Choosing the Right Books for Your Child

Choosing the Right Books for Your Child

February 28th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Reading books with your child is crucial to his development of language skills, and of course, literacy. But the children’s section at a bookstore or library can be daunting, with thousands of books to choose from. Luckily, there are a few simple things to look for based on your child’s developmental stage.

From Birth to Twelve Months

In the early months of life, babies are drawn to high contrast images and more than anything to human faces. Eyesight is still developing, and babies focus best at a distance of about a foot. Choose books with simple, large images with contrasting colors, especially black and white, and simple patterns. Books with a lot of close-ups of faces are a wonderful choice at this age.

After about 6 months old, your baby will start to interact a lot more with toys, people, and books too. In addition to wanting to touch books and turn pages, you will probably catch him chewing on books as well, as babies at this age explore the world with their mouths. Because your little one is now so hands – and mouth – on, look for sturdy board books that can withstand baby’s attention.

This age of learning by touch is the perfect time to introduce books with tactile features, such as a book about animals that offers fuzzy patches of fur for little hands to feel. Your baby will also start to recognize familiar images of things that are a part of his daily life, so books that include simple images of these things are a great choice.

With baby learning to sit up in the tub, this is also the age to check out bath books. Books made of waterproof materials, with simple stories and colorful images will make bath time as much about learning as it is about fun.

The Second Year

Around the time your baby smashes his first birthday cake, you will be noticing great strides in language and communication skills. At this age, the words in the book will start to become more important. Look for repetitive, rhythmic and rhyming text, and simple stories involving everyday things. Images are still important too! Look for colorful illustrations that help to tell the story, and that she can start to associate with the text.

As the second year of your child’s life unfolds, she will be learning at a very fast pace, and books are an important part of improving vocabulary skills. Books that have only a few words related to what is on the page will help her to recognize and learn the names for the objects pictured. It’s a great time to start a dialogue about the book by having her point out what she sees on the page.

Toddlers and Beyond

Further into the toddler years, your child will start to enjoy the story as much as the images. Understanding the text and being able to ask questions, point things out and even read along as familiar books are committed to memory, children at this age become truly active participants in reading. You will even start to catch her repeating the words to the story aloud while thumbing through the pages without your help. This is a great time to choose books with more involving stories. Books that address common childhood hurdles and fears are a good choice, and as her sense of humor develops, funny stories will be a hit.

Choosing the right books is not hard when you are aware of how age and development play a role in reading. With the wide selection available in bookstores and libraries, the possible choices are endless, and so is the fun you can have reading with your child. Still need a little help deciding? Take a look at this comprehensive list of the best books by age from Parents magazine.

Great Ways to Encourage Your Toddler’s Independence

Great Ways to Encourage Your Toddler’s Independence

February 26th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

The toddler years are filled with many challenges for parents, and one of the toughest to deal with is often your toddler’s newfound sense of independence. The more a toddler grows, learns and accomplishes, the more he will develop his own opinions and a desire to do things his own way. While parents want to encourage self-sufficiency, toddlers are not always quite as ready for the world as they may think.

I Can Do It by Myself!

You might start to hear this phrase, or something quite similar, a lot from your toddler. Learning to do things for yourself is an important part of development, but toddlers are unable to understand the difference between what they can successfully (and safely) do without help, and what they still need assistance to accomplish.

Avoid the meltdown that will surely follow a flat out denial by trying to find some small portion of the task that is more manageable. Does your little one want to pour his own milk from a heavy jug? Suggest that he hold the cup steady on the table for you while you pour. Does he want to climb in and out of the tub on his own? Explain that the tub is slippery and you don’t want him to fall, but allow him to step in and out while holding onto you for support, rather than lifting him in and out. Small concessions will allow toddlers to feel they are doing things on their own, while still keeping it under control.

Learning Responsibility

Toddlers aren’t too young to have a few jobs around the house, and giving them tasks to accomplish will encourage independence and teach responsibility too. There are plenty of simple tasks a child as young as two can handle. Have your toddler carry his own dishes from the table to the sink. Teach him to throw his own clothes into the laundry hamper. If you have a family pet, make feeding the pet together a daily routine. Tasks like these will not only help your toddler feel like a big kid, they will also make him feel like he is an important part of the family.

Offering Choices

One of the most common ways toddlers assert their independence is through food, clothing and activities. A child who previously ate everything set in front of her will suddenly become a picky eater. She might refuse to wear her coat or shoes, and express strong opinions about the rest of her wardrobe as well. Convincing her to take a bath or get in the car takes a monumental effort. All of these things are common results of a toddler’s desire to gain some control over her environment.

Fortunately, many toddlers will respond to being offered a choice. It gives a feeling of control, and prevents power struggles. Keep the options to only a few, however, to prevent the decision making process from taking all day! Lay out two possible outfits for the day, and let your toddler choose between them. Before you make lunch, ask if she would prefer grilled cheese or chicken noodle soup. Taking a bath may not be optional, but you can still let your toddler feel she is involved in the decision making process by asking her if she would like bubbles or no bubbles, the blue towel or the red. The same goes for getting an unwilling toddler out the door. You could offer a choice of toys to take on the ride, or a choice of snacks to bring along.

It takes a little creativity and some understanding of what is going on in your toddler’s mind to find solutions that both allow your toddler to gain independence as well as keep parents sane. Remember that giving a little can go a long way, and you will be teaching your little one to make wise choices, recognize her limits, and also take on a little responsibility!

Dealing With Fussy Eaters

Dealing With Fussy Eaters

February 20th, 2010 by admin  |  No Comments

Fussy eaters can be frustrating to parents, especially when you can’t determine why your child is fussing over his bottle or his plate. Fussy eating can be cause for concern or it might be perfectly normal – it is just one of the trials of parenthood to determine the cause of your child’s eating problem.

Fussy Eaters During Infancy

The baby who fusses over a bottle has a legitimate reason a resounding majority of the time. The younger the baby is, the more likely there is truly a problem. Fussy eating at this stage might indicate:

  • Your baby has a digestive disorder or condition such as acid reflux that makes eating painful.
  • Your baby has a milk or soy allergy that causes discomfort or pain while eating or immediately after.
  • Your baby prefers one feeding method. Many babies love the breast and balk at the bottle, while others prefer the bottle after it’s been introduced and refuse to nurse.
  • Your baby is teething. Once babies start to cut teeth around six months, they might start fussing on the bottle or breast because the sucking hurts their tender gums.
  • Your baby has an ear infection. Sucking hurts the inner ear if it is already inflamed due to an ear infection. This is true of both nursing and bottle feeding.
  • Your baby prefers another taste. There is a different flavor between formulas and between preparations styles. You can actually smell the difference in many. It might be that your baby likes the taste of formula made from powdered formula, but not the concentrated variety. This tends to happen later in infancy as your child becomes more independent.

If you have a fussy infant at feeding time, speak to your child’s doctor to rule out the possibility of any problems.

Fussy Eaters as Toddlers

Once your child becomes a toddler, there are many other factors to consider. The biggest concern for many parents is when an otherwise voracious eater suddenly stops soon after his first birthday. It seems he’s just picking at his food or barely eating when he used to eat much more at a meal. This is normal for most children and not a sign of picky eating.

Babies roughly triple their size between birth and a year or fifteen months. But from the first year through the third, they grow only a few inches and might only gain three to five pounds. This slowing of growth means their appetite and nutritional requirements slow as well. Your child isn’t eating simply because he isn’t hungry. Offer healthy foods at meals and during snacks and monitor how much he eats over a three day period. Compare this to the requirements for a toddler and you’ll likely see that he’s right on track.

Other times truly fussy eating does develop in toddlers. Toddlers are learning at such as rapid rate, and one of the most entertaining things they learn is how to agitate their parents. If he sees that a food means a lot to you, your toddler might refuse to eat it on principle. To avoid this don’t make mealtime into a battle. Provide an array of healthy foods your child typically enjoys and be content that he is eating healthy foods, even if he’s eating only a bit of one today and refusing it tomorrow.

Finally, toddlers seem to enjoy testing their limits. They relish in the realization that they have a choice as to what and how to eat. They might try out their new found freedom at the dinner table by refusing to eat anything but a certain meal or particular item. Play along as much as possible and work to include all necessary food items in the course of a day. Food strikes and “favorites” grow old after a time for children, so it is best to simply wait them out. If you’re concerned about malnutrition in the week that you child will only eat bread and macaroni, feed him a multivitamin suitable for his age to help carry you through to the next week when he’ll only drink orange juice and chocolate milk.

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