Mothers are still the best teacher: Learn the practical and effective ways to introduce reading and learning

• Reward. That is still the best incentive for your child. Make reading a reward by allowing quiet reading alone in bed for a few extra minutes.
• If your child is fascinated by dinosaurs or Winnie the Pooh, get every magazines or books with their images on.
• Try to ignore your child’s reading level, it may not be necessary that every thought or word be fully understood.
• If you are having a hard time keeping your child to sit still, allow him to doodle while you read aloud. And remember that your child’s favorite doll or stuffed animal may like to hear the story as well.
• Take dictation from your child who can’t write yet, or encourage him to make a story while you are writing it down. Post some pictures and ask him to draw whatever image he would like to add to his own story book and label them with his own description.
• Provide each of your child their own shelf on a bookcase for their own favorite books. Encourage family members to add a special book for every gift-giving occasion.
• Lastly, but most important of all, when you read your child’s writing, don’t focus on errors, just enjoy the creativity!

“The remembrance of a beloved mother becomes a shadow to all our actions; it precedes or follows them.”

When you are raising a toddler, remember to always prepare him for anything that he will experience for the first time like traveling.  The best time for your baby to have his first long trip is under 6 months of age, if only to take advantage of his long naps.

Smart Tips For Moms When Traveling With A Young Child

• If you have a choice, set out on a long car trip an hour or two before his nap or bedtime.  So that just about the time your child gets fussy, he will most likely fall asleep.  It maybe wise to clothe your child with his nightclothes before setting out on your trip to avoid disturbing him while asleep when you reach your destination.
• Hang your toddler’s shoe bag over the car window to block out the bright sunshine.  The shoe bag’s pockets may also provide some of the toys or immediate needs.
• If you need to take a break, choose a playground where your toddler can work off any of his pent up energy.
• One way to use up excess energy while in the car is to initiate a game like “Simon Says” to keep your toddler busy.
• Don’t commit a mistake of going anywhere if your toddler is tired, even if it’s just a quick stop in a supermarket.  It will be best to wait and let your toddler take his nap since it’s easier to deal with the crowd than deal with a cranky child.
• If your child will need to take an airplane alone, prepare him by introducing it as an adventure.  Take sometime to explain the whole trip especially how he will be helped by flight attendants.  Try to coach him about  the unexpected like airsickness, ear pain on takeoff and landing. Give him some gums or hard candy to chew while landing.

While you are keeping in mind anything that your toddler may need when traveling, be sure to prepare yourself as well.   Traveling is tiring as it is, having a toddler around may require more energy.  So be sure to have enough rest before you travel with your toddler.

Keeping Toddlers Safe At Home

Childproofing your home is maybe the first and most important thing you need to do before your child reach the age of two. Here is an excellent checklist for you to make sure that your toddler is safe at home:

• Install safety latches on all cabinets and drawers containing dangerous objects and materials including delicate glass wares.
• Store all substances that might be harmful if swallowed or dangerous to eyes and skin in cabinets that can be locked and are beyond a toddler’s reach. These substances include medications, bleaches, detergents, ammonia, spot removers, and other cleaning materials, kerosene, gasoline, pesticides, and some cosmetics.
• When you childproof your home and you need to buy toxic products, look at them the way a child would. Is the package attractive? Does it have an inviting look, touch or smell? If so, consider purchasing an alternative product that is less appealing.
• Look around for easily breakable objects on coffee tables, sideboards, and other places. If you don’t want them broken, put them away!
• Buy safety caps to electrical outlets to prevent your toddler from poking objects into them.
• Many household plants are poisonous – the leaves, stems, and blooms of philodendrons, poinsettias, foxglove, and purple nightshade, for example. Do not grow them if you have children.
• Tie knots in plastic dry-cleaner bags before throwing them out. Children have suffocated from playfully putting these bags over their head.
• One important thing to childproof your home is to always check inside the oven and broiler before you turn either one on. If they are within a toddler’s reach, you just never know what might have been placed in there for “safekeeping.” It’s also wise to cook on the backburners whenever possible and to turn pothandles toward the rear of the stove.
• If your windows are double hung, locate your screens in the upper part for ventilation. If this is impossible, upper story screened windows should be closed when your child is up and about.
• Keep attics, basements, and other storage areas locked.

You will never know what your toddler is up to all the time, so childproof your home.

When you are a mother, you are never really alone in your thoughts. A mother always has to think twice, once for herself and once for her child. ~Sophia Loren, Women and Beauty

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Sibling Rivalry: How to Minimize Them

Sibling rivalry are the most common thing among families. For those mothers with siblings, we know that sibling rivalry is something we have outgrown (if it was addressed properly). And don’t we look at it now in a funny way, remembering the stupid things we did? But for mothers, sibling management can be the most challenging task she will have to take care of. Here are a few practical tips to manage sibling rivalry:

• Although it is good to do things together, an occasional outing alone makes each child feel important.
• Take sometime to do a special project with each child alone.
• It is usual for kids to fight when it comes to food sharing. If there’s any dispute about the last portion of food, have one child divide it in half and the other child choose the portion he wants.
• A timer can be a neutral referee, it will be one of your most valuable tools. Use it to time turns when your kids are sharing something. Children tend not to resent a timer.
• When arguments persist, separate the children for a cooling off period. The buzz of a timer can signal the end of the period.

And one last thing, remember that it is not about any of your kids. Sibling rivalry is perfectly normal as part of growing up years.