Parenting Advices

Whether it’s the specific task of teaching them to stop hitting, or the overall goal of developing EQ, it all boils down to the simple messages we send everyday and how consistent we are in our responses. Kids this young learn through habit and imitation.

What to do during a tantrum:

• Don’t hit, bite, or yell in return (even if it’s to “teach him how it feels like”), or he’ll think that behavior’s okay.
• Stay calm and keep your voice firm. Since he’s upset and isn’t actually listening to you at this point, you shouldn’t lecture or talk or explain why what he’s doing is wrong. Keep it short: say “No hitting” or “No biting”.
• If that doesn’t work, get up and walk away. Tantrums are no fun if there’s no audience.
• He’s agitated and doesn’t know how to calm himself down. Bring him to a quiet corner, or at least remove him from whatever has upset him in the first place (e.g., the DVD player he’s halfway through breaking). Yelling will only upset him further (remember how your reaction to being shouted at is to shout even louder) so keep your voice low and calm.
• Give him the words for what he feels. “Zach is tired.” or “Zach is mad.” (Tip: Barney videos are pretty good at teaching EQ, like identifying feelings and considering how other people feel.)
• Give him another option. Right now all he knows is what he wants and how he didn’t get it — lead him to another activity.

How to head off a tantrum:

Toddlers tend to scream, hit and bite when they’re cranky, overwhelmed, or overstimulated. Here are some signs that you need to calm him down fast:
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Every parent’s nightmare: taking the kids for those nasty shots. Here’s how to make it easier on them — and on you.

Parenthood can be a tough job. Just how tough? Try taking your kids to the doctor’s for their shots. You remember how it was before — the needles hurt, and you hated your parents and that mean doctor for making you go through the pain. And here you are now, subjecting your own two-year-old to the same pain.

How does immunization work? A vaccine subjects the body to tolerable amounts of disease-causing agents or antigens. The body then goes into defense mode and releases antibodies to fight the antigen. Thus the body becomes immune to the disease.

The Usual Suspects:

Here’s a rundown of the most common diseases that all kids are prone to. Consult your pediatrician as to when would be the best time for your kids to get immunized for them.

Chicken pox occurs 12 to 16 days after exposure and lasts 8 to 14 days. Symptoms: fever, body weaknesses, sore throat, a mild dry cough, paleness and difficulty in breathing. The membranes of the throat, tonsils, palate, and nose appear grayish.

Measles have an incubation period of 10 to 14 days and lasts five days. Symptons: fever, a runny nose, red watery eyes, dry cough, small white milky spots in the mouth. On the last couple of days, the red rash behind the ears or around the hairline spreads gradually to the rest of the body.

Meningitis appears the first week after exposure. Symptoms: sudden fever, headache and vomiting. Reddish spots sometimes show up on the eyelids, body and extremities.

Mumps appear on the third week after exposure and last about a week. Symptoms: pain in the cheeks (made worse by chewing), swelling and moderate body weakness.

Poliomyelitis is a slow process. It strikes any age, though most commonly in children between one and five years of age. Symptoms: fever, pain, swelling (frequently under the jaw and skin), increase irritability and muscle tenderness.

Whooping cough will run its course for two weeks. Symptoms: severe cough (increasing in severity and frequency) which may make the child red in the face and also cause vomiting. Coughing spells are marked by a respiratory whoop at the end.

Typhoid fever appears a week or two after exposure and lasts two weeks. Symptoms: fever, diarrhea, vomiting, thirst, prostration, stupor, delirium, and a low pulse rate.

Rubella (German measles) lasts only two to four days. Symptoms: a rash, weakness, slight swelling of the nasopharynx as well as slight reddish spots in the pharynx.

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Blotchy skin, wrinkles and strawberry marks. Learn to read the signs of a newborn’s skin and know what and what not to worry about.

He may look like Mr. Potatohead with all his wrinkles and blotches, but when a new mom gazes at her newborn baby for the first time, it will be love at first sight.

There are a lot of things you will notice about your baby than just checking to make sure he has all fingers and toes!

Birth marks

At birth, it is normal for a baby to appear bluish, as oxygen from the lungs has yet to reach his bloodstream. He may also have patches of dry skin or still be covered with vernix — the greasy, white substance that protected his body from the amniotic fluid inside the womb.

In the first few weeks, you may also notice minor blemishes on your baby’s skin. These are usually harmless and require no immediate treatment. Most of them will disappear in a few month’s time. Some common blemishes that may appear:

• Milia, which are tiny white spots on the baby’s face (like whiteheads), cause by blocked oil glands.
• Stork marks or bites, which are red in color and can be found on the neck, nose or eyelids.
• Strawberry marks, are raised red marks, which may grow rapidly in the first few weeks but should disappear by your baby’s sixth month or so.
• Nettle rash, usually disappears in a month’s time, and is characterized by a raised white center surrounded by an inflamed red area.
• Port wine stains, which are reddish purplish marks on the face and neck, however, are permanent and will require treatment when the child is older.

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Congratulations! You’ve decided to do it all by yourself! Here are a few pointers from others who have done it before you:

On Child Care

As always keep children, especially preschoolers, where you can see or hear them. If you have an infant, make sure you have him safe in his crib, far from your preschooler’s reach.

Keep your kids busy while you take your bath or are cooking. Drawing, reading, coloring books or a video can do the trick.

On Cleaning

Don’t always expect the house to be spic and span. The goal is a semblance of neatness and cleanliness. Train the kids to fix their beds, pick up their toys, and pack away their own things.

If you have a big house, consider getting someone — perhaps one of your mom’s helpers on loan — to come in once a week to do a thorough cleaning.

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