What You Can Do To Be A Better Parent
As a parent, you will always remember the first time you saw your child; in fact, it’s a day you’ll never forget! The bond between you and your child is the strongest that you will ever feel. Use the following tips to maintain the strength of that connection, so that you have a good relationship with him or her well into his or her adult years.
If you are expecting, don’t let yourself rush out and spend all of your money on expensive items for your child’s nursery. It is possible to buy high quality cribs, changing tables, blankets and other baby paraphernalia for much less money at department stores like Walmart. Friends and family members may be willing to donate items that are no longer being used.
Toddlers should not be given any kind of soda. Stay with drinks that have a lot of nutrients, such as sugar-free juice, water, or milk.
A little “me time” away from the company of your kids can be really important. Get a member of your family to babysit them, even if he or she can only watch them for a couple hours. Stress can get the better of parents who constantly care for their kids, and this results in increased tension in the household.
If children live in your home, avoid smoking in the house. Actually, it would be best to stop smoking altogether. Exposure to secondhand smoke is almost as risky as the act of smoking itself. Smoking around your children can be very hazardous and cause many respiratory issues including asthma, bronchitis or pneumonia.
Create some family rules for how your children interact, but keep the focus positive. Try telling your child what they should do rather than what they shouldn’t. “Walk slowly” is a better way of saying “Don’t run.”
Switch out what toys your toddlers play with on occasion so they refrain from getting bored with a particular set. Most toys aren’t interesting to a toddler for more than a few days; some are even thrown to the side after a few minutes. Rotation keeps the novelty and newness of your child’s toys alive for a while, so you don’t feel the need to purchase new ones.
Make sure that you know it might take awhile for your stepchild to get used to you. It’s common for children to be upset and resentful about their parents not being together. If you pace yourself and do not try to force the relationship, you will eventually form a closer bond.
Young children naturally want to have independence. Therefore, if you give them things to do around the house, you can help build their confidence. Allow children to help put away dishes, clean toys and choose their own clothes for the day. For example, while folding your clean laundry, enlist your child’s help to sort socks. By helping you with these tasks, it will make them feel very independent.
When trying to get through airport security with your children, look for the family security line. Many airports now have these. You’ll be able to take your time without holding up busy business travelers. Just know that the family line requires that you pass everything you bring through an x-ray machine.
You can help your child build healthy self-esteem by encouraging him or her to enroll in a team sport. You can build lifelong character traits and happy memories by giving your child encouragement and support when you attend their games.
Set a schedule and routine for your child’s bedtime and stick to it. If they have a routine, they will be ready to go to sleep. For example, if your child always puts on his pajamas and brushes his teeth before you read him a story at bedtime, he will know that it is time to go to sleep when you finish the book. You will encounter less difficulty if the child already anticipates the next step in the process.
Establishing good relations with a child when he is young is important, as it means he will be more likely to open up to you, even during those turbulent teenage years. You can use the tips within this article to either begin or strengthen the relationship you have with your child.
