Childhood obesity is an increasing concern in Australia. Follow our advice for a happy, healthy family.
Obesity is killing us. Studies and experts regularly tell us Australia is in the grip of an obesity epidemic which has spread to our kids.
With 25 per cent of Australian children now overweight or obese, how can parents keep their progeny healthy and active? 
Obesity Prevention Australia is passionate about making every Australian household a healthy one. Its CEO Levi Waltz has this advice for all parents:

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1. Leading by example
If you want to improve your children's health, check you own health first. Look at your habits and how they are educating your kids. Make sure you eat all your vegetables and tell your kids about how great you feel and how good it tastes. This information will slowly have an effect over the years.

2. Acknowledge you control what food is in the house
You have a direct impact on the food your children eat (especially early on). Are the soft drinks and chips in the house for the kids or for you? Or are they there to give the kids a treat because you feel you may have neglected them in another way? By becoming aware of why you are doing what you do, you can start to create solutions to the actions you are taking.

3. Start healthy habits early in your kids' lives
If you have been feeding your children high amounts of "sometimes" food for 12 years and then you cut it out or try to change their habits, you will find it much more difficult than if you started to focus on developing healthy habits when they were little.

4. Eat as a family as often as possible
A recent US study found that children and teens who share meals with their families at least three times a week were less likely to be overweight, eat unhealthy foods or be at risk of eating disorders.

5. Turn the TV off during all meal times
Consistently eating in front of the TV develops many unhealthy habits that can be very difficult to break when you get older. For example, if your child usually eats dessert in front of TV, their mind associates TV with a food reward. Once this cue is created, every time they sit down to watch TV, their mind will prompt them to eat.


6. Work with your child about food
Give them healthy foods to choose from. By giving them a choice, you show understanding, compassion and respect for their likes. They will be much more inclined to try new things if they know they are not being forced.


7 Positively reinforce healthy eating habits
Kids love to be encouraged, supported and told how well they are doing. Telling them they're "not leaving the table until you eat your veggies" or offering a sweet reward for eating healthy food, are bad habits to get into.

Who doesn't love the cookie monster? These cute little cupcakes are sure to be a hit with the kids and are fairly easy and entertaining to make! 

This recipe makes 24. 

Ingredients: 

Cupcakes:

• 200g unsalted butter, softened
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 cup caster sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 1/2 cups self-raising flour, sifted
• 1/2 cup milk

Icing:

• 250g butter, cubed, at room temperature
• 450g (3 cups) pure icing sugar, sifted
• 60ml (1/4 cup) milk
• 2 drops blue food dye

Decoration:

• 1 cup desiccated coconut
• 1 packet of your favourite cookies
• 48 white chcolote melts
• 48 chocolate chips
• 2 drops blue food dye

Method:

Cupcake Recipe:
1. Preheat oven to 160/180 degrees Celsius, fan forced oven. Line cupcake pan with paper cases.

2. Using an electric mixer, beat butter, vanilla and sugar until light and fluffy. 1 at a time, add eggs beating after each addition. Stir in half the flour. Stir in half the milk. Repeat with remaining flour and milk.

3. Evenly distribute the cupcake mixture among the pan,  bake for 10 - 12 minutes. 

4. Stand cakes in pans for 2 minutes. Transfer to a wire rack to cool.

Icing recipe:
1. Place butter in a large mixing bowl. Use an electric mixer to beat for 2 minutes or until light and fluffy. 

2. Gradually add the icing sugar or beat until the mixture is pale and fluffy. Slowly add the milk and beat until smooth and well combined.

3. Finally, add the colouring to the mixture and stir well.

Decoration Recipe:
1. Frost each cupcake once cooled. 

2. Pour the coconut into a bag and add a few drops of colouring, shake the bag well. Tip the coconut into a bowl and dip each cupcake so that it is well coated.

3. To make the mouth, make a cut about halfway into the cupcake. Make a second above the first at a slight angle and remove the piece of cake. 

4. Cut each cookie in half and insert it into the mouth you just created. If your feeling a little more creative, why not crumble or break apart the cookies instead!

5. Now for the eyes, using the leftover icing as 'glue' attach one chocolate chip to each white chocolate melt.  

6. Almost there! To add the eyes, dip them in a little icing and then pop them on top of the cupcake.

7. Enjoy! :D

Exposure to the family dog and more siblings reduced the risk of babies developing egg allergies, according to a Melbourne study.

Allergy experts from Melbourne's Murdoch Childrens Research Institute studied more than 5000 babies and found those with young siblings and infants exposed to a dog inside the home were less likely to develop an allergic reaction to egg, News.com.au reported

According to the study published in the journal Allergy, food allergies now affect up to 10 per cent of babies. 

It found 10.8 per cent of infants with no siblings were allergic to egg but as the number of brothers and sisters increased the incidence of egg allergy decreased.

Meanwhile, about 10 per cent of babies in households without a dog had an egg allergy compared to only six per cent of those with a dog.

Lead researcher Dr Jennifer Koplin said the risk of developing a food allergy seemed to be a combination of genetic and environmental factors.

She said the immune system evolved at a time when people were exposed to more bacteria in food and the water supply, and infections through crowding and larger families.

Dr Koplin said it was possible developing infants were now not exposed to the right environmental factors to teach their immune systems how to react appropriately.

"They are reacting inappropriately to something that they should be able to tolerate which is in this case, food allergens, or food proteins," Dr Koplin told a foreign news agency.

The research suggested the protective effect of a family dog on egg allergy could be due to exposure to endotoxin, a type of bacteria.

Dr Koplin said endotoxin stimulates the immune system to attack bad bacteria and in doing so, is distracted from attacking harmless things in the environment like foods.

The study also found babies with a family history of allergy and those with parents born in East Asian countries like China and Vietnam are at increased risk of egg allergy.

Dr Koplin said East Asian families, as well as being genetically at higher risk of food allergy, may be exposed to different bacteria in their home countries.

"When they migrate over here and the kids are born here, they don't have that same exposure that suppresses the development of allergy," she said. 

When a child is bitten by a four-legged family member, it can turn the household upside-down. Owners feel puzzled and confused. “They sleep together all the time,” they might say, or, “He’s always been really good. He even lets Timmy sit on him.” In a majority of cases, the bite seems out of the blue. The humans can’t fathom why their once-trusted companion would bite an innocent child. But anyone who reads “dog” or can see life from the pet’s point of view would most likely say, “I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner.”

The fact is, a quick perusal of YouTube or a thorough investigation of a bite reveals that often the bite occurs because humans, especially children, are extremely rude. Parents may view their kid’s behaviors as cute and assume that because their dog is tolerating the behavior now, he will have an endless fuse and always put up with it, rather than eventually exploding. In other words, parents expect dogs to behave like saints, even when they are pestered to the point that would try the average human’s patience and cause her to blow up!

For instance, I recall one tragic case where an infant was left at home with the babysitter and the family pitbull. The infant was allowed to incessantly crawl after the dog, tailing the dog as if she was an armed criminal. He followed her from corner to corner as she kept trying to get away from the baby, but the dog had no escape. While the parents were able to take a “vacation” from their child by hiring a babysitter and leaving the house, the dog was left at home to fend for herself. Ordinarily, a person being pestered this way with no way to escape would eventually turn and yell and possibly even resort to violence. A dog might do the same—turn and bark, snarl, or growl. But when all of these early signs are ignored, escalation to a bite can be the next step. Unfortunately, a bite by any large dog at her wits end can cause serious damage to a child, and in this case it resulted in death.

More often than not, cases where the dog bites a young child are tragic—often more so for the dog. The dog may be relinquished to a shelter, where he has a low probability of safe adoption. Or he may be euthanized after a quarantine period. The worst part of the story is that these bites could often have easily been prevented just by understanding the types of actions that drive a dog to feel bullied or pestered so much that he feels he has to bite.

Understanding What the Actions that Might Cause the Family Dog to Bite are Common Sense

In fact, understanding what can drive a dog to bite the family kids is pretty simple. They are the same things that drive humans to need a break from their kids.

Reason 1: 
For instance, most people dislike it when others stick their grimy hands in their meal. Similarly, dogs want to eat in peace. 

Reason 2:
We teach children that it’s clearly wrong to steal toys from each other. It’s also rude to steal toys from the dog. Kids should be taught to leave Fido’s toys alone. To build in a tolerance in case the child makes a mistake when your attention has lapsed, dogs should be trained to give up their toy for a reward or even a sequence of rewards. That way, they will willingly give the child the toy instead of feeling possessive. (See Perfect Pup in 7 Days, chapters 1 and 6 .) 

Reason 3: Kids frequently can’t help but get in your face. They often have to be trained to maintain the appropriate social distance. Similarly, putting your face into a dog’s face, even if it’s all in the family, can be irritating to the dog, especially when the dog has no control over the child’s behavior.


Reason 4: Most people dislike being disturbed when they are resting or sleeping. But fortunately for us humans, we can often close or lock our bedroom door. Similarly, dogs need a safe location where they can be away from kids and excitement. Kids should avoid bugging them in their “private” location or any time they are sleeping or resting. If they call the dog from far away and the dog chooses to get up and come over to the child, this type of interaction is okay. But if the dog chooses to be left alone, he should be.


Reason 5:
Kids dislike being handled roughly, and so do dogs. Dogs can be trained to tolerate or sometimes even enjoy this handling, so that they are not reactive when an accident occurs (SeePerfect Puppy in 7 Days, chapters 1 and 6), but in general children should be taught to be polite.


Reason 6:
It’s rude to climb on, step on, or otherwise invade someone’s personal space. It’s also rude to do the same things with dogs.


Reason 7: 
Loud screaming can frazzle humans, imagine its effect on the more sound-sensitive dog!


Reason 8:
We often forget that even some friendly gestures, such as pinching a child’s cheeks, may be irritating. In general, dogs dislike being hugged, even by family members. You can tell by the expression on their face. (See the Body Language of Fear and Anxiety in Dogs poster and chapter 7 in Perfect Puppy in 7 Days.) You can train dogs, especially as puppies, to enjoy cuddling and hugging (See Perfect Puppy In 7 Days chapters 1 and 6) and other close handling. But even so, it’s important for children to know the types of interactions their pet likes and also to realize that other dogs may not have the same tolerance as their dog does.