There are many reasons why your child may be anemic and as a parent it is sometimes hard to see the signs. However, there are some key symptoms that you can keep an eye out for. Fortunately, the solution is usually very simple and may entail a change in diet or nutritional supplements.

To learn more about the warning signs of anemia and what you can do to protect your family, click here.

The benefits are plentiful and can help your little one stay warm during the first few days of life. The swaddling technique has also been attributed to providing a sense of security and can help calm down your baby.

If you choose to swaddle, be sure you know how do it correctly. Research has shown links from improper swaddling to joint damage leading to hip dysplasia. To prevent this, be sure to leave enough room at the bottom of the blanket so that your baby has the freedom to bend their legs.

To find out more information about the risk of tight swaddling, click here.

To get started, pick out a sunny spot in your yard. If you aren’t sure what spots are the sunniest, they make sun indicators that can be helpful, but an afternoon playing or reading outside and observing the movement of the sun works just as well. If your soil is mostly rocks and clay, you may have to work in some potting soil in your chosen spots.

At this point in time, you will need to start with plants not seeds. Three tomato plants will yield a surprising amount of tomatoes long into July, with little care after planting other than some stakes and ties to keep the heavy vines off the ground. Unless you plan to make lots of pickles, two or three cucumbers should keep you in fresh cucs all summer long. One or two yellow squash plants, and maybe one zucchini should complete your starter garden.

Let your children stay involved from picking out the “healthiest” looking plants to preparing the “harvest” into meals. “Grown in your own yard” is the best food you can put in your mouth.

Don’t have a spot in your yard and no time to make the garden? Remember all summer long on Saturday mornings, the Stanly County Farmer’s Market takes over the Depot. Take your children with you and let them choose the prettiest and best of local farmer’s foods.

The popularity of mobile devices has been linked to a significant increase in distracted driving. According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, each day more than 15 people are killed and more than 1,200 people are injured in crashes that were reported to involve a distracted driver.

For those of you who don’t know what creates a distracted driver, the CDC defines distracted driving as any activity that take your attention away from driving. These include activities such as using a cell phone, texting, and eating. This can be especially frightening when thinking about drivers that are new to the road; nearly 50 percent of teens admit to texting while driving.

The best way to end distracted driving is to educate others about the dangers that it poses and to lead by example.

If you want to learn more about the dangers of texting and driving, click here.

According to Nielsen, Inc., “children watch on average about 24 to 28 hours of television per week. The average 5-year-old will have spent 5,000 hours in front of the TV before entering kindergarten, more time than he or she will spend in conversation with his or her parents for the rest of their lives and longer than it would take to get a college degree.” This is a frightening statistic that should act as a wake up call to children and adults everywhere.

The Campaign for a Commercial-Free Childhood hosts an annual event known as “Screen-Free Week” in which parents, children, teachers, and others are encouraged to turn off screen media (television, video games, computers, cell phones, etc) and enjoy the freedom of being unplugged.

Screen-Free Week 2012 goes from April 30th to May 6th. The emphasis of this campaign is to not only reduce the time that people spend in front of screens but also encourage people to reevaluate their lifestyle and hopefully make some positive changes.

For more information on the affects of television on children, click here.

It’s easy to forget about the dangers that the summer months present. Do you know how to keep you and your family safe whether it’s at the beach or in your backyard.

To test your knowledge, take this interactive quiz to find out if you are prepared for this summer!

Summer Safety Quiz

This is good news for families that are looking to stretch their dollars when it comes to shopping at the grocery store. When it comes to providing good nutrition, you can now feel confident that whether you are eating fresh or canned, you are still getting the nutrients that you need.

For more information on the benefits of canned produce, click here.

Believe it or not, scientists have tested the rule and…it’s not necessarily true. Bacteria can attach itself to your food even if you pick it up within 5 seconds. But will your dropped food contain enough bacteria to make you sick? It’s possible — and that’s why you shouldn’t eat food that has hit the floor.

Just because the floor looks clean doesn’t mean it is. A floor that looks dirty is usually worse, but even dry floors that look clean can contain bacteria because some germs can survive on the floor for a long time. And unless you have a powerful microscope, you can’t check to see how many germs are there. So chances are, some bacteria are probably living on your kitchen floor and the cafeteria floor at school.

Faster is better. A piece of food will pick up more bacteria the longer it spends on the floor. So food left there for 5 seconds or less will probably collect fewer bacteria than food sitting there for a longer time. But fast may not be fast enough. Bacteria can attach to your food as soon as it hits the floor. So even if food is left on the floor for just a quick second it can get contaminated if conditions are right. And foods with wet surfaces, like an apple slice, can pick up bacteria even more easily.

When in doubt, throw it out. You can’t see the bacteria and, even if you could, it doesn’t take much to make you sick. So what about that delicious looking bite of whatever that just hit the deck? The safest choice is to throw it out. Or give it to your brother. Just kidding…

The essence and true purpose of Earth Day is our annual reminder to give back to the planet. This Earth Day, the Organic Trade Association encourages us all to take a look at what we are consuming and the ways in which in impacts the earth.

Choosing organic foods and other products made from organic farms is not only beneficial for your health but for the planet as well. According to the Organic Trade Association, organic refers to the way “agricultural products are grown and processed.  It includes a system of production, processing, distribution and sales that assures consumers that the products maintain the organic integrity that begins on the farm.”

If you want to learn more about what defines organic food and how they are different, click here.

So, the question becomes, should people with diabetes take an aspirin a day? The American Diabetes Association and the American Heart Association recently revised their guidelines on this topic. Their most current recommendation is: women over 60 and men of 50 who have diabetes and one at least one other risk factor for heart disease (high cholesterol, high blood pressure, smoking and a family history of heart disease) should be on daily aspirin therapy.

Although you can purchase aspirin over the counter, you still need to consult your physician before starting a daily aspirin regimen.