As my 18-month old increases his repertoire of foods (he calls it “um”), the state of his teeth has become more and more of a concern to me. Feeding was never a problem for my boy, but now he’s discovered the joys of juice, brownies, cheese…, and so on (he loves to eat!), I’ve been trying to brush his little pearly whites (with still some gaps in between) and tounge without much success.

After a bit of research however, I’ve found that I am not alone. In fact I even stumbled upon a desperate Mom who was still having power “toothbrush struggles” with her 4 -year old. Luckily, I’ve no problem at all whith my girl of the same age - just get her a “Dora” or “Barbie” toothbrush and some kind of bubblegum flavoured toothpaste and she even looks forward to brushing!

But to get back to the point, here are some useful tips on the topic:

1. Start by buying identically colored brushes for him and you. Next, sit with your child on the bathroom floor so he can see what you’re doing with the toothbrush and try to mimic it.

2. Once your child is willing to put the toothbrush in his mouth, let him take a turn putting it in yours. Make a game of it: Each time he brushes your teeth, you get a shot at brushing his. If this ploy works, move on to the next step: Letting him “brush” your teeth while you do a thorough job on his. If the ploy doesn’t work, though, don’t push it.

3. Let your toddler climb up on a footstool (with you behind him for safety) so he can see himself in the bathroom mirror. As he stares at the reflection of the two of you, point to and count his teeth and yours. Then touch each tooth with the brush “to give it its share of toothpaste.”

4. Be encouraging and clap when he’s done it. Some parents even give little stickers or some kind of (non-food preferably) small reward.

In the news: A recent study performed by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) found disturbing information claiming that teens who listen to their iPods and MP3 players at volumes relatively louder than adults experience symptoms of hearing loss.

The ASHA notes that it’s not solely MP3 players and iPods that are responsible for these signs of hearing loss. Instead, it’s the combination of length of time and volume at which the teens are listening to music through headphones that is responsible for the damage.

Thankfully, teenagers seem to have some understanding of this. The ASHA’s survey shows that nearly 70 percent of students say that they are “likely” to turn down the volume of music when listening to it through earphones. However, 58 percent said they weren’t likely to cut down on the time they spent listening to music with earphones on. “Louder and longer is definitely not the way to use these products,” says Brenda Lonsbury-Martin, PhD, ASHA’s chief staff officer for science and research.

The National Institute on Deafness and Other Communication Disorders (NIDCD) offers three basic rules for limiting the damage done to your children’s ears by listening to iPods and MP3 players:

1. Make sure that he or she can hear normal conversation voices while listening to music through headphones

2. Limit the amount of time he or she spends listening to any type of music through headphones to one hour a day

3. Set the volume of their music player no higher than 60 percent of the maximum

With the new school year looming, us parents are getting our kids ready for school - and for those whose little ones are starting kindergarten for the very first time, things can get more than exciting not just for the student, but for us moms as well. After all, our babies are now stepping into the big world out there!

Here are some of our favourite mom-tested tips to prepare us all for the big K day:

Be Encouraging and Confident

The key here is not to transmit any fears or concerns you may have about your child being out in the wide world (and all the terrible things we hear in the news). Kids have a kind of ESP with their parents, so any fears could easily have an effect. Be confident for them and remember to enjoy this milestone in your child’s life, and not see it purely as the beginning of her academic studies.

Go Shopping!

Many parents like to take their child out shopping for school, which often turns into a fun activity for both. You can pick out a lunchbox, school bag, pencils, shoes, clothes and even pillows to prepare for the exciting new time ahead. I did this with my daughter, and it was a special trip for both of us, not to mention useful for stocking up on all the necessities she needed for the year.

Be Familar With The Surroundings

It helps if your child has friends from playgroup who will be going to the same school, or even relatives or neighbors. My daughter attended Nursery classes at the same school, so the transition to Kindergarden was very exciting for her (moving up to “big” class) and not at all a problem. If this isn’t the case for your child, make sure to visit the school a few times and let your child “sit in” to familiarise herself with the surroundings.

Most importantly, celebrate this time with your child and help her have as much fun learning as possible.

If you think that shopping with a toddler is bad enough, imagine what it would be like if he discovers how much fun it is to run away from you at a crowded store. Or worse, a crowded airport.

You can’t keep him chained to his stroller all the time, but the possible alternative of losing him would be the worst nightmare ever.

Experts say that for children under 3, it is virtually impossible to teach them the dangers when in public places or when travelling, so the bottom line is it is up to the parents.

Rule number one is to keep him safely strapped into his stroller, until you find a child-friendly area he can explore – like a playground for instance. And always keep him close to you. There have been too many terrible news reports about a parent entering a store to buy something quickly, leaving the child outside in the stroller for conveniences sake, only to find the stroller (and their child), gone when they return. That obviously is the worst case scenario, but when it comes to your child it always makes sense to be extra cautious.

Other alternatives are backpacks or a toddler harness. Stay away from wrist straps as this could pose as a danger if someone (or something) comes in-between suddenly. These devices can extend up to three feet, so imaging walking in a busy street (or park even), and a big dog bounds through unexpectedly. Your toddler could fly off with him!

Kids need to be independent and responsible as they grow up. What better way to do this than to give them household chores which they can handle. Studies have shown that children who are given responsibility for tasks they can carry out are more likely to have a greater sense of family belongingness and develop confidence that they can contribute to life in a significant manner.

As a child grows, psychologists recommend adding new responsibilities instead of just spoiling them. Remember though to give them tasks that they can handle according to their age. For example, kids aged three to six can be asked to water the plants or clean up their own toys.

The reward and punishment system still works in this case. By all means, do praise your kids for their effort in fulfilling the simple tasks assigned to them regardless if the job is done properly or not. A big hug, a high five, a pat on the back will surely go a long way in teaching responsibility among children. It will give them a good feeling for what they’ve done.

On the other hand, make sure not to frighten the young ones if they do not finish their tasks. This will only discourage them from learning their responsibilities. Just let them experience the consequences of their not being able to complete the task by, for instance, not granting a privilege of watching television for that day. Be firm in giving them the necessary punishment.

A parent’s guidance and example are indeed vital in maintaining this kind of training in the house. Once you have started this system, you may need to remind them from time to time about their tasks.

[tags]parenting, family, childcare[/tags]