Treating a Toddler's Simple Cough

One of the most common reasons for a doctor visit by toddler age children is a cough. The good news is that coughs in children are most often symptoms of upper respiratory viruses such as the common cold and are usually self limiting; only lasting 7-10 days. While there are certainly more serious causes to pediatric cough we will take a look at treatment for a simple cough related to allergies and colds.

The first thing to note is that coughs are beneficial. They are a physiological response to airway irritation which in the case of cold and allergies is most often the build-up of mucus or upper respiratory secretions that are swallowed (post nasal drip). Cough should not be eliminated completely but relieved with a safe, soothing remedy.

Recent studies have also indicated that cough and cold medicines for children under the age of two are not only ineffective but can cause serious side effects. Never give your toddler these medications without approval from your pediatrician.

Toddler Cough Related to Environmental Irritants and Allergies

Your child's cough may be a reaction to environmental irritants, including smoke, pollution, pollen, pet dander, dust mites, and mold. In these cases, the first treatment is to reduce exposure to these irritants. Continual exposure can lead to persistent cough and throat irritation as well as the risk of developing asthma.

It may be impossible to remove all irritants from your child's surroundings. To help lessen the adverse affects, use an air purifier in your home. They can help capture and remove airborne particles. Place the air cleaners in your child's sleeping and play areas.

Over-the-counter antihistamines such as Benadryl can help decrease mucus production in the nose, reducing the amount of mucus that drips down the back of the throat. Discuss with your pediatrician about the potential side effects of these products.

Toddler Cough Due to Mild Respiratory Illness

Toddlers and pre-school children can get up to 6-10 colds a year resulting in a lot of time spent coughing. A cough is a prominent symptom of the common cold as it is trying to expel extra mucus in the throat and lungs. Coughs can also linger after the cold has passed but in most cases will resolve on its own without further complications.

As an alternative to over-the-counter cough and cold medicines you can turn to good old fashioned honey to soothe a cough for children over the age of two. One half teaspoon of honey can provide the same soothing qualities as the store bought medications without the adverse and potentially harmful side effects. Do not however, give honey to children under the age of one.

Warm liquids such as decaffeinated tea can also soothe a cough. To make it more effective and appealing to a young child, add a bit of honey and lemon.

Place a cool-mist vaporizer in your toddlers' bedroom and play area. The moist air will soothe the airways and lessen irritation. Be sure to change the water frequently and to regularly clean the unit per the manufacturer's directions. The benefits of moist air can be also be achieved by having your child spend some time a steam-filled room, such as a bathroom.

Make sure your child is properly hydrated. Encourage the drinking of water throughout the day to keep airways moist and irritation- free. This will be particularly helpful for a dry, unproductive cough.

A toddler's simple cough in most cases will be more distressing on you than on your child. Studies have shown that a child's cough disturbs adult's sleep significantly more than the child's. It must be noted however that if your toddler's cough persists and is accompanied by persistent fever, labored breathing, or chronic mucous, this can indicate a more serious condition. To rule out pneumonia, croup, asthma, sinusitis, bronchitis, pertussis, and other illnesses, visit your pediatrician if these additional symptoms exist.

Elizabeth Dennis writes for a variety of health topics. To learn more about toddler cough visit our website, the cough treatments guide.

HELP THE PARENTS - REDUCE YOUTH CRIME

If you are a parent of little ones, be sure you are showing your children love during those first three years of life. Article explains.

aangirfan: HELP THE PARENTS - REDUCE YOUTH CRIME: "Image from: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-494202/Four-10-children-bullied-school.html 'Bullying at Columbine High was rampant.' ..."

10 Discussions Children Have with Friends When Parents Aren’t Listening

Kicking off the new school year already, huh? Well be prepared for what lies in store for your children. Know how to ask the kind of questions that will get down to the nitty gritty! In case you don't know what that means, the heat of the matter or serious discussion. When you ask your children, "How was your day?" Don't expect any juicy details. But when you say, "So what new curse words did you learn today?" Watch their expression! Read this article and tell your friends about it:

10 Discussions Children Have with Friends When Parents Aren’t Listening

12 Ways to Keep Toddlers Safe at Home

As parents we sometimes overlook the dangers in our own homes while looking at what everyone else is doing when it comes to child safety. Be sure that you haven't forgotten any potential hazards in your own home. Review the following:

12 Ways to Keep Toddlers Safe at Home

Parents: The 3 Most Catastrophic Mistakes Parents Make and How to Avoid Them

In all the years I have been working with children and parents, I am amazed at just how many parents believe they can tell their children what to do and their children should just “do as they are told”.

Well I am here to tell you: nothing could be further from the truth. Most of these parents who expect or demand compliance from their children are needlessly headed for frustration and ultimately disaster. The worst part is: it just doesn’t have to happen!

As parents, we know we are far from perfect. We know we make mistakes; in fact, mistakes are a part of life, so it is inevitable. However, what we want to avoid are those serious mistakes that create larger problems that are difficult to resolve.

TOP THREE PARENTING MISTAKES

• Getting into power struggles that create resistance in your child
• Treating your child as if they know nothing and you know everything
• Towering over and overpowering your child to get them to do as you want

WHY ARE THESE TOP THREE CONSIDERED CATASTROPHIC MISTAKES?

All three really deal with power OVER your child. While you have responsibility for your child, ultimately you want them to develop to their full potential so they can live fulfilling, independent lives. If you tell them what to do all the time, they will not learn how to problem solve effectively for themselves.

Think about what you would feel if someone were to assert power and control over you, at your expense. It would be hard to thrive. In nature if a sun loving plant lived under a tree with a huge canopy, the lack of sunlight would mean the plant would not thrive.

THE RESULT OF OVER CONTROL

Parents who micromanage their child and overshadow every move their child makes, will often say, “it worked for me…I turned out OK… Actually, I was so wild I needed that type of control”.

What a parent who was micromanaged often does not realize is that much of their upbringing and behavior was a product of their parent not knowing other options.

While most children ultimately bend to their parent who exerts their authority in a controlling manner, they do not learn effective coping skills. This hampers them in resolving conflicts through means other than overpowering someone else. Imagine using a sledge hammer when a small hammer would work so much better.

No matter how well intentioned an overpowering parent might be, they build a resistance in their child. A child might submit but silently defy. Silent defiance comes in many forms, perhaps in “showing” the parent that no matter how tough the parent is, they will not give the parent the satisfaction of crying or showing emotion.

This becomes the stoic child who stores their anger and frustration. These emotions when under pressure tend to either leak out or explode at some point with someone less powerful that they can intimidate.

Some children respond to over control with anxiety and fear. Over controlling parents then may feel frustrated that these children seem to have “no backbone”. These children may perceive themselves as weak and ineffectual.

We need to let children struggle against the elements of life, in order for them to develop their strength. If we squash the evolving strength with our rules and demands, we can weaken them.

WAYS TO AVOID THE TOP THREE PARENTING MISTAKES AND ALLOW YOUR CHILD TO GROW AND THRIVE

• Connect with your child, step into their shoes to experience the world as they do
• Calm your emotions because emotions are contagious and if you are calm they will catch your calmness
• Listen to their thoughts and feelings. Children see things, as they appear to them in the moment. Enjoy the humor; children can be enormously entertaining as they tell it like it seems to them. Art Linkletter interviewed thousands of children on his early TV show, and showed us how “Kids Will Say The Darndest Things”.
• Limits are important but you will deliver them very differently if you complete the first three steps first.
• Fresh-Starts are very important because it gives you and your child freedom from mistakes. It normalizes mistakes and communicates your belief that you child can correct the mistakes. This is important as a way to focus on making better choices in the future. With fresh-starts, there is no making a child feel bad about past mistakes once they correct the problem.

No matter how long you have been a parent, chances are you are missing one of these steps or applying them out of order. The good news: you can follow the simple steps I have outlined to stop making mistakes that have lasting impact, and insure that you connect to have positive influence with your child.

Sandra, psychotherapist and Child Expert, creator of the 5-Word Parenting System: Connect, Calm, Listen, Limits and Fresh-Start. Learn it once use it for life. Contributing author to All-in-One Marriage Prep.http://one-step-ahead-parenting.comhttp://www.facebook.com/OneStepAheadParenting

Germs Don’t Cause Disease, You Do

We once had an in-office day care. It was complete with a classroom, an area sectioned off for indoor play, kitchen and outside playground equipment. There was a full-time monitor/teacher and lots of little munchkins around the office interrupting us during the course of the day.
It was healthy and nice for moms and dads to be able to interact with their children during the day. If you own a business, think about doing this. If you are an employee, get together with coworkers to see what you can do to help the business you work for get one established. We operated ours for almost a decade, until most of the youngsters grew up. Several of them have even come back to work with us as young adults. We became like a home away from home.

I was the official sliver surgeon for all the kids. Our office is in a wooded area so almost every week there was a sliver drama. That’s when I got to perform my magic with terrifying instruments like a scalpel, forceps, needle and magnifying glasses. My little patients tried to be real brave and fight back tears, but their dilated pupils and clammy trembling hands revealed the true life threatening state they found themselves in. All the other kids were a wide-eyed and awed audience for these major surgical events. It was just like The Learning Channel surgery programs, but with a Sesame Street flair and a little less blood and guts. Once my patient’s survival was assured, there were lots of hugs and thanks. Then off they would all skip, relieved that their friend had survived one of life’s dire and perilous calamities. They could be heard around the building all abuzz with, “Did it hurt?” “I saw the blood!” “You were brave!” “How big was it?” “Glad that wasn’t me!”

Actually, everyone would be pretty brave about this except my own kids. To listen to them when I am removing a sliver not even visible except with magnification, you would swear I was working on a 2 x 4 with vice grips or sawing their limb off with a chain saw. No need to be brave when it’s Dad who’s working on you.

As I would work on sweaty, grubby little hands, I wondered how kids ever survive childhood with all the filth. If germs were really the true cause of disease, how could any of us survive? Do we really think washing our hands with antiseptic soap, disinfecting toilet seats, doorknobs and telephones, wearing surgeon-type face masks on the streets and getting vaccinated keeps all of the germs at bay?
One E. coli bacterium can produce four billion offspring by the next morning. Viruses, bacteria, fungi, protozoa and parasites are ubiquitous throughout nature in air, water, on surfaces, skin, food and ground. They are microscopic and in countless numbers. Just one gram of soil contains over a billion microorganisms. If you shoveled just one cubic meter of dirt, 35 pounds of it would be these microscopic critters. Some are pathogens; others are necessary for our survival. Without bacteria to consume garbage, we would have long ago been smothered under the refuse nature and we create.
Good bacteria (probiotics) on our skin and in our mouths and intestinal tract actually help thwart the bad bacteria. Disease causing pathogens can even exert a beneficial effect by stimulating immunity. That is the principle of vaccines. The thing that it seems science is trying to achieve – no bacteria at all – with obsessive disinfection and sterilization is neither possible nor beneficial.

For example, scientists attempting to rid chickens of salmonella (food-borne pathogens) tried a sterile environment. The result was that mortality increased because the chicken’s immune system could not develop properly without exposure to the pathogens it needed to be protected against. Germ-free chickens were fine so long as there were absolutely no germs around. But since that would never be possible, once exposed to the pathogens they would easily succumb to disease and die. The solution was to feed baby chicks the salmonella infested droppings of the mother hens. After all the sterility failed, they found the cure was in the filthy poop! (Wysong, R. L. Salmonella Enteritidis Infection From Eggs, Wysong e-Health Letter, September 1999.)

We could never sterilize the world if we wanted to. If we did it would result in our demise. The microbe paranoia serves primarily the interests of drug, vaccine and disinfectant manufacturers. (I am not suggesting reasonable hygiene is not in order.)

I hear you, “Yeah, but we would be having the plague and other epidemics if it weren’t for medicine.” Contrary to popular belief, diseases like polio, measles and typhus were not conquered by humans. Note in the accompanying graphs that the vaccine or chemotherapeutic agent that is credited with vanquishing the scourges was introduced after the majority of the decline in the disease had already occurred! (Why Modern Medicine is the Greatest Threat to Health http://www.wysong.net/health/hl_884.shtml) It would be like me taking credit for dropping the tide by bucketing water out of the ocean as the tide was receding. Infectious diseases have a natural ebb and flow and so does the general immunity of the population. That is the reason epidemics decline regardless of human intervention.

We can’t even eradicate the mosquito, a creature which we can see and for which we can examine every life stage in detail. How are we going to eradicate microorganisms, which, if crowded side-by-side, would number in the trillions to occupy the space of one mosquito?

Look at the creatures in the wild co-existing, and even thriving in what we would consider filth. Rabbits eat their stool, vultures eat rotten carcasses, and dogs will roll in the most putrid, decaying material they can find and then lick themselves clean and offer the perfumery to their friends to lick as well.

Children constantly have their fingers in their mouths after wallowing on the floor, playing in the toilet or exploring the garbage pail. We adults aren’t exactly sterile in our habits either. Up until relatively recently a bath once a year was considered plenty in western society. That or less is common elsewhere in the world to this day. Billions wipe themselves with their fingers (usually with the left hand, a good reason to shake with the right) and yet live in societies that rank higher on health scores than nations with bidets, perfumed toilet paper and disinfectant aerosols and soaps.

Don’t buy the simplistic germ-view of how we get disease. True, certain pathogenic organisms can be associated with disease, but likewise so are crows and buzzards associated with road kill. The buzzard is not responsible for the road kill, neither are the pathogenic organisms responsible for disease. They are both opportunists. They wait until the prey is weakened and then they dive in. In microcosm, infectious disease is like the carnivore-prey drama occurring throughout nature. Predators always choose the easiest meal: the unfit, the weak and disabled.

We are not victims. Disease does not strike us. The opposite view that disease is a result of virulent microorganisms lurking in our environment waiting to attack us, organisms we can’t even see much less understand, makes us dependent on experts who have a vested interest in our illness. No matter how much money we give them, they will not protect us from the dark germ forces in spite of their Star Wars antiseptics, vaccinations, antibiotics and chemotherapeutic agents.

We are in control of our own defenses. We either create the setting for health or the meal for pathogens. Our choice.
 Dr. Wysong: A former veterinary clinician and surgeon, college instructor, inventor, research director for the company by his name and founder of the philanthropic Wysong Institute.http://www.wysong.net. Also check out http://www.cerealwysong.com

Mother Love

Scientific studies conclude something mothers everywhere have always intuitively known – that the unique love they have for their offspring is vitally important to their development. A mother’s love and nurturing even directly impacts the biological development of the child's brain and central nervous system. In effect, mother and child are “hard-wired” for mutual love. The brain is like a template designed to await molding by its early environment. One researcher even wrote that hugs and kisses during the early critical periods assist in making neurons grow and connect properly with other neurons.
Throughout childhood, warm human love and touch generate an internal release of addicting and pleasurable opiates. Even teenagers (who may act as if they don't need the parents at all) must receive ongoing neural synchrony – love – from the parents. The brain and heart appear literally designed for love, with happiness and even health depending on it.

The pituitary hormone, oxytocin, is present during all loving acts but most especially at birth where it serves to stimulate uterine contractions, and during nursing for the milk ejection reflex. It, along with the nursing hormone, prolactin, help create that intense feeling of love shared by mother and child. Endorphins are physiological chemicals that are also released in both the mother and child during loving contact. They create a feel-good high for both and thus play a critical role in encouraging affection and dependency.

When bonding fails, it is theorized that the absence of these pleasure chemicals can leave a void, making such children especially susceptible to drugs that can also release such pleasure chemicals. The stress hormone cortisol is also released when touch and love are lacking. Sensory deprivation in mother-absent children – a form of stress that stimulates the release of cortisol – can increase susceptibility to abnormalities such as depression, violence, substance abuse, and even impaired immune response.

The most natural way mothers deal with newborns in the majority of the world is with an in-arms approach. In more primitive cultures where mothers are barely allowed a break from work to give birth, babies are swaddled to the body creating constant contact and reassurance. This bathes tissues in love hormones and encourages development of healthy neural connections, particularly as the synaptic connections in the cortex develop for the first two years of life.

There is also heart-to-heart, quite literally, between mother and child. Heart muscle cells not only contract, but also communicate with one another. Isolating one cell from the heart in a petri dish causes it to lose its rhythm and begin to fibrillate until it dies. Putting two cells in proximity to one another causes them to synchronize and beat in unison. There is an unseen and as yet unmeasured communication between living cells. The beating of the mother's heart and her breathing pattern coordinate in a critical way with the infant's internal rhythms. This is part of what is known as a synchronizing hormonal flow that occurs between mother and child (directly from breast milk and also from loving contact and even from proximity and thought) that help to regulate vital rhythms in the child. Mothers instinctively place their babies to their left breast, keeping their two hearts close. The mother's developed heart actually stimulates the newborn heart activating a dialogue between the two hearts and minds. Mother and child are more appropriately considered as one, rather than two separate entities as they bond while the child is being held and nursed.

These interesting links that science is revealing between mother and child are another proof that all life is holistic and intimately interconnected. The ideal holistic model is that which nature presents and it is clear that mother and child are meant to be intimate. Children cannot simply be cast off to be fed, clothed and housed as if that were enough. Society needs to take note of this important biology as more and more pressure is put on modern families and mothers to treat newborns as just another duty to schedule into the appointment book or to have serviced by a third party. By giving love the respect it deserves and making it the starting point of life, the odds are much greater that love will then blossom in children and be carried through to their children…and, who knows, perhaps continue on to the world at large. We could use a lot of that.

Dr. Wysong: A former veterinary clinician and surgeon, college instructor in human anatomy, physiology and the origin of life, inventor of numerous medical, surgical, nutritional, athletic and fitness products and devices, research director for the present company by his name and founder of the philanthropic Wysong Institute.http://www.wysong.net. Also check out http://www.cerealwysong.com.  

Helping Your Child to Read Well

Instilling the habit of reading in your child will help their mind open up to all sorts of possibilities that they otherwise wouldn't have. This is one of the most important things you can do for them as a parent.

If you want to be successful with helping them to read well, it is important to be patient with them as they are learning their new skill. Giving them a lot of room to grow will help them get comfortable easier.

New readers will encounter the frustration of trying to learn how to put letters together into words. Not only that, but it takes a lot of practice to get the pronunciation down as well, so be ready to be a constant source of encouragement for them.

When you are introducing them to reading, pick books that are geared for children. The ones with nice and colorful drawings along with large type helps them to stay focused as well as speeding up the learning process.

Keep them at their reading level until they are ready to move into something harder. Let them grow at their own pace, with a little direction, and they will move into some more difficult reads soon enough.

Remember that children need breaks too, and try not to overdo it. They will have a better chance of loving to read if they can grow at a steady pace without it becoming a chore that they will hate.
The same goes with teaching them new words. Don't over stuff their minds right away, and try giving a few a day for them to work on.

Remember to also guide them through the process. Don't be afraid to read along with them, and always be encouraging as they stumble through words and sentences. Being patient and gentle now will make them better and more confident readers as well as developing the skills they will need in other areas as well.

Reading is something that almost anyone can master if they learn under the right conditions, and you as a parent are the greatest asset in making that happen. Guide them but don't intimidate them while being patient, and they will develop a strong understanding as well as love of reading for their entire lives.
 

Wool area rugs are modern area rugs.

Severe Anxiety and Phobia in Children - How to Know If a Child Needs Help

Anxiety is one of the most prevalent problems of childhood and adolescence, but the least likely problem to be treated. Common effects of severe anxiety or fears include interference with family relationships, school performance and friendships as well as significant personal distress.

Avoidance is a Key Sign of Severe Anxiety

It is not always obvious that a child's difficulties are a result of extreme anxiety or fear. Avoidance is the most common outward sign that there may be a problem. Children and adolescents will actively try to avoid encountering anxiety or fear inducing events or objects.

Some parents, and even some health professionals, believe that children will eventually outgrow their problems with severe fears and anxiety. Research clearly shows us that this is not the case. Left untreated, children who suffer from severe anxiety and fears are at greater risk for additional emotional and behavioral problems such as depression and substance abuse.

How do you know whether a child is suffering from severe anxiety or fear?

Examples of interference or impairment in a school setting:

What you may see or hear
What may be happening
Child's school work is deteriorating because the child is so distracted from worrying
Child has high rate of absenteeism
Due to separation anxiety disorder, e.g., the child worried about being away from mom
Child's grades are dropping off because child does not participate and does poorly on tests
Due to interfering social evaluative fears, e.g., the child worried about what others think
Child making frequent visits to school nurse and is frequently picked up early by mom
Due to panic disorder, e.g., the child who feels like she needs to vomit every day

For further information on whether your child may need help, please visit our website:

Child Anxiety and Phobia Program (CAPP) at Florida International University

How Should You Teach Self Defense to Your Children?

Self defense is not only important for elderly people but also has a huge importance in the lives of small kids. It is essential that you teach your children some basic self defensive moves early in their lives so that they can master them as they grow up. Children are also in very much danger as the adults are. There are many crimes in the world in which children are attacked for instance theft, kidnapping, murder etc. Criminals can easily steal things from children when they are going to schools or playing outside in the playgrounds. Similarly kidnapping is a very common crime these days and children are kidnapped for money. Although you can never prepare a child to face these huge crimes but you can create awareness in his mind how to know when and where he is likely to be attacked.

You can teach your child many basic things which will help him in avoiding many dangerous situations. The first thing you should teach your kids is not to talk to strangers when they are outside. The first thing the criminals do is talk to children and engage them in conversation. You should tell the children how strangers come to them and try to get their attention by talking to them. Children should ignore such people as much as they can. The next thing to teach them is not to take anything, the stranger offers. The criminals who attack children mostly offer candies to them. You should tell your children what it can lead to if they accept things from strangers. Do not let your children go out at night and when they go to parks try to accompany them as much as you can.

Besides teaching these basic thing to your children do tell them how they can perform some simple self defensive moves. Teach them just how to kick someone and run away after-wards. Do not teach them any technique which is related to weapons. Weapons can be very dangerous for children. Therefore weapons should not be given to them before the age of eighteen or twenty. If you create awareness among the children of the dangerous world outside and tell them how to ignore people, then you have done your homework as far as teaching them self defense is concerned. You can teach them complex stuff when they are grown up. It is better to join some professional training institute where special training classes are conducted for children of different ages.

By Imran Al

Learn more about online self defense training course and check out the cheap martial arts weapons for your self defense.

Find Out How to Stop Stuttering in Children

Some say that stuttering from age 2-5 is normal. Even more so this type of stuttering may only be referred to as developmental stuttering, where kids are still flexing out their speech patterns and capabilities. In fact this type of stuttering are said to be outgrown by the kid after 6 months or even less. But what about for situations of stuttering in children that lasts more than six, months or even years? Once persistent stuttering is detected, it is best to act fast. The best thing to do in this situation is to hire a speech and language pathologist or speech therapist who is equipped and knowledgeable on how to stop stuttering in children.

When it comes to dealing with the kids, the most important thing to do is to relate with the kid in a manner that is not intrusive. Professional speech therapists know how to stop stuttering in children, and at the same time they know how to make children feel at ease. Effective therapists will not follow around a toddler and rattle off words to teach him in a business-like manner. Instead, he will make the kid feel at ease by playing with him and warming up before starting with the therapy. Therapy can be said to have the characteristics of play to attract the children to open up and become responsive to the lessons.

For example speech therapists nowadays will try to talk to the children while emphasizing some words, which in turn makes the children imitate. Also the most common way of teaching and at the same time playing with the children during speech therapy are playing different types of games. One game is called the Picture Flash Game: In the game, the therapist will flash a card with a picture on it. For example, a picture of a car - the picture has no label but, the flashcard indicates the syllable that the kid has difficulty in pronouncing, and for this example it could be the syllable "Ca. This way, the kid gets to practice his mind without being dictated and at the same time won't be struggling with the answers because there is a clue.

These is an example of motivational, educational yet fun way of how to stop stuttering in children. By practicing daily therapy and monitoring, the problem areas will improve and at the same time therapy will not be a boring activity that kids avoid.
 

By James Coffey

There are more resources for how to stop stuttering included on this website: http://www.curestuttering.org, visit now!

How to Tell Stories to Your Children - Creative Parenting Tips on Story Telling to Kids

What are the benefits of reading stories to your children and what's the best way of doing it? How to you make it interesting? How do you increase their learning? Make story telling time a pleasure for both parent and child with these top storytelling tips.

THE POWER OF STORYTELLING

When you see an indifferent, bored or restless kid suddenly entranced by a beguiling story tale, you can fully appreciate the power of storytelling and the rewards it brings to both listener and storyteller. Here are just a few of the benefits of telling bedtime stories to your child:

1. Storytelling helps you bond with your child

Storytelling is one of the best ways to create a bond with your child. You are communicating and engaging with your child on a one-to-one basis. It is also a good chance for your child to find out something about you too as you can put your personal touches into the story.

2. Story time forms part of a restful routine before bedtime

Most parents understand the enormous benefits of sleep for a young child. However, many toddlers refuse to go to bed. Creating a quiet and regular schedule before bedtime helps get your child to go to bed.

3. Story time is one of the most effective language-learning tools

Kids do not know the difference between learning time and play time. For them, almost all the time is play time. Reading a bedtime story is one of the best ways of teaching language skills to young children.

By the way, do not feel that you have to pause the story to explain every new word. If your child asks, by all means, explain the word, but a lot of the time they will get the meaning through context. Sometimes it is good enough for now to introduce concepts that will be explained later. For example, jokes such as puns may be very difficult to explain and you don't need to. You are simply introducing the overall concept of a 'joke' which they will learn to understand in finer detail as their learning progresses.

4. Story time teaches so much more than language

Storytelling does not introduce simply language and vocabulary. Ethics, geology, botany, physics, zoology, chemistry, human behavior, social skills..all these areas may be introduced through seemingly simple tales.

5. Storytelling time will help your child to concentrate and focus

The nightly bedtime story is most of the most simple yet effective means of forming the habit of concentration, of fixed attention in your child.

BEST WAYS TO READ STORIES TO YOUR CHILD

Here are simple tips for reading stories to your children.

1. Schedule time for storytelling and turn it into part of your bedtime routine

Getting your child ready for bedtime is often the second most stressful, busy time of the day, next to the morning off-to-school rush. As mentioned, you should make storytelling part of your night time ritual. Switch off the TV and any other noise, put away toys and other distractions. Dim the lights except for your reading lamp, settle your child down on the sofa with their warm glass of milk and read them an engaging story. This creates an atmosphere and routine your child will learn to understand, and will have them calm and ready for bed. I know that you might be tired and distracted, but try to make this time focused

2. Picking the right bedtime story

A great bedtime story has a sense of familiarity but with some magic or mystery, repetition, great characters and a storyline that moves along.

Goldilocks and The Three Bears, for example, contains familiar and related objects and situations such as a breakfast setting of porridge, chairs, beds, a mummy, a daddy etc. It also achieves an air of mystery "who's been sitting in my bed" and magic by having three bears at the center of the tale.

A classic tale such as Jack and The Beanstalk has wonderful characters from the old lady Jack meets along the way, the giant's wife, and of course, the wonderfully scary Giant with those memorable lines "Fe Fi Fo Fum, I smell the blood of an Englishman". It is a great chance of course for you to put on your most dramatic voice.

A tale like Three Little Pigs has lots of repetition so the child is able to anticipate parts of the story. The big bad wolf goes up to one of the little pig's houses and he will blow and will blow....but what will happen next!?

It is hard to go wrong if you pick one of the classic fairytales: The Ugly Duckling, Cinderella, The Frog Princess, Goldilocks and The Three Bears, The Princess And The Pea, Rapunzel and so many more.

As for the best modern bedtime stories: try the works of Julia Donaldson, Maurice Sendak's Where The Wild Things Are and of course, Dr Seuss.

3. It helps to know the story

If you are already familiar with the bedtime story, you can turn your primary focus onto your child. Eye contact is a key part of bonding and you can't engage your child by looking in their eyes if your head is in a book. Knowing the story also means you can be spontaneous and ad-lib a little.

4. Delivery

Speak with passion and engagement and you are sure to hold your child in rapt attention. Obviously do not rush, keep to a pace your child can follow but at the same time, there's no need to string out every word. Act as if you are hearing the story for the first time too: express surprise, humor, tension as the story goes along.

5. Participation

As your child grows older, encourage them to participate in the storytelling. They can repeat "Fe Fi Fo Fum" with you, for instance, or you can ask them what they think will happen next. Obviously, hold off if your child is quite tired (by the way, you don't have to finish the story if they are too tired, just bookmark for the next night) or busy with their milk or too young. Before they learn to read, you can point at the pictures. Once they start to learn to read, you can follow the words with your finger or ask them to do the same. Do not dismiss their questions even if they are not relevant. This interaction and questioning is a valuable part of their cognitive learning.

6. Enjoy yourself

And finally, enjoy story time, do not see it as a chore, and your child will feel that sense of passion, concentration and joy.

Gemma Swansburg is re-reading her favorite bedtime story, Anne Of Green Gables. Gemma is a writer/researcher. Visit her latest article, a series of Luminess tan reviews. For best prices, product info and special offers for the Luminess tan airbrush system and other airbrush makeup equipment, visit airbrushmakeupfoundation.com.

Why Some Children May Never Get the Sleep Disorder Solution They Need

There is a growing trend in the area of medical treatment for children with sleep disorders, and it could spell big trouble for the suffering kids if it isn't reversed soon. Dr. Dennis Rosen, a noted pediatric sleep specialist, recently pointed out the huge shortage of the number of qualified subspecialists in the field of pediatric medicine. Oddly enough, when it comes to physicians specializing in adult medicine, the trend is just the opposite: every doctor and his brother wants to be an adult specialist. Why the disparity? I'll give you one gue$$.

Adult sleep specialists make a lot of money. A LOT of money. Those who help children to find a sleep disorder solution, on the other hand, don't make nearly as much. Not only that, but those graduating doctors who want to work with children must attend even more years of medical training and residency. That means they'll have to go into debt even further and wait longer to begin paying it back. That makes pediatric medicine very unattractive from a sheer financial standpoint. But the money issue, significant as it is, isn't the biggest repercussion when it comes to the huge difference in the number of qualified sleep disorder specialists. What is the issue is the access to care.

With so few pediatric specialists in the area of sleep disorders available, that means one of two things. Either the affected child will have to travel great distances at great costs to get the care he or she needs, or that child will have to wait (sometimes months on end) before he or she can be seen by one of the few practitioners he can find. Or perhaps a combination of both.

Check out these sleep disorder statistics. According to the American Board of Pediatrics, there are only 751 qualified pediatric practitioners open for business in the United States. That's only 1 for every 100,000 suffering children. And in sparsely populated states like Alaska, Idaho, Wyoming, and Montana, there isn't even one!

Even though the US government is under great pressure to reduce medical spending, this is a free market problem that simply isn't going to fix itself without some significant intervention from Congress. Too many children's lives are at stake for lack of qualified medical professionals. The extra training is definitely needed (children aren't just "little adults"). But something needs to be done to ease the financial burden of aspiring pediatric sleep disorder specialists. Otherwise many suffering American children won't get the sleep disorder solution they desperately need.
 

By Harvey Foreman
  

Do you or a loved one have insomnia? It may be very treatable. Or it may be a bona fide sleep disorder that requires treatment and medication. Visit http://www.sleepdisordersolution.net to find out which one you need and get the rest your body craves. Don't wait another night. Get visit now and get to sleep tonight.

Back To School Shopping - Top 5 Tips

It's that time again to get excited and do some shopping for back to school clothes. Here are 5 tips to follow when doing your back to school shopping.

1) Shop end of summer sales - You know as well as we do that kids wear short sleeve polo shirts all year long, so hit the big summer sales and snap up discounted duds that can be worn well into fall.

2)Stick to the list - It's easy to sway from the clothes you set out to get but remember to pace yourself it's a long school year and there will be some shopping through the year, so make a list and stick to it.

3)Separate wants from needs - Most clothes don't go out of style over the summer, and your child should use some of the previous years school clothes his or her has or maybe there is a older brother or sister that has some slightly used clothes that could be handed down.So there may not be a need to go out and buy everything brand new, also if money is tight you might want to hold off on winter clothes for a couple of months.

4)Have a budget, Stick to the budget - Set aside your back to school funds and only use that money, because things could get out of control real fast.

5) Shop online - More people are shopping online these days because it's fast,easy,safe and in most cases cheaper. There are huge discounts when shopping online.
 

By Carl Bender
  

So there it is 5 great, quick tips to do your Back to school shopping, I have also set up a one stop shopping center to help, just visit Back to school sales to see for yourself.

Short and Long Term Effects of Bullying - The Victim & the Bully

Bullying is a serious problem faced by our youth today. It does not matter if the bullying takes place in the school, neighborhood or on the internet. It can lead to serious problems for both the victim and the perpetrator.

There are short and long term effects of bullying that should be noted for both the victim and the bully.

It is important to realize that once it is determined a bullying situation exists, immediate help needs to be given both the victim and the bully.

Short Term Effects for the Victim:

*Extreme depression - always seems sad and withdrawn
*Loss of self-esteem or self-worth may occur
*Trouble sleeping - bad dreams - nightmares
*Bed wetting might occur, especially in younger victims
*Physical Symptoms (upset stomach, headache, etc...)
*Anxiety about going to school or riding the bus
*Truancy could result as a result of being bullied
*Anxiety about attending social events with peers
*Drop in grade average

Short Term Effects for the Bully:

*Difficulty in maintaining friendships with others
*Generally does not do well in school
*Tends to be truant and often drops out of school
*Higher risk for alcohol or substance abuse

Long Term Effects for the Victim:

*If given immediate help the victim should have limited long term effects. This is especially true if the victim is given assistance by a child mental health care professional to resolve the issues of being victimized.

*If the bullying continues for any length of time:

**Chronic depression leading to suicidal tendencies
**Long term psychological post-trauma disorders
**Self-destructive behavior
**Alcohol or substance abuse may result

Long Term Effects for the Bully:

*Increased percentage are convicted of a crime by age 24
*Increased dependency on alcohol and illegal drugs
*Increased chance of spousal or child abuse as an adult
*Continued difficulty in maintaining long term relationships

It is also shown through surveys that boys and girls, victims and bullies, all have a much higher occurrence of carrying concealed weapons to school.

Our children have a tendency to keep the acts of bullying to themselves. Less than half who are involved report the instances to an adult or parent.

This, combined with the statistics that show over half of our children are either a victim of bullying or a bully, makes this a major issue when trying to secure the safety of our children.

There are many websites available for adults who are concerned about the issues of bullying. I urge any parent, adult and child care professional to visit one of these resources to learn more about what can be done to address this serious issue.

The short and long term effects of bullying and cyber bullying are too great to ignore. Immediate action needs to be taken.

By John W Sheridan

I have written a detailed report on the subject of Cyber Bullycide Victims

Please protect your children from Cyber-Bullying! Read this report before it is too late!

5 Tips To Coping In The First Weeks With Your Newborn

When having a new baby, you really do not realise how much work it is until they arrive. It can feel overwhelming when you need to catch up on your sleep, rest, do housework, fix food for yourself as well as trying to keep up with the demands of a newborn.

This article gives you tips on how to cope.

Accept the realities - first it is important to accept the position you are in. You may be miserable without your sleep or having to put someone constantly before yourself, but this stage passes quickly - more so than it feels at first. Try to focus on enjoying the time and don't worry about routines. Just go with the flow and things will adjust quickly.

Rely On Others - When there is a new arrival in the family, family should be there to help you out and make sure things are easier. If your family offer to clean for you or cook for you - accept it. It will be a much needed break. If they don't offer, don't be afraid to ask and try to rely on people at this time. Also try to keep in touch with friends so that you have people to talk to if you are feeling a little overwhelmed.

Cut Corners or Accept Mess - Try not to let it stress you that you haven't vacuumed in over a week or the house is a little messy. Let it go, your baby is more important and tidiness isn't. It can be tough but it is OK to have a messy house and you shouldn't like you have to keep up appearances with your home. If it bothers you too much, try and get family to help out.

Get Out Of The House - One of the best things I did when I had my son was to go out on a walk everyday. I put him in a sling and went for a walk. This helped his colic and helped me calm down when I felt like a bad mother or unable to cope. Getting out of the house will make you feel like you have taken a much needed breather.

You Can't Spoil A Baby - Despite what many people might try to tell you, it is impossible to spoil a baby. Responding to your newborn's every need is important and not something to stress over. Go with your own natural instincts and trust yourself. YOU know best.

Being a new parent is stressful but relying on others, accepting mess and trying to focus on what is important will get you through it.

By Marie Crawford

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