Stair Safety

It might be funny in a movie watching a dog slide across waxed wood floors, but in reality a dog can break a hip or a leg if they fall. If you have wood floors, protect your floor and your dog. Buy dog socks with RUBBER pads. Your dog might not like them but it's worth a try. Your floor won't have as many nail marks from skidding. Another suggestion: If you have wood stairs, don't wax or over wax them. Also, think about installing a carpet runner on it. While visiting someone I saw two dogs, as well a child in socks, slip on slippery wood stairs. Tile stairs are dangerous, too. Teach your child to be careful on stairs. No rough housing on stairs!

Tissues- Have them in handy places

During cold season have boxes of tissues, in reachable places, in many places in your home. Children do not like to go to the kitchen to get a tissue if they're busy playing elsewhere. They’re more likely to use a tissue if one is near by. Otherwise they might use their shirt, back of hand, or sleeve. If your child has a lingering cold put a little pack of tissues in their backpack for school use. Also, have tissue in your glove compartment. You can refill the tiny packages with more tissues from bigger boxes. Thus, saving you money.

How to Live with a Messy Child

1)To get your child to clean their room make a game of it. Time them to see how fast they can put away their books in their bookcase and/or how long it takes to put their dirty clothes in the hamper. If you have more than one child have a timed competition. But make it a win-win situation for both kids, like both get 15 minutes extra on the computer or they can make cookies with you.

2)If you have two kids who share a room and one is driving the other batty with their mess you can divide things in half in the room. Each child can have their own shelf on the bookcase. Their own area in the closet and their own drawers. With the top of a dresser do not divide it in half by using masking tape. My cousin did this with me and it ruined the antique dresser. Use a string or ribbon on top.

3)It is hard to get teenagers to clean their room. If they are basically well behaved and that is their only problem you might not want to make a big issue of it. But this is what you can do: Close the door so you do not have to look at the mess. Then set ground rules like, no food can be left on the floor for the ants to get; glasses or liquids also can not be on the floor in case they to tip over; there needs to have a clear path to the closet, window, dresser, and door; dirty clothes piled on the ground will not cleaned; they need to open the window for fresh air sometimes or they need a plugged in air freshener, especially if they have an animal in the room (Caged animals need to have their cages cleaned once a week. The smell of a stinky cage can drive you out of a room. Also, the smell can drift out in the hallway if there is a crack under the door.)

4)Remember just because your child is messy as a kid or teenager does not mean they will be messy as an adult. I was messy as a kid and I am not anymore. I also had a teenage brother who lived in room that looked like he lived in disaster area, plus, his room smelled to high heaven. In his twenties when he got married his wife would have none of that.

To Have or Have Not Juice

I have been told having tall glasses of juice, whether it be orange, apple, grape juice, etc. everyday, more than once a day, is the way of the past for young kids. It's just too much sugar to have. The short orange juice glasses you see served in restaurants are the "in" juice glass again. If your child absolutely loves juice try giving them half water half juice. If they’re having too much of this per day you might try mixing in two ounces of juice with six ounces of water. Some kids just don’t like the taste of plain water.

Parenting Tip- Take the Oatmeal Challenge.

A friend of mine had a daughter that felt sluggish in the mornings at school. Yes, she was having breakfast, but it was sugared cereal. For two weeks my friend had her daughter eat a hearty bowl of oatmeal (she could sprinkle a tablespoon of sugar on top) for breakfast. She said it made a difference. Her daughter was more alert at school. You might want to test this out for yourself.

Children and Verbal and Non-verbal Communication

People communicate in different ways. They express how they feel verbally and non-verbally. Verbal expression is telling someone how you feel. "Please don't say that. That hurts my feelings." Non-verbal expression is showing with your face and/or body movements how you feel. Teaching kids to watch facial expressions and body language in others is important. Let's say your child takes the ball away from a classmate because they’re mad at how the handball game is going. The classmate might hunch their shoulders and look sad because of this. Or give your child an angry look. This is non-verbal expression of how they feel about the matter. They're not happy. When this happens have your child: Stop. Look. Focus. They are to stop what they're doing. Look to see how their actions are making someone feel. Then focus on their behavior. They can make things better by giving the ball back and saying, "Sorry, I took the ball. Go ahead, it's your turn." Paying attention to others feelings is how you keep friends.

Parenting Tip on Reducing Sugary Desserts

You can reduce the white sugar intake in your home by substituting the required white sugar in your recipe with something else. I've seen a cook book on this. Also, some fruits are sweet enough alone so offer these types of fruits as a dessert. You can make Mondays and Wednesdays tasty fruit night. Serve mangos slices. Nectarine slices. Cut up watermelon. (Some children are more inclined to eat fruit if it's sliced or cut up.) Fresh strawberries. Blueberries. Dried apricots. Dried peaches. Do not serve fruit your child isn't keen about. This defeats the purpose of getting your child to see that fruit can be a tasty dessert. In other countries other than the U.S. fruit is actually considered a dessert.

Stimulate your child’s imagination.

Tonight at bedtime start a made up tale with “Once upon a time” for your child. The story can be about them or the adventures of their pet or a fairy princess/prince. If you aren’t sure you can do this tonight spend tomorrow thinking about a story you can make up for them. By you making up a story for your child you are teaching them about using their imagination. You are opening up their creative mind.

Parenting Tip: Fire Alarms

Today, go around your house to make sure all your ceiling fire detectors work. If they need new batteries install them. Fire detectors save lives so make sure to put them in all bedrooms, the den, family room, living room, kitchen, dining room, long hallways, basement laundry room (And make sure to clean out your laundry filter after every load and your hose every so often so a fire won’t start).

Parenting Tip: Easier Clean Up

Do your kids use lots of dishes, making cleaning a hassle for you? Than with a permanent marker write each child’s name on a cup. (Or put masking tape on a cup and write their name on that.) They are to use this cup all day long. They can rinse it out if need be. Since this cuts down on the amount of dishes you have to wash you’re helping the environment. To cut down on the amount of plates and bowls used, have a matching color for each child. Cindy gets a pink bowl and plate. Billy blue. Kathy yellow. You can do this with cups too. So instead of a child reaching for a new bowl every time they have a snack or a new cup for water, they reuse their bowl or cup.

Parenting Tip

Baby sign language. I was told it’s easier to teach a baby a hand signal for something than how to say the word for it. My sister-in-law taught her baby a sign for “more” even though he couldn’t say it. She started knocking her (knuckled) fists together to show him “more,” as in do you want more food? More play time? More books to be read? I saw him do it himself when he indeed wanted more. In fact, it started looking as if he was arguing with her in sign language. Once he wanted more books and kept doing the “more” sign even though she told him it was time to go to sleep.

Parenting Tip: Bed Weting

Some little kids wet their beds. They shouldn't be shamed for having accidents. Patience is what is needed. Some kids have weak bladder muscles, some could be going through sad times, others sleep so soundly they don't heed the call of nature as well as others. The following are some suggestions for bed wetting:

1) Have your child pee before going to sleep. Some kids read in bed so have them go pee before getting into bed and then again before going to sleep.
2) Don't give your child full glasses of water right before bed (but don't let them go to bed parched).
3) Encourage them to drink, or drink more water/milk, during dinner so they have time to pee before bed. But don't let them fill up on liquids/milk to the point they don't eat their dinner.
4) Grousing or yelling at your child about bed wetting will only stress them out more. And make them feel bad about themselves. So don't do it.
5) For easier clean up, put a zip up plastic cover over the mattress. Some parents have tried putting plastic liners over areas, but if the liner moves, the mattress could get wet. I recommend buying a cover for the whole mattress. Put a washable mattress pad over the plastic for comfort. In the end this is cheaper than buying a new mattress. It also lowers frustration levels because clean up is easier.
6) Make a dry bed chart to encourage your child to have a dry bed. So many nights of a dry bed equals more time on the computer or an outing at an ice cream parlor.
7) I knew of one parent who swore her six-year-old peed in bed when she got mad at the parent. She said her child knew it upset her to have to wash the sheets and wipe the plastic lining down. If you really think this is the case with your older child have them take off their own sheets and put them in the laundry room and have them wipe down their own plastic lining. And teach them to make their own bed. A few times of this and they might not pee in bed to get back at you. It worked for this parent. If the peeing continues out of anger your child might need to speak to a psychologist.

Living with a Messy Child Tips

Help 4 Living with a Messy Child

1)Here is a tip to get your young child to clean up their room: Make a game of it. Time them to see how fast they can put away their books in their bookcase. And how long it takes to pick up their clothes from the floor to the hamper. If you have more than one child you can have a timed competition. But make sure it is a win-win situation for both kids. Both children afterwards get 15 minutes extra on the computer or they can make cookies with you.

2)If two kids share a bedroom and one is driving the other batty with their mess you can divide things in half in the room. Each child can have their own shelf on the bookcase. Their own area in the closet and their own drawers. With the top of a dresser do not divide it in half by using masking tape. My cousin did this with me and it ruined the antique dresser. Use a string or ribbon on top.

3)It is hard to get teenagers to clean their room. If they are basically well behaved and that is their only problem you might not want to make a big issue of it. But this is what you can do: Close the door so you do not have to look at the mess. And set ground rules like, no food can be left on the floor for the ants to get; glasses or liquids also can not be on the floor in case they to tip over; the child needs to have a clear path to the closet, window, dresser, and door; dirty clothes piled on the ground will not cleaned; they need to open the window for fresh air sometimes or have a plugged in air freshener, especially if they have an animal in the room (Caged animals need to have their cages cleaned once a week. The smell of a stinky cage can drive you out of a room. Also, the smell can drift out in the hallway if there is a crack under the door.)

4)Remember just because your child is messy as a kid or teenager does not mean they will be messy as an adult. I was messy as a kid and I am not anymore. I also had a teenage brother who lived in room that looked like he lived in disaster area, plus, his room smelled to high heaven. In his twenties when he got married his wife would have none of that.

Sand Box Tip for parents

Before letting your wee one play in a park's sand box make sure there isn't any cigarette butts, cat poop or broken glass in it. Note: Cigarette butts are dangerous for dogs. Don't let your dogs eat them.

Parenting Tip for Super Active Kids

If your child has a hard time sitting still in school or at home when doing their school work let them stand while doing it. Talk to your child's teacher about this idea. Also, during homework time give your child a break every fifteen to twenty minutes to run around to get their energy out. Have them do jumping jacks, jump with a rope, or jump on a small trampoline.

Great Study Tip for Kids, Preteens, Teens

Study Tip for your child: If your child has a hard time remembering history or science facts here’s a tip a teacher taught me. Make up a word or simple phrase using the first letter of each fact. Example: Your child needs to remember the five oceans of the world. They are the Pacific, Atlantic, Indian, Arctic and Antarctic (or Southern Ocean). If your child can remember the first letter of each ocean and put them together to make a word, phrase, or something similar it will help them memorize the oceans easier. In this case if your child can associate “PI triple A” to the names of oceans it will trigger their recall of them. PI is for Pacific and Indian. Triple A is for the Atlantic, Arctic, and Antarctic. If your child has to remember a date like May 1919 they can think, “I like to play in May double 19.” Even if they can’t remember the whole phrase it will trigger their memory about May 1919. But don’t make the connecting word or phrase so difficult that it confuses them. The whole point is to have the word or phrase jolt their memory. This can help when you stress out and blank, or have the answer on the tip of your tongue. I have used this method myself when I don’t have a pen and paper handy and I have to remember certain information or groceries to buy. The phrase “sugar without the u” can help you remember to buy soap, grapes, apples, and rice. Your brain tries to fill in the blanks when you give particular letters to words. If you remember soap, apples and grapes, but you blank on the last one this method will prompt your brain to find the connection between the grocery and the phrase. You might think and think, “What is the r grocery I need to buy?” then it will hit you, “Oh yes, it’s rice.”

Does your Child get Hungry when you Shop?

Parents curb hunger melt downs by making sure your child eats BEFORE you leave the house with them. If you need to take them shopping bring healthy snacks. (Keep a few granola bars or mini boxes of cheerios in the car in a shady area for emergency hunger pains.) DO NOT give your child soda on an empty stomach. When some parents are in a hurry they might buy their child a quick soda thinking it will give them an energy boost. However, after the initial boost it will give them a let down, and you could end up with an ill-humored child. I know a former Brownie Troop leader who noticed when parents brought super surgery drinks for their little girls they would get grumpy and whiny 15-20 minutes after having these drinks. Other parents started noticing this when she bought this to their attention. Track this with your own child.

Be Prepared- Caretaker Emergency Phone Number List and Call Sheet

If you haven't done this yet, do it today! Place all emergency phone numbers on a sheet of paper on your refrigerator or a prominent place where all can see it, like near a phone. Keep it in a fixed place. Do not let people walk off with it. Tape it in place if you must. Numbers you should list: 911 (or your country’s 911 equivalent); poison control; husband and wife’s (or your) office and cell numbers; doctor, dentist, and veterinarian numbers; a relative, close friend’s or neighbor’s phone number; your home and/or computer phone numbers; your home address.
It can be stressful when there is an emergency so write on a sheet of paper what a person should tell the operator when they call 911. Keep this sheet near the emergency phone list.

Sample of what to write for someone caring for your child:
This is (actually write, give your name). I am calling because (write, say why). It involves a child. The phone number here is (actually write it in). The address here is (again write it in). The medications they are taking are (write it in). They are allergic to (write in any medicines they are allergic to if any). Their pediatricians name is (write it in). What should I do until you get here?

Sometimes during an emergency the person on the other line will want to know your name so they can use it to calm you down. You might have more confidence in a person if they use your name. It makes it more personal. Which sentence makes you feel more like the person on the other end is on your team? "Sarah I want you to open the airways…" "Ms. I want you to open the airways…"

Buy a how-to-sheet for CPR and basic first aid. Keep it near the emergency phone numbers. Everyone living in your home should know where the emergency phone list, call sheet, and emergency CPR/First Aid chart are placed. Make sure all caretakers know where they are.
Here’s an idea, take your older child with you when you take a CPR and basic first aid class. They might not be able to get certified depending on how old they are and where you live, but at least in an emergency situation they can help you or their grandparents if need be.

Know CPR & First Aid

I was a Red Cross First Aid and CPR Instructor so please take what I say today seriously. If you have young children make sure the cords on your blinds are up high. If they are hanging down low kids can get the cords wrapped around their necks, choking them. For home safety reasons know First Aid and CPR yourself. Plus, make sure anyone who takes care of your kids takes these classes. Also, have a card showing basic CPR and First Aid procedures on your frig in case you or a babysitter forgets what to do in an emergency. Call your local Red Cross, American Heart Assoc. or fire department for classes. Some fire departments offer classes free to the public. Find out if any fire departments in your area do.

Tissue Tip

During cold season have boxes of tissues in reachable places in many places of your home. Children do not like to go to the kitchen to get a tissue if they're busy playing elsewhere. They will be more likely to use a tissue if one is near by. Otherwise they might use their shirt, or the back of their hand which can spread germs. If your child has a lingering cold put a little pack of tissues in their backpack for school use. And have a tissue pack in your car. You can always refill the tiny packages with more tissues from bigger boxes at home. Thus saving you money.