Electronic Bookshelf/Electronic Bookshelf.iso/referen/hints/children

Text File | 1992-07-07 | 11KB | 240 lines

                               CHILDREN TIPS

     This section is going to include tips from new infants to older
     children including helpful hints for grandparents.

     When you first bring a new baby home from the hospital, a
     telephone answering machine will be a great blessing.  Set the
     machine to answer on the first ring so the phone will be less
     likely to wake the new baby.  You will be able to return calls at
     your convenience and not be interrupted during baby's feeding or
     bath time.  Plus you can nap while your baby is asleep and not be
     disturbed.

     Mothers, till you get your pep back, hang a "Do Not Disturb" sign
     on the door while you are resting.

     To prevent baby bottle nipples from deteriorating, occasionally
     brush with a salt water solution.  Be sure to rinse well before
     using.

     Nursing mothers, if your baby needs feeding while out shopping,
     ask if you could use a dressing room instead of sitting in a rest
     room.  You'll have better privacy and in most cases be in a
     cleaner environment.

     If your baby doesn't usually eat a whole jar of baby food at one
     sitting, before feeding remove from the jar the portion you plan
     on using. This will prevent the enzymes from the baby's saliva
     from breaking down the food.

     To heat several kinds of baby food for one feeding, try heating
     the food in different compartments of an egg poacher.

     Make meal time more interesting to a toddler by serving meals in
     a muffin tin.  Serve different food in different compartments.

     If your child keeps sliding down the seat of his high chair place
     nonabrasive bathtub appliques or a rubber sink or tub mat on seat
     area of chair.

     For a good-clean up on metal of plastic high chairs, place chair
     in shower with a warm water spray.  Scrub down, then rinse and
     dry with a towel.

     Placing a plastic table cloth under a high chair will save on
     floor cleaning.

     Prevent poisonings by teaching children not to eat or taste
     anything without showing it to you first.  Curious children will
     try tasting anything, unless of course it's food you put on their
     plates.

     Always have the number of a poison control center near your
     phone.  Even ingesting too many vitamins can be very dangerous.

     Many common houseplants are very poisonous.

     Always keep syrup of ipecac on hand, but know how to use it.
     Vomiting may not always be the best solution.  Have an emergency
     book on hand.  Read it before an emergency happens.  Learn how to
     prevent accidents.

     Grandparents, also be sure to have emergency numbers near your
     phones and know what to do in advance.

     Before leaving children with a babysitter, check to see if they
     are ready for emergencies.

     When bathing a baby in a tub or sink, place a towel under baby to
     prevent the baby from slipping.  A soapy, wiggly baby is hard to
     hang on to while bathing.

     For toddlers, be sure to have non-slide cutouts on bottom of tub
     or a rubber mat to prevent falling.  This is safer for parents
     also.

     Never leave a toddler unattended even for a few seconds during a
     bath.

     For safety, keep toilet lids down and bathtubs drained when not
     using.

     When using a playpen outside, place legs on pen in little tubs
     (butter, Dream Whip, etc. container) of water so no crawling
     insect can reach baby's playing area.

     Grandparents, store toys in laundry baskets.  When grandchildren
     come to play the toys are easy to get out of a closet or from
     under a bed.  Children can easily see the toys they want to play
     with.

     You can also teach children when they are done playing with one
     toy to put it back before getting another one.  Or you can let
     them have fun making a mess, but teach them they must pick
     everything up when they finish.

     Put a short rope on the basket to pull the toys to the room they
     want to play in.

     Be sure the toys are safe for your child's or grandchild's age
     group.  Toys should have no sharp edges and be tough enough not
     to break.

     Toddlers enjoy playing with empty boxes. They can push or pull
     them, and climb into them. Large plastic storage containers are
     great to play in, plus you can store toys in them.

     If your toddler tries to sneak outside when you are not looking,
     tie a small bell to the top of the door.  You will hear when the
     door opens.

     Do things with your children.  As your children get older they
     will be closer to you.  On chores - work together, make work time
     fun time by doing it together. Chores will get done quicker and
     your children will know how to do things correctly.

     When your children start to learn how to read, let them read to
     you.  They will enjoy reading more and feel grown up reading to
     you.

     Magnetic letters and numbers on your refrigerator is a great way
     to teach your child his alphabet and numbers.  This will keep
     your child entertained while you're busy  in the kitchen and will
     help him learn at the same time. On very young children, start
     out with only a few  letters at a time, when these letters are
     learned, add two or three more letters.  This way they will not
     feel overwhelmed.  You could even let them pick out the next
     letters to put on the refrigerator as a reward for learning the
     previous ones.  Even very young children will enjoy learning if
     you make it fun.

     Teach children their names and phone numbers as soon as they are
     old enough to learn them. When children are old enough to use a
     phone, let them call home to talk to the other parent or sibling.
     This will give them experience in calling home in case they ever
     get lost.

     Teach children that emergency numbers are kept next to the phone
     in case they need to make a call for you or are alone and need
     help.

     When your child starts to ride a bicycle or is allowed to play in
     the driveway, paint a line across the end where they are not to
     cross.  Tell them they are not to cross the line.  This will
     teach them not to play outside a safe area.

     When your children become old enough to fill the tub for their
     baths, place a decal on the inside of the tub wall at the level
     where you want the water to be turned off.  Also teach them to
     turn the hot water off first, to prevent burns.

     If your youngster puts his or her shoes on the wrong foot, just
     draw half of a smiley face in the left shoe and the other half in
     the right shoe.  Teach them to put the shoes together so they
     make a complete face, then step into the shoes.

     Hang a mirror in the bathroom at your child's height.  Children
     can see to comb their own hair and for brushing their teeth.

     When moving your child from a crib to a bed, place a crib
     mattress on the floor next to the bed.  If your child rolls out
     of bed during the night it will provide a softer landing.

     Hang a hammock in the corner of your children's room to hold
     balls, stuffed toys, and other miscellaneous.

     Help make it easier for children to find their boots at school by
     placing matching color tape cut in designs on back of boots.

     Store youngster's school papers, art work and other memorabilia
     in boxes with youngster's name and date on back.  Occasionally
     sort out the papers, and keep the box in a safe place.

     Keep one school picture yearly (be sure to date) and on
     graduation, display pictures.  Friends of your child will enjoy
     these as much as your own child.

     Save the front page of the newspaper the day your child is born
     and on following birthdays.  As they get older they can look back
     to see what happened on that day over the years.

     Take a picture of your house and of your baby's room and save for
     when your child is older.  Be sure to save pictures of parents,
     grandparents and other people important to your baby during his
     or her birth year.  Don't forget to label with names and dates.

     For birthday parties for young children, have individual cupcakes
     so they all can blow out a candle.

     For games at parties, be sure to have prizes for all children if
     prizes are to be handed out.

     Need cupcakes in a hurry or for a quick treat?  Place a
     marshmallow on cupcakes a few minutes before removing from oven.
     The marshmallow will melt and your cupcakes will be already iced.

     Wrap masking tape around crayons so they won't break in half when
     younger children are learning to color.

     When crayon boxes wear out, store crayons in empty metal bandage
     containers.

     When traveling with children, stop every couple of hours so they
     can stretch (or if possible run).  They will sit better in the
     vehicle and make traveling easier for everyone.

     On long trips take along nutritious snacks like fruit, raw
     vegetables, cheese and crackers, fruit juice.

     Be sure to take along things to entertain your children or make a
     list of different games to play.   For example they could count
     cars of a certain color, or older children could look for a
     license plate from a certain state.

     A twin mattress stored under a bed makes an extra bed for a
     child's overnight friend.

     When taking your children to a zoo or beach, dress them in bright
     colors to help keep track of them more easily.

     Put a clock in the window so children can tell what time it is
     without coming in.

     If your child spends too much time bathing or taking a shower,
     set a timer in the bathroom.  Tell him he must be finished then
     the timer sounds.

     A timer comes in handy to get kids off to school in the morning.
     Set timer to go off five minutes before it's time to go out the
     door.  This will give them time to grab their books, lunch and
     coats.

     If your family has a busy schedule, hang a large calendar and
     have everyone write their appointments in a different color ink
     on the calendar.  Keep the different color pens near by, or
     attach strings to the pens and hang on the calendar.