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The Baby Child Website A Website For The Important Little People In Our Lives |
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A Parent's Guide To Medicine Safety Home Schooling Your Child Guide
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10 - How can I help my child make new friends? Some parents become overly concerned when their school aged child is more interested in spending time alone than he is in spending time with his peers. Know that this is not uncommon, and that many children simply prefer alone time to social groups until they get close to the teen years. However, if you suspect that the reason your child is having problems making friends is because of a personality issue then you should start addressing it as soon as possible. Figure out what the problem is, whether it is because your child is bossy, hyper, cannot follow the rules or if the problem is poor self control. One you determine if there is a problem, you will be close to a solution. 11 - How can I help my child develop self-esteem? Some children seem to be born with a high self-esteem. Yet others seem to continuously struggle through childhood with a very low self-esteem. Somewhere in between lies a balance, and that is what most parents hope to help their children achieve. If you want your child to have a healthy sense of self-esteem, you need to give him or her positive feedback at every opportunity. You can do this by providing your child with the chance to participate in activities where they are able to excel. Then be sure to celebrate your child’s accomplishments, even the small ones. 12 - What can I do to make sure my child is eating healthy? It is easy to make sure that your pre-schooler is eating healthy because you’re responsible for all of their meals and snacks. The difficulty begins when your child starts school, and you no longer have control over what they are eating and when. If you start teaching your child how to make healthy food choices from an early age, you are setting your child up for a lifetime of healthy eating habits. Keep plenty of fruits and vegetables on hand for healthy snacking, and restrict refined sugar as much as possible from day one. 13 - How should I deal with a picky eater? Young children will frequently become picky eaters, or go through phases where they want to eat only specific types of foods. This is really nothing to be concerned about. These phases tend to come and go and unless they last for an extended period of time there is little chance of them becoming problematic. As long as your child is healthy overall and is within a normal weight and height range, your pediatrician will most likely tell you to just wait out the phase and not worry. Pay attention to what your child is eating over the course of a week or month, and you are likely to discover that she is eating a healthy diet in the long run. 14 - How do I decide whether to give my child vitamins? A good multi-vitamin is a smart choice for children and adults. Many of the vitamins and minerals our bodies need are not easily absorbed from the foods we eat. So supplementing is a good idea. There are many different varieties, containing different combinations. You should opt for a children’s formula, and consider asking your pediatrician for a recommendation. 15 - How should I deal with a child who will not eat three meals a day? Understanding and patience are your best allies in this situation. As any pediatrician will tell you, it is very common for young children to eat only one or two full meals over the course of a day. Instead of eating the rest of their food in sit down meals, they often tend to “graze” on smaller portions throughout the day. This may be because your child does not need as much food as you’re assuming. The average toddler only needs a few tablespoons at each meal. To make sure your child is getting enough to eat, help her to make healthy choices throughout the day by keeping on hand baskets of fresh fruits, cut up vegetables and other healthy snacks in portioned containers. 16 - How can I get my child to try new foods? Every parent dreams of having a child who is willing to eat just about anything. However, most wake up to the nightmare of children who are quite restrictive in the foods that they will eat without an argument. The solution starts with the first foods that you feed your infant, and continues throughout your child’s early years. Some parents will have a rule that their children must try one bite of every food being served. Other parents concentrate on providing a large variety of tasty foods, hoping that their children will start to try new things. Either route is a good idea, it really just depends on whether you are bothered by a picky child. The other alternative is to wait it out, knowing that in most cases, a picky child will grow up to be an adult who is willing to eat most foods. 17 - How can I decide which vaccines my child should receive? In most cases, your child should be immunized according to the American Academy of Pediatrics immunization schedule, because this is the list of immunizations that most schools require for admission. There are some cases where for medical or religious reasons, a parent will decide not to immunize. But, honestly unless there is a very good reason NOT to immunize, it is best to make sure that your child is protected. 18 - How can I use revere psychology to make my child do what I want him to? Some people believe that using reverse psychology on a child is a control mechanism, and others consider it a valuable method of persuasion. Either way, the idea behind reverse psychology is to tell your child that you want him or her to do one thing, and expecting that they will do exactly the opposite. This is useful when trying to get a young child to eat, saying “don’t you DARE eat that corn!” will inevitably result in the child eating the corn. Be careful when you try to use this technique with older children, who are most likely well aware of what you are trying to do.
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