One bad banana in the bunch started Vernon D. Gibbs II on his journey to become a children's author. The New Jersey stay-at-home father of three, who is a contributor to our City Dads Group blog, said his son, Justin, was getting ready to toss out a bruised and overripe banana several years ago. Gibbs interceded, showing him that the brown and dented fruit would be a perfect addition to a smoothie -- which Justin simply ate up. "From there, a story grew about eating healthy, creating less waste and how we all sometimes struggle or don’t bother to try to find value in ourselves and each … [Read more...]
Adventurous Eaters Club Wants Kids to Explore Kitchen, Play with Food
One of the many universal struggles we parents go through with our kids is getting them to eat diverse and healthy meals. Life, after all, has more and better things to offer than just chicken nuggets and boxed mac and cheese.
Help is here for many moms and dads with the arrival of The Adventurous Eaters Club: Mastering the Art of Family Mealtime, a new family cookbook by actor Misha Collins of TV's Supernatural and his wife, Vicki.
The book, available starting today, tells the Collins' story of struggling to get their firstborn … [Read more...]
Dad Bod: What It Means to Me at Mid-Life
“Let it go,” my wife instructs whenever she catches me in front of the mirror of our bathroom vanity, pinching my jiggly love handles. I’m staring at the reflection of a body in transition. I’d heard about the softer side of fatherhood – the research that links declines in testosterone and muscle mass to becoming a father – but I never thought adding one word to my identity (dad) would introduce a two-word certainty: dad bod. You may recall the term’s explosion into pop culture in 2015. Clemson University sophomore Mackenzie Pearson published an article that went viral, titled “Why Girls … [Read more...]
Worth the Weight – Addressing Health with My Daughter
I remember when I started hating the scale. I was at the pediatrician’s office completing a routine physical before entering fifth grade. We were nearing the end of the exam when my relationship with the scale, and my weight, changed forever. My pediatrician closed his clipboard and, in a serious tone, began, “OK, there is only one thing left to talk about. Toby, let’s talk about your weight. You need some help.” I fought back tears as the well-intentioned doc explained a program to help me drop some pounds. At the time, I’d weighed more than 100 pounds and only stood 50 inches … [Read more...]
‘What to Feed Your Baby’ Author Nourishes Your Mind, Child’s Body
Best-selling author and childhood nutrition expert Dr. Tanya Altmann dishes to The Modern Dads Podcast about the importance of introducing healthy foods early on, and discuss the latest research on food allergies, GMOs, organic food and more.
Altman, a UCLA-trained pediatrician practicing in southern California, also discusses her new book, What to Feed Your Baby: A Pediatrician’s Guide to the 11 Essential Foods to Guarantee Veggie-Loving, No-Fuss, Healthy Eating Kids.
Here's what the book blurb has to say about What to Feed Your Baby: "As a pediatrician, … [Read more...]