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Toddlers love to snack. But many grab-and-go snacks popular with busy families are processed and contain excess sugar and sodium that can lead to poor eating habits and health concerns later in life.

There are easy ways to engage your toddler in snack time and teach them to eat right early on, said Sara Fausett, a registered dietitian-nutritionist at Intermountain Cedar City Hospital.

Jade Elliott spoke with Sara about some tips for healthy snacking.

“With a little planning, snack time can be a great way to help kids learn to eat right the fun way,” Fausett said.

Eating habits have the greatest impact on a person’s health, research shows. More than half of U.S. adults have one or more preventable chronic diseases, and many are related to poor diets and lack of physical activity. About one-fifth of U.S. children are clinically obese.

Teaching kids healthy eating and active lifestyles is a critical part of August’s Kids Eat Right Month, a campaign of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.

Here are some toddler snack-time tips:

• Establish a regular snack routine.
• Serve snacks at the table. Eat together to model healthy snacking.
•  Offer fruits, veggies, and other healthy foods, like string cheese.
• Cut foods into small pieces and watch your toddler eat to prevent choking.
•  Give toddlers choices among healthy options. This helps them learn to choose healthy foods and improve autonomy (which they love).

For on-the-go snacks, purchase healthy convenience items or make your own bagged snacks, like these:

• Puree fruit mixes
• String cheese
•  Pretzels
•  Mini packs of carrots or apples
• Dry cereal
•  Fruit (gummy fruit snacks don’t count!)

Additional information can be found at intermountainhealthcare.org.

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.

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Baby’s transition to solid foods can be a source of stress for parents – or the most natural thing in the world.

The key: Don’t force it. Instead, allow baby choices and a fun introduction to food, said Sara Fausett, a registered dietitian nutritionist at Intermountain Cedar City Hospital.

Jade Elliott spoke with Sara Fausett about introducing foods to your baby.

“Eating is a continuum, and food is an experience,” Fausett said. “Allowing babies to explore food in a way that makes them feel safe helps them create a healthy relationship with food, which makes feeding easier for them — and for mom and dad.”

The American Academy of Pediatrics and the CDC recommend introducing solid foods at age 6 months. That’s the time when breastmilk or formula alone no longer provides the number of calories and protein babies need, Fausett said.

But babies who express interest in foods mom or dad eat can be allowed to explore foods a little earlier.

“The expectation is not to perform, but to have a safe exposure to food anytime earlier than 6 months of age” Fausett said. “If you feed babies too early and they don’t know what to do with solid food, they will resist you as long as possible because it’s a safety issue for them.”

At six months, babies should be introduced to solid foods, even if they don’t seem interested, Fausett said. Parents could serve thinned rice cereal with several spoons to encourage exploration and play.

Parents should continue to provide breastmilk or formula when introducing foods, Fausett said. Other milks from legumes or animals and protein shakes should be avoided.

Here are some additional tips for introducing foods:

•  6 months: Introduce cereal if baby is showing signs of readiness (sitting up, looking at you, able to tongue thrust, and turn head away)
• 6-8 months: Start strained or pureed foods. Introduce one new food per week.
• Add thickness, lumps, or chunks as baby’s ability to eat thinner purees or liquids improves.
•  Offer firm large foods as an experience, so long as they cannot choke baby (whole celery or carrots are good options).
•  Progressively offer foods that you eat at home as part of your healthy diet.

Remember, babies have a clean-slate palate, and this is good time to introduce fruits and vegetables, Fausett said.

For more information: Intermountainhealthcare.org.

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.

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What happens during prenatal visits is different depending on how far along you are in your pregnancy. You should schedule your first prenatal visit around 6 to 8 weeks of pregnancy (2-4 weeks after a missed period). Early and regular prenatal visits help your midwife or doctor will check your health and the growth of the fetus.

Jade Elliott spoke with Emily Hart Hayes, a certified nurse midwife and women’s health nurse practitioner with Intermountain Healthcare, about what you can expect at these prenatal appointments.

1. Your first prenatal visit will be one of your longest, so be sure to allow plenty of time. During the visit, you can expect your midwife or doctor to:

•  Answer your questions. This is a great time to ask questions and share any concerns you may have.
•  Check your urine sample for infection and to confirm your pregnancy.
•  Check your blood pressure, weight, and height.
•  Calculate your due date based on your last menstrual cycle or ultrasound exam.
•  Perform tests to check for blood type, do a blood count, and check for infections that can affect pregnancy including hepatitis B, hepatitis C, HIV, rubella, syphilis, chlamydia, and gonorrhea.
•  Ask about your health, including medical conditions, surgeries, and previous pregnancies.
•  Ask about your family health and genetic history.
•  Ask about your lifestyle, including whether you smoke, drink, or take drugs.
•  Ask about your home environment and safety.
•  Discuss exercise and diet.
•  Discuss immunizations and recommend a flu or COVID vaccine if you haven’t already received these.
• Do a complete physical exam, which may include a pelvic exam.
•  Do a Pap test or test for human papillomavirus (HPV) or both to screen for cervical cancer risk if you are due for this screening.
• Do an ultrasound, depending on the week of pregnancy.
•  Offer genetic testing: screening for Down syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities, cystic fibrosis, other specialized testing depending on history.

2. If your pregnancy is healthy, your health care provider will set up a regular schedule for visits that will include a visit every month during the first and second trimesters, and every 2 weeks from 28 to 36 weeks, and weekly from 36 weeks until your birth.

3. As your pregnancy progresses, your prenatal visits will vary greatly. During most visits, you can expect your health care provider to check your blood pressure, measure your weight gain, measure your abdomen (“fundal height”) to check your baby’s growth once you are about halfway through your pregnancy. Your provider will also check the fetal heart rate, feel your abdomen to find the fetus’s position (later in pregnancy), and possibly do tests, such as blood tests or an ultrasound exam.

4. Later in your pregnancy, some of your visits will include tests to check for gestational diabetes (usually between 24 and 28 weeks) and other conditions, depending on your age and family history. In addition, pregnant women should receive a booster of whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine between 27 and 36 weeks of pregnancy.

5. After your baby is born, your midwife or doctor will have you set up postpartum appointments, usually at 2 and 6 weeks postpartum. At these visits, your provider will check your blood pressure and do a physical exam to ensure your postpartum recovery is normal. They will also do screening for postpartum mood disorders, such as postpartum depression or anxiety, help you with breastfeeding, and discuss birth control (contraception) and family planning.

To listen to the Group B Strep episode mentioned in this podcast, click here.

For more information about pregnancy or to find a midwife or OB/Gyn visit intermountainhealthcare.org

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.

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There’s a whole range of emotions that women experience when they decide to do a home pregnancy test and it comes back positive. Women may feel nervous, surprised, excited, relieved, afraid, happy, overwhelmed or any combination of those all at once. You might not know what to do first!

Jade Elliott spoke with Emily Hart Hayes, CNM, DNP, Intermountain Healthcare, about what you need to do.

After sharing the news with your partner, what should you do to help ensure you have a healthy pregnancy?

1. Schedule an appointment with your midwife, OB/Gyn, or primary care provider.

Studies show that good prenatal care helps ensure healthier pregnancies, safer labor and deliveries, and stronger babies. Your first prenatal visit should happen between 6 and 8 weeks of pregnancy (when your menstrual period is 2 to 4 weeks late).

At your appointment, your provider will do another pregnancy test or blood test to confirm the positive results. They will also order routine blood tests and may do an ultrasound to confirm your due date. At this visit, you can discuss any questions or concerns you have and learn of the importance of going to prenatal visits throughout your pregnancy.

2. Check with your doctor if you are taking any prescription or over the counter medications to find out if you should continue taking them.

If you can’t get to see your provider right away, call or send a message to your provider about any current medications you’re taking.

3. Don’t smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, or use marijuana or illegal drugs, they are harmful to your baby. If you need help quitting any of these, talk to your midwife or doctor and they can help you with resources.

There’s no “safe” number of cigarettes or drinks, and many common medications can harm your developing baby.

4. Protect yourself from COVID-19.

The COVID-19 vaccine is recommended for pregnant women by the two national organizations of obstetric physicians, the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists and the Society for Maternal Fetal Medicine. The American College of Nurse Midwives also recommends the immunization.

Pregnant women are at a higher risk for developing severe complications from COVID-19, and there is preliminary evidence that severe disease from COVID can cause pregnancy complications, too.. Wear a mask, practice social distancing and good hand hygiene.

5. Start taking prenatal vitamins.

Prenatal vitamins are available over the counter. Look for prenatal vitamins with at least 400 micrograms (0.4 mg) of folic acid. Taking folic acid before and during a pregnancy can reduce the risk of a child born with serious birth defects of the spinal cord or brain.

6. Get enough sleep and exercise.

Balancing activity and rest will help you nurture your developing baby – and will help you feel good, too. Both rest and exercise help you cope with the mood swings of pregnancy, ease aches and pains, and manage morning sickness. Talk with your provider if you have any questions about exercise and what’s safe for you and your baby.

7. Eat nutritious meals and stay hydrated

What you eat can affect the health of your growing baby. So, make every bite count. Limit high-sugar and high-fat foods (like sodas and ice-cream and other desserts, and fatty meats like sausage or fried chicken). Instead, eat more fruits and vegetables. Choose whole-grain foods like whole-wheat bread and brown rice. Go for low-fat protein foods like low-fat milk, skinless chicken or turkey, and beans. Avoid fish that contains mercury. Drink eight glasses of water every day.

8. Wear a seatbelt.

It may not always feel comfortable around your growing waistline, but right now a seatbelt may save two lives. And if you want a head start on a safety seat for your baby, check out this car seat safety information from Intermountain’s Primary Children’s Medical Center.

9. Be informed. Learn about pregnancy, childbirth, recovery, parenting, etc. Intermountainhealthcare.org has many patient education resources for pregnant women.

10. Be aware of any mood changes, depression or anxiety during pregnancy or after childbirth and talk with your provider about your concerns.

Your provider can refer you to a behavioral health provider if needed.

For more information about pregnancy or to find an OB/Gyn or midwife visit intermountainhealthcare.org

The Baby Your Baby program provides many resources for all pregnant women and new moms in Utah. There is also expert advice from the Utah Department of Health and Intermountain Healthcare that air each week on KUTV 2News.