Moody Toddlers

Some parents get concerned about their toddler’s mood swings. In most cases mood swings are normal. Here are a few causes and some tips on how to deal with them.

* Inability to communicate feelings, wants, and needs. It’s very frustrating for your toddler to be so limited by their vocabulary and understanding. 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 trying to express themselves. Give them enough time to get their point across. If they still can’t get their point across, give them hints to help them along. However, try not to speak for your child as this can lead to confidence issues with communication later on.

* 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 cause some emotional outbursts of defiance. Your child may say “no" they don’t want to go to school” or “no they don’t want to go to bed”.

What you can do: It’s important to reinforce the rules. Toddlers need stability in their lives. It might seem like the easier road to give in to your toddler to avoid an emotional outburst, 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 all they need.

* New feelings – With new experiences (like school) comes new feelings for your toddler. Feelings like fear of separation are new. This could lead to moodiness.

What you can do: Reinforce to your child that you will always be there 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.

 

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End-of-Day Meltdowns

Parents with babies and small children all know about end-of-day meltdowns. Many parents struggle with this time of day along with their child. Parenting Magazine offers some great tips to help you get through this difficult time of day. Click here to read the whole article.

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Keeping the Attention of a Preschoolers

The most difficult thing a parent will ever have to do is to try to keep a preschooler occupied. With their short attention spans, you need to have a lot of tricks up your sleeve. This can include arts and crafts, games and learning activities that you know will entertain them. Keeping your preschooler occupied allows them to maintain a healthy lifestyle and learn through activity.

Outdoors
Take advantage of days when temperatures moderates to send your children outside. Once winter comes it’s easy to forget that the backyard exists. A healthy dose of fresh air, can pep kids up and wear them out. Of course, don’t forget to bundle up. For an alternative when it is too cold, head to the mall for a brisk walk.

Arts and Crafts
If you can’t get out of the house, try a craft activity. Craft stores have made it easy, even if you’re not a crafty person. Packaged craft-in-a-box activities are very popular with kids. They include making beaded jewelry, bookmarks, birdhouses and more.

Indoor Play Centers
The Y, gymnastics centers, indoor play centers, mommy and me classes, activities of all types to fit all budgets are going on right now in your community. Look in your local paper, check online and check with your local library or community center for more information on how you can get involved.






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8 Great Sick-Day Activities

When your child is home from school because they are not feeling well, you may struggle with ways to keep them entertained while the get better. Scholastic.com offers 8 great sick day activities. From reading stories together to doing a simple craft. Click here to read the article.

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Why Read To Babies

New moms often are told that they should read to babies, even if they are less than six months old. But if they can’t understand what you’re reading, how does it help your baby? Here are some ways reading to your baby can be beneficial.

It gradually introduces concepts such as stories, numbers, letters, colors, and shapes that are critical for your child’s development.
Your baby might not understand but by reading to them you are teaching them to listen.
Reading can also teach your baby the concept of communication through using sounds before they can speak.

Here are some tips on what types of books work best based on your baby’s age.
Newborns – books with bright colors and shapes
4 and 6 months – books made of cloth and soft materials they can grab onto
6 and 12 months – the more pictures the better, your baby is starting to focus

You can’t read too much to your baby so go crazy. Take every opportunity to pull out a book, at the doctor’s office, at the market and in the mall. This will keep your child’s attention and teach them that reading is fun anywhere and anytime. Teach your kids good reading habits and they will keep them for life.

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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.

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The Importance of Sleep and School

Experts say children ages 5 to 12 need 10 to 11 hours of sleep a night. Studies also show that most kids are getting an hour less sleep each night than they did 30 years ago.

Children have a lot more distractions than they did 30 years ago including more activities, homework, TV and video games. It’s easy to understand how today’s kids have a hard time winding down at night. You might be wondering if your child is getting enough sleep. Well, here are some signs that they might need more:

Behavior Changes – when your child doesn't get enough sleep it can become difficult for them to control their emotions. This can result in emotional, outburst, grumpiness, and poor behavior.

Attention Issues – if your child is normally a good listener but they begin having difficulty following detailed instructions or maintaining focus during activities, this could be a sign of a lack of sleep.

Memory Loss – sleep is like a reset button for your child. During sleep, everything learned during the day is committed to memory and the brain is prepared to absorb more information the next day. If your child shows a change in remembering directions or information this could be a sign of not getting enough sleep.

What can you do to help your child get more sleep?

Establish a bedtime routine for your child and stick to it. Make sure your child get’s to bed around the same time every night.

Give your child time to unwind. Turn off the TV, video games and eliminate distractions 15 to 20 minutes before bedtime.

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10 Fun Ways To Celebrate Valentine's Day With Kids

Valentine’s Day is in a few weeks. Have the perfect holiday with the kids with these 10 fun ways to celebrate Valentine’s day from The Parent Squad. Click here to read the article.


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