Fostering Developmental Milestones in Your Child

Do you ever wonder about your child’s development or what you should see at certain ages? This article talks about Fostering Developmental Milestones and how you can help to make the developmental stages positive for your child?  Click here to read the full article.

Moody Toddlers

Moody Toddlers

Many parents get frustrated and concerned about their toddlers mood swings. In most cases a toddlers mood swings are normal. There are many causes or mood swings in toddlers but here are a few causes and some tips on how to deal with them.

Inability to communicate feelings or wants and needs. It’s very frustrating for your toddler to be so limited with verbal communication. Until your toddler develops their vocabulary expect that they will be emotional as they try to communicate.

What you can do: Tell your child to take their time when communicating. Give them enough time to get their point across. If they still can’t get their point across, give them hints to help them. However, try not to speak for your child as this can hurt their confidence when communicating later in life.

Testing boundaries – Your toddler is experiencing more independence than they ever had before. It’s natural for them to begin to test the rules you have set for them. This may result in your child saying “no they don’t want to go to eat” or “no they don’t want to go to sleep”.

What you can do: Reinforce the rules. Toddlers need stability. It might seem easier to give in to your toddler to avoid an emotional meltdown but this could lead to more moodiness and behavior problems later. This defiance might just be your toddlers attempt to understand rules. Try explaining the reasoning behind each rule. That may be help them understand why rules are in place.

New feelings – With new experiences (like school) comes new feeling for your toddler. Feelings like fear of being separated from parents and caregivers are new for toddlers. This could lead to moodiness.

What you can do: Reinforce to your child that you are always looking out for them. Try to explain that change is a natural part of life. Give your toddler more attention during times of change.

Moodiness is normal for toddlers but if you have any question about what’s normal and what’s not, see a qualified healthcare professional.

Importance of establishing a schedule with children

Schedules play an important role in ensuring that children feel safe and their lives are predictable. Young children do not understand the concept of time so they measure their lives by the passing of events. Click here to find out how to establish a schedule with your kids.

The Importance of Locomotor Skills

Locomotor skills include walking, running, skipping, hopping, galloping, leaping, jumping, and sliding and they are the foundation of human movement. Generally, children are ready to practice walking at around 12 months, they can start running/hopping/jumping at 24 months, and galloping/sliding/skipping at 36 months. It’s very important the you practice locomotor skills with your child because it helps with coordination.

Play is a great way to practice these critical skills. Here are a few tips on what to look for and how to reinforce the proper development of locomotor skill:

• Walking: look for smooth, straight steps with arms swinging gently in opposition of feet.
• Galloping: one foot leading and the other foot following behind.
• Jumping: feet should be close together, pushing off with both feet and landing on toes. This is a good time to try jumping rope.
• Hopping: with one foot on the ground, push with the toes. Landing should be fairly quiet.
• Side-sliding: move sideways with one foot leading (a sideways gallop).
• Leaping: go over an object leading with one foot and land on two feet.
• Skipping: march with knees high; each time the knee is in the air, hop on the other foot - step/hop, step/hop, step/hop

Most children can master these activities with some simple instruction or by following the older siblings.

If you have any questions or concerns about your child’s development, please contact your pediatrician.

14 Ways to Show Love for Your Child This Valentine's Day and Every Day

Valentine’s Day  is right around the corner and why not use this time to give your children a little extra love.  The great thing about these tips is they don’t just apply to Valentine's Day but you can use them all year round. Click here to read the article.

Healthy Snack Ideas for Preschoolers

Throughout the day you may hear multiple times “I’m hungry”.  When you hear those words, you want to give your little one a healthy snack that they will actually eat.  Here are a few ideas for healthy fun snacks.

Fruit Skewer: Cut a variety of fruit into bite-sized pieces and add them to a fancy toothpick.

Dips: Select some vegetables that your child likes and a few that you want them to try. Dips can enhance the taste of bland vegetables. Try ranch, honey mustard, or thousand island.

Stuffed Celery: Fill the inside of celery stalks or cucumber slices with peanut butter or flavored cream cheese. Use two different veggies together for a mixed veggie treat.

Cheese: String cheese or cheese cubes and cheese slices are always an easy snack. Cheese quesadillas made with beans and fresh vegetable salsa can put a twist on s cheesy meal.

Yogurt: Make yogurt pops or smoothies with yogurt and fresh berries. Add granola, fresh berries, and yogurt.

Hummus: This is a tasty, healthy snack that is growing in popularity with kids. Serve hummus with vegetables, salt free crackers, pretzels or even pita bread.

Spend time to experiment with different food choices with your child. It will be a great bonding experience and you you can get some healthy snacks into their diet. If you child has food allergies be careful and consult your doctor before trying new foods.

Preparing for Preschool Reading

There are many tried and true strategies preschool teachers use to help develop early reading skills. Many of these skills can be done at home to help your child to learn to love reading at an early age. Click here to read an informative article about preparing for preschool reading.

Staying Healthy During Cold & Flu Season

It’s cold and flu season. Runny noses, coughs, aches, late sleepless nights, crying, it’s all part of cold and flu season. You might not be able to avoid the cold or the flu, but here are a few tips to help you survive the season and maybe avoid a bug or two.

Establish a Germ Fighting Routine

Use the Vampire Cough – Teach your children to cough and sneeze into the crook of their arm. It’s easier to prevent the spread of germs if they are not contaminating their hands when they cough into them.

Wash Your Hands– You heard it from your mom and now you’re hearing it in public service announcements on TV, wash your hands. This is the best weapon in your germ fighting arsenal. You should teach children when to wash their hands:

• After using the bathroom

• Before they eat

• After play dates

• When they return to the house after being out

And how they wash their hands makes a difference. Teach the steps below for a proper hand washing:

• Always use warm water and soap

• Sing "Happy Birthday" twice – to make sure your washing for 15 to 20 seconds

• Use hand sanitizing gel if water isn’t available

• When using gel, scrub your hands for about 20 seconds

Lead by Example – Show your kids good habits by following the germ fighting routine above on your own. This way they are much more likely to pick up good habits instead of germs.