Holiday Choking Safety for Kids

Small children are always getting into holiday decorations, food, and small toys left around the house during the hectic shuffle. There are ways to avoid misfortunes though.

1. First, the general rule is that if an item is small enough to actually fit into the mouths of babies and toddlers then it is too small to play with. Keep these items out of immediate reach at all times. Do this by doing a daily check of the floors, the kitchen, the bathroom, and near the tree and major decorations.

2. Place all small and breakable ornaments at the top of the tree away from tiny hands. You should also keep lights away from tiny hands if they like to touch them. Toddlers will pinch lights and can embed glass in their fingers.

2. Avoid chocking hazards like peanuts, popcorn, grapes, hot dogs, and raw carrots.

3. If you do have holiday decorations that include small objects like marbles, coins, and beads, do think about NOT putting them out until children are older.

Holiday Poison Safety

During holiday time we don’t usually think about kids eating things they shouldn’t because we think about goodies like candy canes, gingerbread, cookies, and even egg nog. But, there are some very deadly plants and poisons that we decorate with every holiday season.

We need to be especially careful with mistletoe, holly, pointsettias, and Jerusalem cherry plants.

American mistletoe: contains two amines, beta-phenylethylamine and tyramine, as well as a lectin, phoratoxin. In fact, Mistletoe got it’s name as the kiss of death from it’s berries.

Holly: Holly is one of the most famous of Holiday plants but eating the berries can cause vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea.

Poinsettias: There are many people who believe that poinsettias are poisonous and the fact vs. myth debate continues. Be cautious around children and cats.

The Jerusalem cherry: is a plant that belongs to the same family as the deadly nightshade. It has small, round, red and orange fruit. Jerusalem cherry poisoning occurs when someone eats pieces of this plant.

The main symptoms of plan poisoning include vomiting, diarrhea, and nausea. Some children will even have a rash.

If you suspect that your child has eaten any part of a plant, immediately call your doctor or the National Poison Center: (800) 222-1222

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How to Purchase your Thanksgiving Turkey

If your family is anything like mine you have to be very careful this holiday season and purchase only organic or Kosher meats, gluten and lactose free products, and ask hundreds of questions when you visit other’s homes. It can certainly be tiresome. In fact, one might think that products like the turkey or the roast would be the least of our worries but…

Unless you purchase a Natural (not fundamentally different than a turkey in raw form), Organic, or Kosher (poultry products prepared under Rabbinical supervision) turkey your Thanksgiving Turkey is bound to have Lactose. Whey, whey products, and products like sodium lactate are in deli and processed meats to improve texture, emulsification, cook yield, and the finished product performance.

Lactose can be used to replace sugar, dextrose, and syrup so it keeps cost down and it looks healthier.

The USDA explains all of the classifications on the Meat and Poultry Labeling Terms website.

For information on the classification of Organic foods: National Organic Program

Gluten and Casein Free Thanksgiving for Kids

When we adopted our son four years ago we had no idea we would ever be dealing with such difficult medical issues let alone having to create gluten and casein free meals for him. It was certainly a learning curve. And, now that our second son is home with us and has similar issues it looks like we are in for the long haul.

The holidays are the most difficult part of the year for us so we usually try to cook for him either before we go to events or we try to host events so that we can create delicious gluten free meals for everyone. However, when that just can’t happen (like when we travel) we have to improvise and create meals for him that are similar or requests our hosts to help out.

So, this Thanksgiving we’ve enlisted the help from our relatives to ensure both our sons can eat on Thanksgiving day. How?

1. We’re ordering an Organic Turkey because most frozen Turkeys like this Butterball one have Modified Food Starch (usually a gluten based one unless it specifies corn). Some turkeys also contain sodium lactose as a preservative.

2. I purchased a gravy packet so I could have a quick and easy gravy for him. It is gluten, casein, lactose, soy, and corn free. At home I usually make their own gravy out of rice flour, turkey stock, and soy milk/rice milk but I don’t think everyone wants that. (I do make it when Thanksgiving is at my house and no one is the wiser…) I may still be able to make their gravy there, who knows. I am sure the boys would love it.

3. I will bring with me two regular potatoes for making baked potatoes instead of regular mashed, as mashed contains milk. I could make them their own mashed potatoes using regular soymilk and ghee butter (I can also now get away with Fleishmann’s Unsalted Margarine…lactose free and Kosher) but the baked potatoes are easier for me to do while managing all of the other food.

4. I will also bring with me their own bread/buns and warm them with the others.

5. I pre-cook a spaghetti squash without butter and the boys simply love it. How much fun is pulling spaghetti squash for a 6 and 2 year old?

6. And, for desert?…Betty Crocker Gluten Free Brownies. Heaven to a six year old who CRAVES chocolate.