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If you are looking to start toilet training your toddler, summer is a great time.  Wet pants aren’t so cold and there's plenty of time outside where accidents aren't so messy.  I suggest you use light undies or those with a thick gusset as they are uncomfortable when wet, especially when wee is trickling down their legs.  This helps encourage the use of the potty or toilet.  Use a nappy or something similar when putting your toddler to sleep to avoid accidents.

Parents also need training.  It is up to the parent or guardian to remember to ask the toddler if they need to go to the toilet.  Try asking 20 mins after offering liquids, before going to bed and on waking and approximately once every hour until you or your toddler are more aware of their needs.  Training parents to recognise the needs of their children helps children become more aware of their own needs and in learning a new routine. 

Toilet training needn’t be a struggle, sit your toddler on a potty or toilet and help him be comfortable.  Talk to him about ’wees and poos’, make a ‘ssssss’ sound can help him to associate with doing a wee.   Don’t sit him for too long as he will only get restless and eventually resent toilet training.  It helps to learn by example.  Sit him on the potty when you’re on the toilet.  Give him plenty of praise and lots of encouragement even if there is no results. Don’t be angry or scold your child if they have an accident, remind them there will be another time to try.  In time they will be aware of their own toilet needs.

Tips:  It is not a good time to start toilet training your toddler when there has been a family disruption, extra stress or you have just had another child. Wait till your child has settled into their new environment and feel comfortable before introducing a new skill.

Remember:   When leaving the house, remember to carry a few spare pair of pants and cloths, a plastic bag for wet cloths and a cloth to mop up the spills.  In the car you may like to sit him on top of an open nappy or put some other padding such as a ‘Chair Pad’ made by Brolly Sheets, under him in case of an accident.. 

If you would like more information on this and other similar topics our E-books are packed full of practical parenting tips.  Down load an E-Book specifically related to your child's age group through Publications at Our Shop.

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Toilet training issues - when, where and how - can be a controversial topic.
 
I have had interesting conversations with other health workers and parents, some from different cultures in regards to toilet training.  In China, for instance, children and babies do not wear nappies, so toilet training starts very early.  A Korean client was training her baby from birth and claimed her mother had trained her children by six months.  From this example you can see it is more the mother who is being trained to be aware of her baby’s needs.  This is the way I encourage and teach parents.  Training parents to be aware of their baby’s body functions and needs.  When parents understand their baby’s body rhythms they can assist their baby to form good habits such as good sleep and feeding patters.  Through habitual behaviour parents help prepare their child for everyday activities such as hair washing, teeth cleaning and even toilet training.  As these activities become a part of the child’s daily routine the child adapts and accepts this new learnt behaviour.  A typical example is when you wrap your baby when it’s time to put him/her to bed, it doesn’t take long before baby recognises wrap means it’s time to sleep.
 
Therefore why not introduce your baby to the potty when they are still very young!
 

Toilet training needn’t be a chore.

My suggestion is to introduce your baby to the potty when they can sit confidently with out support.  Sit your baby on a potty and help him/her to be comfortable there.  Sing or read a story to keep him/her occupied.  Making a ‘ssssss’ sound can help baby to associate with doing a wee.   Talk about ’wees and poos’ even if you think they don’t understand.  You will be surprised how much they really take in.
 
Put baby on the potty after every sleep time and when you see them straining to open their bowls.
 
In fact if you start before your child becomes too independent, which usually is around two years old, you will have less resistance.  Less resistance will mean more cooperation.  If you make this part of your daily routine it will soon become a habit and less of a chore.

Tips:  When starting your toilet training don’t sit baby on the potty for too long as they will only get restless and eventually resent the potty.  It also helps if baby learns by example.  Let him/her sit on the potty when you’re on the toilet.  Give your baby praise and lots of encouragement even if nothing is produced. 

Remember: In time you will become aware of your baby’s toilet habits.  As you train yourself your baby will respond as he/she too recognizes why they are sitting on the potty.

If you would like more information on this and other similar topics our E-books are packed full of practical parenting tips.  Down load an E-Book specifically related to your child's age group through Publications at Our Shop. 

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Much preparation needs to occur before a child is ready for effective academic learning, and it appears that our creator has designed us to acquire the needed skills through the natural movements and play common to all children. First we learn to roll, then to creep, then to rock on hands and knees, then to crawl - and all the time we are learning and preparing ourselves to learn. We are progressing through important developmental stages. Our muscles build strength and co-ordination, our eyes learn to focus and our bodies become integrated and ready to take on more complex tasks such as learning to read and write.

But what if, for some reason, one or several of these developmental stages and skills are missed? What if a child reaches school age and they do not have all the building blocks of learning readiness in place?

The bad news is that these skills build on each other, and if a foundational skill is not acquired, the resulting ‘gap’ can compromise the entire learning structure.

The good news is that these developmental stages can be addressed at any age. If a child is having difficulty at school, sometimes simply guiding the child through these developmental milestones again (or perhaps for the first time) can help them fill in the missing gaps and help them to become ready to learn academically.

Move to Learn has developed a simple movement program, mimicking the developmental stages, for exactly this purpose. Parents can work with their own children at home, guiding them through a simple series of movement sequences for 15 minutes a day with the help of a DVD. We have had astounding success by simply taking the children back and giving them the opportunity to acquire the skills they missed in the normal, natural way that they were originally intended to be acquired - through movement.

If you’d like further information about this, please feel free to visit the Move to Learn website. www.movetolearn.com.au In the meantime;

THINGS TO REMEMBER

It is not a race
It is not as important when children reach a certain stage in their development as long as they go through each stage.

Each stage can be learnt, if necessary
i.e. If children don’t roll in the right way they can be taught.

Every child has certain brain building rights

• To have good simple food
• To get dirty a lot
• To continually explore
• To learn to fall safely
• To be noisy at times
• To talk and be listened to – within limits

To have carers who get down on the floor and learn from their babies how to play

Each child is differently gifted
Parents instinctively know the potential of their children but sometimes there is so much stress in a family for various reasons, including learning difficulties, that this stress masks the children’s true potential. We all need to learn to read the behaviour of the children who mystify us.

Children never fail
Those who don’t do things well or who ‘muck up’ have probably been given something too hard or too easy for them to do. This is usually just lack of knowledge on the carers’ part.

New knowledge and confirmation of what we already know of a child’s development between 0 to 3 years can be gained.
There are lots of great books out there, lots of informative websites, and many, many parents and carers with a wealth of experience to share. We may not have all the answers individually, but there is a wealth of information to be shared and many people eager to help.

Written by: Barbara Pheloung & Jini Liljeqvist
Move to Learn http://www.movetolearn.com.au
Phone: 02 9907 7048

If you would like more information on this and other similar topics our E-books are packed full of practical parenting tips.  Down load an E-Book specifically related to your child's age group through Publications at Our Shop.

How Cradle 2 Kindy Can Help

Find out how Cradle 2 Kindy can provide professional guidance on a variety of behavioural issues in children including sibling rivalry by calling 1300 786 101

Also see: What happens at a Coaching session?
See all other Parenting Articles from our Archives

Although human beings aren’t born with an ability to read and write, we do seem to come with an in-built capacity for learning, and this learning seems to be designed to occur naturally in distinct stages, one skill building on another, until quite complex tasks like reading and writing can be mastered. Before a child can be taught to write, for example, he or she must first gain the necessary muscular control to be able to focus their eyes, to sit up, and to hold a writing implement. Fortunately, most of these skills are acquired quite naturally through the normal instinctive movements of babies and young children during the first three years of their lives.

Tummy Time
Spending lots of time on their tummies presents one of the first opportunities for a baby to learn. Major challenge number 1 is learning to simply roll over onto their backs. This will be quite exciting for them, and they will continue to play with this and eventually be able to go from front to back and even to move around by rolling. They should be encouraged to do lots and lots of this.

Major challenge number 2 is to develop the muscle strength to be able to lift the massive weight of their own heads. Soon their shoulders and arms become strong enough for them to straighten their arms and look up. With this amazing new ability, they will be able to see mum at the door (white board distance), and to look at their hands on the floor (reading distance). The ability to focus is being developed.

Gradually they will be strong enough to lift up their stomachs and get up onto their hands and knees. They won’t however likely be able to crawl yet. First they will need to spend up to several weeks rocking back and forth on hands and knees developing muscular control and strength and dealing with retained primitive reflexes.

Primitive reflexes are instinctive movements and reactions that allow a baby to not have to think about where they are going to suck, or how they will get down the birth canal or walk. They do, however, have to be pacified or subdued once they are no longer useful. If they are kept too long they will prevent a child developing normally and he or she will appear awkward and ‘different’. Normal movement, such as rocking on hands and knees and play, are usually enough to deal with these reflexes but at least 25% of children need a bit of assistance.

Crawling
The next milestone is crawling. All babies are absolutely delighted when they can move forward and backwards on their own. This is also a vital stage in the development of academic readiness and it’s important that the child crawl in the ‘right’ way for a long enough period of time – usually six months. Many babies may begin to crawl in a unilateral way, (moving their left arm and leg together and then their right arm and leg together), but it’s important that they crawl in a cross pattern manner, (moving their left leg and right arm together and then their right leg and right arm together). This appears to be the most efficient way to help the child to develop communication between the right and left sides of the brain, to become integrated, in preparation for more complex learning tasks.

So much to learn before a child is ready for academic learning!

Most children go through these stages naturally and without difficulty, so that by the time they reach school age they are well prepared, but some children, for one reason or another, don’t spend enough time in each of these stages or even miss one out altogether.

Some babies don’t get enough time on their tummies, or don’t do enough rolling. Some children progress too quickly from crawling to walking or even don’t crawl at all. Others don’t crawl in a cross pattern manner. The net result is that vital developmental stages are missed or skimmed over, leaving the child ultimately ill prepared for school. When confronted with classroom learning, they are simply not yet ready and struggle to keep up with the rest of the class.

But, there is a lot that can be done to avoid or correct this.

• Make sure your baby has plenty of tummy-time.
• Encourage them to roll
• When they haul themselves up onto their hands and knees, encourage them to rock
• When they are ready, encourage them to crawl in a cross pattern manner

Don’t encourage them to walk. Throw out all walkers out into the sea! Encourage them to crawl even if you need to get down on the floor with them.

Simply allowing or encouraging your child to move in the normal, natural ways he or she was designed to move in goes a long way in helping your child to prepare for academic learning.

Written by: Barbara Pheloung & Jini Liljeqvist
Move to Learn http://www.movetolearn.com.au
Phone: 02 9907 7048

If you would like more information on this and other similar topics our E-books are packed full of practical parenting tips.  Down load an E-Book specifically related to your child's age group through Publications at Our Shop.

How Cradle 2 Kindy Can Help

Find out how Cradle 2 Kindy can provide professional guidance on a variety of behavioural issues in children including sibling rivalry by calling 1300 786 101

Also see: What happens at a Coaching session?
See all other Parenting Articles from our Archives

Many parents have asked me what is my opinion on child care? I often ask them what is their reason for putting a child into child care? There are many as you can imagine.  Some parents have no alternative as mum needs to return to work.  In this case some babies attend child care as young as three months.  I believe that if a child begins child care even for half a day a week at an early age they adapt quickly.  The older the child the more challenges and tear you may face. 

I personally believe child care can be very helpful for both parent and child.   Mum gets a break to catch up and have time for herself and baby/child learns to be away from mum.  Other benefits may include developing social skills with peers including sharing and extra activities that may not be played at home such as messy play, painting, water play.  If you are expecting another child it is wise to enroll your older child before the next one arrives so that he/she is settled in and happy.  There will be less of a trauma leaving mum with a new baby if your older child has formed new friends. 

Tips: It is best to shop around ask friends and neighbors about centers you.  There are a variety of places including family-child-care, government run centres and Montessori centres. 

Remember:  The major down falls with child’s facilities like these is that they are known to spread sickness.  So if your child is unwell please be considerate to other children and keep  your child at home.   

If you would like more information on this and other similar topics our E-books are packed full of practical parenting tips.  Down load an E-Book specifically related to your child's age group through Publications at Our Shop.

How Cradle 2 Kindy Can Help

Cradle 2 Kindy can provide assist for your child’s development and behavioural issues including age appropriate play.

Call now and book your personal Cradle 2 Kindy coach on 1300 786 101

Also see: What happens at a Coaching session?

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Reading, songs and rhymes are a very important for the development of your child.  They not only help with using and understanding words but give you child and interest in these areas. 

Song and rhyme teach us about language and help us to remember stories.  Many legends, fables and  biblical stories are put to song or rhyme such as the Psalms which remind us of God’s sovereignty. 

Children love songs and rhymes with actions.   This encourages them to be involved in group activities.  In participating we not only learn the song but the actions too.  Both of which need skill and lots of concentration to put the two together at the some time.

Reading, songs and rhymes  can be used (especially with older children) as a form of relaxation or unwinding before bed.  When he is very young it doesn’t matter what you are reading because it is the soothing sound of your voice that will relax him.  You can use this time to catch up on your mail, read a magazine or the latest novel. 

As he becomes more interested in what you are reading, choose baby books with strong bright colours and simple pictures.  When reading, make it interesting.  Talk about the pictures.  Choose fabric or cardboard pages for the very young so he may turn the pages without tearing them.  When putting an older child to bed, a story time can become part of his bedtime routine.  He will recognize it as a quality time with parents or loved ones, a special time to calm down and relax before sleeping.  This quiet time can be part of his daytime sleep routine too.

Children who have been read to since early childhood grow to love reading.  Reading is an integral part of growing up and those who love to read are usually those who love learning. 

It is ideal to start these activities when you child is very young.   Form a habit of reading and singing to him regularly, this will help him to concentrate, to sit still on your lap or opposite you when he needs to copy your actions. 

Your Baby Can Read

As seen on Today Tonight and A Current Affair, babies as young as seven and a half months old are reading their first words after using the Your Baby Can Read! Series.

Your Baby Can Read! is a whole new way of learning. Based on the research of Robert C. Titzer C, Ph.D., Your Baby Can Read! is the first video series in the world designed to help babies, toddlers, and preschoolers learn to read! Gaining the attention of national TV news and other media, as well as thousands of babies across Australia, "Dr. Titzer's multi-sensory reading approach" teaches little ones to recognize words using several senses at the same time.

How your child will benefit:

• helps your child learn to recognize words.
• Stimulates brain development.
• Makes learning fun and interactive.
• Encourages early language acquisition .
• Gives you an effective tool to stimulate your child.
• Teaches reading during the window of opportunity for learning language.
• Entertains your child with children, animals, sing-along songs, and poems.

Why should parents teach their babies to read?

It's easier to learn language skills at a higher level earlier in life than it is later in life. Babies and toddlers learn to understand language and speak naturally simply by listening to language. If babies are allowed to see the language, they can also learn written language just as naturally. We would never imagine waiting until age 5 or 6 to speak to children so why should we wait until age 5 or 6 to allow children to see our language.

What is this video about?

Theses videos allow the children to see the language at the same time they hear the language in a fun, interactive way. The videos use animals, other young children, and songs that are interesting to young children. The main idea behind the videos is that we try to help the children develop an association between the written words, their sounds, and their meanings. Over time, the babies figure out enough of these associations so that they learn the sounds that the letters make.

How does it work?

We use an interactive and multi-sensory approach.  The children are allowed to see the words at the same time that they hear the words. So, the infants are able to see and hear words instead of simply hearing the words. 

Additionally, we encourage the babies to participate by saying the words and by doing physical actions that help the children learn the meanings of the words.

Does your video series teach phonics?

We have sections of the videos that teach phonics.  Many infants have learned to read phonetically at very advanced levels with this system because they picked up the patterns of the written language all by themselves.  Three-year-old children may say,  “I swimmed yesterday.” instead of  “I swam yesterday.” because they figure out the pattern of adding an “ed” onto words to make them past tense. Young children who watch our videos may learn the patterns of the written language or phonics after they learn to read several dozen words.  This happens because after they learn to read many words, they will pick up the patterns of the language.  In other words, they will learn to recognize that words beginning with the letter “d” make the ‘d’ sound after they learn some words that begin with the letter “d”.

Why should parents have their babies watch educational videos instead of watching entertainment-based programs?

Time, Newsweek, and many other magazines have had in-depth reports on infant brain development. Most conclude the same thing – there is a window of opportunity for stimulating infants' brains when babies’ and toddlers’ brains are developing very rapidly. Babies and toddlers have tens of thousands of new connections forming in their brains each second. According to theories of brain development, young children who see the language at the same time they hear the language, see and hear about the meaning of each word, and do physical actions related to the words should have many new synapses connecting the visual cortex with the auditory cortex, somatosensory cortex, and other language areas of the brain.

During a half-hour video, babies have millions of new connections forming in their brains – most of them are not useful when they are watching most TV shows or videos that have only a small educational component. Over time, these connections form the actual physical structure of your child’s brain so it is extremely important which videos that you allow your child to watch.

Additionally, there are longitudinal studies showing positive effects of early stimulation, including higher IQs. At the very least, the evidence suggests that stimulating your infant will lead to more useful synaptic connections in the brain which could provide a foundation for future learning. Our videos could also lead to early independent reading which would open up numerous opportunities for accelerated learning in other areas.

Many of the babies who have learned to read from our videos are advanced in other areas as well (including expressive language, spelling, music, science, geography, and math). Many of the parents report that watching Your Baby Can Read the DVD's or videos helped the child’s development and ability to learn in general.

Tips: Read regularly to your children from an early age and avoid watching senseless TV programs or mindless videos.  

Remember: Our brains are growing at an enormous rate between the ages of birth to five.  Utilize this window of opportunity to benefit your child’s development. 

If you would like more information on this and other similar topics our E-books are packed full of practical parenting tips.  Down load an E-Book specifically related to your child's age group through Publications at Our Shop.

For more about  Your Baby Can Read products. 

How to purchase 'Your Baby Can Read' DVDs and books and other educational tools go to Our Shop.

How Cradle 2 Kindy Can Help

Cradle 2 Kindy can provide you with more information to help you assist your child’s development and equipping them for their future.

Make a lasting investment into your child’s development and education.

Call now and book your personal Cradle 2 Kindy coach on 1300 786 101

Also see: What happens at a Coaching session?

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If you are a client of Cradle 2 kindy you will know how we stress ‘tummy time’.  Tummy time is time on tummy.  Due to SIDS stressing that you should not sleep your baby prone most parents are nervous about putting their baby tummy down.  Because babies these days generally sleep, play, and are in the car or pram on their backs their development of back, shoulder and neck muscles is hampered.  There can also contribute to misshapen heads and torticollis (taut neck muscles causing babies to favour looking one way).  To avoid these problems it is advisable to give your baby plenty of tummy time when awake.  In fact most of the awake time, other than feed time, should be on their tummy.  Your baby is never too young to spend his awake time prone but babies under nine months should be supervised.  I recommend at least 60% to 80% of their up time on their tummy. Up time is the time they are out of bed and involved in activities such as feeding, bathing, playing.

The benefits of tummy time:

Tummy time helps to strengthen baby’s back, shoulder, neck, arms and legs in preparation to roll, crawl, sit and stand. It helps baby to develop eye to hand co-ordination.   It gives baby the opportunity to explore their surroundings by reaching out to feel and touch, to use their gross motor skills in movement and balance.

How to encourage tummy time:

Begin early.  Supervise your newborn on their tummy during their up time and extend this time as their need requires.  If you haven’t given your baby lengthy periods of tummy time they will most likely protest loudly.  Start with short periods of two to three minutes or until their protests become loud.  Then turn them onto their side till they calm down.  Once they are calm turn them back onto their tummy. You may need to rub or massage their back and shoulders to encourage them to stay longer on their tummy.  You many need to do this several times during their up time and repeat it during every up time during the day.  As you persist in lengthening the period they spend on their tummy they will begin to enjoy it.  Tummy time should be continued till they are old enough to be able to push themselves up to a sitting position by themselves.

Tips: Start tummy time from birth.  I recommend at least 60% to 80% of baby’s up time, apart from feeding, on their tummy. Up time is the time they are out of bed and involved in activities such as feeding, bathing, playing.

Remember:  The younger your baby starts and the more tummy time they have the more they will enjoy it.

If you would like more information on this and other similar topics our E-books are packed full of practical parenting tips.  Down load an E-Book specifically related to your child's age group through Publications at Our Shop.

How Cradle 2 Kindy Can Help

Cradle 2 Kindy can equip you with skills for all your newborn and baby’s needs to parent confidently. 

One of our parenting coaches will come to your home and assist you with what concerns you may have.  

Call now and book your personal Cradle 2 Kindy coach on 1300 786 101

Also see: What happens at a Coaching session?

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