The post Video: Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller’ gets zombie mom makeover appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>Machel Green and her Vintage Marquee Lights crew captures the midnight life of a potty training mom who has to change sheets, scrub carpets and wash a load of soiled washing in this hilarious parody of Michael Jackson’s ‘Thriller‘.
Aptly named ‘Toddler’, the video sees Machel sing and dance with eight mom friends, who too, have turned into zombies from the lack of sleep caused by their potty training tots.
Just in time for Halloween, the parody pokes fun at the shared experiences of many moms, making us feel not so alone during those midnight (and sometimes, all night) wake ups!
Head snaps, zombie shuffles and overtired moms… this video is sure to leave you in a fit of giggles.
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]]>The post Video: When should you take your baby’s pacifier away? appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>Child and sleep expert, Dana Obleman (http://www.sleepsense.net), looks at the ideal time to take your baby or toddler’s pacifier away at bedtime in this YouTube vide.
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]]>The post Healthy sleep cycles for your baby and toddler appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>As your child’s nervous system matures with age, so does their capacity to cope with sensory stimulation in their ‘awake’ time.
Here is a guideline of approximate ‘awake’ times before ‘stress’ levels are reached:
0 to 6 weeks : 40 to 60 minutes
6 to 12 weeks : 60 to 80 minutes
3 to 6 months : 1 ½ hours
6 to 9 months : 2 hours
9 to 12 months : 2 ½ hours
1 to 2 years : 3 to 3 ½ hours
2 to 3 years : 4 to 5 hours
3 to 5 years : 5 to 7 hours
Parents of children that don’t sleep often think that by simply keeping them awake all day, will ensure that they will sleep all night long. Nothing could be further from the truth. Sleep makes sleep – that is for sure!
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]]>The post Making sense of your toddler’s imaginary friend appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>For example, if your child’s imaginary friend is afraid of the dark, chances are your child is afraid of the dark. Creating an imaginary friend is common amongst young children, as they develop the cognitive skill of creating something from nothing.
Did you know, that by the age seven, 38% of children have at some point created an imaginary friend, and that these children grow up to be exceptionally creative adults? To understand more we need to think about what the broad role of friends, and in this case, imaginary friends are…
Research indicates that children with imaginary friends feel just as competent and popular as their counterparts. These children were found to be less shy, engage more positively with peers and fare well in imagining how others think and feel – thereby shaping empathy.
Good to know: Always encourage imaginative play, go with it and enjoy your child showing you bits and pieces of his inner world. If your child’s imaginative play gets out of hand, don’t be afraid to lay down your rules, without offending the existence of his or her imaginary friend. Acknowledge the friend without becoming over involved with its existence.
About the Author: Nolene Rust, Play therapist in Garsfontein, Pretoria. Call: 012 752 6503 Email: [email protected]
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]]>The post Dear mom on the iPhone (another perspective) appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>I’m not sure when you heard this last, so let me just say it now: you’re a good mom. Motherhood is hard, and you’re doing the best you can, just like the rest of us.
That sunny day, after sweeping cheerios off the floor, changing diapers, and scrubbing crayon marks off your daughter’s favourite doll, you mustered up enough energy to take your kids to the park. It would have been easy to plop them in front of the television with snacks, but you knew that sunshine and a playground would do them good.
I’m not sure what you were doing on your iPhone over there. Maybe you were catching up on e-mails, or confirming a dentist appointment. Maybe you were RSVPing to a birthday party, or looking up recipes on Pinterest to accommodate your daughter’s peanut allergy. Maybe you were googling your dad’s recent health diagnosis, or glancing at your friend’s baby registry on target.com.
Maybe you were texting your friend whose mom is battling breast cancer, or your friend who just suffered a miscarriage, or your other friend who just went back to work for the first time since having a baby. Maybe you were offering words of encouragement to someone who needed it that day.
Maybe you were checking movie times and securing your babysitter for Friday night so that you and your husband could go out on a real date, something you haven’t done in two months.
Maybe you were working, responding to important e-mails to ensure you met your deadline. Maybe you were responding to inquiries about your photography, or your writing, or your Etsy shop.
Maybe you were checking Facebook or Twitter, and for the first time that day, enjoying a few moments of adult interaction, using your brain and engaging in conversations that didn’t involve Star Wars or Dora the Explorer. Maybe you were taking a break—a short timeout to feel heard and validated from online friends.
I’m not sure what you were doing on your iPhone over there, because really, it’s none of my business.
I’m sure that looking at your iPhone in the middle of the park was not your finest parenting moment, just like I’m sure you’ve had many fine parenting moments that I’m unaware of. Like the time you stayed up all night when your son was colicky, holding him tightly in the rocking chair, singing to him with tears streaming down your face because you were so tired it physically hurt. Or the time when you missed your best friend’s 30th birthday party because your daughter was sick and you couldn’t bear the thought of leaving her with a babysitter when she didn’t feel well. Or the time when you consoled your son after he was bullied at the playground and reminded him that no matter what that other kid said, he is a child of God and he is loved. Or like the day when you tearfully handed in your resignation letter to the job that you loved, so that you could stay home with your kids full time and pick up their cheerios, change their diapers, and scrub crayon marks off their dolls.
I know you are more than a mom on your iPhone. You are more than a single moment at the park. You are working hard, fighting hard, to survive this calling of motherhood. I’m sorry that not everyone sees you this way, and that some are snickering from across the park, judging you up and down without so much as even knowing your first name.
Your children adore you. You are giving them as much as you can, as often as you can, as best you can.
You’re a good mom.
From one momma to another, I can only offer you the thing that has been given in abundance to me, day after day when I least deserve it, and that is grace.
………….
To the mom who wrote Dear Mom On The iPhone:
I know you had good intentions with that post, just as I have good intentions with this one. I hope that the next time you catch yourself on your phone at the park, or catch yourself yelling at your kids in the middle of the grocery store, or catch yourself in any scenario when you become unglued and your actions are less than perfect, I hope there is a mom standing nearby to offer you a knowing glance, an “I’ve been there” nod, and a half-smile as she generously extends grace towards you.
You’re a good mom, too.
About the Author: Ashlee Gadd is a Writer & Photographer. Founder of Coffee + Crumbs +instagram | twitter | facebook
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]]>The post Top tips to help your baby broaden their horizons appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>A good way for your newborn to start learning is by moving interesting objects into their field of vision. And, when your baby’s vision gets a little less ‘blurry’, you should also occasionally pick up toys and move them around while your little one is watching. This will teach your baby to focus on moving objects and help them develop their depth perception.
Now, as much as you might want to, try not to stop your baby from putting things into their mouth. At this age it’s one of the few ways they have to explore and learn about the objects around them. But that being said, always remember to keep an eye on your little one. And never ever let them play with anything with which they might accidentally hurt themselves.
As cute and as little as they are, keep in mind that at this stage your baby can easily be overstimulated. They’re also most likely quite sensitive to bright light and loud noise, so try to avoid these as much as possible when encouraging your newborn’s stimulation.
Every day is just another chance for your toddler to explore! So it’s really important to make sure that your little one’s toys are always within reach and that everything around them is neat and tidy so they can find their toys easily too.
Try to read a little to your child every day as this will help them to develop auditory perceptual skills. Just remember to choose age-appropriate books and pick a time when your baby is feeling calm and relaxed. This will ensure that they can really get the greatest benefit from this activity. And, if you find that the story is too long, simply describe the pictures to your tiny tot instead of reading it all.
As tempting as it may be, don’t simply hand over toys to your poppet to play with. Instead, allow them to look for and discover their toys all on their own. By encouraging your little one to look for something themselves you’re giving them the chance to hone their visual perception skills. And it’ll keep them busy for a short while too!
Visit www.mysmartkid.com or www.myslimkind.com, or call 0861 555 224 for more information.
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]]>The post Study: Toddler’s regulate behaviour to avoid making parents angry appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>Now researchers at the University of Washington have found that children as young as 15 months can detect anger when watching other people’s social interactions and then use that emotional information to guide their own behaviour.
The study, published in the October/November issue of the journal ‘Cognitive Development’, is the first evidence that younger toddlers are capable of using multiple cues from emotions and vision to understand the motivations of the people around them.
“At 15 months of age, children are trying to understand their social world and how people will react,” said lead author Betty Repacholi, a faculty researcher at UW’s Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences and an associate professor of psychology. “In this study we found that toddlers who aren’t yet speaking can use visual and social cues to understand other people – that’s sophisticated cognitive skills for 15-month-olds.”
The findings also linked the toddlers’ impulsive tendencies with their tendency to ignore other people’s anger, suggesting an early indicator for children who may become less willing to abide by rules.
“Self-control ranks as one of the single most important skills that children acquire in the first three years of life,” said co-author Andrew Meltzoff, co-director of the institute. “We measured the origins of self-control and found that most of the toddlers were able to regulate their behavior. But we also discovered huge individual variability, which we think will predict differences in children as they grow up and may even predict important aspects of school readiness.”
In the experiment, 150 toddlers at 15 months of age (an even mix of boys and girls) sat on their parents’ laps and watched as an experimenter sat at a table across from them and demonstrated how to use a few different toys. Each toy had movable parts that made sounds, such as a strand of plastic beads that made a rattle when dropped into a plastic cup and a small box that “buzzed” when pressed with a wooden stick. The children watched eagerly, leaning forward and sometimes pointing enthusiastically.
Then a second person, referred to as the “emoter,” entered the room and sat down on a chair near the table. The experimenter repeated the demonstration and the emoter complained in an angry voice, calling the experimenter’s actions with the toys “aggravating” and “annoying.”
After witnessing the simulated argument, the children had a chance to play with the toys, but under slightly different circumstances. For some, the emoter left the room or turned her back so she couldn’t see what the child was doing. In these situations, toddlers eagerly grabbed the toy and copied the actions they had seen in the demonstration.
In other groups, the angered emoter maintained a neutral facial expression while either watching the child or looking at a magazine. Most toddlers in these groups hesitated before touching the toy, waiting about four seconds on average. And when they finally did reach out, the children were less likely to imitate the action the experimenter had demonstrated.
The study didn’t factor in how much previous conflict children had seen at home or elsewhere, such as arguing parents or violent television shows. But Repacholi speculated that an emotionally charged home environment could make some children desensitized to anger, or others could become hypersensitive to it and overreact.
The researchers also wondered if the children’s temperament played a role. They had parents fill out the Early Childhood Behaviour Questionnaire, which uses questions like “How long does your child stop and think before making decisions?” to measure impulsivity.
The higher the score for impulsivity, the researchers found, the more likely the toddlers were to perform the forbidden actions when the anger-prone adult was watching them.
Repacholi and Meltzoff are doing a follow-up study with the toddlers, who are now school-aged, to see if their behaviors as 15-month-olds predicts their later ability to control their own behavior.
“Ultimately, we want kids who are well regulated, who can use multiple cues from others to help decide what they should and shouldn’t do,” Repacholi said.
Article source: University of Washington via Science Daily.
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]]>The post Funny video: Mom documents toddler’s insults appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>In the hilarious video, Johanna documents the many ways in which her daughter insults her before she has her morning cup of coffee.
Stopping at nothing, her four-year-old compares her tummy to a bagel, her breath to a fart and her, uh, ‘kiki’ to a squirrels tail. And if this mom thought for one minute that she would be off the hook after her morning tongue lashing, her daughter politely reminds her that when they get home, she will tell her all the things that she did wrong that day.
Who needs enemies when you have the world’s most honest four-year-old dishing out insults? Watch the video and enjoy!
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]]>The post Help your toddler cope wth stressful events appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>“Hailey,” age 11 months, had just learned to say ‘da da’ when her father had to leave town for three months to work on a job out of town. Hailey was very attached to her father, who was always the one to tuck her in for bed and make her favourite oatmeal with bananas for breakfast. She keeps looking for him, jumps up whenever she hears someone at the door, and she cries when it is time for bed.
Infants and toddlers face stressful events in their everyday lives, just as adults do. Many people think that children younger than three years won’t be as impacted by stress because they “won’t remember” or don’t understand what is happening. However, we now know from research on brain development and toxic stress that even tiny babies are impacted by stress. Even if they can’t put words to their distress, they are impacted by feeling their heart racing, the sight of their mother’s tears, or scary sounds of community violence.
The good news is that while you may not always be able to shield your child from stressful events, your relationship with your child is the buffer that protects from their effects.
As a clinical psychologist and lead of the Early Childhood Mental Health Program at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles, my team and I provide therapy to about 400 infants, toddlers, and pre-schoolers and their families each year, many of whom have been impacted by traumatic or stressful events. Here are some strategies you can use to help buffer your young child from the toxic effects of stress:
1. Reassure your presence
Do provide your reassuring presence. Staying close to your child, and letting your child stay near you, helps your child feel safe.
2. Talk in soothing tones
Do talk in soothing tones about how you are keeping your child safe. Give simple explanations of what is happening; this is reassuring even if your child does not understand your words.
Karla’s mom could say, “That was scary when the cars crashed, but we are ok now. The doctors are taking care of the people in the cars.” Hailey’s mom could say, “We miss daddy. He is thinking about us. He will come home when his job is done. Let’s look at his picture together.” Don’t have adult conversations about stressful events in front of your child. Even if children can’t understand the words, they hear the worry in adults’ voices. Do help your child play about what happened.
Karla might play about cars crashing. Her mother can play a rescue vehicle coming to help the people in the cars, or a doctor helping them feel better. Hailey’s mother can help her play about an airplane flying away with daddy and then coming back home to her.
3. Do tell your child when you are leaving, and when you are coming back.
Make sure they have a familiar person to stay with them when you have to leave. It might be tempting to “sneak out” to avoid upsetting your child, but this makes children more anxious about separations. Instead, even very young children need to hear, “mommy’s going to work now. You can play with nana while I’m gone. I’ll be back for dinner.” If a child cries at separating, narrate their feelings and help them transition: “You’re sad because mommy’s going. I’ll be back soon.”
A goodbye ritual can help your child learn to say goodbye; you might have a special goodbye song or hug that you do each time you leave. You can also try giving your child something of yours to hold onto while you are gone.
Do remember that if your child acts up with tantrums, hitting, whining, or other behaviours, they might be reacting to stress or trying to tell you something. Help them put their feelings in words, while setting limits. “You’re mad. It’s okay to be angry, but it’s not okay to hit.”
Source: Childrens Hospital Los Angeles via Science Daily.
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]]>The post Determine the cause of your toddler’s eating habits appeared first on All4Baby.
]]>For parents this is usually when they lack confidence as to whether they are getting feeding right or when the child refuses to eat what they are offered.
Food refusal or picky eating can be a normal phase of development; and it usually passes with time.
A small number of cases may be due to more serious issues though, like sensory integration problems, reflux and iron deficiency. A healthcare professional can rule these out.
Healthy children will eat if they are hungry. In most cases when parents are offering the right foods and drinks in a structured meal and snack pattern; children’s eating behaviour improves dramatically. The information below will help you get this right.
Article by: Claire McHugh BSc (RD) – Paediatric dietician and the Pampers Institute Expert
About Pampers®: Pampers® is the world’s top- selling brand of baby nappies. For more than 40 years, Pampers® has been helping to improve life for babies, toddlers, and the parents who care for them through a complete line of diapers, training pants, and wipes designed for every stage of baby’s development.
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