All parents have questions and need support...now is the time to PLUG IN! Parenting is the most difficult but most rewarding job we will ever experience. The Parent Outlet website is a resource to connect parents with children ages 0 to 5 to topics including:
The Fox Valley Early Childhood Coalition supports parents so that children can be safe, healthy and ready to learn!
The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends that babies be exclusively breastfed for about the first 6 months of life. This means your baby needs no additional foods (except Vitamin D) or fluids unless medically indicated. Babies should continue to breastfeed for a year and for as long as is mutually desired by the mother and baby. Breastfeeding should be supported by your physician for as long as it is the right choice for you and your baby.
For more information, please click on: http://www2.aap.org/breastfeeding/faqsbreastfeeding.html
The major health organizations - including the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), American Medical Association (AMA), the American Dietetic Association (ADA), and the World Health Organization (WHO) - agree that breast milk is the ideal form of nutrition for babies (especially during the first 6 months). However, only you can decide what's best for you and your baby.
Your infant should feed every two to three hours. You can tell that your baby is getting plenty to eat when:
Here are some signs that your child is ready to try solid foods:
There could be a variety of factors why your baby isn't sleeping through the night. Age, temperament and parental response can affect sleep. Average sleep for a 6 month old is 6 hours through the night, not necessarily consecutive nights.
Know your child's sleep needs for age and development to help determine how much sleep they should be getting. As most children get older, you will be able to see their natural sleep pattern start to show naturally. If your child is in daycare, it is a good idea to discuss with the provider what their schedule is and do the same at home. Like bedtime, know you child's cues on tiredness. Some of the cues will include zoning out, rubbing their eyes and getting cranky. Create an ideal nap environment for your child. Try to always have them nap in the same place. You can not force them to sleep but they can at least have a calm place to get some down time. Try not to let you chlid fall asleep in the stroller or car seat each day. Not only are these not consistent places for the child to sleep, they are also not safe if not closely watched. Your child will let you know when they are ready to drop the morning nap.Moving to one nap usually happens between 12 and 18 months because they do not need as much sleep as they did when they were infants. A refusal to nap does not always mean that they are ready to drop the nap. They will let you know they are ready to drop the nap if they continue to wake up early or if they function fine without one consistently. Do not try and trade the nap for an early bedtime if you can help it. If they are too overtired they may no go to bed as well. If possible, do the same routine for naps that you do for bedtime such as songs or books. Having a transitional oject such as a stuffed animal or blanket may also help your toddler.
More information can be found on webmd
Crawling is a skill that usually is mastered between seven and ten months. For a while, your child simply may rock on her hands and knees. Since her arm muscles are better developed than her legs, she may even push herself backward instead of forward. But with time and practice, she'll discover that, by digging with her knees and pushing off, she can propel herself forward across the room toward the target of her choice. A few children never do crawl. Instead, they use alternative movement methods, such as scooting on their bottoms or slithering on their stomachs. As long as your baby is learning to coordinate each side of her body and is using each arm and leg equally. There is no cause for concern. The important thing is that she's able to explore her surroundings on her own and is strengthening her body in preparation for walking, which happens normally beween 12 and 18 months of age.
Most toddlers master at least fifty spoken words by the end of the second year and can put two words together to form a short sentence, although there are differences among children. Even among those with normal hearing and intelligence, some don't talk much during the second year. Boys generally develop language skills more slowly than girls. Whenever your child begins to speak, his first few words probably will include the names of familiar people, his favorite possessions, and parts of his body. You may be the only person who understands these early words, since he'll omit or change certain sounds.
Delays in language are the most common types of developmental delay. One out of 5 children will learn to talk or use words later than other children their age. Some children will also show behavioral problems because they are frustrated when they can't express what they need or want. Simple speech delays are sometimes temporary. They may resolve on their own or with a little extra help from family. It's important to encourage your child to "talk" to you with gestures or sounds and for you to spend lots of time playing with, reading to, and talking with your infant or toddler. In some cases, your child may need more help from a trained professional, a speech and language therapist, to learn to communicate.
Helpful websites for more information about typical development:
http://www.healthychildren.org
If you have concerns for your 0-3 year old child's development, please contact:
Calumet County Birth to 3: (920)849-1400
Outagamie County Birth to 3: (920)997-1484
Winnebago County Birth to 3: (920)236-4650
If you have concerns for your 3-5 year old child's development, please contact the appropriate school district listed below:
Appleton Area School District: (920)997-1399, ext. 6936
Greenville/Hortonville: (920)757-6971
Kaukauna (Tanner Elementary School): (920)766-6150
Kimberly: (920)788-7900
Little Chute (Little Chute Elementary School): (920)788-7610
Menasha (Banta Early Learning Center): (920)967-1417
Neenah (Taft Early Learning Center): (920)751-6980
Because each child developes at his own particular pace, it's impossible to tell exactly when yours will perfect a given skill. The developmental milestones will give you a general idea of the changes you can expect as your child ges older, but don't be alarmed if he takes a slightly different course. Alert your pediatrician, however, if he displays any of the followig signs of posisble developmental delay for this age range.
No! Even though timeouts are a non violent form of discipline it does not teach the child what to do but instead punishes the child. Timeouts often leave children feeling that they are "bad" and emotionally abandoned. We want to teach children to self regulate their actions and emotions. Positive guidance methods are the most effective. Aha Parenting is a great resource. The website is www.ahaparenting.com.
According to Parent as Teachers, when you start potty training before 18 months, a child usually won't be fully trained until age 4 but if you start around age 2, a child will usually be fully trained by age 3. A lot of children will show signs of readiness around 18 months but won't have the ability to actually control their bladder and bowels until much later. A child needs to show many signs of readiness (both physical and emotional), including having the physical ability to control the bladder and bowels in order to be successful in potty training. Here is a link to information about when to start potty training, including the signs of readiness:
It is important to be wary of a lot of the information available on potty training. There are a lot of websites with information about "Potty Training Boot Camp" or "Potty Train Your Child in 3 Days." These techniques make potty training a parent focused event and tend to be used when parents are ready to be done with diapers. This can cause power struggles, lots of accidents and general frustration for the parent and the child. For successful potty training, the event has to be child centered. The child needs to be interested, ready and willing. It is also important to make sure that there are no other major changes in a child's life when you start training, such as a move or a new baby. When you have determined that your child is ready, and the time is right, it is good to offer reminders for your child to use the potty every 2 hours or so throughout the day. If you force your child to sit on the potty, your child will most likely become resistant. Bribes or rewards are not recommended. Give your child a lot of praise. Hearing "Great job" or "I am so proud of you" is usually encouragement enough for a child to stay motivated. An occasional accident is normal, but many accidents each day are not. If your child is having a lot of accidents, it is best to return to diapers and try again in a few months. When potty training is done at the right time, it can be a positive and easy experience for parents and their child.
For more information about potty training, check out these websites:
http://www.healhtychildren.org/English/ages-stages/toddler/toilet-training/Pages/default.aspx