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How to Build Your Child’s Self-Confidence

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One of the most important tasks of a parent is to help his child develop self-confidence. This should start early on during the toddler stage when a child is starting to walk and explore his surroundings. This may not be an easy process because it entails patience and persistence.

It is only when parents give their child the freedom to commit mistakes can they establish self- confidence. It means allowing them to fall down and get up again, to understand that things are not smooth sailing all the time and teaching them to understand that problems can always occur.

When you are able to allow your child to fail, you’re doing the right move. You don’t have to feel sorry for him or her or for yourself. Let it be and just encourage the child to get back up and try again.

Do understand that there are really kids who show some sense of independence at an early age. They want to try things for themselves without a parent’s help such as in pouring his own milk, drinking water from a glass, putting on his shoes or pants or even walking. These things they try to do even if you feel they won’t do it right.
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Best Toys for Babies

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For mental growth and development of your babies, giving them toys is a great idea. It helps sharpens their minds at the same time giving them so much enjoyment. However, as parents you need to very careful about the toys you give your babies, make sure that they are safe to play with and your babies like them. Babies are attracted to bright colors and to different sounds. There are some educational toys for babies that can make different sound of the alphabet. These toys will surely help them get ready to talk.

Bright colors like red, blue, yellow and green attracts most babies. You might want to buy some that comes in different shapes of even large puzzle pieces to incorporate cognitive development at an early age. But your baby might just probably throw them away or bite on them. This is fine babies love to bite especially when teething. So you have to be very picky when it comes to the texture of the toys, they should never come with small parts or a string. These are hazardous especially to babies, since they love biting on the toys, they might choke accidentally on those tiny parts.

Building blocks are great toys for babies especially those that come in varying bright colors. This will help them develop the hand and eye coordination. You may want to teach them how to build blocks at first and then gradually introduce how to make big blocks out of them. These safe and developmental baby toys are great your child.

Home Emergencies – Panic or Calm

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Most first time parents due to inexperience, panic in the face of medical emergencies. Me and my wife for example have two totally different approaches to emergencies such as the frequent bumps and scratches that sends your child running to you so learning to recognize something serious is the key and experience would educate you best. My wife gets into a panicked state every time she sees blood accompanied by the uncontrollable cries of our child, I merely step back, take a look at the situation and analyze the situation if it needs medical attention or if first aid can do the trick. For example, an open wound and compound fracture is always serious so speed to the hospital for care. High fever during teething is normal and can be handled with analgesics while being in constant contact with your pediatrician who would tell you to get help if needed.

Having experienced medical emergencies as a volunteer which developed my abilities to recognize life-threatening and trivial injuries, just hope more people would recognize this as a vital skill to have for it helps you lower your insurance premiums. Do some research on the web for health tips that can add to your knowledge of which emergencies to treat seriously and which are mere casual. Information and knowledge is the key, the more trips you take to the ER, the more a risk you are for the insurance firm so they have the option to ask more for insurance.

Uncontrolled Emotions – Health Risks

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depresseart1Depression, anger, lack of social skills and many more, these are classical signs of either underlying sickness or too much stress. Nope, you’re not crazy but might need help, who needs psychologists who charge tons of money. Get help from people like you who may have overcome these challenges themselves and have ample experience to help you through. From seasoned professionals who are well versed in such cases or merely people who want to help and have dealt with people like you, what’s important is to accept that something is wrong and that help is needed.
Acceptance is one of the most difficult things to do, for no one, and we mean no one wants to admit it outright they have issues. Pent up anger can get out of hand and easily turn violent without therapy and counseling. Have a child who seems out of the game most of the time, get help quick so you can get help on tips how you can help them develop into more lively kids.
Getting help is the first step, recovery is the ultimate goal which we all strive to attain. Learn how people overcome fear, anxiety and dread of things we take fore granted. Learn how your fears can be turned into positive approaches to the most common problems we face. The current economic slump isn’t helping either, lost your job, need help or simply want a sympathetic ear to ease away the pain. Depression is so hard to battle when you’re alone. You sacrifice your health, family and life for something that can be addresses with simple yet effective conversations. Get help, get on your way to a healthier you, inside and out!

Training Your Dog

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dogtrainDogs like many creatures have an inert ability to learn and getting them started early is key to avoiding problems in adult life. Being nice to have around kids, they teach them the fundamentals of responsibility that can go both ways with dog training. Simple routines that the animal can remember gives them character and takes away some of the mischievousness they possess in adult life.
Dogscan be taught many a unique skills and they often learn so much they can amaze many with that ability. Your kids can also learn with a little encouragement that their dog is a responsibility, getting to share the load of care and upkeep of the pet. Dogs live an average of 10 to 12 years depending on the breed and for a good relationship, one that is manageable to the family and home is best. Breeds that tend to love kids grow protective of their young masters as well as the rest of the family. Being social, getting them to move around is good for it develops good social behavior essential for a well mannered canine. In the end your family will have a pet that loves you all with the bond getting stronger each passing year as you both grow in love.

Benefits of the Affordable Care Act for Our Kids

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Healthcare reform is a very hot topic, with everyone having very strong opinions about the issues facing the healthcare industry in the United States. Whatever your stand may be on the Affordable Care Act, as a parent, I am sure that you can appreciate the changes it has brought to the healthcare industry when it comes to better insurance policies for our kids.

One of the best things that the Affordable Care Act has brought about is in the coverage of pre-existing conditions. We all know how frustrating it can be to have coverage for everything, except for the very medical conditions that already ail our kids. In the past, insurance companies can deny your child coverage for health problems and disabilities that was discovered and/or treated before you applied for coverage. Due to the Affordable Care Act, since September of last year, all job-related health plans as well as individual health insurance policies that was issued after March 23, 2010 are no longer allowed to deny coverage for your children who are under 19 years of age due to pre-existing conditions. In addition to that, insurance companies are also not allowed to place limits on pre-existing conditions so that you can be assured that your child will be able to get the medical attention he obviously already needs. This clearly makes the healthcare industry a lot more child-friendly.

Despite these improvements, there are clearly other things that need to change with the present healthcare industry. However, changes such as these are a step in the right direction in ensuring that our children get the medical care that they need.

To Spank Or Not To Spank?

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For as long as anyone can remember, disciplining children has been a hot parenting topic. I think that we can all agree that we need to instill discipline and values in our children. The question lies in the method. How do we discipline our children? What is the right way? Is there even a right and wrong way?

For some, the Biblical principles of not sparing the rod apply. I have to admit that I see value in this principle. It has been tried and tested over the ages, and as long as certain guidelines are followed, it is quite effective in showing children that actions have consequences, and that they will have to face those consequences.

Spanking, however, has its detractors. Indeed, recent studies have shown that spanking just might prove to be harmful under certain circumstances. An article published in Pediatrics (the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics) earlier this week states that spanking young children might increase their risk for aggressive behavior in their later years. Here are the official results of the study:

Frequent use of CP (ie, mother’s use of spanking more than twice in the previous month) when the child was 3 years of age was associated with increased risk for higher levels of child aggression when the child was 5 years of age (adjusted odds ratio: 1.49 [95% confidence interval: 1.2–1.8]; P < .0001), even with controlling for the child's level of aggression at age 3 and the aforementioned potential confounding factors and key demographic features.

Bottom line: the study provides huge support to the followers of the no spanking principle.

My question is this: should we throw away the idea of spanking because of the study?

We are all still entitled to our own opinions. I am sure that there are those of you who are nodding their heads right now, agreeing with the study. I have to say, however, that I do not think that we should do away with spanking. It has a purpose, and done the right way, teaches children a lot of things.

I believe that in order for spanking to serve its purpose, we have to take note of these things:

1. There should be no sense of anger involved. We are disciplining our children to teach them a lesson, not to vent.
2. The child being disciplined should understand why he is being spanked. This is another reason parents should not spank their kids when they’re angry. The idea of cause and effect, actions and consequences, should be explained to the child being disciplined.
3. The parent should not fail to show the child being disciplined that he/she is loved despite the fact that he is being spanked. Again, this is part of the whole process. The child should understand that he is being taught a lesson, not in anger or hatred, but because it is part of growing up.

That’s my take on the spanking issue. What about you?

Are You Spending More Time With The Kids?

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The Easter holidays have traditionally been the time for families to get together. I think it is practically the same all over the world – at least in those parts where Easter is celebrated. Anyhow, we went to a relatively nearby beach resort for an extended weekend, and one thing that struck me was that there were quite a lot of families there. I suppose I shouldn’t have been that surprised as this resort is well known for being family-friendly. The many other times that I have visited this place, though, I didn’t see as many families with kids. Another thing that was good to see was how much time the parents and kids spent with each other. We would be sitting there enjoying the sun and sand, and we would see other parents and their children doing the same. Even those with teenagers were having a great time with each other! (Now those with teens would know that this phase is not the easiest when it comes to parenting!)

I couldn’t help but feel happy that in this day and age of family dysfunction, I was surrounded by people who valued time spent with the family; children and parents who genuinely seemed to enjoy being around each other.

Lest you think that this is a mere impression on my part, let me share with you an article published recently in a New York Times blog. Written by Tara Parker-Pope, it talks about how family time has grown – surprisingly. She writes that while modern parents continually moan over how they do not have enough time for the kids due to all the responsibility heaped on their shoulders, a recent study shows that the parents of today actually spend more time with the family as compared to parents of previous generations.

She quoted numbers to back up her statement:

The study, by two economists at the University of California, San Diego, analyzes a dozen surveys of how Americans say they use their time, taken at different periods from 1965 to 2007. It reports that the amount of child care time spent by parents at all income levels — and especially those with a college education — has risen “dramatically” since the mid-1990s. (The findings by the husband-and-wife economist team of Garey Ramey and Valerie A. Ramey appear in a discussion paper presented in March at a Brookings Institution conference in Washington.)

Before 1995, mothers spent an average of about 12 hours a week attending to the needs of their children. By 2007, that number had risen to 21.2 hours a week for college-educated women and 15.9 hours for those with less education.

The figures for 2007 are impressive, aren’t they? If you think about a week as being 40 hours (for those who work, that’s the normal time spent at the office), half of that is spent on childcare! That number can easily rise for stay at home moms (or dads, for that matter).

Now, the question is this: how much time do you spend on your children? I suppose we shouldn’t really be fixated on the numbers alone, but it’s a great start. The year isn’t halfway gone, maybe it’s time that you re-consider the amount of time that you allot for the family.

Are Slings Dangerous?

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Every year, some pieces of news breaks out – the kind that tends to change the way we look at things. In the realm of parenting, the latest controversy is lambasting the tried and tested baby sling. I don’t know about you, but this contraption has been so useful to me and countless other parents I know. In spite of the fact that so many people have been using the baby sling for as long as anyone can remember, new “developments” have arisen that question its safety and efficacy.

The Health News Digest tells us more:

It seems the CPSC was alerted by Consumer Reports, an independent, nonprofit agency that tests and rates the quality of a wide range of products. Consumer Reports raised valid concerns when they reported thirty-seven infants who were seriously injured in the past eleven years from falling out of slings and seven deaths from suffocation. They specifically cited the Infantino “SlingRider” and the “Wendy Bellissimo” carriers as a major culprit in the suffocation deaths of two infants (largely due to its pouch-like design) and asked the CPSC to issue a recall noting that it had previously been recalled in 2007 for the breaking of shoulder strap adjusters. Such a recall was not included in their March 12th statement; however Consumer Reports insists that “Because of those incidents, and the lack of safety standards, infant slings are on our list of products not to buy for your baby.”1 They do so without considering product design or track record and without assessing the relative risks (in other words comparing the percentage of babies worn in slings to the considerably small percentage of deaths.)

(For your information, CPSC stands for the Consumer Product Safety Commission.)

So anyway, why the sudden attention on baby slings? I just don’t get it! Think about the countless issues regarding car seats, cribs, play pens, and similar other contraptions used regularly for babies. They have been under scrutiny for a long time, and yet they have not really been banned. Why? Because they are necessary and steps have been taken to ensure that children will be safe.

When it comes to baby slings, I think the same approach should be taken. My children have outgrown the sling, and they are just fine. I am sure that many other mothers will agree with me on this. What do you think? Are baby slings safe enough or should they be banned?