Parenting Tips

As with carbohydrates in recent years, fats have been wrongly accused of being "bad." Too much fat can be a bad thing, but certain kinds of fat are actually good for us and are an important part of a healthy diet.

About Fat

Fats are nutrients in food that the body uses to build nerve tissue (including the brain and nerves) and hormones. The body also uses fat as fuel. If fats eaten aren't burned as energy or used as building blocks, they're stored by the body in fat cells. This is the body's way of thinking ahead: By saving fat for future use, the body plans for times when food might be scarce.

Carbohydrates are the body's most important and readily available source of energy. Even though they've gotten a bad rap lately and are sometimes blamed for obesity, carbs are a necessary part of a healthy diet for both kids and adults.

The two major forms of carbs are:

• simple carbohydrates (or simple sugars): these include fructose, glucose, and lactose, which also are found in nutritious whole fruits
• complex carbohydrates (or starches): found in foods such as starchy vegetables, grains, rice, and breads and cereals

So how, exactly, does the body process carbs and sugar? All carbohydrates are broken down into simple sugars, which are absorbed into the bloodstream. As the sugar level rises, the pancreas releases the hormone insulin, which is needed to move sugar from the blood into the cells, where the sugar can be used as energy.

It's not clear at what age kids begin to dream, but even toddlers may speak about having dreams — pleasant ones and scary ones. While almost every child has an occasional frightening or upsetting dream, nightmares seem to peak during the preschool years when fear of the dark is common. But older kids (and even adults) have occasional nightmares, too.

Bedwetting is an issue that millions of families face every night. It is extremely common among young kids but can last into the teen years.

Doctors don't know for sure what causes bedwetting or why it stops. But it is often a natural part of development, and kids usually grow out of it. Most of the time bedwetting is not a sign of any deeper medical or emotional issues.

Seizures are caused by abnormal electrical activity in the brain. Someone having a seizure might collapse, shake uncontrollably, or have another brief disturbance in brain function, often with a loss of or change in consciousness.

Seizures can be frightening, but most last only a few minutes, stop on their own, and are not life threatening.

Would you know what to do if a fire started in your home? Would your kids? Take the time now to review fire safety facts and tips so your family will be prepared in the event of a fire emergency in your home.

The Hour of Power

Sixty minutes — that's how much physical activity kids should get each day. But as kids get older, increasing demands on their time can make getting a full hour of exercise a challenge. And some kids get caught up in sedentary pursuits like watching TV and surfing the Internet. Even doing a lot of studying and reading, while important, can contribute to inadequate physical activity.