July, 2010

Parenting — Comments Off
31
Jul 10

How to Teach Your Kid to Ride a Bike

When I taught my son how to ride a bike, I think he got his first bike when he was three years old. Of course he rode with training wheels and we got the smallest bike we could find. You can go to Target or Wal-Mart, they probably have the cheapest bikes. It’s not like you need something fancy or super durable.

I think my son went through two bikes in this period. The second bike we got him was a little nicer, more like a BMX bike. When we got this one we were planning that he would eventually ride it without training wheels. We still got it at Target, but we made sure it was a little better quality. The price was still very reasonable.

He rode with training wheels for about a year and a half. He got pretty good riding that bike with the training wheels and he loved it.

As they ride more and more, you’ll notice they start to balance more than just riding on the training wheels. What you can do so they have more chance to balance, is to raise the support wheels up off the ground an inch or so. Either they balance or they lean to the side some and ride that way.

Once they are starting to balance it’s time to take the extra set of wheels off. It only took a session or two for my son to start riding on his own. We did it in a park on the grass. He started up with me holding onto his seat. There were a few false starts where he balanced briefly and I kept a hold of his bike seat. Then it happened, he started balancing on his own and I let go, he kept going faster and I couldn’t keep up running along with him so I stopped and let him go. He made it about 30 feet, thinking I was holding onto his seat the whole time. He came to a rough stop and realized he had done it all on his own. Pretty exciting.

Parenting — Comments Off
31
Jul 10

The Secret, Unconscious Game Children and Parents Play Where No One Wins!

Did you know there抯 a game children and parents play all the time and yet, neither of them knows about it? This article discusses this unconscious, no-win game children play with their unknowing parents; how points get scored; why the game isn抰 a good thing to play, and how parents can stop the game.

I wish I could tell you the name of the game. It’s a secret and has no name. Parents and children don抰 even know they抮e playing the game. The purpose of the game is simple; children play it to get their way. The game itself is based on a point system. Whoever has the most points has the most power and control in the parent-child relationship. The minute a child asks the parent for something and is met with the answer, 搉o,?the game begins!

Children score points when they argue with their parents so much, their parents become upset, raise their voice and lose their 慶ool.? Or when they are asked to do something and then don抰 do it correctly and they’re not caught, they win a point. When children say they did their chores or completed their homework and didn抰 and their parents don抰 check up on them to see if they抮e being honest, another point gets scored.
Another ay to score a point happens when parents tell their children tothey will do something for them and then don抰 follow through. If you tell your child you抣l take him to the store on Wednesday and then weasel out of it, you just gave your child a point. Why? Because you抮e teaching your child it抯 okay not to be a person of your word.

Parents score points when they do not argue with their children. Imagine you have a bonfire on the beach. If you stop putting fire on, what happens? You guessed it! It eventually goes out. When they remain calm, regardless of a child抯 reactions,they get the point. Yes, I realize this is not always an easy thing to do.

Any time a parent follows through with a promise, another point is scored. If you say you抣l drive your child to the store, do it. Don抰 make any promises unless you feel certain you can carry them through for the child. When you tell or ask your child to stop doing something and he doesn抰, follow through until he does. This might mean you have to quietly and
calmly walk over and physically help him. You could say something like, 揟hanks for letting me know you need help doing this. I love you so much I want to make sure you can do this.? If you say it sarcastically, the child gets the point because you won抰 sound sincere.

The downside of this game is that no one ever wins. When parents play, they give away their parental power and control to their children. Each time parents react with anger and frustration, they non-verbally let their children know the children are stronger than the parent. If a child gets the unconscious message he or she is stronger, that child won抰 feel safe. 揥ho抯 going to take care of me and keep me safe if I抦 emotionally stronger than my parent?? What you may see is a child acting out even more, testing the parent to set limits and stop the child抯 behavior.

When children play the game over time, they do not learn to accept the word 搉o.? This is crucial if they are to grow up as respectful, responsible adults.

Now that you know about this no-win game, how can you, as a parent, stop it? Stay calm, no matter what抯 happening. If you want some ideas on how to do this, you can find some ideas on my blog called, 揌ow to Act Like a Super nanny at Home.? The address is http://www.parentsurvival.org. By staying calm, not arguing, walking away; the game loses its strength because the parent is in control. You haven抰 put any logs on the fire.

If you tell your child to do something, make sure you check to see that it抯 done according to your desires. If your child starts to argue, simply say, 揑 love you too much to argue?and walk away. If you answer your child抯 comments, you will lose the point. The trick here involves being quiet, the less said, the better.

Children may not get what they think they want when their parents no longer play with game with them. However, they get what they need, which are strong successful parents who love them enough to stop playing the game. Only then will everyone win.

Babies-Toddler — Comments Off
31
Jul 10

Unique Baby Names For Your Babies Can Cost a Fortune

When it comes to choosing a unique baby name for your child may be much harder than you think. Certainly although a unique name can help your child to stand out from the others it may cause them a lot of hassle when they grow older. It is therefore important when any expectant parents are considering a unique name for their child they take certain factors into consideration.

Below we provide you with some tips which can help making the selection of choosing a unique name for your child a little easier. Remember it is important that you choose one that not only you as the expectant parents like but that your child will be proud of as they grow older.

Tip 1 – Avoid those types of names which are going to be difficult to spell. Therefore if you want to give your child a unique name choose one that is not only easy to spell but they will also find easy to remember. Remember a name which may be cute when they are five may not be when they reach their teenager or early adult years.

Tip 2 – If you choose to go for a foreign name then select one which you are sure of its origins. Look for names that although foreign are often well recognized such as Jose, Esteban, Concepcion, Feliza or Ludwig.

Tip 3 – Why not experiment and join your name with your partners and see what this comes up with. You don’t need to use all the letters in each of the expectant parent’s names but rather make up a combination of some of them.

Tip 4 – If you want something a little special relating to the time of year that your child was born at then you could go for a particular season or plant that relates to that time. Also why not like some of the stars have chosen a place name for their child as it reminds them of a special time in the even of their lives. Common names often used are Paris, September, April, Summer, Rose, Lily, Brooklyn etc.

Tip 5 – Why not go for a traditional name but in order to make it unique change the way in which it is spelled. You can either add, change or take away a couple of letters in the name. For example change Emily to Emilie or Alison to Allison or David to Davyd.

Tip 6 – But if you don’t want to cause problems for your child in later life then why not stick with a more traditional first name and go for something a little more unique with their second or middle one. But before you make the final decision say the name out loud several times to see how it sounds and feels before making the decision to select the name.

But which ever unique baby name you do choose for your child it is important to remember it is their name and not yours. Remember this is a name they will have to live with for the rest of their lives unless they decide to change it later on. So take your time and say it several times to see how it sounds and feels to you before you make the final decision and get this placed on their birth certificate.

Crafts-Hobbies — Comments Off
31
Jul 10

Face Painting Designs

While I’ve never been the artistic type, I have found a new hobby that most people would assume you need some artistic talent to master. That’s certainly what I always thought whenever I would attend a fair, festival or school event that had someone doing face painting designs for the kids.

Actually, I always dreaded the long lines that were inevitable when there was a face painter at a local event. I would try to coax my children away, but they were always determined to wait however long it took to get a turn at having their faces painted with some masterpiece they had chosen. Most of the time, they were so delighted with the results, I had a difficult time convincing them to wash their faces in the evening when it was time for bed.

It never occured to me that I might be able to master some of these face painting designs, as I always assumed the people doing it had some sort of artistic background. So you can imagine my surprise when my daughter attended a birthday party for a friend and I saw that the face painter they had hired turned out to be the birthday child’s mom!!

When I inquired, she told me that she found this incredible e-book that taught her step by step about 50 different face painting designs that she was able to master with just some practice in her free time. Not only was this far less expensive than hiring a facepainter, she now had the skills to offer her services as a volunteer or to make some extra money doing other kids parties.

That night I got myself a copy of this ebook that she recommended and I discovered not only how easy it is to learn the face painting designs, but how much fun it is too! My kids and their friends are always asking me to paint their faces, and I love doing something for them that makes them so happy. I’ve already volunteered at a carnival for my son’s school and will be doing my face painting designs for my daughter s friends at her upcoming birthday party.

Babies-Toddler — Comments Off
31
Jul 10

Diaper Rash – 8 Ways to Get Rid of it ( For Good!)

Diaper rash – it is no fun for baby and no fun for you! Luckily it’s not a major medical problem but more of a common discomfort. Now you don’t need to be a pediatrician to recognize diaper rash on your baby – if she has a red, sore, hot looking little bottom when you remove her diaper, you can be pretty sure she’s got diaper rash.

The good news is that it’s relatively easy to get rid of this rash, and if you’re careful in the future, you may be able to rid your baby of it forever by following some simple steps. Here are some tried and true methods I’ve used with my own children to get rid of a diaper rash once it shows up , as well as to prevent them from coming back.

Leave your baby naked – Air drying if at all possible as much as possible is a good thing ! Take off that diaper and let their skin breathe. Diapers today, especially the disposable kind are made to keep moisture in , and while they are supposed to keep it away from the skin, that’s not possible as the diaper environment creates almost a condensation. Babies love to be naked too, so if you can brave the possible accidents, let their bottoms air dry.

Change your baby’s diaper often Having stool or urine in contact with an already sore bottom will make the rash and your baby worse. Try to make sure your baby’s bottom stays as clean and dry as possible at all times. Wet areas on skin can become breeding grounds for infection.

Look at your commercial baby wipes Many brands of store bought baby wipes, while convenient, can contain chemicals and alcohol that can irritate and dry out your baby’s skin. Infants’ are especially susceptible to outside contaminants so you may want to try different brands until you find one that works – avoid the perfumed kind, or just stick with plain soap and water on a clean cloth.

Find an ointment that works and use it regularly even if your baby doesn’t have a rash at the moment , it will prevent it. You may need to try a few to find one you are happy with. The ones with zinc oxide seem to work best. ( Desitin, Zincofax )Some are very thick and hard to spread on and you may find your wiggly baby not impressed. Others go on smoothly, but don’t stay put. Ask other moms for their recommendations !

Keep an eye on what your baby is eating Sometimes as you introduce new foods your baby can develop more of an acidic poop ( strawberries did that for mine) so if you find there are some foods that result in a rash, try to avoid them. Diarrhea almost always will result in the start of a diaper rash so keep your eye out.

Check out your baby shampoo, soap, bubble bath etc. Usually the cheaper the brand, the more chemical additives and preservatives, one commonly used is Quaternium 15 and can cause skin flare ups in those with sensitive skin. Try to only use natural products on your baby’s skin or plain water if you can.

Check your diaper brand If you find you are changing diapers often , letting baby air dry and a rash is still appearing, it may be the diapers you are using. Consider switching brands, stay away from perfumed ones and possibly switch to cloth diapers.

Be aware of yeast infections Occasionally, what appears to be a diaper rash is really a yeast infection called Candida Albicans. It looks more like a red rash with little white dots and tends to have a defined outline. Sometimes your baby will get this if they have been prescribed anti-biotics , and sometimes you’re not sure why! If the rash is not going away with the regular diaper cream and the above mentioned methods, see your pediatrician for an over the counter anti-yeast medication, and use it at every diaper change. It will generally clear up the rash in a few days.

If all else fails, don’t hesitate to give your doctor a call. A diaper rash can cause misery to both you and your baby and can worsen if left untreated. Monitor your baby for two to three days and if there is no sign of improvement, head for your pediatrician.

Babies-Toddler — Comments Off
30
Jul 10

Co-Sleeping And Breastfeeding – 2 Great Ways To Bond With Your Baby

Studies across the world have proven that it is really good to follow co-sleeping with an infant that is breastfed. This actually develops the bonding that is shared by the mother and her kid. It also develops the mother’s knowledge about the kid and become a lot more responsive about her kid.

There are other ways to follow co-sleeping. One kind is the one which keeps their babies with them in bed all the time, and wherever they go. Other one is setting up a bassinet in the main room where the mother stays. The baby is brought to them when it wakes up. The other kind is the one that sleeps with the baby on one mattress in the room where the baby is kept.

This is something that the mother can opt to do. There are several steps that need to be followed by the mother to co-sleep with the infant effectively and in a safe manner.

Another important thing is that, the parent, in case she is an alcoholic or a smoker, must not sleep with the baby. Any drug that can make you sleepy or drugs are not to be consumed in the period when co-sleeping is followed. And, co-sleeping must not be done on recliners or couches. The bed should be a tight fitting. No loose pillow or blankets must be left close to the baby’s face. There must not be any sort of gap between the wall and the bed where there are chances for the baby to fall down and get stuck. The baby must not be let to sleep with its stomach on the floor.

There are several ways in co-sleeping. When the baby grows up, its sleeping patterns change, this leads to a situation where the sleeping space changes.

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30
Jul 10

Natural Baby Products For a Healthier Baby and Planet

Natural baby products will assist greatly in the health and wellness of your child. It will also offer mama the piece of mind knowing that her bundle of joy is exposed to the healthiest products on the planet, for the planet. A consumer really needs to self educate and become aware of natural product ingredients, materials, and socially responsible principles in order to truly represent natural living.

The list of natural baby products is quite extensive, to name a few: cloth diapers, skin/body care, clothing, books, textiles, toys, furniture, and games. Sometimes, even when a product states that it’s “all natural” there are still hidden toxins or impurities. For example, food grade skin care is considered the safest and absolute purest choice for the true “natural” consumer.

What prompted my initial search was the importance of discovering safe, natural, and effective products for my un-born first child. Secondly, once my child was born, I was motivated to research natural baby products to create a list of resources to pass on to more traditional, phthalate plastic crazed and synthetic minded family members.

On the subject of natural baby products, in particular, skin/body care, I discovered some interesting facts. I will offer this as an example on what the general population does NOT know about.

For starters…

Washing babies skin with soaps or detergents can cause the loss of acid mantle. Repetitive washing alters the stratum cornea and barrier functions, including skin pH. Once damaged, it can take up to 14 hours to restore, by which time, it’s most likely under assault again from another washing.

There are many diseases that cause an increase in skin surface pH if not utilizing natural baby products. Skin conditions that can cause this phenomenon include:

?Eczema
?Contact dermatitis
?Atopic dermatitis
?Dry Skin

Can you imagine if the general population knew how to “cure” the common eczema? If we all knew about and trusted natural baby product choices, a lot of baby/childhood ailments could be prevented.

Another tip…

When purchasing natural baby products, how about considering the following choices or alternatives to assist you on your natural way.

1. Clothing and Textiles- organic cotton, renewable resources such as bamboo and hemp, and or no dyes or pigments. 2. Furniture- non-toxic wood stains such as soy based, beeswax, etc. 3. Body/skin care- food grade, herbs, and botanical based products. 4. Bedding- organic bedding and or bamboo. 5. Cloth Diapers- organic cotton or most cloth choices over the alternative (one pamper takes 300 years to biodegrade).

Toys- wooden, non-toxic paints and materials, phthalate free plastic.

The above is a short list of what to look for when buying or researching natural baby products. You may also want to consider purchasing American made or socially responsible baby products to insure that happy humans are helping conserve and bring awareness to a happy planet.

Crafts-Hobbies — Comments Off
30
Jul 10

Model Train Weathering

Have you ever looked at a model train layout and said to yourself, “For some reason those trains just don’t look right”. They just seem too spick and span. Even the most well kept real world locomotive just doesn’t really look like a brand new toy locomotive for long. I know that often when I look at a beginner’s toy locomotive layout, I will often look at the locomotives rattling through what is meant to be a dusty southwestern town or an old salt stone quarry and think, those trains look awful clean for trains that are meant to be fully operational in an environment like this. Often all that is needed is to add the type of detail that suggests that these trains have really endured a beating. So you have to distress them yourself. Here’s how:

Start by putting together a model train weathering toolbox:

There are a few absolutely necessary tools for weathering. Paintbrushes, tiny sponges and a square of cloth are a good start. Those are the absolute fundamentals.

Add crafts materials that are specific to the toy train weathering look that you are trying to achieve:

You will want to find the sort of craft’s material that will create the look that you want for your train. Sometimes it’s easy getting the effect you want. But often this will involve picking a group of other materials that are not so straight forward. The web often has materials like decals that can really aid you. Or you might add a patina of chalk or fine dust or powder to your locomotive to make it seem as if it really has spent years going through that rock quarry. You can find a host of articles on line on how to apply these different materials for the effect that you want. Search for articles specifically on weathering in crafts magazines. In the end, you will just have to feel about for the effect you are looking for.

Find inspiration for your toy locomotive weathering in historical pictures:

A good thing to do is to keep on the lookout for pictures of actual locomotives from a period and place that has to do with the one that you have imagined. Photos from such books will help you picture your train “in your mind’s eye”. It helps to ask specific questions like what shade does navy blue become when exposed to Northwestern rain year and year? What pattern does the desert sun fade locomotives in? More faded on top or less so, etc.

The natural topography gets weathered too:

We enthusiasts often get hyper-focused on our locomotives to the exclusion of the rest of our layout. It is a good idea however to also think through the effects of weather on other parts of our layout like the buildings, vehicles and figures that help bring our trains to life. The figures and objects in the world too should be appropriately detailed. Your locomotive will look much more realistic if the whistle stop that it stops at also looks similarly weathered. A sharp eye is one of your best tools in creating an absorbing model train world.

Weathering takes a creative touch. For this reason it is a wonderful opportunity for drafting members of the family that may not have been excited by the mechanical/technical aspects of model training but that loves painting and other sorts of crafts. Someone with a real skill for colors and details can really bring such a set up to life. If your daughter can distinguish between 15 shades of pink for her lipstick, she can certainly choose and apply the right weathering to a freight car. If your son likes to make up cartoon characters to draw on his notebooks he can help touch up the figures in your fictional world. Rustle them up and get them involved. Aren’t these the types of memories you have from when you were a kid?

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30
Jul 10

Excellent Petite Darbie Accessories – Formational Ideas

Furniture Placement Can Give You a New Look

Your Furniture can be arranged in many different ways, and many of them will give a different feel to the room. There are many options in furniture layout that you might not have thought of. The two most common layout desThe secret touch of a great Dollhouse: Lightsigns is the triangle and the square. In the triangle layout you will have three major pieces of furniture and place them at the ends of an imaginary triangle, each of the pieces are turned in and the look is very symmetrical. The square design is used with either three or four types of big pieces of furniture, with four pieces the furniture is places in the corner of an imaginary square. You can also use the square approach with five pieces; just place the extra piece in the middle. The square and triangle layouts are the most common, but do try many other shapes like an ellipsis, octagon, or even a bell curve.

Adding Little Touches to your Kit

The real fun with a kit or hobby of this sort is reveling in the small details. Accessories are the china in the kitchen, portraits for the walls, and the books in the bookcase. Using them for your interior design can really spruce up your house. In addition to design, it adds a realistic feel that says people actually live here. So express yourself and personality in the type of china, miniature animals, portraits and more

Design Tricks: Apply a Great Wallpaper Pattern Yourself

Though you may want to paint some of your walls, we recommend that you try wallpaper as it is a great substitute to paint and leaves a great look. It really does save a lot of time to put wallpaper up especially if you have done it before. Begin your searching for the perfect wallpaper with a hobby or craft store, and try not to be too overwhelmed as there are thousands of choices out there. Because you are looking to cover a relatively small area, you should look at getting 1 or 2 square feet at a time. Don’t forget, because you are looking for such a small portion you can even print your own wallpaper design. There are websites that will give you free wall paper prints, just start searching for them If you are in to scrap booking you should have all the materials that you need. As you develop your mad wallpapering skills you will ad contrast, style, connectivitly and a perfect design to your dollhouse kit.

Creating Colors that Work in your Environment

Ever since we picked up our first box of crayons we have desired to match, mix, and create – It is no different when you have fabric, furniture, and room color choices. Now you don’t have to be a professional artist to understand color, the basic level of matching colors begins with the color wheel. This wheel was designed to fit all colors into a solid circle to express similarities and differences. Opposite colors on the wheel are those with absolute contrast and stability. This by no means is a full explanation of the science of color, but a mere push to get you thinking in the right direction for your dollhouse coordination.

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30
Jul 10

Beginners Guide to the Estes Model Rockets Hobby

Model rockets make a great hobby for people of any age. Sport rocketry was pioneered in 1957 as an educational tool to introduce young adults to the doctrine of rocket flight. Today, hobbyists have access to a great selection, choosing primarily between an Estes Rocket or an alternative from Apogee Components. This article provides a beginners guide to getting started with this hobby.

Your interest in this hobby is a great idea. Launching an Estes rocket together with your child is a great way to find out if your child has any interest in rocketry or not. It is not for everyone, but some kids will love it. Here are few practical tips to help you get started with the hobby.

One of the most important considerations is choosing the right kit based on your child’s skill level and abilities. This will greatly enhance their enjoyment of the rocket. Most of the Estes rocket kits available are recommended for ages ten and over. Estes sets include easy-to-assemble kits, starter sets, and ready-to-fly rockets. For a child who has no assembly skills, you might consider the RTF (ready-to-fly) models, which, as the name indicates, are fully assembled and ready for flying in just a few minutes. If a child has minor assembly skills, choose a model such as the E2X, with little or no assembly required. As a person’s skill level increases, you can appropriately choose a rocket that is more difficult to assemble. Estes also has rockets that require several days to assemble. The more complex the rocket, the higher the skill set needed to assemble it correctly. Since most of their kits require assembly, kids could get frustrated if it requires far more than they are ready to handle. Model rockets usually include other challenges such as one or more engines, a launch system, and other supplies such as glue.

If you want a safe, entry level model rocket kit for a young beginner, try one of the Estes Easy-to-Assemble kits. There is one called the Air Show Launch Set, which is the easiest of all kits to use. Assembly usually takes about one hour. This is also a super safe rocket because it is not powered by an engine, but by four “AA” batteries (not included). The kit contains two jets which, when launched, separate and circle overhead. The gliders are about 16.5 inches in length and contain a parachute for recovery purposes.

For someone above the beginner level, but still learning, the Estes E2X Rocket Kit is a great starter. The rocket is powered by an engine and can soar as far as 1,100 feet. A parachute allows the rocket to be retrieved and used over and over. The E2X Rocket Kit was the first rocket produced by Estes and still maintains a best-selling status for Estes.

Another important consideration is safety. To be safe, younger kids between the ages of 10-12 require adult supervision. Older kids might also require adult supervision, depending on their level of maturity and their track record. One important reason for adult supervision is to avoid starting fires. Since most model rockets use pyrotechnic (combustible) engines, caution must be taken to ensure that you are not using your rocket in a dry or highly populated area.

The engines used in model rockets are designed for safety. The engines are flammable at 500 degrees but anything is flammable at 500 degrees! Unless you plan to put the engines in your oven at 500 degrees, you should be okay. If you do plan to put them in your oven, you already need help and should find another hobby. Kids can safely handle the engines because they will not be handling any hazardous material. The casing is biodegradable and nontoxic. The engines are preloaded with a propellant and are a one-time-use engine.

For added safety, stay with well known brands. Every Estes rocket has added safety features such as their electrically ignited engine. Because of this igniter plug technology, misfires are uncommon. Don’t panic when you see smoke coming from the engine after launch. The smoke is normal and makes it easier to sight and recover the rocket after it lands. The parachute is designed to gently guide the rocket to the ground, alleviating or eliminating any damage during landing.

Used correctly, these rockets can provide you, and your child, with a lifelong enjoyable hobby or competitive contests and challenges. Estes rocket launches are used as school science projects all across America. Bringing science to “life” is a way to give students hands-on skill building, teamwork, and a sense of accomplishment. Estes model rockets are endorsed by both the US Space Foundation and the U.S. Space Camps and are available at most hobby stores.

What begins as a hobby can sometimes ignite a passion in kids that can lead to a lifelong career. Statistics provided by the National Association of Rocketry show that model rockets have inspired young adults to choose technology-related careers. It doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure out this hobby can have long term benefits.

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