Posted by TinyTotties on June 24 2011
When a baby won’t stop crying it can be nerve wracking for the parent’s. Unfortunately children get cranky and every parent will probably encounter a baby that won’t stop crying at least a few times. Frustration won’t make the problem any better. In fact it can stress your baby and often leads to more crying. Take a deep breath, calm down and then try some of these tips for helping to calm a cranky baby.
Evaluate Their Needs
An infant’s cries are often a sign that they need something from you. Make sure that all of their basic needs are met. Are they hungry? Is their diaper wet or dirty? Do they have a temperature? Do they need sleep? If you can find what your baby needs you can often calm the cries quickly. Of course, this won’t work every time.
Try Different Positions
Experiment with different positions to see if you can find something that your baby finds comfortable. Foe example you can try standing up with them, sitting down or rocking them. You might also want to try propping your baby up if they are large enough or laying them down. By trying a few different positions you can find one that might comfort your child.
Take a Break
If the crying won’t stop and you feel yourself losing patience, step back from the situation for just a minute. Place your child in their crib, close the door and leave them alone for a couple of minutes while you regroup. Then go in and check on them again.
Check with Their Doctor
In some rare instances constant crying can be a sign of a serious medical problem. If your child won’t stop crying they may be telling you that something is wrong with their body. Call their pediatrician and let them know what is happening if you aren’t able to get the crying to stop.
Don’t Get Frustrated
Babies can sense frustration and anger, so keep your emotions at bay as you comfort your cranky baby. Try singing to them or talking with them patiently. Remember that crying is the only way that they can communicate. It isn’t a sign that you are doing something wrong or that you are a bad parent. Be patient as you work to resolve the situation.
Ask for Help
Crying can get frustrating, so don’t feel like you have to bear it alone. If you start to feel overwhelmed or frustrated get some help. Friends and family are often more than willing to step in and give you a break so that you are better able to deal with your cranky baby.
Posted by TinyTotties on June 09 2011
Remember being pregnant, feeling the waves of movement and watching your belly changing shapes as your little one wiggled around?
These amazing videos capture those "wow" moments that other mamas have experienced.
Was your baby a wiggler?
Watch the videos
Posted by TinyTotties on June 08 2011
Every parent dreams of having polite, well behaved children all of the time. Unfortunately, this rarely happens. If you want your children to develop good manners you will have to teach them. There are many different ways to tackle this task, but here are a few tips that you might find helpful.
Practice Good Manners Yourself
You are your child’s biggest teacher, so if you want them to learn to be polite you have to set the primary example. Use good manners in your daily life. Say please and thank you. Don’t prop your elbows up on the table and refrain from making rude and vulgar comments about others. Your children will see your example and will mold their behaviors after yours. Think about the manners that you want to see in your children and then put these principles into practice yourself.
Be Consistent
Consistency is one the most important tools that you can use as you teach your child anything. Establish family rules and guidelines and then make sure that they are always followed. If you teach your child to ask before they get up from the table, but let this practice slide when friends or family come to visit it will be harder for your child to respect the rule at other times. One great way to ensure that you can be consistent is to set achievable guidelines for your family. Your children aren’t ever going to be perfect, so don’t expect them to be. Instead decide what principles are the most important and then focus on these.
Kids Are Kids
You will also have more success if you remember that kids are kids. It is important to teach them about manners from a young age, but you do need to understand that kids shouldn’t be expected to behave like a little adult. They are children and they have a lot of growing up to do. Be patient when they make mistakes.
Have a Practice Night
One fun way to teach manners in your home is to have a family practice night. You can plan a special family activity like a delicious homemade dinner or an evening out and then practice good manners as the activity is enjoyed. Consider sitting your children down beforehand to talk about the manners that will be expected during the event. This is a fun way for the whole family to work together on their manners.
Good manners are important, but they do take time and patience to teach to your children. Be consistent and don’t give up. In time your family will be able to master these skills.
Posted by TinyTotties on June 02 2011
If your kids are like most, they probably hate housework and chores. Many parents find that it is often easier to do the chores themselves than to fight with their children and hassle with getting them to help. While this is the easiest method, it isn’t going to teach your children to work and care for themselves. Teaching about chores doesn’t have to be a hassle.
Let Them Help Decide
If your children are involved in helping you determine their chores they will be less likely to rebel and more excited to help out. This doesn’t mean that you should give your child complete control over what they do. Instead you should work with them to establish reasonable chores that you can both be happy with.
Give them choices by saying things like, “Would you rather help clean the bathrooms or unload the dishwasher?” You can also help your children to be involved in the planning process by letting them decide when they would like to complete their chores. Some children may prefer working early in the morning before school while others would rather do their chores after school or on the weekends.
Create Incentives
Incentives can be a great way to motivate your children. These incentives don’t have to be anything expensive or extravagant. Often a simple chore chart with stickers is enough to motivate a small child to complete their chores. Find simple incentives that work with your children.
Praise a Job Well Done
No one like to work and have no one notice their efforts, so make a concerted effort to praise your children when they do their chores well. Simply saying something like, “Thank you for making your bed this morning,” can make all the difference to your children. Other great things to say include, “The kitchen looks great today,” or, “I really appreciate you remembering your chores without being asked.”
Learn to Be Positive
When your children first start helping with chores odds are that they won’t do as good a job as you could. Don’t insult your child’s efforts. Instead positively show them how to improve on their performance of a task. If you are always criticizing the job they do, they won’t be very anxious to do it again.
Chores don’t have to be a chore if you learn to work with your children and to teach them about helping out around the house in a positive manner.