BABY BRAIN DEVELOPMENT

A baby's brain development begins as soon as it's conceived and progress rapidly throughout pregnancy. By the time baby is born, her(his) brain already consist of more 100 billion brain cells. The wiring of these cells also began in the womb and will never stop. At birth these connections are mostly necessary for regular heart rhythm, controlling reflexes, and also helping other functions necessary for survival.

So, other than basic functions, most of the wiring of a baby's brain develops huge numbers of complex connections that lay the foundation for thinking, feelings, and behaviors. 

                                                       6 Helpful Tips

1. Remember baby brain development begins in the womb. The way mother treats her(his) body will greatly impact development in the womb. That is why nutrition and a healthy lifestyle free of drugs, alcohol and smoking is paramount.
2. Remove stressors. Too much stress in a baby's life can actually retard baby brain development. Make sure that your baby lives in a safe environment, clear of hazards. In addition, attending to a baby's needs especially when it cries is very important for brain and emotional development.
3. Talk to your baby. Talking helps develop language skills in the brain. Without this kind of stimulation, there can be a delay in speech and reading skills. In addition it helps form a strong emotional bond with the baby.
4. Also read to them. Hearing a story also helps develop many different skills such as listening, reading and language. This also provides another opportunity for a parent and baby to bond. As children grow older they will develop an appreciation for books.
5. Find great childcare. Baby's need large amount of attention and affection for proper brain and emotional development. If you can not be with your baby all times it is very important that you pick the right child care provider. Family and friends are always great but thoroughly vet any new babysitter or daycare, see what the adult to baby ratio is for instance. Don't risk your baby being neglected. 
6. Ask questions. If you are like a most parents, you will have tons of questions. Don't be afraid to ask your doctor or other parents for advice. You can also find many books at the local bookstore or library about child development. These can help you in providing the most brain enriching environment possible.

Source: http://www.brainhealthandpuzzles.com/

TRAINING PANTS

There are many advantages to using potty training pants when the time comes for your kid to stop using diapers. The most important of them all is the fact that potty training can be done easier with the pants. Although there are parents today who choose the pull up training pants made by the same manufactures that produce disposable diapers, they usually get frustrated, as it seems to take longer for the child to get over potty training. The reason is that disposable training pants are very absorbent, which prevent the child from feeling the wetness. The fact is that children learn to ignore going to the bathroom because they are comfortable even when they wet their pants, and they can wait for the convenient time to tell their parents that their pants are wet.

The potty training pants on the other hand are usually made of cotton material, which encourages children to learn using the bathroom quickly. This is because although the training pants are as absorbent and as thick as cloth diapers, the child wearing them would still feel the obvious feeling of wetness, which tells him or her quickly that he or she had a little accident. This quick notice encourages children to go to the bathroom instead of having another incident that need to be dealt with right away.

Once you begin potty training your child, it is important to ged rid of diapers as well as pull-ups. Remember that pull ups are different from potty training pants since they are more like diapers. Children would not feel anything if they wet or soil themselves and would not help with potty training at all.

If you have a boy who you are training, you need potty training pants for boys, as these will allow your child to feel the uneasiness and to identify the feelings that his body is giving him when there is a need to go to the bathroom. He will start to connect a full bladder to peeing and wetness, which will motivate him to use the bathroom instead of being uncomfortable if he wets his training pants for toddlers.

If you are going to potty train a girl, then definitely you will need to have potty training pants for girls. Girls are usually a bit more advances than boys when talking about potty training girls but you still need to be consistent and persistent in order to teach your girl to use the bathroom. Make sure that you let your girl see how women use the bathroom, and let her do the same. Watching how her daddy or her brothers do it may confuse her so she must be made to understand to sit when it is time to pee or poo, no matter how daddy and brothers do it.

Your child whether a boy or girl would still have to wear potty training pants at night when they go to sleep and it will present a problem if they wet their beddings. To make potty training pants waterproof, you can make use of a pull up pants that is designed to go over training pants. There are also combination potty training pants that cloth inside and a waterproof cover outside to keep your beddings protected from wetness.

When potty training girls, parents are faced with a very tricky situation and the question that is asked the most is, when to start potty training girls? Once this question is asked, it is now time for you to look up for tips on potty training girls to make you and your child's transition a lot easier.

While it is believed that potty training girls is much easier than potty training boys, there are still some things that you will need to know. Lucky for you, there are some tips on easy potty training girls that will get your precious little darling wearing big kids underwear in no time. The reason why it is said that it is easier to do potty training girls than boys is because, with boys they have to learn how to use the toilet in two steps, one standing up and the other sitting down; however, with girls all you need to do is teach them to sit on the toilet seat and this process takes lesser time.

Although it is easier when you are potty train girls, it is still a very time consuming task and you should look out for signs that your little girl is ready to be potty trained before you try to potty train her. This is because if she is not yet ready, you will just be wasting your time and hers. When you are potty training girls, keep in mind that children live what they learn; therefore, as the parent you will need to take the lead and show your child what they are expected to do.

To do this, you can sit on the toilet and show them how it is done. Show them how to use other things in the bathroom, such as how to wipe and wash their hands. Once they see what you are doing, they will be inclined to try it. It is also better if you allow your child to come in the bathroom when you are actually using it. This is a good way for potty training pants girls because it will teach her faster and she will want to do whatever you do.

The ideal step to potty train girls is to know when the time is right, to look out for signs, and see if she is also imitating what she sees you doing. Based on studies that have been carried out, potty training girls should normally begin anywhere between 18-20 months; however, look for the signs because every little girl is different and will be potty trained at their own pace.

MERRY CHRISTMAS and HAPPY NEW YEAR !!!

Dear Valued Customers,

As the holiday season approaches, we'd like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued partnership. It is business associates like you who make our jobs a pleasure and keep our company successful.

We would like to thank you for the excellent cooperation and for the trusting in us.

May your holiday season and the new year be filled with much joy, happiness and success. We look forward to working with you in the coming year and hope our business relationship continues for many years to come.

Happy Holidays!

Fuzzy Freckles children's store,Inc

CELEBRATING BABY'S FIRST CHRISTMAS

First, in the past year, you've received the most wonderful gift of all, a newborn baby!
Chances are, you are tired and may be feeling overwhelmed with all the season has to offer, yet you would like to somehow recognize and create special memories of this once in a lifetime occurrence.


Dressing Baby for the Holidays

• Keep baby's comfort in mind at all times and be practical when choosing from the many holiday related outfits available today.
• Get more than one outfit, babies love to spit up as soon as you dress them up!

Memory Making Ideas

• Include a picture of the new baby in your Christmas cards to introduce friends to your newest family member.

• Start new family traditions that include your infant. For instance, you might sing a special Christmas carol or read a special book to the baby that you will continue to do each year.

• Consider beginning a special holiday scrapbook or journal that you will update each year. Record how you celebrated the season and of course include pictures and special mementos from each occasion.

• There is no end to the selection of Baby's First Christmas ornaments available. A favourite are the ones that allow you to record a special message each year!

• Some parents start a unique collection for their baby at this time. Baseball cards, spoons, jewelry, antique toys and books are just some ideas.

• Create opportunities for other children to help their new brother or sister during the holiday celebration, such as opening the infant's gifts, or reading a story to him or her.

• Take lots of pictures! Even if this your third child, take lots of pictures so you can remember the baby's first Christmas. In this technological age, you might even want to videotape it with your digital camera or camcorder. Not only you will enjoy watching the tape as your child continues to grow up, but he or she will want to see what Mom an Dad looked like back then.

• As the years go by, you might start to forget you gave your infant baby on his or her first Christmas, so write the date on the presents so that you'll remember. This is especially true for books. On toys, games and other items, you might just write the year, the children's name and "Christmas" in magic marker on the bottom.

• Even if your child is almost a year old, he or she isn't going to be worrying about how much you spend or how many toys are under the tree. In fact, most babies are more interested in colourful ribbons and wrapping paper than what is inside a box. 

Treasure your Baby's First Christmas by making memories rather than breaking the bank on presents, and focus on taking pictures or starting a scrapbook. By year two, kids are already starting to develop the gimme's, so enjoy it while it lasts.

Source: 

Canadian Parents
Steve Thompson

LEARNING THROUGH PLAY

                                               HAVING FUN COMES FIRST


It is often said that play is a child's work - and the idea of learning through play can be understood by looking at the game of peek-a-boo. A baby playing peek-a-boo with mom learns -

• what it feels like to be held
• about parts of the body
• that mom is still there, even when she can't be seen
• that mom helps baby keep emotions under control
• that the baby can communicate with mom to play again and again
• that mom thinks baby is wonderful and that they enjoy playing together

For the baby, the joy of playing together is the best part of playing with someone. It is how children start to form relationships that help develop self-esteem and self-confidence.

Getting to Know Your Child Trough Play

Playing together is a great way to get to know and understand a child. You will soon find out if your child is fussy, shy, quick, impatient, easy-going or adventurous.

                                                PLAY IS A SPECIAL LANGUAGE

Babies explore the world through play. First, by looking and listening, then by putting everything in their mouths, and by copying the people around them.
A little later, when children are able to play 'pretend' they use their games to practice things that they are trying to learn and understand. For example:

• a child who is just learning to ride a tricycle may make a teddy bear ride a toy trike.
• if children have been hospitalized, they may want to play doctor with their dolls and do to the dolls all things that were done to them in the hospital.
• if there is a new baby in the house, or it's time to start school or go to a new daycare, the teddy bears may have to play through the new experiences.

Children's play becomes a language. If you can understand your child's play language, you will be able to understand your child.


                                                         LET CHILDREN LEAD

Allow your child to make the decisions about the game you play together. When you and your child are playing with blocks, ask, "Where do you want me to put this block?" If you are playing with cars,ask,   "Where is the driver of the car going? Should the car turn left or right? " The child will tell you whether  the car needs gas or is going to the grocery store. Expand the game by asking other questions. "Who is in the car?" "What are we going to buy?" "Why?"

Follow your child's directions. It makes the child feel valued and important, and gives you the opportunity to listen to the child's play language. Children's games belong to them, but when your child is frustrated, or can't think what to do next, a suggestion from you will be appreciated.


                                                                  PRAISE


The best praise that you can give is to see and value what your child is doing and to recognize that the game being played is vitally important to the child.
When you say, "Well done!", try to value the accomplishment , not the child.

                                                            ENCOURAGEMENT

You can encourage children with words that confirm their experience. For instance, "That was really difficult. You did a great job." You can also relay your own feelings. "Thank you for setting the table."
However, not all praise and encouragement need to be spoken. A wink, a smile, a nod of your head...all of these let your child know that you see and appreciate what is being done.

The best encouragement is being noticed and appreciated. It helps children to feel good about themselves, and to develop a sturdy sense of self.


                                                           PEOPLE TO PLAY WITH


Children do not really play together until they are around 2.5 to 3 years old, but before this they learn a lot by watching and playing alongside each other. Babies respond to other babies and usually enjoy the attention of older children...and older children are usually are interested in babies.

People are social beings and babies and toddlers benefit from being around other children.


Watching other children play prepares your toddler for playing with a friend. Many communities have drop-ins, play grounds and resource centres for mothers and children. Ask at your local community centre, library or parks and recreation department.

COTTON PAJAMAS

Cotton pajamas  have been worn for many years by many people.  They are found in most every store you go into that sells sleepwear. There are several reasons why this is true.                

• Cotton is a very inexpensive item that a lot of clothing is made from, including pajamas. This material is very versatile and comfortable for year round wearing. Therefore, it is a common material that people buy when they purchase clothing. Most everyone has at least one item in their wardrobe that consists of some percentage of cotton if not one hundred percent.
• These pajamas are lightweight, soft, warm and they let your skin breath. Therefore, it is the perfect material for sleeping. Not only does cotton feel good to the children's and their parent's skin, but it also is a very stylish material that can be worn for other parts of your day besides sleeping.
• The typical pair of pajamas has a pair of pants and shirt. 
• Contemporary pajamas are the more stylish looking sleepwear. They possibly come in one piece and are usually made for children.

PUPPETS IN EDUCATION

Puppets are an aspect of our history and everyday lives.  Puppets are both entertaining and captivating. Children can believe and relate to them; they can enter and explore the fascinating inventive world that puppets create.

Learning through play is fundamental to our children’s education, helping them to develop the necessary skills in life. Puppets can stimulate children’s imagination, encourage creative play and discovery and are a wonderful interactive way to introduce narrative to even the most reluctant reader. They can be a powerful way of bringing story time to life; puppets can provide a focus for role play, encouraging the child’s imagination and involvement in activities and can play a fundamental part in the recitation of stories and verse

Any puppet can encourage the quietest of children to start talking. Puppets can break down barriers and provide an effective means to initiate communication. The child trusts the puppet and doesn’t feel threatened by it, making it a perfect neutral medium through which they can discuss sensitive issues. The child can express thoughts, fears and feelings through the puppet that they might otherwise find difficult to voice to an adult.

All puppets come to life as characters. They can portray different personalities and various traits and they cross all cultures. Puppets can share joy or sadness; they can be naughty or good, cheeky or shy; and when a child is engaged by a puppet they can learn lessons without even realising.

Puppets provide an essential link between learning and play which makes them wonderful teaching tools for at home, the classroom and in the wider community.