Raising children is not always easy for new parents and new challenges await. For example, the question arises: “How do I raise my child correctly?” There is no answer to this, but we have listed and explained the individual parenting styles!
Changing Diapers?
You must first find out for yourself which diaper is right for your baby. Branded diapers are not always better than no-name products. Every baby has a different figure, a different skin type and urine and feces also differ in quantity and consistency. You may need to switch brands at some point as your child grows and you find that the previously reliable product no longer works as well.
For newborns, size 1 (2 to 5 kg) diapers are usually sufficient for a few weeks. If your baby is very large, you may need size 2 diapers (3 to 6 kg) immediately.
It is important that the wire sits correctly so that nothing leaks. The cuff must not cut into the legs or stomach and your fingers should still fit between the stomach and the diaper when the child is lying flat. Make sure that the front cuff is below the navel as long as the navel has not healed. Later, the waistband can end just above the navel.
Newborns need up to eight diapers a day, later it is four to six.
When swaddling, you should make sure that you always wipe from front to back so that no intestinal bacteria get into the vagina in girls (risk of urinary tract infection!)
Creams only need to be used if your baby is really sore. Otherwise it is sufficient to pat the diaper area dry after cleaning. Warm water is usually sufficient for cleaning, and wet wipes are useful when you are out and about. They are also available without additives or perfumes if your baby is prone to allergic reactions.
Do not use powder – it sticks in the skin folds and inflammation can occur.
Tip: If you want to use cloth diapers, you can also have them picked up by special companies, washed and delivered back to your home.
Picture Books For Babies and Toddlers?
Picture books for babies from three months of age are already available in stores. Mostly these are feel books with different textures. This promotes the tactile perception of the little ones. Picture books for children only become really interesting when they are six to eight months old. Books for this age group have to be robust and should have a child-friendly format. If the books are too small, the child will find it difficult to grip them and it will be difficult for them to turn the pages.
The quality of the images is important for picture books for small children. These should be as realistic as possible and be limited to objects that the child knows from everyday life. It can’t do anything with abstract representations or connected stories. Feeling elements or integrated noises are interesting for the child because they can grasp and explore the images with all their senses.
From around the age of two, hidden object picture books are a sensible acquisition because they encourage the child to tell stories and name objects themselves. Therefore, these books make a valuable contribution to language development. Children aged 30 months and over are happy to receive books with short stories to read aloud. However, it is important that the majority of the pictures and that the sentences are kept short. Children of this age cannot follow a coherent story for more than about 10 to 15 minutes.
Buying First Shoes
Most children take their first steps around their first birthday – first by holding mum and dad by hand, then on their own. Then, and really only when the child pulls themselves up on the furniture and walks alone, you should buy them sturdy shoes. Before that, the foot bones are still very soft and pliable and it is enough for the little crawler to wear slip socks or soft leather shoes.
It is important that you buy children’s shoes in a specialty shop and that you definitely take your child there with you. There is no uniform shoe size system for children’s shoes – only four percent of the shoes are true to size, most models are in reality much smaller than stated. The best way to determine what size your child will need when they start walking is to make a template.
Stand your child with bare feet on a piece of cardboard and gently press the back of the foot down. This is how to prevent your child from pulling on their toes. Now run the pencil around the foot once and cut out the template (with an allowance of approx. 17 mm at the front). In the shoe store you can use the template to determine whether a shoe really fits. Because: Small children do not yet feel whether a shoe is too big or too small, too tight or too wide for them. Place the stencil in the shoe of your choice. If it slips back and forth, the shoe is too big. If it curls on the sides, the shoe is too small.
Important: For beginners, lace-up shoes with an ankle-high fit are best because their width can be easily regulated. You should also make sure that the outsole isn’t too hard and inflexible – it should give way slightly if you bend it with your hands. But there is nothing against putting on used shoes for your child as long as the sole has not expired.
If Toddler Scratches and Bites Other Children?
You don’t have to worry! A great many children under the age of three use drastic means to get what they want. They have to learn social rules first and because of their level of development are not able to empathize with others and understand their feelings. A toddler does not understand that his actions are causing pain to others. It can only be seen from the reaction of the other child that biting and scratching are very effective ways of getting a toy that the other child is busy with. Linguistically, he still lacks the opportunity to express his wishes. An older child may ask to receive the toy, but a toddler cannot yet. So it will first try to get the desired item by force. Once found out
So your child is no more aggressive than their peers when they bite or scratch. Nevertheless, you should of course make it clear to him that he must not simply take something away from others. However, this can provoke a fit of anger – just react calmly. Your child will calm down sooner or later.
The child is Jealous of Their Little Sibling
The competition between siblings often plays a bigger role in everyday family life than parents might think. This is especially the case when a child, who previously did not have to share the attention of mom and dad, suddenly takes on the role of big sister or big brother. Due to their social and emotional development, toddlers and kindergarten children are not yet well able to put their own needs aside so that mom and dad can take care of the baby. The reason for this is the ”childish egocentrism”.
So you shouldn’t hold it against your older child if it reacts to the new family member with jealousy – by the way, this can also be the case if older siblings are supposedly well prepared for the birth of the little sister or brother. Plan for times when you are only consciously preoccupied with your older child and emphasize that certain activities are the privilege of “older children”. Praise your son or daughter if he or she is helpful to the baby. In addition, try not to lose sight of the needs of your older child in everyday life and appeal to his or her sense of responsibility (“You are important to your brother/sister) – then the situation should be defused quickly.
Help Your Child to Learn to Walk
It is understandable that as a parent you want to support your child as much as possible in his or her development. This is also important and useful in many areas of development. With regard to motor development, the situation is a little different. This is a maturation process that runs according to an internal “timetable” and cannot be accelerated through support or “training”. Therefore, some children can already walk safely at ten months, while others only take their first independent steps at eighteen months. Some children crawl before they learn to walk, some roll or crawl, and some completely skip these intermediate steps in motor development.
You can still do a lot to support your child’s motor development: Provide him with enough space to meet his urge to move and, if possible, avoid putting your child in a playpen. Praise them when they make progress in their motor development and provide incentives for exercise in the nursery, in the garden or by taking frequent trips to the playground.
Note: Baby walkers with castors are very dangerous because they give children the feeling of being able to walk even though they are not yet able to move their bodies in a coordinated manner. In order to avoid accidents, you should therefore refrain from purchasing such toys.
How Can You Stop Your Child from Sucking Thumbs?
Getting rid of thumb sucking is not possible without the child’s consent. One can try to personalize the thumb and make it clear to the child that he does not want to be in the mouth. In addition, you shouldn’t start too early, i.e. not before the age of two. As soon as teething begins, thumb sucking can, but does not have to be, affect the jaw.
The child has Trouble Sleeping
Stay close to the child when they sleep or use a baby monitor, as they are afraid of being left alone. If it wakes up at night and calls for you, you should react immediately and calm it down; it may be enough to just leave the door ajar and call into the child’s room.
In the first few years of life, the smell of clothing can convey closeness to the children, so you should put a worn T-shirt from you in the cot, for example. From the age of three cuddly toys can take over this function, but you shouldn’t forget to give your child a lot of love and closeness before going to sleep.
Children Growing up Do Not Like Tidying Up their Room
Tidying up is not very popular with any child of kindergarten age. Nevertheless, it is important that children learn to keep things tidy and to feel responsible for their toys. In a room where chaos reigns and all things are randomly lying around on the floor, children no longer find their way into the game.
When children refuse to tidy up, there can be various reasons. Perhaps they are overwhelmed by the amount of toys they are free to use. It can therefore often help to sort out toys that the child no longer likes to play with.
The same applies to damaged items or items for which the child is already too old. So that small parts such as building blocks are not lying around all over the room, they should be stowed in large boxes. Plastic containers are practical – so your child can always see what belongs in them. Alternatively, photos on the boxes help children to keep things tidy on their own. Otherwise, it makes sense to spread small toys on blankets or carpets. With their help, building blocks and Co.
Tip: Experts believe that children are only really able to tidy their room on their own when they are around five years old – they need adult support beforehand. In spite of this, or perhaps precisely because of this, it is important to include small children in the clean-up process and show them how to do it. So don’t just tidy up your child’s toys alone when they are sleeping, but do it together with them. In this way, children learn to take responsibility for what belongs to them and what is important to them right from the start.
Little Daughter Sees Monsters Everywhere
Toddlers and kindergarten children often have vivid imaginations. They see things that adults do not see because they still have what is known as “magical thinking” up to a certain age. It is important that you as a mother or father do not downplay your child’s fears. Sentences like: “But you know that there are no monsters!” Are counterproductive because the child does not feel that they are being taken seriously. The child is convinced that a monster lives under the bed, so factual arguments do not help him. It is better to ask: what does the monster look like? What does it want? When does it show up?
Sometimes the child can name what helps them to fight the monster, such as a small night lamp or a cuddly toy that protects them. Otherwise, you can also make specific suggestions. You will surely find a solution together. Warning: there are also friendly monsters. If it is an imaginary friend that only your child can see, there is no need for action. At some point these will disappear on their own when the child no longer needs them
Right School Selection is the Key
First, consider which educational support offers and educational principles are important to you (inclusion, religious education, musical and creative education, sport and exercise, etc.). You should also take into account your child’s preferences and character traits. You can then take a closer look at the conception of suitable facilities in the vicinity of your place of residence. A good kindergarten makes its educational concept available to interested parents for download on its homepage.
Use the open house days to get an idea of the location and take your child with you. If your son or daughter feels comfortable and is approached personally, this is already a good sign. But also pay attention to the atmosphere in the house and whether your questions are answered in a friendly and detailed manner. The assessments of friends and acquaintances whose children are already attending the institution in question can also be informative.
Help Your Child When He/She Starts Going To School
There are many skills that a school child should have in order to meet the requirements. It is not primarily about being able to read and write, but about so-called precursor skills, such as the ability to hold a pen correctly, to reproduce the content of a story heard or to be able to concentrate over a longer period of time. The ability to organize oneself and to do a given task quickly and independently are also important competencies that express school readiness. Read stories to your child and give them little everyday tasks, such as buying bread from the bakery. Didactically prepared educational games can also be useful as long as your child is doing them voluntarily
Should Your Child Learn an Instrument at Kindergarten Age?
Basically, it makes sense if children learn to play an instrument at an early age. But: The child should do this voluntarily. It is also important to choose the right instrument. In preschool age, for example, piano or recorder lessons are offered. To find out whether your child enjoys music, you can first register them for early musical education. Many music schools also offer these courses for children from 3 or 4 years in kindergartens within the normal booking time. A first “trial lesson” is usually free of charge.
This gives your child the opportunity to playfully get to know their first instruments (mostly the classic Orff instruments) and to deal with music. If he likes it, there is nothing against it if he starts learning an instrument at the age of 5 or 6. Still, you shouldn’t be disappointed if your child loses interest in it anyway. Interests change quickly at this age and if a child has to spend a lot of time practicing the instrument in addition to school, there may not be much time left for meeting friends. It is therefore important that you do not put pressure on your child: they may have completely different talents.
Child Can’t Find Friends in Kindergarten
When children start kindergarten, they sometimes find it difficult to socialize. It’s not unusual. Shy children in particular and those who grew up very sheltered want to orientate themselves in the new environment and initially seek closeness to the teachers. In no case should you put pressure on your child. Friendships cannot be forced – this is no different with children than with adults.
Therefore, if your child does not look unhappy or expresses a desire to make friends, there is nothing to worry about. Give your son or daughter the time he or she needs to approach others and ask if the other children still need a play partner. Often this only succeeds in the second year of kindergarten. Of course, you can ensure that your child has a lot of contact with their peers outside of kindergarten by spending a lot of time in the playground or by inviting families with children to your home. This is particularly recommended if your child is growing up as an only child. Approaching others and making friends has to be learned – just like many other things.
Child Adjustment at Kindergarten
If it is possible for you professionally, you should allow yourself enough time for a gentle acclimatization. Every kindergarten works according to a different familiarization model, but it is fundamentally important to make this transition experience as slow as possible. The child sets the pace with his behavior. If it comes off you easily and finds its way into the game quickly, that’s a good sign. Likewise, if you can be comforted by a teacher when you leave the group room.
It is important that you are present during the first few days of acclimatization, but that you give your child the opportunity to explore the new environment on their own. This gives the educator responsible for your child the opportunity to establish contact with them and gain their trust. In the meantime, they act as a “safe base”.
Slowly increase the amount of time your child spends alone in kindergarten. This phase is exhausting for children because they first have to internalize and process the many new impressions and rules. So be prepared for the fact that your child will be often tired or unbalanced for a few weeks and respond with understanding. It is also important not to allow disturbing events such as a vacation or moving house to be settled in. That could overwhelm your child.
Right School Selection is the Key
First, consider which educational support offers and educational principles are important to you (inclusion, religious education, musical and creative education, sport and exercise, etc.). You should also take into account your child’s preferences and character traits. You can then take a closer look at the conception of suitable facilities in the vicinity of your place of residence. A good kindergarten makes its educational concept available to interested parents for download on its homepage.
Use the open house days to get an idea of the location and take your child with you. If your son or daughter feels comfortable and is approached personally, this is already a good sign. But also pay attention to the atmosphere in the house and whether your questions are answered in a friendly and detailed manner. The assessments of friends and acquaintances whose children are already attending the institution in question can also be informative.
Children Are Scared of Going to Doctors/Hospitals
Go through the hospital visit with the child. Think about what will happen in turn. It is also helpful to let the child draw with it. At the end there is a picture in which it comes home healthy again. The “good outcome” of the hospital stay that has become visible in this way can be very reassuring for the child.
Praise Your Kid Properly
Do not praise your child like “you are a good athlete!” This makes them feel pressured. It is better to praise things in concrete terms, e.g. “this time you’ve hit the ball a lot more than last time!” or “I liked that you tried so hard!”. In this way something is praised that the child can also influence. Avoid exaggerating praise or not praising things that are too simple. Children see through this easily and do not feel that they are being taken seriously.
Inadequacy in School
Sometimes tutoring can be useful. Another good option is to give your child special support in an area in which they are already good. That can be another school subject or something that he likes to do in his free time, for example playing an instrument or painting. Often the child gets better in the “problem subject” all by itself. For the child, tutoring always includes the message “you are not good enough, you need extra help.” It’s bad for your self-esteem. That is why you should avoid emphasizing only what the child cannot and always honor what he can do well.
Child Doesn’t Like Vegetables
A simple trick can help: it makes a huge difference to children how the food looks or is presented. One possibility is to string the vegetables on kebab skewers in a pretty colorful way. On a plate you can put it to funny shapes, animals or faces. Or turn tomatoes or cucumber slices into funny faces with the help of ketchup.
Protect/Guide Your Kid of Sexual Abuse
The fear that someone might do violence to their child is a great burden for many parents. The more independent children become, the less it is possible for adults to keep an eye on them. In addition, it is important for your development to be able to play without supervision.
So that children do not become victims, they need a healthy self-confidence. “Your body is yours – and you can defend yourself if someone touches you” – that is the message that you should give your child as early as possible. Signal them that they can turn to you with any problem and that there is nothing to be ashamed of. Also, make it clear to them that they should never call someone else unless they have made specific arrangements. This also applies if acquaintances or relatives ask your child to come along – in many cases of abuse, perpetrators and victims know each other. If you do not know how to discuss this difficult topic with your child, use a picture book to help them encourage
Home Schooling
Many parents find educational talks uncomfortable. Nowadays they are often no longer available because children already have sex lessons in elementary school. But what if the four-year-old daughter suddenly wants to know where the babies come from?
Basically, you should have an open ear if your child asks for information from you. Better to find out these things from you than from television, the Internet or from friends who want to show off their half-knowledge. What is important, however, is a child-friendly explanation, whereby you should avoid belittling paraphrases. If this is difficult for you, ask for a little time to think it over and get yourself an age-appropriate educational book. There is already a clear picture book version for children of kindergarten age.