Bigger Kids: Which Bike to Choose and Buy As Children Grow

Kids grow so if they are in a child seat or trailer it won't be long until they outgrow it.  At 2-4 years they can move on to their own appropriately sized tri-cycle.  On a bicycle, kids can experience/learn the laws of inertia, pedaling, steering, braking and sitting on a saddle.  Trikes don't do much to develop a sense of balance and they can be tippy (excluding low-lying "big wheels").
Most kids try a two-wheeler with training wheels around age 3 years.
Between the ages of 4 and 8 years most kids have developed sufficient physical coordination and agility, good balance, and master starting and stopping on a tricycle or training wheels so that they are ready to learn to ride a bicycle.  (Note: Kids generally lack the coordination and strength for hand brakes until at least 5.)  But, along with physical skills it also takes mental readiness (self-confidence) and motivation to learn to bicycle.  Some kids don't develop this until they are 10 or more years old.  It sometimes takes a lot of patience on the part of parents.  Interest and readiness to learn to ride a bike can manifests itself as questions about bicycles, a desire to ride with friends, talk about tricycles and training wheels as things for "babies," etc.  For tips on how to teach a kid to learn to bicycle click on this link.
Guide to Kid Bike Sizes: Children's bike sizes are determined by wheel diameter, not seat height and frame size as is the case with adult bicycles. The chart below should help you narrow your search, but it is not a substitute for an expert helping you find a bike that is most suitable.  A critical factor is the brakes.  Coaster brakes tend to be easier for young kids to use but they become less common as the bikes get bigger.  It can be a conundrum and dangerous when kids who are tall for their age fit bigger bikes with hand brakes that they can't operate well.  After kids outgrow children's bikes they'll move into small-framed adult bikes with 26 inch, 27 inch or 700c wheels, which are sized by the length of the seat tube.

Approximate Age	Child's Inseam	Wheel diameter "bike size" *	Comments:
2-4 years	14-17 inches 35-42 cm	12 inches	Most come with training wheels, some are direct drive
4-6 years	16-20 inches 40-50 cm	14 inches	not commonly available
5-8 years	18-22 inches 45-55 cm	16 inches	Most have rear coaster breaks and pneumatic tires, some have front hand brakes.
6-9 years	20-24 inches 50-60 cm	18 inches	not commonly available
7-10 years	22-25 inches 55-63 cm	20 inches	Some models are multi-speed with hand brakes.
9+ years	24-28 inches 60-72 cm	24 inches	Can have most of the feature of adult bikes.

* The size doesn't have any relationship to a real measure: It is certainly not the diameter of the rim. Generally the given size is closer to the tire/tyre diameter from tread-to-tread, but it is usually greater that this distance as well.
Note: the highest rate of bike-related head injuries is among boys 10-14 years old. For more information on helmets go to www.ibike.org/education/helmet.htm.
Children under 12 years going solo on a tri-cycle or bicycle have a very limited range and don't get as much pleasure from simply cycling.  If you want to have a family outing with more cycling, as you child outgrows their child seat (age 3) or trailer (age 4), there are a couple of options to consider: tandems with kid-kits on the rear seat and third wheel kid's seats.  But you will still need destinations and activities that appeal to them.  Whether by tandem or third wheel, your children will be right with you no matter how fast you ride.  On a conventional tandem both cyclists have to pedal together, so when the adult pedals the child will have to pedal, unless they take their feet off the pedals.  The third-wheel cycles are designed to be free wheeling so the child can sit back and enjoy the ride anytime they want.  For links to equipment providers go to our link section and click on "technology & innovation".
To know more details read- http://www.ibike.org/education/buying.htm

Children's Favorite is Cartoon Phone With Quad-band, Camera, Bluetooth, Mp4, Webcam

It is true that the children all over the world are fond of cartoons such as Donald duck and Snoopy. Certainly, the wise businessmen will not miss the perfect commercial opportunity. Therefore, cartoon phones for the children come to the world as a new force.
You must have found that the using age of mobile phones is becoming increasingly younger.
However, Mobile phones are really all pervasive, mobile manufacturers have also incorporated young kids into their consumers groups. Bright colors and cute shape have been dedicated to creating mobile phones for children.
In fact, since the mobile phones stepped down from the "throne" on luxuries to become masses consumer goods with price going down, phones have more and more personalities. Moreover, comparing with the ordinary phones used by adults, these cartoon phones also have their respective features.
First, most cartoon phones have many functions such as Quad-band, camera, Bluetooth, mp4, webcam and so on.
Second, some cartoon phones have no digital keys but only few keys to receive calls and power on/off. This makes the phone easy to control.
Third, some cartoon phones come with the position monitoring function, which makes it possible for parents to know the whereabouts of children. In addition, there are several puzzle games in the phone.
Some people don't think it's necessary for children to have a cartoon phone. However, cartoon phone may play a great role in the life.
With cartoon phones, when facing some problems alone, children would not lonely and they can make contact with their families the first time. Once children lost, parents can find them with the position monitoring function, after that, it is also possible for parents to set the phones to stop strangers making telephone calls.
It is certainly a good choice to send the cartoon phones to children as a present. Online buy the quality phone at wholesale price for children. It will certainly surprise you!

This article is taken from- here

Cartoon Characters Influence What Kids Eat

Any parent who has ever gone to the grocery store with a young child knows the horrors of what happens when they see their favorite junk food. Their eyes grow wide, their bottom lip quivers and their sweet little voices scream out, "Please, Please, Please!" as if they would just DIE if you don’t let them put this one sugary snack in the cart.
But the next time your child begs and pleads for his or her favorite junk food, know this: Those cartoon characters that appear on snack packaging could be drawing them into a sugary marketing trap.
Yale University’s Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity conducted a study on 40 children ages 4 to 6. When researchers put the exact same food items into different packages, about 50 percent of the kids claimed that the snacks from packaging decorated with Dora the Explorer, Shrek and Scooby-Doo actually tasted better than snacks from bland or plain packaging.
Researchers also found that when given a choice, two-thirds of the kids preferred a snack with images of cartoon celebrities on the front.
Children recognize these characters as lovable, positive superstars from their favorite TV shows and movies. What James Dean was to cigarettes Shrek is now to gummies.
So what does this mean for your child? Scooby is more likely to be found on sugary junk food than on a bag of carrots, which could possibly be influencing your child’s food selection.
CNN.com reported that studies on the effects of marketing to children are few and far between. The American Psychological Association and other organizations have called for the elimination of all marketing of food products to children.

One franchise recognized the powerful consequences of marketing to kids and took action to fix it.
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In 2005, rumors surfaced that the popular children’s TV show Sesame Street was going to turn one of its most beloved Muppet characters, Cookie Monster, into Veggie Monster. PBS and show producers claimed they understood how their programming could influence children. And with child obesity becoming an epidemic, they decided to make Cookie Monster a healthier role model.
Although Cookie Monster was allowed to keep his namesake in the end, he began to incorporate fruits and vegetables into his diet all to the tune of his new song, "A Cookie is a Sometime Food."
According to Federal Trade Commission data cited in the study, U.S. food and beverage companies spend more than $1.6 billion a year to grab children's attention.
This article is taken from- http://news.discovery.com/human/cartoon-characters-influence-what-kids-eat.html

Kids' Favorite Foods Made Healthy

Children with diabetes are like children without diabetes; some will happily eat what's put before them and others are picky (finicky, fussy-you supply your own word) and dinnertime becomes a battlefield. While it is true that the food a diabetic child eats must balance out with the insulin that's given, it's also true that these days anyone with diabetes has more choices than ever when it comes to their meal plan. Diabetes is a family disease, so it is important to have only healthy food in the fridge and pantry and for everyone to sit down at the table to eat the same meal. With that in mind, we decided to feature kid-friendly recipes this month in this section that are sure to please every member of the family.

In researching for recipe ideas that are kid-friendly, we came across a diabetes site that will be of great interest to parents of children with diabetes, as well as anyone who has diabetes. The site is www.kraftdiabeticchoices.com and is sponsored by Kraft Foods. With the expertise of the Kraft Kitchens for its recipes and tips, it's a site that you'll want to visit frequently. Special sections include one for parents of diabetic children, which includes family-friendly recipes and tips. A personalized meal planner, a fitness planner, and logs for keeping records of medication/insulin, and other resources for managing diabetes is available for individuals 18 years and older. A sister web site, www.comidakraft.com/diabetes features information in Spanish to provide food ideas and information to Hispanics, who comprise 15 percent of the diabetic community here in the U.S. [Note: this new website will launch September 3; www.kraftdiabeteschoices.com will link to this site, but there will no longer be Spanish content on the kraftdiabeticchoices.com site per se.]
Make food preparation and shopping a family project when you can. Ask for suggestions for meals and try to follow through, if not just then, on a day when time allows. Remember a lot of your child's responses will rely on your concept of his/her diabetes and its severity. Remembering our own children's favorite foods, in talking with young children and their parents, and in response to your e-mails asking for specific recipes, we decided that macaroni & cheese, chicken nuggets, and enchiladas are amongst the most popular of kid's meals. From a health standpoint, however, these dishes made from traditional recipes are loaded with calories and fat.
We were delighted when we looked at the diabetic recipes posted on Kraft's site, that they had already "made-over" recipes for these three dishes that are reduced fat (Down Home Macaroni & Cheese) or low-fat (Homemade Chicken Nuggets and Cheesy Enchiladas). Judging by the comments posted by people who've tried the recipes, they are certain to please even your most finicky youngster. We appreciate Kraft's willingness to share these recipes with you on our website.
For more information......... http://www.diabetic-lifestyle.com/articles/sep02_fkids_1.htm