Tips For Introducing A Toddler or Older Sibling To The New Baby

My 2-and-a-half year old daughter fell instantly in love with my newborn son. After months of declaring, "Me no share cars with boy!" the moment she set eyes on him, she accepted him in to our family. Introducing the new baby to our toddler was easy. I will never forget the moment.

I was watching the mandatory "shaken baby" video in the hospital when they told me my husband and daughter had arrived. I literally ran from the room (much to the surprise of the two c-section moms who witnessed it!) to spot my daughter with her face pressed up against my son's clear plastic bassinet. She paused from gazing at her brother to look at me.

"Your baby?" she asked.

Before I could reply, she asked, "My baby?"

Then, her voice got even higher pitched as she declared, "OUR baby!"

No problems here. It wasn't until her brother began to crawl and steal her toys that sibling rivalry began.

Nonetheless, like many moms, I was concerned about introducing a newborn baby to a toddler. Here are some tips I picked up along the way.

1. Keep the first meeting private, with no other visitors. - Jill DeLuca, a teacher from Long Island, NY, had two preschool age sons when she gave birth to a third son. "I made sure other family wasn't around when my two oldest were there so they could bond with the baby without a ton of visitors."

Melissa Mazzarella of Holbrook, NY, agrees, "We took our two older boys in first to see the baby before anyone else had a chance. They loved having a private meal in the hospital room with the new baby, as it was an adventure."

2. Use analogies your toddler understands. - If you have pets at home, explain that the new baby is helpless and needs to be treated very gently, like your dog or cat.

3. At the hospital, let your toddler touch and hug the baby as much as he or she wants. - Hospital staff might cringe, but your kids will be sharing toys, food and germs very soon, anyway. If your toddler has an interest in their new sibling, let them show affection openly.

4. Make your toddler feel important. - Empower your toddler by giving him or her big brother or big sister jobs like helping to open presents for the baby or handing you diapers and wipes. The novelty may wear off and your toddler may not want to help all the time -- that's okay, too.

5. Let your older child play Mommy or Daddy, too. - When she was expecting her third son, Mazzarella gave her two older boys dolls to pretend to pamper and feed. Preparation is key. Mazzarella read books on welcoming a new baby and prepared her sons for the day by explaining that the new baby would be here "soon." Experts say that since preschoolers don't have a good concept of time, you can wait until the second or third trimester to tell them about the baby.

6. Bring an activity to keep your toddler busy in the hospital. - Toddlers and preschoolers have short attention spans and while everyone else might enjoy fawning over the baby for hours, young children want to move on to the next activity quickly. We didn't think to bring toys to the hospital, but we used the wifi connection to find "Wow, Wow Wubbzy" episodes, which kept my daughter from running up and down the maternity ward halls.

7. Bring a gift from the new baby to your first child. - Jill DeLuca was one step ahead of me, and did bring toys to keep the older siblings busy. Better yet, she had her oldest children pick out toys to bring as a gift to the baby, and then the baby gave them a gift, too. "To this day, my oldest still talks about the presents his little brothers gave him."

Green Activities for Kids

Children play an important part in safeguarding the environment for future generations. Just as local businesses impact local communities as well as the international community so too can kids impact the earth. Their actions can have an impact at home, in school, in their local community, and worldwide.

School's out for the summer, but it does not mean that educational activities have to stop. There are a lot of great green activities that you can introduce to your child.

Observing the Great Outdoors!

One great activity for kids and parents is to take a walk on the beach, in the woods, or in a park.

•     Needed Materials

        Recyclable bag, Paint, Crayons, Glue, Scissors, Smock, Pen or paper, Construction paper, Ruler, and a Large sheet of paper

•     Needed Skills

        Communication, observation, and motor skills

•     Grade Level

        This activity is great for younger kids and can be completed by those as young as K-1st grade and lower ages.

•     Before you go, have your child think of all the things you might see on your walk. Make a chart listing items you might see as the headings, using the ruler to draw lines in between items.

•     Take your recyclable bag with you on your walk and make it a scavenger hunt, placing all found items in the bag. Try to find everything on the chart. Remember to only take items that are on the ground or dead. Use this as an opportunity to get your child talking about nature and making observations, about colors, textures, smells, etc.

•     Once you get back home have your child lay out everything they found. Get your child to place everything into categories (for instance rocks, sticks, leaves, etc.) these should match the items on the chart. Ask for observations on the things they found. Have children place at least one of the items you found underneath each item on the chart you've started.

•     With the rest of the items have your child create an artwork that depicts the environment you explored.

•     Let it dry and prominently display their work.

•     Recycle the items after you are finished with them.

•     You can also schedule a field trip to a nature museum to reinforce what your child has learned.

Get up, get out, and get environmental!

Read a book in the backyard, Dr. Seuss' The Lorax. My child and I love this book. He loves it because he likes Dr. Seuss and I love it because it teaches about the perils of not taking care of the environment.

•     Needed Materials

        The Lorax and a comfortable place to sit.

•     Needed Skills

        Communication, reading, observation, problem solving, and storytelling

•     Grade Level

        This activity is great for younger kids in 2nd or 3rd grade as well as lower ages.

•     Go in the backyard and find a comfortable place in the shade for you and your child to sit and read.

•     Take turns reading from The Lorax.

•     Ask questions about the story and ask for observations. Some sample questions may be:

        - Why did the Once-ler use all the Truffula trees?
        - Why wouldn't the Once-ler listen to the Lorax?
        - What are ways that thneeds could be made without destroying the Truffula trees?
        - What are thneeds that we have such as clothes)?
        - How can we consume less thneeds (buy recycled goods, etc.)?

•     Have your child rewrite The Lorax and come up with an alternative ending in which the Truffula trees are saved.

Get Trashy!
Create trash art.

•     Needed Materials

        Construction paper, glue, tape, scissors, old magazines, markers or crayons, paint, glitter, and clean trash that can be made into art.

•     Needed Skills

        Motor skills, communication, and creativity

•     Grade Level

        This activity is great for younger kids in 2nd or 3rd grade as well as lower ages.

•     Look around the house for items that can be recycled to make art (like empty jelly jars or shoe boxes).

•     Have your child create a sculpture or whatever type of work of art they want.

•     Have your child make observations about the type of materials they used and whether they can be recycled. Ask what else they use in their daily lives that can be recycled.

•     Make observations about your child's creation and have them explain it to you.

•     Let it dry and prominently display the artwork.

•     When you are finished with the artwork recycle whatever you can.

Reasons Children Can Be Taken Into Care

The number of children taken into child care in the UK has risen recently. Sometimes the authorities are accused of too easily taking children into care but in the majority of these cases they are being removed from unsafe environments for their own safety. Circumstances whereby child care is considered the best option includes situations of abuse, neglect, abandonment, parents being incapable of looking after their children, parents with addictions and children being offenders.

Physical Abuse

When there are instances of physical abuse towards children it is imperative that they are immediately removed from their environment. If parents are involved in this abuse then they are removed for their safety and parents will be dealt with by the legal system. Children may also be taken into care if parents are implicit in abuse by others, are aware of the abuse but have ignored it, or are seen to be putting their child into dangerous situations. This can include where a single parent has a partner with a history of abuse, whether toward children or adults.

Mental Abuse

While physical abuse is more obviously harmful, emotional abuse can be just as serious. In fact, it is the more common reason of the two for children being removed from their primary carer. Mental abuse includes being insulted and being made to feel worthless due to the actions of parents. It can lead to depression as well as behavioural problem, having a significant impact on a young person's life, especially if it has been occurring over a long period of time.

Neglect

Neglect is where children are not cared for properly, whether they are being completely ignored or simply not being cared for the way that they need to be. As well as emotionally difficult it can also be unsafe, especially for small children who need to be supervised closely. This can include anything from not being fed properly, which has obvious ill effects on their health, to not been given attention, something which is more likely to impact their behaviour. Poor behaviour in some children is a cry for help with many children diagnosed with behavioural conditions due to being neglected by their parents.

Abandonment

This covers parents who have literally abandoned their children in the case of leaving them in the street or at school, for example, as well as where parents have died or been sentenced to time in prison. In all of these cases parents aren't there to look after their children and they have to be taken into child care. Sometimes they are taken on by other relatives, such as their grandparents or aunties and uncles, while in other cases another suitable home has to be found.

Parents Incapable of Looking After Children

There are wide ranging reasons for parents being incapable of looking after their children. Mental or physical illness making it impossible to carry out parental responsibilities is one reason, but there are many other circumstances that will be deemed a reason for children having to be taken into care.

Addictions

If parents are addicted to drugs or alcohol it severely limits their capability of being a good parent. It can make it dangerous for children to be around, for example in cases where parents turn violent. Even where this isn't the case, though, parents may be incapable of doing everything that is required in looking after children.

Children Become Offenders

In some, but not all circumstances, children can be taken into care if they have committed a criminal offense, particularly where it has become an on-going problem. Parents can be seen to blame, especially where they are not willing or able to prevent these instances from happening. A lack of discipline or lack of attention can be reasons given.

One the face of it increasing numbers of children being taken into care is a worrying trend. However, as some of the above reasons highlight, there are many circumstances where children are better off in care.

3 Factors To Consider For Choosing A Good School

There is no secret that can be used for choosing a good school and if this is your first time when you have to choose a school for your kid, the task will be even harder for you. Choosing the right school is highly important as the school decides how the child will turn out in the future and how his or her mind will be developed. School is considered to be more important than the home environment and good surroundings, experienced teachers and well-off peers who can provide the required challenge to your kid are highly important in their over-all development and conditioning. If the seeds are planted right, then the child will definitely become a good student as well as a good human being. These are the reasons why parents have to be extra careful while choosing a school for their kid. Here are 3 main factors to be considered while choosing a school for your child.

The first thing you need to consider before you short list schools is the academic and teachers. Academics include everything from books to syllabus to the board of education and the teachers' method of teaching. Do your research well and look for a school that offers a board that is accepted all around the world and holds validity in most national and international universities. Do not go with a school that is not registered and make sure it follows all the standardized guidelines related to the board that is being taught by the school. Consider the syllabus that is being taught in the school and refer to the books of the school by consulting other parents and compare them with other schools to understand the level of education and syllabus. Once you are sure that the syllabus is up-to-the-mark, now is the time to check on the teachers, their qualification and experience. Remember, teachers are very important for your child and they should be well qualified to teach the class your child is going to study in. Look for a good experience and consult other parents to know if the teacher is able to teach well and inculcates moral values as well as better methods of learning while teaching. This is very important for your child's learning.

Second and equally very important thing that you have to consider before the admission are co-curricular activities the schools teaches to its children. In today's globalized environment, good marks are not enough and the children need to be all-rounders to excel later. For this, activities like sports and performance arts are very important as they help in opening up the child's mind to new fields and thoughts. Make sure the school has an active sports background and encourages children to take part in different games. Every child should be encouraged to choose something or the other and excel in it. Other activities include drama, dance, arts and craft, singing, playing instruments, debates and oration and other similar activities. These will help children in growing in every way possible.

Third most important thing us the infrastructure of the school. Take a round of the school and make sure it has a good infrastructure and is equipped with world-class facilities. Remember to check the sports supplies, the computer labs, the science labs, the playground and the classrooms. This will help you get an idea if the school will be able to provide whatever your child needs in the process of learning. Once you are sure all the above mentioned factors are approved, you can get your child enrolled in the school.

Antique Wooden Toys Maintenance and Restoration Tips

For many of those who collect and fancy them, antique wooden toys are actually considered treasures, and they should be treated as priced possessions in general. These creations are made in order to entertain, animate, and provide fun not just for children and kids, but also adults who have make the collection of the same as a hobby.

Antique wooden toys have been a source of fun and recreation for many centuries. Because of their long history, they've evolved into several different varieties as well. For instance, the older days saw the popularity of collectibles like German dolls, cars and other rolling toys with turning wheels, and others. In the modern versions meanwhile, there are wooden Disney characters and pop culture wooden figures primarily used for marketing and advertising. But whatever the type is, the fact remains that antique wooden toys are a great option to collect.

In the process of maintaining and restoring antique wooden toys, you have to consider these basic but very helpful tips:

- Try to look inside your wooden toy, be it a figure, doll, or anything and determine if there is an old string device. In order to do this, you need to pull back cautiously and slowly on the head while looking down into the inside body of the toy. You will likely find a hollow space inside. Majority of antique wooden toys are jointed and this means that the limbs and parts are likely movable. This is because they are commonly made with a certain rubber coil mechanism. Hence, you need to see if you toy contains a coil or rubber band as well.

- Now next thing you do is pull on joints gently and slowly, just like what you did earlier. You have to do this in order to see if the string or cord is loose. As you are doing the same, you can as well look inside and find if there is any kind of frays situated in the rubber band or cord edge of the toy. Now in order to restring, you can use a pair of pliers and utilize something like a thick rubber band or cord string. In doing so, you have to start from the bottom. However, keep in mind that this can only be done with small toys a couple of inches in height. But with most original antique wooden toys, you may have to consult and get help from a professional toy restorer or an expert since they probably have better tools than you do. Put in mind as well that if the doll is restrung too tight, there's a chance that the parts will be damaged in the process. So the best thing to do is still ask for help from an expert in toy restoration.

- Aside from restoration, it is also your job to maintain and clean your antique wooden toys for the purpose of keeping their value intact. You can look for professional and expert advice online or even in your local toy restoration shop to find out how you can effectively clean and maintain your collection.

Did you find this article helpful? You can learn more about toy collecting from Katie Parker where you learn popular toy collectable and how to make money out of them. For years of experience practicing her passion in toy collecting, Katie Parker has become an expert in taking good care of antique wooden toys and practice strategies to turn toys into a money making business.


For many of those who collect and fancy them, antique wooden toys are actually considered treasures, and they should be treated as priced possessions in general. These creations are made in order to entertain, animate, and provide fun not just for children and kids, but also adults who have make the collection of the same as a hobby.

Antique wooden toys have been a source of fun and recreation for many centuries. Because of their long history, they've evolved into several different varieties as well. For instance, the older days saw the popularity of collectibles like German dolls, cars and other rolling toys with turning wheels, and others. In the modern versions meanwhile, there are wooden Disney characters and pop culture wooden figures primarily used for marketing and advertising. But whatever the type is, the fact remains that antique wooden toys are a great option to collect.

In the process of maintaining and restoring antique wooden toys, you have to consider these basic but very helpful tips:

- Try to look inside your wooden toy, be it a figure, doll, or anything and determine if there is an old string device. In order to do this, you need to pull back cautiously and slowly on the head while looking down into the inside body of the toy. You will likely find a hollow space inside. Majority of antique wooden toys are jointed and this means that the limbs and parts are likely movable. This is because they are commonly made with a certain rubber coil mechanism. Hence, you need to see if you toy contains a coil or rubber band as well.

- Now next thing you do is pull on joints gently and slowly, just like what you did earlier. You have to do this in order to see if the string or cord is loose. As you are doing the same, you can as well look inside and find if there is any kind of frays situated in the rubber band or cord edge of the toy. Now in order to restring, you can use a pair of pliers and utilize something like a thick rubber band or cord string. In doing so, you have to start from the bottom. However, keep in mind that this can only be done with small toys a couple of inches in height. But with most original antique wooden toys, you may have to consult and get help from a professional toy restorer or an expert since they probably have better tools than you do. Put in mind as well that if the doll is restrung too tight, there's a chance that the parts will be damaged in the process. So the best thing to do is still ask for help from an expert in toy restoration.

- Aside from restoration, it is also your job to maintain and clean your antique wooden toys for the purpose of keeping their value intact. You can look for professional and expert advice online or even in your local toy restoration shop to find out how you can effectively clean and maintain your collection.

Did you find this article helpful? You can learn more about toy collecting from Katie Parker where you learn popular toy collectable and how to make money out of them. For years of experience practicing her passion in toy collecting, Katie Parker has become an expert in taking good care of antique wooden toys and practice strategies to turn toys into a money making business.

8 Powerful Ways to Increase Your Child's Self Esteem and Ability to Fend Off Bullies

The best time to take charge of bullying behavior is before it happens to your child, not after. Recognize that the higher your child's self esteem, the less likely that he or she will be a target of bullying behavior.

Fortunately, we now have legislation and comprehensive anti-bullying policies to protect our children. You don't need to look solely to your school, however, to protect your child from bullying behavior. Below are 8 powerful and specific ways that you can empower your child with self esteem and the skills needed to create and attract healthy relationships:

1. Model self esteem and healthy relationships. This is extremely important. After all, we can't teach what we don't know. Also, our children learn by watching us and how we interact with others.

2. Educate yourself about bullying. There are a variety of ways a child can be bullied. For instance, direct bullying may involve hitting, name-calling, tripping, or taking or destroying another's belongings. Indirect bullying may involve spreading rumors or gossiping about someone, whether in person or online - through social media or text messaging. Interestingly, children often bully others when they have an underlying lack of compassion and respect for themselves and others. Get the facts and find out more about what you can do to increase your child's ability to insulate himself from becoming a target of bullying behavior.

3. Encourage your child to develop his unique talents and interests. As your child learns what he is good at and spends time doing activities that he enjoys, his self confidence with naturally increase. When he is able to help others by using his natural talents and skills, his self esteem will soar. You might also look for groups and organizations that are designed for this, such as Boy Scouts, Girl Scouts, or other groups that engage in activities in which your child shows interest.

4. Give your child the very best resources to help him succeed. If you see your child struggling in any way, for instance, in school or in social situations, find out why. Ask questions. Learning often starts with knowing the right questions to ask. If you feel it is necessary, have him evaluated by the school and/or appropriate medical professional, one who comes highly recommended. Don't settle for any less than your child deserves and don't take no for an answer when you know your child needs help. This will also show your child not only that you are committed to helping him be his very best, but that there are no shortage of resources when we commit to finding them.

5. Encourage your child to use effective body language. Interestingly, how we communicate is often more effective than what we communicate. Encourage your child to stand and walk straight, make direct eye contact, and use a firm tone of voice when speaking. Often, when we create the appearance of confidence, we create actual confidence. Shuffling footsteps, looking down and away from others, and soft or wavering tone of voice all signal lack of confidence.

6. Give your child a variety of tools to use if confronted by bullying behavior. Let's face it, bullies do exist. Therefore, the more "tools" your child has available to him, the more confident he will feel if he does encounter bullying behavior. You might help him come up with several pre-planned "come-backs" to use in a variety of situations, for instance, if another child makes fun of something he is wearing or hurls some other insult at him.

7. Reinforce the learning power that comes from challenges (also called "mistakes"). In this way, recharacterize "mistakes" as challenges and opportunities to learn and grow. Pay attention to the words you use. Words are extremely powerful. One example we can learn from mental health professionals is to reinforce with your child the difference between his behavior being "bad" as opposed to he is "bad."

8. Regularly point out and remind your child of positive qualities, unique strengths and specific accomplishments. Try to be as specific as possible and tie these in with a specific result at every opportunity. For instance, tell him that the way he volunteered to help his friend was very kind and generous. Ask if he noticed that his friend smiled and seemed to feel better about himself after that. This also shows that your child is responsible for creating results with his behavior.

Teen Mom

My baby won't stop crying. I fed him, changed his diaper, and held him, but he continued to cry. I opened my mommy book, searching for answers. Finally, I called up my Mom. She was shocked to hear I was crying. She asked what was wrong and I said, "Justin won't stop crying". Then she asked: "Have you burped him"? That's when I realized that all he needed was to burp. This was just one of the many days I cried over taking care of my baby. What did I expect? I felt like a baby myself, still too young and unprepared to be a mom.

I was 19 then, older than a lot of the teen moms we have today, yet I felt so unequipped to handle the responsibilities of motherhood. My baby was not easy, which made things more difficult for a young mom. For two straight months he woke up at 10 in the evening and would continue crying until he was held. The first time he had his shots, I didn't sleep the whole night. I was so tired and groggy the next day and all he wanted was to be held. I couldn't even go to the bathroom. That's when I got so frustrated and threw him on the bed. I remember seeing him bounce on that spring bed. Praise God we didn't have strict laws back then on child abuse or I would have lost my kid. Praise God nothing bad happened to him. He could have bounced, fell on the floor, hit his head, and died.

What I experienced with my first child is something all mothers can relate to. Yet, it is a fact that motherhood can be a bigger challenge for young moms, very young moms for that matter. Motherhood requires a lot of emotional and mental stamina, something that have not been fully developed yet when you are in your teens, most especially during your early teens. Motherhood also entails a lot of sacrifice. You just can't do the things you used to do when you were still without kids. This is actually the problem with a lot of our teen moms. They haven't grown up yet and for sure they want to still hang out with friends and party. Meanwhile, the child or children suffer, and they will also end up getting pregnant or getting somebody pregnant in their teen years. The cycle can go on and on.

This was the case with me. I was a good mom to my sons until I separated from their Dad. That's when I started partying. I felt I was deprived of my youth so I kept justifying what I was doing at that time. Meanwhile, my children suffered. They didn't have a Dad anymore and their Mom was always gone. She was either busy working, partying at night, or has a hang-over when she's home. Although God has healed and restored me and my children, it still breaks my heart when I remember those days.

If you are a teen girl and you are still without babies, listen to me. Having babies outside of marriage is against God's will and design. Every child deserves a Mom and a Dad, married and living happily together. They need a Mom and a Dad to teach them the ways of the Lord, so they will grow up God-fearing. Preserve your purity for your future husband. And even if you think that the man you're with is going to be your husband, you can't just be sure until you are married. You can be having sex with him now thinking that you're going to end up married anyway, and then you get pregnant, and then his parents won't even allow you to get married because you're still young, and then he goes to College and forgets about you. So what now? You are left with a kid who will grow up without a Dad. And you will be so hurt, chances are you will start rebelling, and before you know it, you can end up pregnant again.

But then there's the option that the world offers... abortion. Let me tell you something about abortion. Other than murder being a grievous sin against God and a violation to His commandment, my question is... why kill another person for the sin you have committed? This is what I don't understand. If you know that sex before marriage is a sin against God and you still did it, aborting the baby will not erase the sin but even adds more to it. All women I know who have aborted their babies have never had peace until they have truly repented for it and asked God for forgiveness.

It's easier to stop this from happening now, before it's too late. It's better that you make that decision that you won't have sex until you're married instead of regretting it once you are already pregnant or after you have a baby. Be wise. Choose wise. Follow God's instructions and it will be well with you.

For teens who are pregnant and not married, don't ever think of aborting that baby. You already made a mistake, don't add to that anymore. Ask forgiveness from God and let Him heal you. Then lift up that baby to Him for protection. Meanwhile, start living a new life by surrendering your life to Jesus and following His Word. He is your baby's real Dad and He will take care of your baby. And if you remain obedient to Him, He will send you a man who will take good care of you, your future husband, the man who God designed for you.

For unmarried teens with babies, you wouldn't want what happened to you to happen to your kids don't you? You are the only one who can break that, and you better do it now. The only way you can do it is to repent before God and surrender your life to Him. Let Him lead and guide you so you won't get lost again. Follow His perfect plan for you so that your baby or babies can live good lives. Remember that God will hold you accountable, as the parent, on what is going to happen to your children. If you don't raise them in the ways of the Lord, it is going to be on you.

For married teen moms, count it as a blessing that you are even married. Be the wife and mother that God called you to be. Build a strong relationship with God and be guided by His Word. Follow His every instruction and you will have a wonderful marriage and family. Reading our marriage articles will surely help you.

If you have questions or you need some advice, feel free to email me at godzgurlz@live.com or you can just comment on this article.

Lisa Maki is the founder of God'z Gurlz, a Bible-based online magazine for women whose mission is to is to provide a place where women can learn to manage their emotions, experience healing, receive love and acceptance, be free to be who God made them to be, and be the best they can be in their homes, schools, professions, relationships, and calling, through sharing of insights and experiences, counseling, prayer, and devotionals, thereby learning from and supporting each other.