Know Your Kids NG

"When to wean?" It's a question that's top in the mind of nursing mothers. First, What does it mean to Wean: It means to accustom an infant (or other young mammal) to food other than its mother's milk. Your baby is considered weaned when he stops nursing and gets all his nutrition from sources other than the breast. Although babies are also weaned from the bottle, the term usually refers to when a baby stops breastfeeding. Some moms stop at 6 months, others serve a combination of solids and breast milk till the baby is 1 year old. Its also not surprising to see toddlers who breastfeed up to 2 years old. Ultimately, Weaning is a personal decision and should be based on what's best for your family. Perhaps as a working mom, you need to return to work after your 3 months Maternity leave, you may choose to wean your baby off breast milk at 4-7 months and introduce bottle-feeding. Weaning doesn't necessarily signal the end of the intimate bond you and your...

How can you tell when you are doing too much for your child? For instance, you tie the shoe laces of your 3 year old when you know she can do it herself, because its faster. You clean up your teenage son's room and pick up after him because it seems easier than getting into a fight with him or nagging him. Completing your child's homework for her when she is asleep because she complains its too difficult or boring.  After all, you don’t want her to fail. We all guilty of over-functioning in our relationships at times, particularly with our kids. And we often do it without even realizing it. Unfortunately, the habit of doing things for your kids that you know they can do for themselves sends an indirect message that you don’t have confidence in their abilities. The Result is a children who are dependent, lack self-esteem and problem-solving skills and who can’t or won’t do age-appropriate tasks. This is referred to as ''Learned Helplessness''. They ...

In most cases, Parents who end up yelling do not start out with the intention to scream but in a desperate effort to stop a child from doing the wrong things or stop a negative behaviour, it results in yelling. Simply put, yelling is trying to stop children from doing what you do not like by making them feel bad about themselves or what they are doing. Parents may use verbal intimidation by shouting or yelling; or try to get attention by swearing or cursing at the child; or they may use humiliation, calling the child names like dumb or lazy. Negative Effects of Yelling Unfortunately, yelling hardly gives you any positive result (it doesn't help), it just becomes a " vicious cycle ". C hildren misbehave, parents react with harsh verbal discipline, children react with worsening behaviour, and parents escalate their yelling and criticism. Often the cycle spins out of control. Yelling has a negative effect on the child's emotions. When a parent is constan...

Kids develop Negative Behavioural Patterns/ Bad Habits at a tender age. While some negative behaviour and habits disappear over time, others tend to stick and require some efforts to get rid of them. These unfortunate & annoying  habits may ta int your child's  normal mental and physical development. Understanding Habits As Parents /Guardians , it is essential that we encourage  our kids to get  rid of these undesirable habits  as early as possible. It is true that they are  irritating and annoying, however   we need to first understand why our kids are doing them.  Most often bad habits are formed when a child is stressed, bored, tired, frustrated, unhappy, insecure or falling asleep. They are calming and soothing to the child. Dos and Don'ts Managing them can be difficult, however, in general, you should overlook them because most times they are just "phases" and the child outgrows them. Yelling, pointing it out, blaming, shami...

Do you feel like you are a Loyal Subject and your kid is the King/Queen? Most of your time and energy is channeled towards making them happy and comfortable. Well, I've felt that way more times than i can remember. Taking care of Kids is not as easy as it looks. Perhaps you are one of those parents who think back and wonder how you were able to make it through the day. Kids are precious little bundles however they can be exhausting at times. This is the reason we are appreciative when we come across any splendid idea that makes parenting a little less demanding; a parenting hack that would take some weight off your shoulders. Well thankfully, i came across 28 hacks that make parenting easier and more fun for you and your kids. These hacks are so simple to follow yet they have a considerable measure of effect. You can take some additional minutes to nap or save a little bit more energy for yourself. My 20 month old daughter, Pearl is adorable but a handful. She lo...

Holidays are the best time to bond with your kids; you can choose to go on a trip with your child or spend the entire day playing games, seeing new places and creating happy memories.  The biggest problem with some parents these days is that most of them find it extremely difficult bonding with their children as they do not have the time.  In this competitive world, surviving is not an easy job and to make ends meet, both parents  often have to earn a living. Parents get so occupied in their daily work schedule that somehow children are disregarded. Following your normal daily routine may not allow you to bond with your children, but holidays give you a great chance to desert work troubles  and get close to your kids. This way you get a break from your hectic work schedule and can use this opportunity to bond with your kids. There are Ways in which you can bond with your Kids, below are some ideas you can implement: Organizing a Trip with your Kids : T...

You have 30 minutes to get your 2-1/2-year-old dressed, fed, and in the car. You start to take off her pajamas, but she insists, "Me do it!" You watch as she struggles to get the top over her head, her frustration mounting. She refuses your offer to help: "No, me do it!" You think:  "Aaaaargh!" She thinks:  "I know I can do it!" Whereas infants have no sense of themselves as separate individuals,  toddlers  are newly aware of, and eager to test, their autonomy. "This push for independence is a good thing, though it can be frustrating for the parents," assures Pamela High, MD, director of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Hasbro Children's Hospital, in Providence, Rhode Island. "You want your child to become self-sufficient, even though in the moment you want to get them out the door," she observes. If you can surrender to the reality that everything takes longer with a toddler -- bathing, dressin...

2-year-old Sophie pitched a fit because her mom wouldn't give her a pear. Explaining that there weren't any pears -- offered her a banana, an apple, a kiwi -- but nothing else would appease her: "I want a pear!" If you've ever tried reasoning with a 2-year-old, you know the meaning of futility. Toddlers are wondrously curious and beguiling. They're also irrational, self-centered, and convinced of their own omnipotence. But you can't blame them -- that's just the way their brains are wired. Still in an early stage of cognitive development, toddlers think in fundamentally different ways from older children and adults. Fortunately, understanding how your toddler's mind works can help you to endure, and even to enjoy, the terrible twos. Here, our experts decode some of the more maddening, mystifying toddler tactics -- and offer ways to help you deal. The Drama Queen The scene:  Your toddler pinches her finger in a toy. You rush over to find ...

Twins share a great bond, but when you're a young twin its one thing to share a womb or a birthday but quite another to share a toy. When my friends had children, the first words their kids would say was either mummy or daddy, but for  a mother of twins, when they  start t alking, the first word they would probably say is MINE! Conflict from sibling rivalry occurs as twin children compete for dominance, parental attention and independence. The fight may start over who gets the toy or who gets the best seat in the car but this is often a smoke screen for underlying issues such as feelings of jealousy, anger or insecurity. It can be hard for younger twins to understand these feelings and often the fight becomes a test to see who deserves to be first,  who' s stronger, smarter, better or more loved. Equally, parents find it hard to understand why their twins constantly bicker, tease and provoke each other rather than just get along and be frien...