Wanting to eat healthier? Maybe lose some weight or keep the pounds off? Ever wonder just how big a portion size is? You won’t have to think long with the Meal Measure, a simple and easy portion control tool for those who want to regain control of their diet and their lives. Set the plastic tool on the plate and measure away.

Meal Measure helps you manage your weight, one portion at a time. It is easy to use and measures your food right on your plate. Meal Measure fits most dinner plates. The cavities of the Meal Measure are labeled vegetable or fruit, starch, and protein. Each Meal Measure cavity is one cup at the top with a one-half cup line inside. The protein portion is equal to the size of a deck of cards. Meal Measure follows the USDA My Pyramid serving sizes and is top-rack dishwasher safe.

Some other ways to help you eat healthy:

• Have a light healthy meal or snack to take the edge off your hunger before you go to a party
• Don’t leave bowls of chocolate, candy and nuts around where it’s all too easy to keep helping yourself.
• Serve nuts in the shell, rather than ready shelled. It takes time and patience to crack them, which makes consumption lower.
• Cut cakes, desserts and savory tarts and quiches into portions before placing on a buffet table
• Buy dark chocolate, with a high cocoa content. You’ll get a useful dose of minerals, and its sumptuous richness means you’ll be satisfied with less.

Finding that perfect toy for the child in your life is never easy, but it can become even more difficult when shopping for holiday gifts for children with special needs. Jodie L. Moulton, M.S., CCC-SLP/L, clinical manager/speech-language pathologist in the Pediatrics Department of Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network offers the following tips when toy shopping for children with disabilities:

1. Choose toys that match the ability of the child. Ensure that the toys provide activities that reflect both the developmental and chronological age of the child.
2. Consider the child’s opportunity for successfully using the toy. Children with special needs can become frustrated if they feel the toy does not work for them.
3. Choose toys that allow for creativity or self-expression. Toys that promote dramatic play offer children a relaxed way of increasing their language and cognitive skills. Likewise, the potential for interaction with other children is helpful to improve social abilities.
4. Choose toys with multi-sensory appeal. Children with vision challenges enjoy toys that make sounds or vibrate. Those who have difficulty hearing prefer toys that use lights or print out messages. Toys that stimulate the sense of touch help children with special needs take in the world around them.
5. Look for toys that soothe. Many children with special needs have a difficult time soothing themselves and need a special item to help calm them. These include items with soft tactile qualities or items that the child can put in his or her mouth.
6. Find toys that are easily activated and require fewer steps to work. Toys that move or make sounds by activating a switch are a good choice.
7. Remember toy safety and durability. Toys should be easy to clean and should not contain small parts or choking hazards.
8. Look for items that increase the child’s safety. Many parents of children with special needs spend a large portion of their day keeping their children safe. Providing parents with safety items gives them more time to spend interacting with their child.
9. Look for items that help parents with everyday tasks. Again, anything to decrease time spent on activities of daily living will give parents more time to spend interacting or stimulating their child’s development.
10. Make sure the toy fits the child’s size and strength. Lightweight toys should be chosen for children with limited motor skills and strength.

Good Shepherd Rehabilitation Network’s online store, Rehability, is a national resource for unique child development toys that you can give as holiday gifts for children with disabilities. Products available include toys that aid in life skills, such as the Cutting Food Box, a crate of wooden food that children can cut, or the Basic Skills Board, a board to practice everyday tasks including buttoning and zippering.

Often small children look to toys with which they can identify. Special Needs Dolls available at Rehability, such as Special Needs Abby, who features crutches, allow children with disabilities to play with toys that look like them. These toys help children with disabilities feel included in society and those without disabilities understand why other children need mobility tools.

“The Special Needs Dolls help children understand everyone is unique and helps the child feel special because there is a doll that they can relate to,” says Tara Clauser, buyer/operations manager for Rehability.