Real experiences by a Mom

A Pleasant Bath-time for Toddlers

Giving regular bath to babies and toddlers is essential to keep them clean and healthy. It is also a part of parental love and special care for the kids, giving them a chance to become closer to each other. However, giving a bath to babies and toddlers is often difficult because they are fidgety and do not lie still. Some may protest by screaming or thrashing.

In such cases it is better to ignore the screaming and protests, and get on with your job of giving the bath. It could be done by mentally blocking out the commotion so that the crying does not affect you emotionally. This will enable you to do the job quickly and efficiently, and the baby could be consoled very soon. Some crying is good for their health by giving exercise to their lungs. During the first few months, giving bath in a small plastic bath tub is good. It could be placed inside a normal bath tub or kept over a low table.

Also, keep all the bathing materials such as soap and towel close at hand. This will enable you to reach out and grab these without breaking eye contact. It is better to maintain eye contact always to make the baby feel safe and secure. Normally, babies and toddlers should feel comfortable with bathing because they had spent almost 10 months continuously in fluid inside their mother’s womb.

If the kids are unhappy with the bathing it may be due to some other reasons. The bath water may be too hot or cold. Feel the water with your elbow, or use a tester or bath thermometer to check the water temperature. Babies and small toddlers are unable to regulate their body temperature. Even small changes in temperature will affect them. Hence they need to be always kept warm. Close all the windows before giving them a bath to keep out cold wind or draft. Some soothing music will help to relax them.

The above recommendations are sufficient to make bathing a relaxing time, but if you want more details you can find a lot of books, or check with websites such as Ebaymaternity.co.uk for books and information.

Posted on May 22nd, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Baby, Child Care, Skin Care, Toddler, bath | No Comments »

Brushing and flossing of toddler teeth

Proper dental care and good oral hygiene is very important for the overall health and well being of the toddlers. For best results, the kids should be made to daily brush and floss their teeth twice and once respectively. One of the brushing, and the flossing should be done before bedtime.

Kids should use the right type of brush, as well as paste that has enough fluoride content. Additionally, they should eat a healthy diet along with plenty of fruits and vegetables. Also, consult your dentist regularly.

While brushing, make sure that the bristles are at a 45 degree angle to the gum line along the teeth. Each tooth should be cleaned separately moving the brush gently in small circular motions for the lower and upper jaws. Start with the bottom back teeth one by one until you reach the last tooth at the opposite side. Then try the same for the upper jaws or vice versa, both inside and outside.

The same should be done for the chewing surfaces, and also gently insert the bristles into the crevices and groves to clean these parts. Don’t forget to lightly brush the tongue to remove bacteria and foul breath.

Flossing is necessary to remove plaque and food particles. This should be done when teeth appear side by side near to each other. The best method for flossing is to use an 18 inch dental floss. After wrapping this around each middle finger, gently slide the floss between two teeth with thumbs and index fingers. Then pull gently in the same direction around the tooth and move it tightly up and down. Repeat this action for each tooth. For back teeth, floss both the sides.

Special care should be taken to brush the molars and tongue sides of the bottom teeth. Proper oral care is necessary if you want to keep the dental doctor away.

Posted on May 22nd, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Dental care, Diet, Toddler | No Comments »

Choosing the right name for your toddler

The question ‘What is in a name?’ may not be so funny when applied to real life situations. Names actually matter in the real world. That is why parents spend days on end anxiously searching for names that are best suitable for their little ones. This is because babies are mostly going to be known in all their lives with the names parents give them. So parents strive hard to choose names that can make them and their kids proud. It is hard for the parents; but if they make use of certain naming techniques, they can easily end up by naming their kids with the best names in the whole world.

The most important factor about choosing a name is to check how the name sounds. Say aloud the name several times and check if it has a pleasing and appealing sound. The sound should also pleasingly agree with the sound of the second name, which is usually the last name of one of the parents. A combination of two names such Jane Austin sounds pleasing, while a name such as Jane Pane may sound strange or amusing.

It is better to choose a name that has a likeable meaning instead of choosing names that have unpleasant meanings or no meanings at all. Hence, choose a nice sounding name with a pleasing meaning. Almost every one appreciates to have a name that sounds good and a meaning they can relate to.

It is always appropriate to choose a gender appropriate name for the kids to save them from any possible trouble or confusion at school or elsewhere. It may be proper for parents to call their kids with unisex nicknames or dress them in such clothes, but it is better to give them gender specific formal names for use in schools and colleges.

Give some due regards to the value of traditional names. Some traditional or ancestral names are trendy and even prove valuable to kids in future. Those who believe in a bit of extra luck can also consult numerology or astrology for the correct name. It is better to avoid names that are currently too trendy or popular. These names may be the product of TV or film programs, with too many fans eager to copy the names. There is also a danger that these names may soon go out of fashion with the end of the programs.

The key is to find a name that is not too modern, old-fashioned or unique. And make sure that these are names that have a pleasing sound and an appealing meaning.

Posted on May 21st, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Baby, Toddler | No Comments »

Don’t disturb the sleeping toddlers!

Toddlers and babies wake up at night, often at regular intervals, and their moms use various routine to get them back to sleep. One such routine is to breastfeed them until they fall asleep. This is a good method to use if the baby is really awake. However, it has been found that mothers often mistake the sleeping noises of the kids as waking up signs and habitually breastfeed them without checking whether they are asleep or awake.

Babies make many types of noises such as moaning, grunting and whimpering while asleep. Mothers should use their instincts and intuitions to differentiate between their kids’ sleeping and waking noises. When they hear a noise, they should wait, listen and watch their babies. This will tell them whether the babies are asleep or awake. Even if the babies awake for a few moments, they usually go back sleep almost immediately without any assistance. On the other hand, if the moms try to breastfeed them, the babies might actually awake. This is akin to disturbing a sleeping baby.

If the babies are really hungry or uncomfortable they won’t go back to sleep almost immediately. A careful mother can easily identify her kid’s hungry or uncomfortable sounds through practice. Once, the exact reason is identified the mother needs to act immediately and breastfeed the baby. Otherwise, the baby might start crying and it will take longer time to put her/him back to sleep.

The most important thing for mothers to do is to listen carefully to the night sounds of the kids and let them sleep if they are making sleeping noises, or attend to them immediately if they are awake.

Posted on May 21st, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Baby, Breastfeeding, Diet, Sleep, Toddler | No Comments »

Making toddlers learn by thinking

Many of the much publicized teaching methods make children learn like a parrot, without making them do any constructive thinking. A lasting benefit of education can stem only from making the kids learn through thinking and understanding. There are now many websites such as http://www.inspirethinking.com that helps parents to teach their kids through thinking by using toys and tools such as creative books and software. These learning tools stimulate preschoolers to think critically and logically.

Let us see how a child could be taught the alphabets and numbers using some of these techniques. When reading a story from a picture book, make the kid observe the letters in the word and listen how these letters are pronounced. After a number of repetitions of this method, the kid will automatically learn to associate the sound with the letter, and will soon be able to recognize the letter and sound when these are seen elsewhere. This is teaching the kids through phonetic method, unlike by naming the letter method.

Similarly, when teaching the kids numbers, first teach them the numeric values instead of number names. For example, take a book and tell them one book, and then show them two books and say ‘two books’ and so on. They already know the names of these common items, and now will learn to associate the numbers with these things.

The numeric value method of teaching enables the kids to visualize the quantity rather than simply the numeric symbol. In this way, mathematical operations become much easier for the kids. They will soon learn to add the numbers because it makes perfect sense to them to say two and two would make four.

Posted on May 20th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Language Development, Learning, Toddler | No Comments »

Toddler learning through baking lessons

Kids love to help their parents in many activities, especially in the kitchen. They all like sweet dishes and will be eager to help mom to bake a sweet and tasty cake. This will enable them to learn a valuable life skill and also learn the ratio of mixing and measurements.

Delegate to each kid jobs that suit their age. Younger kids can do the stirring and mixing ingredients, while the older kids could deal with placing the utensils on the oven and handling the stove top.

Kids can learn and benefit a lot through cooking lessons. They learn to measure ingredients, giving them first hand experience in using basic math skills. Ingredients are often measured in factions, and also in terms of teaspoons and table spoons. In this way they will be able to distinguish between different measurements, and thus gain a sense of volume and training in mental calculation.

Taking help from kids in preparing food is one simple way of making them get interested in food. They will be happy to eat the food they helped to prepare. More over, they will be also able to appreciate the benefits and properties of different foods. It will also stimulate their creativity by trying new foods. They will learn that cooking is not a task, but a creative and enjoyable activity.

They will also learn the importance of cleanliness in cooking, nutrition and food safety. Cooking make them understand how to make use of different ingredients to prepare tasty and wholesome meals, instead of always using ready made foods. It will also teach them the importance of washing hands, vegetables and fruits to safeguard health and prevent diseases.

Posted on May 20th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Behavior, Learning, Toddler | No Comments »

Winter and toddler outdoor funs

Winter forces toddlers to spend their time indoors with out any let up in their long hours or boredom and inactivity. Hence, it is no wonder that life seems to be gloomy and uninteresting during winter. But, there are ways to make the winter fun and lively for the toddlers and for everyone in the family. Let’s discuss some safe and amusing outdoor activities that will brighten up the gloomy days of winter.

Make use of the vast snow outside to do some building activities. What about building a snow fort and ice castles? To build a snow fort all you need is an open space with plenty of snow. First you need to make a circular base for the wall by scooping up the snow and pushing it together. Leave an opening on one side for entry and exit. Then, make large snow balls by pressing big clumps of snow with your arms. Press these balls on the base of the wall one by one and fill the gaps with fistful of snow. The building can go on until you reach your desired height.

An ice castle could be made by making ice blocks. The blocks could be made by filling containers with water and keeping them outside to freeze. You can add some color if you want for some added effect. Once frozen, the blocks could be easily removed from the containers. Then stack these blocks one on top other. These will stick together if you spray some water on each block before placing another block on top of it. Use convenient materials such as a funnel, top of plastic soda bottles and plastic gelatin molds to make spirals, towers and windows respectively.

Snow sculptures are fun to make. Make a large and hard cube or cylinder of snow by pressing snow into a container. Then flip the snow out of the container and make carvings with a snow shovel. Make finer points with a sand shovel and a kitchen knife. You can give a smooth and shining appearance to the sculptor by spraying a little water on the surface. This method will melt a thin layer of snow, giving fine finishing to the sculptor on the outside.

There are other fun activities such as painting the snow or creating snow angels. Pick up one or two empty spray bottles and fill these with water. Then add a few drops of washable tempera powder paint to have the desired degree of color. Cover your kid’s palms in any rubber gloves and let him/her have fun by painting the snow according to his/her fancy.

To make snow angels, lie flat on the snow on your back and swing your arms up and down on the snow. Then swing your legs open and close for several times. Get up carefully, and there you will see your angel on the snow. You can surprise your kid by giving him a too box for making a Snowman. It should contain all items for making Snowman such as a carrot for nose, scarf, buttons, and so on.

Posted on May 19th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Play, Toddler | No Comments »

Healthy toddler snacks at school

Toddlers use up a lot of energy during their time at school, and hence parents need to pack snacks that are tasty as well as healthy. This is important to keep the kids active and energetic at school. Making use of the following 3-step snacking method will help the parents to prepare healthy and tasty snacks.

First of all, make sure that the snacks are nutritious. Planning snacks or beverages according to the four food groups formulated by Canada’s Food Guide is a good strategy. The four groups consist of (1) fruits and vegetables, (2) grains, (3) milk and alternatives, and (4) meat and alternatives. Parents can choose any one or two from these groups.

Prepare different snacks from each group every day to ensure the kids get enough nutrients for energy and growth. These snacks are not only tasty but also healthy. Avoid snacks that are high on sugar and starch. These will cause tooth decay or other health problems. Also, make the kids brush, rinse their mouth or chew a sugarless gum after each snack and before bed to protect their teeth. Snacks containing aged cheese, such as cheddar or mozzarella, meat fish, poultry products, nuts, seeds or raw vegetables are good for teeth. However, make sure that these are soft and do not cause any choking hazards for very young kids.

Some of the best snacking combinations are fruits dipped in yogurt or salad; vegetable sticks with cottage cheese; crackers or bread sticks topped with cheese; chocolate or strawberry milk; milk pudding; yogurt drink; trail mix, nuts, roasted chick peas; unsweetened cereal with or without milk; homemade muffins with slice of cheese; cold pizza slices; bagel with cheese; parmesan cheese sprinkled popcorn; pita pocket with sliced cheese, meat or vegetable; hard boiled or deviled egg; cold pancakes with cream cheese or yogurt, and so on.

Other healthy options include rolled tortilla with peanut butter and banana; Egg-roll or bean burrito; canned wieners, sardines or herring; and tuna mixed with ricotta cheese. Reusable snack containers such as steel lunch box and cutlery; cloth lunch sack; thermos for drinks and so on are environmental friendly. Also, involve the kids to plan and prepare the snacks and lunches to make them more interested in eating them.

Posted on May 19th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Child Care, Diet, Toddler, school | No Comments »

Tips to solve toddler sibling rivalry

Sibling rivalry among children is a common occurrence at every home and it is quite a natural thing. Through the rivalry, kids learn important life skills such as problem resolution, empathy and sharing. However, it should be within a limit, free from violence and exasperation. Although parents are unlikely to eliminate rivalry among their kids, they can make use of certain strategies to control it. The following three pronged approach will help parents to tackle bickering and fight among kids to a certain extent.

1. Prevention
2. Intervention
3. Resolution

The best way to avoid frequent occurrence of rivalry is to prevent reasons that cause rivalry. Making any type of comparison, both favorable and unfavorable, causes rivalry among kids. Avoid comparing one kid’s quality against the other kid’s minus points. Such type of comparisons will only result in increased competition and resentment among the kids.

Also, treat each kid according to his/her needs, without favoring or paying special attention to any one of the kids. This means that you have to give them attention according to each one’s need. Give each one of them enough attention and care, or spend some time with each kid every day. This will satisfy their individual need for attention.

Instill in the kids the value of respecting each other’s personal space and belongings. They should know that each one has certain personal things that are for their use only, not for others to take or use.

Be careful when you intervene in a quarrel among children. Unless it is violent, the best method is not to intervene at all. Ignoring some of the common and nonviolent bickering will enable the kids to learn about how to resolve some issues respectfully by themselves. However, if it turns into extreme behavior such as hitting, screaming or too much name calling, then you have to intervene and calm every one down. Avoid taking any one’s side or try to find out who caused the fight because usually the children can only say their side of the story. Hence, it is better to listen to their story and set rules against name calling, yelling, blaming or physical violence.

If the kids fight habitually over the same reason, then it is time to call a family meeting to discuss the problem when every one is in a relaxed mood. Let each one talk freely their problem and note it down. When they have finished, read to them what you have recorded for their approval. Then find a solution with their help.

Posted on May 18th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Baby, Behavior, Child Care, Tips, Toddler | No Comments »

The bottle-raised toddler!

Mrs. and Mr. Roberts were determined to breastfeed their first baby as long as possible from the outset. They had read up on everything there was to know about proper child rearing. They learned that breastfeeding is the best nourishment for babies, and wanted to follow it to the letter.

However, once the baby – a daughter - has arrived, the mother found breastfeeding very difficult. The family members and friends tried to help her with proper breastfeeding techniques. She tried to follow all the right techniques of breast feeding, but nothing worked. The process was too painful and her nipples began to crack and blood started oozing out while breast feeding.

Despite the suffering, the mother continued to feed the baby for two months. The baby was suffering too. The parents realized that she is losing weight. They had to ultimately consult their doctor. The doctor feared malnourishment and advised to start the baby on formula feeding. The parents were delighted.

However, the father soon became unhappy about the development. He had seen many of his friends’ wives breastfeeding their babies without a hitch. He wanted his wife to combine breastfeeding with bottle-feeding. But she refused even to try that because of the pain. The father became annoyed, and could not bear the sight of his wife bottle-feeding his little daughter. So he walked out of the room whenever his wife bottle fed the baby. He even stopped talking to her.

Then an unexpected thing happened. His wife fell sick one day and had to be confined to bed for many days. Now, it became the responsibility of the father to bottle feed the baby. He took the baby gently in his arms and then a wonderful thing happened. She reached out a hand to hold her father’s little finger, and looked straight at the father with her big brown eyes. The eyes were that of her mother’s.

They looked at each other’s eyes for a long time. Robert was overwhelmed by a feeling of paternal love that he had never experienced. He remembered his wife. His eyes welled with tears. He went to his wife’s side, lovingly kissed her forehead. Smiling through his tears he said sorry to her. Though surprised for a moment, she smiled back.

They continued to bottle feed the baby for five more months, and then settled on a formula and solid food diet. The baby is fine and healthy, raised on bottle feeding. And none is any worse for that!

Posted on May 18th, 2008 by admin
Filed under: Baby, Breastfeeding, Diet, Toddler | No Comments »

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