There's no magical age when a child learns to read, all kids are different but one thing we do know is that a child cannot learn unless a child is taught. Here are some tips to help your child learn to read
Bedtime stories - Start reading your child bedtime stories at a young age.
Read to & with your child - Reading books to your child for about 30 minutes a day is the best way to help them learn. Read to your child everyday at the same time, make sure the house is calm and quiet and avoid any distractions.
Ask questions - Ask your child questions about the book after reading it.
Get them to read to you - Read the same book everyday until your child knows what it is about, teach them to read each page, help them sound out the words. After you've taught them the book and the sounds of each word, ask them to read the book to you. Reassure them that if they need help they should ask you and you will help them.
Visit your local library - Visiting your local library every week is a good idea. Let your child get his/her own library card and let them pick out which books they would like to read that week.
Talk to your child - Talk to your child as soon as they are born, this will help them later on when they learn to read and write. Do not use "baby talk" try to talk to your child normally so they will pick up on words easily.
Make reading fun - When you read with your child do funny voices and other noises. Get into character, your child will love it and it will make learning how to read fun. It will most certainly grasp their attention and they will focus more instead of getting distracted by little things.
Point & read - Point to words as you read them and point to words as your child reads them. This will help your child see the word and hear it at the same time.
Subscribe - Subscribe to a kids magazine for your child. They will definitely love getting their own mail and it will get them excited about reading and learning. We will post a few magazine subscriptions on this page, if you do not see a magazine you may like feel free to visit our fan page on Facebook at http://www.facebook.com/tipsfrommoms and tell us what your child is interested in. We will definitely check around for a magazine that is perfect for your child.
Remember, all kids are different in so many ways. Be patient and have fun with it, getting frustrated and showing your frustrations will only slow your child down.
Potty training most of the time is a long difficult process. Some kids start early, some kids start late, some kids catch on right away, some kids take what seems like forever. It's a good idea to make sure your child is potty trained before they start preschool. Here are some tips for potty training
Start at the right time - Introducing the potty at an early age ( around 1 years old ) is a good idea, sit your child on the potty, she may go she may not, if she does go on the potty praise her. Sometimes this age is still too young to potty train everyday.
Use a sticker chart - Make a chart ( below click to enlarge 5 week potty training chart example ). Decorate it with your child, put stickers and pictures. Every time your child uses the potty, give him/her a sticker to put on that day. If they go #2 in the potty give them a bigger sticker that they can put on that day. If they pull down their pull ups or whatever they are wearing by themselves to go potty give them 2 stickers to put on that day. Be sure to praise them when they've done good.
Be patient - Patience is key in potty training. Your child is going to have accidents it's unavoidable, the best thing you can do is tell your child that it's okay and that it's an accident. There is no point in getting angry with your child, every child will have accidents during this time. If you teach them they will learn. Be patient with yourself and your child, if you can't have patience your child will take longer to succeed.
Let them pick - Go to the mall and check out the kids isles and let your child pick out a potty. Remind them that this is their potty, just like mommies big people potty.
Make a shopping trip - Go shopping for big kid underwear and let your child pick out his/her own underwear. Remind them that it's not a diaper, tell them that it's time for big kid underwear and no more diapers. If they refuse, try a different day. It's a good idea to plan the trip around your childs schedule, make sure she/he is not hungry or tired to avoid a cranky meltdown.
Nighttime potty training - Some kids can hold the need for the bathroom all night, some can't. Nighttime potty training will be harder than day time potty training. It's a good idea to bring the potty to the bedroom at nighttime that way accidents can be avoided. If your child does wake up wet remind them that the potty is right beside their bed and they can ask for help if they need it. Do not get frustrated as this will only slow your child down.
Remember that all kids are different, the have different personalities and they develop differently. Some might do it early, some might wait until the age of 3. Eventually your child will be potty trained and the diaper changes will be done. Yes the cost of diapers will soon be over!
Your feet hurt, your back hurts, your bones hurt, you can't sleep, you have to pee every 10 minutes, your ribs are sore and the list goes on, your between 38 and 41 weeks, you want this baby out now! Here are some tips for naturally inducing labor.
Eat spicy food - There is not medical answer that says spicy food induces labor but it can't hurt to try? Well...maybe it can give you heartburn!
Go for a long walk - Gravity is an incredible thing, walking helps guide your baby down onto the cervix, with babys head pressing down on the cervix, this will release Oxytocin hopefully bringing on contractions. Try not to wear yourself out.
Have sex - Semen helps ripen (soften) the cervix. The movement might bring on contractions. After your partner reaches orgasm try to hold the semen in as long as you can, the longer the semen stays on the cervix the softer it will make it and the faster it will dilate.
Nipple stimulation - Gently rubbing or rolling your nipples for a few hours releases Oxytocin ( Natural Pitocin ) a hormone which induces contractions. This will only work if your body is ready to go into labor. Only do one breast at a time to avoid hyper-stimulation. Hyper-stimulation is when your uterus and baby don't get enough rest in between contractions and therefor your baby might go into distress. The best way to do this is : stimulate your nipple until you start having contractions, then stop and go for a nice 10 minute walk. If you do need to, stimulate the other breast to make the contractions stronger. DO NOT stimulate without breaks in between.
Castor oil - This has a laxative effect. Giving you cramps, and for most women it stimulates the uterus to contract. Bringing on strong contractions. The best way to do this is to mix 4 ounces of castor oil with orange juice and drink. It may make you nauseous and it will give you diarrhea. It is best to drink lots of fluids while having diarrhea to avoid dehydration. This should kick start labor.
Swing on a park swing - They say that this helps baby move into a good position for delivery and also puts babys head down on your cervix. This is also a good way to relax and relieve stress.
Talk to your baby - Sometimes just talking to your baby can help kick start labor, let your baby know that it's okay and that everybody can not wait to meet him/her.
Acupressure - Find someone who knows how to do it and someone who is experienced. Ask somebody to teach you how to do it.
Birthing ball - Sitting and bouncing on the birthing ball is more comfortable than sitting on a hard chair. Sitting on the birthing ball does allow your pelvis to open up real wide and allows more room for baby to move down into the birth canal, kind of like doing a squat.
Bumpy car ride - There is no guarantee that this will work but it is worth a try.
Chinese food - Some women say that this is the only thing that has worked for them. It's worth a try. Besides...who doesn't like Chinese food?
Dancing - The movement of dancing can move things along, It does help baby move down, it might work it might not.
Galloping - This has put some women in labor.
Kneeling on all fours - Swaying side to side and back and forth while on all fours can help baby turn if she/he is not in the right position for delivery.
Licorice - Real black licorice will give you diarrhea and could start contractions. It's a good idea to drink lots of fluids if you get diarrhea.
Massage - Relaxing massage can help relieve stress.
Oregano & Basil -Throw some in while you're cooking. It's worth a shot.
Orgasm - Having an orgasm causes the uterus to contract. During an orgasm Oxytocin is released. Oxytocin is a hormone which triggers labor contractions.
Squats - Gravity helps move baby down into the birth canal and doing squats helps open up your pelvis very wide.
Stretch and sweep the membranes - This is done by a doctor or a doula, the aim is to help induce labor by separating the membranes or sac from the lower part of the uterus.
Swimming - Swimming is very relaxing, the water and the movement can help.
Warm bath - A lot of women say that taking a nice warm bath has started their labor. Warm water has a way of relaxing your muscles.
There is no guarantee that any of these tips will work for you, and sometimes baby just isn't ready to come out. It's frustrating but one thing is for sure, that baby will be out sooner or later.
