To avoid your child having any those of the nightmares or night terrors, make sure the period before bedtime is a peaceful, quiet and restful time for everyone. But if your child cry and awake after a nightmare, do help to comfort him. Say something pleasant to soothe and assure him that mommy or daddy is always by their side and here for them.

Before you put your child to bed, you can do something to make your him feel calm and peaceful. Babies feel the voices of their parents is very soothing, so talk softly to your child before he goes to sleep, maybe you could try by softly singing a lullaby or telling a short story.  This will also help after the child wakes.  As a parents it’s important to remain calm.  If you’re tense up, your baby will feel that and it will make it even harder to get him calmed down again.

Make sure you can clearly hear your child if he cries out in the night.  That’s one situation where you’ll find baby monitors are such useful devices.  It’s important to response to your little one as soon as possible in order to soothe and reassure him.  If you should hear him cry out, don’t wake him if he has not woken up on his own.  Stay with him to until he goes back to sleep peacefully.  Keep in mind that you try not to let him sleep with you after a nightmare, either.  This may end up having a negative effect and giving the effect that he should be afraid of his own room and bed. If it becomes habit, it could become a difficult one to break.

Newborns generally sleep approximately 16-17 hours in a 24-hour period. Most babies will not sleep through the night until they’re at least 3 months old. There are several reasons why. First of all, their stomachs are very small and they will easily get hungry, especially if you’re breastfeeding your baby. Breast milk is much more easily digested than formula, and your baby will need to feed more often, especially in the beginning.

Babies also have shorter sleep cycles than adults do and have shorter dream cycles. Generally, a newborn baby should sleep around 8 or 9 hours during the day and approximately 8 hours at night. Well, these usually will not be in 8-hour cycles. In the early stage, those sleep times will be very short.

When the baby gets older, up to around 2 years of age, she will still be sleeping 13-14 hours, but the duration of daytime sleep will getting less month-by-month. Your baby should be sleeping through the night by the age of 2 and a 2-hour nap during the day is needed. Again, every child have different sleeping pattern.  As for baby Clarisse, the total hours she sleep each day is between 12-13 hours.  During day time, baby Clarisse will take around 1 to 2 hours of nap depending how early she wake up in the morning.  Well, usually your child might need a slightly longer nap or two short naps and very much depend how early they wake up in the morning. At this age though, try to discourage naps too late in the afternoon, as this can cause it more difficult to make them to sleep a few hours later at bed time.

Once a baby begins to regularly sleep through the night, parents are often disappointed when he/she starts to awake in the night again. This commonly happens at about 6 months of age and is usually a normal part of growing called separation anxiety, when a baby does not understand that separations are just temporary.

These days, fast food is a big part of modern life. It might seem to be a losing battle as fast food joints come up with all sorts of gimmicks and marketing ploys to attract our kid’s attention. Even baby Clarisse, now twenty months old, recognises the golden arches and associate McDonalds as a fun place. She’d make a fuss while pointing her finger whenever we drive by a McDonald outlet. If you let your child the alternative between healthy food and junk food, you usually will not like the answer. As parents we have to stick to guns and hopefully our kids adopt a healthy eating lifestyle.

Although it is not possible to make a child to like all healthy foods, there are many methods to make your child taste them and hopefully like some of them. Try to be as creative as you can.

• Sneak the healthy food in. Even though it would be good if your kid realised the importance of fruits and vegetables, this isn’t always workable. If you can not make them to consume good food willingly, there are methods to sneak them in, such as making muffins out of pears or bananas, or pizza with spinach on it.
• Give fruits and vegetables a funny names. For example you can refer cauliflower as “little flower”, make your child having more fun to eat. You can use many different funny names on fruits and vegetables. In this way, most kids choose to eat
  foods that sound amusing.
• Cook foods with better taste. Ranch dressing is great for broccoli, while peanut butter is a great topping for celery. There are various combinations for vegetables that can get them taste better. Try let your child pick a topping for a vegetable, even if it’s something you would not usually like yourself.
• Make the vegetable look nice with some decoration. Just as much as calling them names help kids eat healthy foods, making them look funny also helps. You can do this by creating humorous designs on the plate, or marking them up to look like people. Although some parents do not like their kids playing with their food, but sometimes it work to get them to eat healthier.

There are few methods to make your kids eat more healthy, but the key to effectiveness is for it to be fun so that they will enjoy it. This definately is not an easy task, I grant you, because kids usually do not like healthy food but it can be done with a bit of creativity. Good luck!

It may simply be her sudden discovery of a new physical sensation by grinding her teeth. I have even asked the paeditrician why Clarisse is doing it and would it be advisable to bring her to a dentist. According to her experience, dentists have yet to determine what cause toddlers to grind their teeth. At least the mental and emotional side of it. But I was also told that teeth grinding, as horrible as it can sound, would never be severe enough to cause much worry. Baby teeth are only meant to last for a span of few years so long lasting problems are negligible. Even so, it would take much more severe grinding to wear out their teeth.

What to do

Dehydration may be linked to teeth grinding. Make sure your toddler drinks lots of water to prevent dehydration.

Massage and stretching exercises tend to relax their muscles. Stress in children of school going age may cause teeth grinding.

With the case of preschool toddlers, bear with the annoying sound of teeth grinding no matter how horrible it can sound. I am lucky Clarisse is barely 15 months old and with her tiny set of teeth, doesn’t make such an unbearable scratching noise. It was the thought of her teeth exposed to the damage of grinding that worries and annoys me more than the sound.

Does your child’s teeth gnashing indicates tension or anxiety? Rarely because of their young age. What you should be worried about is evidence of significant jaw discrepancy that is the cause of toddler’s teeth grinding. In this case, a dentist’s help and monitoring is required. A dentist’s intervention is usually required for school going age children if teeth grinding becomes a pro longed occurance.

1, Constantly keep the baby tidy and clean.

2, Trim the nails properly with extreme caution.

3, Damp nappy should be changed and parts should be cleaned with soap.

4, Pay more attention of the genitals because fungal infection is commons in that area. Parts should be kept dry.

5,Take care of the scalp is really crucial.Fungal infections, dermatitis ect can be avoided by proper cleanup.

6,Close-fitting dress can cause discomfort, therefore apparel should be loose-fitting and should allow entry of air.

7,Room should have enough light and ventilation.It should be free from dust and insects.

8,Seperate bed preferably water proof is essential for kids .It should be placed close to mother’s bed.

9, Constantly keep on some musical toys close to baby.

10, Support the baby’s head while carrying the baby with hand.Since the neck muscles are weak, sudden drop of head can be serious.

11, Young babies obtain all the nourishment they need from their mother’s milk and its also gives emotional attachment. Breast milk should be given whenever the baby is  needed,  preferably in mother sitting position. It’s also important to clean your nipple correctly and mother should eat healthy and  nutritious food throughout breastfeeding period.

12, If there is some contraindication for breast feeding,  cows milk can be given. Rinse the milk bottle with hot water and should be kept dry till next use.

13, Cows milk should be boiled and cooled. Many diseases like bovine tuberculosis,brucellosis ect spread through raw milk.

14, Some children are prone to allergy from some substances like food,milk,dress,cosmetics ect. Determine the material which induce allergy and avoid such things.

15, Install mosquito nets all around the house in order to avoid diseases like malaria,dengue ,filariasis,yellow fever and ect which spread through mosquito bites. Mosquito bite can also evolve skin eruptions with some allergic reactions and it also affect sound sleep.

16, A calm and quiet atmosphere should be kept for a good sleep. Infants need more sleep than adults because their growth hormone secretion is activated during sleep.

17, Growth developement,behavioral developement,motor developement,personal social developement,language developement and some other development should be marked down in relation to age.  However parents do not have to be over worried because slight variations are seen from individual to individual.

18,Assessment of growth by measuring height and weight is essential.

19, In the early months of life infant may defecate after every feed. The right way of toilet training should be given when the infant grows.The infant can be placed on the toilet seat by the age of ten months.

20, The toilet seat (potty seat) should be cleaned with disinfectant before and after use. It’s not advisable to share with other children.

21, If  the baby shows any signs of distress like excessive crying, fits, high fever,stiff neck, vomiting and diarrhoea, bluish discolouration of the body,difficult breathing with grunting and ect,  take note of all these symptoms and consult your doctor immediately.

22,A first aid box should be kept in the room ,which should contain sterile cotton,dressing materials,antiseptic lotion and ointment and forceps. It’s important to keep a book inside the box with all the numbers of doctors, ambulance and police.

23,Child’s medicines should be kept in seperate box. Information regarding dose and way of administration should be jot down on a paper and pasted  on the box.

24, While driving make sure your baby’s seat belt is securely fastened.

25, Put an identity card with your phone number and address inside his pocket whenever you go out with your baby.

26,  When your infant know how to walk, make sure you accompany him wherever he go in order to prevent a fall and injuries.

Choking :–The baby may swallow some solid objects and cause obstruction.  You should straightaway make the baby lie on the abdomen in head low position and press the abdomen backwards and towards the chest.  Stroking the upper back is also useful. If still no result call a trained person immediately to take the object with the help of forceps.

Accidental poisoning:–  Try to remove the poisonous subatance and induce vomiting (except kerosine & acids).  Wash the body with water to reduce absorption through skin. Name the poison and take the victim to the hospital.

Burns:–Firstly take off  the source of heat and put clean cold water. Do not remove burned cloaths instantly.  Cover the wound with antiseptic cotton and take to nearby hospital.

Wounds :– Clean the wound with clean water and stop the bleeding by compressing and lift the wound above the level of heart or use a tourniquet to compress blood vessels.  Then dress the wound with antiseptic cotton and bandage, then consult a doctor.

Drowning in bath tub:– Take the baby up immediately and keep his head in low position, press the abdomen sofly or give a mouth to mouth sucking till the air way is clear.  Give mouth to mouth breathing and cardiac massage and take the victim to the hospital.

Electric shock:– Stop the source of current.  Then observe the victim, if no breathing give mouth to mouth breath along with cardiac massage and take to the hospital.

28, And finally, give your child maximum care, love and support to make him grow healthy and happy forever.

What we should not do?
———————-

1, Don’t shake the baby because it can cause brain damage.

2, Never keep any small object close to baby .

3,Sharp pointed object like pen, pencil, fork and ect should not be given to kids.

4,Becareful not to let water enter the ear while giving a bath.

5,Do not feed the baby forcibly when the baby is crying or coughing continuously.

6,Never overfeed the baby.

7,Keep away articles like mosquito repellents ,moth balls,ink,gum,medicines and ect from the baby.b

8,Avoid tbight cloathings.

9,Do not put the baby near the edge of the bed.

10,Never give the baby to unkown people and avoid close contact with others.

11,Do not arranged your baby’s bed near electrical sockets and wires. Keep away all the electrical instruments from your child.

12,Kitchen is a dangerous place for children.Don’t let them run around or keep them alone in the kitchen.

13,Water level in the bath tub should be minimal and supervise your baby when he is still in the bath tub. Never go for any other works like attend phone call or calling bell.

14,Avoid smoking inside the house and do not let your child hang around when someone is smoking.

15,Do not let pet animals to be in very close contact with the kids.

16,When the child know how to walk, do not let the child be alone upstairs and disallow them to climb the steps.

17,Powerful light should be avoided in the room.  Children should not sleep with the lights switched on.

18,Do not let your baby sleep in a dark room.  Put on a little dim light for the baby to sleep.

19,Don not let the baby crawl on the soil.

20,Do keep away from the baby if you are sick or someone else is sick.

21,Baby shoud not be taken to hospital wards,crowded market places and polluted areas.

22,Consult your doctor before giving medicine to the children.

23,Expired medicine should not be used.

Start your child off to good dental health practise. Cultivate the habit of good daily dental care and to ensure it lasts a lifetime. Therefore, it is never too early to get your toddler into habit of brushing their teeth regularly each day.

When my baby Clarisse’s first pair of teeth came out a few months ago, I started to clean her teeth and mouth when she her teeth started to grow. I used a small wet handkerchief, damp it with some warm water to wipe her teeth and tongue instead of a baby toothbrush.

When more teeth sprouted, I started to introduce her to the toothbrush. She was hesitant initially but it didn’t take long for me to tempt her into brushing her teeth. Just like a particular character in her favourite TV show “In The Night Garden”, the Tombliboos who sang and danced their way while brushing their teeth in one of the episodes. “Let’s brush your teeth like Tombliboos” I used to say to her, she would gladly open her mouth wide and let mommy brushes her teeth.

Here’s a few pointers on toothbrushes, toothpaste and overall good practises when brushing your toddler’s teeth:

• Do select a toothbrush designed for young children which specify the age group on the box. A small head and soft with rounded bristles is most suitable for young children
• Never use toothpaste until your toddler is able to rinse and spit out the residue. Instead, I’d put a very small amount of mineral salt in a small cup of water and dip the toothbrush into the diluted salt water to brush my baby Clarisse’s teeth.
• Rinse toothbrush thoroughly after each use and keep it in a holder. Remember not to put the tooth brush lying around where it can easily pick up bacteria.
• It is advisable to replace the brush every three months or when it looks worn. On top of that, if you’re the extremely cautious sort, some people replace toothbrushes after their child has recently been ill. This is to avoid reinfection whereby germs may hide in the bristles.
• It’s more important to focus on the molars than the front teeth, therefore always remember to brush from back to front. I gentle brush Clarisse’s teeth with back and forth motion across the chewing surfaces. Then use a circular motion along the sides and the outer gum lines, a back-and-forth motion on inner surfaces. Gums where teeth has yet to erupt should be lightly brushed or wiped with a gauze pad.

Again, one of your biggest hurdle is to get your toddler sit still long enough to get the entire job done. My baby Clarisse would stand still for a few seconds for me to brush her teeth, then walk about here and there. It takes a bit of complimenting and persuasion to get her back standing still for me to finish the job. Hopefully, as time goes by, she’ll get into the habit of having her teeth brushed every day and won’t make a fuss about it.

It’s never too early to instill good dental habits in your toddler. Happy brushing!

Now that she’ll be turning one next month, I’m glad to be able to devote all my time and energy to care for her throughout her entire first year but this has to stop somehow. I have decided it’s time for me to get a job and return to the workforce.

Before seriously looking for jobs, there are a few things I need to take care of. First, I have to wean baby Clarisse from breastfeeding. Secondly, my mother has agreed to take care of baby Clarisse and we have to make sure baby Clarisse get used to spending long hours at her grandma’s house gradually.

Last week, I starting taking baby Clarisse to my mother’s house. My husband and I then sneaked out for 30 minutes, without baby Clarisse’s knowledge. When we came back, baby Clarisse cried so pitifully the moment she saw me. Her arms opened wide and when I embraced her, she hugged me so tight with tears kept rolling down her cheeks. Even my mom cried a little. She told me baby Clarisse looked everywhere for me throughout the whole 30 minutes when I’m out. Each time she turn here and there, she’d pout and shed some tears.

So the next day, I took baby Clarisse to my mom’s house again. We stayed for a while and instead of sneaking out, we plan to let her know we’re leaving. When my husband took his car keys out from his pocket, baby Clarisse lunged forward and wants him to carry her. She hugged him so tightly. Then I explained to baby Clarrise that she must stay with grandma for a while because Papa and Momma has to go to work and will be back later. I gave her a kiss on her forehead. Suprisingly she seems to understood what I told her and embraced her grandma. She even wave goodbye at us when grandma told her to. I told my mom to carry her out to the driveway, watch us leave and see how she’d react. To my pleasant surprise, she was perfectly fine and kept waving at us until we drive away.

We came home an hour later and baby Clarisse was sleeping. I was so glad that she was able to sleep without me nursing her. My mother told me that she manage to feed baby Clarisse with 40ml of formula milk (she went breastmilk entirely when she was 2 months old) and behave quite well in that one hour although before baby Clarisse went to sleep she would still look for me.

Therefore, I wouldn’t take separation anxiety for granted. There’s not quick fix when dealing with separation anxiety but here’s a few tips to start overcoming it bit by bit:

1. Leave your baby with someone you trust, that will minimise your anxiety. I will only leave my baby with my mother because she is the only person I trust that able to take good care on baby Clarisse. Baby Clarisse is quite close to my mother since my mother take care her for 2 months after her birth.
2. Usually I arrive my mother’s place early by 15-20 mins, I will stay there for some time to let my mother play with baby Clarisse, so that baby Clarisse will easily attach more to my mother and forget about me. Usually when baby Clarisse is happily playing with something, she will not bother where I am.
3. Talk to your baby, give her an advanced notice of your departure. Babies at this stage do understand what you are telling them. Baby Clarisse do respond when I told her “Momma and Papa need to go out to do some work and Clarisse stay with Popo”. Baby Clarisse extend open arms and wanted her grandma to carry and then wave her hands at us saying “Bye-bye”. Never sneak out of the house while your baby is not looking because she may begin to fear that you’ll leave her without warning at anytime and will respond with extra clinginess.
4. Do give your baby a hug and kiss to make a happy ritual out of leaving but never prolong the goodbyes or make them overly sentimental. My mother usually take baby Clarisse out of the house to let her watch us leaving the place, so that I can wave to her.

I begin by leaving baby Clarisse with my mother for half an hour for few days. This is to make sure she gradually gain confidence that I will return and she may be comfortable enough with these short outings to be ready for longer ones. After that, I slowly increase my time away from baby Clarisse until for several hours or even half a day.

A child’s irrational temper and tantrum, especially when it’s accompanied by loud crying and wailing, drive parents up the wall. I should know better because I’ve been guilty of spanking her twice before. I remember I first smacked her, although so very softly, at around 7 months. It was way past bedtime that night but baby Clarisse was in a really cranky mood and refuses to sleep. Frustration came over me. My gentle-approach mom came into the bedroom, gave me a piece of her mind and cared for baby Clarrisse while I took some time off. Some really needed time off I’d say. The second incident was more or less the same.

The first hurdle for parents is to not develop the habit of spanking your children thinking it’s just a way to let them know momma or papa is angry and think they’ll get the message. If spanking is a proven approach to childcare passed down through the generations, it’s time to put this family tradition at rest. Take down the ‘Spare the rod, spoil the child’ poster while you’re at it.

The rod was never meant to teach children anything but pain, intimidation and fear. It doesn’t speak out to them about differentiating right from wrong. Smacking too is not an effective way to discipline your child. Children refrain from misdeamenours due to fear of getting smacked or caned is simply so, the fear of being smacked or caned. If the risk of physical punishment escapes them, they’ll just repeat those same old misdemeanours.

Bringing up your children by having them fear you is quite heartbreaking. I mean, I’ve seen with my own eyes how my neighbour with a cane in hand, chasing down his children even out on the road to whip them. Nevermind how embarassing his children must’ve felt at that moment, I bet if this sort of extreme physical punishment is dished out constantly, hatred and disrespect for their parents will manifest.

Smacking also leaves a lasting impression on children and it’s usually the worst kind. It teaches them violence is one way to resolve matters. They might grow up to view acts of force as the best way to settle disputes instead of using less forceful ways to deal with frustration or anger.

With a little careful planning, even air travel can be organised into a manageable logistical mess. The word is manageable at the very best because frankly, you’d never know what to expect.

Before embarking on your overseas trip, have your baby checked for vaccinations that might be needed in the country you’re visiting, particularly third world and developing countries. A visit to the doctor a few weeks beforehand is advised as some vaccinations require separate doses over several weeks.

Never leave packing your luggage, both hand-carry and suitcases, should be packed at least 2 weeks before your trip. You have another huge checklist now, your baby’s stuff – bottles, towels, feeding utensils, infant formula (may I suggest in carefully pre-measured scoops). And last but not least, your baby’s medical kit which should consists of the following items:

• Thermometer
• Acetaminophen to relieve your baby of pain and reduce fever
• Saline drops to thin and loosen mucus in your baby’s stuffy nose
• Anti-inflammatory cream for bug bites
• Antibiotic ointment to any cuts and bruises

A baby sling will come in very handy throughout your entire trip. Put your baby in the sling so that both your hands are free. Trust me, you’ll feel like needing another pair of hands all the time when travelling.

Some airlines are what you would call baby-friendly. They provide diapers, cleansing wipes, creams and various baby supplies on the plane. Furthermore, flight attendants are trained to help service whatever you might need to care for your baby during the flight from setting up baby cots (yes, some airlines do provide cots for infants) and booster seats for kids to heating up your baby bottle upon request.

As for departure schedule, try not to pick the busiest times at the airport. Give yourself plenty of time to leave for the airport, check in early and prep your baby up before boarding the flight. A change of diapers for your baby just before boarding is highly recommended. Choose the most ultra-absorbent ones you can find. Diaper pants can be more convenient than normal diapers during the flight as changing diapers in restricted spaces is always a hassle.

Try to request for front-row seats for more legroom. It’s a lot easier to have room to maneuver when tending to your baby’s needs.

During take-off and landing, try feeding or nursing your baby to help clear your baby’s plugged ears due to changing cabin air pressure.

Most importantly, bring along your sanity and remain calm throughout your trip. Things do go wrong no matter and you find yourself in trying situations. Do not panic and always ask for help.

It is so annoying to have inconsiderate sales people approach when my baby Clarisse had just dozed off. I don’t know about your baby, but Clarisse is an extremely distractable baby. It’s a chore to get her to nap when my husband and I are out shopping.

Today while we were out shopping, it happened not once but twice. And wait for it … the same credit card sales promoter! Needless to say, when that man approached us the second time, I was very angry and so was my husband. I told him off “Can’t you see my baby is sleeping?!”. Rudely, I might say, but at that instance I was so mad at him for waking up baby Clarisse. Again.

If you’re reading this, and you are in sales promotion, I understand that is part of your job. I have no qualms about what you do as long you spare a bit of consideration for mothers who are carrying a sleeping baby. Bear in mind you might startle a baby from their nap and I can assure you most mothers won’t like that at all.

RIght, I’m done ranting. Thanks for lending an ear.