Many people plan carefully for their babies while other seem to find themselves in the midst of parenthood unexpectedly. But however it happens, there you are and it doesn’t matter how you got there. Now the focus needs to be on doing the best job that you can. This article can bring some insight into the full time job of being a parent.
Make sure you’re teaching by example. Your child is much more apt to learn behaviors when you exhibit these behaviors. It’s been proven that children learn by mimicking those around them. So if you’re telling your kids not to yell in the house and you’re doing it, they’re more likely to follow what you do than what you say.
If you have a toddler who is throwing a tantrum, make a “safety fort” out of a blanket or towel thrown over a chair. Many times, toddler tantrums are related to over-stimulation, and removing the stimulation by blocking it out can help. It provides your toddler with a safe space in which they can regroup and calm down.
When breastfeeding, do not try to feed the baby on a strict schedule. Letting the baby eat when he is hungry will allow your supply and the baby’s hunger to develop as needed. If you try to feed him at a set time, he will not suck as hard and your body will not respond with letting down your milk. Your baby knows when he is hungry so follow his cues.
It is important that you recognize the signs that your child is ready to start using the toilet. By pushing them to use it when they are not ready, you can actually delay the whole process. Some signs of readiness include having regular bowel movements, staying dry for at least two consecutive hours, and coming out and asking to use the potty.
As you buckle your child into his or her car seat, you should check to ensure that the shoulder straps are snug – not tight enough to cause red marks or indentations, but not loose enough that the child could wiggle out of the harness. To check whether or not the shoulder restraints are too loose or tight, try to pinch the straps together above the buckle. You should not be able to pinch them together.
An effective way to stop a tantrum is to ignore it, as difficult as it may be for you. Children usually throw tantrums to get attention. If you stand next to a child while he is throwing a fit, you are giving him an audience and he will have no incentive to stop. Just make sure that the child is in an area where he will not hurt himself and leave him alone. When he sees that his tantrum is not getting a rise out of you, he will eventually stop.
A great parenting tip is to look at the efforts of your own parents as a base to work from and not the only way to raise your child. There’s nothing worse than repeating the same mistakes with your child that your parents made on you. Always strive to come to your own solutions.
To preserve your sanity after having a new baby, do not be afraid to ask friends and family to give you and your new family some space or to ask them to pitch in with cooking or cleaning if they do visit. You and your spouse need time to adjust, bond and catch up on sleep.
As put forth in the article at the beginning, it doesn’t matter how you became parents but it does matter the kind of parents that you become. You are now in charge of someone else’s life. I can seem overwhelming but adopting the right approach to it can help you do it with relative ease.