Food Allergy Canada: This Halloween, shine a light on food allergy

For kids with food allergies, Halloween can present a few challenges and it can be overwhelming at times for parents, especially if you have a child who is newly diagnosed with food allergies.

So how can we take the fright out of food allergies, and make Halloween a safer, more inclusive holiday for everyone? By shining a teal light on the issue!

Food Allergy Canada has launched a new Canadian Halloween campaign focused on driving food allergy awareness and support for kids with this medical condition. They’re asking everyone to Shine a light on food allergies by placing a teal light on your porch on Halloween night.

Check out Food Allergy Canada’s new Halloween section to learn more about this new initiative. Be sure to take advantage of their tips, tools, and other resources, so you can navigate this holiday with confidence.

Canadian National Father Involvement Conference

Feb 28 & Mar 1, 2019 in Ottawa

Hosted by Dad Central, Fatherhood Matters in the Early Years will focus on supporting and engaging fathers with relevant and effective services, programs, and resources. Their goal is to help provide fathers with the knowledge and support needed around the healthy development of children.

Highlights:

  • Dr. Stuart Shanker - Self-Regulation and Fathers

  • Dr. Cindy-Lee Dennis - Emerging Fatherhood Research: father involvement and co-parenting

  • Dr. Andrew Howlett - The Mental Health of Fathers: it matters to everyone

  • The Dads’ Panel

  • Evening Networking Social hosted by The Movember Foundation

  • Reflections from the Canadian Father Involvement Survey

  • Knowledge Sharing Forum

  • Ottawa’s “Flash Your Badge” program

  • 2020 Vision for Father Involvement in Canada

Venue: The Delta Ottawa City Centre ($119 per night)

For more information and to register, visit Dad Central. Follow the Dad Central blog for updates.

CAPHC Webinar: Young Carers Amplified

Wednesday, October 3, 2018 at 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM EDT 

A young carer is a child, youth or young adult that provides physical, medical, emotional or other supports to a parent, grandparent or sibling. It is estimated that 17% of Ontario’s 3.3 million family caregivers are young carers between the ages of 15 and 24. There are approximately 10 programs across Ontario that support these young carers.

In this CAPHC Presents! webinar you’ll hear firsthand from an Ontario young carer, learn more from The Change Foundation about this invisible population of family caregivers and hear from Holland Bloorview’s Sibling Program – A young carer support program focused on supporting young carers of siblings who have developmental and physical disabilities, rare genetic conditions, and/or medical complexities or dual-diagnoses.

For more information and to register, visit CAPHC.

CHILD Study: Breastfeeding may protect against obesity in early life

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CHILD Study research has found that infants who are breastfed have a reduced risk of being overweight in the first year of life—and that the protective association is stronger with longer and more exclusive breastfeeding.

“We found that the risk of overweight at 12 months of age was over three times higher among infants who were not breastfed compared with infants who were exclusively breastfed for the first six months of life,” said study lead Dr. Meghan Azad.

The study, published in the October 2018 isue of Pediatrics, looked at both body mass index (BMI) and the rate of infant weight gain—an important predictor of future obesity and cardiovascular health. It used data from more than 2,500 infants and their mothers participating in the CHILD Study.

The study also found that the method of feeding breastmilk matters, and it uniquely distinguished between partial breastfeeding mixed with formula versus partial breastfeeding mixed with foods.

Read the AllerGen press release

News Release: The World’s Largest Sandbox returns to Ottawa’s Sparks Street

The Sandbox Project aims to improve health outcomes for Canadian children

OTTAWA, September 19th, 2018 - Canada’s leaders are playing in the sandbox to build a healthier generation of Canadians. On Wednesday, Canadian Members of Parliament, NGO’s, families and industry professionals teamed up to build sandcastles at the World’s Largest Sandbox event on Sparks Street in Ottawa. Hosted by The Sandbox Project, the World’s Largest Sandbox event aims to raise awareness of the importance of collaborating and investing in child and youth health issues.

“This annual event honours the work of the individuals and organizations who are working tirelessly to move the dial on Canadian child and youth health outcomes,” said Christine Hampson, President and CEO of The Sandbox Project. “But it’s also about recognizing that we have a long way to go. As a country, we need to work better together to support the health, safety, and well-being of kids in all areas of Canada.” 

Playing together in a friendly sandcastle competition were Ottawa elementary school students, representatives of the media, corporate Canada, child and youth health organizations, and Members of Parliament, including Dr. K. Kellie Leitch, MP for Simcoe-Grey and founder of The Sandbox Project. Also spotted in the sandbox were:

  • Senator Colin Deacon

  • Kerry Diotte, MP (Edmonton Griesbach)

  • Hon. Jean-Yves Duclos, Minister of Families, Children and Social Development

  • Rosemarie Falk, MP (Battlefords—Lloydminster)

  • Marilyn Gladu (Sarnia-Lambton)

  • Hon. Carol Hughes, MP (Algoma-Manitoulin-Kapuskasing) and Deputy Speaker of the House of Commons

  • Hon. Peter Kent, MP (Thornhill)

  • Hon. Mike Lake, MP (Edmonton—Wetaskiwin)

  • John Nater, MP (Perth—Wellington)

  • Hon. Ginette Petitpas Taylor, Minister of Health

  • Jati Sidhu, MP (Mission-Matsqui—Fraser Canyon)

  • David Yurdiga, MP (Fort McMurray—Cold Lake )

The gigantic Sandbox structure was built through in-kind donations and hard-working volunteers from Coco Paving, the United Brotherhood of Carpenters & Joiners of America Local 93 and Lafarge. Fruit and yogurt snacks were provided for participating children by McDonald’s Restaurants of Canada.

Supporters of The Sandbox Project include TELUS, the AstraZeneca Young Health Program, Dream Unlimited and 65 King East - A Carttera Development.

Photos of the event are available online by following @SandboxCanada and #OTTsandbox.

About The Sandbox Project

The Sandbox Project is a national registered charity working to improve the health and wellbeing of Canadian children and youth by fostering education, sharing knowledge and resources and developing policy through private-public collaborations. As an umbrella organization, Sandbox provides strategic leadership, facilitates collaboration and drives innovation among like-minded, child-focused organizations within Canada’s child and youth health arena.

For Further Information, please email us. For more pictures of the event, check out our Twitter Moment.