If you are struggling with bedtime battles or the naptime naughties, Child n’Parent can   help.  Let our experienced parenting writers give you the lowdown on what works and what does not!  Sleeping and naptime can truly be better with help from Child n’Parent.

Train Your Newborn to Develop a Healthy Sleep Pattern
Learn how to help your newborn develop a healthy sleep pattern that will gradually build into a healthy sleep schedule.  Discover the dos and don’ts of bedtime routines and get brother and sister in on the new baby fun!

Make Your Baby’s Bedtime Routine a Bonding Time
Great suggestions to get the most out of your baby’s bedtime routine.  Learn how to bond with your baby at bedtime.  Read through our fussy baby checklist to put a stop to the fuss and get your baby to bed!

Safely Swaddle Your Fussy Baby to Sleep
Okay, so you have tried almost everything and your fussy baby will still not go to sleep.  Try swaddling.  Read our article about this ancient and effective art.  Learn how to safely swaddle your baby and use this superior technique as a quality baby sleep aid.

Get Your Baby to Sleep with These Proven Techniques
Need more ideas?  Learn how to keep track of baby’s bedtime and naptime habits in a sleepy-time journal.  Get some tips on setting up your baby’s sleeping environment including the idea of co-sleeping.   Get more ideas on how to soothe your baby to sleep and learn more about baby sleep cycles.

Proven Techniques to Train Your Infant to Sleep through the Night
Train your infant to sleep through the night with “Ferberizing” techniques from Dr. Richard Ferber.  Learn where you can find out more about “crying options” from Dr. Marc Weissbluth.

Naptime Help for Parents and Toddlers
Get great tips on making your toddler’s naptime easier from our experts.  Find out what to do when your naptime plan does not work.

You Can Stop Your Child’s Nightmares
You can stop a night fright problem right in its tracks with expert advice from Dr. Kristi.  Learn how to create safe sleep haven for your child.  Find out what might be causing the nightmares and utilize a step by step communication method to get to the bottom of your child’s fears.

Soothe Your Baby to Sleep right here on the Child n’Parent blog.

By: Debby Hoffer

Sleep training your baby should begin at eight weeks and continue until they are twelve months of age.  Getting your child to develop a healthy sleep pattern will score big benefits in the long run.  The National Sleep Foundation states “children who get enough sleep are more likely to function better and are less prone to behavioral problems and moodiness.”  *Sleep training your baby during their first year of life can help in preventing sleep problems:

Nightmares:  All children have nightmares and it usually caused by a disruption in their normal routine.  Establishing a regular consistent bed time routine early in life will help your child develop healthy sleep habits and cut down on the night terrors.

Separation Anxiety:  This often occurs at four to twelve months of age.  If it is not nipped in the bud, your child could develop an over dependent nature.  Young babies will also require a great deal of time and attention, but by 2-4 years, a healthy consistent sleep pattern should be in place.  Teaching your child at the infant stage how to self-soothe themselves back to sleep is one of the best parenting gifts you can give them.

Sleep Walking and Talking:  *Sleep walking occurs in older children often during times of stress and fatigue.  Sleep training your child at the baby stage will teach them when to sleep (night) and how to get enough sleep.  As your baby grows from toddler to child, teach them how to listen to their body so that they will learn to determine how much sleep they need to maintain a healthy sleep pattern.

When you start sleep training your baby, keep in mind that every baby, toddler and child is different.  The technique that works for one may not work for another.  For great beddie bye suggestions and sleep training techniques, check out our article “Getting a Good Night’s Sleep with Baby.” Soon you and your little one will find the wonderful path to sleepy time land.

*Baby sleep statistics from the American Academy of Pediatrics     *Information on childhood sleep disorders from the National Sleep Foundation

By:  Debby Hoffer

What is Diarrhea?

Diarrhea is generally watery or liquid stools.  We have all experienced acute diarrhea which only lasts a couple of days.  Usually a child with diarrhea goes to the bathroom more than three times a day.  Diarrhea can be a side effect of treatments or even long lasting diarrhea can be a sign of a more chronic disease.

Unfortunately diarrhea is an all to common side effect of antibiotics.  But there are some things you can do to proactively avoid this side effect or alleviate some of the symptoms and get back to a healthy state rather quickly.

Why do antibiotics cause diarrhea?

The answer is simple.  Your doctor prescribes antibiotics to kill off bad bacteria.  There is both good and bad bacteria in your body.  The good bacteria in your digestive system helps the enzymes break down the food and also helps to fight off bad bacteria.  The antibiotics do not generally discriminate against which bacteria it fights and kills off.  This usually means both good and bad bacteria are eliminated from your body.

How can I protect my child?

This is a simple answer as well but often times overlooked.  When your child is prescribed an antibiotic ask your doctor to prescribe a probiotic as well.  Make sure your child takes this while taking the antibiotic and a week after he/she finishes taking the antibiotic.  The probiotic will help to replenish the good bacteria your child’s digestive tract has lost during the antibiotics healing process.  As always anytime a side effect occurs from medication the prescribing doctor should be notified.  He/she may have some alternatives as well to help aid in the healing process.

Another good tip is to have your child eat yogurt with live cultures to help replace the good bacteria usually known as lactobacillus, which can also be found in acidolphilus milk.

Diarrhea can dehydrate a person; drink plenty of water, pedialyte, and sports drink.  Your child can also lose important nutrients in the body with diarrhea.  Make sure your child is fed, if solid food is not something the child wants offer broth that is low in sodium.  Fruit juices or the fruit and soda can help replace potassium.

If diarrhea is persistent and home treatments do not help it may be necessary to take your child back for a check up.  One reason is sometimes the antibiotic kills off more good bacteria and not enough bad bacteria.  This bacteria will continue to lay in the digestive tract and is kept down in count by the good flora in your body, but it does not eliminate the bad bacteria.  This can become c-difficile-associated diarrhea, pseudomembranous colitis also known as PMC, or even a life threatening condition known as toxic megacolon.  This is rare and only occurs in 1-2 out of a hundred people.

C-difficile bacteria can be passed on to other family members that may be handling the stool; possibly changing diapers or cleaning soiled clothes.  The bacteria can live outside the human body for months and sometimes years.  If you handled the stool in anyway make sure you notify your doctor so that you also can be tested.

Can you prevent Diarrhea from Antibiotics?

The simple answer is no.  Most of the time diarrhea is caused because the antibiotics are doing the job they are supposed to do.  On rare occasions you might be able to avoid taking a general antibiotic and wait for the test results to come back telling the doctor a specific antibiotic that will most likely take care of the bad bacteria, but even then, the antibiotic might not work and may still kill off the good bacteria.  The best form of prevention is to catch the symptoms as quickly as possible, notify the doctor and start treating the symptoms.

We all want to protect our children from the evils and diseases in the world today.  But we cannot keep them safe from everything.  Fighting off bacterial infections and side effects helps your child to build a healthy immune system.  It is never good to see anyone sick, let alone your child, but knowing this is a normal process of life and will help them to fight off other illnesses in the future is a positive thought to remember.

Child n’Parent offers many resources for your children’s health.

By:  Jami Wright

But children thrive on discipline. They act like they hate it (and us), but it makes them who they are. Children need rules and need to learn to obey them.

Here are some tips to help you out:

Do: Be Consistent
Discipline without consistency usually fails.  If you make a rule, it should be a rule all of the time.  Not just when you have time to deal with it or in the privacy of your own home.  You must be ready at all time to enforce the rules you set down. A rule is a rule is a rule.  If you make exceptions more than you stick to the rule, no one will believe it.   Same goes for doling out consequences.

Do not: Give In
Your kids are going to beg. They will cry and scream and say they hate you. Don’t give in. Kids are the best manipulators, but as much as they might hurt your feelings, you cannot give in. They know exactly what they’re doing.  If you give in they will know exactly how to work you the next time and you’ll never win. Giving in shows your child that you are not serious about the rules and consequences that you set down.

Do: Lay Out Consequences
Your children need to know exactly what will happen when they break a rule. Then when they break a rule and lose the privilege, it will not be a surprise (though they will act as if it is). It helps to lay out the rules on paper and post them on the fridge or another common area. Also write out what they will lose if they do break a rule. When a rule is broken, that treat they were so looking forward to gets crossed off. Remember that you don’t need to argue with them about this. You make the rules, they live by them.

Do not: Be Afraid To Discipline In Public
Children act up in public and parents get embarrassed. Remember that children don’t embarrass that easily and will throw temper tantrums from your wildest imaginations. Don’t be too embarrassed to discipline your child in public. Who cares what other people think? Besides, anyone who ever had children will know exactly what you’re going through.

Keep positive parenting in your relationship.  Your child will absorb discipline better with some real, earned praise from you. Going out of our way a little bit, can make a big impression on our children. Sometimes your child may need only a few minutes of undivided attention to be happier, feel more needed, and be much more willing to follow the rules.

For great ideas in parenting see “Teaching Children Joy” and “Fun in the Sun Activities for kids.”

Look for more parenting tips at   Child n’Parent.

By:  Destiny

Congratulations to our talented writers Debby Hoffer, Megan Wallgren, Vanessa Lee, Dawn Blankenship, Stephanie Moore, Dr. Kristi, Destiny, Brandi Ellis and all the others.  Their research and writing craft has been given generously and they have often invited us into their lives with their own personal experiences.

Child n’Parent  is especially proud of these posts on Children’s Health and Children’s Safety:

Child Proofing Your Home

In today’s economy, every dollar counts. There are many “child proofing” experts out there that would be happy to charge you hundreds and even thousands of dollars to child proof your home.  The big secret is that you can do it yourself for very little cost.

Healthy Meals for Kids When Eating Out

Dining out is challenging enough for adults but when it comes to kids, the challenge is even greater. Even though many sit-down and fast food restaurants are adding healthier adult dining options, the meal choices for the little ones are still surprisingly high in calories and fat. When surveying the kid’s menu at fast food restaurants, the standard seems to be fried chicken nuggets or chicken strips served alongside a serving of greasy French fries. It would almost be a joke to call this meal low fat or nutritionally sound. If you’re looking for a healthy menu for kids at a restaurant or fast food stop, what are your options?

Flu Shot or Not?

Flu season is on its way.  Though getting a flu shot may seem like a no brainer to some, at $20 a shot for my family of six, I want to know if it’s really necessary.

Honey, the Better Treatment for Your Child’s Cough?

Remember the unbearable taste, not to mention aftertaste of the cough syrup your Mother gave you as a child?  Over the years cough syrup has improved and has become more bearable, however most children still put up a fight when they know they have to take a spoonful of the dreaded syrup.  What if there was an alternative?  Something that your child already likes that could help treat their cough?

When Your Baby Has a Fever

Babies have underdeveloped temperature control systems. Mosquito bites, bee stings, allergic reactions, viral infections, bacterial infections- all of these can cause an infant to burn. Usually, a fever occurs when the body detects an unwelcome presence. By raising the heat, the body makes itself inhospitable to germs and wakes up white blood cells.  Fever also activates the body’s immune system.

We are also proud of our writers for the great parenting resources they provide on Child n’Parent with articles on Child Health and Child Safety.

Motivation for good child nutrition

This study was carried out by a group of child nutrition researchers at Cornell University and showed that four-year-old preschoolers ate more vegetables when the vegetables were given catchy, funny, child-friendly, names such as “super sonic spinach” or “topsy turvy tomatoes”, for example. It seems these types of names resonate with children and inspire them to eat the same vegetables they previously would have ignored.

In child nutrition there is power in words

In this study when vegetables were given names and presented to a group of pre-school kids, the four-year-olds ate fifty percent more than when the vegetables were called by their standard names. While this may sound silly to adults, as it turns out, adults aren’t immune to the power of names either. When menu items at restaurants are given fancier, more descriptive names, sales of these items tend to go up. It seems that there is power in words, particularly when it comes to encouraging your children to eat more vegetables.

Your child will be asking for seconds

Would this clever naming trick work in your own house? Start by choosing a healthy vegetable and before preparing it for your child, give it a nifty new name. Try to relate the name to something your child enjoys such as a favorite television show, cartoon character, comic book character, or a sports name. This will help your child better identify with it. When your child sits down to dinner, encourage him to help himself to the “power peas” and “blast off broccoli”. To your delight, you may find your child asking for seconds instead of struggling to eat the first plate. And more vegetables mean more antioxidants to help keep your child healthy.

Although this child nutrition study was conducted on four-year-old children, there’s no reason to think the renaming game won’t encourage children of all ages to eat more vegetables. Give it a try in your house and see if doesn’t inspire your own children to eat more veggies with less of a fuss.

Find more help to get children to eat healthy ant Child n’Parent.

By:  Dr. Kristi

Cyanide ?
Cyanogenic glycosides, as the name suggests, contains cyanide attached to a sugar molecule. When this compound is acted on by an enzyme, the sugar molecule is cleaved off, leaving behind the well known poison, cyanide. The truth is if you were to eat apple seeds in large quantities, they could kill you, but in most cases, the seeds pass through the digestive system without releasing significant amounts of cyanide unless you chew on them to release the toxin.

Even if some poison is released from the seeds, your body has the capability of neutralizing small amounts of cyanide and you probably wouldn’t experience serious effects unless you were to eat apple seeds in very high amounts.

Unfortunately, a small child or a pet may not be so lucky. It might not take a large number of apple seeds to cause symptoms in a child or pet which means you should avoid giving your pets apples unless you remove the seeds. The same applies to children.

What kind of symptoms would develop if you were to eat apple seeds to the point of toxicity? You might experience neurological symptoms including seizures, headache, lightheadedness, and dizziness along with fluctuations in heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure. Vomiting and excessive salivation could occur. If you consumed enough seeds, you might develop severe breathing problems followed by respiratory failure and death. Because of the large quantity of seeds needed to poison a human, this isn’t commonly seen, although animals are not infrequently affected.

The bottom line? You probably shouldn’t panic if you swallow a few apple seeds. Just make sure your children and pets don’t eat apple seeds. (or other fruit seeds and pits).

Whatever you do – keep giving the kids those seedless apples! They’re a healthy source of fiber and antioxidants.

More great children’s health help at Child n’Parent.

Pregnant?  We can help!   Check our fun to read ebook “My Bloomin Belly.”

Dr. Kristi

The first step in the child proofing process is to draw a basic layout of your home.  Identify areas in your home that  present a child safety concern.  Include electrical outlets that are low to the ground, outside doors and stairs.  Identify big hazards which would include a pool, sauna and any area where your child might be tempted to climb to an unsafe height.  Identify environmental hazards by red marking any rooms where your child might find unsafe things to play with such as matches, guns, knives and sharp scissors. Each danger area is a red zone until you make it safe for your child.

Good Work! You have designed your layout, now go room by room and make a list of items that you will need to childproof each area.  Some of the items may include:

• Protective Covers:  One for each electrical outlet.
• Stair Guard:  A protective barrier that can be purchased at a local store. It is designed to fit snugly against a wall and is tall enough to prevent babies and toddlers from climbing over.  You will need two, one for the top and one for the bottom of the stairs.
• Plastic Tubs or Storage Bins:  For putting away dangerous objects and keeping toys organized.
• Door Knob Covers:  Covers that make it difficult for a child to open an outside door.
• Door Alarms: They sound off when a child has opened a door.
• Cupboard Locks:  These will keep your child out of cupboards that contain dangerous substances such as household cleaners.
• Pantry Lock:  To keep your child from getting into the food and climbing up the pantry.
• A Cabinet and/or Lock:  For storing and protecting guns or locking up a pool gate.
• A self swing and self locking gate:  For those areas that are difficult to constantly monitor such as a pool area or any dangerous area in your back yard.

With your list of the childproofing items you need, make some trips to your local department and hardware stores.  Look for deals, but do not compromise on safety.  If a lock or barrier seems too easy for you to open, chances are that your child will eventually figure out how to open it too.

Once you have made your plans and purchases, enlist the help of your husband, brother, uncle, or manly friend.  Give them an opportunity to show off their muscles and “tool time” skills.  While they are busy installing, you can cover electrical outlets and enlist other family members to help put away all of the dangerous stuff.

Put your sewing needles in a protective plastic container that your child cannot open.  Store the scissors and matches in high places that your child cannot reach.  Barricade your stairs and play safety police once a week where older siblings can scour the house while looking for potential safety hazards.  Set it up with colors or numbers for the different levels of danger.  A super danger zone could be labeled as red or a five, while a safe zone could be considered white, or a zero. While playing this game, give out ideas on how older siblings can help keep little brothers and sisters safe.  Pick up the toys just before bed and have family stranger danger and fire escape plans in place.

Protecting your child both inside and outside of the home is a challenging parental goal.  With a little masculine help and family team work, you will soon be able to declare your home a safe white zone.  Happy childproofing!

See our recent  post and protect your child from school germs!

By: Debby Hoffer

Common Cold Viruses Adrift in the Air

You just had a baby not long ago and someone visiting you and the baby is, unbeknownst to him or you, infected with a common cold virus in its most contagious part of the cycle, the shedding stage, and suddenly without warning sneezes into the air. Roughly, 40,000 droplets of what just came out if his nose is now set adrift in the immediate surrounding air. No actions are taken by anyone to avoid the contaminated snotlet droplets now floating around the baby, because it was just a little sneeze and doesn’t mean much. Two days later your baby has a 101.5º temperature and can’t breathe but out of his mouth.

Common Cold Viruses Stick To Your Hand Like Glue

You just landed your third babysitting gig for your mom’s friends who have a two year old toddler. You only get to watch her for two hours, but that’s twenty dollars you didn’t have before, right! Come 6 pm you arrive at the Smiths’ house and just before you ring the doorbell you cover your mouth with your hand like you’ve been taught when you cough. A quick passing though crosses your mind, ” I wonder if I’m getting sick, since I started coughing at school today and just now, again.” Just then the door opens and the Smiths are so happy you’re there and you follow them inside to the adorable waiting baby whose outstretched hands have been waiting for yours. It wouldn’t matter if it had been a couple of hours after you coughed into your hand, because you couldn’t get to the crook of your arm or into your shoulder fast enough, or just before you started holding hands with the baby. Common cold viruses stick to your hands like glue.

Common Cold Viruses Contaminate Innocent Playthings

You’ve been awaiting your little toddlers playdate with greater anticipation than your toddler. Finally, you and toddler in tow make your way to where the other three parents and toddlers are meeting. All sorts of toys have been collected together for the occasion, and all of the parents have been very conscientious about disinfecting whatever they brought to the toy pool now in the center of the room. All of the toddlers have been enjoying themselves playing with the toys, but you notice your toddler has since gravitated toward one of his favorite things to play with-the remote control-and has it in a death-grip because he knows at some point you’re going to suddenly pop up and take it away. You wrestle your friends remote control away from your toddler, and innocently enough neither you or your friend realize that someone contaminated it with a common cold virus only a couple of hours earlier. Every toy in the place is clean, but not that one innocent plaything toddler just has to have in his mouth whenever he gets a chance.

Whether by air, human touch or contaminated surfaces, the causes or situations where a common cold virus can make its way into your baby’s or toddler’s system are quite numerous. While most everyone is aware of how a baby can catch a cold, how many of us are as avidly conscientious about protecting the baby or toddler from catching the common cold as we should be.

For treatment of your baby’s cold here is help and for fighting off RSV infection see Child n’Parent.

By:  T. H. Pankey

For the best ebook to guide you through pregnancy see “My Bloomin Belly.”

I spent hours reading and researching, and by the time I was done I was a bored, paranoid, emotional Mother -To-Be worried that I would forget something important or miss a sign and lose my baby.  It was terrible.  Looking back three pregnancies later I have to laugh.  After all, it is just pregnancy, and while it is very important, it is also something that our bodies do naturally and if we just stick to the basics our babies will be born fine, and we can actually enjoy our pregnancies.

Now, I have had numerous friends and family members who have gone through the same things as I did, and at the end, we sit back and joke about all of the silly things we did and worried about, and wonder why no-one told us the truth about pregnancy.

There are things that we were never told that really end up happening to most women.  Instead we were told the things that we had a one in a million chance of experiencing.  It made me angry, and I wanted to help other women so that they could focus on the important things; the things that really happen, and give them advice to make pregnancy what it should be;  A joyful and fun experience!

I was so excited to have the opportunity to co-write an amazing book called My Bloomin Belly.  This book is funny, packed with vital information, and walks women through pregnancy step by step.  I think that my favorite thing about this book is the real advice it gives.  It tells you what your options are and helps you make decisions that will be best for you, your baby, and your partner.  You get views from Doctors and Midwives.  Real pictures of a baby growing inside of a mother, not just drawings, will amaze you!  You will laugh at true stories of crazy things women have done while pregnant, and probably even relate.

If you buy just one book while you are pregnant, this is the one you must have!  It comes with another book packed with tips on getting financial assistance while pregnant and after, and has many topics that answer questions that we know every mother will have at some point during her pregnancy.

I know that you will love “My Bloomin Belly a Pregnancy Calendar Plus”.  Everyone that has read it tells me how amazing it is, and how they cannot live without it.  I wish you the best pregnancy, and hope that this book will help you enjoy it just a little more.

My Bloomin Belly is available at   www.pregnancycalendarplus.com

By:  Brandi Ellis