• The Healthy Walnut Archive

    Twas the day after Halloween and there was much candy to spare…could this mom get her kids to brush their teeth on a dare? If it feels like dental hygiene falls by the wayside on those busy, harried school mornings, you are not alone. My kids often concoct any excuse in the book to avoid brushing. (Lucky for me, I’ve finally caught up on the ol’ run-the-brush-under-the-water trick.) Of course, if your kids are younger than mine, you probably have more control over their brushing…or do you? For reluctant newbie brushers comes The Brushies, a line of finger puppet tooth brushes for ages 4 weeks-4 years that are as clever as they are cute. Simply put, they take the sting out of using a standard [&hellip

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    TGIF! With the first week of school under our belts, the weekend can’t come soon enough. After figuring out how to make umpteen binders fit in one backpack without busting the seams, working out the kinks in an illogical bus route and filling out all that bloody paperwork, I’m ready to head back to the beach and pretend that it’s still summer vacation! No one ever said navigating the long and winding road of parenthood would be easy, but wouldn’t it be nice if you had some sort of road map to get you over some of those bumps all the way? Since that won’t be happening anytime soon, we think we’ve found a handy ‘cheat sheet’ of sorts that can cover some of that [&hellip

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    There aren’t too many baby toys that also appeal to toddlers. (Have you ever seen a 2-year-old shaking a rattle? Didn’t think so.) When these kids have a captive audience, they love to show off their strength, as if to say, “Hey, someday when you’re older like me, you’ll be able to do this, too.” Imagine, then, if the tables were turned and it’s the infant who’s proving his prowess as a playmate. Enter OgoSport’s Bolli, a tactile and sensory ball that’s as safe for little ones as it is cool for bigger kids. This bendy, stretchy ball helps build muscle power for developing infants, and also provides the perfect platform for tough toddlers to flex their own muscles. (And we know this toy is [&hellip

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    It sure feels like summer now. School is winding down, the sun is shining and the kids are outdoors (well, if you can pry them away from their phones, that is…) While we are all set with sunscreen and cover-ups, spending time outside also requires a pair of sporty shades…but trying to find ones that are a cross between a cheap throwaway brand and designer glasses is a tough call. Of course, you want to choose sunglasses that are actually made with protective lenses, but that won’t cost you an arm and a leg. Babiators are just the ticket. Not only do they make sunglasses designed for babies through age 7, but they have cooler, sophisticated shades for ages 7-14 (the crowd who wouldn’t be [&hellip

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    When it comes to sunscreen, you can never have too much. Believe me: I’m living proof. After going through my second skin cancer treatment in two weeks, I am regretting all those hours in the sun as a kid that may have been fun at the time, but for which I am now paying the price. Sure we wore “suntan lotion” (as it was called back then), but re-applying after time spent in the water wasn’t stressed nearly as much as it is today. As a mom of two young girls who spend their fair share of time outdoors, I am constantly running after them with sprays, lotions, face sticks…anything I can get my hands on so they can avoid having to go through surgery [&hellip

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    If I had a nickel for every time I’ve used a plastic sandwich baggie, I could cash out and skip playing Lotto. Seriously, we go through dozens of these bags every week: from packing snacks and small lunch items, to storing craft supplies and other items I can’t seem to get handle on otherwise. Part of me feels guilty every time we open yet another one (hey, at least I recycle the box!), but as a busy mom, these baggies have become one of my most indispensable items to date. Imagine then how I felt when I recently received a sample of Stasher, a plastic-free, silicon storage bag. To call this item revolutionary would be putting it on a pedestal, and yet I feel this [&hellip

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    Getting a cold is nothing to sneeze at it. And if you happen to live in a home with kids, chances are someone will come down with a case of the sniffles at some point this season. While we’ve been teaching our kids to cough and sneeze into the crook of their arm to prevent the spread of germs, it doesn’t exactly contain–shall we say–the contents of a running nose so well. Enter the Sneeve, a slip-on arm band that fits over a child’s shirt and gives kids ages 3-8 a designated spot for all those sneezes and coughs. Made from an anti-microbial material, it’s designed to kill most bacteria and viruses on contact. And because the Sneeve is disposable, it’s meant for one-time usage [&hellip

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    Back in the potty-training days, my younger daughter was a bit baffled by her potty seat. Right from the start, she asked me why it looked so different from the one we used. And truthfully, I didn’t have a good answer for her (“This one is so much more colorful, see?”)…and smart cookie that she was, she wasn’t buying my fabricated response. How cool is it that today’s potty-training kids can feel more like a big kid with Summer Infant’s My Size Potty? This pint-sized floor model resembles an adult-sized standard toilet, complete with a toilet handle that makes realistic flushing sounds much to the delight of little toilet trainers. There’s a clip-on splash guard that’s helpful for training young boys, and a removable bowl [&hellip

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    Are you still on the hunt for a last-minute Father’s Day gift? Me too, and since guys are notoriously tough to buy for, I’m looking for something that will knock my husband socks off. Too bad he’s not a golfer or the new Coolcore line from Imperial Headwear would be the perfect present. This hat is outfitted with a specially cooling technology that keeps moisture away from your body, so you can concentrate on your game. At first glance, this may look like an ordinary baseball-style cap, but go beneath the surface (literally), and you’ll find there’s a whole lot more in store. Coolcore fabrics boast a chemical-free design that produces a cooling effect by “wicking” (a fancy way of moving sweat away from the [&hellip

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    It’s not even June yet, and it already feels like summer. The sun is out, the heat is on and the kids are thirsty. Fresh off the school bus with sweaty, rosy-cheeked faces, they can barely make it through the door before they are asking for something cold to drink. Yesterday, I was able to surprise them with something new and boy, did it make an impression. Honest Tea‘s latest addition to its organic Summer Refreshers line, Watermelon Lemonade, combines the classic taste of tart lemons with a refreshing twist of mouthwatering melon. The result is a well-balanced beverage that tempers the taste of sharp citrus with subtle fruity flavor. We like to think of as a new summer beverage for the seasoned palette…or for [&hellip

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