Safety During Baby’s Bath

by: Nicole Munoz


You’ve done it. You’re kid’s finally not scared of the tub, gets the time of his life during bath, splashing water on himself and on you and sees bath time as a great opportunity to play, wonder and explore.

However, your job as parent regarding bath time does not end in making it a fun time for your kid. More importantly, it is also your responsibility to ensure his safety during baths.

Safety Tip 1: Be prepared. Everything should be ready. His towel, soap, shampoo, bath toys, tub, wash cloth, bath seat and all his bathing necessities should be prepared and should be within hand’s reach even before you settle your kid in his tub. If in case you forget something, don’t leave baby in the tub alone. Instead bundle him up in a towel and take him with you.

Safety Tip 2: Choose a safe place for bathing. The sink and the bathroom are ideal places for baby to take his tubby time. Be sure you place his tub on top of something sturdy so it won’t topple over. It’s also a good idea to place a rubber mat underneath the tub to prevent it from slipping. Aside from that, the place you choose to bathe baby must not have any dangerous items within baby’s reach such as razors, powder or breakable glass items.

Safety Tip 3: Test waters first before dipping your baby. Hot water may scald your baby while cold water may terrify him. Before letting your baby take the bath, test the water with your elbow to make sure it’s just the right temperature. To be doubly sure, test it with a bath thermometer to see if it’s 120 degrees Fahrenheit.

Safety Tip 4: Never leave your baby unattended even for a second. It can only take as fast as a blink of an eye for baby to slip or fall off or for any unfortunate accident to happen. When the phone or doorbell rings, or the pot you’re cooking starts to smell like it’s burning, never dare to leave your child on the tub and risk his safety just to answer the phone or the door or to rescue your pot roast. Needless to say, your child’s life is more important.

Safety Tip 5: Be focused. Don’t let the television airing your favourite soap or a chattering neighbour distract you while you give your kid a bath. Always keep in mind that it’s in your hands to keep your baby safe at all times. Being distracted may cause you to accidentally put shampoo on his eyes or worse not be able to hold him properly. Babies are slippery when wet and it entails a lot of effort and focused attention to ensure that your baby does not slip out of your hands and is not harmed during a bath.

One of your main responsibilities as a parent is to provide a safe environment for your kid and to ensure that he is free from anything that may hurt and harm him. Keeping him safe at all times including during bath time is one of the things you should always keep in mind.

Giving Your Child Constructive Criticism

by: Anthony Kane MD


Our role as parents is to educate our children to behave properly in the world. To do this we must be able to point out and help them to correct their mistakes. This means that we must be able to give them constructive criticism.

First we need to stress that to give this criticism to our children is not an option, it is an obligation. We have a parental obligation to correct our children. It is neither in our children's best interests nor do we do them any favors if we do not guide them properly. When we see things that come up in their daily lives that they do wrong, we must correct this behave. How can we as parents redirect our children's behavior in such a way that it does not get in the way of the healthy parent child relationship?

How to Give Criticism Constructively

There are a number of things we should remember when redirecting our children that will make our criticism more accepted and more effective.

1- Children Have Feelings

This is probably the most important thing to remember when criticizing our children. It is obvious to everyone that children have feelings. Yet very often it is something that we as parents forget.

When our children are small, they are almost entirely in our control. It is easy to forget that they are little people. They have feelings that can be hurt and self-esteem that can be crushed if we criticize them in a non-constructive belittling way. We must try to relate to them as we would like others to relate to us.

2- Have Your Message Clear

The goal of proper criticism is to get your message across to your child. That means you have to have a message. If you don't have an idea you are trying to convey, then all you are doing by criticizing your child is venting your own anger and frustration. You will do nothing positive for your child, and your child will not change his behavior in the future. Remember, your goal with criticism is to educate, not to punish or embarrass or to seek revenge against the child. When you criticize you must have something you are trying to teach.

3- Deliver Your Message Properly

You must give rebuke. It is your obligation as a parent. The point is that it should be given in a positive manner. To do this you must satisfy a number of conditions.

a. Criticize the Behavior not Your Child

This is critical. Direct your criticism toward your child's behavior. It has to be clear to your child that it is the behavior that upsets you, not him.

b. Don't Label Your Child

Children get their sense of who they are from what others tell them. When a parent gives a child a label, this label will eventually stick, with disastrous consequences.

c. Give Your Rebuke Privately

It will be hard enough on your child to have to bear your criticism. You should do everything you can to spare him the embarrassment of having you rebuke him in front of others.

d. Don't Dwell Upon the Past

The only valid criticism is for the future. What the child did is over. You should acknowledge the mistake but make it clear that the reason you are speaking to your child is so that he can improve in the future.

4- Offer an Opportunity to Correct the Wrong

Your child has to know what he did was wrong. He should also be given the opportunity to redeem himself by correcting his mistake. You should have suggestions how the child can correct the wrong. This will give your child the message that he can't hurt others and just walk away. He must say he's sorry or do the victim a favor. It allows your child to be responsible for what he does. It also allows him to put the misdeed behind him and go on.

5- Deliver the Criticism with Love

This is vital. Criticism is a gift. It is a gift of knowledge, it is a gift of values. But it is an unwanted gift. Still, it is a gift nevertheless. No one wants to hear criticism. Our goal when we give criticism is to do it as painlessly as possible so it will be received properly.

You have to make it clear to your child when you deliver your message that you are doing this for the sake of your child. If your child knows that what you are saying is because you love him, the message will be better received.

If you are angry, all the child will hear is the anger. The message that comes through is, "You don't like me." Nothing else will be heard. You must make it clear to your child that you are criticizing because you care about him. You cannot let the message get blurred out by the static of your emotions.

This is not easy. It is easy to write about it and to read this when no one is around and things are calm. It is much harder to apply this idea when there is a tumult going on and the tensions are high. Still we have to acknowledge at least the proper way to do things. Or else we will never be successful.

6- Try to See Your Child's Point of View

We as parents are not faced with the same challenges as our children. This leads to a very reasonable response, at least in the mind of the child, to think, "Who are you to criticize me? How do you know what I am going through? You don't understand me."

This is a legitimate response. Your child doesn't see you as a former child. Your child sees you as a stable adult. Now, you may understand your child perfectly, but your child doesn't know that. It helps when you give criticism to visualize things from your child's perspective and couch your words is such a way that your child knows clearly you understand him.

7- Sometimes it is Better to Delay the Criticism

We have a knee jerk reaction to respond immediately when we see our children do something that we don't like. This is a normal reaction. However, you should always ask yoursef if this is the best time and place to rebuke your child.

When your child does something wrong he will be expecting the criticism right away. When the child is expecting the reaction, his guard is up he will react by defending himself and fighting back. He will not hear what you say and he will be defending himself.

Sometimes it is better to wait until things quiet down. Then you can discuss with the child rationally and the child will hear it. You will also be calmer and be able to deliver a better message to your child.

8- Sometimes no Criticism is the Best

The purpose of criticism is to correct future behavior. If it is clear to the child that he did something wrong and if the child feels bad about what was done and he is not likely to repeat it, there is nothing added by acknowledging his misdeed.

Conclusion

I want to point out that the principles that we have discussed apply when you need to rebuke anybody. The difference is that for anyone else we usually can choose whether or not to get involved. As a parent we do not have that option. We are automatically involved.

We have an obligation to correct our children's behavior. Our children need our guidance. It is a terrible example when parents let their children do what they want without direction. The children may act like they like the freedom, but these are the children who grow up not knowing right from wrong and not realizing that there are consequences for bad actions. Eventually these children feel that their parents really don't care about them. Often they are right.

It is hard to be a parent. But the more effort you put into steering your child on the proper path to adulthood, the more happiness you will have when you share in your child's successes through his life.

14 Table Manners Every Child Should Know

by: Elena Neitlich


Every parent wants to launch their children into the world with the skills they need to succeed. Equipping children with good table manners is an important lesson that all parents should want to give to their children. Using good table manners allows the focus to be placed on the conversation not on the act of eating. Having good table manners gives people the confidence to participate in any dining situation with ease.

Start introducing manners lessons slowly to very young children and add more refined lessons as the child matures. Consistency and repetition are very important when teaching children. Parents will have to reinforce the rules time and time again until good practices become habit. Remind children whenever a slip in manners occurs but don’t scold or nag.

Practicing good manners daily will eventually lead to mastery and manners will become second nature. As children develop fine motor skills, their use of utensils and glassware will improve. With constant repetition, by the early teen years, kids will have built up a comprehensive collection of manners which parents need only fine-tune for teens to be capable of attending the most formal of occasions.

For the well being of the children, even busy families should find the time to sit down together each evening for a meal. The most simple of meals, including take-out fare, are fine choices. Make sure that the food is transferred and/or served in serving dishes and that the family uses dinnerware. If dinner is impossible on certain evenings, families can sit down later in the evening for dessert; make sure to set the table and use dinnerware and utensils.

Teaching children the proper way to set the table is a perfect start for introducing the use of utensils, plates and glasses. Explain where each utensil is placed, what it is for, when it is used, and the correct way to hold it. Young children love being given a responsibility and will happily and proudly set the table each evening. Put placemats, napkins, silverware, plates, cups and bowls within reach of children to facilitate easy table setting. A good idea in homes with small children is to purchase nice quality melamine dishes so when plates drop they will not break.

Children do not learn proper table manners overnight. It takes years of repetition and consistent training to refine their skills. Parents have eighteen years to help shape their child’s table manners so there is plenty of time to patiently work with them. Expect lots of errors and missteps, use gentle guidance, never scold or embarrass, just kindly correct and continue eating.

If parents begin teaching manners when their children are toddlers, by the time the kids are in kindergarten they will have mastery of the basics.

The following is a list of table manners that your child should have a good grasp of by age six.

Wash their hands and face before sitting down to the table.

Sit down in their proper seat and put their napkin in their lap.

Wait to begin eating until everyone is seated and has been served. Many families wait until an adult gives permission to start eating.

Stay seated in their seats without wiggling in their chairs, going under the table, or getting up and down.

Say, “Excuse Me,” and ask permission to leave the table.

Elbows do not belong on the table.

Mouths should stay closed while chewing and pieces should be bite sized.

“May I please” and “Thank you” should be used when children would like food and never reach across the table.

Participate in the conversation during dinner and no interruptions when other people are talking.

Slurping, burping, squealing, singing, humming are all sounds that are not to be made at the table.

It is never kind or polite to make negative comments about what is being served for dinner.

Before getting up at the end of the meal say, “May I please be excused?”

Ask if adults would like them to clear their dinner plate.

Thank the cook.

Preparing children for adulthood starts the moment the baby is placed in the arms of the mother. Teaching children to use good table manners is a wonderful gift that will serve them well throughout their entire lives. Parents will be proud that their children are using the good manners that they have taught them, and more importantly children will be polished and refined and capable of being comfortable in any situation.

Most Common Causes of a Stomachache

If your child has: Bloating and stomach cramps
It could be: Overeating and/or gas
What your doctor might recommend: A warm compress and gentle belly rub. Tums Kids can also ease heartburn pain in children over 2

If your child has: Stomach pain and hard, pelletlike bowel movements
It could be: Constipation
What your doctor might recommend: Diluted prune or pear juice or an over-the-counter stool softener; more fiber in his diet

If your child has: Nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, fever, and chills
It could be: Stomach flu
What your doctor might recommend: Offer plenty of liquids and water-based foods like soup to prevent dehydration

If your child has: Stomach cramps, vomiting, diarrhea, and often fever
It could be: Food Poisoning
What your doctor might recommend: Plenty of fluids to prevent Dehydration

If your child has: Gas, vomiting, or stomach upset after eating dairy foods
It could be: Lactose intolerance
What your doctor might recommend: Lactose-free milk and cheese or Lactaid pills taken before eating dairy foods

If your child has: Stomachache plus sore throat and sometimes fever
It could be: Strep throat
What your doctor might recommend: Antibiotics

If your child has: Severe pain around the navel or right area of the stomach
It could be: Appendicitis
What your doctor might recommend: An immediate office visit or a trip to the ER

If your child has: Unexplained stomach pain that occurs in an otherwise "well" child
It could be: Stress
What your doctor might recommend: Look for ways to ease stressors like overscheduling. A counselor may help, too.

Your Child's Tummy Ache Can Be Serious!

It's a challenge for us and the doctor to find out the cause of those frustrating tummy aches. Sometimes the pain requires some common sense. Other times it can be an emergency. The causes can be related to food, infections, poisoning, insect bites, and the list goes on.

Bacteria and viruses are infections that should concern you most. Gastroenteritis and stomach flu are some of the examples of infections that can cause stomach aches. Gastroenteritis is the inflammation and irritation of stomach and the gastrointestinal passage. Stomach pain due to viral infections usually go away quickly, but bacterial infections demand antibiotics. In both the cases, some children recover quickly. If recovery includes diarrhea, your child should be given plenty of fluids to avoid dehydration.

Food related stomach aches can be caused because of food poisoning, gas production, excess food ingestion and food allergies. Problems caused by food poisoning can be extreme or minor depending on the source of the poisoning. The national news gives us plenty of information, some scary, some helpful that we must wade through for what fits our situation at the moment.

Symptoms of food poisoning are vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, and nausea. Usually these symptoms surface within two days of consumption of contaminated food. Depending on the severity - chill, fever, bloody stools, or damage to the nervous system can follow. Any suspicion of food poisoning should be dealt with immediately by a call to your family doctor or a visit to a hospital emergency room.

Hundreds of diseases are known to be transmitted via food. Food can be poisoned because of toxic agents or infective agents. Infective agents are parasites, bacteria, and viruses. Toxic agents are uncooked food, exotic foods, and poisonous mushrooms, for example. Food can get contaminated because of handling by unclean workers at the local restaurant, too. Remember the recent meat and lettuce stories?

Going out to eat is another area of possible contamination. You should check your local Health Agency to determine the record of any establishment you want to visit for the first time, especially if it is newly opened.

Particular foods can cause tummy irritation, such as diary products which can expose lactose intolerance for the first time. If your child is allergic to food or drinks containing dairy products, swallowing even a small amount can cause vomiting, nausea, diarrhea, cramping, and skin rash. These items are harmless for most of us but for our little ones thet can cause, allergic reactions known as hypersensitivity reaction. Sometimes the symptoms can be life threatening and are known as anaphylactic shock or anaphylaxis. Again, call your doctor or visit an emergency room immediately.

Poisoning can also be due to overdose of medicines which, do I need to say it, you should keep in a secure place away from your children. The same is true for non-food stuffs like common household chemicals. Keep them safely locked away. Inexpensive drawer and door latches can be purchased almost anywhere, even online.

Insect bites, such as spider bites and wasp stings, can also lead to pain in the abdomen due to an allergic reaction. It can be accompanied with muscle cramps, weakness, nausea, tremor, vomiting and can cause dizziness, fainting, respiratory problems, and chest pain, increases in heart rate and blood pressure level. These are all dangerous warning flags that should be heeded.

In very rare cases, especially among children, tummy pain can be a sign of appendicitis. If this happens, your child will have a higher rate of complications and should be immediately rushed to the hospital. The pain starts slowly in the abdomen, specifically near the belly button. The pain shifts slowly to the right side of the lower abdomen within a time period spanning twenty four hours. Clear symptoms are abdominal pain, vomiting, nausea, fever and loss of appetite.

Diabetes can also be a reason for acute tummy pain. Small children usually curl up, cry, or quietly express pain through facial expressions. Your child may be reluctant to talk about the pain, but you should press to get a clear explanation of the problem. Along with close monitoring of the symptoms, studying the location of pain, pain duration, nature of vomiting, and urinary problems will help you decide the next course of action. Your pediatrician should be consulted and they may refer to a gastroenterologist just to be on the safe side.

Help your child to relax during an episode. You should keep calm, too! Caressing your child and speaking to them in a soothing voice are a big help towards easing the pain until professional intervention is reached.

Above all, you need to keep your wits about you as you handle the situation. Don't panic. Panic wastes valuable time, clouds your judgement and, most of all, frightens your little loved one.

How to Choose a Baby Name

Your new baby needs a name to begin his journey into life. Read about the serious business of choosing the right name for your baby.

Getting ready to bring a new baby into the world involves a lot of preparatory work. Your baby needs his own clothes, accessories, toiletries, toys, etc. One of the most important requirements though is his own name. Your baby's name will identify him in a crowd and be a word which he will associate himself with for the rest of his life. Your child will not choose his own name. You, as his parent, will select it for him. With such an important decision to make for your child, deciding on a name for your baby should take into account the following factors.


Uniqueness:

Would you like your child to have a rare and unique name? Remember that this name will then make him stand out in a crowd. This can be both an advantage and a disadvantage. He will easily recognize when he is being called. At the same time, rare and complicated names have immense potential for misunderstandings and mistaken pronunciations. Teachers and caregivers may unintentionally mangle your child's name if they have difficulty speaking it aloud.

At the same time, do not give your child a name that is too common. Varsha regrets the name she gave to her son Anil. There were five boys with the same name in her son's class at school. Everyone kept getting confused. For the entire year, her son would proudly introduce himself as Anil B whenever he met someone. Even at home, he would only respond if she called him by the same name.

A good tip is to go for a blend of rare and common names. If you have a common surname, consider giving your child a slightly unusual name to make it easier for him in school and later on, at the workplace. On the other hand, if your surname is uncommon, give your child a reasonably well known name.


Heritage:

Your baby's ancestry and religion is a big part of who he is. Many parents name their child keeping these parameters in mind. It is perfectly all right to choose to name your child after a god or religious figure. Many religions also have guidelines as to how to go about naming your baby. Sometimes, you may like a name that does not fit into the traditional category. Do not be disheartened. Perhaps you can use it as a middle name. Another trend that is catching on is to name a baby based on Numerology. This is believed to help the child achieve success as he becomes older.

Many families also follow a tradition of naming children after elderly or recently deceased members of the family. Some people also tend to name the first-born son after his father and then suffix the name with 'Junior'. This creates a potentially confusing situation in the home. Merely calling your child Junior may seem fine at first but is that what you want him to be known as when he is thirty years old? It goes for choosing names of elderly family members. Your child will have to bear the brunt if you decide to stick him with a name that went out of vogue over fifty years ago.


Memories:

Some names may be associated with bad memories. Hence, it is best to avoid using them for your child. The name you select may be a nice name but if you had a nasty colleague with the same name, think twice. Are you going to be reminded of him every time you call out to your child? If there is a possibility of that happening, then discard the idea of using that name. Both parents must agree on this subject. If either parent is uncomfortable with a potential name, drop it. At the same time, do not press your partner for an explanation as to why he does not like the name.

Do not be browbeaten by other people when it comes to choosing your baby's name. After all, you are the child's parents. Ultimately, it is up to you and your spouse to choose a name that both of you are happy with.

Baby Language

Most parents wish that their baby would grow up without crying. But remember that without crying your baby will not be able to communicate anything with you.Accept the fact that crying is a way of developing the baby language. Especially, in the first six months, babies cry to communicate their needs. As a parent, you cannot always tell, but many mothers in due course will be able to recognize their baby's needs from the type of cry.

The most common reason for babies to cry is hunger. But there are many more common reasons for them to cry too. If your baby cries after a feed, do not jump to the conclusion that the feed was inadequate; instead look for probable reasons other than hunger. Babies cry to express their needs as they cannot communicate otherwise. Given below are the various reasons for which a child/baby cries. As a parent it is important to comprehend the baby language i.e. the reason of cry.

Some common reasons are:

Hunger: In the early part of their lives, babies may need to be fed at short intervals, sometimes in even less than two hours. Frequent feeding will help and over time your baby will space out his/her feeds.

Thirst: Usually not seen in breast-fed babies, but can happen to bottle fed babies, more so in summer.

Diaper-change: If the diapers are left on too long, it can cause painful and uncomfortable rashes. Frequent changing of diapers can prevent these troubles.

Too hot, too cold: Since babies are unable to change their clothes or uncover themselves on their own, they will cry to let you know that they are uncomfortable. The proper way is to feel your baby's body. If it feels cool, add a blanket. If he/she is sweaty or hot, remove a layer of clothing.

Uncomfortable clothes or positioning: Check to see if there is anything poking your baby like a price tag or a piece of Velcro. Change his/her clothes or give him/her some time being naked or swaddled in a warm blanket. Also, change his/her position of sleep. If he/she is lying on the back put him/her on his/her back.

Bowel movements: Some babies will cry, scream and get pink in the face just before passing urine or bowel movement. Once they are done they will be okay.

Anxiety and fear: Sudden movements and loud noises can trigger crying. Be gentle with your baby.

Boredom: Babies who are bored cry to get your attention. Picking up your baby and interacting with him/her can put a quick end to the crying spell.

Tiredness: Babies always don't know that they need to sleep when they're tired. It's your job to calm them down for naptime, not stimulate them.

Sometimes you and your baby can get into a crying cycle. When babies cry, you get anxious and start panicking. Your baby senses this, feels uncomfortable and cries even more. If you find yourself getting into these cycles, talk to your doctor.A sick baby will cry, but will also have other symptoms of illness like runny nose, fever, tugging the ear or diarrhea. Generally a healthy baby will have a strong, loud cry. If your baby's cry becomes weak, contact your doctor right away.

Crying is almost synonymous to baby language. A child primarily expresses it's emotions by crying, making sounds, laughing etc. In the initial stages, it is no cakewalk for a parent to comprehend their child's needs. But with passage of time, the message is communicated effectively and it is an important step in bonding between a parent and child.

About The Author
Mary Rose has authored several books including books related to Children and Child Care. For more information log on to http://www.casanads.com/bm/children.htm