Is There a Toddler Copycat in Your Midst?

Posted on May 1, 2017 by llpitlwp

Your Little Toddler Copycat

Your toddler won’t be able to carry on a conversation just yet, but don’t be surprised if he starts mimicking your telephone style with his toy phone. You may also catch him imitating the way you act behind the wheel of the car, preparing meals, or cleaning the house. This copycat behavior can be charming or potentially embarrassing. Now’s a good time to pay extra attention to your own language and behavior. via Baby Center

We have a toddler in our house and he is the cutest when he imitates his mom (my daughter) and his dad.

He loves to take a napkin or paper towel and clean his place at the table or the top of his high chair and just about anything else in his reach.

It is only a matter of time when he will imitate the things his mom and dad and anyone else in earshot says.

It is now time to make sure that what we say is something that we would not mind him repeating. Personally, I find the car a place where I might exclaim words that I would not like to hear him say…even thought when a child imitates our behavior we tend to laugh which only encourages him to keep saying things that are not appropriate.

So just remember that the toddler in your midst is listening to everything and is already planning to embarrass you when you least expect it.

Weekend Pick from Parenting in the Loop

Posted on February 23, 2017 by llpitlwp

Weekend Pick from Parenting in the Loop

Food allergies invaded our family about 8 years ago with my granddaughter breaking out in whole body hives. It was a very scary and life changing experience for her and for us.

Learning about food allergies is essential and it is an ongoing routine which includes scrutinizing food labels and monitoring your child’s environment on a daily basis

There have been milestones in my granddaughter’s awareness and self advocacy over the years.

Recently, I came across this wonderful summary and timeline of skills that can be life saving for your child with food allergies.

Weekends are a time when kids are out and about with families and friends…it is a break from work and school but not a break from allergies to food.

Even if you are not affected by these allergies yourself it might be helpful if you knew more about them so you could assist if a child or an adult around you has an allergic reaction.

Growing up with food allergies takes baby steps. Spokin has compiled 36 milestones for your food allergic child to help track your progress and theirs.

Source: 36 Skills To Teach Your Food Allergic Child — SPOKIN

Happy Weekend!

Feeding Baby Cow’s Milk

Posted on August 26, 2016 by llpitlwp

Feeding Baby Cow’s Milk

Why do experts recommend waiting to introduce cow’s milk until a child is 12 months old?

Source: Cow’s milk: When and how to introduce it

Our grandson just turned 1 year old! A baby’s first year of life is marked by so many growth and development milestones but yet it seems in the blink of an eye they are standing, cruising and then walking.

Obviously this is a grandmother’s perspective as new moms know it seems like forever before a newborn sleeps through the night and then forever till he sits up, crawls, holds his own bottle and begins to eat some “real” food!

At the one year mark our baby can now begin to drink cow’s milk or milk other than breast milk or formula which will make some trips away from home a slight bit easier. Prior to one year an infant’s digestive system is not ready for the high concentration of protein and minerals in regular milk. In addition cow’s milk is deficient in iron, vitamin C and other nutrients nor does it have the healthy fats for your growing infant.

horizon_milk

When your baby is mature enough milk becomes a staple in his diet with all of its calcium and vitamin D. Calcium helps to build strong bones and teeth as well as regulate blood clotting and muscle control. Protein is also found in milk along with energy providing carbohydrates.

The big question is usually how much milk should your child be drinking. Here are the AAP recommendations.

According to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), most kids will get enough calcium and vitamin D if they drink 16 to 20 ounces (2 to 2 1/2 cups) of cow’s milk a day. Offer 1-year-olds whole milk (unless they’re at high risk for obesity).

Don’t offer more than 3 cups of milk a day or your child may not have room for the other foods she needs to round out her diet. If your toddler’s still thirsty, offer water.

Happy Birthday to your 1 year-old!

Rainbow Cake

1st Birthday

It is exciting times… toddling to 2!

Parents, Are You Sick of Parenting Tips Yet?

Posted on August 22, 2016 by pitlwp

Parents Are You Sick of Parenting Tips Yet?

At any given moment, I have a pile of parenting information on my desk, nightstand, and kitchen table.

I have my favorite tipsters and I also have my favorite tip.

parents

Make your primary goal as parents

to help your child develop empathy and

kindness in their hearts

rather

than focusing on controlling his/her behavior.

Raising a child does not come down to following a list of tips. Parenting and grand-parenting really stems from the heart. It has to do with treating children with respect and empathy which is sometimes easier imagined than accomplished. Children imitate their parents and we often hear our own words come out of their mouths sometimes to our embarrassment.

If your goal is to have a well-behaved child with core qualities of kindness and empathy, you will need to encourage him to appropriately express his thoughts and emotions while listening and using these moments to treat him with empathy and kindness.

What do you think? How do you encourage your child to express himself?

Childproofing away from home

Posted on July 2, 2016 by llpitlwp

Childproofing When You Are Away From Home

Small children are at risk for accidents especially at home since that is where they spend the most time. There are all kinds of services and ways to go about making a child’s environment safe and providing a play area that is welcoming and worry free.

What about when you go away to a relative’s home or to a hotel, that safe environment is sometimes more challenging to acquire.

I just came across this video which is so helpful for those parents traveling during these summer months or actually anytime. Here is Childproofing 101!

Here’s to a safe summer for everyone including your littlest travelers who are curious and ready to explore everything that is new and different!

Here’s how to spot potential dangers when away from home and what to pack in your safety kit.

Source: Childproofing away from home | Video | BabyCenter

Do You Have An “Easy” Baby?

Posted on June 7, 2016 by llpitlwp

Do You Have An “Easy” Baby?

Every child is a different assignment — and we can all pay lip service to that cheerfully enough. But the hard thing to believe is how different the assignments can be. Within the range of developmentally normal children, some parents have a much, much harder job than others: more drudge work, less gratification, more public shaming. It sometimes feels like the great undiscussed secret of pediatrics — and of parenting. Babies and children are different, assignments are different, and we spend a lot of time patting ourselves on the back — as parents and as pediatricians — when the easy babies and toddlers behave like themselves, and a lot of time agonizing and assigning blame when the more difficult kids run true to form. We talk a lot about temperament in my line of work. We look at where a child — or an adult — falls along a set of axes. High activity to low activity. Adapts easily to adapts with difficulty. Intensity, mood, attention span. And while no one would argue that these are fixed and immutable traits, it’s also true that — again, as every parent and teacher knows all too well — you can’t possibly make child A into child B. You work with the temperament you’re given — it’s the assignment. And some assignments are harder than others.

Source: Some Babies Are Just Easier Than Others – The New York Times

How do you know if you have an easy baby? Here are some things you might say…

“He rarely cries”…
“He sleeps well”…
“He eats well”…

Babies are people and they come in different sizes and temperaments . Temperament sometimes defines how “easy” or “difficult” your child seems to be. Your temperament also determines how you respond to your child. It really makes total sense.

On one of the popular baby sites at the end of every post, there is a statement that all babies are individuals and develop and respond to their environments differently. Developmental timelines are guidelines for monitoring your child’s growth and development each baby will differ, some more than others and that is usually expected and okay.

As most parents can attest every child is very different and there are so many variables that go into making this statement true.

So when your child has a meltdown in the middle of Target and people are staring at you try to understand that they may have had an “easy” child and it really was not a reflection of how “great” and “skillful” a parent they were. Parents young and old are quick to judge those with “difficult” children.

Grandparents who indulge are not the reason grandkids are “difficult”, parents who are strict or lenient are not the reason their young children behave better at times. It is related to temperament and combining an understanding of each child and their individual needs that help a child modulate their behavior when necessary as they grow and develop.

If you have an “easy assignment” as a parent…be empathic with those parents and grandparents who are dealing with a more difficult assignment. Your next child or grandchild could be more challenging.

Nine Month-Old Baby Development

Posted on June 6, 2016 by llpitlwp

Baby Development at 9 Months Old!

At nine months of age you may notice that your baby has developed what is commonly referred to as “separation anxiety”.

This can be troubling for parents, who do not realize this is a perfectly normal stage of development. Fortunately there are little things you can do to help your child with his anxiety around “strangers”.

If your baby is showing an extreme attachment to you or his dad and refuses to have anything to do with anyone else take care, as this is so very common but can make it difficult for you to leave him even with his grandparents.

Sometime between 4-7 months, babies develop a sense of object permanence and begin to learn that things and people exist even when they’re out of sight. This is when babies start playing the “dropsy” game — dropping things over the side of the high chair and expecting an adult to pick them up (which, once retrieved, get dropped again!). The same thing occurs with a parent. Babies realize that there’s only mom or dad, and when they can’t see you, that means you’ve gone away. And most don’t yet yet understand the concept of time so they do not know if or when you’ll come back. Whether you’re in the kitchen, in the next bedroom, or at the office, it’s all the same to your baby. You’ve disappeared, and your child will do whatever he or she can to prevent this from happening.

separationAnxiety2_enSB

Source: Separation Anxiety

Easing your child’s separation anxiety can be anxiety producing more for you as the parents, since it then makes it difficult to leave little one, even if it is to just run errands.

There are a couple of ways to deal with leaving your child. Help him transition by having caregivers approach slowly and let him make the initial move toward them, giving him his blanket or pacifier as this is something soothing to him and helps him cope with his own anxiety. Sucking is his way of calming and soothing himself.

At this time, travel and strange environments may be more difficult with your little one as well. Being in new places around new faces can disrupt his sense of predictability and security. He may become cranky and clingy. Having books and toys available as well as his blanket or security object (transitional object) around may help him ease into new situations while traveling. He will also need to decompress so make sure you spend some one on one time with him to help him do this.

This is a fun age so try to enjoy him and what he is experiencing at the moment.

Source: Your 9-month-old’s development: Week 1 | BabyCenter

Baby Development at 6 Months

Posted on March 9, 2016 by llpitlwp

Baby Development at 6 Months

Can you believe that 6 months has gone by since your baby was born? In some ways of course in other ways the changes in him can make you wonder were did the time go since he was just in a swaddle?

Baby development is slowly happening each and every day right in front of you. It is not dramatic but it is subtle and so much fun to see these new abilities and changes.

At six months he is becoming more physically active and more social. What have you noticed?

Here are some highlights of baby development at 6 months of age.

Rolling over and rolling around when you are trying to change his diaper and not staying put any longer when you lay him on his play mat on the floor. His muscles are developing and he is holding his head up better and perhaps he is even sitting up.
Now that he looking around more he is also becoming more social. He will even flirt with you and crave your attention as he also begins to develop stranger anxiety. His crave for your attention is making him engage in behaviors and crying that he knows will alert you to him. It is now time to give him some positive feedback when he does positive things which just about always at this point because the time will come when some of his attention getting behaviors will not be so cute and endearing.
Foods- When you begin to give your baby some solid foods on the recommendation of your doctor don’t be surprised when his stools change and become more stinky depending upon what he is eating. If he does get constipated try to give him some baby strained fruit and veggies to help him out as firm stools can be really uncomfortable for him.

My little grandson seems to be right on target with his baby development, he is wowing us with his little baby nuances and new abilities. Although he does not yet sit up fully on his own his head is well controlled and his is exploring his environment every chance he gets. Safety has become more important with regard to his new love of rolling around whenever and wherever possible.

He also has tasted some yummy foods. Organic foods are preferred by mom and dad but it is not easy to always find them in the baby food aisle a their local grocer. So grandma gave baby and parents a present a baby food processor, the Baby Brezza Food Maker, which should thrill everyone with it simplicity of use and clean-up with the bonus of preparing really healthy delicious food and one that was not available when this grandma was a young mom. I also order baby food online, delivered right to their door.

I can’t wait to see what happens during the next month of my little grandson’s life!

Source: Your 6-month-old’s development: Week 1 | BabyCenter

Weekend Pick from Parenting in the Loop

Posted on February 28, 2016 by llpitlwp

Weekend Pick from Parenting in the Loop

Weekend water play

Imprinting, psychological definition:

A remarkable phenomenon that occurs in animals, and theoretically in humans, in the first hours of life. The newborn creature bonds to the type of animals it meets at birth and begins to pattern its behavior after them. In humans, this is often called bonding, and it usually refers to the relationship between the newborn and its parents.

It’s Sunday but I had to share this cute little video as my pick for this weekend

A Little Girl and Her Duck

This little story has really made me smile and has warmed my heart. Seeing a duckling attach to a child and a young child attach to a duck speaks volumes about the importance of human attachment.

FEBRUARY 26, 2016, 6:56 PM|A 5-year-old in Maine has an inseparable bond with her duck. Not a toy duck — a real, live duck. She believes she is the duck’s mom, and vice versa. Steve Hartman went “On the Road” to meet this dynamic duck duo.
Source: Duck pals: A girl and her duck – Videos – CBS News

Weekend Pics from Parenting in the Loop

Posted on February 6, 2016 by llpitlwp

Weekend Pics from Parenting in the Loop

Welcome back!

Do you play catch up on the weekend? This weeks pics are short and sweet to read while you take a much needed break from the weekday routines.

Baths…are they really necessary every day for kids? What is the routine in your house? Do you wash your child’s hair every time they shower or take a bath? I never really thought about this too much but it must be a topic of discussion so here are some guidelines.

My grandmother told me that back in the day Saturday night was bath night and their tubs were in the kitchen because they had to heat their own bath water on the stove. That was tenement living in NYC in the early 1900’s.

Contrary to popular belief, babies don’t need daily baths, according to Laura Jana, MD, spokeswoman for the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). It’s not until they begin crawling around in sandboxes and other places, and start eating solid foods, that they get dirty enough to merit a full-body wash. “Bathing is really necessary only to clean your child off when she gets dirty,” pediatrician David Gellar, MD, told BabyCenter.

Source: Do Kids Really Need a Bath Every Day? The Great Debate

How do you promote creativity in your children and grandchildren? This week I read that kids are better off with lots of arts and crafts in their play space than a bunch of toys. I would not argue with that except there are definitely toys that creative while being fun. I am thinking about STEM ‘toys’ in particular robots like Dash and Dot, and Legos. How does your weekend stack up when it comes to creativity?

Re “How to Raise a Creative Child” (Sunday Review, Jan. 31): What Adam Grant says about the relationship between freedom and creativity is so true. But now I fear that the tiger moms and dads will decide that they can mass-produce creative children merely by cutting back on rules and letting their children follow their hearts. I would argue that the sources of creativity are deeper than that: Creative children tend to have creative parents who encourage and value creativity in their offspring.

Source: On Freeing a Child to Be Creative – The New York Times

This is a great short article about kids and money and the effects of managing it even at an early age and keeping the conversations about spending alive as the years go on. A very worthwhile read even for adults who have money/materialism issues.

Children are ever-changing beings, but when it comes to money and materialism, too many parents think that their older offspring are not malleable at all.

Here are the 6 Steps: