Newspaper Page Text
B* ..—A
rartm 11" By ANN pleshette murphy
Ditch diapers? The bottom line.
I - to skip Baby’s diaper. In fact,
K „ Jjfi “diaper-free” babies has an allure
B H that seems to have caught on.
Mi More than 4,000 parents have
joined one social networking group dedicated
to the pursuit, in which they try to read their
baby’s signals and race to the potty instead
njg Icnow ite flp option. r
Money Smart SHARON EPPERSON
How to help a grandson
Q* I'm at a loss as to how to help
• my grandson. I'm 72, and he's 5.
His mother is a single parent Do I
help him out now or put money
in an account for the future? I
have less than $40,000.
Charlene Pello, Fort Wayne. Ind.
A • Talk to his mom to find out if
'••there are immediate ex-
penses for him that she can’t
pay. Keep funds for those
bills in a high-yield savings
or money market account /
in her name and yours, /
and agree on with- A
drawals for medi- .
cal and dental bills, day \
care, and sports or I
camp fees, for instance.
% USA
WEEKEND
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6
USA WEEKEND • March 14-16,2008
Smart
Put the rest (at least half of your
sum) into a 529 college savings ac
count, where it will be invested
in money market or stock and
bond mutual funds, and will
grow tax-free. You can put up to
$60,000 over five years
into a 529 plan without in-
curring the gift tax. With
drawals for qualified college
I‘ _ <
([ °
President 8 CEO • Marcia L. Bullard
Publisher • Charles Gabrielson
Executive Editor Ir VP • Jack Curry
SVP/Advertising • Rob Harrison
SVP/Newspaper Relations • Ed Graves
DirJFinance • Edward Maxwell
Dir./Marfceting • Sonia David
Dir./Research • Frank Dolcimascolo
T« ask any USA WEEKEND columnist a question, visit usawaokand.com.
HELPFUL TIPS FOR YOUR EVERYDAY LIFE
Ht Wr v ' A
jF.y Jr- \
XT;
4n if e
Trying
it takes
time and
patience.
expenses, such as tui
-7 tion and books, are
tax-free. Plus, many
\ states (including In
-4 diana) allow resi
"a| dents a tax credit
or deduction for
529 contributions.
Managing Editor Brenda Turner Creative Manager Casey Shaw
Senior Editors: Craigh Barboza, Pamela Brown (Make A Difference Day), Carol Clurman,
Constance Kurz. Lome Lynch, Priscilla Totten Copy Chief: Jill Golden Copy Editor Ali Cybutski
Senior Writer Dennis McCafferty Associate Editors: Michele Hatty, TJ. Walter
Assistant Editor Kathy Rowings Fact Checker Elena Keith ley
Editorial Assistant: Reyhaneh Fathieh Design Director Leon Lawrence 111
Art Director Pamela Taylor Associate Art Director Christina Cook
Senior Photo Editor David Baratz Deputy Photo Editor Sarah Claxton
Online: Amelia Stephenson Office Coordinator Troy Artis
need to use the potty,” says pe
diatrician Laura Popper, noting
that there are no serious side es-
fects—“medical or psychological of
putting children in diapers.”
What should you do? If you have
the time and temperament to try so
called “elimination communication,”
including tolerating the poten
tial accidents, give it a shot
But keep in mind that babies
go through about 10 diapers
a day. That’s a lot of signals
to pick up on while you’re also
feeding, bathing, comforting and
playing with, not to mention work
ing to support your baby.
Parenting expert Ann Pleshette
Murphy is a contributing editor.
GveenSmait NAIAUE ERMANNNUSSEU.
Safe toys, minus PVC ,
After the seemingly endless toy re
calls last year, lead became the toy
box boogey monster. Just as worri
some for parents: phthalates, which
are added to vinyl to soften it, but
have been linked to a variety of health
problems. Use of phthalates in toys
will be banned in California starting
in 2009 and is already banned in the
European Union and Japan.
What’s a parent to do? According
to the federation of state Public In
terest Research Groups, you should
avoid toys made of PVC plastic (which
comes with phthalates) and choose un
painted wood and cloth toys. Search
the database at HealthyToys.org to
find PVC amounts in 1,200-plus toys.
Eat Smart jean carper
Try sweet potatoes
for Easter dinner
High-antioxidant sweet potatoes are
a must with Thanksgiving turkey, so
why not enjoy them at Easter, too?
This not-too-sweet casserole has a
sure-to-please crunchy top, plus cin
namon to help control blood sugar.
SWEET POTATOES AND COCONUT
4-6 medium peeled sweet potatoes
(about 2 pounds), baked or boiled
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 Tbs. low-sugar orange marmalade
A cup rum (or orange juice)
Dash of salt
2 Tbs. butter, melted
A cup coarsely chopped almonds
A cup sweetened coconut flakes
A cup miniature marshmallows
MY
A V f
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Mash
potatoes. Stir in cinnamon, marmalade,
rum (or orange juice) and salt until
thoroughly combined and spreadable
(add more liquid if needed). Spread in
a 9-by-9-inch baking dish. Combine
butter, nuts and coconut; spread over
potatoes. Sprinkle on marshmallows.
Bake for 20 minutes or until browned.
SERVES 8 ■ PER SERVING: 198 calories,
29g carbohydrates, 3g protein, 6g fat
(3g saturated), Bmg cholesterol,
4g fiber, 86mg sodium C 3
Contributing Editors
Pam Anderson, Ken Bums, jean Carper,
Stephen Covey, Jorge Cruise,
Steve Dale, Kenneth C. Davis,
Sharon Epperson, Dennie Hughes,
Walecia Konrad, Lisa Ling,
Lou Manfredini, Dr. Tedd Mitchell,
Ann Pleshette Murphy, Cokie Roberts,
Steve Roberts, Tavis Smiley,
Terry Shekels
EATSMART PHOTO JO WRCHHERR. STOCKEOOO MUNTCH/SIOCKf 000 AMERICA. PARENTSMAHT PHOTO TOM AND DEE ANN MCCARTHY. CORBIS
Regional Directors/
Newspapers
Charlie Williams
Taaz Williams
c Copyright 2008
USA WEEKEND.
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