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How to Prepare Your Child for the First Day of School

August 21, 2011 By Leave a Comment

One of the best ways to prepare your child for the first day of school is to let them know that school is a safe and fun place for them to go. Here are a few suggestions to prepare your child for the first day of school.

Play School

 

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In order to have your child interested in going to school, you can pretend to have school with them. You can pretend that your child is attending school for the first time and play-act a normal day at school. You should start your school play time well in advance from the time that your child has to attend. You should also provide paper, crayons, and books for your child in the same way they would receive them at school.

Talk About It

 

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Let your kids know they have been enrolled in school, and talk about school in an excited, positive manner. It is crucial to let your child know about school as the day approaches. Do not just take him or her to school without discussing it beforehand. Kids need to have time to ask questions about school and get reassurance from their parents about this new experience.

You should discuss the following different aspects of school with your child:

Visit

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One of the best ways to prepare your child for the first day of school is to take them to visit the school while it is in session. Let them meet their future teacher. It might even be possible to allow your child time to play with the children there. Show him the classroom, and allow your child to observe the other children sitting at their desks. That way, when it is your child’s first day for school, they will already be familiar with the environment and the expectations.

Stay with Your Child

For the first day, you can stay with your child if they are upset or nervous about the transition into school. Some parents will spend a few days doing this. If your child is having a hard time, reduce the amount of time you spend each day until your child feels comfortable in the new environment.

If your child is fearful about the first day of school, use these tips to help prepare him or her for this new and exciting experience. These simple preparations can ensure that this is a smooth transition for your child.

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Taking a Break

July 23, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Parenting is a stressful job; it’s highly rewarding, but since the job is basically 24/7, it can really wear on you. The important thing to remember when you’re a parent is you need some time to decompress and get your energy back. You need times where you have a chance to miss your kids so you can come back rejuvenated and ready to go again. Here are some tips on how to do that:

  • Take time after kids are in bed. Some parents don’t set strict bedtimes and this leads to dealing with kids all the way up to their bedtimes. This isn’t good; parents need time at the end of the day to relax. If you don’t have that, you won’t be able to sleep either. So enforce a strict 8 p.m. rule. This means that whether your children need to go to bed at 8 p.m. or not, they are in their rooms. If they aren’t sleepy, then they can read or play quietly.
  • Take breaks during the week. It’s important to have some time during the week as well. If your spouse works, then have him or her watch the kids at night so you can go out and have some alone time. This could be shopping or just getting a treat and relaxing.
  • Take breaks when you can get them. If you have friends who have kids the same age as yours, take opportunities for the kids to play together. If your parents live nearby, see if they’d like to have some time with them to become closer to their grandkids.
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Sleep Training Your Infant

July 13, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Baby Sleeping

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Many parents seem to think that their children will sleep when they get older, but really, children need to learn to sleep and parents can help them do it. Here are some tips for sleep training your infant.

  • Use soothing techniques with newborns. Newborns are not able to get themselves to sleep on their own. Their brains are not developed enough to do it, but you can do things to help soothe them. These include swaddling, swinging, pacifiers, and white noise machines.
  • Putting down the baby when he’s drowsy but not asleep. As the baby gets older, he will start to be able to get himself to sleep if you get him close, especially if he has help through a pacifier and/or swaddling blanket.
  • Start training at 6 months old. When your baby is six months old, she will be ready to get herself to sleep without help and will likely sleep through the night without a feeding, though it depends on the baby. You can help your baby learn to fall asleep on her own by letting her cry until she falls asleep. Check on her every 15 minutes or so to remind her you’re there for her but she needs to fall asleep on her own.
  • Wean your baby from feedings. If your baby is ready to go throughout the night without eating, you can wean the feedings. This is done by waking your baby about an hour before he typically wakes up to eat and feeding him. Each night, reduce how much or how long he usually ate by either 2 ounces or 2 minutes until it’s 0. Then stop waking him up. You may find that he sleeps through the night.
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Helping Your Child to Have a Good Relationship with Food

July 3, 2011 By Leave a Comment
vegetables

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As a parent, it’s your responsibility to make sure that your kids get the proper nutrition. This puts a lot of stress on parents as they try to get their wee ones to eat their fruits and especially their vegetables. Unfortunately, this pressure has led to parents using threats and punishments in order to get their children to eat healthy. But at what cost?

When children are forced to eat foods that they don’t want to eat, it leads to children seeing the food as an obligation; they don’t eat it because it’s yummy, but because it’s a responsibility. There are ways to help your children to have a good relationship with food and eat a balanced diet naturally. Here are some tips:

Let your children see the vegetables, but don’t force them to eat it. Basically this means you should put the vegetables on their plates and let them choose whether they eat it. Be sure to let them see you eating vegetables as well. They may not eat the vegetables right away, but they will eat them eventually. More importantly, they will never see eating vegetables as a punishment.

Never use food as a reward or punishment. This includes desserts. Many parents use desserts as a reward for eating vegetables, but this can lead to a poor relationship with food where you see food as something you have to eat or something you only get to eat as a reward. Many overindulge on the sweets when they’re older or on special holidays because of this mentality.

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Kindergarten: Is Your Child Ready?

June 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

Just because a child is turning five it does not mean they are necessarily ready to start kindergarten. There are some things you should look for in your child to make sure they are ready to make the transition to kindergarten. There are other options such as another year of preschool or a kindergarten readiness program for those kids who need some extra time.

This is one of the kindergarten rooms on the f...

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If you are trying to decide if your child is ready to make the jump into kindergarten, there are a few things you can look for. First, are they showing an interest in the letters of the alphabet, and are they happy about learning new things? Do they have an interest in books and reading?

Since there is much more to kindergarten than just the academics, it is also important to look for the social signs that your child is ready for kindergarten. If your child is ready they will not have a hard time separating from you or other members of your family. They should also be showing some signs on independence. Even though there is a lot of teacher involvement in kindergarten, it is also one of the first steps in their own independent world. Are they showing the ability to wait their turn and let others have their turn?

You should also look for signs that your child can work on an activity for more than just a few minutes. Can they finish a task that they start even if it takes them more than 10 or 15 minutes?

If your child is showing these abilities then they are more than likely ready to start kindergarten.

 

 

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Medical Complications after Childbirth

May 16, 2011 By Leave a Comment
"Father gives attention to his newborn da...

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Medical complications after childbirth can have a significant impact on your child’s mental and physical development. In many cases, medical complications are easily treated. In others, though, you might need to make big adjustments in your lifestyle to accommodate the needs of your new child.

Lack of Oxygen or Blood after Childbirth

A lack of oxygen or blood during and after childbirth can lead to a number of neurological problems. For instance, if the umbilical cord gets wrapped around your baby’s neck, he or she can essentially suffocate. The longer that the brain goes without oxygen, the more likely it is that your child will experience developmental problems such as brain damage and cerebral palsy.

Most of the birth injury attorneys California provides can help parents seek compensation from developmental disorders that are the result of medical malpractice. Obviously, this won’t cure your child’s disorder, but it can help pay for treatment and living expenses.

Medical Concerns for Premature Babies

The risk of medical complications that could affect your child’s development increases when the child is born prematurely. In some cases, children are born without fully developed lungs. This can lead to several complications, including respiratory distress syndrome, bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD) and rapid, shallow breathing. These issues can stunt growth and development, but there are effective treatments that can help premature babies recover.

Whether your child experiences developmental disorders from an injury inflicted during birth or a congenital issue, you will need to make sure that you find resources that can help your child learn coping skills that will allow him or her to lead a fulfilling life.

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Choosing a Preschool for Your Child

May 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment
A day at a Kindergarten 

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The first two years of child’s life were relatively simple when you were choosing childcare. You probably chose between a daycare center, a licensed home care situation or even a nanny. Of course, many parents had the option of caring for the child themselves.

However, the preschool years present many more — and sometimes daunting — choices for you and your child. Not only is childcare involved in a preschool setting, but instruction and education as well. Therefore, when choosing a preschool for your child you want to be sure you understand and accept the type of instruction and care your child will be receiving. Here’s a quick look at the different types of preschool programs that are out there.

Montessori
These types of schools are available at all tuition levels and in most areas. There are even some public schools that are offering Montessori-type early childhood programs. This type of approach is structured and usually offers mixed-age classroom experiences.

Waldorf
The Waldorf approach is a more progressive education model, which is dedicated to the “whole” child experience. Imagination and creativity are emphasized in these programs.

Reggio-Emilia
Reggio-Emilia programs are very child-centric with teachers and children considered to be partners in the educational process.

Religious
You may be interested in providing a religious preschool experience for your child. Preschools operated by a religious organization include curriculums that include religious instruction. The level of that instruction can vary from school to school. If you wish your child to be instructed in a particular religious faith, these types of schools may be the solution.

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Praising Your Children

April 27, 2011 By Leave a Comment
Group of children in a primary school in Paris

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Almost everyone, especially parents, knows that offering praise and encouragement to children, regardless of age, is very conducive to increasing the self-esteem and self-image of the children. Some parents believe that it’s possible to harm their children with too much praise, but studies have been done that prove the opposite.

Older kids can, many times, see that some of the parental encouragement they’re receiving has been used as a way to get them (the kids) to do what the parents want. Patronization by parents or guardians is never a good idea because it almost always has negative effects on the children.

A reward system is always a good idea. Perhaps when your child does exceptionally well on an exam at school, you could buy him or her those new Nike clothes that he or she has been wanting. Nike offers an entire line of clothing, especially for the athletic-minded, and most students will participate in at least one sport in high school. Other rewards could be a weekend trip or new art supplies if your child of a budding artist.

Another good idea is to keep your praise focused when offering it to your children. Try to focus on efforts rather than abilities. The effort our child put into studying to get that A on a history exam is much more worth the praise than scoring twenty points in a recent basketball game. Giving praise for natural abilities can be detrimental to development because natural ability is out of child’s control.

Offer praise where it’s needed, and as often as it’s needed. Make sure your children know you care.

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Making Room in the Budget for Charitable Donations with Children

April 15, 2011 By Leave a Comment

When you are the parent of a small child it’s often difficult to make ends meet much less find a few extra dollars lying around for the purpose of charitable donations. But there are many rewards and benefits, even financial ones, for taking the time and making the effort to do so.

It may not exactly take a village to raise a child these days, but it seems to take enough money to fund a village at times. It’s often hard to cover all the necessities along with a few luxuries and have a little left over at the end of the day to save for college but did you know that you could actually do more good for your cause by donations than by traditional savings means?

Here’s why.

You can donate goods that are no longer of use or value to you for real dollar savings come tax time. That is money that you either will not owe as a result or get back in the form of a tax refund.The bigger the donation, say donating a car to Kars for Kids, the greater the reward might be. The really great news is that while there is an upper limit for deductible charitable donations, most people never reach it.

Not all the benefits though are a matter of dollars and cents. There is a huge reward for not only knowing that you’re doing the right thing by donating to charity but also by teaching your kids about charitable giving and its importance too.

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Avoid Ineffective Parenting

April 8, 2011 By Leave a Comment

One of the best ways to learn how to be an effective parent is to recognize ineffective parenting techniques. Chances are, all parents have used ineffective parenting tricks at some point in their childrearing, but identifying them now and being willing to change can make a huge difference in the type of adult your child grows up to be.

The most common ineffective style is “permissive parenting.” While you may not think you’re pampering your child, certain things you do for her are actually taking away her chances to make independent choices. For example, looking for a child’s lost toy is considered permissive parenting. There really is no need to drop what you’re doing to go search for a missing item when you can be teaching a necessary skill—self-sufficiency. Even waking up your teenager every morning is teaching the opposite of self-sufficiency. Think about what you’re currently doing for your child that he or she can manage alone. Of course you want to let them know you’ll always be there for them, but draw the line somewhere.

Another ineffective technique is counting to three. This simply doesn’t work because most parents get to three and end up having to count all over again because the child doesn’t listen. This only teaches that there are no immediate consequences. Kids quickly realize that nothing bad is going to happen when you get to number three. The best thing you can do is ask the child to stop the bad behavior or they will lose a favorite item such as a special toy or video game. If they don’t listen immediately, take away the item immediately.

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