(1) Do Not Always Say “Yes”

As easy as it might be to say “yes” every time a young child asks for things, resist falling into that habit. It is important that you only give your child things on your terms. It is crucial that parents always show, through words or actions, that they are the ones in control, not children, and to accomplish this in a positive, loving way.

(2) Serve Medicine With Ease

If your child has a condition that requires medicine, mix it into a sweet liquid. You can hide it in the child’s favorite juice, or just stir some sugar directly into the medicine. For eye drops, since children can never keep their eyes open, have them close the eye and apply a drop to the corner of the eye, then have them blink. When they open their eyes, you will see that the eye drop falls directly in.

(3) Soothe a Finicky Baby

To soothe a finicky baby, deck an essential oil, like lavender, on your neck near where the baby rests. The oil has a smell which should calm and soothe the child. The lavender can also run double duty in helping your baby fall asleep due to the calming properties of the oil.

(4) Toy Variety

Maintain variety in your toddler’s toys. Shift to toys that haven’t been played with in a while to prevent boredom, and use all the toys to his or her full potential. Children can become uninterested in a toy quickly, unless it’s a favorite. By rotating toys, your child will see them as new and exciting again when you reintroduce them. This will save you from having to buy more and more toys.

(5) Traveling

When you are traveling with young children, try to keep familiar routines intact, such as meals and bedtime. Small children and infants are often stressed out by traveling. However, if you follow their normal bedtime ritual no matter where you are, they are likely to have no problems sleeping.

As you should already be aware, raising a child is simultaneously the most difficult and the most rewarding thing you will ever do. Whether you are the parent of a newborn or already have several older children, there is an unending stream of questions and challenges when it comes to parenting. Try applying the ideas you have just reviewed to help you resolve your own parenting issues in a positive manner.

(1) Positive Reinforcement

Positive reinforcement is often the best option when dealing with children who are difficult or have repetitive behavior issues. Sometimes, these negative behaviors are just a way for children to express themselves. Many children are unsure of how to show their feelings properly. Helping your child find ways to express how they feel is one of the best things that you can do.

(2) Stay Involved

Always stay involved in your child’s life. You’ll find that most education professionals are more than happy to let you know what your offspring is experiencing in the hours he or she is away from you. Take advantage of the options that are available to you and stay active in your child’s schooling.

(3) Consistent Rules

You should give your children a consistent set of rules to follow. Clearly communicate the negative consequences associated with failure to abide by those rules. Establishing rules and setting limits shows them that you care and that you want them to do right. Not only do they encourage good behavior, rules can make the job of being a parent easier for both your significant other and you.

(4) Relationship Role Model

You and your spouse should foster a strong relationship. Children learn about relationships from the example set by their parents. This can help their childhood and their adulthood. You will be proud of the man that you have raised.

(5) Uniqueness

Each child is unique and has different needs and expectations. What works on one child may be completely ineffective on the next. This applies to rewards as well as to punishments. Regardless, keep in mind the techniques that were effective in the past.

(6) Share Time Evenly

If you are due to have another baby, realize that you will have to distribute your time evenly between the kids. It is often the child who cries the loudest that gets more attention. When you are aware of this already, you can avoid feelings of guilt.

(7) Healthy Eating

You can reinforce good eating habits by eliminating high-calorie snacks and junk food from your home. Your child probably won’t ask for junk food if you don’t have any around. Try reserving these special treats for events like Halloween and Christmas.

Getting knowledgeable advice is the best way to improve your parenting. Try applying the tips from this article and see how your child reacts. With time, you should gain confidence and know right away what is best. Becoming a great parent can be challenging, and it is important to succeed. You are better equipped to take on the challenge then you even realize.

During my last checkup, my optometrist blasted me a bit when he found out that I seldom wear sunglasses. I was told it is one of the known causes of cataracts, and, in fact, sun exposure is the No. 1 cause of eye disease.

Read more here.

p.s. Do not just buy sunglasses that are tinted plastic. Ensure that they have actual UV filtering. Investigate and read the fine print.

I know that times have been tough financially, and I wanted to pass on some helpful information that I thought you could use.

Two years ago Joy Anderson became a single mom. And wanting to stay home with her 3 young kids, she had to find a work-from-home job that would give her a full-time income. She considered running a home daycare, but she didn’t like certain aspects of running a home daycare business, like working 10-12 hours a day!

So she removed all the negative aspects about the business and created something I was totally blown away by! She only works 5 hours a day and makes a full-time income! And she only takes children ages 3-5. She says it’s the best job for stay-at-home moms because you actually spend quality time with your children WHILE you’re making money!

You’ve got to see what she does! Check out her story here: Joy’s Story

Plus, she’s put together some really cool videos (and even a CD she’s giving away for free) to teach you how to do it too!

So if you haven’t started your daycare yet because the whole process seems overwhelming,
or…
if you’ve started your daycare and you feel overwhelmed with the long hours you’re working every day, I whole-heartedly recommend you go check our her story here.

(NOTE: The above is an ad. I have not been paid a fee to place the ad here. If, however, you purchase anything from Joy, I may receive a commission, which then helps to pay the expenses of this website)

Have you ever made your checklist? Here are the baby-proofing items that should be at the must-have tippy top.

I recognize that we don’t all have hundreds of dollars in order to throw down the all-important childproofing budget gap. To help the security of the serious yet monetarily fainthearted, I’ve classified them into the “musts”, meaning that you should not care where you buy them, but good parenting requires them.

When you have more than 1 kid (or are easily distracted), consider the more distractions you have in your house, the more distractable you are, the more important your baby-proofing is.

The following (in order of importance) 9 baby proofing items you “must” have to maintain baby safe:

1 – A Good Gate: Even if you are living in a ranch-style home or even an apartment with no stairway, there will be rooms or areas you will not want your baby wandering into, so a good gate is completely a must-have babyproofing purchase.

2 – A Blind Winder: The number of children strangled every year due to dangling blind and also shade cords is devastating. In fact, the Consumer Product Safety Commission lists cords as one of the “hidden risks” parent’s don’t think of. There are numerous inexpensive window blind winders out there, however if you have to by hand re-wind the cord right after every use, then chances are you won’t use it.

3 – Anti-Tip Anchors: If you have a climber (or probable climber) on your hands, furniture straps are a must. Whether it’s a dresser or a shelf, attach these heavy pieces of furniture on the wall with anti-tip band in order to avoid the furniture from tipping over.

4 – Fireplace Safety: Hard stone around the fire hearth can be very harmful with little ones around. Its sharp edges and rough stone corners can cut, as well as seriously hurt the tripping child. You have to choose one of the numerous good hearth bumper pads available in the marketplace.

5 – Corner Edge Bumpers: You can deal with the corners of your end-tables and coffee tables with corner and side guards. One-dimension-fits all because you minimize the foam to fit your particular table precisely.

6 – Outlet Covers: For used outlets with cords, you may buy a cover that may prevent your child from unplugging the cord and messing with the outlet. They are best for high-traffic areas where you will be plugging and un-plugging items frequently.

7 – Childproof Latches for Cabinets and Drawers: Drawer latches are also a must-have for childproofing your home. They’ll prevent your growing infant from hitting intact drawers with sharp or tiny items stored inside. Ideal for your kitchen, bathroom, or home office. Choose childproof latches that won’t allow your little one to get even a hand inside.

8 – Railing Net: Stair as well as railing nets may also be a must if your railing spindles are generally further than 2.5 to 3 ins apart.

9 – Bath tub Safety Items: Bath-time is always interesting for a growing baby. Keep it risk-free by using some of these little accessories.

• bathtub thermometer to gauge water temperature.
• bathtub safety rail to help the little one get in and out of the tub safely.
• faucet cover that will protect her little head from nasty bumps.

These are the most crucial baby safety gear items out there. Consider them as an crucial investment you will make in the years of growth and exploration still ahead of you.

About the Author: Bonnie M. Ryan is now writing for the designer baby bags web site, her personal hobby blog focused on recommendations to help mothers to get details to become much more eco-conscious and make their very own eco-friendly baby diaper bags.

Optometrists at routine eye examinations can detect vision and eye health issues which if left undetected could cause lasting problems, potentially affecting other areas of a child’s life. The Canadian Association of Optometrists encourages parents to take their children as young as six months for an eye exam and has the following tips for parents:

• 20-20 vision doesn’t necessarily mean healthy eyes. Research shows 98 per cent of Canadian optometrists have detected vision problems in children despite parents’ claims of 20-20 vision.

• A common misconception is that children need to be able to read in order to have their eyes checked. In fact, the Canadian Association of Optometrists recommends eye exams in infants by six months, at age 3, and annually from ages 5 to 19.

• Be alert for signs that your child could have a vision problem. If your child is losing his or her place while reading, rubbing his or her eyes or performing below his or her potential in school then take your child to their optometrist for an eye exam. For more information on signs and what to look for, visit www.opto.ca

• A review of your child’s health and vision history

• Tests for nearsightedness, farsightedness, astigmatism, colour perception, lazy eye, crossed-eyes, eye coordination, depth perception and focusing ability.

Take your child to see an optometrist annually for a routine eye exam. Make your child’s first test an eye exam.

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About The Author

News Canada provides a wide selection of current, ready-to-use copyright free news stories and ideas for Television, Print, Radio, and the Web.

News Canada is a niche service in public relations, offering access to print, radio, television, and now the Internet media, with ready-to-use, editorial "fill" items. Monitoring and analysis are two more of our primary services. The service supplies access to the national media for marketers in the private, the public, and the not-for-profit sectors. Your corporate and product news, consumer tips and information are packaged in a variety of ready-to-use formats and are made available to every Canadian media organization including weekly and daily newspapers, cable and commercial television stations, radio stations, as well as the Web sites Canadians visit most often. Visit News Canada and learn more about the NC services.

A recent study by Toronto Public Health found rates of breastfeeding among new mothers drop significantly six months after the birth, especially when the mothers fed their babies breast milk and formula in hospital.

Dr. David McKeown, Toronto’s chief medical officer of health, found the results concerning, given that the benefits of breastfeeding are well known. It reduces the risk of sudden infant death syndrome, as well as gastrointestinal, ear and respiratory infections in infants.

I wrote a more in depth article available at this site, and I also created a short YouTube video about this topic.

For more details on the Toronto study, see the Toronto Star article here.

Watch this short video from News Canada.

• Hot stoves can be extremely hazardous for children and adults. The stove that you use should be at a high level so that your child cannot access it. Even though the stove is kept away, your child can always raise his hand and touch one of the hot surfaces. If you envisage that there will be times that you may be away, try and make a gate around the area where you have the stove.
• Another thing that you can do is to use the back burners as much as possible so that you child cannot reach up to that level. When you do have to use the front burners try and keep the handles of the pots on the stove towards the back. This will ensure that your baby cannot pull the handles and get the hot contents tumbling down.
• Get covers for the stove knobs so that your child does not switch it on inadvertently. These covers can ensure that there are no burning accidents.
• It is very likely that you may leave knives, forks and other sharp objects on the shelf without realizing this. It can happen to a large extent while you are in the process of cooking something. And then there is the phone call and you go to check without realizing that dangerous objects are lying around. Leave the knives and forks in the sink or in the dishwasher even if you are leaving the kitchen for a few seconds.
• When not in use, ensure that the knives and forks are in a cabinet that has a child proofing latch. These latches are available easily and should be used on all cabinets that are at the lower level.
• It is also a good idea to get a latch or lock for the dishwasher because the dishwasher generally contains all sharp used utensils that can harm your child.

These are just a few of the things that you need to ensure when you are childproofing your kitchen. Make sure that you think through the whole process and spend adequate amount of time planning the childproofing process for the kitchen. You will realize that the kitchen has the maximum number of aspects to take care of.

“While pets such as dogs, cats and birds can transmit infection, it is unlikely that you or your child will get sick from touching these animals. Some infections caused by pets are common, such as salmonellosis, roundworm and hookworm infections, and cat scratch disease, while others like plague are rare,” says Dr. Colette Pienaar of LifeLabs.

LifeLabs conducts more than 50 million, physician-requested diagnostic tests on more than 10 million Canadians every year, so this laboratory is in a prime position to identify various health trends, including infections caused by pets.

“The best defence against transmission of infections by pets is hand washing,” Dr. Pienaar emphasizes.

Other LifeLabs tips to prevent infection in you and your child include:

• Teach children to wash their hands well with soap and running water after handling pets, their feces and pet chews.

• Supervise children younger than 5 years old while they are playing with pets.

• Keep your pet(s) healthy to ensure the health of your family, by keeping up to date with vaccinations, deworming, tick and flea control as well as regular visits to the vet.

• Teach children not to kiss or share food with their pet.

• Teach children not to play rough with their pets to prevent bites and scratches. If bitten or scratched, immediately clean the affected area with soap and water.

• Keep children away from dog and cat feces, indoors and outdoors. Litter trays should be placed where your kids do not play.

• If older children are responsible for cleaning litter boxes, teach them to wear gloves while cleaning up, and to wash their hands afterwards.

• Help your pet stay clean. Remove dirt from their paws and fur. Teach your child how to bath and groom their pet regularly.

• Keep children’s sandboxes covered and teach your children not to eat dirt so as to avoid potential contact with animal feces.

www.newscanada.com