What Parents Know » Parenting

How to handle the first day of school

Editor — Tue, 13 Jul 2010 23:27:22 +0000

Here are some tips you could use to make the first day of school easier:

1. Find out the plan – Get in touch with the teacher or the school and get the plan for the week. The day before the school, discuss the plan with your child and make it sound exciting. If the child has something to look forward to, the chances are that the child will be actually be excited for school the next day.

2. Show up on time – The last thing you want to do is rush the child to school during this anxious time.

3. Help the child make new friends – Look out for friendly kids or friendly parents and try to help your kid make friends. There will be other parents and kids who will be looking for friends as well so do not feel like you are imposing on anyone.

4. Home reminder - Try and pack something for your kid that reminds him/her of home. Be prepared to lose it as the child might have a lot of fun at school and forget the item.

Image Credit: Curt

Things I Wish Someone Had Told Me

Editor — Mon, 07 Dec 2009 19:40:00 +0000

Have you ever noticed that it’s always after the fact that someone decides to impart their wisdom on you? As if it were common knowledge that babies are best bathed before they eat as opposed to after, as they may decide to change the bath water from clear to a murky brown. Or how about that toddlers are healthier eaters overall if they graze rather consume a full portion at each sitting?

There are so many books out there with tidbits of information on how to care for your child, but I have not found one that I would call a complete encyclopedia on raising children from conception to graduation. Maybe there isn’t meant to be a “how to” manual, but there were times at 3am when I would have liked to have felt like there was somewhere I could turn for answers on a crying infant who was clean and fed. Someone to suggest that the baby was just missing being in the womb and needed some white noise and a swooshing motion to drift off to sleep.

Are parents just not imparting their aged wisdom on their children and when we become parents we’re lacking in the knowledge of our forefathers? Have we become so reliant on technology that we no longer look to our elders for advice, rather we search the internet for options on proper breastfeeding techniques? Or has it been this way throughout the ages that we just stumble around, trust our gut and make our best efforts at molding these precious little bundles into productive, responsible adults?

If technology is the teacher we’re turning to, perhaps we should create a list of What Parents Know FAQs? So I ask you, as a parent, what do you know? Feel free to leave a comment, or offer to write a blurb on lessons you’ve learned in the course of parenting that you wish someone had told you.

Image by: singleparentspecials

What is Attachment Parenting?

Editor — Fri, 04 Dec 2009 16:49:34 +0000

Attachment Parenting is a parenting style that promotes physical and emotional closeness between the parents and the child. This phrase was coined by Dr. Sears and his wife, Martha to describe this attentive parenting style.

The style of Attachment Parenting is achieved through tools known as 7 Baby B’s

1. Birth Bonding: Attachment parenting encourages parents to hold their new born baby often in the early sensitive weeks to foster bonding

2. Breastfeeding: Breastfeeding is encouraged because breast milk contains nutrients that cannot be duplicated but it also enhances the mother’s instincts to respond to her baby through physical closeness and attentiveness.

3. Baby Wearing: Baby wearing is the practice of carrying the baby close to the parent’s body by using the a sling or a carrier. It is believed that carried babies full less and also spend more time in quiet alertness.

4. Bedsharing/Co-Sleeping: The parents and the baby sleep on the same bed giving the opportunity to be close even at bedtime. This is believed to encourage attachment as the baby feels safe and does not suffer from night time separation anxiety.

5. Belief: Parents responding sensitively to the baby’s cries builds trust as tiny babies only cry when they are experiencing discomfort. This helps the parents build the confidence in their ability to help the baby and the baby knows it can count on the parent when it needs help.

6. Beware of baby trainers: Attachment parenting style encourages parents to not stick to a tight schedule as many baby trainers advocate. Parents watch the baby for signs to eat, sleep or play and requires the parents to know the baby intimately.

7. Balance: Everything in life requires a balance. Parents must know when to say Yes or when to say No to the baby.

This parenting style does not require the parent to follow each of these points religiously and parents must use these tools instinctively and decide what will work best for them and the baby.

What has been your experience with this style of parenting?

Further Resources

To learn more on Attachment Parenting, check out these books we found online:

The Attachment Parenting Book : A Commonsense Guide to Understanding and Nurturing Your Baby

The Attachment Connection: Parenting a Secure & Confident Child Using the Science of Attachment Theory

Attachment Parenting: Instinctive Care for Your Baby and Young Child

Image by: Ephotography