On Our Blog:Mirror, Mirror, in the Brain
Most of the time, when a colleague or co-worker calls me over to watch a video on Youtube, my first thought is to look at the time length of the video so I’ll know how long I’ll spend with a quizzical look on my face. But even I could not escape the hypnotizing cuteness of the “Talking Twin Babies” video. If you haven’t seen it, the clip shows a set of twins facing off babbling and gesturing like two old companions that are so in-tune they could finish each others’ thoughts. The toddlers break through the developmental boundaries of pre-language to share humor, coordinate dance steps, and converse about something that looks extremely funny and interesting to both of them.
Food Allergies
More people are getting food allergies. From 1997 to 2007, 18% more children under 18 years were reported of having food allergies. Any food can cause an allergic reaction, but the most common for children are cow’s milk, egg, peanut, soy, wheat, tree nuts, fish, and shellfish. Common adult allergens are peanut, tree nuts, fish and shellfish. About 80% of children outgrow milk and egg allergies, but recent studies suggest that children now need more time to outgrow them than in the past. The reason why more people are making antibodies for harmless food proteins is not fully understood. One well-known hypothesis is the hygiene hypothesis: our improved hygiene has taken the burden off our immune systems, which are prepared to fight diseases or parasites, so instead begin to fight off harmless proteins. Since more people are getting food allergies, it’s important to know how to prevent and treat them.
The Process of Negotiating the Rules with your Child
We all know as parents that discussing and negotiating the rules with our children is never easy. Children are all very different, and what might need to be a rule for one, may not even be an issue for another. That being said, there are many parameters that we set as parents that are the hard and fast rules – those with no ‘wiggle room.’ Those are the rules set forth to protect our child’s health, safety and well-being. These rules and their consequences should be very clearly defined and it should be understood by all involved that they are there for a very important reason and that they are ‘all or nothing.’
Top Tips for Helping Your Preschooler Make New Friends
Preschoolers may not make friends naturally or easily. Depending on your preschooler’s temperament, making friends may be easy or challenging. Generally speaking, preschoolers do not often form lasting friendships with peers; their friendships tend to be fleeting. Bearing this in mind, you can help your preschooler learn to make new friends with a little help. Here are some tips.
Importance of Family Time on Kids Mental Health and Adjustment to Life
The goal of every parent is to raise a happy and well-adjusted child. There are thousands of books which provide information and advice on raising children successfully. Experts in their respective fields strive to give parents the most up to date information whether it is about health, nutrition, child development, education, or parenting. However, one simple truth is often overlooked: Children from birth to adulthood need time and attention from their parents. Sometimes parents become so anxious to raise a “successful” child that they overlook the importance of spending time interacting personally with their child or children. This does not mean rushing from school to extracurricular activity to supervising homework. Interactive time is that spent with both child and parent fully engaged in an activity together. The importance of this time is multifold:
Holiday Traveling Tips
You can’t seem to avoid the holiday traveling if you have a large extended family. There are always get-togethers at Grandma’s or holiday dinners at Uncle Ed’s. Getting to these holiday functions requires smart traveling planning and knowing some good traveling tips can come in handy.
Three Basic Steps to Holiday Stress Reduction
We all love the holidays and want to them to be a truly enjoyable and rewarding experience. As a result, we tend to spend a great deal of time and effort engaging in various activities trying to make the time period extra special. Our desire to have the best holidays possible often delivers a result more ironic than O’Henry’s Gift of the Magi. Instead of enjoying the holiday season, we spend it in stress, worrying about how to make our holidays perfect.
Sled Safety for Children
Remember sledding as a child? Safety was probably the furthest thing from your mind! Over the years, parents have wised up and know that sledding can be dangerous and children can get hurt. But if it’s done with some safety tips in mind, your kids can have a safe sledding experience. Here are some tips regarding sled safety for children.
Choose the Right Sled
Choosing the best sled for your child’s age and your climate is important. Here are some of the types of sleds that are generally available, and what ages and conditions are best suited for that type.
Old-Fashioned Holiday Crafts
Many people believe the holidays have become too commercial. They don’t like the glitz and electronics that have overtaken the holidays; they may even dream of old-fashioned celebrations. While you can’t change everything about the holiday season, you can make these old-fashioned holiday crafts to bring back some of the feel of yesteryear.
Old books, television shows and movies present a romanticized idea of winter time celebrations. Families may not have had the money for elaborate gift giving, but there was a sense of peace and love which isn’t always felt in families today. How do you recreate that impression for your own home?
Coping with Holiday Stress, Depression, and Grieving
Holiday stress is fast becoming as frequent a topic as holiday shopping. Just type “holiday stress” into any search engine on the Internet, and you get approximately 10,000 hits for information on the topic. Parents are especially vulnerable candidates, as their stress is compounded by their children’s stress around the holidays.
Just as students often have final examinations, indecision as to how to spend their holiday vacations and with whom, and hoping that Santa, or someone, is going to find a way to fill that Christmas list, parents have to minister to their children’s needs and deal with their own holiday stressors simultaneously.
