Parenting for the Parent of Young Children
It sure is tough being a parent these days! There is so much expectation placed upon you, to be the perfect parent, who raises the perfect kid. Of course, we do know that the perfect kid and the perfect parent do not exist (except in fairy tales), but here are some tips that will help you in the early stages of your little one's life.
Interaction is important with newborn babies.
Looking at a newborn baby might lead you to believe that there is not much point interacting and engaging them in an active way. All they want is to be held, changed, fed, and put to bed, right? Well, not quite. Just like they need adequate nutrition, babies also need good stimulation from their external environment. This is very easily achieved by talking with them, looking at them, pulling faces, having skin to skin time, and also using a piece of kit such as the Fisher Price Rainforest Gym. It is simply a mat onto which you place baby, and there are overhanging arms that dangle animals. It also plays music of various sorts, which help to stimulate and engage baby's hearing.
All in all, a very useful mat that will help you to enjoy and engage your baby.
Protect your Baby from the dreaded SIDS.
SIDS is sadly a big killer of babies in the UK, with around 300 babies succumbing to this 'syndrome' each year. However, there are a number of things that you can do as a parent to protect your precious newborn from this awful killer.
Firstly, you can quit smoking if you haven't already. Smoking within the house increases the risk of your newborn being taken out by SIDS, so if there weren't already enough reasons to quit, hopefully this will do the trick for you.
Secondly, you could look at investing in a fantastic piece of technology known as the Angelcare AC401 Baby Monitor, which basically keeps an eye on whether or not your baby is breathing. If they stop breathing for any reason, an alarm goes off, notifying you, and giving you the opportunity to save your child before it's too late.
Thirdly, be sure to wrap your child tightly in wrapping cloth, before you put them to bed (on their back). This ensures that your baby stays on their back, where they are much less likely to be in a position where they cannot breathe.
Get your child to sleep fully through the night.
Oh what a difference a good night's sleep can make! Words cannot describe how better one feels after a full night of unbroken sleep, compared to a night of broken sleep. And of course, it is our little ones that often cause us to have broken sleep!
So once your child turns 2, you can start training them to sleep through the night, using the Gro Clock Sleep Trainer. For more information, you can check out my site, where I've written a thorough review of the device. Suffice to say that it actually works: Many a parent (including my brother and his wife) have used the Gro Clock to great effect with their toddler, and it will surely do the same for your child.