Did you know that the American Academy of Pediatrics announced today that children should get double the usually recommended amount of vitamin D because of evidence that it may help prevent serious diseases?  What does this mean?  Millions children will need to take vitamin D supplements to reach the new recommendation of 400 units daily (up from 200).

I know there are parents all around who are wondering how to get this additional amount of Vitamin D now into their children.  The best source of vitamin D is sunlight because the body makes vitamin D when sunshine hits the skin.  However, if you like in a state like me (Illinois), we don’t often go out in the winter, because it is way too cold.  The only way most children are going to be able to get this much vitamin D is too supplement it.

I luck out that my daughter takes vitamins without a problem.  However, my cousin’s daughter will not take anything.  An easy way to get the vitamins into your kids is to use Emergen-C Kidz Complete Multi Vitamin and Multi Mineral Supplements.  For kids 4 and older, all you do is add a packet of Emergen-C Kidz to 4 - 6 ounces of water and stir.  For kids 2-3, use a half a packet with 2-4 oz of water.  Emergen-C Kidz has 24 essential nutrients including choline, 500 mg of vitamin C, and 400 IU of vitamin D.  It also has beta carotene, vitamin E, zinc, iron, and phosphorus (there are several more vitamins too!).  If you notice, Emergen-C Kidz offers more health boosting vitamin C than the leading brand to help support their immune systems.  It is available in major grocery stores and drug chains and in health food stores.

This passed the kid test in my house.  We tried the orange pineapple explosion, and Madison drank it in one sitting.  She like the flavor and wanted more after she was finished.  If that flavor doesn’t sound like something you’d be interested in, this also comes in Strawnana Berry and Cherry Yumberry (ok, I can’t even type that without giggling a little.  Your kids will love those name as much as I do.

Your kids will like their fizzy drink and think they are getting a treat, and you, as a mom, will know that they are getting all the vitamins and minerals they need.  I promise, I’ll keep it our little secret.

How many of you are parents and still have electrical outlet plugs on your electrical outlets?  My house is personally covered with them.  However, the bad thing about regular outlet plugs is their size!  How many of you had your kids put them in their mouth??!!??  For keeping things out of your outlets, they work great.  However, as a choking hazard, they are one of the worst things to have in your house!  I have watched both my children put them in their mouths.  Then you have to go and retrieve them from their mouths leading to a tramatic experience for all involved.

That being said there is an awesome product on the market that solves this problem.  Safety Caps are bigger than the traditional outlet plug, so your children are not able to stick the whole thing in their mouth.  If for some reason they are able to get the whole thing in there, there are two holes in there to aid in breathing.  The dad who designed his had his own daughter choke on a regular outlet plug, so he knew he had to do something so it never happened again to another family.

The things I definitely like about this product are almost too numerous to count.  First, my kids can’t choke on it.  Second, the color is awesome.  It actually blends in really well with our electrical covers, so you almost can’t even tell that I have my outlet covered.  Its a small thing, but it does look prettier.  Lastly, the price rocks!  For $9.99 (plus $2.97 shipping and handling), you can outfit your whole house by using this coupon!  My regular ones were more than that!  I know that my children’s safety is definitely worth that.

If you have little ones or know someone who does, this is a product that is both safe and can save lives.  This can make a great gift for a new mom or just making your own house safer.

I never thought Braincandy would infiltrate my household like it has. My 4 year old and my 1 year old are absolutely in love with the Hear My World DVD from Braincandy. My daughter (the 4 year old) has begged me to buy the rest of the series. That is how much she enjoys this movie.

Now this DVD does not go by Hear My World in this house.  Instead, it is referred to as the ear movie (can you figure out why?).  The movie is all about the sounds you hear.  There is a lot of singing and they have short little skits.  My kids love it.  The skits are just long enough to hold their attention.  Every time the singing starts, Will (my 1 year old) starts dancing.  It is both cute and funny at the same time.

The great part of these movies is that they are both learning and not realizing it.  Braincandy has won 35 awards and industry endorsements, so they must be doing something right!  I know that Madison goes around singing their theme song “Braincandy” that plays at the beginning of the video.  I know Santa will be bringing some of these videos come Christmas time at my house.  If you need an awesome present, definitely look into getting some of these DVDs.