Archive | January 18th, 2013

Toddler Safety – Childproofing A Toddler’s Room

Toddlers love exploring the world around them, but sadly, that world can hurt them. Luckily, there is one place where you can have total control over your toddler’s security – his bedroom. Here are some toddler safety tips to help you make sure your toddler’s room is as safe as possible.

Make An Assessment

How can you determine whether your toddler’s room is safe or unsafe? By getting down on the floor and examining things from your toddler’s height. What do you see that could pose a risk to your child’s safety? Are his toys out of reach? Are there tall furnitures that can collapse on him? Are electrical cords hidden or spread on the floor? Placing yourself in your toddler’s point of view is the best way to identify hazards.

Use A Bed

A crib can no longer provide security once a child reaches toddlerhood. Toddlers can climb out of cribs increasing the risk of a fall. If your toddler has a convertible crib, you may still use it as this can be converted into a toddler bed. If not, you need to buy your child a toddler bed. Choose one that is sturdy and has a simple design. Just spruce it up with colorful or cartoon-themed beddings. Buy side rails (if the bed does not have one) so you can keep your toddler from rolling off the bed at night.

Secure Furnitures

Your toddler’s room should be spacious so your little one can freely wander around. Keep furnitures to a minimum - a dresser, cabinet, bookcase, a small play table and one or two child-size chairs. Secure cabinets, shelves and the dresser to the wall using safety brackets to prevent your little one from climbing or dragging the furniture down on top of him. Place edge guards on the corners of the furnitures your toddler might ran into. Make sure there are no fragile items in his room (e.g. glass).

Secure Cords and Electrical Outlets

Electricity is dangerous for everyone, most especially to a toddler. Your toddler’s curious hands can get him into big trouble. To avoid that, cover electrical outlets with sliding safety plates which are hard to remove. For cords and wires, tie them up or use a cord shortener or wind-ups to keep your toddler from grabbing them or wrapping them around his neck which can cause strangulation.

Evaluate Doors and Windows

Your toddler’s bedroom door should have a knob that does not lock to prevent your toddler from locking himself in his room and getting trapped. Secure windows with window guards to place a barrier between your toddler and open windows. Use window stops to prevent your child from opening them. As much as possible do not install curtains. But if you insist on using them, opt for cordless blinds.

Arrange Things Systematically

Proper arrangement can minimize the risk of exposing your toddler to danger. Place the items your toddler regularly uses such as toys, books and art materials in a place where he can easily reach them. Place them on low shelves or in colorful, easy to open baskets and plastic containers.

A toddler’s room is considered as a safe haven for children. Following these preventative measures will help keep your toddler secure in his room and give you peace of mind.

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Internet Safety For Kids

The internet plays a huge role in a child’s life. The internet is a great tool, but it can also bring danger to children since young users are more vulnerable and are generally more at risk than adults. Thus, it is essential for parents to follow these tips about internet safety for kids.

Tweak Your Computer

Anti-virus and firewall software are a must for every computer so make sure you have them installed. Use the parental control settings on your browser (most Internet Service Providers (ISPs) have one), filter search engines (Yahoo! Kids and KidsClick are child-friendly search engines) or choose a child-friendly home page (e.g. KidRocket.com, SurfKnight.com or Zoodles.com) in your browser settings to control your toddler’s access.

Educate Your Toddler

Bear in mind that these online protection tools and parental controls do not guarantee that your toddler will be completely safeguarded from the risks on the web so it is important that you educate your toddler about internet safety. Explain to him that while the internet is a good source of entertainment and education, there are inappropriate things happening in the web that are unsafe for children. Tell him that personal information (name, home address, phone number, password, etc.) must be kept private. Tell your toddler that if he sees anything disturbing, he should notify you right away.

Limit Internet Time

It might be tempting to leave your little one clicking away in front of the computer so you can finish your chores, but remember – the more time your toddler spends using the computer, the higher the risk he is exposed to dangerous things. Set a strict time limit for online play. 10 to 20 minutes of online play is the recommended time frame for toddlers. Provide your toddler with plenty of activities such as reading, drawing, DIY projects, sports and playing with other children at the playground so he has tons of fun things to do, minimizing internet time.

Be On The Lookout

Always keep a close eye on your toddler every time your little one is online. It is a good idea to place the computer in a public space such as your living room instead of putting it in your toddler’s bedroom so you can still check in often while doing laundry or preparing dinner. Doing so also helps you easily detect if your toddler is trying to hide something.

Surf The Web Together

It is important to be involved with your toddler’s internet life. Make time to surf child-friendly websites and play online games together. Talk about what he is doing on the web.

Make Sure To Log Out

Do not forget to sign out and close windows each time you are done using the computer. This will keep your toddler from gaining access and accidentally deleting your important files. It is a good idea to give your toddler his own log-in on your operating system so you can be sure everything he can access is good for him.

Taking an active role in your toddler’s internet activities will help make sure that your child benefits from the useful information the internet offers without exposing him to danger.

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The Ups and Downs of Attachment Parenting

Attachment parenting is a parenting style that focuses on creating a close bond between the parent and child. However, this form of upbringing is surrounded by controversy causing some eyebrows to raise. Below is a list of the pros and cons of attachment parenting you must learn before you decide to try this method.

Advantages

Establishes A Deeper Parent-Child Bond

The main advantage of attachment parenting is a deeper sense of intimacy to your toddler mainly because you spend a lot of time in close physical contact with your child which helps in the formation of a strong relationship between the two of you.

Mutual Sensitivity

Most of the time, conversation happens through body language. Because attachment parenting strengthens the bond between the mother and child, there is a shared sensitivity between the two. Hence, the parent can easily interpret the body language of the toddler and transmit the same body language for a more appropriate behaviour. In turn, the toddler can understand the desires of his parent and perform accordingly.

Shapes A Toddler’s Personality

A toddler who is raised through attachment parenting grows into a more secure and self-sufficient child, develops positive emotions (lessens tantrums, depression and frustrations), becomes more sensitive to other people’s feelings and is easy to discipline and less violent.

Boosts Brain Power

Experts say attachment parenting is food for the brain. The developing brain of a toddler is made up of scrambled, disconnected electrical wires called “neurons”. Each year, these neurons grow bigger, begin to work better and connect to each other to complete pathways that allow the toddler to think and perform more things. If the nerve cells do not make connections, they die. The more links these cells make, the better the brain development. Since attachment parenting allows parents to respond to their toddler’s cues immediately and encourage close physical contact (skin-to-skin contact), this enhances the brain helping the child to learn quicker and better, making the toddler smarter.

Disadvantages

Parents Can Become Overprotective

There is a huge probability you will become very controlling of your toddler. Being too attached to your little one can turn you into a parent who is too obsessed with your toddler’s safety, keeping an eye on him most of the time, making it hard for your toddler to have some space of his own.

Lack of Independence

Giving constant attention to your toddler can make him overly dependent. Doing everything for your toddler strips him the opportunity to make decisions for himself which can lead to major problems later in life.

Lack of Respect

Being too attached to your toddler risks your authority and status. If you cannot reprimand him because you are too bonded to him, your toddler will grow up thinking he can get away with anything. Also, your toddler may see you as his “buddy” rather than as his parent. If this is the case, you will have more trouble raising your toddler the right way because your child will not take you seriously.

Attachment parenting when done correctly, can help develop a healthy and tight relationship between the parent and the toddler. As long as balance is observed, you will not have difficulty nurturing your toddler to grow into a fine individual.

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