What can I say? This parenting skill is different with almost every child. Potty training can be very difficult if you don't have the patience, or the know how. If you are having trouble, don't fret, most parents do, including myself. The biggest question most parents want to know is at what age should I start potty training?
This varies, as toddlers have different progression rates. Sooner the better! Some parents start when their toddler starts walking at 11-14 months. Try and get them use to cloth underwear as soon as possible, the longer they are in diapers the more dependent your toddler will be on them. Cloth underwear will give your toddler the sensation of being wet, which they don't get by using diapers. Being wet is uncomfortable, which is what you want your toddler to feel. Once they feel this way it will be easier for you to direct them to the potty chair.
Try and keep your potty chair in one place as opposed to letting your toddler carry the chair wherever they want. Reason being is that you want to teach your toddler that there is a specific place to use the bathroom, that way the toddler understands that he/she has to find the appropriate place to go, it doesn't find them! Some parents find it useful to keep the potty chair next to the bathroom, this will get your toddler use to where they need to go once potty chair training is over.
There are several different techniques as to how to teach your toddler exactly how to go once they feel the urge. One proven method is by example, show your toddler how you use the restroom, toddlers are great imitators. This is just one method there are several others. A great guide to potty training is Dr. Wayne Jensen. He has done much research on the subject and has put together a training course to teach your toddler to be potty trained in 1 to 3 days. This will be worth your time to check this out. He even offers over $46.00 in free bonuses, and has a newsletter where you can email any question about potty training and receive an answer. For more info: click here.
What have you found effective? Let us know.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Thursday, June 18, 2009
Effective Parenting for Teething
Your infant is cranky, crying, salivating, sucking on everything in sight, what's wrong? Your baby may be teething. Some infants, although rare, have been known to cut teeth within a few weeks, most will start however, within 3-6 months. As you could imagine this makes baby very irritable, during this time be very observant to notice the signs that your infant may be teething as listed above. What can you do?
Referring to your pediatrician is always best, there are some practical things you can do to make your baby more comfortable. Some infants do fairly well during this time, normally just finding something to bite on soothes them. Other infants have a hard time with this. Some parents find it helpful to get a rubber teething ring, freeze it, then let the infant bite, and suck on that. The coldness seems to numb the irritation. Your local pharmacist may recommend an ointment such as "baby" orajel, not regular orajel, for you to rub on your infant's gums. Do not be surprised if your infant needs more. Your pharmacist may also recommend a liquid pain reliever like "Infant Motrin" for you to administer in a "dropper", especially before bedtime to help your baby sleep.
As your baby cuts more teeth, and gets older, this will get easier for you and your baby. You will find it neat to observe how much your little one looks to you for everything, since your baby cannot talk, your infant depends on you to "know" what's wrong and fix it, chalk this up as another notch on your parenting skill belt.
Referring to your pediatrician is always best, there are some practical things you can do to make your baby more comfortable. Some infants do fairly well during this time, normally just finding something to bite on soothes them. Other infants have a hard time with this. Some parents find it helpful to get a rubber teething ring, freeze it, then let the infant bite, and suck on that. The coldness seems to numb the irritation. Your local pharmacist may recommend an ointment such as "baby" orajel, not regular orajel, for you to rub on your infant's gums. Do not be surprised if your infant needs more. Your pharmacist may also recommend a liquid pain reliever like "Infant Motrin" for you to administer in a "dropper", especially before bedtime to help your baby sleep.
As your baby cuts more teeth, and gets older, this will get easier for you and your baby. You will find it neat to observe how much your little one looks to you for everything, since your baby cannot talk, your infant depends on you to "know" what's wrong and fix it, chalk this up as another notch on your parenting skill belt.
Sunday, June 14, 2009
Putting Your Infant to Sleep
This parenting skill will also come from experience as each baby is different. Making sure your infant receives proper sleep is vital to health and development. There are so many "tricks of the trade" that you have to try each one to see which works for you. In this regard I would pass on to you that Chris Towland has a "Baby Sleep Solution Audio Program" that has 23 excellent techniques to put your baby to sleep. He offers an eight week trial course and a 100% full refund you can't beat. Click here for more details.
Your infant's life will consist primarily of sleeping and eating the first few months. You will find that your baby will normally want to sleep right after feeding, or bathing, so if your baby is having trouble sleeping trying one of these two techniques before you want your baby to go to sleep might work. Also singing, or humming a tune while holding your infant has proved successful. Be careful not to develop the habit of always holding or rocking your baby to sleep! Doing so can obligate you to doing this constantly, which trust me you don't want.
After a few weeks, it is possible to begin adjusting your infant to a sleep schedule. You can start training your infant when it is nap time by choosing the desired time of sleep and after making sure that everything is OK with baby, place your infant in a secure crib. Be sure to be consistent every day, for example, if you normally change diapers before putting baby down, make sure you do this regularly, this way your infant will begin to associate this activity with sleep. Make sure the surroundings are the same every time you put your baby down, ex; same smell in the room, crib set up the same way, curtains drawn closed, etc.
You may find that when you start this, your baby will cry for you, be patient! If you've checked everything before hand your baby should be OK, leaving your baby is part of the training. Generally speaking this will last about two weeks, after that, normally your infant will start falling asleep. Always have a baby monitor set up, so even if your not in the room you're still aware of what's going on.
Sometimes you may find that your infant will continue to cry no matter what. Your baby may have colic (constantly crying) and this can be disheartening. Please see your pediatrician and let them know what's going on. I can recommend a site for you to visit which will give you excellent ideas on how to deal with colic, and tips on how to feed your baby while soothing and distracting them from crying, for more info. click here. Remember this will be trial and error but with patience, you will be successful in getting your baby to sleep.
Please post a comment, love to hear from you!
Your infant's life will consist primarily of sleeping and eating the first few months. You will find that your baby will normally want to sleep right after feeding, or bathing, so if your baby is having trouble sleeping trying one of these two techniques before you want your baby to go to sleep might work. Also singing, or humming a tune while holding your infant has proved successful. Be careful not to develop the habit of always holding or rocking your baby to sleep! Doing so can obligate you to doing this constantly, which trust me you don't want.
After a few weeks, it is possible to begin adjusting your infant to a sleep schedule. You can start training your infant when it is nap time by choosing the desired time of sleep and after making sure that everything is OK with baby, place your infant in a secure crib. Be sure to be consistent every day, for example, if you normally change diapers before putting baby down, make sure you do this regularly, this way your infant will begin to associate this activity with sleep. Make sure the surroundings are the same every time you put your baby down, ex; same smell in the room, crib set up the same way, curtains drawn closed, etc.
You may find that when you start this, your baby will cry for you, be patient! If you've checked everything before hand your baby should be OK, leaving your baby is part of the training. Generally speaking this will last about two weeks, after that, normally your infant will start falling asleep. Always have a baby monitor set up, so even if your not in the room you're still aware of what's going on.
Sometimes you may find that your infant will continue to cry no matter what. Your baby may have colic (constantly crying) and this can be disheartening. Please see your pediatrician and let them know what's going on. I can recommend a site for you to visit which will give you excellent ideas on how to deal with colic, and tips on how to feed your baby while soothing and distracting them from crying, for more info. click here. Remember this will be trial and error but with patience, you will be successful in getting your baby to sleep.
Please post a comment, love to hear from you!
Friday, June 12, 2009
FEEDING YOUR INFANT
Breast feeding or formula feeding, which should I choose? This much depends on your circumstances as a parent. Obviously if both Mom and Dad want to share in the experience then formula feeding is best, however if Dad spends a lot of time away from home due to work then Mom has either option, if Dad is a stay at home Dad then sorry, it's formula feeding.
If your selection is formula feeding choose which one is right for your infant. You will find out very quick if your baby is lactose intolerant, if so, then there are many brands without lactose to choose from. There are also formula's high or low in iron, to start off with try the high iron first, to see how your baby reacts. If your infant's stool is hard, or if crying occurs regularly within a half an hour after feeding then try switching to low iron. You will find that your infant's appetite will grow dramatically the first three months, this is normal. Be sure to increase not only the amount of formula but the level of nutrition also. Always discuss your baby's nutritional needs with your pediatrician.
If your option is breast feeding, this will be a good bonding experience with your infant. Learning to "latch on" will be the first thing your infant must learn. A well trained nursing staff will assist you in this before you leave the hospital. Be prepared, the first couple of weeks you will be sore! Ice, or a cold compress will help. A breast pump is highly recommended, you can find them at most pharmacies, a good brand recommended by many is the "VERSA PED" brand you can check it out by clicking here. Breast pumps are also good because they can alleviate pressure from un nursed milk, which can be stored and used for times inconvenient for nursing such as traveling, or in public. Always refrigerate stored milk, and do not use after 24 hours. Patience will be required, your infant will want to nurse several times a day. You will find that nursing will sometimes put your baby to sleep, depending on your day, this can be a good thing. You will also notice your little one staring at you while nursing, take advantage of this by singing or talking to your infant. This will build trust, and will make your baby feel secure. Happy nursing!
Do you have any helpful tips, please tell us.
If your selection is formula feeding choose which one is right for your infant. You will find out very quick if your baby is lactose intolerant, if so, then there are many brands without lactose to choose from. There are also formula's high or low in iron, to start off with try the high iron first, to see how your baby reacts. If your infant's stool is hard, or if crying occurs regularly within a half an hour after feeding then try switching to low iron. You will find that your infant's appetite will grow dramatically the first three months, this is normal. Be sure to increase not only the amount of formula but the level of nutrition also. Always discuss your baby's nutritional needs with your pediatrician.
If your option is breast feeding, this will be a good bonding experience with your infant. Learning to "latch on" will be the first thing your infant must learn. A well trained nursing staff will assist you in this before you leave the hospital. Be prepared, the first couple of weeks you will be sore! Ice, or a cold compress will help. A breast pump is highly recommended, you can find them at most pharmacies, a good brand recommended by many is the "VERSA PED" brand you can check it out by clicking here. Breast pumps are also good because they can alleviate pressure from un nursed milk, which can be stored and used for times inconvenient for nursing such as traveling, or in public. Always refrigerate stored milk, and do not use after 24 hours. Patience will be required, your infant will want to nurse several times a day. You will find that nursing will sometimes put your baby to sleep, depending on your day, this can be a good thing. You will also notice your little one staring at you while nursing, take advantage of this by singing or talking to your infant. This will build trust, and will make your baby feel secure. Happy nursing!
Do you have any helpful tips, please tell us.
Wednesday, June 3, 2009
The Infant Years
Baby is finally here! Nine months of anticipation is now a reality, you know the name, gender, weight, height, eye color, hair color, etc. of your little offspring, what now? Less sleep, changing diapers, mixing formula, learning new hum tunes, buying infant medicine for anything imaginable, negotiating who's turn it is to get up now. Welcome, you are officially a parent!
You will find that the parenting skills you learn will be from your own experiences, the more you deal with raising children, especially in the infant years, the more experience you will gain. The general idea is simple: Love and take care of your baby, it's that simple. Everything you do while parenting will stem from this motive.
If you are new to the game of parenting then in addition to trial and error learning, you will want some good advice in order to prepare yourself. In addition to this site, you will find some excellent information on the infant years, and will also be able to download a free special report on "Raising Children" for more info, click here.
Just think of the parenting skills you would like to be prepared for: What brand of diapers should I use? Which formula should I buy? Should I breast feed or not? Which laundry detergent is best? How much sleep should my baby get, and so forth. We will try to address these issues and more in this forum. This blog will contain information gathered by much research, my own personal experiences as a parent of four (including twins), input and experiences of others, recommendations and links to other sites and helpful tools for all things baby and beyond, enjoy!
Your suggestions and comments are welcome!
You will find that the parenting skills you learn will be from your own experiences, the more you deal with raising children, especially in the infant years, the more experience you will gain. The general idea is simple: Love and take care of your baby, it's that simple. Everything you do while parenting will stem from this motive.
If you are new to the game of parenting then in addition to trial and error learning, you will want some good advice in order to prepare yourself. In addition to this site, you will find some excellent information on the infant years, and will also be able to download a free special report on "Raising Children" for more info, click here.
Just think of the parenting skills you would like to be prepared for: What brand of diapers should I use? Which formula should I buy? Should I breast feed or not? Which laundry detergent is best? How much sleep should my baby get, and so forth. We will try to address these issues and more in this forum. This blog will contain information gathered by much research, my own personal experiences as a parent of four (including twins), input and experiences of others, recommendations and links to other sites and helpful tools for all things baby and beyond, enjoy!
Your suggestions and comments are welcome!
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