Buy cloths what you like and your kids like. It will make you satisfied, and your kids happy. But make sure that clothes are comfortable and nice.
Work out how many and what kind of clothes kids need. Buy cloth as needed. It's not necessary to buy more than needed. You may not need as many as you think. You can rather divide clothes in three sections.
Good clothes suitable for formal family function, particular occasions or going out. One or two outfit is enough in my opinion.
Day-to-day wear: for daily use these clothes will be used. All types of cloth should be comfortable to wear. How many sets will you buy depends on how dirty your kids get and how often you wash the clothes.
Spare clothes: old unusable clothes need to separate from others.
Buy outfits wherever possible, as you'll often be washing tops and bottoms together. For girls, basics like a modest pinafore are versatile, and let you show off a range of tights, tops etc. Similarly with hats and shoes, check if they go with the outfits they'll be paired with or again they may not get worn.
Some hints for choosing kids clothing are given below: - Pirate type T-shirt is more fabulous than any other types of kid cloth. - For summer season, pirate type T-shirt is comfortable for wearing. - There are different choices for casual summer cloth is halter cloth in a bright color.
Buy secondhand and accept hand me downs. E-bay is devoted, but it is addictive - see other posts - know what you want and search specifically. Car boot sales and specialist baby and kids markets can be admired - if you strike someone who is selling a whole lot in your child's size it's a bonanza. Op-shops are patchy for children's clothes, but you may be lucky to find one that keeps a complete selection. Hand me downs are also famed, but make sure to have a clear agreement whether they are to be returned.
Some hints for choosing kids clothing are given below: - Racer back cloth mainly graphical cloths. - Tiered cloth mainly made of cotton and chiffon. - If you want to attain a birthday party, it will be the best choice for your kids. - Kid combo T-shirt mainly has a different taste. It looks so fabulous when your kids wear it.
It's easier to buy secondhand in the range 000-2, as babies tend to outgrow before they outwear clothes. It's also easier to shop secondhand for girls, as parents (mums!) tend to over shop for girls. Boys' clothes from size 3 upwards tend to be either brand new or destroyed, as they wear their clothes pretty hard.
Some hints for choosing kids clothing are given below: - Its mainly contains different types of racing car's picture and other picture what looks splendid for kids. - This kids clothing is cotton and linen T-shirt expressing licensed AC/DC artwork. - During the summer season, double ruffles skirt is an excellent choice for casual clothes.
For more than 30 years, we’ve known about an intriguing finding: a father’s involvement early in development is often the best predictor of a child’s success later on – for example, in achievement tests at 16 or in avoiding a criminal record by the age of 25. In short, the more involved a father is, the better children tend to do in school and the more likely they are to avoid criminal behaviour, even nearly two decades later.
But what does that mean? You could be forgiven for concluding that raising children well is all down to the direct and wondrous influence of men upon their progeny. All that’s required is to pour a bit more precious paternal magic into a child, and, hey presto, the job’s done.
But child development is much more complex than that. For a start, children determine a lot of their own development, irrespective of what mum and dad have in mind. It’s not all down to parents. We also know that a successful upbringing depends on a host of subtle variants in multiple relationships – between parents and child, parent and parent, and with other relatives and key people who take part in children’s lives.
FATHERHOOD AND OTHER RELATIONSHIPS
How, then, does all this fit in with the suggestion that a good dose of dad is all the medicine that a child needs? Looking a little deeper into the evidence, it becomes clear that paternal involvement is, in fact, not simply a good in itself, though it certainly has intrinsic benefits. It’s also a marker for the healthiness of all the other relationships that, together, make such a difference to human development.
“You cannot extract an essence of fathering – or, indeed, of mothering – because these relationships are themselves a complex product of a wider range of relationships.”
In particular, father involvement is typically an indicator of how well mum and dad get along. That’s because a big benefit to children from parental engagement springs from actions that relate to responsibility – taking care the lunch box is ready, that the child is safe. Fathers may do those things only when the mother encourages them or leaves a space for them to do so. Thus, although the fathering is important in itself, it often highlights what’s happening between mum and dad. The health of the couple relationship is, in turn, the strongest predictor of a child’s social and emotional development.
And if parents separate, this link between parental cooperation and father involvement is crucial. If dads remain involved in many ways, this typically suggests that the co-parenting relationship is going reasonably well, even if the romantic relationship has hit the rocks. Some parents may even hate each other’s guts yet share a commitment to parenting the children that is as solid as when they were a couple.
IMPACTS OF FATHERLESSNESS
Understanding child development as a function of multiple relationships and networks also helps us understand fatherlessness better. It explains why children without fathers often develop in perfectly normal ways. Having a network of positive relationships can be harder without dad, but it’s not impossible.
Research shows that children in fatherless families typically do worse academically and in emotional and social development, compared with children in two-parent families. But many of those problems are caused by financial difficulties and continuing animosity between the parents.
This way of looking at parenting highlights that it’s a mistake to imagine that you can extract an essence of fathering – or, indeed, of mothering. There is no such essence, because both father-child and mother-child relationships are themselves a complex product of a wider range of relationships.
TOO MUCH FOCUS ON PARENTING CLASSES
All of this should matter to policy makers as they try to support child development. Policy and practice run the risk of focussing simply on “training” mothers or fathers. This approach is based on the mistaken view that there is some sort of mechanistic relationship between parental skill and children’s outcomes.
My research has involved speaking to parents from very different circumstances and backgrounds. Most are more than “good enough” parents. Many feel a need for help in what they do, but that does not mean they need to take a class to learn how to do it.
“Policy should concentrate on ensuring that the networks vital to parents are aiding rather than impairing their child-rearing.”
ADVICE FOR POLICY MAKERS
So where does research suggest policy should focus? It should concentrate on ensuring that parents’ vital networks are aiding rather than impairing their child-rearing. So it is important to ensure that employment, the law, education, and medical and social services all strengthen the relationships in which children and their parents function. Many of these services have been slow to recognise the importance of supporting fatherhood – for example, by providing leave from work or access to help when a child is ill or after a relationship breaks down.
The research also suggests that policy should support good parental relationships, helping parents when their relationship breaks down and requiring them to co-parent their children even when the romantic relationship has ended.
WHAT SHOULD FATHERS DO?
The message for fathers is to ensure that they maintain the network of family and other relationships in which their parenting sits. Too many men naïvely hand the maintenance of those relationships to their partners. Then, they are surprised to find that, in separation, they have lost their network when they most need it, leaving them – and the children – isolated and impoverishing the parenting that they can offer.
CHARLIE LEWIS
Professor of Family and Developmental Psychology at Lancaster University, UK.
Child care centres offer care for children while their parents are away. Every centre offers different things to children in relation to their budget. For instance, some centres will have more activities than others.
However, there are ten important things that you should expect from any day care regardless of their budget:
1. Your Child's Safety - Any child care center is supposed to be very safe. Safety measures should be taken seriously to ensure children staying at the centre don't suffer any harm. Such safety measures include: child proofing electrical sockets, barricading stairways, use of safe and well-maintained equipment, and storing sharp objects such as knives away from children's reach. Safety precautions like using safety seats and seat belts should also be applied if children have to travel.
2. Acceptance Of Parent's Wishes - Each parent has a different way of raising their child. Child care centres should strive to fulfil the parents' wishes. For instance, children should only eat the food their parents wish them to eat while they are at the centre, or the kids should participate in activities approved by their parents.
3. No Interference In The Child's Family - Child care providers should never talk to children about their family issues. They should only focus on taking care of the child.
4. No Surprises - Your care provider should never inform you suddenly that they will no longer provide the service. Instead, they should inform you early enough about their plans so you can prepare your child to go to another care provider.
5. Open Communication - Care providers should always notify parents on their children's progress. Parents should be notified about the activities their children have difficulty performing and those that they are good at. How children behave and how they respond to different situations should also be reported to parents.
6. Assurance Of Trustworthy People - Large centres usually have many people. A parent with a child at such a centre should be assured that the staff is trustworthy. Information on each staff member should be provided to parents. Thorough screening should be carried out on each staff member before being hired, to ensure that children are safe.
7. Parenting Practices Should Never Be Judged - Every parent has a different approach on parenting. How they raise their children is none of the care provider's business. They should never try to advise parents on parenting practices.
8. Honesty And Confidence - Providers should only promise things they are able to do. Information on your child is confidential and should never be given to anyone unless you give a go ahead.
9. Access - Parents should be allowed to visit or contact the centre at any time. Such parents would be at peace when they do so, as they are able to check on the progress of their children.
10. Advance Notice Of Changes - Parents should be informed early about any changes that are about to take place, if they are going to affect the children's care. This gives them enough time to enrol their children to alternative centres if need be.
If you find a child care centre with all these aspects, most likely you would have found the best place for your child.
Author:Carolyn Leis Artice Source:http://www.articlesphere.com
Guess what, those little ones have feelings just like adults, but haven't figured out how to sort them out, and then what to do with them. So your child is playing and suddenly is screaming or crying it could be a couple different things. First, does your child look frustrated? Or just screaming to hear themselves. If frustrated offer assistance by saying, I see you're getting frustrated (name of child), can I help you? All in a very calm voice. As adults we never want to go to the child's level in loudness. So take a few breaths and approach your child in a quiet voice. If they scream back at you "NO" then say okay, and back away for a few minutes.
If your child is still screaming, ask him/her if you could hold them with their blanket or something that is special to them. Still you are showing concern by using a calm voice. If the child throws the toy in frustration than tell your child, I see that you are upset with this toy. Should we put it away for a while and play with something else. Give a suggestion. If this doesn't work than let him/her know that it's not okay to throw toys and that when he/she is ready they can pick them up. No matter what is happening if your child throws toys it is his/her responsibility to pick them up. You can help, but the child needs to help as well. The child may do this on his/her own, or you may have to physically put the toy in his/her hand and place it in the bucket hand over hand with each piece or until he/she just does it on their own.
Another reason may be due to the fact they like hearing their voice go loud and they like your reaction when it happens. So if you are upset your child is screaming and he/she knows that, it might very well be the way to get your attention and reaction. So what do we do with kids using you for that kind of entertainment. We simply ask them to STOP because it hurts our ears. IF that doesn't work and probably won't. Ask them why they are screaming? You might get a response, but if you don't then let them know that it's not acceptable behavior, and remind them that they have lots of good words to use to express themselves. Also remind them that in the home we have a rule about using our talking voices. We can have a time where we can just scream if it's something you would like to incorporate outdoors.
Now if it continues, they need a time out. This is where they will sit in a special spot. I recommend an area on each level with a few books, special stuffed animals and a pillow or blanket they like. This is where they need to go to calm down. Remember they should only be in time out for as old as they are. If screaming continues. They are in a temper tantrum and that is not acceptable. You need to walk away and ignore the behavior. Let the child know you will be over here when he/she is ready to talk to you in a kind voice. Temper Tantrums are a child's way of having a power struggle with you. Once you give into it. You will see the behavior happen more and more frequently.
Later when everyone has moved onto something else, and you're having some quiet time. Go over feelings with your child and talk about them. When I feel angry I want to throw something or hit something, but I STOP, TAKE BREATHS, AND FIND MY CALMING PLACE. Then I go to the person and say. It made me mad when you took that toy, or when you helped me. I wanted to do it myself. If someone hit you, then you really hurt my body and that made me sad or mad. It's important for children to see how you handle feelings. They are trying to learn through you and figure out their boundaries in their environments.
The “Terrible Twos”, young children telling lies, teenagers’ heavy sarcasm – the list of different kinds of youthful behavior with which adults struggle is long. Other characteristics are more charming but sometimes mysterious – the way toddlers reveal themselves easily when playing hide and seek; the way young children thrill when shouting “He’s behind you”; their fascination with magic tricks.
What’s going on in children’s minds? And how do these thoughts, beliefs and pieces of knowledge develop over time? Many of these events—the annoying, the charming, the dubious—reflect important steps in cognitive development. All reflect children’s emerging understandings of people’s minds. When children begin to lie, for example, it means they now understand others can have different beliefs —and minds—than they do.
Consider this event involving a friend’s four-year-old son. He recently told his mom he was dressed for school and so was going outside to play. Then, through the window, she saw him playing in his pyjamas. This four-year-old understands: “I know I’m in my pyjamas, but she can think I’m dressed.” So mom’s beliefs can be manipulated; she can be deceived.
Children’s growing awareness of other people’s thinking is called a “theory of mind”. Developing a personal theory of mind requires extended learning by a child and partial accomplishments, punctuated by important advances.
How do children come to understand what is happening in people’s minds? Answers to this question can do more than soothe parental anxieties and resolve their curiosities. They also shed light on how such developments may affect, for example, children’s transition to school and their susceptibility to bullying. Theory of mind is a factor in their satisfying or unsatisfying friendships, their ability to accept feedback from teachers, and their ability to stand up for their own opinions, including arguing with, persuading, and negotiating with others.
Here are three steps in the process of developing theory of mind that decidedly impact children’s lives (and the lives of others around them).
RECOGNIZING THAT PEOPLE HAVE DIFFERENT DESIRES
In a classic experiment, known as the “Broccoli-Goldfish” study, researchers at the University of California, Berkeley showed how, even at 18 months, toddlers can understand adults’ desires and intentions and appreciate that these may be different from their own. The young children were offered two treats – a crown of broccoli or a Goldfish cracker (a much-loved childhood snack like Cheerios). The children almost always preferred the Goldfish crackers. Then they watched the treats being offered to an adult, who said “Oh, yummy” to the broccoli and “Ew, yuck” to the cracker.
The children themselves then had the chance to give the adults a treat. If they were merely egocentric, the children might have offered a Goldfish cracker. Instead, they gave the adult broccoli. Even at this early age, children can understand diversity of desire and intentions among others. They know that everyone is not the same.
“How do children come to understand what is happening in people’s minds?”
In many ways the “Terrible Twos”—that explosion of expressed, wilful desire and intentions—reflects children’s exploration of such understanding, and a determination to do what they desire, rather than what adults want. When a two-year-old throws his shoes around the supermarket, or says no to every parental desire or command, mom or dad may be exasperated. But adults can feel some reassurance in that this behavior indicates healthy growth for the child.
BELIEFS DIFFER AND CAN BE FALSE
Later, children gain additional understandings. They appreciate, crucially, that people’s actions are driven not only by desire and intention, but also by knowledge and beliefs. They understand that what people know or don’t know about the world—think and don’t think—is also important. Two levels of skill develop around the ages of three and four. First, children begin to understand diversity of knowing —they recognize they might know something but another person might not. Next, they learn that beliefs differ and can be false.
When my son was around three and a half, he once told me: “Shut your eyes, Dad.” “OK, why?” I said. “I’m going to do something you don’t like.” So he understood some things about knowing, and how it can influence behaviour, but only partially to begin with. He understood that concealment could help him get what he wanted: I wouldn’t know so I wouldn’t object. That’s a good stratagem, driven by theory of mind. But he didn’t yet appreciate that I needed to remain ignorant for his approach to work.
As you might now imagine, it’s only when children better understand some of these things about knowledge that they begin to improve at hide and seek. In contrast, at two and three years old, they will hide in plain sight or, within a few moments of hiding, shout out where they are, unable to foster ignorance about their whereabouts.
The next level is for children to understand not just knowledge and ignorance, but belief, namely that beliefs differ for different people and from reality. So beliefs can be false.
When he was three and again at five, my son revealed this skill around belief when he tried a classic test in my child laboratory at the University of Michigan. He was shown two boxes. One was a candy box, the other was plain white. When I asked him what was in the candy box, he said, “Candy!” But, when he opened the box, he found it was empty. Instead, the plain box was full of candy.
I closed the boxes back up as Glenda, my research assistant, came in. “Glenda loves candy,” I told my son. Glenda nodded enthusiastically. Then I asked, “Where will Glenda look for candy?” At three, my son said, like almost all children at that age would, that Glenda would look for the candy in the plain box, because he knew that’s where the candy really was. He failed this false-belief task.
At this age children can understand someone’s wants. But when it comes to understanding thoughts, they often figure that everyone shares the same thoughts. They know where the candy really is, so, of course, they reckon Glenda does too.
But what about five-year-old children? Eighty per cent of them predict Glenda will look in the candy box. With a year and a half of additional development under their belts, children can now understand Glenda’s thinking. Her thoughts don’t just reflect the world. Instead, if she wants candy, she looks where she thinks it should be: in a candy box. They’ve figured out Glenda’s actions would be driven by her beliefs —in this case her false belief —rather than by where the candy really was.
Understanding false belief enables children to recognise that people can lie, that they can tell a falsehood. Theory-of-mind research has confirmed this link. Although lying is usually something parents worry about and discourage, it reflects an important insight. When young children tell lies, they’re trying out this insight into what they have learned about themselves and other people’s minds. They are growing via exercising their new understanding. Understanding how people come to their beliefs and misbeliefs also allows children to communicate more effectively, to persuade and negotiate, and it predicts better relationships with their peers.
Moreover, not all lies are dubious. We all appreciate “white” lies —we recognize that polite deceptions can aid positive relationships. Thus parents admire and encourage their children’s sophistication in telling grandma that she’s given them a wonderful Christmas present, even though they don’t actually like it. Learning how to lie appropriately reflects a big developmental step forward in understanding minds and in social skill. This same skill helps children make their transition to school.
EXPERIENCE SHAPES UNDERSTANDING OF OTHERS
Studies demonstrate that children’s understanding of their own, and of other minds, is not simply an unfolding of a predetermined, biological maturation. It springs out of their social and evidential experiences. As a result, the onset of the different levels can vary in time from child to child—earlier for some, later for others.
Children who are quicker to achieve a more accomplished, fluent theory of mind also make a better transition to school. Theory-of-mind understanding aids children in school indirectly by developing their social skills and so fostering positive relationships with peers and teachers. It also directly affects school achievement by influencing how, and how much, children learn. Children who know more about the mind early on also know more about learning. They better recognize how the mind takes in information and how it acquires knowledge and beliefs. This helps them develop and use effective ways to learn.
TEENAGE DEVELOPMENTS: SARCASTIC BEHAVIOR AND IRONY
Understanding the minds of others doesn’t end with the transition to school. When children reach 13 or 14, they typically experiment with knowledge and beliefs in further, still more complicated, ways. A prime example is the understanding and use of sarcasm and irony. As much as the “terrible twos” can vex parents of younger children, incessant sarcasm can exasperate the parents of teens. Some teenagers seldom use a literal reply: “Time to wake up—Perfect! I love getting up in the dark.” “Eggs for breakfast again, my favorite.” A rainy day for a family outing: “Great, this couldn’t be better. What a fabulous day!” Some teens can be so sarcastic and archly ironic that you never know if they’re giving you a compliment or they’re ready to go ballistic.
And among their peers, teenagers trade sarcasm with their friends. It’s part of bonding —it’s the coin of the realm. So are other ubiquitous forms of non-literal language: a really great song is “sick;” “sipping tea” means talking trash; “freakish” means great.
It takes more than recognizing ignorance or false belief to understand and to communicate like this. If someone says (sarcastically) “What a great day” when it’s raining, that doesn’t mean they’re ignorant and don’t know what the weather is. It doesn’t mean that they’re deceived. Nor does it mean they’re lying and trying to deceive you. This is a non-literal way to point out truths about the world.
A younger child might think such messages are lying or ignorance. Understanding sarcasm takes learning and development. And when that first comes, it gets exercised.
These developing skills have implications for children’s lives. Kids who don’t get sarcasm and sick, freaky slang may be excluded, stigmatised and considered stupid. They may experience misunderstandings, confused interactions, or even depression and hostility. Theory-of-mind research confirms these links as well.
“When young children tell lies, they’re trying out their insight into what they have learned about themselves and other people’s minds. They are growing by exercising this new understanding.”
GROUPS WITH DELAYED DEVELOPMENT
Among some groups of children, mind understanding is seriously delayed. The best-known case is children with autism. But a really informative case of delay is found in deaf children whose parents can hear normally. In their early years, these deaf children (though not those born of signing deaf parents) miss out on a lot of social interaction, which normally fosters understanding of differences in intentions, desires, knowledge and belief. Indeed, the results of their singular experiences demonstrate how the development of mind understanding is driven by social experience and is not simply a biological unfolding. They also demonstrate how social understanding and misunderstandings do indeed cause social delays and difficulties.
WHAT SHOULD PARENTS AND TEACHERS DO?
What’s the big message for parents? It’s that development works. As children learn and know more, they get beyond the terrible twos, they learn polite deceptions, and they outgrow incessant sarcasm. They learn and grow.
Adults can also talk about the mind with their children. Research shows that more “mental talk” —who likes what and who doesn’t, who knows or thinks what—leads children to better understand minds. And remember, better understanding of minds helps children have better friendships and better transitions to school, and, in the long run, be less prone to depression.
Children are interested in these topics. They are distinctly interested in who does what and why. This helps explain why we adults become such inveterate gossipers. You can get a sense of this from children’s questions and their search for explanations. In everyday conversations with parents and others, children ask a lot of questions. Indeed, the myriad childhood “whys” can be as exasperating as incessant battles of will and sarcastic replies. The primary thing young children ask why about is why people do things: “Why do some people eat snails?”, “Why is buttface a bad word?” “Why do people kill cows?”
Getting explanations rather than non-explanations helps children learn. In fact, asking children to provide their own explanations also helps. Educational researchers call this the self-explanation effect: Just asking children why 4 plus 4 equals 8 and not 5 helps them to learn and remember. The self-explanation effect appears for learning math, for learning science, for learning history, and for learning about people.
The related message to educators is that sometimes teachers and schools focus too much on academic study. Be wary of increasing pressures for still more. Fostering social intelligence is also crucial: Learning is not all about facts and procedures. It requires social-communicative exchanges; it requires being receptive to teacher feedback; it benefits not just from being instructed but also from attempting to instruct others. It relies on theory-of-mind insights and advances. Enhanced theory of mind aids children in school indirectly and directly.
The same points are good advice to policy makers: Fostering social intelligence — not just IQ and academic study — is crucial. Theory-of-mind understandings are key to promoting a crucial 21st century skill: social intelligence.
Harm, or risk of harm to children and young people, can occur when stress, tiredness, lack of skills, information and support combine to make the pressures of caring for children overwhelming.
Some of the factors that can contribute to the likelihood of harm include:
isolation and lack of support- when there is no one, such as extended family, friends, a partner or community support to help with the demands of parenting
stress - financial pressures, job worries, medical problems or taking care of a family member with a disability can increase stress and overwhelm parents
unrealistic expectations- a lack of understanding of a child or young person's developmental stages and behaviour
lack of parenting skills- not knowing how to help children and young people learn, grow and behave in a positive way
drug and alcohol problems - addiction or substance abuse may limit a parent's ability to meet their children's needs
low self esteem and self confidence- sometimes insecure parents doubt their ability to meet their child's needs and do not seek help and support
poor childhood experiences - intergenerational patterns of abuse.
The presence of one or more of these factors does not by itself prove that a child is being harmed or is at risk of harm, but it can alert you to the possibility that a child may be at risk.
Given the right skills and resources, most people who have harmed a child can learn to parent in a positive way.
Community attitudes are also a contributing factor to child abuse. There is still some acceptance in the community for the use of physical force for the purposes of discipline and punishment of children and young people.
People may not consider it any of their business, may not want to get involved or do not trust child protection authorities, and therefore do not report their concerns.
Attitudes vary across different communities and those that can inadvertently support abuse include:
acceptance of the use of violence and force
acceptance of physical punishment of children and young people
acceptance of parents 'ownership' of children and young people and their right to treat children and young people as they see fit
racism
inequality between men and women
lack of community understanding about the consequences of harm experienced in childhood.
2 years old children often try to demonstrate their self-reliance. Sometimes it may look quite funny, for example when a toddler is trying to dress himself, but it may also sometimes drive parents crazy when their child is stubborn and for example doesn’t want to eat and throws the food all over the kitchen. Parents may even feel hopeless when their baby doesn’t want to listen to them. So how to teach a toddler independence without going crazy?
First of all, parents should remember that it’s a good sign when their child tries to be independent. It means that their baby develops properly, is curious, trust its own strength, feels support from his parents but also wants to show them that he’s big and able to do some things on its own.
However such a small child doesn’t understand yet that there are some restrictions and rules, that some things are urgent and need to be done quickly and other things need to be done more precisely than the baby can do. Hence there are some misunderstandings, which sometimes can be fun but also a little annoying for parents. Here are some tips how to support child’s natural self-reliance and develop his independence.
Dressing
Parents should be patient and set some rules, that of course will be modified, along with child’s new skills. For example, at the beginning child can open and close the Velcro on his shoes, put short or cap, but mother is the can that zips his jacket.
Before you start to dress your child (and argue about what he should wear today), you should make a deal: he can put socks on his feet, but you help him with the sneakers. Thanks to that, child will feel he also has control over dressing and will know what are his duties.
Parents can also let the toddler choose what he wants to wear, but not let him choose from two options, not from all clothes in the wardrobe! Let the child decide whether he want to wear blue or brown trousers or whether he prefers sweater with a dog or car.
Remember that child does everything slower and doesn’t feel the need to hurry. So if you want to let your child to dress himself for a stroll, you should start the preparation earlier to give your child enough time. Thanks to that you also won’t get nervous you will be late somewhere. Besides, you can also fool around a little bit and should your child that dressing can be also fun.
Bathing
If your child is trying to show you his independence, you can use it during teaching him hygiene rules. To make it more attractive for the baby, you can buy a soap in the shape of his favorite animal or a soap that has colorful pictures on the package. You can also let your child to take his favorite toy to the bath tub (of course make sure this toy is suitable for playing in water). You can also buy a colorful towel with your child’s favorite animal, car or character from a movie.
Eating
Parents should let their kids to eat independently, even if they eat using their hands! Even few months old babies can eat alone. After a while you can give you child a spoon or a fork – of course plastic ones and suitable for babies. You can also let your child choose what he want to eat – just give him two options, not ten! Thanks to that your child will develop his own food preferences and appropriate eating habits. Moreover, eating independently is also a great opportunity to practice coordination and movement precision.
Imitating parents behavior
The child want to imitate his parents behavior but he’s small which often is an obstacle. Look around your house and think how you can facilitate his daily routine tasks, how to make his everyday activities more easy. Put a stable step stool so he could switch the light on and off. The child step stool will be also useful in bathroom – next to the sink, toilet and bathtub. You can also use one in the kitchen, so your child could help you to prepare meals. Install a hanger for child’s jacket so he could reach it.
Compromises
Before you encourage your child to perform daily activities on his own (like dressing, brushing teeth, bathing or eating), set the rules: what the child does on his own, and how you can help him.
For example, teaching child to brush teeth daily, can be a great challenge for parents patience. The child can protest and refuse to brush his teeth. There are few ways how to deal with such a situation. Mom can brush the baby’s teeth, and baby can brush mom’s teeth. You can also tell a story about a crocodile that brushes bird’s teeth and make funny faces. Funny child songs can be also very helpful during brushing lessons.
Zooey Barnett is mom of three and blogger on Little Baby Gear where she recommends the best baby products like strollers, baby swings and educational toys. On her blog you can find articles about parenting and reviews of many different types of strollers, for example: travel systems and lightweight strollers.
Facial recognition is a complex task which requires as many as 200 neurons in the brain’s temporal lobe, called “face patches,” to fire up simultaneously within milliseconds. Hence the skill has always been believed to be the realm of “intelligent” animals such as humans, monkeys, apes, dogs, and horses. Now, British scientists have found that the unassuming cud-chewing sheep also possess this skill.
Jennifer Morton, a neurobiologist at the University of Cambridge who led the study, says the team picked sheep because the social animals communicate with each other in a number of ways, one of which they suspected was by facial recognition. The four randomly selected celebrities to test the farm animal’s identification prowess were — “Harry Potter” actress Emma Watson, American actor Jake Gyllenhaal, British television journalist Fiona Bruce, and former US President Barack Obama. The researchers picked famous personalities for their experiment because it was easy to find photos taken at different angles.
The eight sheep, selected from the university's flock, were trained for the task with the help of two computer screens. One projected a celebrity photo, while the other showcased a black screen or a random object. Each time the sheep chose the correct image by breaking the infrared beam with its nose, it received a food pellet. Wrong identification resulted in a loud buzzer and no treat.
Photo Credit: University of Cambridge
Once the animals were familiar with the four celebrities, they were put to the test. This time, both screens featured photos, one of the star and the other of a random person. The researchers found that the sheep were right 75 percent of the time. Though impressive, it was not enough to conclude if the animals actually recognized the faces or just had good memories. To ensure it was the former, the sheep were exposed to the four celebrities again. This time, the photos, taken from a different angle, showed their faces tilted. Though the success rate was a slightly lower 66 percent, it was enough to prove the sheep’s facial recognition abilities.
For the final trial, the researchers projected a photo of the animals’ handler, who they see for at least two hours a day, alongside one of a random person. Sure enough, most of the sheep picked the handler. One appeared a little confused and went back and forth between the two, before finally settling for the right image. Their ability to identify a 2D photo of a 3D human with no previous training was ultimate proof that sheep have facial recognition capabilities.
Brad Duchaine, a Dartmouth brain scientist, is not surprised at the study’s results which were published in the Royal Society Open Science on November 8. The expert says, “My guess is that the ability of sheep to recognize human faces is a by-product of selection to discriminatebetween different sheep faces. Either the human face is similar enough to the sheep face that [it] activates the sheep face-processing system, or human-face recognition relies on more general-purpose recognition systems.”
Photo Credit: University of Cambridge
While knowing that sheep don’t just blindly follow people is enlightening, there is a more important purpose for Morton’s study. The researcher hopes that understanding how the sheep’s brain works will give her insight into Huntington’s disease. People suffering from this rare, but incurable, affliction also have a hard time recognizing faces. She next plans to study and treat a flock of sheep from Australia that has been genetically modified to carry the gene for Huntington’s disease. The researcher believes that if we find a cure for the sheep, we will one day be able to do the same for humans. The big question now is — can humans discriminatebetween sheep faces?
French visual communication firm Super Terrain, has thought of a shrewd method to catch the embodiment of Ray Bradbury's smash hit novel, Fahrenheit 451. The organization's as of late discharged extraordinary version duplicate must be perused by applying warmth to the darkened pages.
The model, uncovered in October 2017, was intended to grandstand an exceptional, charcoal-based warmth enacted ink which ends up noticeably obvious when warm, and blurs away once the pages chill off. The innovation is the brainchild of specialists at the Netherlands-based Jan van Eyck Academie, which is notable for its investigations in materials and media.
For those new to the tragic book, Fahrenheit 451 recounts the narrative of a future America in which perusing is prohibited, and books banned, to smother contradicting thoughts. Firefighters, appointed to kill any books found, are told to set them ablaze during the evening, for greatest impact. The title is a reference to the rough temperature at which books consume.
This isn't the first run through fashioners have thought of interesting versions of the novel. In 1953, the year Fahrenheit 451 was first discharged, its distributer, Ballantine Books, made two hundred duplicates bound in heat proof asbestos. The constrained version books are still very pined for by authorities and offer for as much as $20,000 each.
In 2013, Elizabeth Perez screen-printed the book's spine with coordinate striking paper, flagging it could be singed, if wanted. The visual craftsman says her Fahrenheit 451 book configuration turned out to be "madly well known" inside a brief span, and she was immersed with demands from fans looking for a duplicate. Shockingly, Perez just made the one idea duplicate. Nonetheless, fanatics of Super Terrain's warmth initiated book may have better good fortune, given that the makers have guaranteed to make progressively and discharge them available to be purchased in 2018 – So stay tuned!
The reason creatures "squander" so much time dozing has dependably been fairly a puzzle to researchers. The prevalent view is that resting frees cerebrum cells of poisons, solidifies new recollections, and readies the brain for another day of learning. Nonetheless, another investigation by inquire about understudies at the California Institute of Technology has uncovered it's not only animals with brains that rest - even the brainless jellyfish require their zzz's!
Ravi Nath, Michael Abrams, and Claire Bedbrook started by populating a home aquarium with 23 examples of the Cassiopea jellyfish. The to a great extent stable animals spend their lives on the seabed, or sticking to different surfaces, with their stinging appendages confronting upwards to get any clueless prey that swims past.
The analysts, who utilized cameras to record the development of the jellyfish for six days and evenings, watched that the creatures were 30 percent less dynamic during the evening. They throbbed less much of the time, as well as experienced times of between 10 to 20 seconds of no development by any stretch of the imagination.
In any case, to find out that the thick creatures, which have occupied Earth for more than 650 million years, were dozing and not just resting, they needed to test for three necessities. The jellyfish ought to be muddled when aggravated tenderly amid their sleep, wind up plainly dynamic when stirred vivaciously, lastly, as most creatures, be not able capacity ordinarily without sufficient rest.
The group started by tenderly moving the napping jellyfish from their favored resting spot at the base of the tank to the surface. They watched it required some investment before the creatures swam back to their unique resting region, demonstrating they were muddled. Conversely, when the activity was rehashed 30 seconds after the fact, the now completely stirred creatures in a split second came back to the base, building up the second necessity of rest. To test how the animals respond to absence of rest, the understudies kept the jellyfish conscious the whole night by shooting them with planes of water at regular intervals, sufficiently sure, they were less dynamic the next day. A similar conduct was not watched when the creatures were exasperates with the planes amid the day.
While the examination is amazing, not every person is persuaded that it demonstrates the jellyfish were resting. Anders Garm, a neuroscientist at the University of Copenhagen, says, "I would waver to call it rest until the point that you really take a gander at what occurs in the sensory system." He accepts there might be different variables, for example, light, that could be causing the change in throbbing movement. Cheryl Van Buskirk, a geneticist who considers rest at the California State University in Northridge, deviates, saying, "These information firmly contend for the presence of rest in Cassiopea." She conjectures, "It [sleep] might be a characteristic necessity of volatile cells."
The analysts, who distributed their discoveries in the diary Current Biology on October 7, next arrangement to test if people and jellyfish share comparative rest qualities. A preparatory trial, done by presenting jellyfish to a rest instigating drug utilized by people, seemed to take a shot at the creatures also. Notwithstanding, additionally inquire about should be done to affirm the hypothesis.
On the off chance that the group can demonstrate unequivocally that the crude jellyfish, which have been untouched by development, need to rest, it might set up that dozing fills a need significantly more mind boggling than presently accepted. Abrams thinks by concentrate the jellyfish, "We may have the capacity to get at those center, principal parts of why something rests."
Probiotic could halve crying time for breastfed babies with colic, study finds
Researchers in Melbourne are giving some hope to parents of newborns suffering from colic, with a new study finding a certain probiotic could reduce symptoms in some babies.
The Murdoch Children’s Research Institute (MCRI) led the international study in collaboration with 11 other global institutions, which found the probiotic, known as Lactobacillus reuteri, could potentially reduce crying in babies less than three months old, who are breastfed.
By the third week of treatment crying could potentially be reduced by 50 per cent, according to the research.
The study also found that the probiotic group was two times more likely to halve crying than the placebo group.
Lead author and paediatrician Dr Valerie Sung said while the results were promising they should not be considered as an “automatic cure” for the condition, which affects about one in five families.
“Ultimately the effectiveness of this treatment will need to be assessed on a case by case basis,” Dr Sung said.
“It is also important to remember that each probiotic strain works differently.”
The exact cause of colic is largely unexplained and until now there has been no effective treatment for the condition which is attributed to babies who cry or fuss for prolonged periods and cannot be settled, several days a week.
The study, published in the journal Pediatrics collected data from trials in Italy, Poland, Canada and Australia.
The Australian trial led by Dr Sung was the only trial which included both breastfed and formula-fed babies which showed the probiotic to be ineffective. However, when combined with the other trials L reuteri was shown to be effective for exclusively breastfed babies, according to MCRI.
Dr Sung said the effect of the probiotic on formula-fed babies could not yet be determined because of lack of studies.
Colic can be distressing for parents as well as babies and has been linked to maternal depression, Shaken Baby Syndrome and early breastfeeding cessation.
345 infants with colic were involved in the trials.
Aussie flu has hit Ireland and the HSE have confirmed it has claimed its first victims.
The strain of the disease - also known as H3N2 - has already killed 300 in Australia
The HSE revealed on Sunday that "less than 10 people" have already died from the so-called 'Aussie flu' outbreak .
And doctors are now warning that children - particularly those aged between five and 14 - could be most at risk.
Across the whole of Ireland, where Aussie flu first appeared earlier this year, the strain has led to 73 hospitalisations so far this winter - with 19 of those in the last week of December.
Kevin Kelleher of the HSE told Independent.ie: "There have been a few deaths already... under 10 people have died so far this year.
"I don't give specific numbers when it's less than 10 because people could be identified.
"There are deaths every year that happen directly as a result of the flu, which account for about 18 to 20 fatalities.
"On average, there are about 400 to 600 deaths a year which are associated with the flu indirectly.
"For example, these are people who may have died because of the heart disease, linked to the flu."
He warned influenza B - of which 'Aussie flu' is one strain - particularly affects children aged between five and 14.
Last week, Conor McGregor revealed that he and his family have been struck down by the highly contagious Aussie flu.
The MMA fighter took to Instagram to share a candid post in which he revealed his New Year's Eve party had been cancelled as he was sick in bed.
He also added that some members of his family had been hospitalised after catching the flu which is caused by the H3N2 virus.
The Notorious shared a photo of himself tucked up in bed with his adorable six-month-old son Conor Junior sitting next to him.
He wrote: "Well, that was a wild New Year's Eve. Half the family hit with the Australian flu virus and some even left in hospital with it. I've never even been to Australia wtf.
"One of the most intense few days I've gone through. Big New Year's Eve party cancelled at the last minute and I am left shaking in bed the past two days".
Reflecting on the past year, Conor added: "I'll leave that with the rest of the bad behind me in 2017 and take with me the many great experiences I've had this year!
"None greater than the birth of my son Conor Jr. and the continued support of my family, my friends and my dedicated staff through thick and thin".
This comes as the number of patients on trolleys in Irish hospitals hit a record high on Tuesday, with a staggering 656 people waiting for a bed.
What are the symptoms?
The symptoms of most flu, including H3N2, are similar, but different strains can be more severe or contagious than others.
Symptoms can include a sudden fever, aches, exhaustion, a dry chesty cough, headaches, sore throat s, diarrhoea, nausea, vomiting and trouble sleeping, the Liverpool Echo reports.
Children can also get ear pain.
What is the difference between flu and a cold?
The symptoms may be similar to a common cold, but flu tends to be more severe.
Flu tends to come on in a few hours, makes you feel exhausted and affects more than the nose and throat alone.
It can also lead to much more serious complications like pneumonia.
How can you protect yourself?
Flu is spread by germs from coughs and sneezes, which can live on hands and surfaces for 24 hours.
The flu vaccine is the best protection we have, though flu strains change so it needs to be done every year.
Anyone can help prevent the virus from spreading by washing their hands regularly, covering their mouth and nose with tissues or a sleeve when they cough or sneeze, and cleaning surfaces they suspect are infected.
How can you treat flu?
Flu usually clears up by itself after around a week, but there are ways you can recover more quickly.
Rest, sleep, keeping warm, taking paracetamol or ibuprofen and drinking lots of water are all recommended.
You can seek advice most easily from a pharmacist, and are encouraged not to call 999 or go to A&E unless you develop sudden chest pain, have trouble breathing or start coughing blood.
Patients are advised to only go to their GP if their symptoms fail to improve after seven days, they are a child, over-65, pregnant or have a long-term medical condition or weakened immune system.
Half of the sugar young children in England consume comes from unhealthy snacks and sweet drinks, figures show.
On average, primary school children have at least three sugary snacks a day, Public Health England found.
This means they can easily consume three times more sugar than the recommended maximum.
PHE has launched a campaign to encourage parents to look for healthier snacks of no more than 100 calories - and to limit them to two a day.
The eight-week Change4Life campaign will offer money-off vouchers towards items including malt loaf, lower-sugar yoghurt and drinks with no added sugar in some supermarkets.
Children between the ages of four and 10 consumed 51.2% of their sugar from unhealthy snacks, including biscuits, cakes, pastries, buns, sweets, juice and fizzy drinks, PHE's National Diet and Nutritional Survey found.
Each year children consume, on average, some 400 biscuits, 120 cakes, buns and pastries, 100 portions of sweets, 70 chocolate bars and ice creams and 150 juice drink pouches and cans of fizzy drink, the data shows.
Too much sugar can cause tooth decay and obesity.
Calories in snacks
Image copyrightGETTY IMAGESImage captionManufacturers are being challenged to cut sugar by 20% in their products by 2020
An ice cream - about 175 calories
A pack of crisps - 190 calories
A chocolate bar - 200 calories
A pastry - 270 calories
Source: Kantar research group
Snacks containing no more than 100 calories
Soreen malt lunchbox loaves (apple, banana or original malt)
Petits Filous fromage frais (strawberry and raspberry, strawberry, strawberry and apricot, strawberry and banana)
Fruit Shoot hydro water in apple and blackcurrant flavour
Fresh or tinned fruit salad
Chopped vegetables and lower fat hummus
Plain rice cakes or crackers with lower fat cheese
Sugar-free jelly
One crumpet
One scotch pancake
Source: Public Health England
The Change4Life campaign now wants parents to give their children a maximum of two snacks a day containing no more than 100 calories each, not including fruit and vegetables.
The campaign will offer parents special offers on a range of healthier snacks - ones with 100 calories or fewer - at selected supermarkets, Public Health England said.
Healthier suggested snacks include packs of chopped vegetables and fruit, malt loaf, sugar-free jelly, and plain rice crackers.
Dr Alison Tedstone, chief nutritionist at Public Health England, told the BBC she hoped the campaign would help to "empower" parents to make healthier snacking choices for their children.
"If you wander through a supermarket you see many more things being sold as snacks than ever before," she said.
"What has changed is kids' lunch boxes are getting full of snacking products. It leads to a lot of calories for lunch.
"Our research showed us that parents appreciated a rule of thumb. They were surprised how much sugar their children were consuming in snacks."
Justine Roberts, founder of Mumsnet, said: "The volume of sugar kids are getting from snacks and sugary drinks alone is pretty mind blowing, and it can often be difficult to distinguish which snacks are healthy and which aren't.
"This rule of thumb from Change4Life will help parents make healthier choices, which can only be a good thing."
Public Health England has previously called on businesses to cut sugar by 20% by 2020, and by 5% in 2017, but experts have questioned how the targets can be enforced.
