Babies-Toddler Vivian | 31 Aug 2010
When Teaching Baby to Read, Don’t Test Immediately
Babies can learn to read. Babies have been learning to read for longer than we know. In the last century there have been thousands upon thousands of babies that have learned to read. Perhaps you have decided to do a reading program with your baby. You may have seen video of other babies reading at 9 months. They couldn’t even speak, yet they were able to prove that they could read by demonstrating the actions to words being shown. You have seen babies just over one who could read the words as they were presented. Now you are ready to begin a program with your child. Just be sure to avoid this one major pitfall.
When babies are born, their brains are like an empty vessel waiting to be filled through their life experiences. Babies learn to speak by being spoken to. Babies similarly learn to read by being read to. One of the rules we follow in reading to babies, in order to teach them to read, is to make sure the words are large. The second rule we should be sure to follow is to give to them freely, without expectation.
In order to teach your baby to read, you must expose your baby to many words. By freely showing your baby words, without expecting your child to read them back to you, you are allowing them to learn the patterns of the language. Once you have done this for a period of about 6 months, you may ask your child to choose between two different words. This is not a necessary step in assuring that they are learning to read. When your child is ready they will prove to you that they can read.
Teaching babies to read requires faith in your child. You have faith that when you speak to your baby they will understand. You have faith that they will speak when they are ready. You have faith that they will crawl and walk. As parents, we must have faith that when we expose them to written language as babies, they will read, and they do.
Babies-Toddler Vivian | 29 Aug 2010
Baby Sleep: Sleeping After The Holidays
During the holidays everyone in the family experiences disruptions of schedules and sleep. Variation in schedules and boundaries mean children experience more freedom. Everyone should enjoy this! However, after spending time traveling, hosting guests, skipping naps, going to bed late, waking early, sharing beds and eating lots of sugar, parents are anxious to get back to normal routines and schedules. The quickest way to return to healthy sleep habits is to do so as soon as possible. Once you have returned home, your guests have said good-bye and/or social engagements have ended, it is time to return to your regular daily schedule.
Infants:
If you have been co-sleeping, rocking/nursing to sleep and/or holding your baby while s/he sleeps in order to get through the holidays now is the time to revert back to healthier sleep habits. Reestablish a consistent, calming bedtime routine that is followed in the same order every evening. Put your baby down groggy but awake, so s/he will be able to self soothe him/herself back to sleep. You may have one or two nights of protest, but the quicker you return to your normal routine the faster your baby will remember and settle into it once again. Visit http://www.child-works.com if you need help with this transition.
Toddlers/Preschoolers:
Many times these children miss naps, stay up later or share beds with cousins while on holiday. As soon as you are able, reestablish your normal routine. Have your child nap at the usual time and return to a consistent, calming nighttime routine. If your child no longer naps you may find it beneficial to put him/her down 15-30 minutes earlier than normal for the first night or two. This will allow your child the opportunity to 揷atch up?on lost sleep. Visit http://www.child-works.com if you need help with this transition.
The key to reestablishing healthy sleep habits after significant disruptions is to do so as soon as possible. It may involve some protests on your child抯 part, but this is very short lived if you are clear and consistent with your expectations. Your child will quickly remember and return to sleeping independently again. For more information visit http://www.child-works.com
Babies-Toddler Vivian | 27 Aug 2010
Putting your Baby to Sleep
One or if not the purpose of marriage is to have baby. Babies are just too lovable and parents can抰 resist cuddling. Most of the activities during the day are bearable. Babies often do things that make parents happy and even proud at times. A smile from the baby is more than an embrace to parents. Problem comes during bed time. It is always a problem especially for parents having a baby in the first time in putting their babies into sleep. Most parents get crazy about this. How to solve this? This article will give you seven easy steps in helping your child to sleep.
1. Safety First!
Make sure that you have a safe place where you can put your baby before putting him to sleep. He must have a safe place that he will not be prone to falling or suffer any injuries while sleeping. This must be a firm surface and assure that he is protected in both sides.
2. A conducive place for sleep.
Comfort is always one of the things needed to be taken in consideration. You might be able to put your child to sleep but as soon as you lay her to bed she wakes up just because maybe its hot, environment is noisy or the bed sheet is not clean. Having a place that is conducive for sleeping will help in putting your baby into a deep sleep.
3. Learn sleep signs.
There are signs that babies makes when they are ready to fall asleep. Does she pull her ears? Does she rub her eyes? Does she twirl her hair? One baby I knew makes tantrums. His mom thought she just want some milk or that he is bored, but really, that抯 a sign that he wants to rest. These are just moments that you can take opportunity and put your baby asleep.
4. A sleeping routine will be helpful.
A routine will make your work easy. As most adult do, when it抯 not yet time for bedtime though they want to sleep, they can抰. It抯 an everyday routine and this can also be called body clock. Same principle can be applied into babies. You can make a sleeping routine for your baby too and this makes your future work easy.
5. Try to let your baby fall asleep on their own.
To avoid further confrontation with your baby and also for a better sleeping result just let your baby fall asleep. We can observe most of this while traveling, watching TV, etc. they generally fall asleep on their own and you can observe that babies sleep longer.
6. Spend the whole night sleeping.
Hearing your baby cry at night or waking up middle of the night to change diapers is really uncomfortable and this is entirely unlikely both for you and the child. To get over with this makes all necessary arrangements before putting your baby asleep and make sure that she is safe and comfortable.
These are just easy steps that parents can follow. As a mom says, 搚ou can抰 ask for more after having your baby sleep peacefully.?John Armand, a new parent, has followed these easy steps and after a week said, 揾aving a baby is worth a million joy specially when you don抰 have to wake up at night to change diapers. All is quite and comforting for all of us in the household.?These steps are just practical and which anybody can follow. Well there is nothing to lose try it and let others know the results.
Babies-Toddler Vivian | 25 Aug 2010
Baby Shower Invitations – Preparing Everything!
Baby shower planning is a truly enormous test. You have all stuff arranged: food, entertainment, plays, and the agenda. But wait, you overlooked something crucial. The party invitation! You principally overlooked something seriously significant when holding a party. What good is a party if there are no guests?
Creating party invitations may acquire some time if are selective with words. Picking out the finest wordings for the invitation is compulsory as this sets the pitch of the party. If the theme of the party is casual, you surely can relay that in the invitation. Recognizing which theme party you want can be used as measures in selecting the correct words for your invitation. Fun themes like a teddy bear and balloon party needs funny and unofficial wordings. You can arrange use of poems, well known quotes, or you can produce your own too.
There are some websites that offer example wordings you can conform for your invitation. Make a fast search and choose the catchiest wordings that you can match in your invitations. It can either be a general one or gender specific. Just be certain that you know ahead of time what gender the baby has. Applying baby rhymes would be a magnificent concept in your baby invitation. Putting the names of the hoping parents will give the invitation an intimate touch. You can also place in song lyrics that are popular with children and even nursery rhymes. Well known kiddie rhymes such as Humpty Dumpty, Baa Baa Black sheep and Hickory, Dickory, Dock can attach flavoring to your invitation too.
The primary things that your baby shower is the name of the guest of honor, the date, time, and where it will be held. If the venue for the party is rather unfamiliar to the guests, prepare a simple outline to guide them to the correct place. This primary information is needed, and make sure that they are printed large and clear. Do not forget to put in the invitation, whether the event will be a surprise or not. If the party is going to be a surprise, your guest should be well-informed to keep it secret. You would not want any guest sending in advanced presents for the party and sour in the plan.
Another influential matter to put on the invitation is the RSVP or Regrets only note. Do not overlook to put your phone number in there too of course, as guests probable will contact you their answer as you asked them to. You might wish to include a registry list or the presents you hoped your guests to bring. This is very applicable if you do not wish to end up having four or five strollers that you may not use. Guests would love it if their gifts would be appreciated and would not end up just being set aside.
As consequential as the wordings, the demonstration of the invitation talks as well. Follow the topic if you have one. If you choose angels, put cute images of these on the invitation cover for the wanted effect. If you do not necessarily have a topic, then just choose images that related to a baby. Colors are important as well. Use pink for girls and blue for boys. Invitations are there to compose an impression and tempt your guests to come in this truly special day. So release your imagination, get that ballpoint and have fun writing.
Babies-Toddler Vivian | 23 Aug 2010
Confessions of a Dora and Diego Addict
When it comes to learning toys for my toddler, I have to confess to being addicted to Nick Jr. children’s TV show characters Dora the Explorer and Diego. It started with my 2-year-old son, who gets so excited when either show comes on that he begins to run through the house, singing the theme songs. Dora features vivid colors, a cast of animal friends and her family, while her cousin, 8-year-old Diego goes on adventures to rescue animals using research and scientific skills. Both shows are targeted at preschoolers and incorporate teaching vocabulary, including Spanish.
Confession #1: I can’t turn off the show.
The scheduled broadcast shows are just not enough. The addiction started off as an hour a day (each show is a half hour), but my son always wants more (and makes it known)! This has given me plenty of incentive to get DVDs of both shows.
The truth is, I love the shows myself because they are interactive, teach vocabulary and language skills as well as music, and other lessons (math, science, observation and physical coordination). For example, the characters will pause to ask your child a question, figure out something or to name objects.
Confession #2: I almost went broke purchasing videos.
Thank goodness for my cable provider’s on demand service! Soon it didn’t stop with DVD videos, especially when my local cable service offered video at our convenience, with free children’s programming. Now, both shows are on almost all day long.
Confession #3: Now I’ve added toys.
I admit I’ve gone for the stronger hands-on stuff–toys, coloring books, card games, and activities with a visual impact. And when we go to the store, it’s a no-brainer because I’m on the constant lookout for educational learning toys, and the products that feature both characters are geared towards learning.
Confession #4: Did I mention there’s a website?
And don’t let me forget to mention the Nick Jr. website, where you can watch videos and play online or printable educational games with your toddler. My son has had an early interest in the computer. (He sees me on it all the time!) So, the ability to play learning games online has been a great way for us to bond.
Is it too much? My friends and family feed the addiction by getting us more Dora and Diego toys and games, and my son continues to learn from the shows and toys, so I think they feel it’s a good thing. I certainly do!
Babies-Toddler Vivian | 20 Aug 2010
Finding the Best Baby Gift is Just a Click Away!
You would think shopping for a baby gift would be easy, but more often than not its one of the hardest things I have found to do! I have tons upon tons of cousins, but I can never seem to find the perfect gift! A few weeks ago I finally found a website online that offered some really great ideas on baby gifts so I wanted to share it with everyone, in case you are having the same problem as well. These gifts range from three different categories; accessories, gifts and safety, all of which would be a fine gift for your new baby or someone that you know that has a baby! Check it out:
Deluxe Baby Traveller – This Great Expectations Baby Traveller Deluxe is an all-in-one nappy bag and change mat. It is a stylish and versatile accessory designed for parents of newborns through to toddlers. It is black in color, lightweight and practical. The Baby Traveller folds into a backpack.
Silly Billyz Play Blanket – This ranges in different colors and is a waterproof floor mat that has a fleece front and water resistant backing, making it super safe for your baby to lie on. use it at home, put it in your changing bag or anywhere else!
Cozy Elephant – There were a few more of these such as the lion and giraffe but the elephant was so cute I couldn’t resist! Cozy Cubs are a fantastic new range of 6 different fully microwavable soft toys. Cozy Cubs are a new range of six different ZOO animals that can be warmed in a microwave to soothe, comfort and relax.
Henry Warmheart – Henry Warmheart is an adorable furry bear that’s fully microwavable. Simply warm him in a microwave for two minutes to provide hours of soothing warmth and comfort. Henry is made form a luxurious deep pile fur and can be reheated time and time again. Gently scented with lavender to soothe, comfort and relax.
Grobag Egg – This color changing digital room thermometer is another clever innovation from the people that introduced you to grobag baby sleeping bags! Room temperature is vital in creating a safe sleeping environment for your baby and should be maintained at 16-20C to help reduce the risk of cot death. The grobag egg glows yellow if the room temperature is within recommended guidelines (16-20C). If the room temperature is outside this range, it acts as a reminder for you to take action to cool or heat the room, or to adjust the babies bedding or clothing.
Prenatal heart Listening System – Patented sensor technology lets you hear baby’s heartbeat with this Deluxe Prenatal Heart Listening System from Summer Infant. With headphones for two included, it’s a great way for you to bond with baby and your partner too! The heartbeat sensor provides a completely safe and non-invasive way to listen to your unborn baby’s precious heartbeats. You can begin to use it and hear baby around the middle of the second trimester (typically between 21-28 weeks). A positioning belt holds the sensor in place and snug against your skin. A stereo cable is also included for recording. Entire set includes heartbeat sensor, two headphones, positioning belt, and stereo cable.
Baby gifts, as with all gifts, are even better when love and affection are poured into them. Apparently its not that hard to find gifts online as long as your willing to search around a bit, you can find the perfect gift for that special baby. There are other web sites and web links that you can visit and find other good ideas for that perfect baby gift to give away. There are also web blogs of parents that provide not only gift ideas but other concerns regarding on how to take care of your baby better! Have fun!
Babies-Toddler Vivian | 18 Aug 2010
Are You Looking For the Perfect Gift For a Newborn Baby?
Sending a gift basket to congratulate new parents on the birth of their baby can be one of the most thoughtful gestures you can make. These baskets are often filled with practical, useful gifts to welcome the new arrival. Since you can purchase them already made up, you won’t have to spend time going from store to store trying to find high-quality baby gifts. There are so many different baskets to choose from that there’s little danger that the couple will receive duplicates of anything.
Any new parent will welcome such a gift of treasures for their cherished newborn. Anything you can send that will make their lives easier, pamper them a little, or provide necessary items for the baby will be a welcome gift. You can always add a little something extra to your basket, too. For instance, you might want to include a couple of movie tickets and a certificate good for an evening of free babysitting to give the new parents a chance to reconnect.
Personalizing the perfect gift basket for a new mother can be quite easy, because there are so many choices available. Consider the things that the mother enjoys eating, drinking, and doing. Which baskets will fit in with her favorite things? Think about sending her a basket of snacks and giving her that new book she’s been wanting. That way, while she’s in the hospital or during her few moments of spare time, she’ll have a delightful pastime awaiting her so that she can just sit back and relax. After all, new babies do sleep sometimes!
Anything you can do to provide a bit of respite for the new parents is sure to be appreciated. Sending them a gourmet basket of cheese and crackers, for example, can give them a quick lunch, or get them all set for an impromptu backyard picnic while the baby is napping. It’s important that new parents take time out to be a couple in the midst of all the work a new baby brings, and your gift will help remind them to take this necessary time for themselves. It’s also important for new parents to eat properly, and a gift of healthy foods can help them out when there isn’t a lot of time for meal preparation.
You’ll find that there are baskets available to honor a girl baby, a boy, and even twins. These baskets contain an array of high-quality baby items in pink, blue, or a combination of colors. As you may already know, having a new baby is an awesome responsibility, especially for first-timers. For new parents who are trying to adjust to their multiple bundles of joy, having two sets of take-home outfits, hats, creepers, booties, washcloths, and terry cloth bears will be much appreciated!
There’s no greater joy in life than a new baby, but the expense of providing for the new addition can often be prohibitive to new parents. By sending a unique, special basket of high-quality gifts, you’ll be able to help ease their budget while showing them how much you care. These baskets provide luxurious but practical baby items that are sure to be treasured for a lifetime.
Babies-Toddler Vivian | 18 Aug 2010
Benefits of Teaching Infants Sign Language
Teaching infants sign language gives them many early developmental advantages. Infants who learn sign have shown increase levels in language development, reading, social skills, and an overall higher IQ. Not to mention they tend to be happier babies. I have put together a list of some of the benefits people experience from teaching infants sign language:
- While teaching infants sign the parent and child are bonding. It is a very positive and fun experience for everyone involved.?Many people find it very rewarding.?/li>
- Learning sign helps to develop the brain in critical early years of language development.
- A baby can communicate through sign before they can speak. The muscles in their hands and arms develop before the muscles in their mouths so babies can sign as early as 7 months, where they can not speak until around 12 months.
- Teaching infants sign language can cut down on frustration for both the parent and child. The guess work is taken out when the child can communicate his or her needs through sign. Less frustration means a happier baby, and a happier parent. It also makes for less temper tantrums.
- Although some people think that teaching infants sign language may delay actual speech, it really does the opposite. Children who learn sign tend to speak earlier and have larger vocabularies then children who do not learn sign.
- Research has shown that children who are taught sign as an infant have higher IQs then children who were not.
- Being able to communicate through sign promotes self-esteem in infants and children.?It is rewarding to be able to communicate effectively.?/li>
- Sign increases social interactions and social skills needed in life.?/li>
- Sign reduces the noise level in the home or classroom.
- Teaching infants sign language can help you communicate at any place or time. You may sign “sit down” or “quiet” at church, where telling a person to do these things may be distracting to others. You can also sign in areas that are very noisy.
As you can probably tell, there are many more benefits a child can get from learning sign. These are just a few of the reasons why a parent or care giver should teach infants sign language.
Babies-Toddler Vivian | 17 Aug 2010
Benefits of Breastfeeding
As someone who is passionate about breastfeeding, I see it as the natural, normal way for a baby to be fed. The more I learn about breastfeeding, the more amazed I am at how fantastic it actually is.
Now for some women breastfeeding comes easily and for others the problems seem endless. So while I would encourage every mum to breastfeed, and get reliable breastfeeding help when you need it, your decision to breastfeed through problems needs to be based on what you feel is best for your and your family. Breastfeeding certainly isn’t the be all and end all of good parenting.
If you are expecting a baby, trying to decide how to feed or not sure what to think, here are just some of the benefits of breastfeeding.
For Baby
- As your baby grows, your breast milk changes too so that your baby gets exactly what they need at every feed.
- The antibodies that your body makes to fight any illness you contract get passed onto your baby through your breast milk. Amazing hey!
- Your breast milk contains all the protein, fats, nutrients, salts and sugars, antibodies and antibacterial agents that your baby needs for the first 6 months of life. It’s actually recommended by the World Health Organisation that breastfeeding continues to at least 2 years of age.
- Your breast milk will protect your baby from bowel and lung illnesses, infection and gastroenteritis.
- Breastfed babies are less likely to have middle ear infections and eczema.
- Because of the way babies are held and the way their tongues and mouths work when milking the breast, breast fed babies have better speech, eyesight and jaw development than formula fed babies.
- Babies who are formula fed also have a higher chance of developing juvenile diabetes, and childhood cancers.
For MumUsually when people talk about breastfeeding, it’s common to think of its benefits in terms of the baby, but breastfeeding can do so much for mums as well.
- Breastfeeding reduces your risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and osteoporosis, and the longer you breastfeed the better your protection.
- Breastfeeding helps your uterus and your body recover from the stress of carrying and delivering your baby.
- Hormones released while breastfeeding helps to relax you and your baby, making it easier to put your baby to sleep.
- Breastfeeding delays the return of your menstrual cycle. Music to my ears!
- Baby vomit and poopy nappies smell sweet rather than disgusting.
- Breastfeeding is free, on tap, and doesn’t need warming up or sterilizing. Breast pumps and bottles that carry breast milk don’t need to be sterilized because breast milk contains anti bacterial agents.
- Breastfeeding saves money in doctors and hospital bills, medicines and time off work looking after sick babies.
To be able to breastfeed your precious baby is a wonderful feeling. Yes it can be painful, confusing and stressful… but tell me what aspect of parenting isn’t.
Any hurdles are usually temporary, natural and perfectly normal. So please give breastfeeding a real try and find the right support when you need it. I’m sure you will be happy that you did.
Babies-Toddler Vivian | 13 Aug 2010
A History and Overview of Pali Furniture
Pali cribs are some of the most sought-after baby furniture on the market today. Much of what is known about the company and the quality of its products comes from word-of-mouth. This article explains some of the history behind Pali cribs and cots and also Pali baby furniture.
The history of Pali furniture is like that of many family businesses. Pali got its start in 1919 when Ermenegildo Pali began manufacturing chairs in his kitchen. He would work all day to produce only a few chairs, allowing his hand-made furniture to remain at the highest quality possible. Soon his operation grew larger than a family kitchen could hold and into the shed of the Pali family home.
Business grew steadily and soon Ermenegildo became successful enough to require a building dedicated solely to the family’s workmanship. Once that building became too crowded, additional areas of land were developed. Finally, in 1962 the company made the decision to shift completely towards a focus on the production of cribs and other baby furniture.
There are a number of reasons Pali baby cribs are considered to be one of the top choices among all baby furniture options. First, all of Pali’s cribs are made of Italian Beech wood. Beech is a genus of ten different species of deciduous trees which originate from Asia, North America and Europe. Pali furniture uses only Italian Beech wood, which is considered a commodity in the open market of fine furniture materials. Other typical applications of Beech wood are furniture, veneer plywood, flooring and even railroad ties.
One of the admirable aspects of Pali baby cribs is the attention to baby safety. Pali cribs and cots use the industry standard distance of two and three-eighths inches between slats. Baby crib slats are the wooden bars that reach up the sides of a crib and prevent the child from falling out. Another helpful aspect of the construction of any Pali baby bed is the use of rounding on all edges of each Pali crib. Pali cribs are built to handle the bouncing and movement of an active baby as it develops.
Another area of Pali’s expertise is the design and manufacture of baby mattresses. Using the utmost design care, Pali produces mattresses that not only offer a comfortable place to rest, but is engineered to meet the stringent quality standards in the baby furniture industry. Pali baby cots offer three levels of height for the mattress support, which makes the use of the baby cot easier on parents. As the child grows and is able to achieve a sitting position, the mattress can be lowered to ensure the safety of the child.
Pali’s history of growing from a small kitchen workshop to one of the greatest producers of baby furniture world wide has been a gradual yet successful process. Its products have helped generations of parents and their baby’s thrive during the first eighteen months of life and are likely to continue to do so for a long time.