Q&A: preventing illness in the winter and homemade gifts

Shannon has a two-parter:

"1. How do you protect your children from "germs"  during these winter months? I have a 2 yr old and a 3 month old - the little guy is fairly protected in his car seat when we are out and about, but the toddler is into everything. Should I be spraying Lysol everywhere we go?

2. We would like to give some home-baked goods for Christmas gifts, and therefore need a simple and surefire recipe I can throw together while watching 2 little ones. Any suggestions?"

I think that exposure to a certain number of germs is healthy, assuming your kids have no immune issues and aren't preemies in the RSV zone. The best defense against getting sick all the time is to feed them lots of fruits and vegetables and be anal about washing hands every time you come in the house, before eating, and any other time you think of it.

Do NOT use antibacterial soap, as it's counterproductive (causes super-germs that can't be killed) and not good for kids. instead, just use regular soap (liquid or bar) and wash for the length of time it takes to sing "Happy Birthday" all the way through. Purell is fabulous for use outside the house, as the alcohol will kill germs without all the negative effects of the antibacterial agents in those hand soaps.

If you're washing hands a lot, eating well, drinking lots of water, and getting enough sleep, the kids should be able to fight off the normal germs and there's no need to disinfect everything they touch. Once your kids are in daycare or preschool, though, all bets are off. They will get sick. And they'll bring it home to the baby. There's not much you can do about it, so use the same precautions to help them try to stay as healthy as possible.

For your second question, how about a fudge wreath? Pretty simple, but almost everyone likes fudge. (Although I'd beg you not to put raisins in fudge. Please. For the children. Also, be very careful with nuts in gifts.)

Does anyone else have any easy food gifts to make that Shannon can do with two teeny kids "helping?"

Comments

[Hillary]

I found this easy cookie receipe.
http://www.kraftfoods.com/main.aspx?s=recipe&m=recipe/knet_recipe_display&recipe_id=95168

The ingrediants are easy and quick to put together. You ball up the cookie and the kid can place it on the cookie sheet. Once baked, the kid can decorate them easily.

Yummy and easy

[Laura]

You'll need to google and find the recipe, but last year I made FABULOUS bark in the crockpot! I don't have the recipe because it was my friend's recipe (she was visiting me from out of town the week of Christmas)-- just google "crockpot" and candy and recipe and I'll bet you'll find dozens.
My DD4 helped make it because it was pretty safe for her to add ingredients to the crockpot with my help and she was even able to stir it. Very easy and very delicious-- and its as pricey as you want it to be (just adjust the quality of the add ins.)

[Kim-Anh]

How about instead of giving baked goods, you give a jar of homemade muffin mix? This recipe is for banana oatmeal muffins. Here is the dry mix to put in a jar:

1 1/4 cups flour
1 1/4 cups oats
2/3 cups sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt

** If you want, you could also add chopped walnuts or cranberries in here too.

Attach a label or card with some ribbon, with the following instructions:

Mix 1 egg, 2 cups mashed bananas and 1/3 cup of melted butter. Combine with dry mix and spoon mixture into muffin cups. Bake at 375F for 20 minutes.

These muffins are super easy and fast to make. I always have some dry mix in the pantry for quick morning muffins or guests that may pop by unexpectedly. Try putting the mix in mason jars or some other decorative container, and decorate with a ribbon.

[SheilaC]

What about loaves of banana bread, cranberry or other special coffee cakes? Or bake a pan of squares. Kids can help with mixing, and it's much faster than cutting out cookies.
Kids can decorate cookie tins and other containers, rather than handle the finished food. And decorate home-made cards!

[meghan]

I'm a sucker for anything-in-a-jar. This year, we're doing healthier "Trail Mix Cookies in a Jar." You put the ingredients in, making pretty layers (a 2 year old could probably help, or be given his/her own funnel and bowl and allowed to play along), and the recipient then can bake fresh cookies whenever they like. Allrecipes.com has hundreds of varieties, just search for "jar" and you get soups, breads, brownies... Yum! I bought some cute gift tags from the $1 bins at Target, a little festive ribbon, and they're done.

[meghan]

I'm a sucker for anything-in-a-jar. This year, we're doing healthier "Trail Mix Cookies in a Jar." You put the ingredients in, making pretty layers (a 2 year old could probably help, or be given his/her own funnel and bowl and allowed to play along), and the recipient then can bake fresh cookies whenever they like. Allrecipes.com has hundreds of varieties, just search for "jar" and you get soups, breads, brownies... Yum! I bought some cute gift tags from the $1 bins at Target, a little festive ribbon, and they're done.

[Kim-Anh]

Here is a recipe for home-made granola which is fast and easy to prepare for baking - the only kicker is that it takes about 1 hour and 15 minutes to bake and you have to stir the granola every 15 minutes. If that doesn't sound too bad, then this makes a great gift - there's no comparison of home-made granola to the store-bought stuff.

Oat mixture - Combine:
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup slivered almonds
1 cup cashews or cashew pieces
3/4 cup coconut

Wet mixture - Combine:
1/4 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup maple syrup
3/4 tsp salt

Combine the oat mixture with the wet mixture, toss well until the oat mixture is well coated. Spread onto a cookie sheet and bake at 250F for 1 hour and 15 minutes, stirring every 15 minutes. Once cooled, you can mix in dried fruit like cranberries, raisins, etc.

[Tabetha]

I agree with Moxie on the germ issue.

As for the gift idea, I saw a yummy sounding recipe on parent hacks called peppermint bark. Here is the link:
http://www.parenthacks.com/2006/12/holiday_pepperm.html

[Kristen]

I would add keep the air moist -- humidifiers -- and I'm a huge fan of odorless garlic and good old vit c -- not nec. for the kiddos but for moi.

[Linda]

OH MY GOD WHO PUTS RAISINS IN FUDGE?! (Crazy people obviously. What heresy.)

Um, you could make different kinds of fudge. I sometimes make a batch of chocolate, a batch of peanut butter, and a batch of vanilla or mint chocolate. Then everyone is happy.

I also tend to make 3 easy things so it looks like I worked harder than I did. For example, fudge, chocolate covered pretzels, and cookies with red and green M&Ms arranged nicely on a plate. For the pretzels, I just buy a big block of white chocolate, melt it in a large bowl in the microwave, throw a bag of small pretzels in, stir, and spread onto wax paper to harden. Sweet AND salty-yum!

As for germs, I am so lax about germs. My kids drop food onto the floor at Costco and I pick it up and give it back to them. I try to avoid anyone with a rash, fever, or actively hacking up a lung, but other than that, what can you do? You're usually exposed to stuff before the person even knows they're sick. Handwashing is the #1 thing you can do to prevent the spread of infection. So I wash my hands and my kids hands and then go make some more fudge. If your kids have healthy immune systems, anything else isn't really going to be helpful.

[Charisse]

Here's a fun one that's savory instead of sweet...if not exactly healthy. We call them "cheese cookies" and my toddler loves to smash the balls of dough with a fork. (This is some 50s recipe from my grandma--they're bizarre but addictive.)

Cheese Cookies:

2 sticks butter, softened
2 cups (lightly packed) shredded sharp cheddar
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups rice krispies
pinch cayenne (optional, if making for grown-ups)

Mash everything together--hands are a great way to mix this. Roll into 1" balls, place on a cookie sheet and smash with a fork. Bake at 425 for about 12 minutes.

On the germs, I just do my best on the handwashing and TRY (and regularly fail) to think "that's one more down" with every cold.

[bec 36]

For the latest on colds and flu (treating and preventing), here is a recent article in Parenting that I found quite interesting.
http://www.parenting.com/parenting/article/0,19840,1549493,00.html
According to this, it *is* actually immune-compromising to go out in the cold without being properly bundled up, so it *does* make sense that we get sick more in cold weather! (Finally!) And, it says that you're the most contagious when you're at the peak of your symptoms, because you've got germy snot coming out of you. This makes sense too!

Linda, I love your gift ideas and will probably be stealing them!!

bec :D

[SusieJ]

That peppermint bark is crack. My godmother makes it every year for the family. The Christmas I was pregnant and had gestational diabetes, we saved the box of bark and brought it to the hospital so I could eat it after delivering. (Along with a small bottle of sparkling wine.)

Our toddler has been cooking with us since about 18 or 20 months, when his father first had him pull a stool up to the counter (he's slipped, sneakers are good). The little guy sticks a finger in EVERYTHING to taste -- flour, sugar, powdered cloves, sugar, baking powder, did I mention the sugar? We wash hands first! He loves wearing an apron. He likes to mix and flip. We measure small quantities together (he holds the spoon, I hold his hand). If I dont' watch him, he'll eat the butter (just take a bite out of it), the sugar, the nuts, crystalized ginger, and the citron (ew! ew! ew!). So far mixing, rolling and tasting are good. We haven't tried decorating or forming yet.

As for surefire, drop cookies like chocolate chip or oatmeal, forgotten cookies (gluten and nut free!) (http://www.christmas-baking.com/forgotten.shtml shameles self promotion there). Anything you are familiar with is better than a brand new recipe.

[Melis]

I made this cocoa for gifts last year...while it *is* cocoa, it was great for mamas I knew who were nursing since the malt in it got their milk charging.

Hot Chocolate Mix

1 (14-quart) box of nonfat dry milk
1 (1 lb.) jar of Coffee-mate (tm) creamer
1 (2 lb.) box of Nestle Quik (tm) drink powder
1 (2 lb.) bag of confectioners' sugar, sifted
1 (15 oz.) jar of chocolate malted milk mix, such as Ovaltine (tm)

In an extra-large bowl, combine the above. Mix well.

Store in airtight containers. Attach instructions for use to each jar. To use, mix 1/3 c. of the dry mix with: 2/3 c. boiling water Stir and top with: marshmallows, optional Note: Since manufacturers often change the size of packaging, the above amounts are approximate. Don't forget the Ovaltine -- it's important!

As far as keeping the wee ones healthy, I take my son for chiropractic adjustments and acupuncture every week. The acupuncture is NOT with needles, but with a tiny electrical pulse. So far, so good-Little Man manages to fight off the crud from daycare.

[S]

Thank you thank you!
Shannon

[Sarah V.]

Very quick note about the germ thing: Probiotics (can get them in milk). There's good research evidence that these reduce the rates of infections in nursery school children. Different preparations contain different probiotics, so it might make sense to get a couple of different ones and mix them to increase the protection.

[give soap a chance!]

Thanks for the advice about keeping away the winter sniffles! Hand-washing is indeed the best defence against most infectious illnesses, but you have to make sure your kids (and you) are washing properly as well as at the right times. Have a look at this site for a video showing the correct hand-washing technique, as well as plenty of info and fun hand washing posters to give the little ones a bit more incentive to get scrubbing.

http://www.wash-hands.com

Thanks again!

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