Plastic Alert Plastic food storage containers may be affecting your child's health. New studies prove that Phthalates which are found in some plastic and vinyl materials can cause diabetes, and increase insulin resistance, leading to diabetes as well as heart problems, and bisphenol-A (BPA) leading to increased body fat and bigger waistlines. Solutions to this problem: Using glass/ ceramic containers to store food or plastic containers that are BPA free and Melamine free. Using traditional paper bag or a stainless steel lunch box, and send stainless steel or bamboo fork or spoon instead of plastic ones sold in the market. When using microwave to heat food, use glass/ceramic containers to hold food and heat. Even if the plastic container is labelled as BPA free and Microwave safe, avoid using the plastic ones. Use a glass/ceramic/ paper towel as lip instead of plastic spill-guards or plastic wraps. - Prathyusha More articles from this author..... http://teluguone.com/vanitha/content/little-helpers-76-26448.html#.UuXylfu6Zkg
CUTE RELATIONSHIP WITH CHILDREN •Develop a warm, caring relationship with children: Show them that you care deeply about them. Express joy in who they are. Help them to feel safe and secure. •Serve-and-return: Like a tennis match, how you respond to a child’s cues and clues makes a world of difference in their learning. Notice their rhythms and moods, even in the first days and weeks of life. Respond to children when they are upset as well as when they are happy. Try to understand what children are feeling, what they are telling you (in words or actions), and what they are trying to do. Hold and touch them; play with them in a way that lets you follow their lead. Move in when children want to play, and pull back when they seem to have had enough stimulation. •Recognize that each child is unique: Keep in mind that from birth, children have different natures, that they grow at their own step, and that this step varies from child to child. At the same time, have positive expectations about what children can do and hold on to the belief that every child can succeed. •Talk, read, and sing to children: Surround them with language. Maintain an ongoing conversation with them about what you and they are doing. Sing to them, play music, tell stories and read books. Ask babies and preschoolers to guess what will come next in a story. Play word games. Ask babies and preschoolers questions that require more than a yes or no answer, like “What do you think…?” Ask children to picture things that have happened in the past or might happen in the future. Provide reading and writing materials, including crayons and paper, books, magazines, and toys. These are key pre-reading experiences. •Encourage safe exploration and play: Give children opportunities to move around, explore and play. Help them to explore relationships as well. Arrange for children to spend time with children of their own age and of other ages and support their learning to solve the fights that certainly arise. •Use discipline to teach: Talk to children about what they seem to be feeling and teach them words to describe those feelings. Make it clear that while you might not like the way they are behaving, you love them. Explain the rules and values of behavior so children can learn the “whys” behind what you are asking them to do. Tell them what you want them to do, not just what you don’t want them to do. Point out how their behavior affects others. •Establish habits: Create habits and rites for special times during the day like mealtime, rest time, and bedtime. Try to be sure so the children know that they can count on you. •Become involved in child care and preschool: Keep in close touch with your children’s child care providers or teachers about what they are doing. Occasionally, especially during transitions, spend time with your children while they are being cared for by others. The caring relationships they form outside of the home are among the most important relationships they have. -Y.Lilly nirmala santhi
LITTLE HELPERS You might be busy through the day, falling short of helping hands. You kids can fill in. They might think house chore is a serious job but disguise the jobs as games and fun so that they offer help daily, without complaining of boredom. Let your child collect 10 different things from the room and organise them or give to you, in 10 minutes, or at a count of 10-20 and so. Let your child act like his/her favourite animal and pick few things from the floor, or help you unload the dishwasher or the stack of dishes on the drying mat. Ask your child to sing a favourite rhyme and help you unload the clothes dryer or clean up his/her bedroom or tidy the floor or make the bed. Treat them with compliments or healthy goodies as a thanks for helping you!!! 2 Benefits, your work done and they will also learn that helping Mom/parents is important and fun too, this improves their ability to understand and take up family responsibilty. - Prathyusha More articles from this author..... http://teluguone.com/vanitha/content/secrets-to-shopping-with-kids-76-26022.html#.UuCpVPu6Zkg http://teluguone.com/vanitha/content/planning-for-parenting-time-76-25890.html#.UuCpffu6Zkg
FLAT HEAD Flat head syndrome (plagiocephaly) now affects 47 percent of infants ages 7 to 12 weeks, say Canadian researchers. Here are some misconceptions clarified: It is caused by back sleeping only: All the time spent in a bed or a bouncer, or a cradle plays a role too. Along with regular tummy time, or holding the baby helps, but it can be resolved fully once the baby can handle his/her neck straight. Flat head syndrome results in developmental delays: Infact, its the other way around, babies who are facing developmental delays don't move their head or neck as often as a child without delays. A Helmet is the only fix: Helmet can be one aid but repositioning the head when the baby is asleep instead of allowing them to slant their heads to one side only everytime will be helpful too. I faced the same problem with my baby, she was 4-5 months old when i realised her head is flat a little, and we were alarmed when the pediatrician also noticed it and suggested a helmet if it worsens. I ddn't give in, i started putting my child to sleep in the opposite direction to what she was used to, and moved the cradle to a different corner of the room, and slowly her flat head shaped up round. Problem solved!! - Prathyusha More articles from this author.... http://teluguone.com/vanitha/content/swallowed-a-chewing-gum-76- 26171.html#.Ut3_Hfu6Zkg http://teluguone.com/vanitha/content/teaching-kids-patience-76- 26388.html#.Ut9vUvu6Zkg
KIDS and ART OF PATIENCE Teach the Kids the lost art of patience: Kids learn everything and anything from the parents and other elders at home. If we are displaying impatience, they learn that too. I met a 21 month old recently. Her mom told me that she bites mom when she doesnot respond to her immediately. Biting comes to them naturally, similar to their mouthing everything when babies are very young. Mom says her husband is impatient and so the baby girl learnt it. Refusing or atleast holding off on indulgences will help your child develop self- discipline and allow him to place a higher value on the things he receives. Thanks to the tablets and cell phones, the apps get downloaded pretty fast and kids get to watch whatever they like within seconds of recalling, they are just not ready to wait when it comes to real life things. They expect the same speed everywhere. The main reason kids will continue a tantrum is because parents can be manipulated. Don't engage the behaviour and it will stop eventually. They try tantrum tricks in public where parents tend to give them everything they ask for just to keep quiet. Instead of giving in, take your child to a far, calm place and keep quiet, the child will eventually settle calmly and might try it one more time, but if you are steadfast, they will not repeat it. Whenever there is an oppurtunity, display patience. When you take them to shopping, tell them you are not buying a new dress for yourselves as the old jeans you have still looks new and that you can wait few more days. Gradually, this observation will encourage them to behave similarly. - Prathyusha More articles from this author.... http://teluguone.com/vanitha/content/swallowed-a-chewing-gum-76- 26171.html#.Ut3_Hfu6Zkg http://teluguone.com/vanitha/content/trashing-kids-art-work-76- 26151.html#.Ut3_Kfu6Zkg
Interact with your newborn You can't play with the child just yet, but they do get bored like we do. Try taking them for a walk to the park once a day, talking to them, putting pictures in the room where they spend most of their time, listening to music, or taking them in the car. Remember that your baby is just a baby and is not ready for rough play, do not shake your baby and be as gentle as possible instead. In the beginning, the most important thing you can do is to bond with your baby. This means you should stroke your baby, cradle your baby, give the baby some skin-to-skin contact, or even consider giving your baby an infant massage.Mainly babies love vocal sounds, and it's never too early to start talking, babbling, singing with your baby. Play some music for the baby while you're bonding, or play with toys that make noise.Some babies are more sensitive to touch and light than others, so if your baby doesn't seem to be responding well to your attempts at bonding, then you can take it easier with the noise and lights until your baby gets used to it.
NO SODA Soda sometimes is not bad!!! Some parents feel this, some Grandparents say so, but Soda is a big No No for anyone, definitely not for Children. Even one Soda a day may negatively affect kids' behaviour, found a new University study of close to 3000 5-year olds. And the children who drank four or more carbonated drinks a day were twice as likely to destroy others' belongings and get into fights. Its not clear exactly what it is about Soda that may be associated with behaviour, but study author points to the fact that many sodas contain synthetic food coloring which have been linked to Hyperactivity, and some contain Caffeine, which can make anyone jittery. - Prathyusha More articles from this author.... http://teluguone.com/vanitha/content/all-about-baby-crawling-76- 26256.html#.UtoirvvQtQA http://teluguone.com/vanitha/content/caring-for-sibblings-76-26110.html
My Baby Gifted Of course we all think our babies are special and they all are, in their individual ways. But how do you know if yours is really exceptional truly gifted child, one whose talents and needs are, well, just a little more special and unique than an average child.It's hard to measure a baby's intellectual gifts, but if you suspect that you have a young genius in your midst, consider the following questions. Is he always ahead of the game: Does he do everything early, meeting developmental milestones well before his peers? And not just in a single area, such as crawling or walking, but across the board sitting, smiling, talking, fine motor skills. Does he have a very good memory: Most babies this age show few signs of recall, but gifted children may demonstrate a surprising ability to remember where they left a favorite book, for example, or which shoes are yours and which are your partner's. Is he a good problem solver: Gifted babies may show off their creativity and originality by tackling a challenge in a surprising way, such as through sign language, pretend play, or tools (scooping a toy out of a narrow-necked jar with a spoon). They may also exhibit an unusual ability to focus and concentrate. Does he make connections: Can he take knowledge he's learned in one situation and apply it to another? For example, he might point to the refrigerator at a friend's house when he wants milk, even if it is a different color and shape than the one at home. Is he particularly perceptive: Does he notice changes in his surroundings (a new piece of furniture), your appearance (a new haircut), or even your mood (why does Mommy seem sad?)? Does he have trouble sleeping: In a gifted baby, this could mean he has a hard time dialing down on the stimulation so he can get some z's. If your baby does show many of these signs, he may well be gifted. On the other hand, he may merely be precocious, meaning that he's learning new skills and reaching developmental milestones earlier than other babies. However, if your child does indeed turn out to be gifted, it's a blessing that will bring some challenges along with it, but for now what he needs most is lots of love, playtime, talking, and reading just like all babies do!
NO BONES ABOUT IT A 7 month old baby starts crawling all around the house, here and there, everywhere. New parents are concerned about the kneecaps of the child. And when they learn to walk and run, kids tip over and fall, it hurts the parents more. It may not hurt the child more than hurting the head or other parts of the body. Because a newborn's kneecap is made entirely of cartilage. Through a process called Ossification, the cartilage slowly converts to bone. During early years, a kneecap won't even show up on the X-ray. It usually takes anywhere between 3 to 5 years after birth for kneecaps to develop into real bones. Children who are just learning how to walk often start by walking on the toes or ball of the foot, which is referred to as Toe Walking. it is typically outgrown, but some kids continue the practice beyond toddler years simply out of habit. According to Specialists, as long as the child's growth and development is normal, then toe walking shouldn't be a major concern on its own. - Prathyusha Talluri
Swallowed a Chewing Gum Despite what your parents have told you in your childhood, that piece you accidentally swallowed won't stay in your stomach for seven years. Like any food, it will probably pass through your system within two days. Your body can't digest gum, but that doesn't make it dangerous, the fluids in your body will flush it out. Swallowing it is like gulping anything else you eat. That is, unless you're ingesting a giant ball of gum at once or gulping numerous pieces a day, in which case the gum will form a mass and get stuck in the stomach,colon or intestines, we don't tend to do that anyways. Although rare, this complication occurs most often in young children. So, Parents save gum-chewing for kids who are old enough to understand they have to spit it out, usually after age 5 or 6. - Prathyusha More articles from this author..... http://teluguone.com/vanitha/content/trashing-kids-art-work-76- 26151.html#.Us-Q0_vQtQA http://teluguone.com/vanitha/content/ways-to-build-confidence-in-your-child-76 -26072.html#.Us-Q4fvQtQA
TRASHING THEIR ART WORK? Your kid's first art work is special to you. And i know that piece will stay longer and sometimes forever in your storewell along with your valuables. But what about the other paintings and junk drawings...are you going to keep them all, or can you take the liberty to trash them? It is always better to ask the child and them think of throwing them away. We never know the child might be emotionally attached to a certain painting, he/she might have made an art piece after visiting a zoo or a holiday tour and got inspired or if its a piece of sweet memory. You should not be sitting feeling bad. Ask today, they might say yes to thrashing the papers, sometimes they might request to keep them but if you ask them after a month, that piece might not be on their priority list so the child might agree to throw it away. Some children however, want to keep all their paintings and papers forever. Now, you have to tel them clearly that all this junk cant be stored at home. Thats when the child has to prioritize which one stays. Parents should also teach the children to safeguard only the valuable stuff and let go of the junk instead of piling up things for mommy to organise and worry about. - Prathyusha Talluri
Tips For Kids Health The good news is that you don't need a degree in nutrition to raise healthy kids. Following some basic guidelines can help you encourage your kids to eat right and maintain a healthy weight. Here are 10 key rules to live by: 1. Parents control the supply lines: You decide which foods to buy and when to serve them. Though kids will pester their parents for less nutritious foods, adults should be in charge when deciding which foods are regularly stocked in the house.They'll eat what's available in the cupboard and fridge at home. 2.From the foods you offer: Kids get to choose what they will eat or whether to eat at all.Schedule regular meal and snack times. From the selections you offer, let them choose what to eat and how much of it they want. This may seem like a little too much freedom. But if you follow step 1, your kids will be choosing only from the foods you buy and serve. 3.Quit the "clean-plate club": Let kids stop eating when they feel they've had enough. Lots of parents grew up under the clean-plate rule, but that approach doesn't help kids listen to their own bodies when they feel full. When kids notice and respond to feelings of fullness, they're less likely to overeat. 4.Start them young: Food preferences are developed early in life, so offer variety. Likes and dislikes begin forming even when kids are babies. You may need to serve a new food on several different occasions for a child to accept it. Don't force a child to eat, but offer a few bites. 5. Rewrite the kids' menu: Who says kids only want to eat pizza, burgers, and macaroni and cheese? When eating out, let your kids try new foods and they might surprise you with their willingness to experiment. 6. Drink calories count: Soda and other sweetened drinks add extra calories and get in the way of good nutrition. Water and milk are the best drinks for kids. Juice is fine when it's 100%, but kids don't need much of it 4 to 6 ounces a day is enough for pre-schoolers. 7.Put sweets in their place: Occasional sweets are fine, but don't turn dessert into the main reason for eating dinner. When dessert is the prize for eating dinner, kids naturally place more value on the cupcake than the broccoli. 8. Food is not love: Find better ways to say "I love you." When foods are used to reward kids and show affection, they may start using food to cope with stress or other emotions. Offer hugs, praise, and attention instead of food treats. 9. Kids do as you do: Be a role model and eat healthy yourself. When trying to teach good eating habits, try to set the best example possible. Choose nutritious snacks, eat at the table, and don't skip meals. 10. Limit TV and computer time: When you do, you'll avoid mindless snacking and encourage activity. Research has shown that kids who cut down on TV- watching also reduced their percentage of body fat. When TV and computer time are limited, they'll find more active things to do. And limiting "screen time" means you'll have more time to be active together.
SIBLING WORRIES The second one was born recently and your first is already having insecurity issues? Parents have to start prepping up the older kids of the new arrival much before the delivery. Always encouraging the child of being a responsible as a big one is good. Never neglect the first one just because you are tired or irate. In that case, let your partner take care of the elder one without him/her knowing that you cant handle them now. Buy them a small baby doll and let them get attached to it as they do to a sibling. Once, the li'l one arrives, it will be easier. they will be able to relate and feel comfortable even with a young one around. Assign small and easy chores to the elder one, like holding the towel while you are giving the baby a bath, getting you the diapers, watching the baby in a swing/ craddle while you are cooking. Keep an eye however, the elder ones can be skillfully naughty. They might be good at handling their baby dolls, so they might think they can lift the real baby too. Make it clear to them that the real baby is Mom's or Dad's responsibility to carry. Praise them everytime they help with the baby. Once in a while, handover the bay to your spouse and you spend some good time with the elder one. - Prathyusha Talluri More articles from this author..... BABY WALKERS CONFIDENCE ISSUES
BABY WALKERS Parents are afraid if their li'l babies might fall while still learning to walk and they put them in a walker, but walkers actually dont encourage babies to start walking on thier own. Babies who generally have been in walkers are afraid to start walking on their own, without any support, they are so used to taking the help of these walking aids. Walkers can be used but only after the baby has learnt to take initial steps. Walkers should be used to support an already walking child but not to stop babies from walking and tipping over. Walkers are a hazard when there are staircases at home, when there are door stoppers in between, where the rooms are at different levels. Once babies learn to walk, they learn to run too, walkers with wheels allow babies to speed up. They reach things they cant, walkers allow them to be naughty too. This is not to scare the parents, but supervision is always necessary when these baby gears are used. Dont put the baby in a walker and relax. - Prathyusha Talluri More articles from this author..... BETTER NAPS Joy Of Pregnancy
CONFIDENCE ISSUES A Child's love is pure. They love immensely and depend so much on parents. They chant the names of their friends daily. Its important that parents watch what a child does and whom they make friends with. But, over watching, and warning the child on everything he/she does is not good. It forces the child to loose self-confidence, they depend on parents even after growing up. The words "NO, YOU CAN'T DO IT, DON'T DO IT" are not good always. Parents have to teach children to help their selves and to be careful while doing things. Encouraging a child to do a job and being available to offer help is a good start, slowly the child learns to do it on his/her own and knows that parents always and only come when its time to help. A child also looses confidence in a person when parents are not spending time with the child, when parents are not beside them to soothe a painful situation and share happiness with the child. Teaching a child to trust others and also being careful of over-dependency on anyone is very important. This way, they make friends easily and are careful of not being bullied or hurt in relationships. - Prathyusha Talluri More articles from this author..... SHOPPING WITH KIDS MILESTONES
SHOPPING WITH KIDS You need your toddler to sit in the cart, but he's too busy pulling items off the shelf or trying to climb out of the seat. And when you reprimand him/her, a meltdown follows soon! One of the key ways to avoid a tantrum is to first limit the number of errands you run with your child in a day. "If you've been there a long time or it is one of a series of errands you're running, then you're probably asking for trouble." So if you need to do the grocery shopping, try to make that your one big errand of the day and only once. Before you go in, remind your child of the rules and what is expected of him in the store. Let him know he's going to be secured in the cart (letting him sit in the back or stand on the cart is dangerous) or expected to hold your hand as you walk through the store. You can try to make the experience more fun by involving your child in the shopping: asking him which cereal/fruit he would like, if he would like to hold the cereal/fruits, etc. For each privilege he gets (for example, choosing his own cereal) link it to his wonderful behavior right now. And if he begins to tantrum? "Look away and ignore until the tantrum is over". "Don't worry about what other people in the store think--they're just happy it isn't their child at that moment!". - Prathyusha Talluri More articles from this author..... MILESTONES BETTER NAPS
MILESTONES Milestones are to be remembered!! They are sweet memories, achievements, good turning points in ones life. Such are milestones in every child's life. However, they are definitely not yet ready to achieve rewards but only if they cross a milestone are they considered to be growing well and healthy..some babies skip these but ultimately everything settles for good!! 3-6 Months: Babies observe our facial expressions. its important that we exhibit positive, happy expressions as babies tend to mimic ours. This same observation improves and helps thier concentrating ability in the future. 9-12 Months: Babies observe the different colors and shapes. Use household cardboard boxes or plasticware to stack up and help the child crash those down using his/her hand. This simple game improves their eye-hand coordination and teaches cause-effect relationship. 1+ Years: Present a soft toy or any child-friendly toy to the child and try to use it as a puppet. Talk to the child and help them learn to answer simple questions like "what is your name? what is your Dad's/ Mom's name? " It helps the child think and answer questions and improves language skills as they are ready to learn your language, infact any language. But dont use more than 2 languages at home, its so confusing. Specially Mom should use only one language always, the moment the child notices Mom is talking in a different language frequently, the child's brain is confused. 2+ Years: Taking the child to the zoo, educational-science exhibitions meant for li'l ones is exciting at this stage. They identify the famous animals. Read books to them, show animals, fruits, vegetables that we come across regularly. It is helpful to promote early education. Thier fresh brain captures things fast, so make sure they are not exposed to Cruel, Voilent TV Shows, this point is not meant for children of 2+yrs age but for children of any age. 3+ Years: Children learn to reciprocate and reproduce your actions. Teaching them to sing a good song, a lengthy rhyme is helpful in pronouncing long words. Even if you cant play any instrument, play one in your music system or encourage the child to play one just by giving a drum to the child. This improves concentration and hearing ability. - Prathyusha Talluri More articles from this author..... BETTER NAPS SLEEP WELL
BETTER NAPS Newborn-hood comes with a free sleep package...Babies sleep and sleep...by 3 months, parents have to plan of setting up a nap schedule. Putting the baby to nap at the same time everyday will set his/her internal clock to be sleepy at those moments, wherever they are. If the baby wakes up at 6 am everyday, put him/her back to sleep at 8 am. Repeat for nap no.3, 4. If they fight sleep, check in on them every 5,10,15 minutes. Dont pick them up but stand beside and speak in a slow, soothing tone or sing a lullaby. Then leave the room so they can help themselves to sleep. It helps to have a naptime routine ---sing a lullaby, read a book. And be sure to keep the room dark and reasonably quiet. The moment it is nap time, close the curtains, turn off the lights, take the story book and the baby will soon know that after an array of all these things, sleep comes and automatically, everyday. Repeating these things everytime, in addition to changing the dress or giving him/her a warm bath at night makes the baby learn that it is not a naptime but sleep time at night and that they can sleep longer until morning. By the end of 5 months age, they will learn to sleep around 8pm, make sure to follow your routine else they will take a nap at 8pm and wake up afresh at 10pm when you are ready for bed.... - Prathyusha Talluri More articles from this author..... SLEEP WELL ENOUGH EXERCISE