Parenting Children

As I said in my previous post, I forgot so much from when my twins were newborns. I find myself rushing to their baby books to see when they lost their umbilical cord or how much they weighed at their first checkup. I also find myself asking my sister, who has an older son, when my kids should start activities. Here are some guidelines for when to start activities with your child.

Swimming lessons-You should sign up for swim lessons or mom & baby swim classes when you feel comfortable. Let your baby or child get used to splashing around in the water. At age four children usually have the cognitive ability to realize they are in trouble in the water and can do something about it or call for help.

Horseback riding- usually at age five children can have lessons.

Skateboarding and skating-ages seven to eight is good for these skills and they really should be supervised until maybe age 10, especially when in the street. Most “wheeled” injuries occur in children ages ten to fourteen.

Soccer- is the safest sport. Age six is a great age to start soccer although I know they offer it in my town for five year olds, and my kids will play when they are five and a half.

Dancing- I think you are never too young to start dancing and dance class for toddlers will only help with coordination and making friends. A mom and tot dance class is a great way for mom to burn off some calories while bonding with her child!

By far the hardest part of parenting so far has been potty training my twins. It would have gone a lot easier if I trained them one at a time instead of together. Potty training will go a lot easier if your child is ready and you can see if your child is ready with the readiness quiz I have below.

If you feel like your child is ready, begin incorporating potty training into your child’s daily life. Bring your child with you as you use the toilet, and explain what you are doing, narrating the process. Encourage her to do things on her own like put on her own clothes, pick out her coat etc. Go to the library and read potty books and take out potty movies. Watch them together and explain what he is seeing.
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I was talking to a friend about kindergarten one day. My kids are almost two years older then her son so she had some questions. I told her I was working with R and L on some skills that I wanted them to know before Kindergarten like writing their own names and buttoning their coats. She couldn’t believe they had to know some of the things that I had seen them working on in preschool. “Well then, what do they learn in kindergarten?” she asked.
Good question. What should kids learn to do to start school full time?

Participation- Kids usually sit in small groups for classes and are asked to participate. They will sing songs, talk about the weather outside, what day of the week it is and have question and answer sessions. Sitting still, waiting their turn are great skills for your kindergartener to have. Practice this skill at home with siblings or at snack time.

Sharing- Easier said then done, I know. Kids with siblings may have more practice with this skill then only children. My kids have had to share everything every day of their lives, so I know they will do well with this, as well as a five year old can do. Make your children ask for things before they snatch it, join a playgroup or go to a children’s museum where they can play with and share toys with other children.

What skills do you think parents need to teach their children before they head to school?

getting ready for school, preschoolers, kindergarten, kindergarteners, toddlers, skills for school, parenting, parenting children

All babies crawl, walk and talk at a different age. There is no exact age for any developmental delays in kids. You may be concerned if your child is consistently behind other children hitting these marks. It is important to keep in mind that for each milestone, there is a range of ages during which a child will normally meet it. If at any point your baby seems to be losing skills, talk to your doctor. If you are worried about your child’s developmental delays, contact your pediatrician who may send you to a developmental specialist.
Here is a guideline for some milestones you can look for in your child:

By 3 months: Your baby should begin to develop a smile, and will smile at the sound of your voice, watch faces intently, and make noises.
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Here are the developmental milestones for your seven to nine month old.

Your baby should be able to sit on her own, by six or seven months. Around nine months he should be able to pick up objects with his thumb and index finger, known as the pincer grip. Great for getting those Cheerios! Around nine months your baby may be able to pull himself up to a standing position.

By seven months your baby should be able to imitate sounds like clucking her tongue or sounds like “ta” or “da”. She will start to like to play peekaboo.
She now understands you still exist even if you are out of her sight, so this is when separation anxiety can start. She may even fear strangers at this point.

Around nine months you can start feeding your baby table foods, like Cheerios, bananas and ground meat. Around this time he will responds to simple direction like “press the button” when it is accompanied by a gesture. Read to your baby every day and label things you come in contact with like “chair” or “ball”.

Of course, like I always say, all babies develop at their own pace. Seek the advice of your doctor when starting all new foods and if you think your child has a developmental delay.

7 to 9 months, infants, babies, parenting, milestones, development, babies development, parenting children

Your baby is not a tiny infant anymore. (S)he has started to interact with you and is on her way to becoming a real person.
During this time your baby will approximately gain 1 to 1.5 pounds per month. How much she gains is not as important as the fact that she climbing steadily on the growth curve.

By now your baby should be able to bring objects to his mouth. He won’t be able to pick them up with agility just yet, but when placed in his hands will bring them to his mouth. He should also be trying to pick up objects by using a rake motion with his fingers.
He will also experiment with transferring objects from hand to hand. His coordination will improve and now may be able to not only find his feet but grab them.
He will also be able to sit up much better, but still place him in the boppy or surround him with pillows.
She should also be rolling from front to back and at least experimenting with rolling back to front.

By four months your baby’s vision increases to several feet. You will see him tracking objects or people and staring at toys very intently. Mirrors are great for babies this age, especially for tummy time.

My favorite part of this age is the babbling. Babies will let you know if they are unhappy or happy by making sounds now. Babies love when you sing to them now and may even try to chime in.
Peek a boo is a great game and by the age of six months they should be able to find partially hidden objects. Try hiding a favorite toy partially under a blanket.

Some appropriate toys for babies this age are: toys with finger holds, mirrors, easy to hold balls, vinyl baby books, textured toys that make sounds and mobiles.

*As always, every baby is different and develop at different ages. If you think your baby has not hit many of these milestones, talk to your pediatrician and let them know of your concerns.

milestones, three to six month old development, babies, infants, moms, parents, parenting, kids

This is the first installment of our “milestones and development” feature and we are going to start with ages 1-3 months, naturally.

The first few months are the hardest as a parent because even if you have done it before it is all new again for the first couple of months. Diapers on little bottoms, waking to eat every two to three hours and bathing a squirmy, little creature.

This time your baby will be growing at the same rate he did the first few weeks of life, he should gain about 1.5-2lbs and grow 1-1.5 inches each month of his life. At about two months the soft spots on the top of his head should still be open but the spot on the back of his head should be closed.
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