Category Archives: Kids

How To Select Quality Childcare Providers

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Tip! You are creating a good habit. As children grow older they are much more able to help, but they are also much less likely to want to help — especially if they haven’t been required to before.

When it comes to finding someone to care for your children, you want to find the very best. This should go without saying, and when it comes time to find someone, you have to be careful where you look, and be even more careful about who you trust.

There are many people out there who watch over our children, and they do it with compassion and with great skill. Sadly though, there are childcare providers out there who should not only be kept far away from children, they should be kept far away from the rest of the world as well.

When searching for childcare providers, your first questions should center on where you want your children to be. There are childcare providers who will come into your home, and those who have children in their home each day. There are also childcare providers who have centers that are publicly open to those who wish to sign up. Any of these options can work well, and what you need is entirely up to you and your family.

The first thing to ask when interviewing potential childcare providers is about certification. You don’t need an education is childcare, but this is a great bonus if you can find someone who can not only watch over your children, but also help them along with things they will need to know once they enter school.

The very next question should be about your child’s safety. It may seem harsh, but you have to ask if they have ever hurt a child. This is a tough question to ask, and many people don’t ask, but it makes sense to say something. If childcare providers have nothing to hide, they will understand why you ask this question. If they are lying to you, you are going to know it, and you can move on.

If you choose to use childcare providers that have a daycare center, ask questions about the employees, and ask to see references and background checks.

Most good childcare providers have this information readily available to you. If they do not, ask them to provide it. If they hesitate, or don’t understand why this is so important to you, perhaps they are not the best choice of childcare providers for your family. The snacks they serve, the hours of operation, and their educational curriculum are far less important than the safety of your children.

How to Help the Child Who Does Not Like to Read

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Tip! Let your child dictate stories to you: Many children enjoy the art of storytelling, but find actual handwriting tiresome. Take this strain away from them by being their secretary.

As parents we all recognize the importance of reading, but what do you do when your child just does not like or enjoy reading? Here are several ideas and tips I found over the years.

Magazines are a wonderful way to help your child enjoy reading. My daughter loved fashion and beauty magazines. She would spend hours reading the articles and tips. Over the years, several teachers allowed her to count her magazine reading and write her reports on articles she found in magazines. If you have a child that is not enjoying reading, talk to the teacher and see if magazine reading is an acceptable alternative.

Read to your child as they follow along. I remember as an adult I met a 14 year old boy through a teen community I worked for online. He once told me that his mother still read to him. I asked him about this routine.

He said he loved hearing his mom read to him and it gave him and his mom great quality time together. He had a younger sister and his mom read to her each night, so after putting her to bed she would come spend time with her son and they would read together. He chose the books and she would read.

This got her involved in his favorite books and this allowed him to comprehend the book without him actually reading it. He told me that often after hearing his mom read the book, he would go back and reread the section they had read last night.

Tip! Use Consequences That Relate to Their Behavior ? Punishment teaches our kids to feel bad, but rarely teaches them how to ‘do good’. If you are encountering the same misbehaviors over and over again, your child is clearly not learning from their mistakes.

Buy a craft kit or model airplane kit and have your child read the instructions to put it together. This again is a wonderful way to spend quality time with your child while helping them enjoy reading. The end results are wonderful as they have not only read the instructions and followed them, but in the end you have a wonderful product you can use, hold or display.

Cook together, with your child reading the instructions. There is no incentive like brownies, cookies, or even lasagna. The catch is the child has to help read and prepare the food. My daughter has spent hour pouring through and reading cookbooks. We’ve also spent hours online looking at, reading and printing recipes. Young children can help measure, pour and mix. Older children can help shop for the foods, reading the labels and making sure you have the right ingredients.

Tip! Trust your instincts: Teachers may give you a wider understanding of your child ? take it on board ? but remember that your instincts are probably right.

Crossword puzzle books, word find books and logic puzzle books are wonderful for older kids. I have also seen very simple word find books for younger children. Not only does your child have to read the words in word find books but then they have to find the words hidden amongst other letters.

As my kids got a little older they used to create their own word find puzzles. We would make the grid on the computer. They would then create a word find based on a theme. They’d write the words, insert the words into the grid and then use the remaining letters of the alphabet as fillers. It was always fun for them to make sure they used every letter of the alphabet at least once or at least twice.

Tip! Help your child identify talents and hobbies that make him or her feel special.

Does your child like comic books? Again, this might be an area where you can negotiate with a teacher. Can your child write a report on the theme of the comics? Can your child share any lessons learned from the comics? Can your child write a report about the characters in the comic book? How does the character dress? What are some of the personality traits of the character? What criteria is the child using to determine the personality traits?

When you have a child that does not like to read, it’s time to get creative and try some of the above ideas or others you may have to interest your child in written words.

Audrey Okaneko is mom to two girls. She can be reached at audreyoka@cox.net or visited at http://www.scrapping-made-simple.com

How to Encourage Your Child to Dress as an Individual

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Tip! Water faucet: Water with 140 degrees Fahrenheit will produce a third-degree burn on a child in just 3 seconds! Set hot water heaters no higher than 120 degrees Fahrenheit. A lower water temperature will reduce the chance of scald burns.

Encouraging children to be individuals with their own thoughts and decisions is always a challenge to parents. One area in which children can differentiate themselves is through the clothing. Here are some ideas to help children of all ages to use clothing to reflect their unique personalities:

1. Encourage your child to be unique. Discuss the importance of individuality and why it’s important to be different. Explain how ?popular styles? and ?trendy clothing? are mass marketed and make everyone look the same. Discuss how clothing can be used to differentiate oneself from everyone else and why this can be important.

2. Allow your child to pick their own clothing. Let them learn important skills about decision making by selecting their own outfit each day. It may not be what you would choose?and it may be downright mismatched, but your child will learn about their own preferences, opinions, and how to express themselves through clothing choices.

Tip! It teaches life skills. My child can prepare his own breakfast, load the dishes into the dishwasher, and then clear the table and floor when he is done.

3. Select and purchase clothing for your child that is different than the mainstream, big box stores. Shop in a variety of locations from boutiques, consignments, department stores, online stores, to craft shows and bizarres. Seek out children’s clothes that reflect your child’s personality through color, texture, design, and style.

4. Lead by example. Have your own personal style and verbalize why you choose to wear the clothes you do. Explain why you are drawn to particular styles, colors, and textures and how these choices reflect who you are. Point out adults who have their own sense of style and how that contributes to who they are. Lead your child to observe differences in styles and how clothing can define who you are.

Marianne Mullen is Co-Owner of Polkadot Patch Boutique, a specialty boutique featuring unique baby and children’s clothes.

How To Create A Fun & Functional Child Playroom

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Tip! When your children have proved themselves to handling their pennies, take them to open their own bank accounts.

Play is what being a kid is all about. By creating a fun and functional child playroom we give our kids the best foundation there is. Sure there may be other rooms in the house where your children hang out to watch TV, play on the computer or play a board game with the rest of the family but none compares to the value of having an actual child playroom.

Having a room where imagination fuels the play is where it’s at. Child playrooms are all about giving your children the space and the equipment needed to inspire play. All children need is imagination and a child playroom to be creative in.

Tip! Baby Walkers: Each year, an average of 2 children die as a result of baby-walker related injuries. Holtzman recommends using a stationary activity center instead.

When it comes to creating a fun and functional child playroom it’s important to consider your child’s natural tendencies. What type of play does your child enjoy the most – is it arts and crafts, building forts, dramatic play, creating tall skyscrapers out of building blocks etc.?

Get input from the whole family regarding room design and set-up. Although it’s important to accommodate current interests and activities a wise parent also plans the space for future use. This is where it’s important to include adjustable shelving and incorporate lots of flat surfaces for future projects. A 5 year old will use a playroom very different from how a 10 year old would use it.

Tip! Listen and Communicate. If your child is old enough to give you information from his point of view, by all means listen to it.

For more ideas on designing and decorating child playrooms visit http://www.decorating-kids-rooms.net/decorating-child-play-room-decor-ideas.html

For a versatile child playroom and one that grows with your children keep the permanent elements in the room like tables, chairs and wall units basic. That’s the functional part.

The fun part comes in how you bring the room together with decorative accessories like fashionable slipcovers, wall decals, posters, and funky storage bins.

No matter their age, kids are natural magnets for stuff. Open shelving with lots of bins is often best way to go as it provides storage flexibility for now and in the future. Your shelving unit for the next few years may house a collection of storage bins filled to the brim with stuffed animals and building blocks and may later be replaced by books, board games and DVDs. As children get older many of them also like to display their collections of things. This is where open shelving comes in really handy.

If on the other hand, you prefer out of sight, out of mind storage when the kids aren’t actively using their playroom you may wish to consider armoires or storage cupboards to keep everything behind closed doors. It’s all a matter preference and what type of playroom you wish to create for your children.

Tip! Provide Flexibility with Boundaries ? Instead of boss, see yourself as your child’s coach or guide, responsible for providing them with experiences to learn from and allowing them to experience the consequences of their actions. Give clear guidelines, but also give them flexibility too.

Either way if you opt for open or closed storage you will want to make sure that any shelving units, storage cupboards or armoires are secured to the wall with toggle bolts and brackets.

Following are some creative ways to add a little fun to a functional child playroom space.

*In the craft area paint the chairs in different colors.

*Create a cushion floor using large multi-colored rubber puzzle pieces.

*Use a bulletin board for displaying artwork and posting special activity reminders.

*Turn baby wipe containers into great storage boxes for small craft supplies.

*For a great storage unit paint an old table and cover the sides with fabric to hide roll out storage containers of craft supplies.

*Revitalize old metal shelves with a little spray paint.

*Purchase unfinished shelves and paint them to match the room.

*To protect little fingers and bruises from hard edges consider padding your child’s toy box with quilt batting and fabric that matches the rooms d飯r.

*Create handy little cubbies by installing a few wooden shelving boxes here and there.

*Since kids love to play in enclosures consider purchasing a lightweight nylon tent, or making one yourself in a fabric that co-ordinates with the room. Another great idea would be to add some nylon crawl though tubes and cardboard house than can by decorated by your kids using paints or markets. Catalogues and magazines are a great source for ideas that you can adapt and craft yourself.

Tip! Take lots of photographs: In this age of digital photography, it doesn’t matter how many photographs we take, because we needn’t print or keep them all. Photographs provide an excellent memory of what your child does ? and you will probably notice things you hadn’t before.

Sherrie Le Masurier is an organizing consultant who helps parents organize and decorate their children’s rooms. She is a member of Professional Organizers in Canada (POC) and co-owner of http://www.decorating-kids-rooms.net – Copyright.

How to Tell if Your Child is Truly Popular or a Closet Extortionist

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Tip! Reading to your child will develop in him/her the desire to become a reader.

It’s no secret that school settings are ripe for bullying to occur. And so much attention is focused on the victim of bullying, it’s become common to address the symptom rather than the source.

So what do you do if you suspect, or know, that your child is the one causing the angst? Is your tendency to overlook the situation, thinking it will ‘work itself out’? Have you tried to curb the behavior with little or no result?

If you take Adlerian psychology seriously, then you’re familiar with the idea that there is always a reason for behavior, or as Adler outlined it, goals of misbehavior. Alfred Adler’s ideas about children’s goal-directed behavior were subsequently popularized by Erwin Wexberg, Rudolf Dreikurs, and Vicki Soltz, and are now used widely when trying to make heads or tails of someone’s actions.

Tip! Thank and Appreciate Your Child for What They Do ? Children want to please and they want to know that their contributions make a difference. Remember to tell them so?and often.

One of the most basic and helpful tools for parents, the goals of misbehavior can guide you to determine if your child exhibits signs of bullying, and how to address it. Any misbehavior quite easily can fit all four areas that Adler details, but most obviously, bullying fits the goal of revenge.

When people express themselves through the use of revenge, the recipients of this misbehavior will feel hurt or attacked and often times frightened. This goes for family, peers, anyone that is within the target radar.

And although this type of behavior can be the most challenging to approach (it’s one of the reasons the focus is often on empowering the victim!), it’s no more difficult than any other once you learn to remove any feelings of it being personal. As a parent, a tendency is to ignore it, lest your parenting be under attack. Whether or not parenting is the issue, it’s crucial that, as the parent, you work at understanding what the child is reacting to in their environment: it’s not about you at this point. It’s about guiding the child to a more productive way of operating.

Tip! It teaches life skills. My child can prepare his own breakfast, load the dishes into the dishwasher, and then clear the table and floor when he is done.

You are your child’s advocate. In order for you to fully engage in that role, it’s important to have your eyes wide open and have a high level of self-awareness. In this era of personal development and heightened awareness, turning a blind eye or claiming ignorance are no longer valid approaches to bullying or extortion.

Simplifications of these theories abound, but it takes a thorough understanding of how to implement the strategies for sustainable results. A trained coach or counselor can help immensely.

Coaching leaders around issues of balancing career and family, teaching early education and personal development since 1989, Natalie Tucker Miller has been serving as president for International Association of Coaches since January 2006.

http://www.NatalieTuckerMiller.com

http://certifiedcoach.org/mission/governors.html

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How To Create A Fun And Functional Child Playroom

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Tip! You need not handle your shy child with kid gloves, but be aware of how he feels and show that you understand.

Play is what being a kid is all about. By creating a fun and functional child playroom we give our kids the best foundation there is. Sure there may be other rooms in the house where your children hang out to watch TV, play on the computer or play a board game with the rest of the family but none compares to the value of having an actual child playroom.

Having a room where imagination fuels the play is where it’s at. Child playrooms are all about giving your children the space and the equipment needed to inspire play. All children need is imagination and a child playroom to be creative in.

When it comes to creating a fun and functional child playroom it’s important to consider your child’s natural tendencies. What type of play does your child enjoy the most – is it arts and crafts, building forts, dramatic play, creating tall skyscrapers out of building blocks etc.?

Tip! When your child is old enough encourage your child to purchase a journal or a diary where they can record their dreams and desires. This allows them to dream big and look forward to their lives ahead-filled with prosperity.

Get input from the whole family regarding room design and set-up. Although it’s important to accommodate current interests and activities a wise parent also plans the space for future use. This is where it’s important to include adjustable shelving and incorporate lots of flat surfaces for future projects. A 5 year old will use a playroom very different from how a 10 year old would use it.

Tip! Observe your child: That’s right. Just back off and actually watch them.

For more ideas on designing and decorating child playrooms visit http://www.decorating-kids-rooms.net/decorating-child-play-room-decor-ideas.html

For a versatile child playroom and one that grows with your children keep the permanent elements in the room like tables, chairs and wall units basic. That’s the functional part.

The fun part comes in how you bring the room together with decorative accessories like fashionable slipcovers, wall decals, posters, and funky storage bins.

No matter their age, kids are natural magnets for stuff. Open shelving with lots of bins is often best way to go as it provides storage flexibility for now and in the future. Your shelving unit for the next few years may house a collection of storage bins filled to the brim with stuffed animals and building blocks and may later be replaced by books, board games and DVDs. As children get older many of them also like to display their collections of things. This is where open shelving comes in really handy.

Tip! Be Positive, Warm, and Supportive. The focus of all communication between you and your child should be on teaching.

If on the other hand, you prefer out of sight, out of mind storage when the kids aren’t actively using their playroom you may wish to consider armoires or storage cupboards to keep everything behind closed doors. It’s all a matter preference and what type of playroom you wish to create for your children.

Either way if you opt for open or closed storage you will want to make sure that any shelving units, storage cupboards or armoires are secured to the wall with toggle bolts and brackets.

Following are some creative ways to add a little fun to a functional child playroom space.

Tip! Separate the Behavior from Your Child. You do not like that your child ran in the street? but you love your child.

*In the craft area paint the chairs in different colors.

*Create a cushion floor using large multi-colored rubber puzzle pieces.

*Use a bulletin board for displaying artwork and posting special activity reminders.

*Turn baby wipe containers into great storage boxes for small craft supplies.

*For a great storage unit paint an old table and cover the sides with fabric to hide roll out storage containers of craft supplies.

*Revitalize old metal shelves with a little spray paint.

Tip! Mouthwash: Many brands contain alcohol. Children are much more sensitive to the toxic effects of alcohol than adults.

*Purchase unfinished shelves and paint them to match the room.

*To protect little fingers and bruises from hard edges consider padding your child’s toy box with quilt batting and fabric that matches the rooms d飯r.

*Create handy little cubbies by installing a few wooden shelving boxes here and there.

*Since kids love to play in enclosures consider purchasing a lightweight nylon tent, or making one yourself in a fabric that co-ordinates with the room. Another great idea would be to add some nylon crawl though tubes and cardboard house than can by decorated by your kids using paints or markets. Catalogues and magazines are a great source for ideas that you can adapt and craft yourself.

Sherrie Le Masurier is an organizing consultant who helps parents organize and decorate their children’s rooms. She is a member of Professional Organizers in Canada (POC) and co-owner of http://www.decorating-kids-rooms.net – Copyright.

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How To Grow A Zen Child

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Tip! When your child is old enough encourage your child to purchase a journal or a diary where they can record their dreams and desires. This allows them to dream big and look forward to their lives ahead-filled with prosperity.

When children are raised naturally, in keeping with their own true hearts, there is nothing that we need to teach them. In fact, the children then become our teachers, reminding us of what is important in life, showing us how to express love and feel the simple adventure of being alive.

To grow a Zen child, means to raise a healthy, expressive, creative child–a child easily in touch with who they truly are. This child is naturally curious about life, experiencing each day as an adventure, going to sleep happy at night. This is a child to whom sharing comes naturally, who can laugh when things are funny and cry when they’re sad, who is not terrified of the consequences of their behavior or focused unnecessarily upon reactions of adults. This child then becomes strong and stable, able to weather all kinds of conflicting demands and pressures.

Tip! Don’t call your child ‘shy’. Studies have shown that often a child will grow to fit a label.

Actually, all of Zen practice comes simply to teach us how to become a child once again. Not how to become childish, but child-like, how to tap the natural knowingness, resources and spontaneity we were all born with, to find delight in our days and share it with others.

In order to grow a Zen child certain basic steps need to be honored and taken. These steps are not difficult though they may be different from the ways in which we have usually been trained to think about child-rearing.

Some Steps To Growing A Zen Child

1) Honor The Child’s Natural Wisdom And Gifts

Most of us feel that we have to fill our children with information, knowledge, skills, direction. From the moment they are born we must “mold” them in the right direction, so that they will grow to fulfill our values and images of a successful adult. We do not stop a moment and question how these images have impacted upon us, how fulfilled and whole our lives are. We teach our children much more by who we are than by what we preach.

Tip! Storage chests: Suffocation deaths occur in such places when children crawl inside and cannot escape. The best choice is one without a lid or one with a lightweight, removable one.

All children have their own innate wisdom, rhythms, sense of exploration, and ability to express what is most dear to them. Our job as caretakers is to create a loving, safe environment in which both we and they can discover who they are. Raising children, (like Zen practice) is a process of discovery. We must take our lead from the children, not impose ourselves upon them.

When children feel so deeply respected, all that is best and natural emerges easily. Their full intelligence and abilities become available to them. This kind of child will not become aggressive, distracted and filled with all kinds of fears. When a being’s basic nature is not interfered with, it becomes empowered to function at its best.

Tip! Listen and Communicate. If your child is old enough to give you information from his point of view, by all means listen to it.

2) Don’t Compare Your Child With Others

Conformity and competition have become a craze (and plague) in our nation and in the process of child rearing. Nothing could be worse for both the parents and children. Comparing your child’s progress, scores or abilities with those of other children tell you absolutely nothing about who he/she is, or how they will do in their lives. There are many ways and timetables for developing, and different gifts and abilities that different children have.

Remember that being different doesn’t mean being better or worse. Many kinds of trees and flowers are needed in a garden. An apple tree will produce the best possible apples, don’t force it to give you pears. Not only will that distort it’s growth, but it will make the apple tree very sad. A garden with only one kind of flower would become uninteresting. Just as we need roses, tulips, lilies, etc. for the garden to be complete, we need all kinds of different children to make a whole world.

Tip! Let Go of Timeouts ? Timeouts can work for some children (but there are far better techniques). Ultimately, the only person we can control is ourselves.

3) Allow Your Child To Express Who She Is

There are many, many constrictions placed upon what children are allowed to express. There is a demand for politeness, control and censure coupled with the intrinsic notion that certain thoughts and feelings are bad and cannot or should not be expressed. The child develops the sense that certain parts of them are bad and unacceptable. This causes these parts to go underground, and become the source of symptoms of all kinds.

Tip! Mouthwash: Many brands contain alcohol. Children are much more sensitive to the toxic effects of alcohol than adults.

Help the child find a way to communicate and express whatever he/she is going through. It can be done through words, song, art, plays, dancing together, planting flowers. Make sure you find a way to let them know you truly hear what it is they need to say. The child’s self worth will then grow.

4) Look For And See The Best In All The Child Does

Rather than find fault, criticize, punish and negate the child in the thousands of ways we usually do, specifically look for and see the best in the child and all that they do. Acknowledge it to them as well. Everyday let the child know something you are truly proud of them for and pleased with about them.

However, sadly, in many situations the opposite occurs, praise and acknowledgement is given rarely, in a context of criticism and complaint. Turn this around. Let the child realize that though they may have made an error, the totality of who they are is wonderful.

Tip! Balloons: More children have suffocated on uninflated balloons and pieces of balloons than any other type of toy. Balloon related deaths are more common among children ages three and older than among younger children.

You can also ask them what they are pleased with and proud of about you. If there is something troubling them in the relationship, this is a time it will come to the fore. There is nothing more crucial than keeping open lines of full communication between parents and child.

5) Grow Yourself!

Of course as parents grow a Zen child, they are simultaneously growing themselves. The way we treat another, reflects back upon us. The beauty and goodness we find in another, we begin to see wherever we go. As we loosen the bonds and chains we tie our children in, we are always freeing ourselves as well. Power struggles disappear in these kinds of relationships, and make lots of room for love to grow.

Tip! Take your child’s ideas seriously. By lessening the importance of a child’s concerns you lessen the child.

Cc/author/2005

Discover 2,000 year old Zen secrets to being calm, balanced and positive, no matter what is going on in your life, in Dr. Shoshanna’s new e-book, Living By Zen, (Timeless Truths For Everyday Life).(http://www.livingbyzen.com) Dr. Shoshanna is a psychologist, speaker, workshop leader, long term Zen practitioner and author of many books, including The Anger Diet, (30 Days to Stress Free Living), Zen Miracles (Finding Peace In An Insane World), and Zen and the Art of Falling In Love and Save Your Relationship (21 Basic Laws of Successful Relationships) and The Anger Diet (30 Days to Stress Free Living) Visit her at http://www.brendashoshanna.com or contact her at: mailto:topspeaker@yahoo.com

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How Parents Can Win the Battle To Keep Your Child Safe From Strangers This Holiday Season

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Tip! The TV is off. We all know our children watch too much TV and we are all the more likely to let them watch when we are focused on sometask.

When we think of Holiday shopping, we think of all the glowing lights at our area malls and the various eye-catching decorations in shopping centers. Along with distractions with our ‘to do’ list in our heads, we get preoccupied with carrying bags and scoping out gifts. But with all the whirlwinds of diversions, we cannot put our guard down with who is scoping out our own children.

To help with this here are the top 7 things parents can do to prevent their young from falling prey to strangers and child kidnappers in the busy hustle and bustle of the season.

1. Stay connected. Make sure you have your children with you whether in a stroller or holding your hand. Even if your child stays next to you other times of the year, all the distractions of toys, decorations, and Santa can make any kid get sidetracked. For older children invest in a family walkie-talkie set. Make sure they know how to use it and check in with them on regular time intervals to know where they are – even if they are right next to you.

Tip! It teaches life skills. My child can prepare his own breakfast, load the dishes into the dishwasher, and then clear the table and floor when he is done.

2. If your child is lost go right to security. Most malls and shopping centers have security protocol when a child is missing. Don’t try to look for your child alone. Let them help you the second you realize you cannot find your child – every moment counts.

3. Know what your child is wearing that day, and carry a recent picture with you in your wallet. Most moms and dads have lots of pictures of the kids, but baby pics are not helpful if your child is lost and security needs to search for them.

4. Teach your child what to do if a stranger approaches them. First – Run away! Second – Tell somebody!

5. Role play with your child ahead of time. Use tactics that some kidnappers have used in the past and teach your children not to ‘fall for a stranger’s sneaky tricks!’ i.e. stranger favorite lures: candy, video games, comic books, toys, telling them “your mommy told me to bring you home” etc.

Tip! The more your child hears sounds, the better he/she will process these sounds into words. When a child is preschool/kindergarten age the listening word starts to become the written word.

6. Do not have your child wear anything with their name on it – i.e. back packs, purses, and jackets. Child offenders with pick up these clues and use the child’s name when speaking with them to gain trust.

7. Practice, Practice, Practice! Reviewing these strategies not only will help your child remember, but keep it on your mind as well. We all want our children safe, happy and well for more holidays to come.

About The Author

Michelle Annese is the author of ‘The Realtor Survival Guide’ and owner of http://www.michelleannese.com, a web site devoted to information for women about self-defense, crime prevention and other personal safety topics.

 

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How to Choose the Right Car Seat for your Infant, Baby or Child

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Tip! Be Positive, Warm, and Supportive. The focus of all communication between you and your child should be on teaching.

The first thing to remember is to choose your new car seat by weight of the child and not by age. Some manufacturers give a guide range of age but it is only a guide as each child is different.

A car seat that is installed correctly can reduce the risk of serious injury or death by as much as 75%. Babies should be in rearward-facing baby seats until they weigh at least 13kgs and can sit up unaided, only then should they be placed in a forward facing seat. Try to keep them in a rearward-facing seat as long as possible as it’s the safest way.

As many as 80% of car seats are installed incorrectly, and the most common errors are not tightening the seatbelt and harness enough. Make sure your child is safe and properly strapped in and never place a car seat where there is an active airbag. Always read and follow the manufacturer’s instructions when fitting the seat

Tip! Let Go of Timeouts ? Timeouts can work for some children (but there are far better techniques). Ultimately, the only person we can control is ourselves.

It is far better to buy a new child seat; second hand car seats have suffered more wear and tear and may not be designed to current safety standards. If you must buy second hand make sure it’s either from family or friend so you know the car seat history, and that it comes with the full instruction manual for fitting.

Prices vary dramatically, and it is not necessarily best to buy the most expensive one. The most important thing is to make sure that the seat you choose is suitable for your child and for your car. There are a number of price comparison websites to help you.

Look through the manufacturer’s catalogues, on their websites, and in shops so you can see a broad range of seats, there are lots to choose from. If you will be constantly taking it in and out of the car, then a lightweight seat may be the best choice, and if you do a lot of travelling it will probably be better to get a car seat that reclines so your child will be more comfortable and can fall to sleep on those long journeys. Before you buy a car seat you should contact the child seat manufacturer to check if the seat will fit your car.

Tip! Balloons: More children have suffocated on uninflated balloons and pieces of balloons than any other type of toy. Balloon related deaths are more common among children ages three and older than among younger children.

The best car seat you can buy is the one that will fit your car and your baby!

Mark Hartshorne is a father with two young children and created a website to review baby car seats to offer parents a fair comparison on price, size, safety, design and more. That website is My Baby Car Seat.

 

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How To Choose Vitamins and Minerals For Kids

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Nutrition is an important consideration regardless of age. Choosing vitamins and minerals for kids is important. Most children will want the supplement they recently saw advertised on television but it’s important for parents to consider the vitamin and minerals that their child needs to grow up strong and healthy.

Most vitamin and minerals for kids come packaged in the form of television or movie characters. Most adults were introduced to this as well at an early age. Their parents purchased vitamins that tasted like candy and were shaped like the latest action hero. The daily dose of vitamin and minerals for kids was a highly anticipated event in many households as this was the closest thing to candy most children got on a daily basis.

The vitamin and minerals for kids today are virtually the same. They come in many popular flavors including cherry and grape and because they have a familiar shape the child enjoys taking them. Not all vitamin and minerals for kids are created equal though and the benefits of what they contain far outweigh how fun and appealing they are to eat.

Children’s bodies are different than adults. Their organs and muscles are still developing and it’s important that they receive adequate nutrition to help that process. Many children are choosy eaters and therefore the vitamins and minerals for kids can be even more important to them.

Parents should ask the child’s doctor what he or she recommends as a supplement that contains the dose of vitamins and minerals that the child needs. Not all supplements supply the same amount of vitamins and minerals for kids and it can be harmful to give your child things they don’t need.

There is also a difference in the amount of vitamins and minerals for kids of different ages. Obviously a three-year-old will require a smaller dosage than a ten-year-old. Although they may require the same vitamins and minerals the amount is an important consideration.

Once the doctor has advised the parent on which supplement contains the vitamins and minerals for kids of the age group they have, the parent can then choose one their child will take. It’s useless to pick a supplement that your child refuses to take. 

Vitamins and minerals for kids that are chewable are usually the best choice. Most children have difficulty swallowing a tablet and actually enjoy chewing the vitamin because of the fruity taste. Therefore it can be wise to take the child to the store with you and give them several choices. If the supplement contains the vitamins and minerals for kids that the doctor suggests and the child is excited about taking them, you’ve made the right choice. 

 

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