Parenting Articles

Mommy Nature's Preschool Blog

Child Health:
Bringing Your Baby Home from the Neonatal ICU - By Laura Nathanson, M.D., FAAP - It’s natural to have mixed emotions when you take your baby (or babies!) home from the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit. You’re thrilled to have Cherub all to yourself, but struggle with doubts:  Can you really care for this fragile being? Do you really understand what that care consists of?

Preschooler Nutrition (birth to age 6) - Full of information on serving sizes and number of servings recommended of various foods.  Link to other sites offering more in-depth information to keep your family healthy also.

Child Growth Charts (birth to age 20) - Curious or concerned about your child's growth pattern?  Plot height and weight on the same growth chart used by your doctor for boys and girls from birth to 20 years of age (separate charts for infants and children) as a fun addition to the baby book.

Child Safety - Have you heard rumors that one of your baby's items has been recalled?  Are you concerned about your houseplants being toxic?  Do you know the various features and standards for car seats?  Answer your safety questions at the Child Safety Page.

Developmental Milestones (birth to age 2) - There you sit at your child's playgroup beaming that your little Taylor just started crawling -- at seven months -- when Miss-Yes-But-My-Child exclaims that her little Barney crawled at five months and now pulls to a stand at six.  Feeling concerned and embarrassed, you silently vow never to mention Taylor's accomplishments (good or bad) again.  Before your frustration builds, click the appropriate link below to find reasonable expectations for your child.

0-3 months	4-5 months	6-9 months	9-12 months

A work in progress:  Toddlers (12-24 months)

How to Outsmart Your Picky Eater - by Missy Chase Lapine - An introduction to her book, The Sneaky Chef, as well as a recipe to start outsmarting your picky eater tonight!

Mental Health - Nutrition as a Common Sense Alternative to Medications and Labels - by Scott M. Shannon, MD, author of Please Don't Label My Child: Break the Doctor-Diagnosis-Drug Cycle and Discover Safe, Effective Choices for Your Child's Emotional Health - Dr. Shannon offers intriguing information supporting the use of good nutrition in lieu of potentially harmful medications as a way of treating various child mental health disorders.

New Child Psychiatry:  A Vision of Hope - by Scott M. Shannon, MD, author of  Please Don't Label My Child: Break the Doctor-Diagnosis-Drug Cycle and Discover Safe, Effective Choices for Your Child's Emotional Health - A more in-depth article with a case study than Nutrition as a Common Sense Alternative (above) illustrating Dr. Shannon's findings of the relationship between nutrition and child mental health.

Sleep Issues
Parenting Articles by Elizabeth Pantley - Parenting author/educator Elizabeth Pantley is president of Better Beginnings, Inc., a family resource and education company. She's published several parenting books, such as The No-Cry Sleep Solution and Gentle Baby Care.  Elizabeth frequently speaks to parents in schools, hospitals, and parent groups, and her presentations are received with enthusiasm and praise.  She is frequently quoted as a parenting expert in magazines such as Parents, Parenting, Woman's Day, Good Housekeeping, McCall's, and Redbook and on more than 80 parent-directed Websites. 
Newborn Babies and Sleep
Early Bedtime Means Better Baby Sleep
What is Preventing Your Baby from Sleeping Through the Night?
Regular Naps Improve Nighttime Sleep
Wonderful Sounds for Sleep 
Should I let my baby cry it out?
Co-Sleeping – Making it Work and Making it Safe
Solving Naptime Problems
Early Bird - Waking Up Too Early

Fun & Games:
Baby/Toddler Top Ten Lists - Are you a first-timer wondering what you could really use for your baby/toddler?  Check out these lists for ideas.

Bath Time Fun - Creative ideas to entice your little one into the tub

Preschool Craft Recipes - Great preschool craft recipes that are easy to make and non-toxic for your preschooler.  Includes a wonderful play dough recipe!

Child Learning Articles:
Baby Sign Language…Not Just For Babies Anymore!  -  A history of how it all began.  "Recent research has proven when infants are taught to use sign language to communicate their wants and needs they have potential to excel in language, verbal articulation, visual-perceptual skills and read prior to 5 years-old."  Read on...

A Child's Play is a Child's Work - by Gina Moore ~ The name says it all!

Preschool Educational Philosophy - by Gina Moore, owner of Mommy Nature's Preschool

Reading with Children - by Gina Moore, ideas to locate quality books for children as well as ideas to keep your reading with your child every day!

Home & Family:
Cheap Christmas Gift Ideas - Check out this article written by Shannon Jarvies, who runs consolidationdebtfree.com.

Product Reviews for Family Gifts - Here are unique, fun ideas for gifts and sensible products you can find with the click of a button!

Ten Ways to Green Your Home and Family - Written by Nancy H. Taylor, the author of Go Green: How to Build an Earth-Friendly Community, gives wonderfully simple ideas to help us all become greener.

Toddler-Proofing Your Computer - These comprehensive tips from Sound Feelings show simple steps to prepare computers for toddlers or young children. This tutorial is for toddlerproofing or childproofing your hardware but at the same time it will give kids an incredible opportunity to develop computer literacy. Some people may want to customize a dedicated PC just for toddlers and this information will show you ways to make this technology baby-safe.  

Parenting:
Be a Stay-at-Home-Mom Who Doesn't ~ How Exploring the World Fosters Learning - Want to be a stay-at-home-mom?  Here are some tips to keep life exciting and learning fun for yourself as well as your child(ren).

Bully Busting - The author of The Hidden Gifts of the Introverted Child helps you grab your parenting tools to empower your child to bust bullies by understanding their fears and "fighting back".

Catch Them Being Good - by Saralee Sky ~ "When you need to discipline your child, please remember, her behavior may be ‘bad’, but her motives are pure and so is she. She is only looking for attention or love or understanding  – the same things we adults need from those we love..."

Controlling Interruptions and Teaching Patience by Elizabeth Pantley - Some great ideas to help your child learn when it's appropriate to interrupt and when it's not.

Five Ways to Develop a Healthy Self Concept in Your Child - Patrysha helps parents follow an easy-to-remember 5 step plan aimed at building up your child's self-concept/self-esteem.  Also included on this page is 101 Ways to Praise a Child.

Kid Nation.  Really. -  A very interesting explanation, by Mark Penn and Kinney Zalesne, authors of Microtrends: The Small Forces Behind Tomorrow's Big Changes of how microtrends in our society can have huge impacts on our culture. 

Handling a Crisis with Kids by Lee Woodruff - After facing her worst fears when her husband was critically wounded in Iraq, this mom learned several tips to help herself and her children get through the crisis.  She also shared her experience in the book, In an Instant: A Family's Journey of Love and Healing.

How a Stay-at-Home Mom Became a Writer - An encouraging essay illustrating how Wendy Walker, author of Four Wives, grew into an author after leaving her demanding office job to be a stay-at-home mom.

Positive Discipline & Proactive Measures to Control Tantrums, Fussing, Whining by Elizabeth Pantley - Author of The No-Cry Discipline Solution offers thoughtful tips on encouraging positive behavior from your preschooler.

Raising Creative Kids by Susan Stump - "Where did he come up with that?" Kids often amaze us with their imaginative ideas, and we should give ourselves a pat on the back for playing a role in this development. Innovative thinking is essential for success in school and in life, and it's our job as parents to nurture our kids' innate desire to be creative...

Send Love Letters to Your Kids by Bernie Siegel, MD  Author of Love, Magic, and Mudpies: Raising Your Kids to Feel Loved, Be Kind, and Make a Difference - discusses the joy of sending and receiving love notes as well as why it's important to connect or reconnect with your children often, reminding them how much you love them.

Setting Limits and Using Consequences by Joe Sky-Tucker - Okay, in Realville, you can't ALWAYS parent with a "yes" face on.  Check out this sensible plan for disciplining in a positive way. "There is a rule when working with children called the ‘20 to 1 Rule’. That means 20 positive interactions with a child for every 1 negative one..."

Twin Parenting:
Buying Gifts for Twins - A simple guide to help you decide how to honor your twins' individuality without seeming to show favoritism, by Joan A. Friedman, Ph.D., author of Emotionally Healthy Twins.

Tips for Fathers of Twin Babies by Joan A. Friedman, Ph.D., author of Emotionally Healthy Twins - Trying to figure out how to care for your new babies and your wife?Start here.

Pregnancy/Birth:
The Story of My First Home Birth - For those of you considering a home birth or just curious about them, this article provides an encouraging, honest viewpoint.  Saralee Sky, M.A. owns Babynut.com, which provides natural, organic and alternative products for pregnancy, adoption, childbirth, parenting, babies and toddlers.

Inspirational/Humorous takes on Parenting:
Humorous Article:  The Birth Order of Your Children - True mothers and grandmothers (as well as dads and grandfathers!) can appreciate this refreshing humor.

Give Children the Gift of your Time - It's too easy to get caught up in the hustle and bustle of daily life.  Add to that the holiday season and it's surprising that our lives continue functioning!  For an inspirational view of what is important, read an essay by Gayle Geisenheimer, the owner of InstantlyCheaper.com,

Inspirational Article:  Job Opening - Mom - Read this humorous and thoughtful article and then send it to the wonderful moms in your life.

Mom's Letter to Santa - A humorous, yet humble, request from Mom to the only one that may be able to grant her wishes.

You Know You're a Breastfeeding Mother When...by Lisa Anne Selvidge -- A delightful look at the pros of breastfeeding set in a practical, inspirational tone.

Why God Made Moms - Written by second grade students, this humorous article shares insight from the honesty of children about their mothers. 

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On this page:
~Child Health
~Fun & Games
~Child Learning Articles
~Home & Family
~Parenting
~Twin Parenting
~Pregnancy & Birth
~Inspirational/Humorous
 

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