Our mission at Child Care of Southwest Florida is to “enhance the lives of children and their families”. One of the most important ways to do this, is by encouraging families to do fun activities together, spending quality time with one another.

There are so many fun things to do in Southwest Florida with your children so spending quality family time is easy.

You may have read about many of these activities in our last eBook, “12 Fun Things to do With Your Children in Southwest FL”. Now, we would like to provide you with a few tips that will help you enjoy these activities, such as knowing what to pack, and learning about the specific destinations that provide you and your family with fun in the Florida sun! Here are the tips that we will be rolling out over the next few months:

1. Pack the Sunscreen – “Safe” Fun in the Sun
2. Pack the Bug Spray – Protection from Florida Pests
3. Family Fun is a Walk in the Park
4. Hit the Beach
5. Spend a Day on the Water – Boating Fun
6. Family Fun Fishing
7. A Day of Play – Southwest FL Playgrounds
8. Have Fun with History
9. Great Skate! – Family Skating Spots
10. Visit an Interactive Museum
11. Kid Friendly Dining and Entertainment
12. Slide Into A Waterpark
13. Biking or Kayaking on the Islands

We hope that you’ll enjoy these fun things to do in Southwest Florida and we look forward to hearing your feedback!

To enroll your child in one of our three Fort Myers child care centers, please call (239) 278-1002.

Or if you’d like to become part of our team here at Child Care of Southwest Florida, we offer child care training courses that you may have to complete before becoming a full or part time teacher. For more information, contact us online.

~Beth

Join Child Care of Southwest Florida and be a part of our Tee Time for Tots Annual Golf Tournament.

Whether you’re an experienced golfer or just beginning, this tournament is guaranteed FUN for all!

So come out Saturday, June 9th, 2012 at 8:30 am for the Shotgun Start at the Pelican Preserve Golf Club in Fort Myers.

Plenty of sponsorship opportunities are available! Please call or contact Linda McNabb at (239) 278-1002 for the best opportunities to showcase your business or organization.

Remember, everything we do improves the lives of children!

Pelican Preserve Golf Club is located at:
10571 Veneto Drive
Ft. Myers, FL 33913

Hope to see you there!

-Linda

Whether you currently have children, take care of other people’s children, or intend to have children in the future, feeding a child and ensuring that their nutritional needs are met can be an uphill battle…especially if you’re trying to introduce them to new food.

No doubt, convincing children to eat healthy foods instead of junk that’s jam packed with aspartame, high fructose corn syrup, and numerous foods containing mood altering food dyes, can be a major chore.

Hopefully you’ve learned a thing or two over the past few months by reading this blog, specifically our series on 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children. In case you missed the series, it’s all recapped below.

1. Start with the shopping cart
2. Dealing with picky eaters
3. Make healthy food fun
4. Develop good habits
5. Take away temptation
6. Make favorite foods healthier
7. From food pyramid to MyPlate
8. Prevent childhood obesity
9. Healthy eating in school
10. Help your child stay active
11. Indoor activities for kids
12. Do’s and don’ts of child nutrition

As always, you’re more than welcome to download our free eBook simply by clicking the photo above. With some determination and a little bit of luck, we’re sure that you can use these tips to keep your child vibrant and healthy by feeding them nutritious food.

We take seriously the trust that you’ve put in us to feed your children healthy foods at  each of our six day care centers in Southwest Florida, years ago.

If you’d like to enroll your child in one of our Clewiston, Lehigh Acres, LaBelle, or Fort Myers child care centers, please contact us online or call (239) 278-1002.

To your child’s health!

-Beth

This is the twelfth installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

A recent Reader’s Digest article entitled, “Foods that Harm, Foods that Heal” listed some excellent “Do’s and Don’ts” to follow in regard to your child’s nutrition. Some of these have been mentioned in our eBook, but this is a quick, simple reminder of what you should and shouldn’t do in order to keep your children eating healthy!

1. Do set a good example for your child to copy. Share mealtimes and eat the same healthy foods.
2. Do discourage snacking on sweets and fatty foods. Keep plenty of healthy foods, such as fruits, raw vegetables, low-fat crackers, and yogurt, around for children to eat between meals.
3. Do allow children to follow their natural appetites when deciding how much to eat.
4. Do encourage children to enjoy fruits and vegetables by giving them a variety from an early age.
5. Do ask children to help prepare meals. If parents rely mostly on convenience foods, children may not learn to enjoy cooking.
6. Don’t add unnecessary sugar to drinks and foods.
7. Don’t accustom children to extra salt by adding it to food or placing the shaker on the table.
8. Don’t give whole nuts to children under the age of 5, who may choke on them. Peanut butter and chopped nuts are fine as long as the child is not allergic to them.
9. Don’t force children to eat more than they want.
10. Don’t use food as a bribe.
11. Don’t make children feel guilty about eating any type of food.

Follow these simple tips on child nutrition and you’ll be enriching the life of your youngsters. To enrich the lives of other children in Southwest Florida, you can volunteer your time, make donations, or participate in a fundraiser at www.CCSWFL.org.

-Beth Lobdell

To read the Reader’s Digest article mentioned above, click here.

This is the eleventh installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

On a rainy day, it’s difficult to avoid the rut of television or video games as the primary activity for your child. However, it’s still important to find ways to get in at least an hour of activity, even if you’re stuck indoors.

It may be hard to get your child to do a work-out video with you, so you have to be a little more creative. Here are some ideas for indoor activities for kids that will keep them active, but don’t involve running through the house!

Build a Blanket Fort – Although this isn’t a high-level cardio activity, it still requires you to keep moving. Grab some flat sheets, blankets, and stable objects for “support beams”, and get to work!

For younger children, this one requires supervision and help from an adult, so it may help you stay active as well! Here’s a great step-by-step instruction of how to build a great blanket fort.

Get Your Groove On – This one is also fun for the whole family. Just make sure you have your video camera handy! Put on some upbeat tunes and take turns with your kids breaking out your favorite dance moves.

You can have a dance-off and judge who has the best moves in various categories (creativity, fast dancing, silly dancing, technical moves, etc.) Our teachers at Child Care of Southwest Florida have learned that children LOVE to silly dance which makes this one of the best indoor activities for kids, in our opinion.

Twister – This isn’t a cardiovascular activity, but it does promote muscle strength and balance (it’s basically like a yoga/Pilates combo for kids!) The adults can be the spinners…or, if you’re feeling especially flexible, take your chances and join in!

Play “active” video games – Some of today’s video games actually require kids to be active and off the couch. Games such as “Dance Dance Revolution”, Wii Fitness, or Kinex, can keep you active and raise your heart rate.

Rearrange the Bedroom – If they are old enough to move small pieces of furniture, have your children help reorganize their room and rearrange the furniture.

Make it a fun activity by letting them choose how they would like to set up their room and redecorate, giving them a sense of individuality and independence (meanwhile keeping them physically active).

Visit an indoor Playground – Most areas have some sort of indoor playgrounds, either at Family Fun Centers, or in a mall. Take a little trip and let your children enjoy hours of fun on indoor playgrounds or bounce houses. By the way, if you love devoting your time to young children, have you ever considered volunteering your time at CCSWFL?

Go to an indoor skating rink – Roller skating or ice skating rinks are great indoor activities that will keep your kids active, regardless of the weather!

Indoor activities for kids can be just as fun as outdoor ones. As their role model, children look up to you for fun, playful ideas. You can learn more tips to keep your kids healthy by clicking the eBook icon to your right.

If you’re looking for an outdoor activity that’s not only fun but helps to benefit children in Southwest Florida, please check out the Tee Time for Tots Annual Golf Tournament on Saturday, June 9th at the Pelican Preserve Golf Club in Fort Myers. All proceeds will go toward scholarships for needy children and families at one of our 6 child care centers.

~Beth

This is the tenth installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, Children and teens should participate in at least 60 minutes of moderate intensity physical activity most days of the week, preferably daily. Unfortunately, for many children, biking to the playground and playing kickball in the backyard have been replaced by watching television, playing video games, or surfing online. These types of sedentary activities, combined with the sedentary time required from sitting in a classroom, reading, and doing homework, makes for a very inactive child.

Although quiet time for reading and homework is fine, you should try to limit the time your children are watching TV, or playing video games or on the computer to a maximum of 2 hours per day. Then, encourage them to do something active! How do you do this?

Set a good example – If children see you hanging out on the couch most of the time, they are likely to mimic this behavior. If you are excited about doing a physical activity yourself, encourage your family to join you. Your children are most likely to want to participate. Make sure you approach it as something fun to do, instead of something you “have” to do. Here are a few examples of moderate intensity physical activities to suggest to your children:

• Brisk walking
• Playing tag
• Jumping rope
• Playing soccer
• Swimming
• Dancing
• Jumping on a trampoline or bounce house

Some other activities could include things like riding a bike or scooter, helping you wash the car, playing on a “Slip-N-Slide”, playing catch or frisbee. Children love games and competitions, so if you can find a way to make a contest out of something, or turn it into a fun game, it is easy to get your child excited about getting off the couch!

We believe that staying active is important for the entire family and good habits start with parents and caregivers! Did you know that we have 6 locations in Southwest Florida to serve your kids? In fact, if you live in east Lee County, you’ll be happy to know that we have a Lehigh Acres Child Care Center in your neck of the woods. Please consider Child Care of Southwest Florida where every child receives expert care from a highly trained staff and nutritious meals from our USDA Child Care Food Program. If you would like to learn more about our day care locations or have any further questions contact us online, call (239) 278-1002, or follow Child Care of Southwest Florida on Twitter.

- Beth

This is the ninth installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

Maybe you’re taking all the precautions to ensure that your child has a balanced, nutritious diet. You make sure they are active, and that high-sugar or fattening snacks are kept to a minimum. But, as soon as you send them off on the school bus, it’s out of your hands. So, how can you ensure that these healthy eating habits are maintained while your child is at school? Although some public school systems are beginning to offer healthier lunch choices and restrictions on vending machines, this is not always the case. Or, sometimes your child may simply not opt for the healthy choice.

Here are a few suggestions to help your child maintain healthy eating habits, even when they are in the lunchroom.

Review the Menu Together: Read the school menu with your child and look for the healthiest choices. Remind them why its important to make healthy choices, and the positive effects it will have on their body, then encourage them to choose those items for lunch.

Pack a Healthy Lunch: Fill your child’s lunchbox with healthy, tasty foods—like whole grain bread, fresh fruits and veggies, lean meats, low-fat or skim milk and 100% juice.

Be Proactive: Talk to other parents who are concerned about their child’s nutrition, and come up with some ideas for making healthier foods available at school. For example, you may want to get a group of parents together and design the perfect garden for students. Then set a budget, get approval for a spot, raise a few dollars, and start digging!

Do Your Homework: Find out whether your kids are able to get healthy foods in the cafeteria or vending machines, or if the school is selling healthy foods at fundraisers.

Show Appreciation: Talk to the teachers and school staff about how you value their efforts to provide healthy foods and beverages at school.

We hope you’re able to implement the knowledge you’re learning in our blogs with your children. For more tips on how to improve your relationship with your child, visit HappyHealthyChildhoods.com. Please consider Child Care of Southwest Florida where every child receives expert care from a highly trained staff and nutritious meals from our USDA Child Care Food Program. If you would like to learn more about our day care locations or have any further questions contact us online, call (239) 278-1002, or follow Child Care of Southwest Florida on Twitter.

- Beth

This is the eighth installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

Numerous studies have shown that the rate of childhood obesity continues to rise in the United States. Doctors are particularly troubled by this problem because it can lead to very serious health risks, such as:

• Heart disease, caused by high cholesterol and/or high blood pressure
• Type 2 diabetes
• Asthma
• Sleep apnea

In addition, obesity in children can cause psychological damage due to social discrimination especially amongst peers.

These health risks are not necessarily only something that your child will only be at risk for in the future. Obese children and adolescents may experience immediate health consequences. They have been found to have risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), including high cholesterol levels, high blood pressure, and abnormal glucose tolerance. In a population-based sample of 5 to 17 year-olds, almost 60% of overweight children had at least one CVD risk factor while 25 percent of overweight children had two or more CVD risk factors. (Dietz W. Health consequences of obesity in youth: Childhood predictors of adult disease. Pediatrics 1998;101:518–525).

So, this, along with future health risks and other psychological risks, it is absolutely imperative for parents to ensure that children do not reach this level of obesity.

To help your child maintain a healthy weight, make sure that you follow the MyPlate guidelines, and ensure healthy eating options are provided at home and school. You should also balance the calories your child consumes from foods and drinks with adequate physical activity. Encourage outdoor activities or indoor games that keep your child active.

If your child is currently overweight, remember that the goal for children and teens is to reduce the rate of weight gain, but still allow for normal growth and development. Children and teens should NOT be placed on a weight reduction diet without the consult and supervision of your health care provider.

Following the MyPlate guidelines are one of many great eating tips for kids. We offer a USDA child care food program that provides healthy meals and snacks to children in participating Day Care Centers and Family Day Care Homes. Sign up to receive the Partners for Child Care, Child Care of Southwest Florida’s monthly e-newsletter to find out how we have been helping children throughout Southwest Florida and how you can get involved with our upcoming events. If you have further questions contact us online, call (239) 278-1002, or connect with us at Facebook.com/ChildCareofSouthwestFlorida.

- Beth

This is the seventh installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

Until recently, the model for healthy eating in the United States was a guide called “The Food Pyramid”.

However, in 2011, the USDA (the agency in charge of nutrition in the United States) switched to a new symbol called MyPlate. This is a colorful plate with some of the same messages as the Food Pyramid such as eat a variety of foods and eat less of some foods and more of others.

However, the pyramid had six vertical stripes to represent the five food groups plus oils.
Whereas, MyPlate features just four sections:

vegetables, fruits, grains, and protein. It also features a side order of dairy in blue.

Just like the pyramid, where stripes were different widths, the plate has been divided into different segments to illustrate how to balance each food group.

The primary message of MyPlate is that fruits and vegetables take up half the plate, with the vegetable portion being a slightly larger than the fruit section. Also, the grain section is bigger than the protein section. This is because nutrition experts recommend you eat more vegetables than fruit and more grains than protein foods.

The divided plate also aims to discourage extremely large portions, which can cause weight gain.

MyPlate was introduced by First Lady, Michelle Obama, who started the “Let’s Move” campaign to help kids get healthier. Mrs. Obama claimed that the pyramid wasn’t easy enough for parents and kids to follow. The plate is simple and useful, and abides by the most recent studies regarding proper nutrition.

We believe that healthy eating is important for the entire family and good habits start with parents and caregivers! If you would like to know what our Clewiston Child Care Center is serving for lunch take a look at our nutritious day care menu. You can also find more nutrition tips for children in our FREE eBook, 12 Nutrition Hints and Tips for Your Children. To learn more about our Child Care Food Program please contact us online, call (239) 278-1002, or connect with us at Facebook.com/ChildCareofSouthwestFlorida.

- Beth

This is the sixth installment of 12 Nutrition Hints & Tips for Your Children which can also be downloaded from our free eBook library.

An easy way to begin a healthier lifestyle for you and your children is to do a little “tweaking” to the recipes that you prepare regularly and that your family enjoys. With just a few changes, these dishes can be healthier and just as satisfying. Here are a few suggestions:

• For dishes that incorporate cheese, replace with fat-free or low-fat cheese
• For pasta dishes, replace regular pasta with fiber-rich whole grain pasta (some brands even offer a lighter colored whole grain pasta, so your kids won’t even see the difference!)
• Try using margarine or low-calorie, low-fat butter instead of regular butter in recipes. Use spray butter at the table instead of putting a stick of butter out.
• Cook with Olive Oil instead of Canola or other types of oil high in saturated fat.
• Buy leaner meats. Instead of ground beef, consider ground turkey, or read the labels and buy the lean or extra-lean ground beef.
• Instead of eggs, consider egg-beaters or use only the egg whites to cut down on fat and cholesterol.
• Replace fried foods with baked foods (baked chicken nuggets are often just as tasty to your kids, and have only a fraction of the saturated fat!)
• Try to incorporate vegetables into your meals whenever possible. For example, if lasagna is a family favorite, try adding a little spinach to it. (If your kids turn their nose up at the site of green in their lasagna, try this “Sneaky Chef” recipe for stovetop lasagna which incorporates a green puree that is completely undetectable to the naked eye…or taste bud!)
• Instead of french fries, try making sweet potato fries.

For new ideas about how to add more fruits and vegetables to your daily diet, there is a great recipe database from the FruitsandVeggiesMatter.gov. Simply check the fruits and vegetables you want to incorporate, and this website will provide you with a number of tasty recipes!

We believe that healthy eating is extremely important for everyone, especially children. Did you know that we have 6 locations in Southwest Florida to serve your kids? In fact, if you live in Labelle, you’ll be happy to know that we have a Labelle Child Care Center in your neck of the woods. Please consider Child Care of Southwest Florida where every child receives expert care from a highly trained staff and nutritious meals from our USDA Child Care Food Program. If you would like to learn more about our day care locations or have any further questions contact us online, call (239) 278-1002, or follow Child Care of Southwest Florida on Twitter.

- Beth