by Elizabeth Pantley author of The No-Cry Discipline Solution (McGraw-Hill 2007)

Whether you’re on the phone, busy on your computer, or talking to another adult, it can be frustrating when your children constantly interrupt you. What’s surprising to learn is that they do it because they always get a response from you when they do! They’ve learned that you are willing to stop what you’re doing to answer them. Keep in mind that children are so focused on their own needs that they don’t realize that you have needs, too. They can learn how to pay more attention to other people’s needs as well as their own, which will help control these endless interruptions.

Give lessons and examples
Teach your children how to determine if something warrants an interruption, as they may have a hard time deciphering when interruptions are justified. Discuss examples of when it’s okay to interrupt, such as when someone is at the door, or if a sibling is hurt.

Coach proper manners
Teach your child how to wait for a pause in the conversation and to say, “Excuse me.” When she remembers to do this, respond positively. If the interruption is about something that should wait, politely inform your child of this.

Don’t answer the question.
Many parents admonish kids for interrupting, but in the same breath respond to the child’s interrupted request, which just reinforces the habit.

Watch your manners
Parents sometimes jump in so quickly to correct their child’s bad manners that they don’t realize that the way in which their correction is delivered is itself rude. Use your own good manners to model appropriate communication skills. Pause, look at your child, and say, “I’ll be with you in a minute.”

Teach “The Squeeze”
Tell your child that if she wants something when you are talking to another adult, she should gently squeeze your arm. You will then squeeze her hand to indicate that you know she is there and will be with her in a minute. At first, respond quickly so your child can see the success of this method. Over time you can wait longer, just give a gentle squeeze every few minutes to remind your child that you remember the request.

Create a busy-box
Put together a box of activities or games that can only be used when you are on the telephone, working at your desk, or talking with an adult. Occasionally refill it with new things or rotate the contents. Be firm about putting them away when you are done. Your child will be look forward to your next conversation, which will be interruption free!

Plan ahead
Before you make a phone call or have a visitor, let your child know what to expect. “I’m going to make a phone call. I’ll be a while, so let’s get your busy box ready to use while I’m on the phone.”

Give praise when deserved
Catching your child doing the right thing can be the best lesson of all. Praise your child for using good manners, for remembering to say “excuse me,” and for interrupting only for a valid reason.

Excerpted with permission by McGraw-Hill Publishing from The No-Cry Discipline Solution (McGraw-Hill 2007) by Elizabeth Pantley http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth

About the author:
Elizabeth Pantley is the author of several books, including Gentle Baby Care : No-cry, No-fuss, No-worry — Essential Tips for Raising Your Baby, The No-Cry Sleep Solution: Gentle Ways to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night, Kid Cooperation (with an introduction by William Sears, MD), Perfect Parenting, as well as her latest The No-Cry Sleep Solution for Toddlers and Preschoolers and is also president of Better Beginnings, Inc. She is a popular speaker on family issues, and her newsletter, Parent Tips, is seen in schools nationwide. She appears as a regular radio show guest, and has been quoted in Parents, Parenting, Redbook, Good Housekeeping, American Baby, Working Mother, and Woman’s Day magazines. Visit Elizabeth’s web site http://www.pantley.com/elizabeth.

by Patti Teel

Getting your child to sleep is about much more than what happens once they get into bed. Here are some ways to establish a healthy bedtime routine each and every night:

• Make sure bedtime is at the same time every night. Children feel safe and are much more likely to be good sleepers when they have a consistent bedtime and a predictable bedtime routine. It helps ensure that they get enough sleep while giving their world a sense of order.

• On weekends, don’t vary bedtime for more than an hour each night. This creates a kind of “jet lag” in your child when Monday rolls around. If necessary, plan activities for weekend mornings so your child has a reason to get out of bed.

• Try to limit active play, television, video-game playing and computer time for an hour or two before bed.

• Tell your child five or ten minutes before their bedtime routine begins so they can finish what they are doing.

• Create a customized bedtime ritual that you and your child can participate in every night. Choose quiet, relaxing activities like telling stories, singing songs, stretching or saying prayers. For instance, your ritual may include telling a short story, singing a song and then saying a prayer. You can change the story, song and prayer but keep the order the same each night.

• Take care of your child’s physical needs so there’s no reason to get out of bed. Make sure he or she is wearing comfortable pajamas and has a favorite stuffed animal or blanket within reach. Some children like to have a glass of water by the bed, the door slightly open or a nightlight on.

• The air in your child’s room should be fairly cool – around sixty-five degrees Fahrenheit. If the air is particularly dry, use a vaporizer.

• If older brothers or sisters are allowed to stay up later, make sure they’re doing quiet activities that don’t disturb the younger sibling.

Leave your child’s room while they’re still awake so they can learn to settle themselves. If this is a problem for your child, practicing the Floppy Sleep Game exercises will systematically teach children to relax and fall asleep on their own.

About the author
Dubbed “The Dream Maker” by People magazine, Patti Teel is a former teacher and the author of The Floppy Sleep Game Book, which gives parents techniques to help their children relax or fall asleep. She is holding Dream Academy workshops at schools, hospitals, and libraries across the country where parents and children learn the playful relaxation techniques from her book and widely acclaimed children’s audio series. Children at the Dream Academy workshops practice the three R’s by resting their bodies, relaxing their minds, and refreshing their spirits. Visit her online at www.pattiteel.com.

By Deanna Mascle

Providing positive, enjoyable literacy experiences give young children opportunities to gain the knowledge, awareness, skills, and love of learning that they need to later learn to read independently. Here are 8 ways you can provide those experiences:

Choose the Right Books
Choose books that have large colorful pictures or photos; a few words on a page; rich language; and relate to concepts, people, or things in children’s lives. With this exposure, young children learn that books and reading explain the world they live in and ultimately help them better understand themselves. Sound like a tall order for a toddler?

Not really when you consider perennial favorites such as The Hungry Caterpillar. This book does not contain many words but teaches counting and science concepts.

Read Out Loud
Read to children regularly and often. Pick a regular reading time, but also watch for opportunities to read books, signs, letters, or other print spontaneously. The experience of reading as a typical, everyday occurrence helps children gain confidence that they can learn to read themselves.

Stories influence children’s learning for life. Some research suggests that the more stories children hear before entering school, the more likely they will be successful academically. Listening to books benefits their vocabulary and comprehension.

Spending just 15 minutes a day on this worthwhile activity can reap tremendous benefits!

Make Reading Fun
Use a variety of expressions, tones, and voices to make a book even more fun.

Allow a child to listen at her own pace. If a baby fusses or a toddler wanders away, don’t worry. Set the book aside and try again later. A baby may only listen for a minute or two at a time. Toddlers may want to wander around while you read, or listen to a few pages, move on to something else, and then return for a few more pages.

Encourage a child to join in on repeating phrases or rhymes, and honor requests to read the same book over and over.

Make Books Available
Make books available to babies and toddlers every day. Babies don’t distinguish books from other toys and may pull, toss, or chew books. This tactile, physical exploration of books and how they work is important to literacy development.

Show how books work. Point out the cover, show which is the top and bottom, front and back of the book, and talk about how words are read from left to right on the page. Use your finger to point to a word and the corresponding picture on the page.

Talk To Your Child
Remember literacy is about more than reading the printed word, it is about communication and understanding.

According to the National Research Council in Starting Out Right: A Guide to Promoting Reading Success, “Talk is essential – the more meaningful and substantive the better.” Babies and toddlers learn about the sounds, meanings, and ideas in language when adults talk with them. Preschoolers expand their vocabulary and learn sentence structure.

Conversations with your children about what they are reading are critical to children’s learning. Discussing books helps them understand how stories work, and how language works. When reading, stop and talk about the pictures and words on the page.

Listen To Your Child
As much as babies, toddlers, and preschoolers need to hear language, they also need to practice and imitate sounds and words with interested listeners. Respond to your child’s conversation and repeat their words back to them. Ask questions to show you are listening and that encourage a child to talk. Listen carefully and acknowledge answers. Listen to children’s questions and take time to answer.

Sing With Your Child
Children love to sing and can learn a great deal about stories and language from many popular children’s songs. Songs also often teach through their content (alphabet, counting, etc.) Many nursery rhymes can also be learned through song and knowledge of nursery rhymes is an important part of overall literacy.

Pull out old favorites like “This Old Man” or “Where is Thumbkin?” and make up your own songs, too.

Let Your Child Write
When children write, they naturally begin to pay attention to the sounds words make and the letters that form words. And it doesn’t matter how they spell! Recent research shows that young children who are allowed to write often with invented spelling, develop the ability to become good readers.

About the author
Deanna Mascle is the publisher of Preschoolers Learn More. She has three post secondary degrees and 15 years professional experience teaching (plus more years than she’d like to admit as a camp counselor, Sunday School teacher, and Bible Camp staff member) and she needs every scrap of her education and experience to keep up with Noah Mascle, age 4. Visit for more tips and resources for teaching your preschooler including Teach Your Child the Alphabet and Learning to Read through Rhyme.

by Bridget Messino

Our children are probably the biggest clutter creators we have in our homes — even more so than the dreaded paper flow. It starts out innocently, when we find out we are expecting; then the purchasing frenzy swings into high gear and does not let up until, well, let’s just say many years down the road.

The clutter begins on the highly anticipated homecoming day when our countertops fill quickly with samples and instructions from the hospital. The bottles of formula, diapers, blankets and wipes all begin to take root on the counters and any and all other flat surfaces. You can kiss that nesting mode goodbye and say hello to survival mode!

Stage 1: Infant Organization

Obviously, organizing for an infant is the sole responsibility of the parent. The main areas for infant organization are:

• the changing table
• the diaper bag

The nursery’s changing table is a great place to start with simple organizing techniques. Divide the shelves below the changing surface with baskets; fill one with diapers and wipes, one with crib bedding and blankets, one with onesies and socks, etc. Baskets are a great accessory for the nursery because they are portable, lightweight and decorative. They are also readily available everywhere from discount stores to high-end decorating stores.

Next, the diaper bag can be your best friend when stocked and organized properly. Take some time before your next outing and take inventory of your contents. Diaper bags today have all these great little dividers and compartments for storing all your stuff. Upon returning from your outing re-stock and refresh your bag, so you will be ready for the next time you go visiting.

Stage 2: Toddler-Preschool Organization

Organizing this active group can be a challenge, but there are several organizing exercises in which you can involve your child, including putting away:

• books
• videos
• toys

The clear plastic containers that you can find all over these days are great kid-friendly storage solutions. Try labeling each one with a picture of its contents to make for easy cleanup for those little non-readers (store advertisements and catalogs are a great picture source, as well as printing pictures from internet sites).

Baskets are also great for storing their favorite books and videotapes, though you might want to store them out of reach to prevent them from constantly being dumped out on the floor! Little hands can manipulate a basket with much more confidence than a tightly stuffed bookshelf. Lastly, designate an area in your home for the toys. It is important for your child to understand that their toys have a place and need to make their way back there before bedtime.

Stage 3: School Age Organization

By this time, your kids are busy with many of their own activities and all the required “stuff” that goes with it. As frustrating as it may be the tenth time you have to remind your child to put away their belongings or straighten up their shelves, do not give in to the temptation to just do it yourself. This is a critical time period for developing life-long habit and you will both gain from a little patience and consistency.

Encourage your children to keep a calendar of their activities and after school commitments. Display a master family calendar, so everyone is informed and no one is left ride-less or out of the loop.

Laundry at this stage of parenting can become quite an overwhelming task. Invest in basket-sorter hampers for the kids’ laundry; your kids are quite capable at this age of sorting their dirty clothes by color. The pre-sort saves you time on laundry day.

Stage 4: High School and Beyond
Keep up the encouragement — these young adults have a lot on their minds and schedules. This can be an extremely stressful time with the college applications, spring break plans, graduations, not to mention a full course load and endless extra-curricular activities. Good time management skills are critical to maintaining these over-extended calendars. Paired with time management skills, organizational skills will help create a smooth transition to whatever path your children choose (restocking the diaper bag now seems like a cinch, doesn’t it?).

Rest assured that all your hard work building a good organizing foundation will remain with your children throughout their adult life. Who knows — maybe they will win the lottery one day and know exactly where they filed their winning ticket because they were raised in a home that stressed organization, and to show their gratitude share the prize with mom and dad.

Copyright 2004
Bridget Messino

About the author
Bridget Messino is a Professional Organizer and co-owner of Clutter Free Living, Inc. Her work frequently appears on many Internet sites and on her own organizing site Clutter Free Living as well as in her monthly Home Organizing Newsletter How to Be Clutter Free. Subscribe to the FREE monthly e-newsletter by sending a blank e-mail to cflnews-subscribe@topica.email-publisher.com

by Susan Stump

“Where did he come up with that?” Kids often amaze us with their imaginative ideas, and we should give ourselves a pat on the back for playing a role in this development. Innovative thinking is essential for success in school and in life, and it’s our job as parents to nurture our kids’ innate desire to be creative. Inventive play fosters original thinking, an asset when children are confronted with new situations. By providing activities that use their creativity and imaginations, we are giving our children an important tool to deal with life down the road.

Give them ideas
Children come up with things to do on their own, but we also need to provide them with new ideas of interesting activities. Think back to what you did as a kid. Did you write a diary, create elaborate puppet shows, or sing and dance for relatives? Share ideas from your own childhood experiences. Offer creative writing ideas like writing an episode for a favorite television show or writing a new ending to a favorite story. Craft projects offer another outlet for inspiring imaginations. Craft kits, especially those from Curiosity Kits and ALEX, offer a wide variety of unusual and fun projects. They’ve brought us a long way from the sock puppets of our youth. These manufacturers offer ideas and supplies to make such things as scrapbooks, powerballs, soaps, candy, sun catchers, dolls, planes, dinosaurs, jewelry treasures, and lots of decorative items. Kids can gather ideas from the instructions, and then give the projects their own unique touches.

Keep ideas fresh
Pick up any parenting magazine and you’ll find lots of ideas to get those creative juices flowing in your kids. Search the web and check out craft stores. Keep a journal or file for magazine clippings and ideas as you find them. Stockpile so that you’ll know how to answer the whiny “I’m bored” call from your kids.

Give them freedom
Once you’ve given your kids some suggestions and supplies, step back and see which they choose and where they go with them. This unstructured play time gives kids an opportunity to stretch their creative muscles. Watch as they incorporate your ideas and branch out on their own.

Set an example
Chances are, if you are a creative person, your child will be too. You display creativity in your everyday activities like when you reason with a disgruntled child, change lyrics to songs, and maybe even do some interpretive dancing to entertain a toddler. Your children see your silliness and it rubs off on them. You surely use creativity to juggle your and your family’s schedules. It’s a great idea to point out to your kids how you use creativity in your daily life.

As parents, we always try to do the very best for our kids and provide opportunities that will help them mature into intelligent, capable adults. Nurturing their creative spirits helps them along this road. With their well-developed imaginations, maybe they’ll turn it into a yellow brick, pink polka-dotted road with sparkles!

About The Author
Susan Stump is the mother of two children and the owner of ChildCrafter, Co. – Craft Kits and Subscriptions that Inspire a Child’s Imagination. This work-at-home-mom offers a great selection of creative craft kits from ALEX, Quincrafts, and Curiosity Kits from her catalog and website www.childcrafter.com. Email her at childcrafter@yahoo.com.

By Sherry Frewerd

There is a chore in my home that brings out the procrastinator in me. This particular chore is so big and so difficult, that I create new tasks just to avoid starting the dreaded job. What could be so bad: My toddler’s bedroom – a.k.a. fighting the battle of ‘too many toys!’

The problem doesn’t arrive from a lack of organization or space to put things, but from just too many toys in the first place. His room, when tidy, looks like a little toy store gone mad. My husband built custom shelving just for the toys and books, with varying shelf sizes to accommodate different types of toys and sizes of books. However, when I take a close look at the contents, it’s obvious that there’s lots of ‘stuff’, but little thought went into most of it.

How should you select and organize your child’s toys? Choosing quality kids’ toys, selected by their developmental stage and abilities, is the first step. Most toys have a recommended age on the package to let you know the appropriate age group. Take cues from you own child to guide you in whether he is ready for a certain toy.

Make sure that the toys you’re buying actually “do” what they are supposed to. If puzzle pieces aren’t cut correctly, your child will get angry and frustrated when they play with it. I’ve recently made the mistake of buying a puzzle that was supposed to be appropriate for ages 18 months to 3 years, only to find that the pieces were very difficult to place, and my son became upset every time he played with the puzzle.

Some suggestions for Toddler and Preschool Toys

• Puppets
• Activity tables/centers
• Sorting boxes
• Snap together Blocks – Leggos
• Puzzles – up to 5 wooden pieces
• Figures for dollhouse, farm, etc.
• Dress up clothes
• Trucks and wagons to haul things
• Housekeeping and shopping toys
• Sewing cards
• Buttoning, zipping, snapping dolls or boards
• Preschool age games like Memory and Candy land etc.

Most importantly, choose toys that stimulate your child’s mind and that create learning experiences. Provide an adequate amount of toys for your child. Don’t do as I have and overwhelm your child with too much ‘stuff’ causing both of you to become frustrated. As we all know, most little kids have a more fun playing with the box the toy came in while the new toy sits idly on the floor. Now it’s time for me to stop procrastinating and fight the battle of ‘too many toys.’

About the Author
Sherry Frewerd is a WAHM to three and is a licensed child care provider. Visit her website, ‘Family Play and Learn’ for fun and creative activities and resources for your Toddler and Preschool age child. http://familyplayandlearn.com.

Are you a grandparent? If you are, you may find yourself spending time with your grandchildren. While your time may comprise of a few hours here and there, you may find yourself with a whole day to spend with your grandchildren. This is most often the case when mommy and daddy would like a break.

One of the best parts of having a grandparent’s day is the time that you are able to spend with your grandchildren. Many grandparents wish that they had more time to spend with their grandchildren. Granted, your day will likely fly by quickly and feel as if it weren’t nearly long enough, you should cherish the extended time that you do have with your grandchildren. In fact, you should take steps to make the most out of it.

When it comes to having a grandparent’s day, many grandparents wonder what they should do. Of course, your planned activities should depend on your grandchildren and their ages. With that in mind, you will always find that you have an unlimited number of options. For instance, children of all ages love playing at the park, taking a trip to the zoo, or going on a shopping adventure. Depending on the age of your grandchildren, you may want to let them help you plan the day’s activities.

When having a grandparent’s day with your grandchildren, it is important that you are prepared. This will involve having all needed supplies on hand. If your grandchild is a newborn or an infant, these supplies may include diapers, baby wipes, a change of clothes, a bottle or sippy cup, milk, or baby formula. Although your son or daughter will likely supply you with these items, you may want to first make a trip to your local grocery store. As a grandparent, there is nothing wrong with being prepared, especially for extended visits.

As outlined above, it is important that you have all needed supplies, such as diapers and food or baby formula. With that in mind, you will also want to make sure that you have a camera or camcorder on hand. Depending on your family, a grandparent’s day may only happen once every few months. During this time, your grandchildren will grow and change in more ways that you could ever have imagined. That is why you should take steps to document the memories that you create along the way and what better time to do so than on a grandparent’s day?

The above mentioned tips are just a few of the many that can help to ensure that your next grandparent’s day is a success. As a reminder, be sure to obtain the proper contact information from your son or daughter, for emergencies purposes.

Are you a grandparent? If you are, you may notice occasions where it seems as if your daughter or daughter in-law could use a break. After all, you may remember how joyous, but overwhelming parenting can be. If and when that time comes, you may want to offer your services.

When babysitting your grandchild, even just for a few hours, you will want to have an unlimited number of fun filled activities on hand. These activities will help prevent boredom and they will also ensure that grandma or grandpa’s house is “cool.” For fun filled activities that your grandchild may enjoy, please continue reading on.

Before focusing on the fun filled activities that your grandchild may enjoy, it is important to remember age. Your grandchild’s age will play an important role in the activities that are best suited for them. To have fun, as well as to prevent injuries, it is important that you choose activities that are age appropriate.

If your grandchild is a newborn, you will find that just about any activity keeps them occupied. In fact, many newborns prefer to be cuddled. With that in mind, there are a number of other fun activities that you may want to look into. One of those activities involves swinging. There are a number of infant and newborn swings that are affordable and perfect for visits to grandma or grandpa’s house. You may also want to examine floor gyms that are designed for newborns, as they are often filled with fun, safe activities.

If your grandchild is an infant but still in the first year you may want to examine traditional toys, such as those that are designed for stacking. In addition to purchasing stacking toys, you can also use a number of items around your home, such as yogurt cups, margarine cups, and so forth. When doing stacking activities with your grandchild, it is important that you participate with them. Children this age often learn by example. You can help your grandchild understand cause and effect by stacking cups or other items and then by allowing them to fall.

The above mentioned activities are just a few of the many that you may want to use the next time your grandchild comes for a visit. Often times, you will find that you don’t need to have big, expensive toys to have a good time. As a reminder, it is important that you choose activities for you and your grandchild to enjoy that are age appropriate.

Do you have the pleasure of being a grandparent? If you do, you have the greatest gift in the world. If you are a grandparent, you may have the goal of becoming your grandchildren’s hero or at least a good role model. If this is an aspiration of yours, you will want to examine some of the great ideas outlined below.

One of the best ways to be a hero to your grandchildren is to have a constant presence in their lives. Unfortunately, many do not realize just how important time is when it comes to children. When multiple grandchildren are involved, it is important that you give each grandchild equal or similar amounts of time. This will also help to prevent favoritism, even unintentional favoritism. As your grandchildren increase in age, you will want to plan fun activities, such as trips to the park or the zoo, but, for now, simply cuddling is enough action on your part to become a hero.

Another one of the many ways that you can become a hero in the eyes of your grandchildren is by offering them an ear. This is particularly important as your grandchildren increase in age. Grandparents should provide love, support, and comfort to their grandchildren. Whether your grandchild is simply spouting off their first words, singing the alphabet, or telling you about their day, you should give them your full attention and encourage further interaction. Grandchildren, of all ages, love nothing more then to feel as if what they have to say is the most thing in the world.

Although becoming a hero to your grandchildren is a phrase that is used to describe being a good role model, did you know that you can become a “true,” hero? Infant and toddlers love to play dress up and you should take part in these fun activities. A simple blanket can turn you into a capped superhero. These activities are ones that will keep your grandchildren laughing for hours. When playing superhero dress up with your grandchildren, many of the items around your home will do.

Whether your goal is to be a hero in the figurative sense or in the imitative sense, there are a number of different approaches that you can take. As a reminder, the greatest way to become a hero to your grandchildren is to provide them with all of the love, support, and attention that you have to give.

The first thing many individuals think of when they hear the word ecotourism is either the Kenyan safari or the spa-type vacation that is provided by a specific centre and filled with nature and environmentally friendly values. Regardless of which one of those images springs to your mind, it is unlikely that you picture yourself with your newborn baby or toddler. That is actually quite common because ecotourism is viewed as more of an adult vacation rather than a family friendly trip. Today, that does not have to be the case though.

Having a baby does not put an end to your ecotourism adventure! Some ecotourism holidays are now actively marketed as family or child friendly, and the ecotourist vacation can provide quite an experience for both parents and children. This is because everyone can learn something from the vacation, including the baby.

First and foremost, babies pick up on a change in mood far more quickly than adults do and, as such, he or she will recognize a relaxing environment. Ecotourism resorts are famed for their ability to set people at ease, to help them become one with nature and to relax them. This will pull the family together in one harmonious unit. As such, your baby will benefit from the tranquillity and will indeed be happier for the duration of the holiday. This makes it fun in itself, but there is more!

Various family friendly ecotourism destinations have a range of facilities for small children, all of which make it easier for you to include the children in fun activities and educate them at the same time. Local businesses and individuals benefit from the tourist trade so they are willing to give something back and can communicate with your child in a unique way. By the age of three, it is possible for your child to have a loose grasp on helping out in a wide variety of fun filled activities that involve interaction with the local environment and wildlife. This in itself marks the ecotourism vacation a unique and innovative experience.

Of course, the child friendly ecotourism vacation is not as intensive as an adults only one because children tire easily, but there are areas of the world that welcome children, including babies. Costa Rica is one example. Your baby or toddler can enjoy the colourful side of nature in the eight national parks. They can bird watch and look out for the colourful toucans or watch the monkeys playing in the rainforest. They will be delighted by the activity and learn things, even from an early age.

If you want to make your ecotourism vacation especially fun for your baby or small child then why not go to Lapland? A good number of the tours there are labelled as ecotourism and the children can meet huskies, reindeer and even Santa whilst learning to respect the environment. It is certainly something different yet extremely fun. And the beauty of it is you are giving back to the community as well as providing your family with a firm foundation for education!