Day 349 - The Decadent Birthday Treat

Today's first time parenting tip - If you're OK with your baby having sweets, try making cupcakes with this special fluffy frosting

Some parents are alright with their babies having a sweet treat on a special occasion. Some even want it. There's nothing wrong with it at all, so don't let health nut parents make you feel poorly just because you gave your kid a piece of cake on his birthday. There's healthy treats for them too.

Instead of a cake, try making cupcakes instead. They're great for taking to day care or school and are easy for kids and adults alike to just grab and go. And, you can make a special fluffy frosting that let those enjoying your dessert frost it themselves, which is fun for kids.

Cupcakes - Cupcake recipe modified from About.com

INGREDIENTS:

* 1/2 cup cake flour
* 2/3 cup powdered sugar
* 6 large egg whites (about 3/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons)
* 1/8 teaspoon salt
* 3/4 teaspoon cream of tartar
* 1/2 cup granulated sugar
* 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

PREPARATION:
Line 18 muffin cups with paper muffin cups.

Sift the flour and powdered sugar together 3 times; set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, beat or whisk egg whites with the salt until frothy. Add the cream of tartar; continue beating to soft peaks.

Add granulated sugar, about 1 tablespoon at a time, beating until stiff peaks form.

With a spatula, fold in about 1/3 of the flour and powdered sugar mixture. Fold in another 1/3, then finish with remaining mixture. Gently fold in the orange zest and vanilla.

Using a small ice cream scoop or large tablespoon, fill muffin cups about 2/3 to 3/4 full. Bake for about 15 to 17 minutes, or until lightly browned. Cool for 5 minutes in pan on rack. Remove cupcakes to a rack to cool completely.
Frost with Orange Frosting or a fat-free Fluffy Frosting.

Frosting
1 1.5 oz package chocolate Jello pudding
1 tub whipped cream
2 cups cold fat-free milk

Mix the pudding powder and the milk in a bowl as you normally would. Once the mixture is smooth, whip together the pudding and the whipped cream until you're able to form peaks with the mixture.

Chill the frosting until the cupcakes are ready to serve. Enjoy!

Parenting, 1st, Birthday, Snack, Treat

Day 348 - The Healthier Birthday Treat

Today's first time parenting tip - Try serving fruit smoothies for a healthy birthday snack

It's almost 1st birthday time, so what are you going to serve for dessert? Some day cares allow you to bring a treat for a birthday, and if you're throwing a party, you'll probably want something sweet and tasty to finish off a meal.

But for the parent trying to keep things healthy, what can you do around birthday time? If you want your baby to have a healthy birthday celebration, there's nothing wrong with that. If you think it can't be done, try these simple fruit smoothies. They're easy to make, tasty and guests at your party can "un-healthy" them up if they must with whipped cream.

Fruit Smoothies
1 part pineapple
1 part banana
1 part strawberry
1 part ice

8 ounces of each fruit and ice will make about 4 fruit smoothies, so expand or decrease the recipe based on how much you need to make. Just throw all the ingredients in a blender and blend until the mixture is relatively smooth.

Serve immediately or chill in a pitcher until they're ready to serve. For a sweet topping, throw on some whipped cream.

Parenting, 1st, Birthday, Snack, Treat

Day 304 - 4 Ways to Treat a Fever Naturally

Today's first time parenting tip - Keep cool and treat a fever naturally

Your eleven month infant's temperature hits 102. You panic. What could it be? You'd like to think it's teething, but you're just not sure. It might be something worse.

Everything else seems to be fine. No change in behavior. Bowel movements are normal. Fevers are the bodies natural defense mechanism against infection. Ideally, they should be allowed to run their course without medication. If the fever spikes or comes with seizures, vomiting or other nasty symptoms, you should get medical help immediately.

But what if your infant is just running a little hot and you want to keep it down without Tylenol? Here are some things you can try:

• Put your baby in a lukewarm bath. During the winter, make sure the air temperature is at least 72 degrees so they don't get chilled coming out of the water


• Dress your baby in a light layer of clothing. If they get too cold, add another layer and subtract layers to make them comfortable


• Make sure they drink lots of fluids. If they don't want to drink, this could be a sign of something else, and you might want to call your doctor.


• Give them a teething ring from the freezer. A fever can be caused by teething. A cool ring will help them feel more comfortable and ease their gums

How do you treat a fever naturally?

Parenting, Fever, Treat, Break, Temperature

Day 277 - Heartburn

Today's first time parenting tip - If your baby has some food that disagrees with him, a drink of formula or breast milk should do the trick

Tonight we had our son try pickles and a little bit of mustard with some turkey, bread and cheese, almost like he was having his own little sandwich. He loved most of it and gobbled it down.

Then about an hour after he went to bed, he woke up screaming and we couldn't console him at all. His abdomen felt firmer than usual and we were getting worried. So while I furiously looked up symptoms on the internet while my wife played with him and his toys (that seemed to calm him down), the symptoms he was having indicated that he was either colicky, constipated or had heartburn. (Hard abdomen, discomfort, no fever, no sharp pains or hurt when we pressed gently on his belly).

Since he's probably too old for colic and his bowel movements are disgustingly normal, we decided to try the remedy for heartburn that doesn't involve milk of magnesia - a drink of milk.

He sucked a few ounces down and seemed to feel a lot better after a couple of good burps too. He needed some cuddling to go to sleep, but as of an hour later, he's still sound asleep. I'll post updates as the situation progresses.

Parenting, Heartburn, Remedy, Treat, Symptoms