*Shopping is taking a little longer at the store than you had intended, and your little one needs a snack.

*With daycare pickup, basketball practice and making a stop for quick cash at the ATM, you feel like you’re driving in circles. But you don’t want to give your son drive-through food just because you’re in the car.     

Here’s your solution: Baby Gourmet pouch baby foods.       

Since my son is older, I hadn’t paid much attention to the baby food aisles, so I was surprised at how many baby foods are available in handy pouches.

However, for this blog, I asked my co-workers to have their little ones try Baby Gourmet and offer feedback.

I even tried one of the pouches myself, and, while it’s not my food of choice, I have to say the taste was delicious and fresh.

Jennifer has two boys, ages 3 and 1. She had already been offering ”squeezy baby food packets” to her youngest.

“I usually save them for the checkout line at Target,” she said before the taste test.

So, what were the results of the Baby Gourmet trial?

“My boys have each tried one of the pouches you gave me and it was a hit!”

I think what surprised and impressed me as a mom of three were the varieties of flavors. I have a 17-, 13- and 6-year-old, and I wish I had had the advantage of these pouches. It would have made being on the go so much easier. And, I would have felt confident that I was offering something organic and nutritious, as well as quick and convenient.

Yes, Cheerios, are great, but look at these flavors:  

Juicy Pear and Garden Greens

Orchard Apple, Carrot and Prune

Harvest Pear, Pumpkin and Banana     

Sweet Potato Pie                                           

Roasted Squash and Fruit Medley

Apple, Sweet Potato and Berry Swirl

Apple Crisp

Vanilla Banana Berry Risotto

Tropical Banana Bliss

The pouches target babies around the ages of 6, 7 and 8 months, but those are just suggested guidelines, since children older than 1 can still enjoy these nutritious combos.

I had even hoped I could encourage my son who has special needs to partake, but he wasn’t interested. I thought since they tasted so good, they would be a good way to supplement picky-eaters’ daily diets. A few of my co-workers with older children also had the same experience. So the pouch is really for babies, as it’s advertised, and very young children.

Here’s another review from co-worker, Moran, whose son is just older than 1.

“My 14-month-old is sometimes finicky about eating certain vegetables or fruits, but he ate the Baby Gourmet meals with no problem and was often urging me to feed him the meals faster!” Moran said.

“He seemed to enjoy the different food combos, which all smelled pretty yummy to me. The pouch packaging made it easy to dispense and carry the food on the go.”

Moran also offered that her son enjoyed holding the pouch himself and eating the meal directly from it.

While children can eat directly from the pouch (oh, so handy!), like any other baby food container or eating utensil, the pouches still require adult supervision. They’re not chew toys.

But the product packaging appears to be a success with moms and kids. And, Baby Gourmet and other pouch baby foods are multi-use.

Would you have thought about adding the pouch baby food to pancakes or using them to fill muffins?

Other ways to use the pouch baby foods can be found at the Baby Gourmet blog site and ohdeedoh.com.

If you have a 6-month-old, toddler or young child, these pouches are definitely worth trying. They are perfect for busy lifestyles, and who isn’t busy?

So, I have a new slogan for Baby Gourmet.

You’re on your way … with Baby Gourmet.

– Linda Lynn

LLynn@opubco.com

Store locator for this product.

I’ve been following the site for about 4 days now, and already have seen great deals.  Free photo books, food samples, free Coke, and many other discounted and free offers.

If you use Facebook, just search for Freebies 4 Mom or go to http://www.facebook.com/Freebies4Mom.  You’ll see the deals updated in your news feed throughout the day.

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

For all workshops, pre-register by calling 425-4412.

Unless otherwise noted, all sessions are for parents and caregivers of young children.

Here’s what’s in store for this summer:

Terrific Two’s: Learn about your 2-year-old. Focus is on their developmental milestones.  All are 6 to 7:30 p.m.
June 1, Choctaw Library
June 16, Midwest City Library
June 22, Southern Oaks Library
June 19, The Village Library

Sibling Struggles: Learn methods to prepare children for the arrival of a new sibling and how to deal with sibling squabbles. Find out about sibling rivalry and what normal behavior is.  Both are 6 to 7:30 p.m.
June 2, Midwest City
June 30, The Village

Just for Fun: Games People Play(for children ages 8-12): Includes active games, quiet games and brain teasers. Kids will play games from the past and games from other cultures. Both are 1:30 to 3:30 p.m.
June 14, Southern Oaks
June 21, The Village

Toileting Triumph: Toileting doesn’t have to be a major challenge. Focus is on signs of readiness, why it can be frustrating and much more. All are from 3:30 to 5 p.m.
June 16, Edmond Library
June 29, Warr Acres Library
July 20, Ralph Ellison Library

Making Your Morning Manageable: Time to eliminate chaos and come up with a routine. Focus is what parents can do to make this part of the day more calm and enjoyable.
June 25, 10:30 a.m. to noon, Warr Acres

Lullaby & Goodnight: Find a routine that includes reading to your child, to ease bedtime and naptime challenges.  Sleep challenges will also be discussed. Both are 3:30 to 5 p.m.
June 30, Edmond
August 17, Ralph Ellison

Look Out, I’m Three!: Learn more about your 3-year-old. Focus is on developmental milestones. All are from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
July 7, Southern Oaks
July 8, Midwest City
July 13, The Village
July 20, Choctaw

Toddlers at the Table: Turn common concerns about toddler’s eating habits into opportunities to teach healthy habits. Both are 6 to 7:30 p.m.
July 12, Midwest City
July 21, The Village

Those Playful Preschoolers:Focus is behavioral characteristics and developmental milestones of 3- and 4-year-olds.  Activity ideas will be shared to keep little ones busy. Learn it’s OK for your preschooler to be “out of bounds.” Both are 3:30 to 5 p.m.
July 27, Warr Acres
Aug. 25, Edmond

Baby Basics: Main focus is typical concerns of parents. Colic/crying, separation anxiety, sleeping through the night and other issues will be discussed.
July 28, 3:30 to 5 p.m., Edmond

Reading Readiness: Workshop will explore the necessary reading readiness building blocks and parents’ roles in helping children become readers. Both are 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 4, Midwest City
Aug. 9, The Village

Fun to be Four: Learn about your fascinating 4-year-old. Workshop focuses on developmental milestones.  All are 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Aug. 3, Southern Oaks
Aug. 4, Midwest City
Aug. 10, The Village
Aug. 12, Choctaw

School Readiness: Facilitators will talk about support, encouragement and opportunity all children need for school success.
Aug. 10, 3:30 to 5 p.m., Warr Acres

Tripping Through Toddlerhood: Topics include, tantrums, biting, sharing and other common toddler challenges. Parents will learn how to minimize frustrations.
Aug. 11, 3:30 to 5 p.m., Edmond

Teaching Children to be More Cooperative: Focus is on when to discipline or ignore unwanted behaviors. Learn guidance techniques used by experts.
Aug. 27, 10:30 a.m. to noon, Warr Acres

To see the Oklahoma City-County Health Departments newsletters, including schedules for upcoming play groups, workshops, and health  and child guidance screenings, click here .

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

Sonic has partnered with Oklahoma 529 College Savings Plan to help celebrate these students’ successes on what better date than 5/29, of course!

To download the coupon, click here.

Just let them know you have the coupon when you’re ordering.

Now go out and celebrate your child’s great school year!

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

The four pillars of the First Lady’s campaign are:

Helping parents make healthy family choices;

Serving healthier food in schools;

Making healthy, affordable food more accessible;

Increasing children’s physical activity.

Since the announcement today, I’ve received e-mails or read about resounding cheers in agreement from organizations that include the American Diabetes Association, The American Academy of Pediatrics, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the American Medical Association and more.

“The physical and emotional health of an entire generation and the economic and security of our nation is at stake,” Obama said, according to a news release from the USDA. “This isn’t the kind of problem that can be solved overnight, but with everyone working together, it can be solved.”

Recent studies put the health care costs of obesity-related diseases at $147 billion per year, the USDA information stated.

Weighing in from the the pediatrics academy, Judith S. Palfrey, president of the organization that represents 60,000 pediatrician, called rescuing children’s health “a medical and moral imperative” in a news release.

“Over the past twenty years, our nation has seen an alarming rise in the number of our children who are overweight and obese. It will take a concerted effort and thoughtful collaboration to help create healthier communities for children,” she said.

The pediatric academy is asking pediatricians to start calculating the body mass indexes, or BMI, for patients over 2, among other recommendations.

The Let’s Move! campaign is a collaborative and community-oriented effort. Joining Obama for the announcement included local students, members of the president’s Cabinet, Congress members, many of the nation’s mayors and leading representatives from the fields of media, medicine, sports, entertainment and business communities.

~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com)

Snow cream

Setting aside concerns for salmonella from raw eggs and pollution that might be captured in each falling snowflake, we made snow ice cream today.

It didn’t take long.

Beat 2 eggs, add 2 tsp. of vanilla, 1/2 cup of sugar and a little milk, and you have a sweet little concoction to add to the light and fluffy stuff that is resting several inches deep on your windshield. This was my sister-in-law Sandy’s recipe for snow ice cream. (She has to share this with me every time it snows, because I forget.)

After spooning up a bowlful, I placed the snow in individual cups and then poured just enough liquid fun to make the snow stick together in the consistency of ice cream. Yum!

The kids tried it, and one review was good. My 4-year-old scrunched his face and didn’t think it could take the place of a Braum’s yogurt “twist.” And my 15-year-old said it was nasty. But my husband and youngest daughter liked it.

This treat is one my husband and I remember having as children. Recipes might have differed, but it was something we looked forward to when it snowed. Whether true or not, you were always supposed to wait until the second snow. (This was our second snow. )

 Bad weather days can quickly become good family fun when you make a little, simple effort.

– Linda Lynn

llynn@opubco.com

The free parenting seminar will be at the Edmond library on Wednesday, Sept. 23, from 3:30 – 5:00 p.m. It’s perfect for parents and caregivers of children from birth to age 5. The experts from Child Guidance Services will answer questions and address concerns, and give out great information about issues related to eating.  Techniques and resources will be provided.

To register, call Child Guidance at 425-4412 to register.  For more information about this program and others, call 427-8651 or go to www.cchdoc.com.

-Erica Smith
esmith@opubco.com

What’s for supper?

Whether you call it supper, dinner or whatever, what it means in my house most of the time is, “What is Mom going to fix tonight?”

My husband doesn’t cook, so thankfully he’ll throw out the idea of takeout, which I gladly latch onto if I’ve had a particularly tiring day.

With two parents working outside the home, it’s difficult to get a balanced meal on the table when my children are hungry.

My mom used to suggest I cook on the weekends and then freeze the food. Yes. That would be a good idea, but, so far, I haven’t successfully done this.

Then, there is the crockpot moms who always have a meal waiting for them when they get home. Yes. That’s a good idea, too.

This week, we have had chicken Dorito casserole (I made), Sonic burgers and lasagna/broccoli/bread (I defrosted and shoved it in the oven).

This morning, I washed strawberries, blueberries and blackberries, placed them in a tray and stuck those in the refrigerator for after-school snacking.

I don’t think this is a bad run for the week, but I still labor over this. I have no idea what we will eat tonight.

If it were just me, I’d probably eat cereal.

Do any of you struggle with evening meals? Or have you overcome the last-minute rush?

Share your ideas (and recipes!) that have fed your successful meal planning.

–Linda Lynn

llynn@opubco.com

Let’s all take 20 to 30 minutes and go for a walk and clear our heads.

– Linda Lynn   

When my oldest child was 9 months old, he got really picky about what he ate. His hands played goalie to his mouth and only a limited variety of foods was allowed in. Except the day he ate a junebug off the floor as he crawled around. I got there just in time to hear the crunch. It was gross. I’ll spare you the details.

Now the New York Times is saying here that kind of behavior might be instinctual, that babies who put everything in their mouths as soon as they get mobile might be protecting their immune system more than the ultraclean environments some live in today.

“In studies of what is called the hygiene hypothesis, researchers are concluding that organisms like the millions of bacteria, viruses and especially worms that enter the body along with “dirt” spur the development of a healthy immune system,” writes Jane E. Brody in the New York Times. 

Experts she quoted speculate that the increase in the number of immune system disorders – like asthma, allergies or Type 1 diabetes – diagnosed each year may be related to the idea that we should keep our children from germs of any kind.

The lesson here is that while cleanliness is still a virtue, it’s OK to allow some dirt in your house, and your children don’t always have to wash their hands after touching it. And if they eat a junebug or a worm or some other disgusting thing they pick up off the floor, then they might actually be helping their immune systems. 

 ~ Lillie-Beth Brinkman (lbrinkman@opubco.com)