Category: Infants

Preparing for a new born at home involves a lot of emotional thought. A couple expecting their first child may be very excited and also confused as to how to handle the newly born. Parenting is a huge responsibility and plays a vital role in the upbringing of the child therefore many researches were made on the different parenting approaches and different parenting styles. The parenting styles can broadly be classified as three: authoritarian parenting, permissive parenting and authoritative parenting.

Authoritarian Parenting Style

Authoritarian Parenting is the kind of parenting style that was mostly prevalent in the ancient times. The authoritarian parents are ones who have high expectations, talk much about discipline, are strict and in some cases over protective. They give little importance to what the child or children have to say. This parenting style results in the child become very adamant, low in self confidence, less creative and tuned to act as per instructions. This parenting style may also result in the child developing negative traits such as being disrespectful, abusive or indulging in other anti-social acts.

Permissive Parenting Style

Permissive Parenting is one of the different parenting approaches that best suits for encouraging creativeness and spontaneity in children. Parents using this parenting approach give importance to the reasons and thoughts of the children. They are patient enough to understand the child’s difficulty and also encourage their decisions. This parenting style helps boost the confidence levels of the child and also the decision making capabilities. Permissive parents are very supportive towards their children. Permissive parenting is not advisable for aggressive children. This parenting approach sometimes disables the judgment capabilities of children i.e they may not be able to make the right decisions.

Authoritative Parenting Style

Authoritative Parenting is a mix of both Authoritarian Parenting and Permissive Parenting styles. Authoritative Parenting is usually mistaken for Authoritarian Parenting but both are two different parenting styles. Authoritative Parents are neither very authoritative nor permissive. They listen to the child’s reasons and thoughts and guide them in the right manner. This parenting approach allows parents to understand their child very well as this enables them to talk and discuss all the issues pertaining to their child. Authoritative Parents maintain a friendly relationship with their children and encourage them in every stride of life. They also keep the authority of controlling the child when going in a wrong direction. This Parenting approach is said to be the best of all the three parenting styles.

Which Parenting Style Should You Adopt

Parenting is a continuous process till the child is mature enough to understand and handle the ways and means of life independently. Couples turning parents usually use the techniques that were followed by their parents or near ones. Parenting is usually influenced by the lifestyle of the parents, the traditions and rituals of the family, the social status etc. Most importantly the style of parenting needs to be chosen keeping in view the behavioral traits of the child.

No parent can maintain a single parenting style. Parenting keeps changing as per the age, actions and understanding of the child. The best parenting style is the one where you are able to understand your child completely and are able to guide him/her towards a better life.

PARENTING INFANTS AND TODDLERS-SAFETY FIRST

Safety is always the first thing on your mind when it comes to parenting infants and toddlers. The thought that your little one might get hurt or injured is a nightmare for a parent. That’s why we are discussing the topic on safety issues that you can improvise in parenting your infants and toddlers. Safety at home is a high priority as it should provide a safe space for the child to move around and explore his environment.
Some basic tips for infants and toddler safety is living without fear of accidents with less child supervision. Often accidents occur when there is distraction or confusion at home, a quarrel between two, fatigue in parents and also lack of awareness regarding child safety. Infants and toddlers often crawl while developing new skills as well as exploring their new surroundings. Some things you might want to take immediate notice of is the height of your cupboard drawers, electrical plug sockets, anything that is hazardous or injurious within his reach should be taken care of or removed from his vicinity. Medicines, drugs and pills should be kept locked in cupboards that are far from reach to your infant. Heating items like toaster, iron machine, coffer percolators, room heaters etc should not be exposed or within his reach. Within your home too, the stair case should be protected with proper wooden gates protecting your kid from using the stairs which could guarantee his safety. Bath tubs usually fitted with hot tubs should be carefully protected and should display read signs to avoid excess temperature in the tub. Drowning is one of the serious causes of child death in the world. Children should be given adequate safety tips by the coach before using the swimming pool. Family members accompanying children to swimming classes should supervise them at all times.
Children often test their own abilities and at some point go beyond in understanding their unique skills. This promotes self learning and exploring their boundaries and limitations. But often accidents do also happen which should be avoided by taking proper and necessary steps to avoid them from happening. These tips on parenting infants and toddlers keeping in mind safety as the most important aspect of learning would help in the creation of a conducive atmosphere to learning as well as providing a safe haven for your kids growth. Take a close look at your child’s environment today and identify those possible areas where there is a risk to your Child’s life. So begin your safety measure today and make your Child’s environment safe and risk free.

TOP TODDLER PARENTING TIPS

As a parent we have an arduous task of catering to the needs of our toddler. They are a lot of fun, but believe me it involves a lot of work too. The main drawback, I see as a parent is that we don’t realise the problems they are facing and we are reluctant to address the issues related to discipling them or helping them to cope with their growing up. Using our parenting infants and toddlers tips, you are sure to be able to handle your little ones with a little ease. On the whole it requires a lot of patience, understanding, using the right approach, methods, adapting to their needs, and most importantly making them know that you care about them. Parents have often come across a number of behavioural problems that their toddlers face. Some of them include hyperactivity, temperamental behaviour, throwing tantrums, shy at times, eating problems, fear, stubbornness and grumpy at times.
Let’s take a closer look at what best approaches are available at our disposal in dealing with a toddler who cries nonstop, displays stubbornness and temperament. It’s how we act that determines whether he stops crying or continues or even become mad at us. Certainly, these top parenting infants and toddlers tips can make a difference on your approach and view in raising your toddler.
Toddlers have enormous energy to play with and are hence hyperactive. Toddlers vary a lot in their behaviour, some sit quietly while others are hyperactive and always resort to doing something all the time. It’s important that they are involved in some activity that gets their attention which also involves learning as well. Most kids don’t eat that much. Tips include understanding and feeding him with their favourite dish, if he takes snacks regularly, reduce the intake of meals, don’t force him to eat but try to eat along with your child “ One spoon for you and one for me”, Decorate the food in order to grab his attention. Temper tantrums are common in toddlers and are a part of the growing up. The common reason is a kid gets angry if he is unable to express himself. It’s important to identify the cause and address the Problem early, avoid arguing or yelling, try to be calm and keep smiling, reward him if he stops crying. Occasionally distract him to another activity all together or simply choose to take him outdoors. Fears come in all sort of ways, fear of doctor or medicine, fear of dark, fear of water which can disrupt the balance of his emotions. Be patient with your toddler and help him build confidence like helping him understand and enjoy playing with water, crushing pills and adding it to a syrup, teaching your toddler that shadows are harmless and how he could play with them.
Therefore we would recommend that parents should monitor the behaviour of their toddler, to understand his unique needs and come up with solutions to the problems he faces. Hope you’ve learnt about parenting infants and toddlers with these unique tips from us.