Babies Tale

Toilet-Training Equipment

Successful toilet-training will be a combination of good timing [ the child must be ready] and the parents’ understanding of the complexity of the process [being able to break it down into a series of simple tasks] . For most children, the ideal time is around two years of age-a time when they can follow verbal instructions, have good muscle control, and take pride in doing things by themselves.

What you’ll need is really not much. Training pants aren’t necessary, because they shrink a lot when washed, making them hard to take off. They’re also bulky, like diapers-a child may forget that wetting her pants is no longer acceptable. Buy regular children’s underwear to mark the transition and instill some pride in your child about growing up.

You can buy either a potty that sits on the floor or a seat that adapts o the adult flush toilet. There are arguments for and against each. Generally, children who have older siblings are more motivated to use the adult toilet because they want to be grown up like their brothers and sisters; they often do very well with the adapter seat. Children who don’t have older siblings often experience a fear of heights on the adapter seat, and some have a real fear of all that flushing. The adapter seat is more portable and obviously doesn’t involve emptying, but if it fits poorly, it can slip or break, causing the child to fall off or in. Also, children tend to urinate off to the side, wetting the adult seat or the floor. No difference in ease of training has ever been found between adapter seats and potties, so the choice is yours.

Go on a preliminary shopping trip for the potty or seat. When you’ve whittled it down to two choices, bring your child with you to assist in the final selection. Have your child sit on the seats to see which is more comfortable. This will give her an investment in what’s about to take place.

If you’re looking at adapter seats, take them from the package to be sure the edges are smooth and round and not sharp. There should be a flexible front shield for boys, preferably of a rubber-like material that won’t hurt your son bumps against it. The catches holding the seat on should be rubberized or of some other non-scratch material to prevent damaging the adult seat. If your buying an adapter seat, you’ll also need to buy a footstool so your child can climb up to the seat.

Potties are portable and easy for children to use. Look for one with a seat top that can later be used as an adapter seat. Potties with plastic seats are superior to those with wooden ones, they’re easier to clean and fit children better. Find one with a wide base for increased stability. Also, rubber tips under the potty will prevent it from sliding as your child slides on to it. Make sure all edges are smoothly finished., and check to see if the splash guard is flexible. Potties with top loading chambers are best because they’re easier to empty without spills. In fact, children can eventually learn to empty these themselves.

Table and Chair

Get rid of the highchair as soon as you can, since all highchairs present a risk of falls. Besides, once your child is two, she will consider the highchair a prison Having a chair and table. of her own will allow a child to spread out her things for work, play, or eating, making it a very important piece f equipment..

Buy the largest table you can afford or have room for, definitely no smaller than twenty by thirty inches. Many suppliers make sturdy tables and matching chairs for children. Some even have adjustable legs. But you don’t have to buy something that’s sold as a child’s table. One mother covered a Parson’s table with oilcloth and then bought a few sturdy child-sized chairs to go with it. The chart that follows specifies heights for tables and chairs at different ages, but if you can afford only one set, and you can’t find one with adjustable legs, go with a table hat’s at least twenty-two to twenty-four inches high and a seat that’s about thirteen inches high. There should always be eight to ten inches of room between the chair seat and the table.

Shelves for Toys, Books, and Other Belongings

Buy sturdy shelves with no sharp edges. The shelves should be affixed low on the wall, so a child can’t pull things down on his head, it’s a good idea to store soft things, like stuffed animals on the highest shelves.

Toy Chests

Though toy chests are immensely practical [and useful for teaching a small child to put her belongings away], they are not without hazards. The two most prominent dangers are sharp edges that could injure your baby if she should fall against the toy chest, and a tight-fitting lid that could trap your baby inside, suffocating her. Though the possibility of the later may seem remote, it is a very real danger.

When choosing a toy chest, look for the following features:

1. Sturdy construction
2. Smooth surfaces, with no sharp corners or edges
3. A gap of at least a half-inch between the closed lid and the chest
4. A hydraulic closure that will prevent the lid from slamming onto your baby’s head

Be sure that the inside of the box has no latch or other locking mechanism that could trap your child inside. Ideally, the chest’s lid should be light enough for a baby to push it upward with little effort.

If you’re unable to find a commercially manufactured toy chest that suits your specifications, consider making one yourself, or having one custom made. Finally, don’t pass your own old toy chest [or anyone else’s] unless you know it is safe.

Although they may seem unknowing and unreceptive babies are actually active learners. It was once believed that until a child was able to talk they were unable to form complex ideas and thoughts; however scientists have found that this is not true. From the first week of a child’s life they are taking in their surroundings and learning from them. The first twelve months may be the most active period of cognitive development in a child’s life. There are so many different things that changes and advancements that are going on in the first year. Here are some of the milestones in the babies first year of cognitive development the process by which babies develop the abilities to learn and remember.
Newborns, babies 0 to 3 months can see clearly within 13 inches and can focus on and follow moving objects. Newborns can see every color and distinguish hue and brightness; they can also hear and distinguish the pitch and volume of sound. They can taste sweet, sour, salty and bitter flavors. Newborns respond to stimuli such as touching and strong odors. If you notice that your newborn begins sucking at the sight of your nipple or at the feeling of your chest on its face then your newborn has learned to anticipate events such as breastfeeding.

Babies 3 to 6 months old can recognize different people by sight or voice and react to and mimic the facial expressions of others. They can also respond to familiar sounds like the sound of the car starting or water running. By six months of age many infants will begin reaching for objects quickly without jerkiness and may be able to feed themselves a cracker or similar food. At this age most infants begin babbling with active vocalization that starts to sound increasingly speech-like syllables. Babies 6 to 9 months can figure out the difference between animate and inanimate objects and they can understand that inanimate objects must be moved by someone or another external force. During the seventh month of age, many children begin to learn the implications of familiar acts. As they approach the eighth month of age many will be able to recall a past event or action of their own.

Infants from 9 to 12 months of age start to understand that objects exist even when they cannot see them. They are learning to follow simple instructions and can anticipate a reward when they do the right thing and expect discipline when they do the wrong thing. A baby’s movements become more controlled and deliberate, by 10 months most babies can stand although they may need some support. By nine months of age, most infants have begun vocalizing to toys, people, and animals in sentence-like syllables. You may notice your child beginning to listen carefully to the conversations of other people and hear them imitate sounds they hear in these conversations. The first word-like sounds made by babies are usually of the consonant sounds p, b, m, t, and d.

The development that happens during the first year is very important and delightful to witness as your child conquers each new milestone to becoming a full grown human being. Keep in mind that all children are different and the age that your child starts to develop each new skill will vary with each child, and it is rare that there is a major problem if your child should experience a delay in development of a certain milestone.

It’s an amazing world out there, so much to do and explore, and so much to learn!

Have you ever seen a baby when they lay eyes on something new? With eyes full of wonder and as bright as can be, their little hands outstretched to touch and mouths wide open to taste, something new to them is something we as adults take for granted.

The biggest blessing is that we as parents rediscover our world and appreciate it all the more when accompanied by a baby who is so excited to see the newest thing in his/her life. So rush rush and hasty in our lives we bypass the true things that really matter. The beautiful, blue sky on a clear sunny day, a big bright moon on a dark night, the birds chirping and flitting about and the flowers in bloom in the spring, or even appreciation for gravity. Oh yes, baby’s biggest adventure is watching things drop while they are perched from a higher level than the floor.

Babies are born to explore and learn about their little discoveries with their hands, eyes and mouths. By touching and tasting, baby tries to learn what things are made of and, perhaps, what he can do with those interesting new objects. He/she is on a quest to make sense of the world, and it can be a complicated one at that!

One of the most important thing you can do for your child is to babyproof your home. Ensure that your home is babyproofed from top to bottom.

1. Keep small objects out of reach.
2. Shorten drapes and bind cords.
3. Lock cleaners and any potentially dangerous substances in a higher level cupboard. This includes alcohol, prescription and non-prescription drubs, paint, gasoline, etc.
4. Cover electrical outlets with a child-resistant outlet cover.
5. Place screened barriers around fireplaces and radiators.
6. Install gates at the top and bottom of staircases.
7. Keep appliance cords wrapped short so children cannot pull.
8. Place houseplants out of child’s reach.
9. Position audio and video equipment so the child cannot pull them off furniture.
10. Always use a safety belt when your baby is sitting in a bouncing seat, swing, or highchair.

And the list goes on! Safety should always come first when it comes to your baby and child.

There are various ways that you can aide in the development of your little bundle of joy. Not only will they encourage and stimulate but these times will create an enjoyable time together and strengthen the bond you have with your child.

alk to your baby and describe or explain the activiting you are doing. Stimulate your baby with toys that educate, books that encourage language, teaches about objects, people and animals, and a love of reading, and music that is fun and provides laughter yet can also be calming during fussy times. Instill in your child a love of learning. Not only will these activities engage the baby, they will boost confidence and happiness.

Each and every day is a milestone and each day brings a new discovery in the life of a baby. These times are to be enjoyed and while baby is on his/her quest for discovering, you will find appreciation in the little things in life.

Searching for a perfect gift for baby and parents? Cuddles ‘n Gifts has a fabulous selection of vibrant baby book gift baskets in addition to fabulous Baby Einstein Gifts. You can’t go wrong in choosing a gift that stimulates and encourages baby’s development.

Remember Christmas when you were a kid? My mother puts the presents out about a month early so I would have to see the gifts everyday and wait in impatient anticipation for the day when I could find out what was inside. To me being pregnant is like having to see that packaged gift everyday for nine months and have to wait to see what was inside. As with the Christmas gifts the waiting made them that much more fun but still you want to know what your baby will look like. Will he have daddy’s curly black hair or mommy’s straight blonde hair? Will have aunt May’s musical talent or will she have Uncle Jon’s athletic abilities? It’s all in the genes. Here are a few ways that your genes effect what your gift will look and act like.

Hair & Eye Color

Since lighter colored eyes like blue, green or gray are recessive genes your baby is more likely to have lighter eyes if both parents have light colored eyes. However it is possible for two brown eyed parents to have a child with blue eyes if at least two of the grandparents have blue eyes. Hair is similar, the lighter shades of hair are recessive genes so darker hair is dominant and if both parents have dark hair their baby will most likely have dark hair as well.

Height

Your child’s height is not only influenced by genes (about 70%) but also by health, nutrition and other outside factors.(about 30%). Also whether the child is male or female plays a part since boys usually grow taller than girls. A fun way to try and determine the height that your child will grow to be add the parents’ heights together, divide by two, then add three inches for a boy or subtract three inches for a girl. Keep in mind that even though this is a pretty effective way to estimate how tall your baby will be, the height of your child can be up to five inches above or below your calculations.

Personality and Talents

Scientists have not yet been able to prove that there are specific genes that determine whether your child will be musically inclined or a mathematical, however they agree that there is a link between these things and hereditary. In one study scientists found that a person with perfect musical pitch was four times more likely to report a family member with perfect pitch and many research studies have shown that the more closely related two people are the similar their IQ’s are. Scientists consider geniuses to have a rare combination of superior genes which may require little formal schooling, like Leonardo de Vinci and William Shakespeare.

Dominant Traits

• Big eyes
• Prominent noses
• Dimples
• Cleft chins
• Thick lips
• Long lashes
• Curly hair is dominant over straight unless one of the parents is of Asian descent. (Asians have a unique straight hair gene that tends to dominate all the others.)

Even the most impatient mother knows that half the fun in raising children is the exciting twists and turns your child will make. Finding out at age 4 that your daughter has an amazing singing talent or blonde hair turning darker as your child ages are changes that make parenting a fun and unpredictable journey.

I think we’ve all experienced it as parents at one time or another. We come to pick up our little angel from the daycare or school and are delighted to see our child playing with the other little darlings. Seeing that our angel is occupied with a few toys, we take a moment to chat with the daycare provider or teacher about the angel and the craziness of our past 3 to 6 hours. Then, the unthinkable shatters our pristine picture of discourse.

The sound of clinking toys. A whine. A smack. High pitched shrieks. Outright crying.

Ah, yes. The sounds of sharing-gone-wrong become familiar to us once again.

We do the best we can. We tell our child a firm no or be nice and if necessary we scoop him up away from the other children and try desperately to distract him with something-anything! Of course, even if we manage to calm our angel down (by now our child’s halo seems decidedly crooked, no matter how many dimples are in his cheeks), we can’t help but feel a more than subtle exhaustion.

In the preschool years, kids show a remarkably sharp increase in how much they act out. Understandably, this is both disconcerting and frustrating to parents, but it becomes less so if a parent understands how their little one is developing mentally. What’s really happening is just that the child is finally learning that they are a separate being with distinct influences on people and objects. Once they’ve learned they have this influence and autonomy, they are reluctant to relinquish it. They become more willing to defend what they perceive as theirs because they do not necessarily recognize that other children have the same influence and autonomy that they have. In other words, kids act out because they simply are not mentally developed enough to understand that the self has a social role as well as an individual one.

In terms of parenting, the young child’s concept of self means that a parent needs to be careful that the child learns the correct social actions rather than mere punishment. If a parent responds to their child’s inappropriate behavior with only yelling or physical reprimands, then the child learns that they will receive yelling or physical reprimands if their behavior is repeated. This may deter delinquent behavior to a degree, but it does nothing to teach the child what the appropriate action really is. The child still will have no frame of reference for what to do in place of their inappropriate behavior.

All people, even children, are social creatures, and social behavior is very much a learned thing. Parents need to be firm with their children when the children have behaved inappropriately, but because children learn primarily by observation in their first few years, parents also need to make sure that their young child has opportunities to see good social behavior modeled. If modeling is provided, a young child has something to counter an egocentric view. It won’t make every tantrum stop, but it may help.