Potty Training Techniques That Dont Work
April 30, 2008
Your attitude and actions have a huge impact on your child’s potty training success. The following potty training techniques don’t work and should never be done:
- Punishing your child for accidents
- Making your child wear soiled diapers or underwear
- Making your child sit on the potty for more than 5 to 10 minutes at a time
- Making your child “hold it” if he or she needs to go
- Making your child sit on the potty when he or she is crying
Try to make potty training fun and exciting for your child. Positive reinforcement generates better results than negative reinforcement. Browse our selection of potty training products to choose the right product to use with your chosen potty training technique.
Copyright © 2004 ZIP Baby. All Rights Reserved.
Danna Henderson ZIP Baby 101 Convention Center Drive, Ste 700 Las Vegas, NV 89109
About The Author
Danna Henderson started ZIP Baby in order to provide parents with comprehensive potty training information as well as a large variety of potty training products. For more information about potty training, visit How to Choose the Right Potty Chair or Seat.
Send Your Child to College FREE!
April 29, 2008
College is one of the largest expenses through the course of your childâ??s life. It is also one of the main causes of debt in America. With today’s rates of inflation, it is very hard to save for an event that will occur eighteen years down the road. However, capitalistic America has provided many ways to send your child to college without paying a single red cent. Below you will discover just how easy it is to reach financial freedom.
Property near college campuses has always been a prime investment arena. Now,it can be the key to funding your child’s education. Three months before your son or daughter starts college, buy a well-maintained home within two to three miles from campus. When choosing a house, keep the following in mind.
- Make sure the home has at least four bedrooms. This creates a maximum rental and sell value.
- Take out the largest mortgage possible.
- Furnish the home from second-hand stores. (College student’s aren’t too picky. To find out, ask your nearest mother : )
Make your son or daughter the property manager of your rental property.
Choices …
April 29, 2008
Choices …
by: Gene Castelli
We’ve all been faced (or will be) with the petulant child who refuses to do what we know is the right course. There isn’t a parent alive who wasn’t part of this conversation, or some form there of:
Child: “I don’t want to do my homework now”
Parent: : “Johnny, I want you to do it now”
Child: : “But I’ll do it later, after I finish this video game (translation: 2.75 hours)
Parent: : “You’ll be too tired later, I want you to do your homework now”
Child: : “I will, but the Simpson’s are on and Billy’s turn on Xbox is almost over”
Parent: : “What part of ‘now’ don’t you understand?”
Child: : “OK, in a few minutes”
Eventually, the parent gives in to some degree. This is very common and doesn’t make you a bad parent. Kids have been practicing the art of negotiating since before they were born. Think about it. Do you have any say over exactly when your child was born, or were you subjected to the whims of when they would take that ride out the birth canal into the world?
Motivation - The Key to Your Childs Educational Success
April 28, 2008
For the first year or two of life outside the womb, our brains are in the most impressionable state they will ever be in. A baby’s brain is immediately shaped by interacting with their environment. As a parent, one can have a large influence on their newborns first encounters with learning.
The mind learns optimally when appropriately challenged in an environment that encourages taking risks. However, under perceived threat, the mind does not perform as well. This makes it harder to learn when you are nervous, stressed, or not feeling well.
Before a child learns to talk, they experience emotions. Emotions are another source for improving memory. People are better at recalling stories that held strong feelings. The emotional context plays an important role in the learning process. People with excellent memories have multiple interests. We naturally remember what we are interested in. As a parent, it is crucial to teach your child the value of learning.
Motivation is the key to learning. You can help your child to discover this thirst of knowledge before they even enter school. Here are some key steps in preparing your child to be a stellar student:
Teaching ESL to Children
April 27, 2008
Teaching ESL to Children
by: George Stocker
Teaching ESL to children is challenging but also very rewarding. Before I walk into a class of 10-year olds, I take a deep breath. Children have no attention span AT ALL, and so I tell myself to slow right down before I start. Teaching children requires patience and a sense of fun and playfulness. Even though it seems obvious, a common mistake is to think that children are simply ’short adults!’ This is sure to get you off on the wrong foot!
Here are some tips for teaching ESL to children:
1. Involve Children in an hands-on Activities. Children’s minds are incredibly open and they learn by absorbing ideas and concepts directly. Children need to be actively involved. Get students up and out of their chairs and moving around. Sing songs, and play games.
2. Avoid talking for long periods of time. I find that the energy level of the classroom drops lower and lower. Explain an activity quickly and then go to it. Keep the energy moving! If your planned activity is a flop, move on. Keep a few extra activities handy for this purpose. Children need lots of stimulation all the time.
Hair Care for Children
April 26, 2008
Salon visits can be scary experiences for small children: They are boring, full of strangers and strange smelling products, you are being ordered to sit still for ages, whilst some idiot is doing terrible things to your hair which you didn’t want to happen in the first place. Life is sooo unfair!
So how do you as a parent, avoid, annoying the stylist, upsetting your child and getting yourself stressed? Well this is where your best child psychology skills come into play! Sometimes your child will have unwarranted fears and you have to help to overcome them. Creating trust by taking their concerns seriously is the first and most important step. Promising a treat can also help. Best of all is to check in your local area to see if there is one of the growing number of new specialized children’s salons available. Salon chains like Cartoon Cuts are designed to make the hair cut experience more positive and entertaining for small children: toys, video games, specially shaped chairs and specially-trained stylists, all help to ensue the experience is more like going to a theme park rather than a visit to the doctor.
Home Sweet Home
Internet Dangers - Protecting Children from Internet Jeopardy
April 25, 2008
Parents are in a unique position to "monitor" their children’s internet activities and to observe their behavior with respect to any actions generated by the child’s internet use. If children are hiding something from a parent, usually an astute parent will sense that something is askew… in these times it may well be internet associated. This is a delicate balance of empowerment and trust. And it is a wise parent that verbalizes this balance and discusses it openly with the child, especially teen age children.
The internet is a powerful tool for schoolwork and knowledge. It is, at the same time, a significant danger, offering pornography to underage children and the real danger of a personal contact with an undesirable internet "friend."
Here are some ways that a parent can thwart the jeopardy:
1. The computer needs to be in a family room, not in the child’s bedroom.
2. Parents should get computer smart and learn how the internet functions.
3. Be aware of your child’s use of the computer.
4. Ask your children about their online friends.
5. Obtain programs that will block undesirable, "adult" sites.
When Not To Begin Potty Training
April 24, 2008
Potty training can be a stressful experience for you and your child. It’s best to start potty training when your child has an established daily routine and is not dealing with any additional stress. Potty training should be the only major change in your child’s life.
If your child is showing signs of potty training readiness, ask yourself if any of the following situations exist:
New baby - Although the thought of double diaper duty may be overwhelming, your child needs time to adapt to the new baby before you begin potty training.
Divorce or Separation - Divorce or separation is always stressful for children. Your child may be living in two different homes or under two separate sets of rules. When things calm down, share your potty training plan so that you are both aware of the other person’s plan and can work together for the benefit of your child.
New daycare/baby sitter - If your child has recently switched day cares or baby-sitters, wait a couple of weeks/months (depending on how your child adapts) before you start potty training.
Thirteen Values You Can Teach Through Homework
April 24, 2008
Are you a parent concerned about passing values on to your kids? Do you worry that you can’t find the time, or don’t know how? You don’t need thirty-minute multi-media presentations! You can do it with homework. In those precious moments you spend supervising your child’s homework, here are thirteen values you can subtly pass on:
1) Responsibility: It’s their homework, not yours, and it’s them being assessed, not you. You’ll help, but they’ll do it, sans bribes and sans tantrums!
2) Integrity: School rules regarding homework are to be kept; even though teacher isn’t there e.g. "Thou shalt not "Xerox" thy friend’s homework, but shalt do thine own." In other words, no cheating. They might get away with it at first, but the teacher is smart enough to catch on soon enough. Besides, they learn from doing their own work, and it helps the teacher find out where they need help.
3) Diligence: Shoddy work won’t do. They’ve got to pay proper attention and be thorough (it’s parents’ job to ensure this). Whatever’s worth doing is worth doing well.
4) Punctuality: Homework must be done, and handed in on time. Punctuality is a sign of self-respect, and respect for others. It shows how much you care.
Kids Party Etiquette for Parents
April 23, 2008
Ever feel like you’re out of the loop when it comes to the unspoken rules of kids party etiquette?
Experienced Moms and Dads know the do’s and don’ts of both hosting and attending kids parties.
Here are some pearls of wisdom from these parent experts to those just starting out on the party circuit…
INVITATIONS
The rule of thumb passed down by experienced Moms and Dads is to invite the same number of party guests as your child’s age. Resist the temptation to invite every child in your child’s classroom. Be discrete and avoid hurt feelings by mailing invitations home instead of passing them out in school. A manageable party is a more enjoyable one both for the party attendants and for you!
PARTY TIME AND DURATION
An hour is sufficient for toddlers and pre-schoolers when naptimes are still an issue. Plan your party when the birthday child will be freshest and best able to handle all the excitement, perhaps a morning brunch is best.
For older school age children, a two to three hour party at any time of day is a safe bet; evening parties and sleep-overs are popular options for pre-teens.
