Secrets to Potty Training Your Toddler

Every mother knows that the time will come to potty train her child. If you are a first time mother and do not know how to go about toilet training or have older children but cannot exactly remember how you did it the first time around then read on.

A lot of patience, praise and encouragement are needed when potty training a toddler. You need to have ten times more self discipline in order not to show anxiety when things are not going according to plans in the beginning of toilet training. Make it a fun and exciting learning experience for your child as well as yourself and before you know it, your child is potty trained in no time at all!

Things To Consider When Potty Training A Toddler

Your child must be ready. Do not push your child if he or she is truly not ready. Every child is different so do not rush to compare your child's development with your next door neighbors' son. Some toddlers as young as eighteen months are ready to be trained while others do not become ready until they are as old as three years old.
Start when you as the parent have a lot of time to spend with your toddler. Potty training is more effective when they are a few distractions in your toddlers' small world. This is the time that they want to please you so giving them extra attention is much needed.
Punishment for unsuccessful attempts at using the potty is a definite no-no! Never punish your child when "accidents" happen. It will have a negative impact on your child's esteem.
Encouragement is very effective when potty training your child. Praising successful attempts and saying things like "what a big boy!" or "well done! You are a big girl now" will not only boost your child's self-esteem but will also make him or her more determined to please you the next time.
When do you know that your toddler is ready for potty training? As said before, every child is different but one most common sign is if your child changes his actions because he knows he is about to go. For example my daughter would move to a corner of the room behind a chair. The following are signs you can look that shows your child is ready to be potty trained:

1. Bowel movements happen at around the same time each day.

2. Wakes up from napping dry or can stay asleep for a few hours without wetting.

3. Can manage on her own when pulling her pants up and down.

4. When your child likes to stay dry and lets you know when she has soiled her diapers.

5. Tells you when she needs to use the bathroom.

6. Understands words associated with potty training like potty, pee, poop and wet.

Here are some important tips on what to do when your child is ready for potty training:

1. Make a big deal out of shopping for big kid underwear.

2. Pick out a special potty just for them.

3. Let them put stickers on it.

4. Instruct the child to tell you when they have to go to the bathroom and get excited about it.

5. Have them sit on the potty during periods when you think it might be time to go (i,e, 20 minutes after a meal)

6. Celebrate successes (we had a Potty song and dance)

7. Use encouraging words when they forget - "You'll get it next time, you did it before you can do it again, you're my big boy."

8. Top tip; consistency - try to spend a solid uninterrupted 4-7 days getting the child started, thereafter all other caregivers should follow your technique.

9. For boys: draw a big red circle in the potty with a permanent marker and tell him to hit the circle (you'll thank me later).

Making potty training a casual occurrence will surely help your child learn how to use the potty in the shortest time imaginable. Always encourage and praise your child whenever she uses the potty successfully. Giving your child incentives such as gold stickers or marks for successful attempts will make potty training a fun and exciting activity that your child will enjoy.

And, I invite you to visit my Great Toddler Info CLICK HERE  for more parent-tested tips and techniques for successfully navigating the toddler years.




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Law of Attraction For Kids

Playing with Your Child – How to Start It, Why It’s So Important

In these busy times, when parents and children have schedules packed to the max, family closeness can fall by the wayside. Most of us have to make an effort to guarantee that work, school, sports, and chores don’t swallow up the very relationships that make those things important.

When is the last time you played or goofed around with your child? Can you remember back that far? Many parents can’t. Life has made us so serious, so focused, that we’ve lost the joy of the simple things, and play was one of the first to go.

But as any child instinctively knows, play is essential to life. It brightens the heart and lightens the spirit. For kids, who live closer than we do to nature, play is as spontaneous as breathing. Sadly, most grown-ups have lost that skill. Our children can be our refresher course.

Playing with your child brings you back to the present, reminds you of what matters, and slows you down long enough to smell the roses. It also connects you emotionally with your child, rebuilding the closeness that the fast-paced, boring routines of life are all too quick to strip away.

Playing together is even more important for your child than it is for you, because she needs to feel close to you to feel loved and happy. If you’ve neglected time together for long enough, it may appear that your child isn’t interested in your attentions. She may even tell you as much. But that’s just bluster, hiding the fear that you will disappoint her again if she lets herself wish for time alone with you. If you initiate playing together, and do it at frequent intervals, even the most aloof pre-teen will start to look forward to it and, in time, throw herself into the fun.

What kind of playing should you do? Pay attention to the activities your child engages in: his idea of enjoyment. If these things seem boring to you, try hanging out nearby, observing as he does them, with words that express your curiosity. You just may find you actually develop a genuine interest. If your child is a couch potato, take up your perch on the couch beside him, but after you’re allowed “in,” initiate some play that might be more pleasant than TV.

Think back to what you did as a child that was memorable, especially activities you did with your parents that stay with you still. Think about things that are free or cost little, that involve experiencing life together. Start a list of ideas as they come, and add any of the following that you resonate with:

Raking stacks of autumn leaves, then jumping or rolling in them
Taking a hike through the forest preserve
Skating at the roller rink together
Walking the dog, taking turns with the rope
Reading comics or joke books together (or books of poetry or stories)
Making cookies, pizza or a cake
Building a fort out of snow or chairs and blankets
Playing hide and seek, hide the thimble, cards or board games
Lying on a blanket looking up at the stars
Sitting in front of the wood stove in a dark room, telling stories
Making shadow figures on the wall with your hands and a flashlight
Having a treasure hunt
Roasting marshmallows over a fire
Watching a parade
Going to the aquarium, zoo or museum
Flying kites together
Building something
Making a scrapbook
Making up a silly poem or song
Watching a movie, with popcorn and no interruptions
Playing a memory game, like “I’m going to Grandma’s house, and in my suitcase I’m going to pack …”
Getting up early to watch the sunrise from a hill
Playing games of pretend
Going somewhere special, like the beach
Having a pancake picnic in the snow
Playing together is different than finding entertaining activities for your child. Play involves you, while entertainment excuses you from the picture. If you find yourself saying, “But my schedule is too busy for any of the things on that list,” consider whether your schedule needs some pruning. After all, who’s going to remember in 20 years if you stay late at work or not next Tuesday? But will your child ever forget the Tuesday you ride the rollercoaster together?

Closeness with a child cannot be taken for granted. Like any other relationship, it will slip away unless it’s made a priority. Nothing builds trust and bonding with a child like sharing a moment of silliness and laughter. Come together for light-hearted play, and you just may find your child opens up about serious subjects. The relaxed atmosphere of play helps us let our guard down and reveal more of ourselves.

When you play together, let your child feel like the most important person in your world. Give him your undivided attention: no cell phones, no interruptions, no slipping into your own private thoughts. Be present – body, mind and spirit. Then let yourself do whatever comes naturally, with the abandon you felt when you yourself were a child. Your instincts will be your guide.

Growing closer through play is easy. It just takes dedicated moments, given on a fairly regular basis, so your child begins to count on having time with you.

Let your child re-teach you the wonderful secrets of play. You both will feel more secure and peaceful – and a whole lot happier, as the reason you do it all for, starts to come back to you.

Winsome is author of “Go for Your Goals” for kids – a set of downloadable e-books that guide your child through the joyful steps of learning visualization, goal-setting and the Law of Attraction. Simple language enhanced with beautiful illustrations and worksheets make these books appealing and motivating. To learn more, CLICK HERE

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The Autism Symptoms Checklist

How to Successfully Raise a Child with Autism

Do you want the autism symptoms checklist or want to see an autistic child then look at the children who you pass by, but there is not specific symptom you can identify in a child having this disorder.

Observe the children who reside around your place and observe every child you walk past on the street. These children may be having autism disorder. There is no striking symptom that a child is affected by this type of disorder.

Autism is a typical neurological disorder that no body will be able to identify it easily unless you tell them that he or she is autistic. I know parents who have an autistic child and whenever they take their son to a shop or physician, they used to receive looks of disgust to his unusual behaviour. Parents often used to get upset at the criticism from the people who don't know that autism is the reason behind it. Many times parents dare to fight with people who comment or scold the children with this disorder. But finally the only thing left is to educate people about this problem.

So, what is the definition of autism? Many people who i met have no idea about this disorder. They are of the opinion that autistic and artistic are the same. But there is no connection between these two words and both are entirely different

Social and communication skills will not be normal in children with autism. These children don't mingle with others or make friends and some have speech problems. An autistic child behaves peculiarly like pouring water from glass to glass, moving round again and again but not getting dizziness, not like to be hugged or touched, playing with toys by putting them in line and shouting for hours. However every child with this problem is different. Autism consists of changing levels of behaviour because of which it is called as spectrum.

Many children with this disorder will not be able to express properly, instead of telling something they will show what they want by showing a picture to the parents. Imaging that your child has a pain some where in the body but he will not able to tell what he or she is suffering from. Imagine how a parent would feel in such a situation if he could not get to know the problem of his child.

One has to be determined to tackle this problem and fight for the life of autistic child.

As of now, no doctor or psychiatrist is able to tell what causes autism, however the style of parenting is not the cause of this disorder. But some people argue that bad parenting is one of the reasons for getting autism. One thing is sure that the parents who are facing this problem only can understand what it is like raising an autistic child.

After a careful study, experts have come to a decision there is no specific autism symptoms checklist to identify this disorder, it is part of family's life and we have to face the challenges it gives us. The parents i know have proved that autism will not become a hurdle in their happiness and future plans to successfully raise a child when their seven year old started to speak a little better with the children invited on his birthday.

Though there is battle to be won, it is necessary to think positively and show that you are very much interested in his welfare and development to cure a child with autism. Only thing the parents can give their children is love and affection but not the behaviour therapy as the same is very costly and not covered by medical insurance. This fact disappoints many parents as they could not take them for a behaviour therapy. Some parents argue that why a different system of education which can assist autistic child is not incorporated in the present system of education. I used to advice my friends and neighbours that whenever they see such children and their peculiar behaviour, not to come to a conclusion about the parents as it might be autism.

Discover The Most Effective Parenting Tools That Are Guaranteed To Work For You And Your Child. I hope you liked the article on Autism Symptoms Checklist and the way we required to treat the children with autism. For More About Autism Chidren CLICK HERE




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Teach Your Child How To Read

Simple, Efective, Step By Step Program To Teach Children How To Read

What's the best way to teach children to read? According to the National Reading Panel, "teaching children to manipulate phonemes in words was highly effective under a variety of teaching conditions with a variety of learners across a range of grade and age levels and that teaching phonemic awareness to children significantly improves their reading more than instruction that lacks any attention to Phonemic Awareness." [1] This is a statement made by the National Reading Panel (NRP) in their report titled "TEACHING CHILDREN TO READ: An Evidence-Based Assessment of the Scientific Research Literature on Reading and Its Implications for Reading Instruction."

Phonemic Awareness instruction was selected for review by the NRP in their report because studies have identified phonemic awareness and letter knowledge as two of the best predictors of how well children will learn to read in their first 2 years of entering school. There is strong Scientific evidence to suggest that phonemic awareness instructions are an important part in helping children develop reading skills.

One study discussed the presence of phonemic awareness in Austrian children aged 6 to 7 that were unable to read when first entering school. This study found that many children had not one correct response in their test of a simple vowel substitution task. However, a few children who exhibited high phonemic awareness scored close to perfect on this same task. The study further stated that "there was a specific predictive relationship between initial phonemic awareness differences and success in learning to read and to spell." Even more importantly, the study indicated that it was phonemic awareness abilities, and not IQ, that predicted the accuracy of reading and spelling at the end of grade one. Children with high phonemic awareness at the beginning of grade one had high reading and spelling achievements at the end of grade one, compared to some children with low phonemic awareness who had difficulties learning to read and spell. [2]

In the National Reading Panel report, they also determined that the beneficial effects of phonemic awareness on reading lasts well beyond the period of training. While phonemic awareness instructions are proven to significantly help children learn reading, it is not a complete reading program. What it does, is provide children with a foundational knowledge base of the alphabet language. The NRP analysis also showed that phonics instructions produces significant benefits for students from kindergarten through grade 6, and is also helpful for children with learning to read difficulties.

Children who are taught with phonics and phonemic awareness instructions are consistently able to decode, read, and spell, and even demonstrated significant improvement in their ability to comprehend text. Even older children who receive these similar teachings improved their ability to decode and spell. The NRP made a key statement saying that "conventional wisdom has suggested that kindergarten students might not be ready for phonics instruction, this assumption was not supported by the data. The effects of systematic early phonics instruction were significant and substantial in kindergarten and the 1st grade, indicating that systematic phonics programs should be implemented at those age and grade levels."

However, I would like to further expand on that by saying that children as young as two years old can learn to read through phonics and phonemic awareness instructions. If a young child can speak, then they should be able to learn to read, even if they are as young as two years old. In fact, I have proven this with my own children. We started teaching our daughter at 2 years and 8months, and she was very capable at reading by the time she was just 2 years and 11 months old.

>> Click here to learn more about the simple, step-by-step phonics and phonemic awareness program we used to teach her to read.

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Self Esteem Coach for Children

Coaching is all the rage now days but what about coaching for children? Parents are in a perfect position to use some coaching skills to help their children develop their self-esteem, confidence and sense of responsibility. It can also be used to help them with goal setting and attainment.

First I would like to differentiate coaching from other helping professions. Coaching is a partnership. The coach asks open-ended questions to help the coachees think through issues for themselves. Coaches help coachees examine their beliefs and values and to keep them in alignment. Coaching is not counseling, therapy, advising, mentoring or consulting. Coaching skills are tool parents can use to help their children grow, learn and develop as human beings.

Two of the primary coaching skills that parents can use are active listening skills and powerful questioning skills. Most of us were never taught these skills in school but they are essential to good communication and understanding.

In active listening you pay attention to nothing but the speaker. You clear your mind of distraction and focus on what the speaker is and is not saying. Some times what is not said is as important or more important than what is said. Active listening also includes paying attention to body language and noting when it does not say the same thing as verbal language.

Powerful questioning starts with open-ended questions that are designed to help the coachee think for themselves. They are never leading questions but rather questions that make the coachee think more broadly than they are thinking currently. They are "what" and "how" questions not "why" questions.

Here are some examples of powerful questions parents can use with children:

1. What are you going to do next?

2. How can you make that work for you?

3. What will happen if you do that?

4. What is most important to you?

5. Which one of your goals or values does that relate to?

6. How is that working for you?

7. If you knew the answer what would it be?

8. Which one of these ideas do you want to work on?

9. How will doing that impact other people?

10. What felt the best about doing that?

If you are unsure about trying some of this with your children it might be really helpful to hire a good, well-trained coach to get you started and to teach you some more about powerful questioning. A good coach can also help you with other difficult parenting issues.

Dr. Joe Rubino is known as America's High Performance Coach. She specializes in helping executives and entrepreneurs make the most of their opportunities and potential. Her years of working with small and large businesses has given her a depth of knowledge that is invaluable to her clients. You can reach her  Click Here.

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Baby Bowen - Relief For Colic

Baby Bowen Natural Colic Relief At Your Fingertips

Does your baby suffer from colic? Are you desperate for a cure for colic that really works? Baby Bowen is probably the most effective yet simple method of providing instant relief for colic. In this article, I will introduce you to this amazing technique.

Baby Bowen is based on the Bowen Technique. This is a very gentle, non invasive therapy that treats a whole range of ailments and has been adapted to babies.

The Bowen Technique works by re balancing the nervous system. The nervous system controls everything in your body from muscles and cells to the release of hormones. It is responsible for every function in your body from eating and running to sleeping. If there is an imbalance in your nervous system your body will not be able to function as smoothly.

Stress causes an imbalance and this in turn causes symptoms such as heartburn, indigestion, headaches, muscle tension and poor sleeping. Babies undergo a lot of stress during birth. Often this stress is not removed and the baby is in a constant state of anxiety and stress- a symptom of an imbalanced nervous system.

Baby Bowen is a very effective tool to re balance the nervous system in babies. It consists of 5 pairs of very gentle moves that are carried out on your baby's back and tummy. There are no negative side effects with Bowen Therapy.

Baby Bowen provides fast relief for colic in babies and the results are immediate!What's more, by helping your baby get balanced, you also improve their sleep patterns allowing for longer and deeper sleeps. Not only is it quick and effective, it is also so easy to learn.

Keep your baby balanced! Click here for FREE information on Baby Bowen.






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Anxiety Free Child Program

Help  Your Child Overcome Their Anxiety and Take Back The Chilhood They Deserve

Is the Anxiety Free Child Program a scam? Find out from this review before you trust it to help your child.

The fact is all children go through anxiety, it is a normal part of growing up. Anxiety becomes a concern however when it is prolonged and is extra intense. Parents also need to look out for the reasons behind the anxiety. Often at times, if there is no reason for it such as the start of school, moving to a new neighborhood, an exam coming up, that might be a clue that the anxiety that your child is going through is abnormal anxiety which if left untreated damages the child forever.

This is where the Anxiety Free Child program comes to your child's rescue. It is specifically designed and specialized for children by anxiety and panic expert Rich Presta.

He is not only an expert, he has been where your child is and understands those frightful phobias because he was once there himself.His program helps children who suffer from panic, anxiety, excessive worrying, unrealistic fears and phobias.

This program is a step by step program that not only helps the child to cope with the anxiety, it actually defeats the anxiety and leaves your child anxiety free. Even though it is exclusive and specialized for children, the parents play an active role in helping the children with not just what to do to free them of the anxiety, but also how to do it. It does an amazing job in empowering the parents take control of the child's anxiety by offering practical advice and knowledge to beat anxiety and panic in their children.

Another big plus about the program is that it is effectively fast. Rich Presta has used his own experiences in creating a program that works, without having to wait for weeks, because he understands that children just do not have the patience that adults have.

The program recognizes that anxiety in the child may undoubtedly have affected the parents and the siblings and it also addresses that. In the end, everyone in the household will be more calm and relaxed and the result is an anxiety free house filled with anxiety free children.

One of the best things about Anxiety Free Child program is that the child does not have to be on addictive medication that may be harmful to the child in the long run. It is effective, safe and starts working within days.

There is no Scam!

When it comes to anxiety, panic and phobias, Rich Presta knows what he is doing. Click Here To Learn More About The Anxiety Free Child Program.




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