Each child is unique, much like a snowflake. Children have their own likes and dislikes, temper or calmness, and you need to adjust your parenting style to work with their listening style. Here are some ideas given to us by parents who have raised their children and survived.
What experts say is true– reading books to your child is very important. Children learn just about everything by reading, from colors and numbers, to shapes and letters. Experts believe that 30 minutes of book reading each night could have your child on the way to reading before they even reach kindergarten!
When you’re out an about, make sure you introduce your child to anyone you meet. This helps their self-esteem and gets them used to meeting new people. If you don’t introduce your child, you make them feel invisible and ignored. It’s important that your child feel loved and like they’re part of the family.
To encourage breastfeeding in an infant, offer your child plenty of skin to skin contact. Skin to skin contact makes a young infant feel content. It also allows them to smell Mom’s milk and so, want to breastfeed more. The feeling of bonding and closeness that skin to skin contact facilitates is also great for Mom, as it reduces stress.
When your child is having a crying temper tantrum, the best thing you can do is to let them cry it out. Eventually, they will get tired and stop. If your child includes physical demonstrations in their temper tantrums, intervention could be necessary to avoid the possibility of injury.
Before taking your child to the doctor, prepare your young one for the visit. This can be reading a book about doctors or even roleplaying. Children often feel anxious about visiting the doctor, so preparing them for the visit and letting them know that the doctor’s office is not scary, will calm their fears.
A great parenting tip is to let your child make their own decisions sometimes. When you always make decisions for your child, they’ll grow up being incapable of making their own decisions. This can really hurt them in the long run. Give your child a little independence sometimes.
Get your twins on the same schedule as soon as you can. Having two babies on two separate schedules can end up being the death of you. You have to get your rest where you can but twins who are hungry and sleepy at different times will keep you from doing so. If one wakes up hungry, feed him and then wake up the other one. Make sure to lay them down at the same time. It won’t take long before they start getting on the same schedule.
It is important for a child to know exactly what is expected of them each and every day. A child should not have to wonder or guess what their parents want them to do. They should know exactly what they are supposed to do and what the consequences will be if they do not do what is expected.
As kids get to be older, they can still have the same difficulty in calming down as they had when they were small babies. You can provide them with a place to calm themselves by throwing a blanket over a table to give them a safe cocoon type place to regroup.
Children react better to positive reinforcement than negative reinforcement. Parents also often overlook when a child does something well but tend to get angry and hand out punishments when a child does something wrong. A much better environment would be where the parents praise and reward the child for doing something well. Children are much more eager to obtain rewards than they are to avoid punishment.
If your child comes and asks you a question about something and you do not know what the answer is you should be completely honest about that. Making up something is not going to solve the issue, so it is best for you to say you do not know and offer to help them find the answer.
In order to teach you child how to have good behavior you have to show them by example. You cannot tell your child to act a certain way and then you go and do the opposite right in front of them. Act the way that you want them to act.
One great way to become involved in your child’s life is to join peer groups. It can be anything from a library group to an athletic group to a mommy and me group. Not only are these peer groups great for getting involved in fun activities with your kids, but it allows both you and your child to meet people and make new friends.
A great tip to help you be a good parent is to never abuse drugs or alcohol. If your child sees you when you’re drunk or high on drugs they’ll lose a tremendous amount of respect for you. You can simply avoid this by drinking moderately and by not doing drugs.
While every parent knows that they are setting examples for their children, some parents forget that this process goes on all the time. A parent should never make a promise without fulfilling it. Kids are extremely sensitive to what their parents say; they always pay attention. Good parents keep this in mind and never make promises without intending to keep them.
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.
