Toddlers can become picky eaters for some reasons. Some are naturally senstive to taste, smell and texture. Others children develop picky eating habits by modeling their parents fussy eating habits. Theoretically, picky eating habits develop when parents punish, bribe or rewards their childrens behavior. Parents must plan on what is the best way to get rid of the picky eating habits of their toddlers.

When childrens are picky eaters, sometimes it is a response to controlling or pushy parents or to bribery. The battle over food can lead to resistance and defiance from the child. Ultimately, it child’s decision as to what to eat and not to eat the foods you have provided. Sometimes the toddler may eat very little or nothing at all, but they will make up the nutrition later that day or later in the week.

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Pets are an important part of childhood. Everybody has a childhood memory involving a pet. If you’re considering getting a pet, be prepared for additional expenses and headaches over who cares for the pet. However, children benefit significantly from caring for animals. It teaches them to be kind, patient and gentle and those traits will carry over to how they treat other people. Developing positive feelings about pets can contribute to a child’s self-esteem and self-confidence. Positive relationships with pets can aid in the development of trusting relationships with others.

A happy relationship with a pet can also help in developing non-verbal communication, compassion, and empathy. There are physical benefits such as added exercise (walking the dog!) and the comfort of a soft and furry touch. Children often talk to their pets, so they’re good for releasing private thoughts and secrets without judgment. They reduce anxiety. Through birth and death, they teach children about life.

All kinds of animals can be fun for children, but it is important to choose a pet that is right for your family, your home, and your lifestyle; and one that your child can help care for. Avoid bringing aggressive animals into your home or exotic animals as they are usually harder to care for.

Taking care of a pet can help children develop social skills. However, parents should be aware of the following:

* Since very young children (under the age of 3-4 years) do not have the maturity to control their aggressive and angry impulses, they should be monitored with pets at all times.
* Young children (under 10 years) are unable to care for a large animal, a cat or a dog, on their own.
* Parents must oversee the pet’s care even if they believe their child is old enough to care for a pet.
* If children become lax in caring for a pet, parents may have to take over the responsibility on their own.
* Children should be reminded in a gentle, not scolding way, that animals, like people, need food, water and exercise.
* If a child continues to neglect a pet, a new home may have to be found for the animal.
* Parents serve as role models. Children learn responsible pet ownership by observing their parents’ behavior.

Pets can add to the joy of a family and bring many new experiences for children. They take a lot of work but also bring a lot of love and wonderful memories.

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1. Calming Toddlers with Calm Kids
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So, how do you stop night time coughing in toddlers? Most of the answer you would find online is to use Vicks vaporub. Of course, this will not actually cure the coughing but it will suppose to help them breath to when they have a cold or their nose is stuff.

Another common answers that ‘experienced parents‘ gave is the weather or the room temperature. This one I could agree. In our case, it is true that the rough, barking cough starts during night time when we are about to go to bed. Being in a hot tropical place, we always turn on the air conditioning for a more relaxed and pleasant sleep.. but apparently this is the one that’s causing my boy to cough.

One parent advised:

Coughs seem to be worse when it’s cold. Yes the house might get a little warm but your child will sleep better and it will only be for a night or two. I tend to raise mine to 69-70 degrees.

I think that I’ll be following that suggestion first. Let’s see if that would work.. but I am expecting a sweaty night.

What else do you think that might be causing all those coughing? Appreciate any inputs.. Thanks!

Related posts:

1. Nose Bleed Info on Toddlers and Children

We are still feeding them with foods rich in fiber as well as avoiding drinks or food that can cause constipation but we cannot stop milk for now. They are still small and babies.

We are now considering using stool softeners. I am now wondering if there is such a thing as stool softeners for children.

What does this kind of medicine do? Well, according to the authority site, Stool softeners soften stools, making them easier to pass. They are taken on a short-term basis to relieve constipation by people who should avoid straining during bowel movements because of heart conditions, hemorrhoids, and other problem

How it should be taken: A stool softener comes in the form of capsules, tablets, oral liquid, and syrup form. The label tells you how much to take at each dose. Take capsules and tablets with a full glass of water. You may obtain a specially marked measuring spoon to be sure of an accurate dose of the syrup.

Special Instruction :
1. Do not take stool softeners if you have nausea, vomiting, or abdominal pain; contact a doctor.
2. If sudden changes in bowel habits persist for longer than two weeks or if your stools are still hard after you have taken this medication for one week, contact your doctor.
3. Do not take stool softeners continuously for constipation and do not take more medication at each dose than as directed.
4. Frequent or prolonged use of laxatives can make you dependent on them and can cause your bowels to lose their normal ability.
5. Special dietary instructions should be followed. To prevent constipation, drink plenty of fluids, exercise regularly, and eat a high-fiber diet, including whole-grain, cereals, salads, fruits, and vegetables.

Side Effects :
1. Mild, temporary stomach or intestinal cramps; throat irritation. Contact your doctor if these effects are severe or persist.
2. Skin rash. Stop taking the medication and contact your doctor.

Other Precautions :
1. Do not take aspirin or mineral oil while taking stool softeners.
2. If you are pregnant or breast-feeding, do not take over-the-counter stool softeners or any other nonprescription medication without obtaining your doctor’s advice.

Storage Conditions : Keep this medication in the container it came in and out of the reach of children. Store it at room temperature.

With that information from front page of Google, I wonder if this is applicable to toddlers

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1. Baby Constipation: Tips Cure and Remedies

Matt is turning 4 years old now and his little brother, Sean, will be turning 2. That is why this topic on baby constipation is a little late. Good thing (NOT) that my sons sometimes still suffer constipation which reminded me to browse the web and search for remedies for constipation.. specific for babies and toddlers

(image credit – everything-daddy.com toilet training)

Constipation in Toddlers

Constipation is when the stool gets super hard that it takes extreme amount of effort to get it out there. Or basically it refers to the passage of hard stools (poop, poo). We parents assume that our child is experiencing constipation when there is no bowel movement for 3 or 4 days.

Constipation is a common and frustrating problem in children. Before I search information about it, I thought that my sons could be in a very serious situation.

Causes of Constipation in Toddlers

Constipation is most commonly caused by a diet that is low in fiber. This is true for both adults and children. For toddlers, aside from eating food that is low in fiber, constipation can also be caused by drinking too much milk specially in my case where my 4 year old is still drinking plenty of milk while my 2 year old is still breastfeeding. Breastfeeding or breast milk (in excess) can also cause baby constipation. Another common and obvious cause is not drinking enough water or waiting too long to go to the bathroom.

Cure and Treatment for Constipation

How do treat constipation? What are the popular or effective remedies for it? Let us list some tips, cure and remedies for child constipation below. Since we are talking about toddlers, we will only write natural medicine or remedies that are safe for babies and toddlers.

Let’s list down some of the natural ways or safe ways we can do to help our child and prevent constipation

Foods Rich in Fiber

Since one of the causes of constipation is lack of fiber, or eating food that is low in fiber, one thing we can do is to regularly add a fiber rich foods in their diet.

Let us enumerate some foods, fruits and vegetables that are fiber rich and could cure, treat or even prevent constipation in children.

Here are some foods that are rich in fiber:

• Potato
• Raisins
• Pineapple
• Karo Juice
• Prune or Prune juice
• Beans
• Sweet potatoes
• Peas
• Raw tomatoes
• Corn (or even popcorn!)
• and others…

How much fiber is enough for a 2 or 4 year old? Or is there such a thing as fiber overdose?

Children require (age in years + 5) g of fiber per day up to a maximum of (age in years + 10) g per day.

So a 3 year old needs 8 g and should have no more than 13g of fiber per day.

There is about 2g of fiber in:

* A serving of bread or cereal
* A small fruit
* ½ cup of vegetables
* 1 medium potato

Ensuring your child has enough fiber in the diet will help toddler constipation.

source

Drink Lots of Water and Decrease constipating foods

Constipating foods include milk, yogurt, cheese, cooked carrots, and bananas. Drinking too much milk (your child may only be drinking 2-3 cups a day, but it may be too much for his system to handle) is heavily associated with being constipated. Switching to soy milk has been shown to soften stools. If your child is unable to drink milk, then offer a daily multivitamin or other sources of calcium.

Those are just a few things we can do to help relief them from the pains of constipation. Another thing we can to is to encourage the child to sit on the toilet after meals. Try to add this to their daily routine. Toddlers maybe often reluctant to sit on the toilet if they have already experienced the painful bowel movement, but still try to add it up to the routine.

My wife and I have discussed this and will try to do the suggested tips. I hope you do too if you are in the same situation as we are.

Do you have any other suggestions in relieving the kids from constipation? Share them here if you want. Thanks!

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3. 3 Year Old Very Hard To Feed

My son, Matt who is 4 years old as of this writing, (he’ll be reading this when he’s 20 or older I guess , ha been experiencing nose bleeds in the past couple of days and because of that I have searched the internet for information about nose bleeds in children and toddlers, the causes of nose bleeds, preventions and first aids for it.

Nosebleed Background Information

Nosebleeds can be dramatic and frightening. That is absolutely true! The first time I saw Matt with his nose bleeding and some of it on his hands I was frozen still and could not think of the things I should do. That time I didn’t know that most nosebleeds are not serious and usually can be managed at home. My wife didn’t think so. I was worried too, but she was more worried that I am. She suggested that we see our pediatrician and have Matt checked out.

My wife’s suggestion was reasonable. I myself was relieved when the doctor said that Matt is fine. Of course we can’t help it since there was blood involved and most definitely sometimes medical intervention may be necessary.

Nosebleeds, or in medical term called ‘epistaxis‘,  are categorized based on where they originate, and are described as either anterior (originating from the front of the nose) or posterior (originating from the back of the nose).

Nosebleeds can occur at any age, but are most common in children aged 2-10 (that’s my concern and the topic of the blog post for today – ‘nosebleed for children’) years and adults aged 50-80 years.

Stop Nosebleeds – Treatments

You will find many information in the internet on how to treat or stop nosebleeds. Most of them are basically the same but the most important one is to just stay calm. Staying calm, even if you the one who’s having nose bleed or your child. This is the first step. After that:

• Sit up straight
• Lean your head forward.
• Keep your head above your heart. This will slow the bleeding.
• Lean forward so the blood will drain out of your nose instead of down the back of your throat. Tilting your head back will only cause you to swallow the blood.
• Pinch the nostrils together with your thumb and index finger
• Don’t let go for at least 5 minutes. If it’s still bleeding, hold it again for another 5 to 10 minutes.
• Spit out any blood in your mouth.  Swallowing it may make you vomit and can irritate your stomach.

Tips in Preventing Nosebleeds

• Keep children’s fingernails short to discourage nose picking.
• Counteract the drying effects of indoor heated air by using a humidifier at night in your bedroom.
• Quit smoking. Smoking dries out your nose and also irritates it.
• Open your mouth when you sneeze.

Hope some parent find this tips helpful if ever they experience nose bleeding either to himself or his child.

photo credit: http://www.flickr.com/photos/sp8graphics/3781265659/

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Here are 5 things that you must be aware of with regards to your baby’s health and safety. These 5 Must Do’s came from expert pediatricians interviewed by CNN (see credit link below).

• Not Waking (and Feeding) the Baby Every 4 hours – Every new parent should take note of this advise and put it on the top of their ‘Parenting Tip’ list. You should feed your baby every four hours regardless if it’s daytime or night time. Remember, sleepless nights are to be expected for caring that sweet little angel. Don’t be glad when you’re baby sleeps all night long and flaunt, “‘The first night home from the hospital she slept all the way through the night!’” Dr. ance Goodman, a pediatrician in Boca Raton, Florida will tell you “She’s not supposed to be doing that!’ “Our pediatricians’ advise: Parents need to wake up their babies to eat every four hours. With a few rare exceptions, newborns should not sleep through the night for the first two weeks of life.Why do we need to wake up babies for their milk or feeding time? Babies who go too long without eating could become dehydrated. Plus, sleeping eight hours at a stretch might be a sign of severe jaundice. Sleeping all night could also mean that the baby is week, lethargic and can’t arouse himself to feed. This should be checked by a Pediatrician.So when is it OK to let your baby sleep through the night? “At the two-week checkup, if your baby is gaining weight and sleeping through the night, hallelujah! Go enjoy it!” says Dr. Ari Brown, author of “Baby 411″ and a spokesman for the American Academy of Pediatrics.
• Not Feeding When Hungry – Reading the first fact may and could confuse a new parent. If the baby is crying and hungry, the mother errr.. parent should feed him. The ‘feed the baby every four hour’ is a schedule but it doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t feed the baby if he’s hungry after 2 hours from feeding him.Pediatricians say new parents sometimes make the mistake of wanting baby to eat on a strict schedule. The doctors say as long as a newborn is eating at least every four hours, they should keep whatever schedule they want.”A baby is smarter than any grown-up,” says Dr. Robin Madden, a pediatrician in Silver Spring, Maryland. “Whether breast-fed or bottle-fed, they know when they’re hungry and they know when they’re full.”
• Taking Baby to Crowded Places – Don’t do it. Do not take a baby in too crowded places, specially public places. Who knows how many, or what kinds of germs are all flying around the area.Exposing a baby to lots of germy people is a problem for two reasons. One, he could get a life-threatening bacterial infection. Two, even if he gets a fever from a virus (which is less dangerous), doctors will still have to hospitalize him to make sure it’s not something more serious.
• Don’t Confine Baby at Home – Again this may sound conflicting on the previous tip or advise, but there is also a bad thing in confining your baby in the house for a long period of time. Like they say, everything in excess is bad for you.How much is too much?According to the expert Pediatrician, it is a mistake to stay home 24-7 for six weeks with your newborn. They recommend parents to take their newborns for walks outside. They also tell them if they need to take the baby to the grocery store, to pick a time when it will be less crowded.
• Trust Your Inner Voice – This means trusting your motherly (or fatherly) instincts. A book about new fathers-to-be (The New Father’s Panic Book by Gene Williams) mention there that there is such a thing as  motherly instincts that shows even before the baby is born. One such example is the ‘nesting’ stage of pregnancy.Pediatricians said too many new parents don’t trust their inner voice. It’s all about listening to yourself and trusting yourself.

I hope that this advises for new parents and parents expecting to have a baby.

To to wrap things up, here are three more mistakes parents of newborns make, according to our experts :

• They put their babies to sleep on their sides or stomachs.

• They don’t vaccinate their babies even though the pediatric academy, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and virtually every scientific organization recommends it.

• They don’t bring a baby with a fever to see the pediatrician. Any newborn with a fever needs to be evaluated by a doctor

Hope this article helps those parents that are looking for answers, tips and advises. If there’s something on your mind, please do put it the comments below.

Source

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What to do Toddler Gets Something Stuck in Nose or Ear?

Well, here are a couple of things to do just in case this incident happen. First and probably the most important one is DO NOT PANIC. You wouldn’t want to make things worse by picking up a pair of tweezers in a trembling hand and sticking it in the toddler’s nose/ears.

Stay calm and try to reassure him that it’s no big deal. The biggest danger is that you’ll push the thing deeper if you try to get it out yourself with a cotton swab or tweezers.

That’s exactly what I did. Instead of panicking and raising my voice to my wife, I just said that it’s probably just somewhere along the nostrils.

The problem with my Matt is that he doesn’t know how to blow his nose. Instead of blowing our, he might blow in. I told him to blow air our from his nose. Which good thing he did and the pea-sized blue play doh clay popped out! Relief!

Anyway, here’s a couple more tips:

Stuffed nose. Literally.

Don’t panic, usually this isn’t too difficult a problem. Don’t probe at the object or inhale through the nose as it may become further lodged into the nasal cavity. Breathe through your mouth until you know how to best handle the situation and/or the object is removed.

First Aid

Blow your nose gently to try and dislodge the object. If it helps, gently hold shut the unobstructed nostril to force all the air through the obstructed one. Do Not blow hard or repeatedly, as this may damage the sensitive tissues of the nose.

If the object is visible, not deeply lodged into the nose, and you think it can be removed easily, you may attempt to do so with a clean pair of tweezers. Be very gentle, as the nose is very sensitive.

Medical Assistance

If the object cannot be removed in these ways, or there is bleeding or pain, call for medical assistance, or go to the emergency room.

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1. Nose Bleed Info on Toddlers and Children

It’s in Parents.com. I am sure new parents and long time mothers and fathers will find these photos and pictures of real cute kids… well, cute.

Here’s the link… Enjoy!

http://features.parents.com/top-20-seriously-silly-cute-kid-photos.html

No related posts.

This will give you an idea of what a baby sees and would be attracted to.

Why You’ve got to Look out for Hazards

Hazards are everywhere in the home and you’ll first need to look out for sharp, small objects that a baby can put in his or her mouth.  It can involve things like dust balls, cigarettes, coins, staples, paper clips and any other object which is smaller than one and a half inches diameter.  Make certain that, for baby safety, the knobs on your TV and chests of drawers are completely affixed and cannot be removed by the baby.  As an obvious aside, you should keep all knives, scissors, razor blades and potentially broken glass away from your baby.  Throw out hazards but don’t put them in an open trash container. 

Cover electrical outlets with plastic plates and keep lamp cords tucked away behind furniture.  Move fans as high as you can and never leave a cord hanging down where a baby can get to it.  Baby proofing your home means looking out for these kinds of dangers. Poisons are other issues to pay attention to.\

\[; 

  Take your cleaning supplies and move them to a higher location.  If there are chemicals in a cupboard door that a baby can get to, install childproof locks on those doors.  Remove any hazardous plants that could be poisonous.  Your local Extension Office can help you with that.  If you are having people over, immediately pour unused drinks into the sink and put away cigarettes or cigarette stubs that are dangerous for baby.

The Real Keys to Baby Safety

Never take a pill or other medicine in front of a child or tell him or her that it’s candy.  Just about any prescription or over the counter medicine can be hazardous to your child and it is important in baby proofing that you lock your medicine cabinet at all times and keep syrup of ipecac handy just in case of an ingestion.  Be careful, too, about food which is too hot.  Test all foods you feed baby and turn the handles of your saucepans toward the inside.  Remember that dry cleaning bags and other plastic bags are extremely dangerous, as are rubber balloons.  Mylar balloons are much safer.  Put in safety gates at the bottom and top of all staircases and keep them always fastened. 

When your Baby Can Stand

At some point, your baby will be able to pull himself up onto furniture and will have a higher reach.  A good rule of baby safety is to put things even higher up.  There will be newer things which are hazardous for your baby and you will need to remove the bumper pad from the crib and move the mattress of the crib to the lowest possible level.  Make certain that bookcases are fastened to the wall and you should look again at electrical cords a baby can get into.  Tablecloths should be removed and you should look out for curtains and curtain cords that a baby can get tangled up in.  All medications, pesticides, alcohol and home cleaners should be kept even higher and locks put on doors the baby can reach.  Reduce the temperature of your water to less than 120 degrees as baby can mess with the tub handles while in the tub.   Keep baby away from water in the tub or kiddy pool unless he or she is monitored.  Never allow your baby to stand within the grocery cart when you take him or her to the store and make sure he or she cannot stand up in the infant high chair.

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