child development, Child's Education, momblog, Relationships

Getting into the Basics: The “Whats” of Positive Parenting

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You all know that I am an advocate of positive parenting. But not all parents would actually understand what positive parenting is, while some would even have a misconception about it. That’s why I have decided to dedicated a series of posts that answer some of the most important questions regarding the topic.

For this article, I would like to delve deeper into the real meaning of positive parenting. What is it really?

1.What is the simple explanation for positive parenting?

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Positive parenting is basically a concept of child-rearing or the way that we bring up kids. It is an idea with the premise that our children are inherently good with the intention to act righteously. It is a method of child-rearing that builds mutual trust between parents and children, respects the unique individuality of kids, and reinforces the love and connection in the family.

2. What are the keywords in positive parenting?

  • pexels-photo-936120Individuality – This is basically the acknowledgment that your child is a unique human being with her own talents, skills, and capabilities.
  • Goodness – It is the expectation that your child has a good heart with pure intentions and a desire to always do what is good and right.
  • Communication – This is an essential part of positive parenting that emphasizes the need for connection through verbal communication and physical contact. It is the ability to be able to explain and not simply state your rules and consequences to your child. Communication is also the ability to listen to your child intently so as to understand the reasons for her actions and behavior.
  • Respect – This concept shall apply to both parents and children. One of the very foundations and beautiful results of positive parenting is the establishment of mutual respect between parent and child. It can never be one directional because respect always has to be earned and never just demanded.
  • Discipline – For every rule and consequence, there has to be a corresponding explanation of why they have to set and implemented. Also, the discipline has to be consistent, firm, and appropriate to your child’s age.

3. What are the challenges in positive parenting?

The main challenge in the successful implementation of a positive parenting approach is yourself. If you are serious about positive parenting, you have to be determined in various aspects such as in changing your perspective, setting aside your own personal issues, managing your expectations, and calming your emotional storms.

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It is normal for all parents to experience meltdown at times most especially when their children misbehave. To be able to successfully carry out a positive parenting approach, you need to work on yourself first. Be ready to take the challenge and embrace the exciting journey.

4. What are the benefits of the positive parenting approach? 

  • Strong relationships between parents and children
  • Healthy development of children’s mental, emotional, and social capacities
  • Better behavior among children in different settings
  • Children’s confidence and their ability to value their own unique individuality
  • More accepting, more peaceful, and happier relationships within the family\

 

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child development, family time, healthy food, momblog, Relationships

15 Easy DIY Meal Design Ideas for Toddlers

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Toddlers can be fussy eaters who refuse to try a new food at least half of the time. Approximately half of all toddlers fit this description, so it is no wonder that food issues are a source of stress for parents.

Establishing healthy eating patterns is important to avoid problems such as obesity and eating disorders later in life. Various strategies can help your child accept a wider range of foods. One of such effective strategies is showing your creative side and experimenting with meals, snacks fruits and vegetables.

Did you ever hear them say yuck over carrots or apples? Then what has been your initial response? Most parents would choose to keep the “yucky” vegetables or fruits out of their children’s eyes to prevent them from showing disgust over what has been prepared on the table.

But if you really want to let your kids eat a particular “yucky” food, then you better start normalizing the experience of eating such. A subtle way of doing this is by making different forms of one particular food and letting them try these. For example, if your kids don’t like simple boiled carrots, why don’t you mash them with butter, process them with burger patties, or make differently shaped carrot fries? Let your creativity fly during meal preparation.

If you do not know how to make food look attractive for your toddler we picked some adorable ideas for you.

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Isn’t it easy? here are more ideas

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child development, health, momblog, Relationships

Proven Relief Solutions for Infant & Toddler Teething Pains

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Who doesn’t panic when her baby cries because of pain? Who doesn’t worry when her toddler gets a fever because of a newly erupting tooth? Moms and dads love their babies so much that it is extremely difficult to carry the burden of seeing them tortured by teething pains.

Thankfully, there are easy remedies to these problems. Here are some of the best relief solutions for infant and toddler teething pains:

1. Cool Stuff

But what cool? For this particular purpose, we want to get the literal sense of the term – cool stuff as in an object with a cold temperature! Almost anything that is cold can help relieve our babies of their teething pain. So what do parents consider as the best stuff for teething pain relief?

Here they are:

a) Frozen Vegetables and Fruits – If your child is a toddler who can munch on solids, it would be best to give her frozen fruits and veggies during the teething stage. Simply toss in some bananas, strawberries, or boiled broccoli in the fridge. Once the fruits have cooled, then you can let your toddler enjoy them during snack time.

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But if your child is still an infant, you could actually look for specialized teething tools in the baby section and find those which can be stuffed with fruits inside. With this, you can put the frozen veggies or fruits inside the silicone teething tool without worrying that she would be choked.

b)  Frozen Washcloth – One of the least expensive and safest ways to relieve your baby of teething pains is by letting her chew on a frozen washcloth. You can effectively freeze the washcloth by dipping its edge on a cup of water, placing it in plastic storage, and keeping it in the freezer for a few minutes.

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2. Cute Toys

Cartoon-Giraffe-Shape-Baby-Teether-Silicone-BPA-Free-Infant-Teething-Toy-New-Necklace-Hanging-Toy-ForNow we ask, like anything cute under the sun? Definitely not! For this purpose, we’d like to define cute toys as those friendly-looking teething toys. There are a lot of options for teething toys in the market. Most of these would be packaged attractively. However, we want to choose only those that were made of safe and toxic-free materials. Some of the best options are silicone teething toys which can be put in the freezer so as to give a cool and soothing sensation when the baby bites on them.

3. Fashionable Jewelry

solly-wrap-So when did fashionable jewelry ever become a relief for baby’s teething pain? Well, for this purpose, we’d like to identify fashionable jewelry as a beautiful teething necklace that can be worn by moms. Yup, you read that right! Such necklaces are actually available in the market.

Teething necklaces are an ingenious way of providing relief for babies during their teething phase. Apart from being cute, these necklaces also solve the problem of teething toys that usually fall on the floor and become dirty. These can also be a more soothing solution because moms can carry on their little ones and give them warmth while the baby bites the necklace for relief.

There are other natural ways to help ease our baby’s teething pain. If you are worried about your child’s condition, there is no harm in calling your pediatrician. After all, moms and dads also need to hear the reassuring words of doctors that our babies are doing fine.

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child development, Child's Education, family time, momblog, Relationships

Get Involved in your Child’s Activities, Hobbies and School

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It’s probably no secret that children who have involved parents are more happy, healthy, and well-adjusted and excel at their educational and extracurricular pursuits.  It can increase their cognitive development, keeps them motivated, strengthens the parent-child relationship, and has a direct positive influence on their overall academic achievement.  In turn, it can also help parents achieve a positive outlook on their parenting, increase their own self confidence and self esteem, and will most likely feel more satisfied with their child’s educational experience at school.

But where do you get involved?  

With today’s busy schedules between home, work, and school, it may feel that the average family has very little quality time to offer.  However, different options and levels of commitment are available to fit every parent’s availability, and with some careful planning and dedication, you can make it a positive experience for both yourself and your child.

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First of all, discover what your child is most passionate about.  Maybe you’ve thought about volunteering for the school bake sale to raise money, but your child is actually more actively involved in her local Girl Scouts troop.   If that’s the case, then get together with the other Girl Scout parents and see what you can contribute to help the troop.  Maybe you could organize a bake sale to benefit their next summer outing.

It’s also important to consider what skills, talents and abilities you can bring to the table.  Maybe your child’s school is in desperate need of your help organizing a fundraiser, but your skills in sewing and designing might better serve the school if you were to help in making the costumes for the school play.  Remember, you want this to be a positive experience for both of you, and if your child senses that you’re not happy with what you’ve chosen to become involved in, then they likely will not be happy as well.

But the bottom line is get involved and stay involved.  Children of involved parents are less likely to get into mischief, have emotional problems, or have problems in school. 

You benefit by connecting with and staying connected to your child.  It’s a win-win situation for you both.

child development, Child's Education, health, momblog, Relationships

Why Toddlers Bite & How to Stop Them

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Has it ever crossed your mind whether or not you have vampire blood? Kidding aside, have you ever wondered why your toddler can’t seemingly stop from biting anyone around her? Well, there’s no need to actually worry because biting is normal among toddlers. Yup, it’s perfectly normal, but we cannot just stand in the corner and let them bite anyone they want to!

Since biting can be disturbing, annoying, and embarrassing, we need to be proactive in dealing with such circumstances. In order to stop our children from doing it, let us first understand the reasons why toddlers frequently bite almost anything and anyone then discuss the possible solutions:

1.Teething Pains

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One of the most common reasons why infants and toddlers bite is because of teething pains. Growing new teeth can be really painful for babies who have not yet developed maximum tolerance for physical pain. Once new teeth form, our babies would usually seek comfort by biting anything around them.

What can you do?

Make sure that you have the right tools to relieve them of teething pains. The most convenient thing that you can have to prevent her from biting random things and people is a teething ring. You can have a couple of teething rings stored in your fridge so that you can easily grab a cool ring whenever your child starts to become uncomfortable and fidgety from pain.

2. Too Much Interest in the Environment

When your child was born, you surely have noticed that one of the basic exploratory movements that she has done was sucking, right? Your child explores the world through her senses. She may be biting and putting objects in her mouth in order to know more about the world.

What can you do?

Talk to your toddler, and tell her about the need to stop biting random stuff. Unlike infants, toddlers can be much more receptive to our words. They can now make sense of conversations, thus it is best to explain to her that biting should not be done.

3. Excitement for Reactions

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From 1 to 10, would you be able to gauge the level of curiosity of your little child? For most parents, they would even exaggerate the answer and say that it’s over a hundred! Biting is actually one of the means by which our children express their curiosity. They could excitingly bite you and eagerly wait for your reaction. Once you scream “ouch,” then you might see them giggle with an intention to repeat biting. Don’t get mad at them. They are just curious little souls who are excited to see varying reactions.

What can you do?

Again, speak with your child about the way that biting hurts you or other people. Even if she seems unable to comprehend, be patient in explaining to her. Do not attempt to bite back thinking that it would make her feel the pain and start realizing the consequences of her actions. Remember that children love to mimic the people around them. If your biting back becomes a practice in your family, then your toddler would most likely continue doing it.

4. Longing for Attention

Most toddlers can be very clingy. They would always want to have you by their side. Some of them turn to negative behavior such as biting just to get the attention of their parents.

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What can you do?

If your child loves to bite, that’s not because she is a bad person. Toddlers still have not developed their moral compass to understand what’s good or bad. You have the responsibility to prevent her from biting by giving her enough attention. Set aside bonding times with your child like story-telling and playing. It would also be nice to make an effort to know whether she is feeling sad or irritated to effectively address the problem.

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