Getting Toddlers to Help Around the House

One of the most common complaints from parents with toddlers is that their toddlers don’t clean up. With their curious minds and nonstop energy, toddlers are into everything. By the end of the day your house looks like 50 kids had a play date instead of just one. However, there is some good news, toddlers can learn at an early age to pick up after themselves and even have a little fun while doing it. The earlier they start cleaning up and helping around the house, good cleaning habits will grow as your little one gets older.

One of the most important habits is to have a routine for cleaning up.

Try giving them a 5-minute warning that clean up time is coming. Have a verbal cue to let your child know that it is clean up time. A favorite one used by teachers is the clean up song, you can make up one on your own or use the old time favorite. Singing will help pass the time while your child is picking everything up and putting it away.

To make things even easier for your child, get your child’s things organized. It makes it much more fun when your little one knows where everything goes. One of the best ways to do this is to purchase some inexpensive bins and label them.Try taking a picture of the toys that belongs in the bin and place it on the outside so all your child has to do is to match the toy to the picture. If you have older children, place a card with the name of the toy written on it. This will help with their reading skills.

Remember to keep a positive attitude. Your little one may not get all the toys back where they should go, but they did clean up, so offer them positive encouragement for even the littlest effort. Your toddler will be so pleased with their accomplishment.



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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.


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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

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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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The Importance of Locomotor Skills

Locomotor skills include walking, running, skipping, hopping, galloping, leaping, jumping, and sliding and they are the foundation of the 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.

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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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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 can get some healthy snacks into their diet. If you child has food allergies be careful and consult your doctor before trying new foods.
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Winter Sports and Activities Safety Tips

Last month we talked about winter activities to do with the kids and safety with kids in the cold weather. We found some great safety tips for outdoor winter activities.Click here to read the tips.

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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.

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