Parenting Blog

While every parent wants to think their child is an angel, the sad truth often comes around the fourth year. A child that has always been quiet and meek can often become combative and disrespectful. For most parents this change is very sudden and very alarming. Reports start coming from school that your child is acting out and disrespecting his or her teachers. Next, the fits start. Something as simple as a candy bar can bring on a meltdown in the middle of the supermarket. So what can you, as a parent, do to bring back your sweet and innocent toddler? Consider the following options.

Stick to Your Guns

While it may seem frustrating, the first things you have to do are stick to the rules and allow no infringements. If you allow your child two hours of television a day and he throws a fit when you say time is up, don’t give in. If you allow him to continue watching television after the fit, you can expect this behavior on a daily basis. You may even have to resort to drastic measures. A fit in the checkout line can be met with a trip out of the store without groceries or special snacks. When you leave the store empty handed your son or daughter will quickly learn that the behavior is unacceptable.

Understand 4 Year Old Stresses

You may think that your four year old lives a care free, fun life. However, that is not always the case. Children worry and stress out in the same way that adults do. The difference is that children do not know how to show these emotions or discuss them properly yet. The result of a stressed out four year old can often be crying, whining, acting out, or belligerent behavior. Take the time to examine what is going on in your child’s life before assuming they are out of control. Do you have a new baby on the way? Is the child struggling to make friends in school? Examine these things and try to fix any issues. You may just end up being the hero to your four year old rather than the enemy.

Separation anxiety is just as hard on a parent as it is on a child. Leaving a child at preschool for the first time can be heart-wrenching, even if your child adjusts well and gets along with the other kids. In unfortunate cases, a child will cry or throw a tantrum when his parent tries to leave. A parent’s first instinct may be to stick around until their child calms down, but this isn’t always the best course of action. The child often throws a tantrum in order to get you to stay, so by sticking around you are only encouraging their bad behavior. If you don’t indulge his cries, he will calm and soon enough, the tantrums will be a thing of the past.

Of course, leaving a screaming child behind whether at preschool or with a babysitter causes anxiety for the parents. If you’re leaving him at a preschool, you should remember that separation anxiety is not uncommon and your child will be under the care of professionals who know exactly how to deal with such a situation. In that case, it’s best to leave your child and he will likely adjust to his new routine within a few weeks. If he doesn’t adjust, he probably isn’t ready for the change and preschool may be put off for another year. Every child matures at a different rate and such a situation is quite common. Even if your child isn’t ready for preschool when his peers are, don’t worry; chances are he’ll catch up in no time. It’s important to remember, however, that a child who refuses to adjust year after year may have an undiagnosed learning or social disorder such as autism or Asperger’s Syndrome, a kind of social autism. It’s important that such disorders are diagnosed and treated early on, so if you suspect that your child is developmentally impaired you should see a professional right away.

If you’re leaving your child with a young babysitter, make sure your babysitter is equipped to handle a tantrum if your child is experiencing separation anxiety. Even though your child will probably calm a short while after you leave, a young and inexperienced sitter can easily be overwhelmed in that situation. It may be best to leave your child with an experienced parent or an older family member if separation is particularly difficult. Also, a familiar face can comfort a child who is experiencing separation anxiety. Remember, this problem is very common among young children and is usually nothing to worry about. The best thing a parent can do is to not indulge his fears and allow him to adjust to the changes of growing up.

Once upon a happy time, preschool was an option that was considered a bit excessive or unnecessary by parents. These days you’ll be hard pressed to find a young child who doesn’t go to preschool. Parents today, whose schooling probably didn’t begin until kindergarten, might think that our society is forcing kids to grow up too fast. Others may think that their kids will learn better at home than in a big group of rowdy three year-olds. Still, experts are insisting that preschool has undeniable benefits for your child, and here’s why.

Shy kids might benefit the most from preschool, because some of the most important lessons kids learn in preschool are social ones. Shyness is most easily overcome by early and frequent exposure to social situations, and the extra year or two of experience will be an invaluable jump-start for your shy child. Kids who aren’t shy benefit by learning to get along with their peers, which is often a challenge at their age. They practice adhering to a schedule and following rules, sharing their time and toys with unfamiliar people, and learning how to make friends.

Preschoolers today are learning more than ever before, sometimes at a first-grade level. Parents might think this puts too much pressure on their children, but remember that at their young age, kids’ brains soak up knowledge like sponges, and research has proven that the most effective learning takes place in childhood. Did you know that a child who begins learning a foreign language before the age of six actually builds connections between different regions of their brain that make it possible for them to speak different languages with ease? That’s why your preschooler seems to pick up on those Spanish words they hear on television so much more quickly than most high school kids.

Unfortunately, most schools don’t offer foreign languages until your child is fourteen or fifteen years of age. That’s what makes early learning so important – the connections your child builds in his brain will last him a lifetime.

Preschool is an increasingly popular choice for parents today because more often than not, both parents have full-time jobs. If you think that leaving your young child in a classroom all day is a bit excessive, consider this: would you rather have him watching television or playing computer games under the care of a sitter? Preschool teachers are educated in early child development and they understand how to maximize your child’s brainpower and well-being. Plus, kids have fun at preschool. It’s a valuable experience of early independence that will help them learn healthy interaction and responsibility. Yes, parents too are capable of providing their children with a quality learning environment, but for those who are considering preschool for their kids, know that it’s a healthy choice.

The life of newborn babies is mostly all about feeding and sleeping. After all, he/she is in the inertia of the long cozy sleep inside the mother’s body. Parents do need to know how much a newborn baby normally sleeps in 24 hours. 

While newborn babies do not follow a set routine for sleep, for most babies, the sleeping time is up to 18 hours daily (in 24 hours). But the sleep is often intermittent and the baby wakes every 2 to 3 hours to be fed. Also, most babies will sleep for 3 to 5 hours maximum at a stretch. Following are some common sleep patterns for newborn babies of varying ages: 

Up to 3 Months

Newborn babies, ranging in age from their natal day up to 3 months, usually take 16 to 18 hours of sleep daily. The sleep is divided into 2-3 hours sessions. Their sleep does not have to do much with night or day and they will sleep almost equally at day as they do at night. The day-night awareness appears in the baby at an age of around 6 to 8 weeks. By the age of 2 to 3 months, a sleep pattern is developed by the child. The parent can then anticipate when the child is going to sleep and how long the sleep is going to continue at a particular time. 

3 to 6 Months

The total daily sleep of the baby at this age is about 14 to 16 hours. It is usually 8 hours of sleep at night and 6 hours at day (divided in three stretches of 2 hours each). The child gets asleep more readily and does not wake in the absence of much disturbance. Some babies at this age may not wake at all during the night. However, most would wake once to be fed. By the age of 6 months, the daytime sleep drops to 2 naps, each lasting about 2 hours. 

6 to 12 Months

During the 6 months to one year, the total daily sleep of a baby is 12 to 14 hours. Most babies take a daily nap of about 2 to 3 hours each. A 6 month sold baby is able to sleep well through the night, without waking at all. But many kids do wake once. Before the baby’s first birthday, a long stretch of sleep (about 11 hours or more) is less likely to occur.