Children and Sleeping Problems - How to Find Out Why it is Happening

Children are precious little creatures that are even more precious while they are sleeping. So, when they are not getting the sleep they need, it can be a different story. Infants, toddlers, and middle-aged children need sleep in order to be able to achieve their learning potentials and have the energy that normal children their ages should have during the day.

Signs of Sleeping Problems

• Your child is still tired in the morning after getting out of bed
• Your child falls asleep during cars rides
• He/she takes extra naps or lengths of his/her naps are extended
• May be overly tired and staying up later than usual
• Eating habits change (assuming they aren't growing or going through an eating phase)
• Your child wakes many times during the night

What To Do:

If you notice your child may be having sleeping problems, check with their doctor and give them all the details about the situation.

Check on your child at night. Your child may be having breathing problems. Night terrors are also common in children and may cause them to lose sleep, or decrease the quality of sleep they are getting.

Practice quiet time at night before they go to bed. Children that are hyped up before bedtime tend to have a harder time falling asleep. It is the same concept with adults that lead busy lives who need to unwind before entering their "sleep mode". Taking baths, reading stories, and giving massages can help to calm your children down after a long day of excitement. Staying away from treats and sugars at least a couple hours before bedtime is a good idea also.

Your children may not know how much you have helped them, but it will surely show through their energy, attitudes, and schoolwork.

Find out more about common sleep disorders at http://www.tipsforsleeping.com/16/common-sleep-disorders/.

By Pat Gustafson

How to Make Your Home Safe For Babies

The first year of your baby can be an exciting time for you and your little one. It is during this time of his/her life that you get to witness their first smile, first laugh, and in most cases, first steps. Most of the special "first" moments of your child's life happen throughout the first year. However, if you are not careful, you might also witness their first accident.

I'm not writing to scare you; I'm just making you aware of the possibilities if you don't pay utmost vigilance when dealing with your child and his/her safety. And really, accidents happen. Accidents happen to us as adults and it can definitely happen to our babies.

So in this article, I'll share with you simple things you can follow to keep your baby away from danger and the likelihood of accidents in your own home.

Install smoke alarms in your child's bedroom. I doubt that your baby would start creating fire in his/her crib but you'll never know if fire hazards around him/her (i.e. electronic appliances) can malfunction and create havoc.
Keep plants out of reach of your baby. Not only that it might be poisonous to your baby but it can be a choking hazard. Better be safe than sorry right?
If you have firearms, lock them up tightly and put ammunition's in a separate location. Ammunition's can go off if the conditions are right. This is a general safety tip as much as it is for your baby.
Matches, cigarettes, and other flammable substances should be out of your baby's reach or placed in a childproof container.
Practice a rule that no person can handle your baby while handling something or just finished handling something hot (like a cup of tea or hot towel).
Be mindful of the things you put in the table. Children tend to pull tablecloth so either make the tablecloth high enough to be beyond the reach of children or just keep them away from it entirely.
The kitchen should be a no-access zone for children. There are just too many things that can happen in there.
Electronics outlets, especially the open ones (unused ones), should be completely covered and secured to avoid electrocution.
Electronic cords should be secured and well-maintained. Children might chew on them.
Door stops and safety knobs for the doors that should be off-limits to children.

So here are some simple tips for making your home safe for your children. Follow them and you can rest easy that your child won't run into the risk of having his/her first accident.

About The Author

Iska L is has been writing articles about child care and parenting for quite some time now. Do visit her latest website over at http://www.babyeducationaltoysguide.com/ which helps parents find the best baby educational toys for your baby's optimal development.

How to Raise Self Confident Children

In most of my articles I mentioned that lack of self confidence is usually rooted to early childhood. Children are born without any idea about themselves or their own worth and that's why the data they collect at this early stage shapes their self worth to a great extent.

If a child was raised believing that he is worthy and if he was encouraged to develop his skills and abilities he would become a confident adult while if he was neglected, abused or taught to fear life he will lack self confidence as an adult.

In this article I will tell you about the right things you should do in order to build self confidence in children.

How to raise self confident children:

Since I always deal with clients who want to become confident and who always tell me about the root causes for their lack of self confidence I came to realize that there is a list of common incorrect actions that parents do which prevents children from becoming confident. Here they are:

• Lying to the child: Not only lying to the child will let him develop fear of trusting people but it will also let him question his own worth. After all, from the child's point of view, why would someone tell him something else other the truth if he was really worthy?
• Treating the child as a child: The child doesn't know that he is a child. Treating him as a child will let him believe that he is worthless. For example not taking his opinion, interrupting him while taking and giving him false promises are all examples of ways of treatment that can reduce a child's Self confidence. In order for your child to develop self confidence treat him as a small man and not a child
• Scolding him in front of people: I really wonder why we do things to children that we would never do to adults. If you scold your child in front of people this will let him experience shame and self doubts which will be transformed into lack of self confidence over time
• Comparing the child to other children: One of the biggest mistakes parents make when raising children is comparing them to each other. "Can't you be a good boy like Sam?" This kind of treatment makes the child become aware of his flaws and may result in letting him feel inferior as a grown up. Each child is unique and he must understand this fact in order to become a confident adult
• Over protection: Over protecting a child wont do any good in protecting him as a grown up but instead the child will learn that the outer world is unsafe and will never develop confidence in his abilities
• Calling him dumb or using other names: If you kept telling a child that he is dumb or stupid he might believe your suggestions and grow up feeling inferior. In addition, the child will learn that doing mistakes is shameful and will strive for perfectionism as an adult, but because no one can be perfect the child will face lots of disappointments and end up lacking confidence
• Ignoring the child: Ignoring the child won't only let him feel distant from you but it will let him believe that he is not worth being taken care of and so his self confidence will become very low
• Not encouraging him to take risks: Self confidence is all about trusting one's abilities but if a child never had a chance to try his abilities then he will never succeed in building self confidence.
• Compliment his achievements: The child needs to be complimented in order to learn how to think highly of himself and to build self confidence
• Being overly critical: If you kept criticizing your child all the time he will learn how to criticize himself in the form of self talk and he will keep putting himself down until he will lose his self confidence.

Want to have a solid self confidence? Checkout http://www.buildsolidconfidence.com

By Mohamed Farouk

Controlling Eczema On The Scalp: How To Help The Rash Subside

Scalp eczema not only has itching and dryness but there can be some swelling and even cracking of the skin in certain people.

Like other forms of eczema, there can be some scales as well as blisters and cracks. This is not easy for parents to see when a son or daughter has this problem. Plus kids have a hard time not picking at flaking skin or scratching something that is itchy.

Kids can care a lot about what others think so try to help your child be at ease and not feel uncomfortable. Let him or her know that it takes longer to heal when things are picked at and that they should do things to take their minds off of it.

Also other kids probably will only notice if they are picking and scratching at their scalp so remind them of that as well.
Use antihistamines to help them deal with the itchy sensations as those are hard to ignore and it takes tremendous self-discipline to resist the urge to scratch the areas.

There are some ways to help combat eczema, though for some people it is a chronic condition that cycles and flares up from time to time. Don't let this stop your energy in pursuing a solution to the problem, but just expect it for a while.

First of all, check the ingredients of your shampoo products as well as gels and styling items. It is best to use natural products and avoid ones with perfumes, alcohol and other ingredients that can cause allergic reactions. Try to avoid rubbing anything into the scalp that you are not sure about. Don't use hot water but make sure the water is only warm. This is a habit that isn't easy to change. There are products made with aloe vera that can be used to style the hair.

If your skin is itching, use an oil such as coconut, flax seed or almond oil. Eczema skin requires hydration and we tend
to dry our scalp out by frequent showers as well as sitting in the sun. Avoid the sun and use a spf of 25 or higher in that area. Internally eat foods that will give you foods with omega 3 oils as well as vitamins a, d and e .

Don't use anything abrasive in the scalp area and try to take off wool caps in the home and non-cotton coverings.

By: Jill Cohen
Learn more about How to Get Rid of Eczema and cure an Itchy Skin Rash using natural methods.

Toddler Separation Anxiety: How To Calm Your Child's Fears

The crying toddler at the door screaming, and trying to run out if anyone opens it is an all too familiar thing at any child care center. Toddler separation anxiety can be stressful and challenging for both the parent and child. Parents often feel guilt, worry, and anxiety when they can't calm their child and get them to stop crying. Although it is hard to leave your devastated child , there are some things that you can do to help calm your child's fears and help them work through their anxieties. This article is going to talk about some things a parent can do to help soothe their child when they are worried about separation from their loved ones.

The very first thing I always tell parents not to do is leave with out saying good-bye. I have seen many parents try the sneak off when they aren't looking method. Although this is easier for the parent, since they don't have to leave when their child is crying, it is not better for the toddler. The toddler will still start to cry when they notice the parent is absent. They will look around for them and wonder where they went and when they will return. In the end, this will cause more toddler separation anxiety because the young child doesn't know when their parent will be there and when they won't. They might cling to a parent that does this because they are afraid to turn their backs. When you are dealing with toddler separation anxiety it is important that your child understands that you are leaving and will be back. They need to feel safe and secure and have an understanding of what is happening.

Another very important thing, is setting up a routine. Like I mentioned before, the child who is dealing with toddler separation anxiety needs to have an understanding of what is happening. Set up a drop off and pick up routine. That way your toddler will know when you are leaving and when you will return. It is also something special you can give them when they are away. I have seen parents who use separation books, like “The Kissing Hand” that tell a story about separation, and they use the same techniques that the mom in the book use. Children do well relating to story book characters. I have also seen kids who enjoy watching their parents car leave and return. They like going to the window and waving good-bye before they start playing. Set up a routine and stick with it. Toddler separation anxiety is scary for a child and having a routine will help transition them through their day.

Toddler separation anxiety can come from the parent too. This means the parent can be causing the child some of the fear and anxiety by the way they are acting. It is important to be reassuring and calm when your child is suffering from toddler separation anxiety. Let your child know what is going to happen and then do it. If the parent goes back and forth or stays with a child for too long, it can make the whole process harder. Your child will feed off of your emotions. If you are calm cool and collected, it will teach them to be the same.

To sum it up, toddler separation anxiety can cause a lot of emotion from both parent and child, but it is a very important milestone in child development. By following the tips I have given you can help your child transition through the fear and anxiety. The screaming child who is suffering from toddler separation anxiety will soon be the independent two year old that can't wait to play with their friends.

By: Jennie Berendson
For more information on child separation anxiety go to separation anxiety Jennie has been an early child educator for over 10 years.