your child HEALTH
Keep Produce Fresher
Fruits and vegetables should be a staple of your child’s diet—but how
many times have you sliced an apple only to find that it’s bruised or mealy?
Diane Barrett, Ph.D., a fruit-and-vegetable-products specialist at the
University of California, Davis, gave us tips for making your produce last.
GET RID OF BAD APPLES. A rotten
one really can spoil the whole bunch.
Microbes in decaying fruit can travel
a short distance through the air and
contaminate other pieces.
If your apples are
nice and crisp,
your kid will love
every last bite.
PUT PRODUCE IN ITS PLACE. Most
fruits and veggies should be kept
cold. But some actually do best sitting
out uncovered: bananas, grapefruits,
oranges, mangoes, whole pineapples
or watermelons, pomegranates, winter
squash, tomatoes, and potatoes.
CONSIDER A CHANGE OF LOCATION.
It’s easy to forget about produce when it’s
hidden in the fridge’s crisper drawers. Store
fruits and veggies on a shelf at eye level,
where you’re more likely to see them.
SEPARATE FRUITS AND VEGETABLES.
Some fruits release ethylene gas, which
speeds up the spoilage of veggies.
ONLY BUY A WEEK’S WORTH. While
some produce, like apples, can last longer,
you’ll get the best flavor and highest vitamin content if you replenish regularly.
Q
&A
My daughter is almost over her
cold, but every morning she wakes
up coughing and can’t stop for 15
minutes. Why is this happening
and how can I help her?
This is very common and is actually a sign that the cold
is on its way out. At the end of a cold—even when your
daughter no longer feels stu y—she still has mucus
in the back of her nose that causes postnasal drip.
“While she sleeps, the mucus trickles down into her
throat and there may be a big wad of it built up by
morning,” says Parents advisor Ari Brown, M. D.,
author of Toddler 411. Dr. Brown suggests
using a cool-mist humidifier at night
to loosen the secretions so that your
child can cough them up more easily.
Propping her head with an extra pillow (if she’s over 2) and giving her a
RECALLS
Battery-Operated
Toy Speed Boats
200,000 boats (sold from March
2008 to July 2008 at Dollar General
stores) were recalled because the
batteries can overheat and burn a
child. Return for a refund.
Evenflo Majestic High Chairs
95,000 high chairs (sold from
January 2006 to May 2007) were
recalled because plastic caps and
metal screws on the sides of the
chairs can loosen and fall out,
causing the seat back to detach and
the infant to fall out. The caps and
screws are also choking hazards.
Stop using the chair and call 800-
233-5921 for a free repair kit.
teaspoon of dark honey before bed
(if she’s older than 12 months) can also
help. Don’t worry, though, if the cough
lingers. It’s typical for
Crane Cool Mist
this post-cold symp-
Pig Humidifier.
$35;
target.com
tom to last a week, and
it doesn’t mean that
the infection has moved to her chest or
that she needs antibiotics. But call your
pediatrician if your child develops
a new fever or if the cough gets
worse or changes.
Mylicon Gas Relief
Dye Free Drops
12,000 1-ounce bottles of infants’
gas-relief drops (sold from October
2008 through November 2008)
were recalled because some of
the bottles could contain metal
fragments from the manufacturing
process. Call 800-222-9435 for
a replacement or refund.
Check out
parentsmag.com’s searchable
recall database for the latest on safety.
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