Make sure your parenting skills are the very best they can be, by adding some great new tips to your knowledge set. No matter how good you think your parenting skills are, there is always more that you can learn about being the very best parent that you can be. Take a look at the practical tips in this article.
Spend time with your children. While there has been a movement in recent years for parents to focus on “quality time” with their children, most children simply want “quantity time”. Even if you’re not doing anything, your child enjoys being around you – savor it. In addition, spending time interacting with young children is vital to their intellectual development.
While it is important to spend time with your kids, you always need to set aside some time for yourself. This allows you to retain your individualism, which is sometimes lost in the course of parenting.
Having a picky eat can be very difficult at times. Make sure you are offering them plenty of different foods. Also make sure to serve their favorite foods often as long as they are healthy. Have them at least try one bite before they decide not to have any of it.
If your child has figured out how to unzip their pajamas at night, buy the kind without the feet on them. Put them on your child backwards. He will not be able to reach the zipper, so he will not be able to take his clothes off. This will lead to a better night’s sleep for everyone in the family.
Consistency is essential when parenting children. Children need to know what is expected of them every time. If you are not consistent with your expectations, it could cause your child to get confused and not know what it expected of them. Keeping expectations constant makes life easier for both the parent and the child.
Bring along things your child is familiar with from home when you are traveling with them. A young child can easily be confused about a vacation as it is a break from their routine, and you don’t want them to be spoiling the fun for the rest of the family. Taking your child’s favorite soft toy or blanket with you will help your child to feel more at home and relaxed in a different location.
A great parenting tip is to never blab to your child’s siblings or other people when your child divulges a secret to you. Not being able to keep a secret is a surefire way to lose your child’s trust. Unless the secret requires intervening, you should just keep it between you and your child.
Use common household items to keep your child entertained. Items such as empty paper towel rolls, pots and pans, empty boxes and old clothing, can easily occupy a child’s imagination without a lot of financial investment. As an added benefit, children encouraged to use their imagination in play, are often more successful at problem solving as they get older.
Encourage your child to drink lots of water. Sugary sodas, juices with hidden sugar and even sugar-free drinks add either extra calories or unhealthy artificial sweeteners to his diet. Drinking water will keep a child well-hydrated and help to maintain a healthy digestive system. If they want something that tastes good, try mixing a little fruit juice with the water.
Do not resort to yelling if your child has done something wrong or made you mad. Yelling does nothing but make your child fear you. Instead, lower yourself to their eye level and in a firm voice, explain to them what they did wrong and why they cannot do it again.
Help your child decide what to keep and what to donate. It is easy for a child to get overwhelmed with possessions. Too often the consequence is disorganization and sloppiness. While a parent should never arbitrarily throw away a child’s possessions, it is constructive for them to work with the child teaching them how to keep those possessions from overflowing their room.
Children often want to be our “little-helpers”� in the kitchen while we are cooking dinner. Take some pots and pans, along with a wooden spoon and a rolling-pin and let your little one bang to his hearts content. Encourage him by telling him how helpful he is being, and how you love when he helps you cook. This should entertain him long enough for you to whip up dinner.
One way to teach your kids is to set a great example yourself. If you are spending a lot of time going out, watching TV, or playing games try to show an example by spending time watching documentaries or reading books. They will want to be just like you, and will end up liking educational things.
Know your kid’s friends and who they are hanging out with. This means having their parent’s contact information and actually using it. If you build a network of parents who know each other and communicate, then you will have a group that you can turn to when you need to check up on your kids or seek out help.
To become a better parent you may want to think of taking classes or even starting your own discussion groups with friends. Sharing experiences and coming up with new ways to handle situations can be beneficial to you. Maybe, you can even teach the other parents a thing or two about your parenting style.
Positive Parenting
Positive parenting is a great practice to follow because it allows for structure and discipline for the child. Parents that practice positive parenting methods focus on the good things that their child is doing rather than the negative. By doing this, parents build up the self esteem of their child, as well as promote a positive environment for everyone.
