Mum-Mum Blog

Long before the plastic bottle debate arose was the ongoing quandary of fluoridated toothpaste and children. Fluoride, when used topically, can help prevent tooth decay yet too much taken internally can have the opposite effecting leading to mottling or tooth discoloration. A recent study finally provides parents with a much needed fluoride usage guideline.

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Finding yummy gluten free snacks for kids is not easy especially ones that aren’t too unhealthy so most moms take matters into their own hands and make their own.  This month’s gluten free recipe adds to the snack recipe artillery with chewy granola bars, a treat kids love.  The recipe is also dairy free, and allows for lots of variations for family food preference or other food allergies or intolerances.  It is of course, also suitable for celiacs.

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Mum Mum’s recently reported that the UK sent researchers out to discover why breastfeeding rates and duration lengths remain low in that country, particularly when current research touts numerous health benefits to both mother and baby. Although many women initiate breastfeeding, the duration of breastfeeding remains lower than health experts would like to see of a minimum of 6 months. A recent study found that there is further reason to encourage longer breastfeeding duration as it may improve a baby’s mental health.

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Breast is milk is best when it comes to feeding baby, yet many mothers opt to bottle feed instead. The amount of research supporting the positive health benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and baby is astounding and the studies don’t seem to be slowing down any time soon. Deciding whether or not breastfeed is a big decision, so what exactly determines that choice? UK researchers decided to find out.

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Mum Mum’s recently reported on understanding a whole food based diet. Developing healthy eating habits is not as difficult as one might think, and starting children are born with a clean slate and pick up their eating habits by mirror others.  Even if you understand the lingo, but are still having a difficult time grasping how to implement a healthy diet into your family’s meals here are 8 building blocks to a healthy diet:

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Last year, stories regarding the chemical bisphenol A, or BPA, were abundant for several months causing plastic bottle manufacturers to change their ways particularly baby product makers. The debate was heated as proponents of the removal of BPA from baby and children’s products claimed there was plenty of evidence BPA was potentially harmful to children, yet chemical companies argued the research was inconclusive. BPA is back in the news again this week and US Health Officials announced Friday that more research needs to be conducted.

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No, whole food doesn’t always refer to that ubiquitous grocery store chain but rather a way of eating. It has become quite a common catch phrase these days which can only add to the confusion for parents attempting to provide their kids with a healthy diet.  Mum Mum’s advocates starting kids off right with a well balanced, minimally processed diet – but what exactly is that?

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Kids and vegetables kind of go together like oil and water - or at least are certainly not synonymous. Parents and healthcare providers everywhere try (and try again) to come up with new ways to get kids to eat their veggies. One common notion is that kids will be more inclined to eat a veggie they helped pick out, but a recent study found there may be little truth to that.

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Parents and researchers alike have known for some time that music is both a great learning tool and lots of fun.  Music has been thought to boost brain power from babies to college students, as a controversial 1993 study found college students improved IQ scores by listening to 10 minutes of Mozart; sending parents everywhere to the music store.  Although that study was found to inconclusive, a recent study brought Mozart’s music back into focus but this time for premature babies.

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Chilly weather is here for a while, and so are coughs and colds.  Children’s immune systems need extra special care for many reasons.  For one, children’s exposure to bacteria is often significantly higher than that of adults, especially children in daycare or preschool.  Also, at a young age, children have not been exposed to as many pathogens as adults have.  Exposure to flu bugs and bacteria help your body create a specific way to get rid of those bugs, which children are often lacking.

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