“Don’t talk to strangers.”

Don’t you talk to strangers all the time? Don’t we force our kids to break that rule all the time?   “Say hello to the nice lady.”  “Introduce yourself to this nice neighbor.”    “Come and meet your aunt Maggi!  Common, give aunt Maggie a kiss, don’t be rude.”

“If you are lost – go to the police station.”

Do you really know where the nearest police station is?  Is it worth running around trying to search for one while there are more safe and efficient solutions available?

Read more…

Aha, another terrific book on positive discipline. I thought, that if you read one good book, you’d be as good as it gets. Apparently not: I still often feel the urge for a good old fashioned yelling, stomping my feet and loosing my patience. I try to avoid all of the above. Yelling feels good… but often comes with a nasty friend: guilt. That one is eating her prey raw… My kids long since forgotten and I am still torturing myself… But why, why, why do parents get to feel so frustrated and annoyed when we love our kids more then the life itself? We are ready for every possible sacrifice for them… and just as ready to strangle them with our own hands at some point. I guess, most important question is – what do we do about it.

Read more…

“Mommy, why do stars twinkle? Daddy, why do fingers look funny in a bathtub? Mommy, why do we need to go to bed? Daddy, why?…Why?..” Do you have a “why-attack” in your home? I love those questions. I think it exposes kids curiosity. I think it shows is their thirst for knowledge. I think it is fun to learn about things, I haven’t even thought of myself! And I think that by answering them, we show our kids how much we respect them, their desire to learn, how much we encourage getting to know about this world.

Read more…

My baby is catnapping. It’s driving me nuts: I spend 40 minutes getting him to fall asleep, and then he wakes up 20 minutes later! He wakes up with a broad smile, his arms and legs wiggle vigorously, so I reluctantly take him out of the bed… just to have a very cranky baby hanging on my shoulder until the rest of the nap. How come?

Read more…

Books

The most useful book in a world: “What Babies Say Before They Can Talk : The Nine Signals Infants Use to Express Their Feelings” by Paul Holinger, Kalia Doner, when your baby grows up a little “Playful Parenting” by Lawrence J. Cohen. You man also find these recommendations helpful: Toddler issues book recommendations, For older kids, siblings, etc: Positive Discipline Resources. General information about the first years of baby’s life: I constantly refer to What to expect of 1st years. I disagree with some of its points on punishment and letting the baby cry it out, so Dr. Sears “attachment parenting” approach seems more reasonable to me: The Baby Book: Everything You Need to Know About Your Baby from Birth to Age Two.

Read more…

I’ve finally got my hands on “How Smart is Your Baby?” by Doman. Since someone recently was asking if this book is worth buying (in addition to other “Teach Your Baby” series) I decided to post this review:

Read more…

Book Notes that I print out and hang on the fridge for quick reference.

Read more…

I think this book contains everything: a list of food groups for a baby and for a toddler; nutritional information of different foods – vegetables, grains, etc.; lots of wonderful, healthy and easy recipes for babies and toddlers – mashed, solid foods, main entres and sancks; entire diet plan; recipes for home made cleaners, bubbles, diper cream, etc.; information on when and what to add to babies diet + information on how to prepare it; information on how to store different foods and how to save time freezing it, how to prepare it for freezing, how to prepare it for eating it again… I love that book and it is the most highly recomended resource that I've seen. I keep using it as a guideline and as a source of recipes up to this day.

Read more…

Where can I read more about Positive Discipline ?

My personal favorites are:

• How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk by Adele Faber, Elaine Mazlish. It’s the best how to book I was able to find so far. Read our book review and even summary to print out and hang on the fridge for quick reference.
• I also absolutely adore their (Adele Faber, Elaine Mazlish) Siblings without Rivalry – in similar easy to read format, with summaries and cartoons, and helpful not only to resolve issues with our kids, but with my own family as well!
• Kids Are Worth It! : Giving Your Child The Gift Of Inner Discipline by Barbara Coloroso. It’s just remarkable. I hope to post some summaries for it in the future. I keep notes from in on my fridge at all times.
• Playful Parenting by Lawrence Cohen. A kind, loving and playful (!) approach to issues with kids, helping to learn them better, get them to cooperate easier and resolve issues together in the most appropriate for kids way – through play.
• What Babies Say Before They Can Talk : The Nine Signals Infants Use to Express Their Feelings by Paul Holinger, Kalia Doner. I love this book so much, that I usually give it as a gift at every baby shower where I’m invited. Don’t be mislead by the title: the first book is not purely for infants – the principles described there helped me with my husband, with my friends, and, of course, with my almost 2 year old.

Read more…