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madalyncufu

Age 41
Joined Monday, December 9, 2013
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Although parenting is arguable the most important job in the world, it is, ironically enough, one of the few jobs that comes with little to no required training. (Not to mention no pay!) Anyone, after all, can be a parent. Faced with such an important job, where can parents go to for guidance?

Try to make sure that you never force a child to eat. If it is mealtime and they simply refuse, accept that and offer up nutritious foods when they do become hungry. If a child is truly hungry, he will eat what you put in front of him.

A critical parenting tip is to never allow a toddler to be near water, unattended. Bathtubs, pools, lakes and any other areas of significant water, can pose extreme danger to small children. By ensuring that young kids are never alone in such settings, the risk of accidental drowning can be drastically lowered.

Be wary about introducing pacifiers to your breastfeed baby. Pacifiers are designed to take care of a baby's need to suck, however the reason a baby needs to suck is because that is how they breastfeed. If they can satisfy their need to suck elsewhere it will hurt your breastfeeding relationship. Limit pacifiers for at least the first 6 weeks.

When learning to discipline your child, do not make threats that you will not go through with. For instance, if your child throws his toy, do not say you are going to throw the toy away, if you are not going to do it. If your child knows you will not really do something, there is really, no need to listen.

Potty Training Tips

If you’ve determined that your child is ready for potty training, it’s time to take the plunge. It’s not easy, but don’t despair, your child will master potty training some time before kindergarten. It’s important to make sure you’re ready, too, because potty training requires a lot of commitment on the part of the Mom.

First, you need to make potty training a project. If your child is really ready, and you make the commitment to focus on it, many children can be trained in about a week. But, you’ve got to stay on top of it to make it go quickly. Here are some tips to help you out.

Use the timer
Tell your child that when the bell rings, it’s time to race to the potty. Then set the timer for 20 minutes. When the timer goes off, race to the potty with the child and see if she can go. If not, set the timer for another 20 minutes and try again. As you determine the right interval, you can wait longer between alarms, but 20 minute intervals is a good place to start. Not only does this make a game for you and your toddler, it ensures that you won’t forget to ask if she needs to potty. Success breeds success here. If she can go for a long time without wetting her diaper, it will encourage her to remember. But, at first, you’ve got to remember.

Offer rewards
Offer some sort of reward every time your child goes in the potty. Double it if she tells you she needs to go and then actually goes. Every success should be wildly celebrated. We do our happy dance, sing our song and get stickers, each and every time.

Let the little one go naked
This tactic works best for those without carpet. Your child will really get the picture about how potty training works if he has an accident while wearing nothing on his bottom. It can be messy, but you’ll probably find that it really speeds up the process. It seems to work especially well with girls, as they really don’t like the feeling of wetness.

The most important aspect of potty training is diligence. There are lots of tools that can help you, like books and dolls with their own potty. But the number one factor in succeeding quickly is simply making potty training a priority, so get prepared. Plan ahead of time to make this week “potty training week” and then stick to the plan. Stay home as much as possible to make training easier. Before you know it, you’ll be kissing those diapers goodbye!

If you are cutting your child's bangs and can't seem to make them look right, do not trim them from ear to ear. Try starting at the end of one eyebrow and cutting in until you get to the end of the other eyebrow. This will make your child's bangs look like they were professionally cut.

A great parenting tip is to always utilize disciplinary techniques as a way of shielding your child from harm instead of using them as punitive tools that may harm self-esteem. In this way, you will also be able to instruct your child in the things they ought to be doing instead of dwelling on what they should not.

A great parenting tip is to work together with your spouse if you're married or part of a couple. If the two of you aren't on the same page, both of your parental efforts might get foiled. By working as a team you'll be able to solve problems together.

Reading your child a bed-time story is a great bonding experience at the end of the day. After dinner and bath-time, put your child into his or her pajamas and curl up with a book or two. Laying in bed reading, helps your little one to wind down after a busy day of learning and exploring. Beyond having a love for books, your little one will look forward to bedtime, each night.

When you are parenting along with someone else you have to respect the fact that they may handle certain situations differently than you will. Never second guess them in front of the child because that will cause confusion and result in your child being in the middle of conflict.

Make sure that you and your partner are on the same page when it comes to disciplining your child. If the two of you do not present the same messages to your children, they will learn how to turn you against each other. There will be times that you will both disagree about what you should do; talk about these instances in private so that your children do not hear.

When your child throws a fit or goes into a temper tantrum, he or she may be overstimulated. Isolate the child from any exciting stimuli, in order to help him or her to calm down faster. A child-sized tent may be the best place to calm a truculent child. For a faster, cheaper alternative, you can put a blanket over a small table to create an isolated, calming cavern for your child.

One way to teach your kids is to set a great example yourself. If you are spending a lot of time going out, watching TV, or playing games try to show an example by spending time watching documentaries or reading books. They will want to be just like you, and will end up liking educational things.

When your child is misbehaving, try getting down on your knees to talk to them. This allows you to look at your child directly in the eyes, which makes the interaction more serious and uncomfortable for them. Talking to your child at the eye level can be much more effective than shouting from a standing position.

It is important to help your child to develop social skills and learn appropriate social conduct from an early age. One of the best ways to do this is to set up play dates with other similar aged children in the neighborhood and plan a few fun group activities. Taking them to parks where there are other children is another great way to get them to learn to interact with other people.

Never under any circumstances, buy or accept the gift of a used car seat. Your child's safety is way too important to risk. Unbeknownst to you, the car seat may have gone through an accident or be missing pieces. The plastic in used car seats may also be old and unable to withstand the force of a car crash.

Being a parent can be simultaneously the most rewarding and stressful job imaginable. The benefits of a job well done, so to speak, are indescribable, but the average parent struggles from time to time with fears and concerns about their parenting skills. We hope the suggestions presented in this article have been helpful to you - you are not alone!

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