Parenting | Child Health and Prevention

Discipline Advice for Younger Children

If you have younger children that don’t respond to discipline there are a few ways to tackle the chore of having them do as you wish. Many times, rewards and punishment do not work on certain children so there has to be another way to have kids that listen and do as you say.

One thing to remember is the task size. If you want your child to put up their toys before going to bed then show them what to do at first so they’ll know what to expect. Have a certain time that this is to be done each night such as an hour before bed or before their bath time. Once you have worked with them, use a normal but stern tone letting them know it’s time to do this chore. Keep it simple but reiterate what is to be done. Add disclaimers to their work such as the loss of items that are not put in the correct place.

Making sure your children know what is expected of them can mean all of the difference in how they react. Keep a matter of fact tone with them and keep the ritual fresh in their minds by having them do it daily or nightly. Remind them of the consequences if they do not complete the task like the removal of the toys for a week. This shows them a choice of doing what is expected or losing their privileges. Be sure to follow through with what you say. If you allow the children to slack on putting away their toys then you can’t expect them to do it properly each night. The same thing goes for punishments. If you threaten to take a toy away that is not properly put away then be sure to do it if your rules are not followed.

Filed Under: Child Care, Health, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Parent, Toy

Changing Schools

Having to change schools can be traumatizing for any child and it is important to know what to do to lessen the effects. Imagine how it feels to move or change jobs. There are new people to meet and get to know, an unfamiliar area and a sense of loneliness until friends are made; that is how it is for a child changing schools.

One of the first things to be aware of is to make sure your child knows that you understand and will be there to help. While many children or teens won’t ask for help, knowing that you are on their side can be extremely helpful when it comes to an unfamiliar setting or a major change in life.

Offer support and suggestions that can aid in your child finding their way in this major change. Suggest that they join activities that they enjoyed at their old school such as sports, clubs and meetings. That is a good way for them to make new friends without having to start from scratch at a new school.

If you live close enough for them to meet with their old friends then allow them to do that so they still have a sense of what is familiar to them. If not, allow them time on the Internet or phone to talk to their old friends. This can help make the transition easier so that they don’t feel like they have lost everything familiar in their life.

Suggest that they take up a new or past hobby to fill their time and keep their mind off of the change that they are experiencing. Not only is this something to keep them occupied but it can be a way for them to meet new people by doing something that others enjoy doing as well.

Filed Under: Child Care, Health, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Education, New People

Severe Oral Adversion Treatments

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Doctors and families that help children with feeding disorders have multiple challenges of having the give the patient more food and also alleviating severe oral aversion and defensive mechanisms.

There are different treatment tips that may help in this endeavor.

Small steps are the way to begin in this task with smaller treatment sessions. Adding longer times gradually can help increase the food intake. Be sure to take note of all progress no matter how small it seems. Each step is significant.

Structuring the sessions can help by reducing nervousness and anxiety. A routine can mean a lot to a patient and help them become more comfortable with the sessions.

Don’t start with the mouth area since patients with this problem may have an aversion to anything near their mouths. Use the area around the face first.

Be positive in this scenario by rewarding the patient. Giving praise and positive reinforcement allows the patient to feel rewarded for doing well and will help them want to do well in the future.

Include any and all caregivers in this endeavor. Make them aware of what you are doing and each structured plan so that the patient becomes aware of what is normal activity and doesn’t experience change with each person that tries to feed them.

Therapists and family members who deal with oral aversion in the severest cases face many challenges while trying to master these steps and have the patient become age-appropriate in their eating habits. Sometimes this may require intense treatment than outlined and sometimes this treatment can take quite a while but as long as the steps are on a consistent basis, the developments can be rewarding and challenges overcome. Patience is the key element in making sure that the child gets the best experience in helping them grow and learn to eat.

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Filed Under: Child Care, Health, Parenting Tagged With: Anxiety, Eating, Patient

Talking with Your Children About Sex

Having “the” talk with your children about sex can be difficult and intimidating but it doesn’t have to be. There are a few tips to consider when raising healthy and curious children that want to learn about the birds and the bees.

One of the most important things to consider is not to wait until your children start asking questions. It can be assumed that when they want to know they’ll ask you but this isn’t always true. Some children can feel shy or intimidated about asking sex questions and most of the time they may not ask at all. See if they are curious and want to know something by approaching the subject first when you feel it’s time for them to know.

Utilize television shows and movies that you both enjoy. Most movies and television shows today have some kind of sexuality to them and especially teen shows and reality shows that kids enjoy watching. If your family watches those types of shows, use that opportunity to open up the conversation about what is happening. It can be an excellent ice breaker and may make it easier to discuss sexual matters.

Make sure both parents are involved is possible and always talk to both genders of children about sex. One parent should not bear the burden of discussing sex when both parents can be involved. It may be easier for the mom to talk to her daughter but boys need to hear about sex as well and if there is a father figure in the house that can be less awkward for mom.

However you decide to handle it, it is okay to feel uncomfortable or awkward. The important thing to remember is that if you do it with love and understanding that your children will be less uncomfortable as well.

Filed Under: Child Care, Health, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Sex, Sexuality

Helping Children Make Friends

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Many children have no issues with making friends. Whether it’s a new school year or neighborhood acquaintances, these children always have a gang of pals nearby. However, for other children it can be harder so there are a few tips to help your children make new friends that won’t be too invasive to them making their own decisions.

Talk to your children about what is going on. It could be a simple case of shyness or there may be a certain reason your child isn’t being extroverted.

Meeting with other parents can sometimes set everything in motion. Play dates or just normal get-togethers can introduce your child to a new friend.

Joining different groups can help such as after school activities, sports teams, dance classes or the scouts. Any activity that focuses on a group mentality can allow your child to be around more children similar to themselves. With especially shy children this can be more sensitive but if your child likes a certain activity, bringing them closer with other children that like the same thing can open up a world of new friends.

See if you can find out how your children acts in a group setting. For instance, is your child different from the others in how they act? Notice if your child seems to whine a lot of become bossy to others. This could be one of the reasons other children may not want to be friends. If you find this is one of the reasons, have a discussion with your child about how to treat others. The same thing goes for your child being picked on. If the other children are mistreating your child it may be the reason your son or daughter doesn’t want to make new friends. Find out why the others are singling out your child in order to see what can be done about it.

Filed Under: Child Care, Health, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Parenting, Play date

Sibling Rivalry

Siblings are notorious for bickering and fighting but there are ways to alleviate some of the fighting between your children.

One of the ways to call a truce between children is to listen to both sides independently and be subjective in your answers. Both children will most likely blame each other for whatever it is they are fight over but sometimes they may have a valid point that can be addressed and then fixed. For instance, if one child is upset that they have no privacy set ground rules on when the other is allowed in the child’s room or stress the importance of not looking at their notes or journal.

Set up a debate or forum between the two siblings where each one has a specific amount of time to state their case and then hear a rebuttal. This may sound extensive but it can actually open the lines of communication up so that each child feels that they are being listened to. It also allows you as the parent to find out the reasons for all of the fussing and fighting.

Never show favoritism between the two children because this will only lead to resentment and anger. Even if one child is clearly in the wrong, address the problem in a positive way that doesn’t seem like you are taking sides.

Invoke rules about fighting in the home so that you can get some peace and quiet and the fighting will stop; at least for a little while. Make it a point to state specific times such as no fighting during dinner or no fighting when dad comes home. Knowing that they have a specific window of opportunity can actually have them working together on something and may lessen the fighting some because they have to do something as a team rather than on their own.

Filed Under: Child Care, Health, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Ground rules, Parent

Children and Chores

Having your kids do chores can be a bone of contention between you and them but there are ways to make it more rewarding to them so that they feel they are gaining something out of working.

With smaller children it may be easier because you can make it into a game. For instance, if you need help taking out the trash then you can have a game where the first person who takes out the trash wins or for a child with no siblings you can make a game out of racing them to the trash cans or that they are throwing away all the bad stuff that attracts monsters. If this is too intense for your child then do it together with them until they are old enough to do it on their own.

With teens this can be more difficult because they won’t be interested in games. However, they may be interested in a reward. Make the chores into something they have to do for an allowance or being able to go out with their friends; something they want and will work for it. If you have a set of house rules then it is perfectly acceptable to dole out punishment for those rules being broken. If your teen is given the chore of loading the dishwasher then they lose phone privileges or internet access if this chore is not done when it is supposed to be done.

Children are unique and each one will respond to chores differently. Some may work well with a reward type of system while others may only respond to punishment for a job not done. It’s up to you to determine which category your child may fall into but the most important thing is to try to make things lighthearted. There’s no reason to make your child feel like this is work.

Filed Under: Child Care, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Housekeeping, Parent

Are You Cut Out for Adoption?

With adoption comes great responsibility. You welcome a new child into the family and pledge to take care of all his needs at every hour of every day. For some, it simply isn’t an option but for others it becomes the only option to experience motherhood. While you may think that adoption is the best route for you to take, consider these options before you actually take the plunge.

The Wait: Adoption takes a lot of patience. If you find yourself not accustomed to waiting, adoption will be a lot more than ‘just a walk in the park.’ Everything with adopting a child takes time. Whether it is sending in your application form and waiting for a confirmation or about getting in line to welcome your new baby, adoption will test your patience like no other.

The Expenses: You may be patient, but are you financially stable to support a family? Costs for adoption are extremely high, from the initial stages to when you get your baby. You may be prompted to apply for pay day loans on a monthly basis but if you think you can surpass that, you can go right ahead and put in your application.

Future Plans: When you get ready to adopt, you will have to picture all possible situations in life well in advance. You will also have to make provisions to not succumb to unwanted stress and tension in your life. Your life will change even before your baby comes and unless you are absolutely sure about your plans, you will do well to stall the idea of adopting a child.

Adoption is a process that allows you to experience motherhood when all other options fail to fulfil that desire. It technically becomes the last resort for most mothers and when the situation boils down to it, you should be absolutely clear in your mind about your decisions.

Filed Under: Child Care, Parenting Tagged With: Adoption, Child, Facilitators, Family, Foster care, Home, International, Mother

What To do When Your Child Is Sick

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Raising children is thought to be one of the hardest things that any person will ever do. It is a full time job without benefits or much time off. Making the correct parenting decisions is a very important part of being a good parent.
However, tehre is a lot of information offers differing opinions
about the validity of certain beliefs. Chwo-foundation.org exists to help parents and caregivers make the best decisons possible for their charges.

Anytime that a child is sick, parents worry. This is particularly true if your child is under the age of two, and for many years, it was common practice to use over the counter cold medicines for infants and toddlers. In 2008, this practice changed and instead parents are now advised to encourage hydration and remove existing mucus when possible from their children. Chwo-foundation.org is an excellent reource for parents who are trying to determine appropriate medical care for their children.

How To Know If It’s More Than A Cold

If parents were automatically able to know if their child has allergies, a cold, or something more serious, they would be able to save themselves a lot of time spent in doctors’ offices. However, in general, parents are encouraged to contact their pediatrician if their child under the age of four months runs a fever of more than 100 degrees Fahreheit or 37.7 degrees Celsius, it is a good idea to get medical attention. Chwo-foundation.org offers helpful information on what to expect at your appointment.

When in doubt, it is typically recommended to seek medical care. It is better to spend time waiting in an office, than to risk the very real possibility of your child becoming sicker due to that delay. Some pediatricians have different waiting areas available for sick and healthy children, in attempt to prevent spreading illness.

Regardless of what you are told by well-meaning individuals, it is potentially lethal to give children under the age of a year honey. It is similiarly harmful to give a child under 18 aspirin.

Filed Under: Child Care, Health, Parenting, Treatment Tagged With: Child, Medicine, Parent, Pediatrics