Sunday, August 8, 2010

Baby Massage

Massages are ideal tools for bonding and it is a loving way of getting in touch, literally with people we love. Your baby will love a massage and you will experience a massive bonding. Massages are not only relaxing but also are a way of communicating feelings of love. A baby massage is known to have therapeutic effects on the baby such as boosting immunity. It has also helped reduce a baby’s crying in times of distress. A baby massage is known to put them to sleep for longer as they feel very relaxed. A massage will enhance your communication with the baby and this strengthens the bond. Growth has been known to be stimulated by massages and premature babies are subjected to it to enhance their development.

It is important to know how to massage your delicate baby to ensure that the experience on them is pleasurable. It is important to have baby oil or cream as well as a soft blanket and two towels. These are necessary have to facilitate a comfortable massage. The best time to massage your baby is when he is calm or an hour after feeding him. It is important to ensure that the room is warm to avoid exposing the baby to cold, which could give him health problems. The ideal time for a baby massage is immediately after bathing the baby as he is fresh and the room is warm enough. Ensure that all the materials you need for the massage are near you avoid wasting too much time getting them together.

The next step is drying the baby well and laying him on the soft towel. To make sure that the oil is at the right temperature, it is advisable to rub it on your hands as this warms it up. The pressure should be put on the baby’s tender skin lightly to avoid injuries, as babies are very sensitive. The finger’s pads are the most appropriate to use and the massage should start from the face working it upwards to the head. As baby massage is a means of communicating with your baby, it is important to make it fun. This will involve singing lovely songs to the baby and talking to him. This is known to stimulate the baby and he or she will respond with sweet giggles and chuckles because babies understand this form of communication.

After massaging the baby’s face and head, you will get to the arms and shoulders. The massage continues subtly and taking care not to injure the sensitive parts such as the elbows and armpits. From the arms and shoulders you move to the stomach and chest and the movements of the finger pads continues smoothly with gentle movements. From here, you move on gently to the legs and feet where you massage the thighs, ankles and the soles of the feet. The last part to massage is the back and the baby is supposed to lie on his or her stomach. The finishing strokes go all over the body and should give a general massage.

Parenting Tips For Kids

Every single day, there are adults everywhere who are at their ends wit when it comes to trying to stop kids from talking back. If you face this challenge, it is essential to know and understand that it is not appropriate to give into this type of behavior. It is considered to be highly disrespectful and disrespect should not be tolerated in children. If it is tolerated, the child will grow to develop many different types of emotional and behavioral problems. If you are having problem in stopping the back talk, it is important to evaluate your response to this behavior, as well as the responses of others. It is then that you can develop a plan to put a stop to this type of verbal disrespect.

Spoiling a child does not happen overnight. It usually involves a series of perpetual actions and events that parents set in place that leads to bad behavior and an overly pampered child. Parenting websites and parenting guides will tell you that it is usually not so much the fault of the child. No child is born spoilt. However, it is usually within the parent's control that determines what type of influence they want to expose their child to and also how clearly right and wrong is defined for the child.

There are many different reasons why a child may talk back. The following list details some of the reasons why this may occur:

1. If a child is talking back, it is important to observe the behavior of the adults in the home. It is a known fact that many children model themselves after the adults that they come in contact with on a daily basis. Do the adults in the home exhibit a smartallic conversational tone? Do these individuals become loud and obnoxious? If this is occurring in the home, it is quite possible that the child is not the one to blame, but the adults in the home are. Appropriate behavior modification should be implemented in order to adjust to that which is acceptable.

2. If the parents and other adults around the child who is talking back often "gives in" to the behavior of the child, the kid will use this to their advantage. They will gain a certain level of control by back talking and being quite obnoxious about it. Children should grow to learn that "no" is no, and that they will not always get their way.

3. Many children who do not feel as if they get any attention from their parents may begin to talk back to adults in order to acquire attention - even if it is negative. To a child, negative attention is better than no attention at all.

Wednesday, July 7, 2010

Summer Activities For Kids

When school lets out and you see the bored faces of your children looking at you for something to do, you better have something going on for them. They can partake in all types of summer activities at home, but you also want to have some things they can do with other children in a group setting. Children should be free to have fun and use their own imagination to entertain themselves, but you can also find some constructive and fun things they can do with friends without you having to worry about where they are. Activities for kids are everywhere, so look around to see what is available to you.

You can find out about organized activities for kids in your community through your local school district. They often send home fliers and booklets that outline what is available in the community throughout the summer. If your child is in a group like Girl or Boy Scouts, they have their own summer activities that you can sign your kids up for each year. You can also see what your local paper lists for you, and if you have a parks and recreations department in your community, they are just a phone call away. See what they have going on as well.

Some children do better with structure, making these activities for kids the very best bet for them. Just remember not to fill their entire summer up with things to do away from you. Family time is essential, and there is no better time than the summer to have some of that. Ask your children if they have any special interests or things they already know they want to do. You can then look for camps or programs that will work for them. Sign them up early and then you know when you have free time otherwise.

For family activities for kids, you want to plan at least one summer vacation. This can be hard with two parents working, but even a long weekend is enough. You just have to take the time to find something suitable for everyone. Camping trips can be fun for most families. If you take some time, you can find a campgrounds nearby. If not, perhaps you know friends or family that have the room for you to come stay with them for a little while. You can find family activities to do there as well.

Don't forget to allow your children to come up with their own activities for kids. They probably have friends in your neighborhood that they want to spend some time with for sleepovers and lazy days at the pool. Children will have fun at organized events, but it is really good for them to have some free time to come up with their own things to do. Without the opportunity to amuse themselves, they will never be content on their own. Learning to entertain themselves is a great tool that will stimulate their imagination, an essential tool for life long productivity.

Thursday, May 6, 2010

Babies Born Premature

Once you pass the halfway point of your pregnancy, you may breathe a sigh of relief because your baby has passed the danger point of miscarriage. However, this does not mean that all is well. There are many babies born premature for various reasons. You should not overly stress yourself about this possibility, but you do have to still continue to take care of yourself and to make sure your doctors are watching for warning signs and problems that could mean an early delivery. Every day in the womb is a gift, so keep them there as long as you possibly can.

Babies born premature can have huge problems throughout life. Thankfully, many babies thrive with the right care and some born as early as three months early show no signs of any complications of being born early. These babies were strong from the start, and were lucky enough to have the right care. Babies have have complications may still have great care, but they have bigger hurdles to overcome than others. Each baby is going to have his or her own unique journey. Each day is a question, and each complication makes time in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit a roller coaster ride.

You are more likely to have babies born prematurely if you are having your own complications during pregnancy. Some women have what is called incomplete cervix. This means the cervix does not close properly, and premature birth is more likely. There are ways to fix this problem, as long as it is caught on time. Infection in the mother, or conditions like pre-eclampsia mean a baby may have to be born early in order for them and their mother to survive. This is just one of the many reasons why good prenatal care for the mother is so essential.

If your doctor warns you to stay in bed because you are at risk for giving birth early, you have to do it. You do not want your child to have the same challenges that many babies born prematurely face in some cases. There are a few different types of bed rest. Some have modified bed rest where they are down for some of the day, but can get up to take short walks and do light chores. Others are in the hospital and can not get up for much more than going to the bathroom. It can be hard to be on bed rest, but it is even harder to see your baby fight for life in the NICU.

If you want to help babies born premature, or to help reduce the numbers born early, you can give your time or your money to the March of Dimes for research. Though there are known reasons why some babies are born prematurely, sometimes there is no known reason. It just happens. The March of Dimes helps fund research for prevention of prematurity as well as research on how to better care for these precious babies so they too can have normal lives. You can also donate time or money to your local NICU as well.

Tuesday, March 2, 2010

Teaching Kids the Truth

"Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it." (Proverbs 22:6)

It's true that we all make concessions in our hectic lives, and we don't always make time to read God's Word with our children. Reading the Bible daily with your children is a great goal to aim for. It will help your children learn to love the teachings in the Bible from an early age.

If you aren't in the habit of reading regularly, start with one or two nights a week and go from there. For kids that haven't been exposed to the Bible or think that it is boring stuff, you may get some protests at first. Meet the groans with a variety of study methods that will keep everyone interested and engaged.

Start off telling a familiar Bible story. If you have younger children, keep it short and simple. You can use hand puppets or act the story out to keep the kids' attention. Have them retell parts of the story. Always follow up by talking about what you want you kids to learn from the story. For example, after telling the story of Jonah and the whale, talk about how we should follow God's plan instead of our own; after reading (or telling) the story of David and Goliath, talk about how God helps us do amazing things if we trust him.

If you have older children, help them see connections to real problems or issues they may face in their lives. Teach them to trust God. Teach them what God's love feels like. Remind them that God can hear and answer their prayers.

Whatever their age, your children will benefit from learning God's Word.

Family Vacation Ideas

If you have a family that likes their vacation a little on the wild side, then consider a chartered whitewater rafting trip. Sure you could pack up the SUV for a hellacious trip to Disney World or the Grand Canyon where throngs of other families will be sitting in traffic too waiting for an opening.

But rather than force your kids to wait in endless lines and deal with monotonous theme park music and food take the family out into the wilderness of Oregon for a whitewater rafting trip that will make your summer vacation one they will never forget.

The allure of Oregon, one of the most protected land areas in North America, is the abundance of terrific whitewater rafting rivers that can satisfy seasoned rafting experts and beginners. The Rogue, Klamath, Owhyee and Cal-Salmon rivers all feature breathtaking scenery, amazing river runs and pristine campgrounds for taking a leisurely break or staying the night.

Plenty of seasoned rafting experts are available to act as tour guides for chartered rafts and will lead your family on a river rafting experience that will feature roaring rapids, water soaker battles and a chance to see amazing wildlife, including eagles, black bears and elks in their natural habitat.

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This website will display a variety of information. Its main purpose is for a personal blog, yet it will still contain work from my family as well as my opinions on latest goings on in the family and home related, and anything else which may tickle my fancy.