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Choosing A Baby Sitter For Your Child
Many parents prefer to choose a baby-sitter or nanny to care for their child if he or she is under age 3. This option can be the most convenient, because the caregiver comes to your home. Your child will also be in a familiar environment and will avoid exposure to colds and other infections from other children. Hiring a nanny is one of the most expensive child-care arrangements, but the biggest difficulty is finding a reliable, well-qualified person. Because in-home care is not regulated in...
Choosing A Day Care Center And Preschool For Your Child
Day-care centers-which are often called child-care centers, nursery schools, or early learning centers-can be operated by churches, schools, universities, social service agencies, the federal government (Early Head Start and Head Start), independent chains, and employers. Day-care centers care for children of all ages, although most are between ages 3 and 6. A major advantage of daycare centers is that parents don't have to worry about a particular caregiver's illness or vacation because...
Your Child And Sibling Relationships
The arrival of a new baby can be difficult for an older sibling who now has to share his or her parents with another child. You can minimize your child's insecurity by encouraging him or her to help you care for the baby. A child who is 5 or 6 years old can learn to hold, feed, comfort, and play with an infant. As the baby grows and develops, he or she will look to the older child as a model.
Whenever a new child enters the family, he or she changes the dynamics of the family and the...
Leaving Your Child At Home Alone
An estimated 5 to 7 million American school-age children go home to an empty house after school and fend for themselves. Some people say that being alone promotes responsibility and independence; others argue that the lack of supervision fosters delinquent behavior and hampers emotional and social growth. It's impossible to make a general statement about when a child can be left home alone safely. Usually children are not mature enough to be considered for self-care until they are 11 or 12....
Raising Siblings
Adjusting to life as a sibling is never without stress for a young child who has to learn to share his parents with a squirming, screaming stranger. Instead of the happy event that the birth of a second child signals to the parents, a first-born can be downright traumatized by the arrival of a sibling. Many child-development experts have described the impact of a new baby on the first-born as akin to how you would feel if your spouse suddenly announced that he likes being a husband so much...
Getting Your Child Ready For Preschool
When the time is right for your child to begin a nursery or preschool program, you want him to be ready. How can you help your child prepare? Put away the workbooks-there are no academic skills necessary for entering preschool. But that doesn't mean you can't help your child prepare for this experience in other ways.
Being part of a larger group takes some getting used to for children who are accustomed to being the center of your attention. You can help your child learn how to be social by...
Insurance And Financial Issues You May Encounter While Raising Your Child
Millions of Americans lack private or public health insurance for at least part of each year, and the number of uninsured continues to grow. Children under the age of 18 make up a large percentage of the uninsured, even though their parents work. Many families who do have health insurance face high out-of-pocket expenses for deductions and co-payments. Also they may have to pay for medical services that are not covered with the health insurance provider. Families with children who have special...
Your Child s Temper Tantrums
It's important at this point to remember that defiance generally comes from his feeling powerless over what happens in his world. Often, it helps to say calmly that you can't talk to him or do anything for him when he uses certain words or a certain tone of voice. By helping him see that he will have more control by using different words and tone, you will find his defiance lessening.
Destructive behavior Young children cannot be expected to handle others' possessions with great care and...
Children And Step Families
When a dating relationship turns serious and you make plans for marriage, you also face the prospect of forming a stepfamily. You may also be moving from single parenthood into step parenthood as well if your new spouse has his or her own children. A step- or blended family has its own set of unique advantages and problems and a stepparent enters into a new relationship with a child that is similar to yet greatly different from that of a parent. And, even though blended families are becoming...
A Parent s Guide To Early Childhood Education
More and more children under the age of six are now in school. The sweeping social, economic, and technological changes of the last decade have made school an increasingly important part of our childrens lives at ever-younger ages. We no longer see early childhood schools as the luxury our parents once did. For many parents it has become a necessity. As our society has become ever-more complex and our lives more fragmented, our needs and expectations for school have grown accordingly. We...
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