If you're worried that your shy child might have a difficult time adjusting to preschool, you are not alone. Parents worry about the ability of a shy child to cope with school, especially with preschool, but being proactive in the summer helps set your child on her way to social success. Remember to see your child as the happy person she is. Shyness has been unfairly characterized, according to a posting -- "8 Ways To Help the Shy Child". “Shyness is a personality trait. It is not a fault. There is nothing wrong with being shy," the author writes.
Plan a Visit
Your son is more at home in environments where he has already made friends, so help him get excited about preschool before it starts. Drive by the school so he can see children playing outside. Let him get acquainted with the neighborhood. Ask if he would like to visit the school. If he answers, "I don't know,” give him time. When you do visit the preschool, stay with him during the visit. Visit a second time a few weeks later, but leave him "alone for an hour while you leave the room," says teacher Lisa DelGloria, in SI Parent, an online magazine for Staten Island parents of preschoolers. Leaving your child alone will give him confidence that he can handle the situation on his own.
Create Your Own Preschool Routine
Before your child starts preschool, create your own circle time at home. Sing a welcome song. With a blank poster board and some markers, create a weather board. You can make sun and cloud and raindrop shapes for her to put on the weather board. Let her tell you her morning news. Bring a sack lunch and take a blanket outside for lunch on the grass. After lunch, ask her to lie down for a nap. After nap time, read aloud to her in the afternoon during snack time. Practice this two or three times a week before the end of summer.
Meet the Teachers
Arrange for a private meeting in the summer with the teacher and assistants. Inform the teachers that your child is shy, but that you believe he will warm up to preschool after a few months. Let the teachers know which activities your son prefers and which activities he might shy away from. Parents not to make the child feel as if being shy is wrong. Some parents worry that their child will not warm up to strangers, but the Ask Dr. Sears website states that parents should stay calm. Shy children often like to make sure that warming up to someone is worth the effort.
Model Outgoing Social Behavior
Be the first to introduce yourself when you enter a room. Show your child that it is easy to start speaking with others. Don't expect her to start introducing herself right away, but when she sees that you are comfortable walking into a room and talking to others, in time, she will also feel comfortable doing this. Smile and be friendly as you go about your day and compliment others frequently, recommends Rene Gilbert, Ph.D., in an Internet site, Parenting the Shy Child.
When Shyness Becomes a Social Handicap
Despite a parent's best efforts, there are times when a child's shyness can become a social handicap. In these instances, what others see as shyness may be an indication that a child is withdrawing because of deeper problems he is experiencing. A child who is withdrawing will usually avoid eye contact and he may exhibit behavioral problems. "When you delve into this little person, you discover he operates from anger and fear instead of peace and trust. When you delve deeper, you often find he has a lot to be angry about," according to the Ask Dr. Sears website. Helping the preschooler with the issues he is angry about becomes more important than the shyness.
Crushed Cheerios, crumbs, pacifiers, toys, socks…they're all things you commonly find in the cracks of your child's car seat. Add to that list lead, flame retardants, and toxic plastics. HealthyStuff.org, a project of the Michigan-based Ecology Center, has released the results of its 2011 car seat tests, and found that many of the seats contained varying levels of those unhealthy chemicals. On the up side, they found that many did not—and that no matter what car seats you have for your children, there are ways to protect them from toxic chemical exposure.
The details: The Ecology Center's scientists purchased 150 2011-model infant, convertible, and booster car seats from various retailers in Michigan, where the Center is located. The seats were tested for levels of lead, which is sometimes used as an additive in plastics; chlorine, which indicates the presence of PVC, or vinyl, (a toxic plastic that contains hormone-disrupting phthalates) and bromine, a sign that the car-seat companies are using neurotoxic brominated flame retardants. (Chlorine is also used in certain flame retardants whose safety is highly suspect.) The scientists also tested for a variety of metals that can trigger allergies or cause cancer and other health problems: antimony, arsenic, chromium, cobalt, copper, mercury, nickel, and tin.
The good news is that 40 percent of the products tested didn't contain any of the chemicals above, a marked improvement over the 2008 and 2009 tests, says Rebecca Meuninck, environmental health campaign director at The Ecology Center. And the levels of brominated flame retardants fell 18 percent from previous test levels. "But the fact that 60 percent of the car seats contained at least one of the chemicals we tested for is disconcerting," says Meuninck. Those flame retardants were the most commonly detected chemical, cropping up in 44 percent of the car seats.
More good news: Price didn't seem to be a determinant in the level of chemicals found. "In some cases, the lower-priced seats turned out to have low levels or no chemicals, whereas some of the higher priced seats had high levels," she says.
Overall, the seats with the lowest levels of chemicals were:
• Infant Seat: Chicco KeyFit 30 in Limonata, Graco Snugride 35 in Laguna Bay, and Combi Shuttle 33 in Cranberry Noche
• Convertible Carseat: Graco Comfort Sport in Caleo, Graco MyRide 65 in Chandler and Streamer, Safety 1st OnSide Air in Clearwater, and Graco Nautilus Elite 3-in-1 in Gabe
• Booster Seat: Graco Turbo Booster in Anders
The seats with the highest levels were:
• Infant Seat: Graco Snugride 35 in Edgemont Red/Black and Graco SnugRide 30 in Asprey
• Convertible Seat: Britax Marathon 70 in Jet Set and Britax Marathon in Platinum
• Booster Seat: Recaro Pro Booster in Blue Opal and Recaro ProSPORT Toddler in Mist
What it means: Meuninck stresses that these results don't in any way mean you shouldn't keep your baby in a car seat. But considering that babies can spend a lot of time in their car seats, they're potentially being exposed to a lot of chemicals that can interfere with their developing lungs, brains, and reproductive systems. As part of the report, the Ecology Center launched a petition asking Graco and Evenflo, the two largest car-seat manufacturers, to remove harmful brominated flame retardants from their car seats.
"For parents, this can be incredibly overwhelming, so one thing we want to tell folks is that there are some ways to reduce exposure," Meuninck says.
• Don't let your baby nap in the car seat. An hour or two napping in a car seat is an hour or two of exposure to chemical-laden dust, and it could pose a breathing risk for your baby, anyway. A small 2006 study in the British Medical Journal of nine babies found that the upright sleeping position that infant car seats impose puts them at risk for obstructed airways. Infants don't have good head control, and the doctors who authored the study noted that if their heads slump forward while napping, it could narrow their upper airways and cause breathing problems. If they're not actually being driven somewhere, take them out of the seat.
• Hold your baby! Along those same lines, it's not a good idea to use the car seat as an all-purpose carryall. And not just because of chemical exposure. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, there's been an increase in something called "positional skull deformities," or, simply put, flat spots on infants' skulls, which they attribute to babies' spending too much time in car seats, infant carriers, and other devices that put pressure on the back of a baby's skull. In most cases, these deformities disappear once a baby starts sitting upright, but the Academy still recommends that babies don't sleep or spend much time in car seats. Try a sling or a baby carrier instead, both of which can be found in flame-retardant-free organic cotton.
• Vacuum your car. "Under heat and UV light, the chemicals in car seats can break down and migrate out," says Meuninck. So treat your car the way you treat your house: Vacuum it frequently with a HEPA-filtered vacuum and damp-mop the hard surfaces to limit dust exposure, and do the same with the actual car seat. Doing so protects parents, too: Flame retardants, which are found in high levels of car dust, according to past HealthyStuff.org tests, can cause thyroid problems in adults.
• Find (or create) shade. To keep UV and heat from breaking the chemicals down even faster, park in the shade or under some form of cover as often as you can. And consider investing in some (legal) window films or shades that limit solar heat gain but don't impair a driver's visibility.
Fussy eaters can be frustrating to parents, especially when you can't determine why your child is fussing over his bottle or his plate.
Fussy eating can be cause for concern or it might be perfectly normal - it is just one of the trials of parenthood to determine the cause of your child's eating problem.
Fussy Eaters During Infancy
The baby who fusses over a bottle has a legitimate reason a resounding majority of the time. The younger the baby is, the more likely there is truly a problem. Fussy eating at this stage might indicate:
- Your baby has a digestive disorder or condition such as acid reflux that makes eating painful.
- Your baby has a milk or soy allergy that causes discomfort or pain while eating or immediately after.
- Your baby prefers one feeding method. Many babies love the breast and balk at the bottle, while others prefer the bottle after it's been introduced and refuse to nurse.
- Your baby is teething. Once babies start to cut teeth around six months, they might start fussing on the bottle or breast because the sucking hurts their tender gums.
- Your baby has an ear infection. Sucking hurts the inner ear if it is already inflamed due to an ear infection. This is true of both nursing and bottle feeding.
- Your baby prefers another taste. There is a different flavor between formulas and between preparations styles. You can actually smell the difference in many. It might be that your baby likes the taste of formula made from powdered formula, but not the concentrated variety. This tends to happen later in infancy as your child becomes more independent.
If you have a fussy infant at feeding time, speak to your child's doctor to rule out the possibility of any problems.
Fussy Eaters as Toddlers
Once your child becomes a toddler, there are many other factors to consider. The biggest concern for many parents is when an otherwise voracious eater suddenly stops soon after his first birthday. It seems he's just picking at his food or barely eating when he used to eat much more at a meal. This is normal for most children and not a sign of picky eating.
Babies roughly triple their size between birth and a year or fifteen months. But from the first year through the third, they grow only a few inches and might only gain three to five pounds. This slowing of growth means their appetite and nutritional requirements slow as well. Your child isn't eating simply because he isn't hungry. Offer healthy foods at meals and during snacks and monitor how much he eats over a three day period. Compare this to the requirements for a toddler and you'll likely see that he's right on track.
Other times truly fussy eating does develop in toddlers. Toddlers are learning at such as rapid rate, and one of the most entertaining things they learn is how to agitate their parents. If he sees that a food means a lot to you, your toddler might refuse to eat it on principle. To avoid this don't make mealtime into a battle. Provide an array of healthy foods your child typically enjoys and be content that he is eating healthy foods, even if he's eating only a bit of one today and refusing it tomorrow.
Finally, toddlers seem to enjoy testing their limits. They relish in the realization that they have a choice as to what and how to eat. They might try out their new found freedom at the dinner table by refusing to eat anything but a certain meal or particular item. Play along as much as possible and work to include all necessary food items in the course of a day. Food strikes and "favorites" grow old after a time for children, so it is best to simply wait them out. If you're concerned about malnutrition in the week that you child will only eat bread and macaroni, feed him a multivitamin suitable for his age to help carry you through to the next week when he'll only drink orange juice and chocolate milk.
It's not very hard to keep a kid entertained with something to play with. In this electronic age every toy seems to require batteries or software in order to work.
However, kid's toys don't have to be sophisticated in order to be fun. Toys that require thinking and the imagination are the best toys that help aide the child in mental development.
Sudoku for kids and connect four both require critical thinking in order to win. This is precisely what parents should be looking for. Games that rely on chance won't do much to benefit a child. A game of chess or checkers on the other hand can be very beneficial. I will be discussing a few kinds of toys and games that aide in stimulating children to learn more.
Puzzles
When trying to find inexpensive, fun and educational games, puzzles rank pretty high on the list. This game helps build up hand eye coordination for children and adults alike. The end result of this is a nice fully complete puzzle that you put together yourself. It's a testament of what the human mind can develop in a short amount of time. Children will enjoy the independence that comes along with constructing a puzzle. This is very important early on in life and puzzles actually strengthen the process.
Building models
Model kits are readily available in most of the world's toys stores. However, due to computer and video games, these types of toys are no longer as popular as they once were. In any event, kid's can build their own cars, planes and boats from scratch using these kits.
Many of these kits are priced below $20.00 and generally don't require adult supervision. All that's needed is the kit and the child's imagination in order to produce a lifelike model that will last for years. Advanced electric models have hit the market for older children approaching their teens. These models are not only for display but are meant to be played with after they are built. Walking robots, moving cars and trains can all be built.
Cards
Flash card games that incorporate math, language and/or science into the play are a good investment. Not only will your child be kept busy but they will also be learning at the same time. These card games are regularly used to teach students in school due to their effectiveness. The cost is very little or nothing at all if you make them. This would be a good afternoon activity for a child to do instead of watching television. First they could take some sheets of paper and write the questions and answers on them, then the cards can been used to test them.
Whether it is a puzzle, flash cards or models, there are plenty of educational games available for kid's. Don't fall into the technology trap by buying games for children that require starring at a screen. Instead, remember that no matter how much technology we develop, children can always be taught using simple old fashion toys.
Now more than ever, kids are losing their attention spans by spending countless hours in front of the television or by being on the computer. In most cases this only provides a temporary distraction that offers the child very little. Why not consider an educational toy for your child the next time you are out shopping?
It's not very hard to keep a kid entertained with something to play with. In this electronic age every toy seems to require batteries or software in order to work.
However, kid's toys don't have to be sophisticated in order to be fun. Toys that require thinking and the imagination are the best toys that help aide the child in mental development.
Sudoku for kids and connect four both require critical thinking in order to win. This is precisely what parents should be looking for. Games that rely on chance won't do much to benefit a child. A game of chess or checkers on the other hand can be very beneficial. I will be discussing a few kinds of toys and games that aide in stimulating children to learn more.
Puzzles
When trying to find inexpensive, fun and educational games, puzzles rank pretty high on the list. This game helps build up hand eye coordination for children and adults alike. The end result of this is a nice fully complete puzzle that you put together yourself. It's a testament of what the human mind can develop in a short amount of time. Children will enjoy the independence that comes along with constructing a puzzle. This is very important early on in life and puzzles actually strengthen the process.
Building models
Model kits are readily available in most of the world's toys stores. However, due to computer and video games, these types of toys are no longer as popular as they once were. In any event, kid's can build their own cars, planes and boats from scratch using these kits.
Many of these kits are priced below $20.00 and generally don't require adult supervision. All that's needed is the kit and the child's imagination in order to produce a lifelike model that will last for years. Advanced electric models have hit the market for older children approaching their teens. These models are not only for display but are meant to be played with after they are built. Walking robots, moving cars and trains can all be built.
Cards
Flash card games that incorporate math, language and/or science into the play are a good investment. Not only will your child be kept busy but they will also be learning at the same time. These card games are regularly used to teach students in school due to their effectiveness. The cost is very little or nothing at all if you make them. This would be a good afternoon activity for a child to do instead of watching television. First they could take some sheets of paper and write the questions and answers on them, then the cards can been used to test them.
Whether it is a puzzle, flash cards or models, there are plenty of educational games available for kid's. Don't fall into the technology trap by buying games for children that require starring at a screen. Instead, remember that no matter how much technology we develop, children can always be taught using simple old fashion toys.
Now more than ever, kids are losing their attention spans by spending countless hours in front of the television or by being on the computer. In most cases this only provides a temporary distraction that offers the child very little. Why not consider an educational toy for your child the next time you are out shopping?
Researchers agree that children should watch no more than two hours of carefully selected television programs a day to achieve optimum health and wellbeing.
CSIRO Project Coordinator, Jane Bowen, said the two-hour guideline was the result of significant scientific studies and would potentially encourage families to be more physically active.
'This recommendation should be viewed as a maximum amount of time - less than two hours is certainly preferable to support a healthy lifestyle, ' Ms Bowen said.
'We found that children who watch television for more than two hours a day are more likely to be overweight, be less physically active, drink more sugary drinks and snack on unhealthy foods.'
Dr Aric Sigman, an associate fellow of the British Psychological Society, said his analysis of 35 scientific studies over the past decade showed it was important for parents to monitor the types of programs children watch.
'There is some evidence that flickering television shows like cartoons and commercials can harm eyesight and potentially cause short-sightedness, particularly in children,' Dr Sigman said.
'Excessive television viewing is also associated with irregular sleeping patterns because it suppresses the production of the hormone melatonin, which has important functions in the immune system and sleep cycle.
'Parents could help offset these potential health risks by actively monitoring their child 's television consumption and allow only good quality programming within recommended time limits.'
Here are five food which is not good for the brain of children, parents should know to avoid.
1. Foods containing fat oxidation
If kids eat too fat oxidation in the long run, these substances accumulate in the body causing a number of catalyst systems in the body, which is dangerous, leading to early degenerative brain or underdevelopment.
2. White sugar
White sugar is acidic. Allowing your child eat sweets (sugar and products made from white sugar) in the long run will form the body and brain acidic, negatively affecting the intellectual development of children.
Moreover, that children eat too much sugar and sweets, fresh water will make it difficult for the liver function and cause decay.
3. Food too salty
These foods containing too much salt cause high blood pressure, arteriosclerosis, moreover injure blood vessels, affecting blood supply to the organization in the brain, causing anemia , lack of oxygen in brain cells, leading to impaired memory, slow response.
For adults, just use less salt 7 g / day, children should be limited to less than 4g/ngay. Meals for children, should limit foods high in salt such as improving salt, salted fish, salted meat, dried fish …
4. Refined rice and noodles
Refined rice and noodles are the food starch refining process, beneficial ingredients such as vitamin B and glucose decreased and the remaining carbohydrates. Carbohydrates will reduce the activity of neurons.
5. Foods that contain aluminum
Children regularly eating foods containing high aluminum content causes memory decline, slow response, even cause cretinism. Aluminum is often found in fried foods.
The child’s brain damage is very great if parents leave alone children eat the food they love .
