Michael L. Bishop, M.B.A., Ph.D.

Executive Director, Wellspring

Studies show nearly 90% of overweight teens become obese adults, bringing a heightened risk of medical, social, emotional, and financial complications. If your child has a weight issue, you may have already noticed the emotional impact: lower self-esteem, little motivation, social isolation, perhaps behavioral issues in school or at home. Studies have shown that overweight children are less likely to attend or graduate from college, and more likely to occupy a lower socioeconomic status as adults.

As Executive Director at Wellspring, the leading provider of effective, scientifically based treatment for obese and overweight adolescents and young adults, I can personally attest to the level of resistance some parents feel when it comes to discussing a weight issues with their child. Parents feel that their child will become defensive and that broaching the subject will only cause a divide in an already stressed relationship.

In these situations, it’s the role of the parent to make the right decision for the child’s health. We advise parents to sit down with their child and explain the decision:

“Honey, I care about you so much. Nothing is more important to me than your health, and that’s why we’ve made the decision to seek treatment for your weight.”

In nearly 100% of these cases, once child begins treatment in an emotionally-safe environment where they are not being judged based on their weight, the resistance or reluctance lessens and eventually disappears.

A parallel can be made with another serious health problem such as cancer. If your child had cancer, would getting treatment be up for discussion or would you insist they are treated with the most advanced methods available?

A recent study by The Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) confirms that obesity can shorten life spans on average by up to 20 years, depending on factors such as gender, age and race. In fact the Centers for Disease Control now lists obesity as paralleling smoking as the number 1 cause of preventable death in the United States. Certainly if you child decided to light up a cigarette in your living room this would not be up for discussion. Being obese while living in your home under your care should not be up for discussion either.

Parents today need to be proactive about their child’s health both at school and at home. You can teach your children healthy lifestyle skills utilizing these two basic concepts: 1) reduce your caloric intake and 2) increase your daily physical activity.

Wellspring recommends 10,000 steps each day using a pedometer to track your activity. Pedometers are inexpensive, and this is an easily calculated and measurable goal. Using a pedometer the entire family can participate in many different sports and activities in order to reach your daily goal of 10,000 steps.

Activities can include a daily walk around the neighborhood after school or work, walking the dog in the morning, a family game of basketball or baseball, or even just throwing a ball back and forth in the front yard. Anything a family can do together that requires taking steps can be beneficial. The important thing is that activity is tracked and that 10,000 steps are completed each day, even when you don’t feel like it.

Parents can role model healthy lifestyles for their children by involving them with each step of the food preparation process. For example, parents can involve their children in planning healthy, well balanced meals. Going to the grocery store with your child can be an educational opportunity if you ask your child to read the food labels and choose foods with the lowest level of calories and fat. Avoiding impulse buys and sticking to planned meals can role model self control and the importance of a low calorie, low fat lifestyle for your kids.

If simple changes like taking 10,000 steps per day or making healthier food choices are not resulting in noticeable improvement, you should consider more intensive, effective, scientifically based programs depending on degree of need: a weight loss camp for moderate need or weight loss academies for greater needs for changes. At these specialized programs adolescents and teens learn how to control their weight in a supportive, nurturing atmosphere.

About The Author

Dr. Bishop is Executive Director of Wellspring, the leading provider of effective, scientifically based treatment for obese and overweight adolescents and young adults. Mike is a licensed psychologist specializing in behavioral change who has lost approximately 100 lbs on the Wellspring Plan.

Now, thanks to Exergen’s patented software, the TemporalScanner Temperature provides arterial heat balance. This unique process determines temperature by accurately measuring the balance between the tissues warming from arterial blood and tissues cooling (warming) caused by heat loss (gain) to the environment. All it needs is a gently swipe on the forehead. Yes! It’s that simple!

More about Exergen Temporal Scanner :

The TemporalScanner Thermometer is designed to measure the temperature of the skin surface over the temporal artery, a major artery of the head. The temporal artery is connected to the heart via the carotid artery, directly leading from the aorta, the main trunk of the arterial system. It offers constant blood flow. It is the only such artery positioned close enough to the skin surface to provide access needed to take an accurate measurement. It is easy to use because it is ideally located at the front portion of the forehead. The TemporalScanner is easier and gentler to use than other types of measurement devices such as oral, rectal, underarm and in-ear thermometers because it is truly non-invasive.

Here we have real-life accounts of how the Exergen TemporalScanner works, from our reviewers :

Katydid and Kid :  The thermometer is extremely easy to use, even on a wiggly toddler who was very interested in the device and wanted to hold it rather than let me use it. It takes literally a few seconds to use, and you don’t have to sit there waiting for an accurate reading while your child keeps a traditional thermometer under his tongue or arm.

Stacy Moore : We are thrilled with our new Scanner. It’s such a quick and reliable way to take our little one’s temperature! With one gentle stroke of the scanner over the forehead we were able to determine if our little one had a fever! We highly recommend this great product to everyone!

The Mom Buzz :  The Exergen is my best friend when my oldest spikes fevers to 104 and I just want to give a reading to the pediatrician ASAP. Plus, I can also get his temperature when he is sleeping – he never knows that I am checking up on him again. And those times when your kids feel “warm”, but you aren’t sure if they are feverish – well it’s a lot easier to just grab the Exergen and double check than any other thermometer in the house.

Hotomom : I’ll be honest this takes some getting used to, usually after 5 scans you’ve got it down. I would practice a bit first but then also be sure you are more gentle because the first time I made L’s forehead red. But, seriously I wouldn’t lie, it’s easy.

Reviews & Reflections : Before it even arrived in the mail, I started doing my research.  The thing that really excited me was the speed with which this scanner reads the body temperature.  With just a quick stroke over the forehead, you have a reading.  And it’s amazingly accurate – to within .2 degrees F (that’s POINT 2!)

Three Different Directions : The reason it is so accurate?  In the couple of seconds that it takes to sweep over the forehead to the temple it takes about 2000 readings and it selects the most accurate. It takes some practice to use it right, but once you get the hang of it, you’ll feel like you’re a medical professional.

Short Pump Preppy : Dude, I would have gotten one of these a long time ago.  Everyone in the house gets sick at the same time, and I have never liked sharing thermometers.  Now I’m not keeping up with 4 different thermometers.  (call me crazy, that’s what we did).  To me it’s like sharing toothbrushes.  *go ahead, talk behind my back*

Mom on the Rise : Nonetheless, I didn’t have to worry about changes to the temperature due to drinking, positioning,talking, or moving. An important thing to note is that if your patient is sweating, the temperature should not be taken across the forehead but rather the on the neck behind the ear lobe.

My Quest for Sanity : Honestly this review couldn’t have come at a better time. The day before I received the Exergen temporal scanner, I was diagnosed with H1N1 and 3 days after I was diagnosed my poor sweet Sophia caught it. Now, I would never wish to be as ill as we were but having this God sent product on hand made it a little easier. Like I said before, checking the temperature on a finicky 3 year old is one heck of a job but add in a nasty flu and it is just THAT much harder.

One House Schoolroom Review : We have had quite a few opportunities to test the Temporal Scanner during this flu season and we have had wonderful results.  It is so quick that my little ones didn’t even know we were taking their temperature.  We often had to hold my youngest child still while taking her temperature under her arm, causing her even more discomfort and tears.  With the Temporal Scanner this was not any issue at all.

Buy It! : This is a fantastic gift for any new and been-there-done-that parents. With its’ ease of use, during a difficult time, I’m pretty sure your name will be blessed a thousand times, for sending the perfect gift. Or, you can just get it for yourself, and bless yourself a thousand times.

Here’s where you can get them (retail and online) : ToysRUs, Costco, Walmart, Walgreens, Shoppers Drug Mart, BabyCenter.com, Sam’s Club.

Disclosure of Material Connection : http://cmp.ly/0

I’m excited to announce that effective March,  we will be opening up a new section on our site here called “Parenting Tips & Resources“, featuring articles by book authors, fellow parents, educators, child development specialists and more.

We will endeavour to bring you a variety of parenting articles that are both interesting and informative and sometimes controversial. So, be sure to come by and show your support for our guest posters.

My son (three years old almost four) is my “little fashionista” – he loves to try and look like Daddy (who also is a bit of a fashion plate) and especially loves his accessories. Sunglasses fall pretty high on his list and the ones that they sell for kids do not interest him much mostly because they don’t look like Daddy’s (cool guy) sunglasses. So he and I both were thrilled to find out about a company called Baby Banz, Inc. Baby Banz makes super cool (and not “cutesy”) sunglasses for kids (and babies) that come in all shapes and colors. Right now my son is walking around the house is black Ski Banz (and yes, they really look like the sunglasses that skiers use!) and talking about how “cool” he looks. The Ski Banz are made for the slopes and feature wide vision (polycarbonate) lenses with smooth soft nylon foam padding along with an adjustable strap and is strong and comfy. They are also 100% UVA and UVB protective so you can be sure those little eyes are protected!

The other pair of sunglasses we have are called Kidz Banz and are more of your “everyday” style glasses. My son is very happy with these because again, they look just like Daddy’s sunglasses! The Kidz Banz and like the Ski Banz feature polycarbonate lenses and an adjustable (Velcro) strap for the head. My son keeps his sunglasses on normally but I think that little ones would be more apt to like the comfy strap better than the usual plastic over the ears setup.

BUY IT : Needless to say, I am absolutely THRILLED with my new Banz! They are available for Kids (2-5) and even Babies (0-2). They are awesome quality and you can be sure that I will be telling my friends! You can get your very own Baby Banz by checking out the website at www.babybanz.com!

WIN IT : We are giving away a set of Baby Banz Sun Hat and Sunglasses Combo, which comes with a pool ready PVC bag for the little tot who’s always on the go. To participate, here are the requirements:

• Visit Baby Banz and choose your size (0-2) and colour
• Three additional entries if you have our Mega Xmas & New Year Giveaway Bash button up on your blog. You can grab the button from our sidebar AND/OR
• Three additional entries if you Stumble this post with a review AND/OR
• Three additional entries if you subscribe to Parent Reviewers 
• If you qualify for additional entries, please comment separately and let us know which option you’ve used.
• Contest is open to US shipping addresses only
• Contest closes on 11th December and one winner will be randomly picked using the Random.org number generator.

CHECK OUT OUR MEGA XMAS & NEW YEAR GIVEAWAY KICK OFF TO WIN 6 AWESOME PRIZES! 

GIVEAWAY CLOSED!

When it comes to kids and computers, it’s without a doubt that they start at a very early age. Most young kids, who don’t even know how to read or count, would know how to navigate their way through the web! It can be quite surprising to see how such kids at a young age, would know exactly how to get to their desired websites.

Anyway, for every parent who wants to protect their children from online predators, PC Pandora has a great solution. There are so many benefits of using PC Pandora, I could go on and on but I’d be writing a book ……so, let me share with you one of its greatest features that just blew me away!

What totally amazes me about PC Pandora is that it takes actual screen shots of ALL the activity that your kid does both on and offline! For example, emails read, written, sent AND even the login and full password of every one of those email accounts as well as chats on any instant messengers. Believe me when I say nothing can escape PC Pandora and I really mean NOTHING (though I’m definitely not going to tell the hubs that. Heh!). 

Another interesting feature that parents love is the ability to block the kids from viewing any inappropriate websites or content that you’ve preselected. You can also select what type of data (e.g.: keystrokes, IM chats, emails, websites visited, etc.) you’d like PC Pandora to capture and email directly to you, at every hour of the day! Very excellent for us working parents!

BUY IT! PC Pandora provides a very valuable and effective solution for monitoring your kids’ online activities. It’s very user-friendly and without a doubt, the easiest software to install and stealthiest to use!

WIN IT! Thanks to PC Pandora, Parent Reviewers is giving away a PC Pandora Power Pack (with a single license) worth $80 each to 4 readers. To enter this great giveaway, here are the requirements :

• Visit www.pcpandora.com and tell us one of the benefits of the PC Pandora Software (apart from what was mentioned in this post).
• Three additional entries if you have our Mega Xmas & New Year Giveaway Bash button up on your blog. You can grab the button from our sidebar AND/OR
• Three additional entries if you Stumble this post with a review AND/OR
• Three additional entries if you subscribe to Parent Reviewers 
• If you qualify for additional entries, please comment separately and let us know which option you’ve used.
• Contest is open to everyone who has Internet access. We will ship the PowerPack to each winner, which contains an installer and the program, but you will need Internet access to complete the installation and get software updates.
• Giveaway will run for one month, as 4 winners will be picked. Giveaway closes on 12th Dec 2008 and winners will be drawn using the Random.org number generator.

DON’T LEAVE WITHOUT CHECKING OUR MEGA XMAS & NEW YEAR GIVEAWAY KICK OFF WITH 6 AWESOME PRIZES TO BE WON!!!

How many of you parents out there have a first aid kit that is filled with all the necessities required for an unplanned injury? I’m the first to admit that I do have some first aid supplies available in a cabinet drawer in the house but not in a box or kit that is ready to grab and go in case of emergencies. I know, I heard the warning siren – NOT GOOD!  When an injury happens, any parent will want to minimize the pain when it happens to the time we can get proper medical care for our child. Thus, it is important to have a first aid kit readily available at home.

Since we got the Medibuddy from me4kidz, my 4 year old seemed to be getting more “Owees” than usual *slaps head*.  That’s because the Medibuddy is so kid friendly that my daughter regard it as her “toy buddy”. This kit contains 40 pieces of quality first aid items such as red, blue, yellow crayon bandages, knee and elbow bandage, sting relief pad, gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, burn relief cream, antibiotic ointments, stickers for the kids and a carrying case. I myself love  the Medibuddy as it is very convenient to carry around such as during outings, campings and even during a sports event.

About me4kidz:

Who else understand the needs of a family then another family? me4kidz (Medical Emergencies For Kids) is owned and operated by the Nassos Family comprising of Dad Pete, Mommy Richelle and Cody & Luke (the kids). The idea for kid friendly first aid products came about to Richelle after her eldest son Cody was stung by a bee and there was no emergency kit available to her at home.

me4kidz products are exclusively made in USA and each year, they donate products to educational fundraisers as well as children’s organizations that cannot afford first aid products. Being a responsible company, me4kidz also ensures that all the plastic used in their products are 100% recycled.

BUY IT : With Medibuddy, you can Clean It, Fix It and Get Back To Play in a jiffy. Visit me4kidz, enter your zip and find out where you can purchase their first aid kits. While you are there, why not check out the Medibag For Kidz and Medibag for Petz.

Like any other new parents, one of the most challenging task was night feeding. So, to ensure that each of us got a couple of hours sleep, we took turns feeding Ryan, our baby at that time. I remembered we had this little notepad that we used to jot down how much milk Ryan had consumed and at what time he was fed. This made it easier for the person doing the next feeding so that we did not have to wake each other to check on this information.

This little notepad continued to be used as a record book when we sent Ryan to my mother in law for babysitting. At the end of the day, when we picked Ryan up from her place,  it was an easy way for us to have a feel of his milk consumption level or occasionally when needed, the time he last took his medication.

Now, with the availability of Baby Insights, Babble Soft’s baby software, tech savvy parents and caregivers can easily track everything from sleep periods, breastfeeding times, bottle feeding times and amounts, pumping times and amounts, medicine doses to diaper changes and more! Parents just need to log on and input all the necessary information about their baby and they will be readily available and easily accessible from anywhere around the world via the laptop, the portable PDA or even the smart phone.

Imagine being able to share access with your paediatrician and view daily graphs and reports that can help you make well informed decisions. Without a doubt,  Baby Insights will make a great tool for every new parent looking to ease the first few months of learning about child care. Take a tour of Baby Insights and find out how amazingly useful it is!

Besides Baby Insights, Babble Soft also provides Baby Say Cheese, which allows parents to create and share an online baby album. Parents are able to incorporate their new born baby’s photos, provide captions on their milestones as well as include a family tree. This way, family and friends can easily go online to experience your baby’s memorable events.

BUY IT : You can sign up for Babble Soft’s 15 days’ FREE TRIAL HERE!. Babble Soft’s Mobile Software promises to make transition into parenthood a little easier and will make a great gift idea for new parents. Why not Purchase the subscription here as a gift for your friends or loved ones? Trust me, they’ll still thank you for it many years down the line

Check out the experience of our Parent Reviewers who had reviewed a trial version of Babble Soft’s Parenting Software:

Mott’s Island - I tried the 15 day trial myself, as I had been having problems with breastfeeding. With my mastities and tendency to get blocked ducts, I had to ensure that I fed from each breast and emptied them. I sometimes, forget which side I fed last from because of tiredness/lack of sleep. A quick check with Babblesoft’s™ “Baby Insights”, helped me get the feeding on track, and now, my boobs have so far been ‘free-flowing’.

A big thumbs up for this site, and if you are a new parent and for whatever reason, seem to be finding it hard to keep track of your baby’s feeding/sleeping, this is a great baby software in making sure all the information is at your fingertips!

Cheeks To Cheeks – Has your baby’s Pediatrician asked you this question before, “How much does (baby’s name) consume each day?” I’m sure 10 out of 10 parents have been asked and most likely some of us guessed out the answer. With this baby software, you can track the amount your baby is consuming and the amount you pump each day. By the time your baby is up for her next check up, you have a report on hand to show the doctor.

I would highly recommend it to first time parents only if the parents are 1) Stay at home Mom/Dad 2) Work from home Mom/Dad 3) Who has a caretaker who is savvy with computer.

The Pond – BabbleSoft is an ingenious software program that allows you some sanity. The Baby Insights section allows you to make notations like diaper changes and when your baby sleeps. You would not believe how much simpler your day can be when you keep track of feedings and other natural occurrences. It is a life saver if your baby develops a rash. By logging in to your caregiver account, you can see what your baby had to eat, and make adjustments to keep the rash from happening again. A simple glance at your Baby Insights caregiver account tells your baby’s story. The software is also helpful to moms who are breastfeeding and want a record of times etc.

Quiverfull Family – All trackable items include ample space for comments, and a handy graph to view the last week for each item.  I’ve never seen such comprehensive reports and tracking features for baby care before!

While this software is definitely useful for sorting through the confusion of the first months with a new baby, it will be particularly helpful for those whose babies experience health challenges such as reflux, prematurity and any other issues where careful attention must be paid to feeding schedules, pumping and medication.  It will truly shine, and be a life-saver in these circumstances for new parents.

Rockin Mama - When I was first introduced to the company I was so impressed with the philosophy behind it.  Do you know how many nights I scribbled something down only to wake up wondering what in the world I had written?  

Baby Insights helps parents and caregivers communicate about their newborns care and patterns.  Once inputted, parents can review the information and make crucial decisions about sleep, breastfeeding support and feeding. The software allows tracking of sleep periods, breast and/or bottlefeeding times and amounts, diaper changes, pumping, medications, and immunization schedules.

Julian & Morin’s Photoblog – Recently I tried out Babble Soft online software which parents track among many, sleep periods, breastfeeding times, bottle feeding times and amounts, immunizations, medicine doses as well as diaper changes. At the moment, I keep track of my kids in a spreadsheet but this baby software helps me keep them online and I can access them from anywhere, whether at home or at work. With a spreadsheet, unless you keep them in a thumb drive, you tend to forget where you keep the file. I personally think it is a great parenting software especially for parent like me who likes to keep track of such information.

Cass Knits – Babblesoft has created Baby Insights, a program that allows you to track feeds, pumps, meds AND sleep schedules for your infant. Sleep schedules? That was about the only thing I didn’t track, LOL! And then when you need to talk to the doctor or midwife, all the info is right there at your fingertips.

Sassy Frazz – Babble Soft is a great new site that allows me to keep track of everything with this new baby! I will be able to track both my schedule and my newborns schedule with Baby Insights. I can type in when I breastfed, pumped, or if I took medicine. Baby Insights keeps track of Daily Summaries, as well as a weekly summary. I can also keep track of my baby’s feeding schedule, diaper changes, medicines taken, and if my baby has a bottle, I can track how many ounces. I love this baby software to help me keep track of everything with my new baby. It is a great way that my husband and I can look at anytime, or we can share this site with our care provider, so they know what our baby has been up to.

Montessorimum – There’s this special column for mum as well as for baby. Under the mum’s session, you get to key in your breastfed schedule and pumping schedule as well as what time and when to feed your baby’s medicine. It’s great especially for working mum who breastfeed , when these mums need to express breastmilk during office hour for their babies. With this software, it’s easy to keep track how many times to pump as well as how many time each pumping session can yield.

I remembered back in our childhood days, my siblings and I did not have the luxury of computer games or even computers for that matter. Thus, we spent many fun filled hours playing games like Hop Scotch, I Spy and the Memory Game. Those games taught us social skills like taking turns, respecting others as well as the importance of being competitive.

Inspired by these childhood games which were played by generations of children, Briarpatch, a leading manufacturer of children’s games have combined the classic I Spy game AND the Memory Game to create an all round family game called I SPY MEMORY GAME,  which currently happens to be one of the best selling game in the specialty market.

About Briarpatch:

Briarpatch has been an innovator in the development of games and puzzles for children of all ages since its inception in 1992. Its founders, a husband and wife team, John Donofrio and Martine Redman, created their first game prototype with a pair of scissors, some glue and passion for creating quality products based on classic literature. Today, Briarpatch maintains and inspiring, fun and educational product line and is a highly respected leader in the toy industry.

Briarpatch has received more than 275 awards for product excellence, including: Dr.Toy , Oppenheim Platinum and Gold Seal awards, Parents’ Choice Foundation, National Association of Parenting Publications, and Parents Magazine’s Best Toy awards, among others.

Our Reviewers were given the opportunity to try the I Spy Memory Game 15th Anniversary Edition. Find out what they had to say:

Freaky Frugalite – This is a terrific game for improving cognitive skills and memory, especially in young children. The game of memory was favorite game of mine as a kid, and I still love playing it. Back then, we had the old plainly marked cards- now, kids get these vivid colorful cards! We’ve always loved the I Spy books, and the cards are absolutely gorgeous! They are very thick cardboard, and durable, and thus kid-friendly.

Bookroom Reviews – The game is for one to six players ages four to adult and no reading is required!  Good thing because we have a four year old to play it with and he loved it!  What is so great about this game is you can tailor it to the age of your children by starting out with fewer cards to choose from.  It has basically the same rules as other memory games but what else is cool are the cards are so unique.  The two cards that match have the same item but each card is just a bit different, so you can talk to your child about what the differences are which in turn helps them with their critical thinking.

A Wrestling Addicted Mommy – It’s hard to find a game where we can all as a family play together and have fun at the same time, but I Spy seems to be a game fitting right in with our family. Not only is the I Spy Memory game fun, but it also helps your children develop visual, spatial, fine motor, and critical thinking skills. It also helps with social skills of taking turns, respecting others, and sharing.

From Dates To Diapers – With 8 different ways to play, I SPY is a fun game for the big kids and little ones alike. The littlest ones can play for hours, matching the cards and finding special items throughout the pictures, while the older ones and I enjoy solving the riddles by finding the clues hidden in each card. Just the other day, while Noah was napping, I played with all five kiddos until all the riddles were solved… Fun!

Pajamamom – We received Briarpatch I Spy Memory Game to test and it’s been a lifesaver… all three kids enjoy the game in different ways. The first and easiest game is Memory. Everybody loves it, simple, easy to understand game that does not require reading.  I also love it because the images on the card are of real objects, not obnoxious characters! Girl2006 can name most of the cards so it’s nice to build vocabulary, of course she has little to no ability to remember where the matches are but she tries! Girl2004 and Boy2001 play with ease and it’s great for them to play amongst themselves.

Mommy Mandy – My five year old Samantha is having such a blast with the I SPY Memory Game from briarpatch. She has played memory games before but really loves this one from Briarpatch. “I spy a ring, a blue number two, memory riddles are fun to do!”

Kristen McLane – What I like most about the I Spy Memory Game are the pictures. There are no cartoony cards covered in generic clip art – only colorful and creative pictures as seen in the I Spy books. And no two cards are exactly the same. The idea is to find cards with main objects that match. I like that this adds a little extra challenge for the brain. I have a feeling this game will be around as a favorite in our family for a long time.

Renaissance Culinaire (reviewed the regular I Spy Memory Game)  - It seemed a bit overwhelming for my 5 yr old at first, she was really excited to just get to the playing of the game, but once she found her first match she really took to the game. In fact she got the most matches between me and my husband combined.

We all enjoyed this time as a family, and our youngest toddler even got into the spirit of things by holding onto my “matches” pile.

Lisa Reviews – I would highly recommend the I Spy Memory Game! We had a lot of fun with it, and I can see it being a game that your children will enjoy playing as they grow older.