Anytime you bring a new child into a home, there are certain concessions one has to make. Parents have to give up certain things while adding others. Bringing an adopted child into a new home is a particularly daunting task because the child was already used to another home. Now, you have to make the new home inviting and caring while maintaining a sense of normalcy. These are a few things to consider when preparing the home for an adopted child.

1. Change insurance and legal papers to reflect the new family member right away. This is one of the first steps that should be taken care of to ensure a healthy future for the new child. Babies need constant check ups, vaccinations and will get sick. You do not want any delay when it comes to taking care of the health of a child. Take care of all insurance related issues immediately. Try to get a hold of the child’s original birth certificate. This document will come in handy in the future.

2. You will need to get new documents for the child made up such as a social security number and a birth certificate. The social security number is needed because you cannot claim the child as a dependent on your taxes without one. Also, get an updated birth certificate to reflect the new family status.

3. Now, it is time to prepare the physical home for an adopted child. With any child, birth or adopted, a home has to be made child-safe. This requires going over a few simple things to ensure the safety of the child. All electrical outlets should have a cover over them. The cabinets under the kitchen sink, where all the cleaning supplies are kept, should be locked or the supplies moved to a place where the child cannot reach them. Make sure children cannot pull anything down from a shelf or a table. Also, rooms that could be potential hazards, such as libraries or offices with bookshelves should be kept off limits with a child gate or a locked door. Common sense also comes into play here. If something looks dangerous, it probably is. Make the house safe for the child before brining it home.

4. Depending on the age of the child, the child’s past is a strong thing to consider. Babies don’t have many memories, but do have habits. Try to keep the habits and the baby’s routine as similar as possible. In older children, there is a lot more to consider such favorite foods, favorite games, if they had a bed time story read to them. It could be anything. Learn as much about the child’s past as possible to make the transition easier for an adopted child into a new home. The adopted child is already going through a traumatic experience by changing homes and family, try to make it go as smoothly as possible.

5. It is not just the adopted child that parents need to consider. If there are other children already in the home, parents have to think about their feelings as well. This is a new and exciting time for the whole family, however, other children could feel left out if they are not part of the process. Talk to the other children and get their feelings on having an adopted child in the house. Ask them what they could do to make the baby feel welcome. Give them tasks such helping change a baby’s diaper, showing them a new game or picking out new clothes to make them feel involved.

As the process goes along you may find there are other things that need to be changed to prepare the home for an adopted child. These are not ground rules when it comes to bringing in an adoptive child, but it is a great place to start.

A few websites design, manufacture, print and ship their own brand of baby shower invitations. Their advanced technological features allow them to personalize your baby shower invitations online and then instantly preview them BEFORE you buy! Most custom Baby Shower Invitations reflect the theme of the baby shower being given for the Mommy-to-Be. Although it is constantly being updated, here are a few of the current popular baby shower invitations announcements cards ideas which might be helpful to you in making your selection, All About Baby Showers :

Baby Bassinet Shower Invitations Announcements Cards: Baby bassinet with a baby inside decorates this baby shower invitation baby boys or a girls. For twins use two bassinets or for triplets we will add three bassinets

Baby Bib Shower Invitations Announcements Cards: Baby shower invitations announcements cards with a bib shown

Baby Blocks Shower Invitations Announcements Cards: Baby shower invitations with ABC and 123 blocks for both baby boys and girls

Baby Bottle Shower Invitations Announcements Cards: Baby shower announcements shaped like a baby bottle

Baby Carriage Shower Invitations: Baby shower invitations with baby carriages can be used for a baby boy or a girl, twins or three carriages for triplets

Baby Shower “baby” Invitations Announcements Cards: Baby shower cards with actual photos or pictures of babies or clip art pictures of babies. If you know the sex of the baby, make it a baby boy or baby girl on the baby shower invitations

Stork Baby Shower Invitations: These are always a favorite! Baby shower invitations with a stork. We have several cute baby shower cards that have a picture of a stork delivering a baby or with cute wording ideas

Baby Items Shower Announcements Cards: Baby shower cards with multiple baby items (bib, burp cloth, diapers, basket with towels, etc.) to signify the baby shower is coming. These are available in “blue” or “pink” to signify the sex of the baby

Cute Animals Baby Shower Cards: Baby shower announcements with a furry teddy bear or butterflies are always nice

Baby Shoes Shower Invitations: Baby shower cards with baby shoes are one of the best selling baby shower cards, since they are so small and signify a new baby is on the way or already here.

Cute and original baby shower invitations are a great way to set the tone for your baby shower, and they also provide a reminder for the guests to put on their bulletin boards. You can view lot of printable custom Baby Shower Announcements, Baby Shower Invitations and Baby Shower Cards, add your personal message, along with your favorite fonts, ink color and then Preview your personalized baby card. This process allows you to see your baby card before you buy!

vegan parenting www.melissafornabaio.com

How to train a child for potty?

This is the major question which must be arising in your mind. Before training the child it is important to understand the nature and body language of your child. Children are basically very moody by nature and so it is essential to deal effectively with them. Once they start the bombarding of their questions then it may become difficult for parents to answer them. While giving your potty training to your child, they may ask you several questions. During this period of time it is necessary for parents to maintain their cool and answer their questions tactfully.

Child potty training requires lot of patience, time and attentiveness as it is considered to be the most tedious job. It is the duty of parents to understand the gestures of their child. If you want your child to be hygienic then give them proper potty training at proper age. After 18 or 24 month you can start giving your child potty training. Normally small children are always in the playing mood, and so potty training must be given to them in such a way that it should become joyful activity for them.

Potty training has big procedure and you should make your child understand the whole procedure. Child potty training involves-

· Maintaining schedule of your child.

· Making them realize that they need to go to for elimination.

· Your child must get used to certain sounds like “sssssss” or “pee pee”, so that by hearing this sound he may do the elimination process quickly.

· They must first remove their pants and their underwear.

· He or she should know that they have to sit down on the potty.

· Child must also learn to clean himself to maintain hygiene.

· He must also know how to flush.

· After that he or she needs to wash their hands and get back to their normal routine.

Child can understand more quickly what they observe rather than what they listen. So if you show them the procedure they will understand it more accurately. Even if this does not work then there are various DVDs and videos available in the market, which can help your child to understand the concept precisely.

There are varieties of potty chairs available in the market which can be used for child potty training. To make the training more enjoyable for your child you can use potties such as padded potties, musical potties, replica potties, portable potties, car potties, chamber pots etc. To encourage your child you can even use potty training sticker charts.

By appropriate child potty training use of diapers can be reduced drastically. It can also improve the bond of the child with his or her parents. Many times you know the way of training your child but you may not know when to train your child. The age of training does not matters, the thing that matters is when your child is physically and mentally ready to learn new skill. Once your child learns potty training properly then you do not have to think about changing the diapers again and again. There are more than one ways you can implement to provide child potty training, get to learn a lot more at www.PottyPlease.com.

Julia Elliott

One of the biggest misfortunes of modern living is obesity in children. The huge bodies of these children do not permit them to play happily with their peers. Dieting, in addition to battling with the self-esteem problems that obesity usually brings, is an absolute must for obese children.

If you have an overweight child, you must try every method possible to get him or her to shed those extra pounds so that he or she can live a normal life. First and foremost, you have to consult your physician and talk to him or her about the most beneficial method for your child to not only lose weight, but also maintain good health.

To be frank, if you hesistate to take the basic steps necessary to enable your child to lose that excess weight, you will put your child’s health at risk. When we do not permit our children to play on the road or handle guns, why on earth should we let them kill themselves by eating junk foods?

If you have an obese child, the following tips will be of immense help to you.

1. Do not punish or reward your child with food. Food is one the major problems your child has to face, and using it as a punishment or reward will simply worsen the problem.
2. Encourage your child to eat healthy foods instead of fried foods. Do not keep any junk food in the house.
3. Pack your child’s lunch yourself so that you are aware of what he or she eats. Do not allow the child to buy lunch in school.
4. Ensure that your child does not get any junk food outside the house.
5. Change the food habits of the entire family. Instead of eating fried snacks, eat healthy fruit and nut snacks. Your child needs fresh fruits, raw vegetables, or frozen yogurt.
6. Study the food pyramid whenever you are in doubt about your child’s dietary needs. This will ensure that you give your children a good balanced diet.
7. See that you child does not drink any soft drinks. You will have to face a lot of rebellion initially, but your child will develop an abiding love for water. Water not only keeps a child full, but also digests fat.
8. Introduce a lot of physical activity into your child’s life. Encourage them to join a dance class, go for a long walk, jog, run, or play football or cricket.
9. Don’t allow your child to become a couch potato. Keep him or her away from video and computer games. See that your child is active always. Keeping the child active means that he or she now has a healthy alternative to eating. It also means that he or she is burning up all those extra calories.
10. If home methods do not work, you could enroll your child in one of the weight-loss camps, especially designed to deal with weight loss and self-esteem issues in children between the ages of seven and nineteen. One of these camps might be the answer to your prayer.
11. Let your child follow the example you set. If you refrain from eating junk food or indulge in emotional eating, your child will automatically learn from you and will do the same.

You will notice a change in your child if you follow these simple techniques. Your child will carry himself or herself with confidence as he or she sheds those extra pounds. His or her relationships at school will improve when all the teasing comes to a stop.

Probably one of the hardest adjustments of having a new baby is the lack of sleep that goes hand in hand with your baby needing regular feeds throughout the night. If your baby is hungry it needs to be fed, but there are a few things that can help your baby settle for longer until it is only hunger that will wake him or her in the night. By six months most babies do not need a night time feed if they have fed well during the day and are not ill.

First 9 Months Sleep Advice

When your baby is newborn, after having 9 months of a nice snug womb and your body noises and motions to settle them, sometimes the adjustment to the outside world can cause more night wakings than is just down to hunger. It is important to remember newborn babies have no concept of time, night or day, so it will take time for them to fall into a pattern. With your help though, it is perfectly possible to have them sleeping through by six months.
Making sure your baby is ready to sleep first of all is most important. With newborns, as they are so tiny they will mostly drift off to sleep when they are ready but from around 3 months this can change and they may need you to notice the signs of tiredness and help them to settle.

Ready to Sleep Checklist

Is your baby well fed, clean, dry and winded?
Is your baby in good health? Illness can either make babies sleep more or make them find it hard to sleep.
Is your baby tired enough? Some say most newborns up to three months of age find it hard to stay awake more than two hours without becoming overtired and miserable. Some babies yawn, rub their eyes or pull at their ears when they are tired, watch for signs.
Is your baby too tired? Overtiredness can mean that a baby will find it very hard to settle due to too much stimulation and lack of sleep. A nice dim lit room, a bit of soothing can help your baby to sleep in this case. Trying to catch your baby before he or she becomes overtired will also help.

If your baby is most of these he or she will most likely be ready for a sleep.

Getting a balance with day time naps can also help your baby to sleep longer. It is generally agreed most babies before 6 months need around 3 naps in a day and will sleep roughly an hour before waking, however all babies are different! If your baby is waking a lot int he night and you dont think it is caused by anything but lack or tiredness have a look at your babies sleep in the day and see if you can help encourage your baby to have less or more at certain times. You can never force a baby though, so if your baby really wont tweak his or her naps, you may have to try again in a few weeks or so.
Have a think about your babies sleeping place as well to help encourage a more settled sleep. Is the room warm but not too warm? It is recommended a babies sleeping room should be constant between 16-18 degrees. Is the room very light? Some babies may find it hard to settle in a bright room, having the room kept dim can help them settle better and also begin to teach them the difference between night and day as well as teach them that when they go into a dark room it is most likely time for a sleep. Is the room noisy or the surroundings of it? Some babies like to hear noise when sleeping, others can be easily disturbed by it so it could be something to watch for.
Swaddling is something that can be considered for helping your baby to sleep well. Swaddling is the method of wrapping your baby nice and snug in a blanket, with arms and legs by its sides and only the top of the shoulders and head uncovered. The reason this is believed to work so well with some babies is that it replicates the snug feeling of the womb and also that babies are born with the ‘moro reflex’ (startle reflex) meaning that sometimes when they are drifting off to sleep and their arms and legs begin to go limp, they can get the sensation of falling and suddenly jerk awake. Also any loud noises near by can cause a new baby to fling out its arms and legs in shock and begin to cry. Having your baby swaddled helps control the moro reflex, but it should be understood that not all babies necessarily will like being swaddled. By six months old the moro reflex is minimal or totally gone. Swaddling is really only for the first 3-4 months of a babies life after that, your baby will need to move about a bit and be able to release body heat to prevent over heating.
If your baby is one who does not like to swaddled, some mums swear by a baby gro bag (baby sleeping bag) that leaves babies arms out and whilst the legs are obviously inside they are not held firm like the swaddle. Being in a baby gro bag has the added benefit that baby will not wriggle out of it and so wake up cold in the night. Be aware though that like duvets there are different thicknesses of gro bags from 0.5 tog being extra light to 3 tog being extra warm. Most gro bags come with instructions regarding this but make sure you have a read before use.
Having a ‘wind down’ routine can help as well. Although babies below six months are very young to use a routine with, it is possible to have the beginnings of one. Giving your baby a nice lukewarm bath, a baby massage with some oil (even f you dont know how to do this, your baby will love you to just stroke him or her) followed by a breastfeed or a warm bottle of milk in a dim lit room, perhaps even with some low music playing will help your baby realise that when all this is happening, he or she will be in bed soon and be ready to sleep.
Using aids such as rocking, dummies or feeding to sleep do all help though sometimes your baby can begin to rely on whichever as the only way he or she can settle to sleep, so when your baby wakes in the early hours of the morning, he or she could come to need you to provide whichever aid they are used to sleeping with. If you would like to avoid this, it can help to use rocking or dummy or a feed as a wind down to get your baby sleepy but try to avoid them actually falling alseep whilst in the process. Gently rousing your baby slightly as you settle him or her into bed for the night will help them begin to learn how to settle off to sleep by themselves. If your baby is waking for a feed after 6 months of age and you are certain he or she does not really need to be feeding (talk to health visitor first) then you can begin to dilute down your babies milk to encourage him or her to drop the feed.

10 months to 18 months Sleep Advice

As your baby gets older, his or her sleeping patterns can change. He or she may need less sleep during the day and become harder to settle.
Having a set bedtime routine will now be very effective in helping your growing baby understand the signals and become sleepy for bedtime. Again, giving your baby a warm bath, a baby massage with baby oil, and then perhaps going into your babies room and sitting down together, reading a book to your baby, will make for a good bedtime routine. If your baby is old enough, offering a beaker of milk whilst reading will keep your baby calm and settled.
Some babies like to have a comforter during the long hours of the night. A soft cuddly toy or special comforters such as cuskees bought from mothercare or such places can become your child’s firm friend and help them sleep better. Sleeping with your chosen comforter for a night or two before giving to your child will provide comfort to your child in the fact he or she will be able to smell you from the toy.
Avoid watching tv too close to bedtime. Most studies conclude babies who watch a lot of tv especially before bed are much more likely to have unsettled sleeps.
Your child may still be happy to be in a gro bag at this stage, which is totally acceptable and can help gently restrict your babies ability to try to get up and about in the cot. However from12 months of age, it can be a novelty to your baby to introduce a child’s duvet and pillow, especially if you let your child pick his or her own (more around 18 months).
If you find your baby is waking in the night and the timing is pretty regular, it could be a habit your child has made. To gently break this, there is a method called ‘gradual withdrawl’. This means when your baby cries, you can go in and soothe your baby but without picking your baby up. You can do this perhaps by humming softly or stroking babies forehead. Reassure your baby that you are there. Try to avoid turning bright lights on and talking loudly, keep it nice and quiet and sleepy. After a few minutes, sit by the cot on a chair and keep very softly reassuring your baby that you are there. If your baby is happy to settle knowing you are near by, the following evening if your baby again wakes, this time you can move the chair further away from the cot. Continue moving the chair further away until you are by the door. Once you reach the door you may now find that after a quick reassurance your baby will settle if you leave the room. It can take a few weeks and you should avoid letting your baby become hysterical but being patient, gentle and reassuring and providing there is no other reason for your abby to be waking that for reassurance, he or she should begin to settle soon.

There are different styles of parenting, and each of them has it’s own style and characteristics. Basically, there are four styles of parenting: authoritarian, authoritative (sometimes called egalitarian), permissive, and uninvolved.

The uninvolved parenting style is when the parents are simply not there to be parents to their children. So this type of parenting can be described as “non existent”. Therefore, we will not discuss it here, because it is not an effective parenting style. Kids with an uninvolved parent often struggle with feelings of rejection, lack of self-esteem, and trust issues.

Let’s take a look at the other three parenting styles – authoritarian, authoritative and permissive.

Authoritarian, authoritative and permissive represent the range of parenting styles, where authoritarian is on one end, the permissive on the other end, and authoritative in the middle.

The parenting style differ form each other in two aspects – structure and responsiveness.

Structure represents the limits and rules a child has to obey to, therefore it is the main ingredient in authoritarian parenting.

Responsiveness is the parent’s sensitivity to a child’s voice. It represents the child’s wants and needs. Responsiveness is therefore the most important element in permissive parenting.

So, while authoritarian parenting is high on structure, it is low on Responsiveness. For example, is a child is late to come home, he or she will expect to be punished. If they fail to complete their homework or other chores, they will bare the consequences. Their parent will not listen to their needs and there will be no negotiation as for the limits and rules that this parent determines for his child.

With the permissive parent, things are quite the opposite. There are very few rules and limits to the child, and therefore, he or she have very little discipline. This may cause future problems, as these children do not learn how to deal with rules and how to connect between wring doing and punishment.

The best parenting model is the authoritative model. This is a balanced model between the authoritarian and the permissive models. Using this model, the child learns to obey rules and limitation imposed by his parent. But the child is also able to voice his or her opinion, and negotiate. For example, a child can ask for a new curfew hour, if it is justified. He can ask to bend the rules once, if it is important. The authoritative families work as a team ,where the child has duties and rules, but also has the right to have adults listen to his opinions and needs.

Authoritative parenting is a balanced parenting style, with both high structure and high responsiveness. The parents are engaged and flexible, but they are still the parents. Structurerules, limits and boundariesis present, but not rigid.

Parenting is a tough job. In fact, it’s more than a job. To protect your child from the rainy days, you do a number of things like not letting him out in the rain, close the window panes and giving him a raincoat when he goes to school. Likewise in life, you need to protect him from the unwarranted mishappenings so that he can lead his life in as comfy manner as possible. For this you need to buy an insurance cover for your child. A cover which ensure his education, protection of home and marriage, even if you are not there.

With a number of life insurance companies booming in the market, you have the chance and opportunity to buy a child policy which suits your pocket and your child’s future best. Let us have a look at what the major insurance companies are offering.

ICICI Prudential offers child insurance plans under three names – Smart Kid Regular Premium, Smart Kid New Unit Linked Single Premium and Smart Kid New Unit linked Regular Premium. These policies are made with the view that the child gets money at important phases of life – X, XIIth, graduation and post graduation level.

HDFC Insurance offers child plan is designed to give a secured future by giving your child a guaranteed lump sum on maturity or in case of your unfortunate demise, early in the policy term. The premiums paid by you, are, on the other hand, invested for long term benefits. Reversionary bonuses are added, generally on annual basis. An additional terminal bonus may also be given in some cases at the end of the policy.

Aegon Religare protects the future of your child with it’s Star Child Life Insurance. It is a ULIP with Invest Protect option that safeguards your returns as well as your child’s future. In this policy, the premiums paid by you are invested in the market which in the long run bears profits. Sum assured is given on major points of life like board exams and graduation. This policy also sees the expenses of your child marriage if you plan so.

LIC India’s largest Insurance Company offers a wide variety of Child Plans to choose from.

All these insurance companies and others like these which offer Child Insurance Plans work on two major lines, irrespective of the benefits they offer:

The beneficiary is the child; that is only the child can get the benefit of the policy; neither the parents nor the relatives of the child can get the benefit out of child policy.
The policy continues even after the death of the parent which means the Childs education continues unhampered.

The point is that, we all know the importance of insuring our child. With so many insurance companies offering such huge number of options to choose from, one has the option of choosing a child policy within his means. So, one must choose a child policy, to ensure a bright future for his child and buy it as early as possible. One must not let this opportunity go away from his hands…

Evian babies are back with the Live Young Training liveyoungtraining.evian.com Calculate your youth quotient and improve your score with the evian babies by exerting your brain, your muscles and your mindset!

“There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One is roots; the other, wings.” – Hodding Carter

All parents want their children to develop into well adjusted adults, respected as much for the integrity of their character as for their professional skills. This doesn’t just happen overnight. It takes years of patient guidance, consistent discipline and above all, an abundance of love that is tangible to the child even during the worst periods in their growing up – and believe me, there will be many of those, before you can sit back and say with relief, “My work is done”.

Many people equate an abundance of love with spoiling their child. I think that perhaps they have not understood what the term LOVE means, especially as it relates to a child. Let us start with what it is not:

1) Love is not over-indulging your child, giving in to every whim of his/hers because you feel guilty, tired, afraid you would lose your temper or scared that your kid may not love you.

2) Love is not harshly disciplining your children for every little broken rule in the mistaken belief that you are doing it for their good and if you don’t punish them often and hard, a life of turmoil and misery beckons.

3) Love is not protecting your kids from the natural heart aches that come with growing up – whether it is a friend’s betrayal, loss of a pet or loved one, not getting something deeply longed for.

4) Love is not using emotional blackmail at any time or for any reason in order to control them and get them to do what you want them to do.

Love that is most beneficial to children is one that focuses on them and accepts them for the unique individuals that they are. To be a truly loving parent, we need to learn to be a bit dispassionate about our kids. Even the most well meaning of parents tend to forget this. Unbiased love for your children helps you to focus on the child, rather than the fact that he/she belongs to you. You then learn to accept the possibilities and limitations of each of your children and to marvel at their individual potential. If there are no pre-conceived expectations, there is less pressure on the child and there are no feelings of disappointment in the parent. When children sense that they are not being measured against their siblings or friends, their confidence grows, there are less disciplinary issues and above all, they feel valued for themselves. Learning to love our kids this way is one of the hardest lessons in parenting; it being so natural to think in terms of “My Children” with the emphasis on “My” rather than on “Children”.

Good parenting is a skill honed through trial and error. Most parents are so concerned about being good parents that they tend to over compensate for their perceived inadequacies. They tend to overlook the fact that most kids prefer laughter, a home filled with warmth and understanding and parents whom they can trust and turn to in times of trouble rather than being inundated with designer clothes, shoes and toys. How often do we hear the complaint that kids now-a-days are too obsessed with material things. Perhaps it is time we, as parents, ask ourselves how much we have contributed to our children’s obsessions. A lot of people seem to have lost faith in their ability to be good parents, mistakenly thinking that they should always be infallible. What we must never lose sight of is that for the most part, we do get it right and that our love for our children will guide our parental instincts. Problems arise only when we do not learn from our mistakes. Children seem to have an infinite capacity to forgive their parents if they know or feel that their mothers and/or fathers are trying to do their very best for them.

Parents are only human – a fact that is often ignored by our kids and even more so, by ourselves. It is alright to get angry or depressed, irritated or to just want some time to yourself. What is not alright is to let these feelings affect your behaviour towards your children. How you handle your emotions is a good indicator of how your kids will manage theirs when they grow up. Rather than pretend that everything is fine, it would be better if you explained to your kids that you are upset about something and that you need sometime to work through the problem. Not only will the children be relieved that they are not the reason for your turmoil, they will probably try hard not to upset you further. Explaining the rationale for your actions to your children in terms they can understand teaches them empathy, alleviates their concerns that they are the cause of your distress and shows them how negative emotions should be handled.

Most parents have a hard time trying to decide whether or not they should shield their young children from the harsh facts of life. War, famine, death – these are constantly in the news. Closer to home it might be the prolonged illness or death of a close relative, friend, or even a pet, the break up of a close friendship, divorce, losing a job or home. There is no guarantee that life will always be smooth sailing and the sooner children are taught to face such situations with equanimity, the more resilient they will be when, as adults, they have their own misfortunes to face.

Parenting can be stressful, it is often under valued and unglamorous yet it can be and very often is uplifting and provides some of our most precious memories. If we remember to relax and enjoy our kids, love them for who they are, try to inculcate a strong personal value system from a very early age, revel in their accomplishments and be a constant source of support for them, we can be sure of doing a pretty good job. There is, of course, the added bonus of our own self improvement as we try to be more like the person we want our children to emulate.