It seems like younger and younger children are getting TV’s in their bedrooms.  I have even seen toddlers with them.  It has always been a personal decision that Alex will not have a TV in his room, but after doing a little reading yesterday I am really happy that I made that decision.

By nature toddlers are active.  They want to run, jump, play and just be active.  But it is even more than just playing.  If a child watches a lot of TV that also means they are learning less conversations skills.

There is also a link in childhood obesity and TV/video games.  Children are spending their time inside in front of a screen instead of being active.

I am not saying to never let your child watch TV, but maybe try to limit the amount of time spent in front of it, and keeping it out of the bedroom.

This may sound silly, but babies don’t know how to relax.  Just like most everything else it has to be taught to them.

This is be very helpful once your baby is ready to stop taking naps, but still needs that time just to unwind for a while to regain some energy.  This will also help your child be less cranky throughout the day, serving much of the same purpose as a nap would.

Encourage your child to relax with you, and this way your child will understand what it means to relax.  It could be sitting or laying together on the couch, or even just sitting out on some lawn chairs reading books.  Whatever it is that helps you relax, pass that on to your children.

There is actually a fairly easy way to teach your child how to keep to their word. Show them! If you tell your child that you are going to do something follow through with it.

This is in every since, if they are in trouble, and can’t use a certain toy until 7 o’clock, then don’t give them that toy before then. You can use this in a good way too for example, if you promise to do something with or for your child (or even the people around you) then stick to your word.

This will help your child see that it is important to be dependable. It is hard to do 100% of the time, as things do come up. Always know that you have those set of eyes watching everything you do. Be a good example.

If you have the time, I don’t see anything wrong with that.  I would home school Alex in a heartbeat if he ever asked me to.  I have meet kids that were home schooled that loved it and some that didn’t.  It all depends on the person.

If you decide to home school one thing that I would recommend is getting your child involved in some after school activiteis.  It could be sports, horse back riding, boy/girl scouts, anything fun that will still have your child getting the social skills, and fun with other kids his/her age.

Everyday it seems that there is something on the news about schools, so I understand why you would be wanting to home school.  See what your child would rather do before making any final decisions.

This is something that does not need to forced with flash cards. One of the biggest ways to help your toddler/baby learn is just to play with them. Giving them a little encouragement when it looks like they are stuck and about to give up on a task.

Also reading to your baby/toddler will help them so much. I know that I say this often, but that is because it is so important. If all you do is make reading a story part of a bedtime routine, that will help your child develop a love for reading.

Liking to read will be important as your baby grows, because it will be less of something that is forced and more fun. This will help them in school as well as in life.

When you have a young toddler it is really important that they spend time outdoors.  This will help them will there ability to run, jump, and basically use their gross motor skills.

It has been shown that kids that learn to master their gross motor skills as a toddler to preschooler have better balance and do well other sport activities as they get older.

It doesn’t have to be an hour all at once, but try to have some outdoor activities as much as possible.

Personally I think that preschool is a wonderful opportunity for children. They get the chance to play with other kids their age as well as get adjusted to a new routine of going to school, and I feel that this will help them prepare for kindergarten.

It is also a great place for your child to learn the ABC’s, colors, numbers, and even shapes (if this is something they don’t already know). Something else that they will learn is how to share and cooperate with others children.For stay at home parents it could be a little harder to see your baby growing up and going to preschool, but don’t let that stop you from letting them go.

Check out the local preschools in your area and get an idea for what is out there so you are not blindsided when the time comes to start enrolling. Something else to ease your mind is that preschool is not normally an all day thing.Some places only go a couple times a week for longer hours and other places go more times a week for shorter periods of time each day. This should help everyone get adjusted.

I think that too much TV for anyone isn’t the greatest things because if your inside watching TV your not out doing other things, just as running around or even learning how to entertain yourself.  I let Alex watch some of his favorite shows, such as Sesame Street and Super Why, things that are educational.  What I have noticed that I do and I’m really trying to get out of the habit of, is having the TV on when we aren’t watching it.  Then we just end up sitting in front of it even we don’t want to be.   If this is the same thing that you are doing, try replacing it with music!  Get up and dance with your baby/toddler!  This is much more fun for any child, and gives more movement to everyone involved!

TV isn’t a bad thing, but too much of it could be.  It is really important for children to be able to occupy themselves.  One of the best ways to help them learn this is less TV.  So if there is nothing that is worth watching turn it off and play play play!!

Reading to your baby is something that is so easy and you only need to do it about 15 minutes a day (more is great too), and it will really help them with many things.  It will help them with their vocabulary, it will help them with word association, and even help when it is time to go to school.  Something that I have noticed about Alex is in the beginning he couldn’t sit through a page without wanting to get up, and now we read a page and then we talk about the pictures.  He likes to be involved and I think it helps him understand what we have just read.

If you feel like you just don’t have time to sit and read, then try reading a story before bed!  Get excited to read to your baby and they will get excited too!  I just have to add yet another plus to reading to your baby and that is the bonding time, who else can make these stories come alive!

Yes, this is expected. I talk a lot about children being sponges, part of their social learning is through modeling. This is when a baby/toddler/child sees you doing something and tries to copy it. This can be a great thing, or a bad thing. If you are polite and kind to others, good chances that your child will see you doing this and copy you. If you are hitting or verbally abusive to others this will also be something that your child picks up on. Try to life a healthy life style and you will pass this down to your child as well.

You are not the only one that your child is going to be modeling, other people that you surround yourself with will be part of this as well. Consider all of the people that watch your child and make sure they are positive role models.

Just know that children see most everything we do and hear most everything we say. In time it will be repeated. I am not saying to walk on eggshells around your children, but just aware that if your children are around they are probably paying attention.