, who resembles a mimicking parrot, repeating everything he hears. Who knew that he would throw a temper tantrum, constantly say "no" and pull off his diaper running naked around the house, quickly leaping out the door and streaking in the front door in front of jaw-dropped neighbors?

eDiets has teamed up with the Trim Kids program to offer you a way to get your family on the light track in no time! Click here for more information.

Well, guess what? We all go through it. However, don't let the little tyke run you bananas. Here are a few parenting tips that will surely make life with your toddler a tad easier:

1. Stop, look and listen. While your toddler may not be making sense to you, if you will tune in to what he is trying to say, you might just get it. He is overwhelmed with energy in learning all about his newfound developmental abilities and is surely trying to move forward in his own interpretation of all of the incredible adventures in this big old world. When he gets excited, get motivated to speak his body language and play along. When things get too wacky, reel him back into the real world ever so slowly without labeling, yelling or screaming.

2. Talk to your toddler, not at him. When talking to your toddler, interject some of his high-rolling emotions into the conversation between the two of you. If he does something that you totally approve, dance and clap your hands in joy while implementing the same reaction and energy into the tone of your voice: "WHOOHOO! Way to go Jacob! Good job!"

3. Treat children the way you want to be treated. Everyone wants to be heard, and toddlers are no different. As adults, we are usually taught to validate our friends' feelings, and those feelings of other significant importance, by repeating back to them what they have just conveyed to us. After doing so, the normal reaction will be that their feelings have been confirmed. They feel "heard."

Now, you are ready to voice your own concerns. Sound too grown up? It's not. Toddlers learn by how others' react to everything that they experience throughout a day. It doesn't matter if it's an evoked positive or negative reaction to something that they have done or said, or to what someone else has done or said to a situation (including the pets!). Don't forget that they are always listening and watching.

4. Brief conversations with your toddler are priceless. Keep conversational interaction brief. Toddlers learn best by repetition. Forget long-winded explanations and use short sentences, suggestions and commands for the very best tolerance, and understanding, by a toddler. There will be a time and place for more in-depth explanations as he gets older.

5. Brag on baby. When your toddler has done something great (and has displayed acceptable behavior), go ahead and brag to others about what he has just accomplished. Call Daddy, Grandma, Aunt or even tell some of his favorite objects: stuffed pals (his favorite bear, hand puppet, etc.), a family pet, next door playmate’s mom, or maybe his favorite online character, like Elmo, Big Bird, etc. Just let him hear and "see" you smiling.

Always remember to put yourself in your toddler's shoes and remind yourself that while he seems terribly smart, witty and capable of understanding everything you say, he's only been on this Earth for a mere two-years or shorter and can't possibly fathom everything you think he should.

Having a little patience will prove to be an amazingly smart parenting tool in helping you get through the demanding and ever-constant perplexing wacky world of toddlers.

If you are worried about your weight AND your child's weight, be sure to check out the new eDiets Trim Kids program. We offer a wealth of information to keep you and your family on the straight and narrow. Click here to learn more.

Jodie Lynn is an award-winning internationally syndicated family/health columnist and radio personality. Her syndicated column Parent to Parent (www.ParentToParent.com) has been successful for over 10 years and appears in newspapers, magazines, newsletters and throughout the Internet. She is a regular contributor to several sites including eDiets.com, KeepKidsHealthy.com, ClubMom.com, BabyUniverse.com, and MainStreetMom.com. Lynn has written four books and contributed to three others, one of which was on Oprah and has appeared on NBC in a three month parenting segment. Her latest books are Mom CEO (Chief Everything Officer)TM - Having, Doing, and Surviving It All! (June 2006) and Syndication Secrets - What No One Will Tell You! (March 2006). Check www.ParentToParent.com for details on new radio talk show, Inside Parenting Success.

Teens and Kids Body Image Problem

Children Obsessed with Image

By Dr. Susan Mendelsohn
eDiets Psychologist
For the Trim Kids

Is your child becoming obsessed with his/her looks? Have you noticed a change in your child's emotional state... a change specifically related to his/her body image? Is your child acting out in ways that differ from before? Do you attribute these changes to puberty?

eDiets has teamed up with the Trim Kids program to offer you a way to get your family on the light track in no time! Click here to learn more!

If you think these are normal growing pains, please reconsider. True, children go through stages. However, when these stages are extreme and maladaptive, it's time to intervene.

Eating disorders and other weight problems know no boundaries. As human beings, we have a tendency to overemphasize the superficial components of ourselves (body weight, shape, size and overall physical appearance), resulting in thousands of unhappy and seriously depressed young adults and children.

It's time to break this unhealthy relationship between weight and worth!

I have compiled some guidelines for helping your child cope with their ever-changing bodies. Please step in before it's too late.

1. Consider the ways in which your beliefs, attitudes and behaviors about your own body and the bodies of others have been shaped by the forces of sexism. Then, educate your child about:(a) the basic genetic differences in body types, and (b) the nature of prejudice.

2. Closely analyze your dreams and goals for your children and other loved ones. Ask yourself if you are overemphasizing beauty, body shape or weight (especially for girls).

3. Avoid placing judgments upon individuals who do not meet your standards for beauty. Refrain from stating something such as, "I'll love you more if you would just lose a few pounds," or "don't eat so much,"쳌 or "you should try to look just like those models." Give your child unconditional positive regard. This means: accept your child as a worthwhile human being, despite his/her faults. Weight should never factor into your child's worth!

4. Reduce teasing, criticism and staring. These behaviors only serve to reinforce the disapproval of being overweight and the admiration of slenderness.

5. Educate yourself and discuss with your children the dangers of trying to alter one's body shape through dieting. Utilize the holistic program that eDiets offers to help yourself and your child learn what's healthy and what's not.

6. Learn about and discuss with your children the value of moderate exercising for stamina and cardiovascular fitness.

7. Learn about -- and discuss with your children -- the importance of eating a variety of foods in well-balanced meals. Consume these meals at least three times a day.

8. Avoid labeling foods as "good" or "bad."쳌 Do not dichotomize foods into good, safe, no fat or low fat vs. bad, dangerous or fattening.

9. Be a good role model in regard to sensible eating, sensible exercise and self-acceptance.

10. Make a commitment to exercise for your health rather than your weight. Feel good about exercise for the joy of feeling your body function effectively rather than for purposes of purging your body to compensate for calories eaten.

11. Make a commitment to not avoid activities such as swimming, dancing and sunbathing simply because they call attention to your weight and shape.

12. Refuse to wear clothes that are uncomfortable or that you dislike simply because they divert attention away from your weight or shape.

13. Practice appreciating human beings (especially women) for who they are and what they are saying, thinking and feeling, rather than for their body size and shape.

14. Make a commitment to help your children appreciate and resist ways in which television, magazines and other forms of media distort the true diversity of body types. (Unfortunately, the media often makes a correlation between slim and powerful, exciting and sensual.)

15. Do not limit your child's caloric intake unless a physician has instructed you to do so for the sake of their physical health. For more information on children's nutrition, please contact the Trim Kids dietitian.

16. Allow and encourage your child to be active and to enjoy what their bodies can do and feel like doing.

17. Give boys and girls the same encouragement and opportunities.

18. Be careful never to suggest that girls are less important than boys. Make sure their household responsibilities are divided evenly, without establishing stereotypical rules for male or female activities.

19. Promote the self-esteem and self-respect of your children in every aspect of their being, including intellectual, athletic and social endeavors.

This list of guidelines will not only enhance your overall relationship with your children (making you closer and more intimate), but also reduce the chance of them developing a distorted body image and/or a serious eating disorder later in life.

Now, that's a treat for everyone!

If you are worried about your weight AND your child's weight, be sure to check out the new eDiets Trim Kids program. We offer a wealth of information to keep you and your family on the straight and narrow. Click here to learn more.

What can I do to minimize the junk food?

How Can I Curb Kids and Fast Food?

By Nicki Anderson
Special for eDiets

Dear Nicki:
My three boys are very involved in sports, and I find myself picking up fast food almost five nights a week. What can I do to minimize the junk food?
-- Name Withheld

According to a report in the Journal of the American Medical Association, kids who eat fast food end up consuming more calories throughout the day than kids who do not eat fast food.

The study also found that more than half of the daily calorie consumption of fast-food eaters came from just one fast-food meal.

Bottom line, overindulgence of fast food is hazardous to our children's health. I recommend having plenty of healthy foods available for your kids. I usually keep fresh fruit and veggies chopped up in the fridge ready to eat. The more available you make healthy food, the more likely your children are to eat it. It’s all about planning and preparation.

For many kids and families, getting away from fast food is tough because it is so convenient. Soup and sandwiches can be healthy alternatives. But if you don’t have time and MUST opt for fast food, skip the fries and ask for extra lettuce and tomato. The better choices your kids can make now, the better their health will be later.

The Trim Kidsprogram is a comprehensive 12-week plan that recognizes children require unique strategies when it comes to weight management. Trim Kids provides hundreds of parenting tips to encourage healthy eating and increased physical activity. And the fitness plan can be designed for your child's age and medical condition.

Nicki Anderson is the owner of Reality Fitness Inc. in Naperville, IL, and the founder of Nicki Anderson’s Real Life Weight Loss. She is also a frequent contributor to eDiets.com, health and fitness columnist for the Daily Herald in suburban Chicago, and author of Reality Fitness; Inspiration for Your Health and Well-Being (New World Library). Learn more about Nicki at www.real-life-weight-loss.com.