Toddlers Archives - Parenting Journals

5 Common Baby & Toddler Care Myths Debunked

By Tim Shanley If you’re a new parent, there are plenty of resources to turn to, but how can you be sure you’re following the right advice? Today, there are thousands of websites, blogs, online publications and magazines dedicated to baby and toddler care. And then there are the “old-fashioned” sources such as books and grandparents. In fact, there is so much info out there that it’s not always easy to separate the truth from the myth. Getting some guidance is great, but bad advice can often be worse than no advice. So to help you separate the wheat from the chaff, we’ll examine and debunk some common myths about babies you’ve probably heard of. 1. You Should Give Water to Newborns When It’s Hot It easy to see how this myth got started. When the weather outside is scorching, you reach for water to cool off. And in general, people may feel better if they drink more water. Why should it be any different for babies? Well, there are several reasons why water won’t help your little one. It can actually end up hurting the baby. As a matter of fact, the World Health Organization even recommends that you shouldn’t give any water to children under six months. For one, the water may have impurities. Your immune system can handle them, but that may not be the case with the baby. So, this can lead to infections, diarrhea, and so on. Secondly, there is the danger of malnutrition. A baby who’s full on water may not drink as much breast milk or may not drink it all. Also, mothers who give their babies water instead of breast milk may have less milk going forward. Now, this isn’t to say babies don’t need to stay hydrated because they do. But breast milk is all they need during the first months of their life as it can contain as much as 80% water. 2. Babies Will Sleep Better If You Feed Them Cereal Every parent is all too familiar with the sleepless nights that come from a baby who keeps waking up. So it’s normal you’ll be open to any suggestions regarding this issue. And one you may hear often is to give your little one cereal before bedtime. Unfortunately, nothing connects cereal with better sleep patterns. Again, it’s understandable how this myth came to be. When they are four to six months old, many babies will begin to sleep through the entire night. Their development will simply reach that stage. That is the same period you may have begun to introduce solids into their diet. These two occurrences happen at the same time, but there are no direct connections between them. And there’s nothing which would single out cereal as a sleep-boosting food. 3. You Can Hold a Baby too Much Your baby starts crying, and your first instinct is to run over there and pick the child up. But, then you hear someone advocating tough love and tell you that will spoil the baby. Completely untrue, particularly when the child is very young. Babies cry a lot. Not because they want to trick you into giving them attention, but because that’s how they communicate. They also need contact and depend on it. It soothes them and helps them feel safe. That’s not to say you can’t put the baby down. And as your kid gets older, it’s important for them to learn to be self-sufficient. But during those first months, you certainly won’t be spoiling your child by holding them. 4. Babies Sleep Better on Their Bellies A baby waking up for the tenth time in a night can put you under a lot of strain. But then when you ask for advice, you hear that babies are more comfortable on their belly. It’s not uncommon to hear this recommendation from older generations. However, you should avoid this at all cost as it can endanger the baby. In order to reduce the risk of SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome), the American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that all children below the age of one should always sleep on their back. 5. Teething Always Comes with a Fever Many believe that teething goes hand-in-hand with a fever. So, they may dismiss the elevated temperature as nothing serious. However, the two aren’t always connected. In fact, they often aren’t. The cause of the fever may be something completely unrelated to your baby’s teeth. It may even be something which requires immediate medical attention. It’s safest then not to assume this connection. Conclusion Parents will get a lot of advice, even if they sometimes don’t want it. Some of it is good, like using fennel tea for colic remedy. But there are also many myths out there. In the end, make sure to double-check everything. Particularly the info that’s “common knowledge”. Instead, rely on your pediatrician’s knowledge and don’t be afraid to ask them a lot of questions.

Cheerios Cereal Will no Longer Have GMO’s … but that Still Leaves the Toxic Chemicals!

In January, 2014, General Mills foods announced that it would no longer use genetically modified organisms (GMO’S) to make its original cereal, Cheerios. While Cheerios has never contained GMO oats, the company will now use non-GMO cane sugar, instead of GM beet sugar. Growing numbers of consumers and advocacy groups are raising concerns about the safety of using genetically altered crops in our food supply; consumer pressure is behind the decision by General Mills.

Getting Your Child Off to a Good Start with a Good Breakfast!

Before we knew it, summertime was over, and it was time for our kids to go back to school. We may no longer be able to fix elaborate breakfasts before the kids rush to school; but there are certainly plenty of breakfast choices that are healthy, tasty, and easy to prepare. We all know by now that eating breakfast is important, as it fuels our bodies and minds for the day ahead. But what kind of breakfasts are nutritious and healthy?

How Important is Reading to your Toddler?

If you read many parenting books and articles, you have probably heard that reading to babies is useful for bonding and for exposing young children to a variety of words and sounds but is ultimately not that important for development. This is certainly true when it comes to children under a year old, but the story becomes much different for children aged two to three. During these years, reading

Survival Tips for the Toddler Years

If you are a new parent, most of what you have heard about the year or two immediately following infancy is probably negative. You hear about the terrible twos, temper tantrums, disobedient children who get into everything, and the like. But while there are certainly some gigantic challenges to raising a toddler, this period becomes a lot easier if you

Why Tears Are A Good Thing!

Crying is particular to human beings and is a socially adaptive skill. There are often lots of tears shed during the first few weeks of school because it is usually the first time your child experiences an extended separation from you. It is an important stage for your child when she begins to learn that she can be part of a group outside of her family. During those first days she is working out how to cope with separation, loss, anxiety and change. The skills and techniques she learns will be needed throughout her whole life. As a protective parent you may find it difficult to see your child crying but know that generally, children are resilient and can utilise coping skills remarkably well. Crying is one of a child’s best coping strategies so children should be allowed to cry. The benefits of crying include:

How Can I Help My Shy Toddler?

Your child has her own unique personality. She may be shyer than some or more outgoing. The way you respond to her basic temperament greatly affects and influences her. Sensitive and encouraging parents can help a shy child and abusive parents can make an outgoing, lively child feel withdrawn and disconnected. To help a shy child you can:

Help! My Toddler Is Swearing!

You may be stunned to hear your little angel say a swear word! Many parents experience these shocks at some point so do not fret! This often happens as children begin to explore language. It happens because they have heard someone else say it in frustration and they want to express the same emotion or they do it because they know it achieves a reaction and therefore think that it is funny. The best action to take straight away is to

What to Do About a Child’s Nightmares and Night Terrors

Everyone, no matter how old, has nightmares from time to time. Some adults remember their dreams more clearly than others, but we all have at least a few memories of nights and mornings when we woke in sheer terror, then felt that sense of relief that comes from the realization that it was all just a nightmare. Dreams are a strange phenomenon that science has yet to fully explain, but nightmares are something we have all experienced and thus can identify with on a personal level. But for young children, there is a special acuteness to the terror that

Had Enough of the Backchat?

Do you feel exasperated dealing with backchat and disrespectful behaviour from your children? It can be difficult to handle your children’s bad manners, rudeness, swearing, sarcasm or cheekiness and most parents complain about it at some point. Think about why your child might be behaving this way as there are

Early Childhood Teeth Care: The Basics

Much confusion surrounds the issue of how to help young children achieve good dental care. Because we know that those early teeth are going to fall out after a couple of years, many parents assume that early childhood dental care is not a priority and that kids do not need the kind of brushing routine that adults have. But on the contrary, there are some very good health-related reasons to pay close attention to your child’s dental care from a very early age, and it is never too early to begin instilling good habits. Very early dental care What many people do not realize is that babies

Amber Alerts – What to Do in Case Your Child Goes Missing

It is one of every parent’s worse nightmares. You take your eye off your child for a minute only to find her gone when you turn around. Or one day he does not get home from school at the normal time. Or she goes outside to play and does not come back in. Scenarios like these are fortunately uncommon, and when they do happen there is usually a good explanation, and it is usually pretty easy to find the temporarily missing child. But what about those very rare cases where the child is not easily found?

Welcoming a Second Child: How to Handle the Change

By Lisa Pecos Having a first child is one of the most difficult things you will ever have to do. From the middle stages of pregnancy until those blessed later months of the first year when the baby gets less fussy and more predictable, you are put through a series of challenges that test every fiber of your being. So it is a wonder that anyone would make a conscious choice to complicate things further by bringing a second child into the picture. Yet people do it all the time. And yes, many aspects of having a baby are easier the second time around, but in many ways you will feel just as challenged and bewildered as you did the first time.

Spread Your Wings and Fly…

In the early evening I would sit outside under the tree near our house and watch the birds. One day I saw a Blue Jay come and chase the other birds away if they got to close. I noticed that every time she did that, 2 little Blue Jays would fly up and eat the seeds in the feeder that was hanging in the tree. Then I noticed that she would hop from branch to branch and the little birds would follow her. This went on for a few weeks. She would look down from the branch where she was perched to check on them.

Techniques – When Potty Training Clashes With Your Vacation!

There are some simple preparations that you can make in advance before embarking on a trip away with your toddler in the midst of his potty training.

Encouraging Your Toddlers Caring Side

You probably find that little toddlers can be very kind and sweet but this is not always the case. How do you encourage their sympathetic side?

Developing Your Child’s Important Motor Skills

Many parents do not realise how important the development of their child’s fine and gross motor skills are in terms of their academic and physical performances. There are lots of games and activities which parents can do with their children to enhance their motor skills.

Summer Problems Caused By Nature

The sun is shining, the days are longer and you have waved goodbye to coughs and colds but summer brings its own little irritations. Here are some tips to help.

7 Common Mistakes First-Time Parents Make

Parenting is one of the hardest jobs you will ever have, and no stage is more difficult than the first few months with your first child. It is easy to be led astray by misguided assumptions and poorly thought-out plans, and it is practically impossible to completely avoid making any mistakes. Parenting is after all a learning process, but you can avoid some of the most common mistakes simply by being aware of them in advance. Here are seven of the most common issues that arise for first-time parents.

Dining Out With Children: Should It Ever Be Okay?

By Lisa Pecos When it comes to dining with children, too many parents fall into the trap of thinking that the rest of the world should happily accommodate their children without complaint. Because we love our children so much, it is easy to forget that other people may not be as charmed by them. This is especially true in grownup restaurants, where diners expect to be able to have a quiet, relaxed meal without someone else’s loud kids running around and disrupting one’s meal.

Safest Booster Seats Revealed

By Jamell Andrews As parents, one of our most important jobs is to make sure that our children stay safe at all times. Even if you consider yourself to be an exceptionally safe driver, accidents can happen to anyone. To be prepared for this event, security experts recommend that parents use booster seats for school-aged children who are still too small for automobile safety straps.

Flavored Milk–Do You Use It?

I have a 21 month old daughter that isn’t milk’s biggest fan. She’ll drink a little bit, but not nearly enough to get her day’s worth of calcium in. So one morning, I thought I’d give her some chocolate milk to see what would happen. She didn’t drink it–she guzzled it! Ever since, it’s chocolate milk every morning–she’s underweight as well, so I figure the extra calories won’t hurt. This is why an article in yesterday’s LA Times Health section caught my eye. Entitled, Pro / Con: Should chocolate milk be allowed in schools?, it gives the debate on whether or not flavored milk should be offered at your child’s school. Rachel Johnson, a dietitian at the University of Vermont in Burlington whose research has been funded by the National Dairy Council, says yes–it’s better than no milk at all. However, Marlene Schwartz a psychologist and deputy director of the Rudd Center for Food Policy and Obesity at Yale University says no–that we’re teaching milk is only good when it’s sugared up.

Soothing a Fussy Baby

If you are the parent of an infant, it is pretty much inevitable that you will have to deal with a fussy baby at least from time to time. For many parents, dealing with a fussy baby is a regular occurrence that quickly leads to frustration, loss of energy, and a lack of sleep.

Raising Happy Children

By Jamell Andrews Raising happy children does not have anything to do with the material possessions that you give to them. Regardless of how many toys kids have or how much you try to shield them from the harsher aspects of life, the ability of children to be happy as they grow up is largely based on internal factors.

Soy and Health Issues in Children

Many people have turned to soy alternatives in the belief that these foods and beverages are healthier for their children. However, consistent research over the past several years has indicated that soy products may ultimately cause more harm than good.

How to Find the Right Preschool

Finding the right preschool for your child can be a challenge. With a variety of different options to choose from, parents can easily become overwhelmed when trying to decide which type of program would be the most suitable for their child.

Raising Strong Children from Shaky Relationships

By Sylvia Wells I always wanted five children, just like my mother. Even knowing they would all be boys in accordance to the needle and thread test I did when I was about ten years old. The funny thing is that, although I planned to have all these children, I didn’t put a second of thought into who their father would be. Fast forward thirteen years to find myself in a short term relationship with an egomaniac and holding a baby boy in my arms. Fast forward another five years and I’m a single mother of an only child. I was blessed with remarkable boy, but now that I was single I couldn’t imagine having any more children.

Category: Toddlers