Hat's Parenting Page
Parenting FAQ
How tall will my child be when he/she grows up? How heavy?
How do I stop my toddler from misbehaving?
Have the diaper bag blues?
How can we cope with our preschooler's fear of monsters in his room at night?
How can I make nighttime nursing less disruptive?
How can I help my preschooler dress herself appropriately?
Protect your child's "best friend".
How can I encourage my daughter's creative artistic talent without spending a fortune on art supplies?
How to get your kids to drink more water.
"No Tears" shampooing.
My older child is too rough with the baby.
Fun activity for encouraging number-learning.
A spoon full of sugar....
Rainy day activity.
How can I get more mileage out of baby clothes?
Fun outdoors activity
Questions and Answers
How tall will my child be when he/she grows up? How heavy?
Here is a method for estimating your child's height and weight at age 18.
Boys
Height: Double his height at age two.
Weight: Multiply his weight at age 2 by 5.
Girls
Height: Double her height at age 18 months.
Weight: Multiply her weight at age 18 months by 5.
How do I stop my toddler from misbehaving?
Dr. Robert MacKenzie, Ed.D., an educational psychologist, recommends trying the "four R's": remove, replace, refocus, redirect.
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Remove the item from your child's hands, or remove the child from the area.
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Replace the item with a safe object, such as a toy.
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Refocus the child's attention to the new object by showing him or her something interesting about it, like the sound it makes when you bang it on the floor.
-
Redirect the child's activity. Use his or her short attention span to your advantage.
Have the diaper bag blues?
Tired of lugging around that huge diaper bag? Tired of aching shoulders and back? Toddlers as young as two can carry their own diaper supplies, provided you keep it light. Have your child help pick out a toddler-sized backpack for him or herself. Your toddler will probably enjoy being responsible for it. Just make sure there are no dangerous objects in the bag.
How can we cope with our preschooler's fear of monsters in his room at night?
Monsters under the bed or in the closet is a common preschooler fear. Try filling a plastic spray bottle with tap water. Add a few drops of scent. Use this "monster spray" under the bed, behind doors, or wherever monsters may be lurking. The scent will remain behind as a reminder to your child that the "monster spray" is working, even after you turn out the lights.
How can I make nighttime nursing less disruptive?
Our level of wakefulness is regulated by the amount of light that enters our eyes, as well as the color of that light. Try putting a
blue 40W light bulb (which can be obtained at most home centers and department stores, in the lighting section) in the lamp next to the crib, or wherever you usually nurse. It lets off enough light to see by, without being too bright and waking up mom and infant completely. Makes it much easier for both to get back to sleep.
How can I help my preschooler dress herself appropriately?
We want to teach our kids to be independent, but when they pick out their own clothes, the results can be, well... downright embarrassing. To make things easier, try putting together completed outfits. Fold all the items into a packet. Then all she has to do is pick out a packet, and you can rest assured she will match.
Protect your child's "best friend".
Does your child have a favorite stuffed animal that he drags everywhere? Does being separated from it leave him in a howling heap? Prevent that "best friend" from becoming
permanently lost at the mall, restaurant, etc. Have an inexpensive pet tag made with the toy's name, address, and phone number, so if the unthinkable happens, there can be a speedy reunion.
How can I encourage my daughter's creative artistic talent without spending a fortune on art supplies?
Keep a basket, into which you put the scraps from your own projects... colored paper, bits of ribbon, scraps of fabric etc. She can use this "art bucket" to create her own masterpieces.
How to get your kids to drink more water.
To get my 2- and 4-year-
olds to drink more water, I
put drops of food coloring
in their clear cups to make
it more fun. I tell them to
cover their eyes while I take
out my magic wand and say
a few special words, and
presto- drinks they enjoy!
"No Tears" shampooing..
I had a hard
time getting my
2- and 4-year
old boys to put
their heads back
when I rinsed their hair in
the bathtub. To hold their
interest, I put colorful
plastic stickers on the ceiling
above the tub. The pictures
get them to look up, and I
hold their attention by
talking and asking questions
about the art on the ceiling.
I had a hard time getting my
2-year-old daughter to close her
eyes while I rinsed shampoo out
of her hair during bath time. But
I came up with a creative "hide-
and-seek" solution. After I put
shampoo in her hair, I ask
Madeline to close her eyes. Then
while I pour water over her head, I
hide one of her tub toys under the
bubbles for her to find after the
rinsing is over. She doesn't want
to spoil the game by peeking, so
she closes her eyes really tight.
My older child is too rough with the baby.
My 2-year-old loves his baby sibling so much that he gets excited and his hugs get a little too strong. Any ideas for reminding him to be gentle with baby?
Teach him fun ways
of showing affection,
such as how to
blow baby a kiss or
tickle his toes.
We gave our daughter's hugs names.
Bone-crushing bear
hugs are "squishes"
and for grown-ups
only. "Little lovies" are softer, but strong
enough to feel and
are perfect for
little sister.
Our son asks permission to go to the
"hugging chair" first;
then he can sit and
hug baby all he
wants under our supervision
I played a touch
game with my
daughter. I let her
touch soft things
like velvet, satin,
stuffed toys, and
baby sister's feet.
When she goes to
hug baby, I remind
her to do it softly,
because baby's soft.
Have your 2-year-
old hug an egg.
When it breaks, it
may startle him, but
explain to him that
some things-like
eggs and babies-
are delicate, so he'll
need to be gentle.
Our neighbor taught our 3-year- old about baby high-five with his baby brother, then share a big-boy high-five
with everyone else.
Fun activity for encouraging number-learning.
To help my 4-year-old son
learn his numbers, I let him
dial my phone calls. He
loves having such a big-boy
job to do and looks forward
to his daily calls.
A spoon full of sugar....
Hassle-free way to help the medicine go down.
When our 9-month-old son gets sick, it's a battle
to get him to take his medicine. But we found
that he's much more cooperative when he's
taking a bath and distracted by all of his tub toys.
The best part is that any medicine that drips down
his chin can be easily rinsed off.
Rainy day activity.
A cure for cabin fever. When it's too cold to go outside, my sons and I have our own 'photo shoots.' They have a ball picking out themes, finding props, and going through wardrobe changes, and I wind up with some treasured photos. A recent 'Winnie the Pooh' shoot yielded such great pictures that we had them made into wallet-size photos so we could give them to family and friends.
How can I get more mileage out of baby clothes?
My 6-month-old has spit up
on almost every one of his
outfits. To get more wear
out of his stained clothes, I
tie-dye them. The stains
blend right in with the
colorful designs.
Fun outdoors activity.
When the weather is warm, my kids
like to take their finger-paints
outside. They can use both their
hands and feet to make pictures on
construction paper or the cement.
The best part is cleanup time: they
love playing with the garden hose to
wash the paint away.
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