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Archive for the ‘Children Development’ Category

Many parents complain and confused from how to parenting their toddler. Some are screaming, refuse doing anything, having tantrums, yanking, and other behaviors that make all parents want to scream under their pillow.

Actually, parenting is one of the most playful, challenging, tricky, and heart-opening experiences in life. Every child will have moods. Big moods! Lots of them! So, how do parents deal with all these ups and downs moments? What can we really do to help our toddler feel better? Read the rest of this entry »

Waking up at night is actually normal for everyone, included toddler, what is not normal is not being able to get back to sleep, that will make such problem for both of you, parent and toddler. His problem affects the whole family, disturbing not only their sleep but their ability to function during the day. Read the rest of this entry »

If toddlers ever needed excuses to throw tantrums, they’ve got them during the average vacation: disrupted sleep schedules, erratic eating, long periods of enforced sitting, unfamiliar surroundings. Since tantrums on the road are even tougher to deal with than tantrums at home, it’s best to try to prevent them when possible. Read the rest of this entry »

Most adult would think that hanging around at the playground, chasing and running, playing hide and seek, and other jubilant activities with many friends are the most unforgettable moment of childhood. However, many adult also have memories of their childhood that sometimes it is not easy to make friends, feeling lonely and left out.

Whichever people’s memories of childhood, most parents absolutely want their kid to make friends and begin experiencing the joys of friendship. But, at this age, to most toddlers the only person who matters is “me”, they have no fully understanding of right and wrong, almost totally devoid of social graces, and basically unable to control an impulse (throwing, kicking, biting, hitting, etc). Read the rest of this entry »

Looking at most toddlers, who confidently become the centre of universe, it’s hard to believe that self-esteem could be in short supply. Imperious and dogmatic, they seem nothing but sure of themselves. Yet, although they may be sure of what they want, toddlers are actually quite unsure of who they are.

It’s at this stage that the seeds of self-worth, sown in infancy, must be cultivated and encouraged to grow. Studies show that children who learn to believe early on, “I am a good person, a valuable person” are more likely to grow up believing in themselves, they have less need to impress others or to receive the approval of others to feel good about themselves; they can have rewarding relationships with others, can better handle peer pressure, and can reject drugs and other self-destructive behaviors. They have high self –esteem. Read the rest of this entry »

Whether or not you have a pet at home, toddlers should be pet-proofed as early on as possible. Teach your toddler the following rules for safety’s sake:

Let sleeping (and eating) dogs (and cats) lie. Don’t touch or go near them when they’re napping or dining. And never touch their food: curious fingers can easily be perceived as a threat – retaliation is likely even in a mellow animal.

Never poke an animal’s eyes, pull his tail, or tug in its ears. Always pet gently under the chin rather than on top of the head – which implies domination (Show you toddler how to do this). Read the rest of this entry »

Despite its faults, TV does offer access to wonderland of experiences – sights, sounds, and people – that a child can find nowhere else.It can take children to the far corners of the world or even the universe, expose them to the past and the future, the everyday and the exotic, the arts and the sciences.

These followings tips will help your family derive the most benefits from his medium with the least risk:

Setting rational limit now. Before eighteen months, a toddler can easily do without any TV at all. At eighteen months, half an hour a day is sufficient. When your toddler passes his or her second birthday, consider expanding TV viewing to an hour a day, particularly when outdoor play is limited because of inclement weather. But allowing more TV time than that for toddlers, who should be spending most of their time doing rather than watching, is not a good idea. Read the rest of this entry »

We don’t have to be an international diplomat or negotiator to encourage peace conversation with our children. In fact, children who have been taught to understand the importance of verbal conflict resolution – such as the art of using right words instead of physical aggression to deal with frustrations and anger – will end up using peace talking as a choice in resolving their life conflict.

Since toddler has very limited verbal skills, it is quite difficult to show them how words can be effective. After all, it’s the fact that their words are ineffective that so often leads them to instead use their fists and body language. But while your message might seem lost of your toddler now, sending it regularly and reinforcing it in years to come will help ensure that one day it will get through.

Practice equal to preach. Children will get the message to resolve disputes by using words rather than action if the parents show the examples by actions as well as words. Remember that children are the mini copy of their parents. These examples can be set dozens of time everyday – such as, discussing problem with spouse calmly instead of slamming doors and banging fists, by informing your neighbor that his dog has been making trouble in your garbage again instead of taking revenge by throwing the garbage to his garden, and, especially, by sitting down and explaining to your toddler what’s wrong with hitting rather than hitting him for hitting.

Talk to your toddler. A toddler might not capable for having verbal negotiation when his toy has been taken away from him, or explaining his frustration for his inability to fit the octagon into the shape-sorter. So, when necessary, you can help by supplying the words. But wait until you’re sure your toddler won’t be able to speak for him or herself. Step in, for example, when the dispute over a coveted toy begins to escalate dangerously and suggest taking turns (a timer can help make this advance diplomatic skill easier to carry off). Or sit down and empathize about that hard-to-fit-in shape – “Are you upset? Is that a very tough shape to get in? Maybe if we do it together, we can get in” Read the rest of this entry »

There are many little scientists in every toddler. Look closely at yours, and you will not only see a physicist in the sand box, but a botanist,entomologist, and geologist in the park, an oceanographer at the beach, a chemist in the kitchen, an inventor in the playroom, an astronomer at the window – all examining, scrutinizing, experimenting, comparing, developing, and testing theories. All for the love of discovery.Unfortunately, the natural inclination to discover frequently doesn’t last much past the toddler years. Often, at about the same time children begin their formal science education, hands-on science becomes hands-off, and the scientist within are suppressed. It is possible, however, to keep the inner scientist motivated all the way trough their school years, or even for life.

To start with, try these activities :

Classify, classify, classify. Discovering how things are the same and how they are different is a fundamental skill. And though toddlers may not yet know a species from a genus, they can sort out trees that have leaves and trees that have spiky needles, fruits that have edible skins and fruit that have to be peeled, vehicles that have two wheels, four wheels, and more wheels.
Discover electricity. Watch the effects of static electricity. Have your toddler rub a balloon against your hair and then place it on the wall, or run a comb trough his or her hair and then use the comb to pick up little pieces of paper.

Grow some roots. To help your toddler see that many nonhuman things grow, plant a root garden. Cut an inch off the top of a few root vegetables (carrots, parsnips, or beets, for instance), then place the vegetables cut-side down on a shallow dish, pour some water in the dish, put it in a sunny lace, and watch it grow roots.

Plant a dozen seedlings. Use an empty egg carton as a planter for a seedling garden, they can use seeds from an orange or other fruit that they’ve eaten. Show your toddler how to set the seeds in the soil, water them, and give them sunshine; together draw a parallel between that makes plants grow and what makes people grow. If the seeds don’t grow, explain that some times that happens. Read the rest of this entry »

There is no denying that disarming an eating toddler and taking full control of the feeding process will bring any meal to be faster, more efficient, and much tidier. However, for a toddler, eating is not an exercise in speed, efficiency, and neatness. In addition to provide him with some nourishment, eating is an important learning experience – but only if he has the chance to feed himself.

The only sure way to avoid mealtime mess is to withhold all food and drink, which is an impossible solution. So you have to find a way to minimize the effect of his mess. Try using the sleight-of-hand measures to deal with food blowing, as well as the following techniques for food throwing:

Rationing. Many children feel free to squander food when a rich bounty is set before them, so place just a few bites of food in front of your child at a time. Add a few more as those are consumed. Read the rest of this entry »