Holiday Stress!!

Yes, it is that time of year! HOLIDAY STRESS!! This article is about how to deal with Holiday Stress. Comment us back and let us know how you deal with Holiday Stress?? What are your secrets?

Helping You and Your Child Manage Holiday Stress

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If you think the holidays are stressful for you, they’re doubly so for children. Not only do children pick up on their parents’ stress from holiday preparations, they are also less able to cope with excitement and interruption from their daily routine. Learn some tips for how you can reduce holiday stress for your children.

Why holidays are stressful for children

• Children cope with excitement and emotions differently than adults. While some kids can adapt to schedule changes, others have a hard time coping with a change in their routine.
• Children easily become exhausted from excitement. While excitement is wonderful, the anticipation, gifts and parties are also tiring.
• Young children don’t fully understand the meaning of a holiday. It might take a few holidays for your child to understand the meaning and traditions. Keep your plans simple to help your child understand what's happening and why.

Tips to reduce holiday stress for your children

• Decide your family’s priorities. A lot of our memories come from holiday events. Think back to what you remember. Was it playing games with your family? Helping your mother decorate cookies, chopping down your own live Christmas tree, visiting a relative in a nursing home? You typically don’t remember whether the house was spotless or that you got every present on your list. So….how do you want to spend your time?
• Set reasonable expectations and limits. The holidays are full of unrealistic expectations and messages in the media about the “warmth and family togetherness” of the holidays. Set realistic expectations and do not be lulled into the unrealistic “fireplace and hot chocolate” pictures.
• Maintain your child’s routines. Keep regular meal times and bed times. Hungry or sleep-deprived kids become cranky kids.
• Don't force youngsters to sit on Santa's lap if they're afraid. You might stand next to Santa with your child.

Setting your family's holiday priorities
Decide your family's priorities for this holiday season by ranking your top 5 activities or traditions:

• Religious or spiritual traditions
• Time with immediate family
• Time with extended family
• Parties with friends or co-workers
• Baking or cooking
• Relaxation
• Buying gifts
• Wrapping gifts
• Selecting a tree
• Visiting friends or relatives
• Decorating
• Donating time, money or items to the needy
• Writing and sending holiday cards
• Holiday concerts, plays or events
• Viewing holiday lights
• Other

Holiday Stress Management For Parents: How to Handle Stress and Anxiety

Identify the specific causes of your holiday stress. What are the factors that are causing the most stress and anxiety for you? Money worries? Underlying tensions with certain family members? Then do what you can to address those issues. Try to find free holiday activities or gifts. Come up with ways you can either resolve or temporarily set aside conflict with a feuding family member.

Let go of perfection. Don’t put too much emphasis on making everything perfect. Those magazine spreads showing gorgeous holiday decorations and feasts were prepared by teams of designers. Since you probably don’t have a full-time staff at your disposal, set more realistic expectations for yourself.

Make a list. Santa isn’t the only one who should be making a list. Write down your wish list of things you’d like to accomplish and be ruthless about whittling it down to things you must do. Would it be great to hand-make gifts and give out gorgeously-decorated cookies baked from scratch to friends, family, your child’s teachers and the mailman? Sure. Is it realistic for you to try to do that and still be able to do things like, oh, sleep? Only you can decide for yourself.

Talk to a friend. Take a break from holiday shopping and preparation to call a friend or meet her over a cup of tea. Letting out your feelings to a supportive friend can be an invaluable, and an important way to relieve holiday stress or any kind of stress and anxiety.

Let others help. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by the idea of having to cook an entire meal for Christmas or decorating for a party or tending to houseguests, have others pitch in. Why not make Christmas meals pot luck and have family members bring something to the table? If you have a relative who is crafty, ask that person to organize the decorations. Grade-school age children can also help by doing age-appropriate chores such as vacuuming or sweeping floors and tidying up rooms. You can even hire a neighborhood teen to come and lead your kids as they clean and organize the house so that you can tend to other holiday preparations.

Get in some exercise. Hectic holiday schedules can often throw a wrench into regular routines, such as making time for exercise and eating a healthy diet. Ironically, not taking care of yourself can cause more stress and anxiety, leading to a vicious circle of holiday stress.

Recharge. Even if your hectic holiday schedule only allows you to spend a few minutes on yourself, take that time to go someplace quiet to recharge your batteries. Wherever and however you refresh your spirit depends on your individual preference. It could be a few minutes of quiet in a church, or a walk in a park. You could even take yourself to a day spa for a manicure and quick neck massage. Another quick and no-cost idea: Go into an empty room in your house, hang a “do not disturb” sign on the door, and do some stretches while listening to some soothing music or sounds of nature.

I wish you all a Happy Holiday Season!!

Toys "R" Us Guide for Differently - Abled Kids!!

Resources...Toys "R" Guide for Differently-Abled Kids!

National Lekotek Center Once Again Partners with Toys "R" Us On The Toys "R" Us Toy Guide For Differently-Abled Kids 2009 Guide Debuts In Stores Nationwide and Online Visit the Toys "R" Us Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids. Toys "R" Us has released the 2009 Toys "R" Us Toy Guide for Differently-Abled Kids, a complimentary toy-selection guide for parents and friends of children with disabilities. The Guide and the products featured inside are available in all Toys "R" Us stores nationwide and online at www.Toysrus.com/DifferentlyAbled. For over a decade, Toys "R" Us has turned to National Lekotek Center to develop this important resource. Lekotek evaluates all the toys for the Guide, selects those with exceptional qualities for inclusion, identifies each toy's skill-building attributes and writes descriptive copy for each item. The easy-to-use resource, released annually, features specially selected toys that promote the development of children with physical and cognitive disabilities. Items featured in the Guide promote the development of specific skills, such as auditory, language, visual, fine motor, thinking and social skills. Symbols are assigned to each toy so parents can easily identify items that are best suited for their child's needs. In addition to toy recommendations, the Guide also includes the Lekotek's "Top Ten Tips for Buying Toys," a list of questions compiled by Lekotek's experts to guide people when selecting toys for children with disabilities. This year, the Guide also introduces a new, easy-to-use toy-finder index that lists toys in separate skill-building categories. This added feature allows users to quickly find and select toys that are appropriate for a child's specific needs and interests.

10 Rules for Picky Eaters

It's no surprise that parents might need some help understanding what it means to eat healthy. From the Food Guide Pyramid to the latest food fad, it can be awfully confusing.

The good news is that you don't need a degree in nutrition to raise healthy kids. Following some basic guidelines can help you encourage your kids to eat right and maintain a healthy weight.

Here are 10 key rules to live by:

1. Parents control the supply lines. You decide which foods to buy and when to serve them. Though kids will pester their parents for less nutritious foods, adults should be in charge when deciding which foods are regularly stocked in the house. Kids won't go hungry. They'll eat what's available in the cupboard and fridge at home. If their favorite snack isn't all that nutritious, you can still buy it once in a while so they don't feel deprived.
2. From the foods you offer, kids get to choose what they will eat or whether to eat at all. Kids need to have some say in the matter. From the selections you offer, let them choose what to eat and how much of it they want. This may seem like a little too much freedom. But if you follow step 1, your kids will be choosing only from the foods you buy and serve.
3. Quit the "clean-plate club." Let kids stop eating when they feel they've had enough. Lots of parents grew up under the clean-plate rule, but that approach doesn't help kids listen to their own bodies when they feel full. When kids notice and respond to feelings of fullness, they're less likely to overeat.
4. Start them young. Food preferences are developed early in life, so offer variety. Likes and dislikes begin forming even when kids are babies. You may need to serve a new food on several different occasions for a child to accept it. Don't force a child to eat, but offer a few bites. With older kids, ask them to try one bite.
5. Rewrite the kids' menu. Who says kids only want to eat hot dogs, pizza, burgers, and macaroni and cheese? When eating out, let your kids try new foods and they might surprise you with their willingness to experiment. You can start by letting them try a little of whatever you ordered or ordering an appetizer for them to try.
6. Drink calories count. Soda and other sweetened drinks add extra calories and get in the way of good nutrition. Water and milk are the best drinks for kids. Juice is fine when it's 100%, but kids don't need much of it — 4 to 6 ounces a day is enough for preschoolers.
7. Put sweets in their place. Occasional sweets are fine, but don't turn dessert into the main reason for eating dinner. When dessert is the prize for eating dinner, kids naturally place more value on the cupcake than the broccoli. Try to stay neutral about foods.
8. Food is not love. Find better ways to say "I love you." When foods are used to reward kids and show affection, they may start using food to cope with stress or other emotions. Offer hugs, praise, and attention instead of food treats.
9. Kids do as you do. Be a role model and eat healthy yourself. When trying to teach good eating habits, try to set the best example possible. Choose nutritious snacks, eat at the table, and don't skip meals.
10. Limit TV and computer time. When you do, you'll avoid mindless snacking and encourage activity. Research has shown that kids who cut down on TV-watching also reduced their percentage of body fat. When TV and computer time are limited, they'll find more active things to do. And limiting "screen time" means you'll have more time to be active together.

Helping Your Child Learn How To Behave

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Children must learn how to behave. They are not born knowing what is expected of them.

Children do not have self-control to act like an adult during preschool years. Asking, begging and whining are common.

Parents and older children are models.

Children behave like children
- because they are curious, exploring and experimenting
- because they don't know what is expected of them
- because they follow the leads of others
- because they get caught up in play
- because they are growing independent

Preparing children for how they should behave is effective. Before going to a store you can say: " Stay with me. I will not be buying you toys or candy today. I expect you to behave." If you are visiting another home, you can prepare the child by saying," Play quietly, No running inside. I know you can follow these rules!!"

Toddlers (1- 3 years)

- independent
- have a hard time sharing
- Act without thinking
- may throw temper tantrum
- try to get own way
- do not have self-control
- favorite word is "no"
- plays beside other children not WITH them
- likes to do things for self
- likes to be helpful and please adults

Preschoolers (3-5 years)

- may be mature one moment and like a baby the next
- is full of energy
- thinks the world revolves around him/her
- learn by asking questions
- has little reasoning ability
- does not relate actions to results

What causes misbehavior ?

- Changes in routine (holidays, visitors, traveling)
- Unclear directions. Use simple words to tell child one thing at a time.
- Unmet physical needs (hunger, sleep, fever)
- Unmet emotional needs - having a bad day, not enough adult attention, anger

How to teach self-control

Prevention
Childproof home
Prepare child
Have back-up plans
Stick to routine and child's schedule
Praise
Hugs, kisses and smiles
Saying you are "proud" or "great job" even for behaving in the car!
Noticing good waiting or that they did not ask for candy in the check-out line!

Helping individuals, families, and communities put
research-based knowledge to work to improve their lives.

Parents Roles

http://www.fpg.unc.edu/~images/pdfs/snapshots/snap34.pdf

http://www.challengingbehavior.org/index.htm

The Technical Assistance Center on Social Emotional Intervention for Young Children, also known as TACSEI, is a five-year grant made possible by the U.S. Department of Education, Office of Special Education Programs. TACSEI takes the research that shows which practices improve the social-emotional outcomes for young children with, or at risk for, delays or disabilities and creates FREE products and resources to help decision-makers, caregivers, and service providers apply these best practices in the work they do every day. Most of these free products are available right here on our website for you to view, download and use.

Eating and Feeding Challenges

This is a great article about Eating and Feeding Challenges for children. It is also in Spanish..

Please feel free to pass this link on to your families and friends.

http://www.birth23.org/Publications/B5winter04.pdf

Developmental Milestones

Developmental Milestones

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Childhood is a time of tremendous growth and learning. How very exciting to be a baby...or a two-year-old... or get on a school bus for the first time. There's so much to know, and we all come into the world like small waiting sponges, ready to absorb what's around us.

We're all different, too, another of life's little marvels. We're a spectrum of colors with differing talents, interests, and physical make-ups. So it comes as no surprise that we also develop at different rates. Some children speed along, practically running before they walk. Others take their time--or need more time. And still others may ultimately need four wheels to get around.

Parents, siblings, grandparents, daycare providers, teachers, and friends watch eagerly for each new step and progression in a child's skills. If a skill is not learned "on time," they may worry. Juana's not sitting up yet, but the baby next door is. Hannah should be talking in full sentences by now! Frank and Ahmed aren't learning to read as easily as the rest of the class. But what's "on time?" What's "normal?" Surely "normal" has a range?

Not only do new moms and dads anxiously (and exhaustedly) await the time when baby sleeps all through the night, but the earliest years are filled with a wonderland of firsts—the first smile, first laugh, first steps, and first word. When do all these miraculous firsts usually occur?

Excerpted below are just a few of many milestones a typically developing child reaches in the first year of life.

By 3 months of age

Motor Skills

• lift head when held at your shoulder
• lift head and chest when lying on his stomach
• turn head from side to side when lying on his stomach
• follow a moving object or person with his eyes
• grasp rattle when given to her
• wiggle and kick with arms and legs

Sensory and Thinking Skills

• turn head toward bright colors and lights
• turn toward the sound of a human voice
• recognize bottle or breast
• respond to your shaking a rattle or bell

Language and Social Skills

• make cooing, gurgling sounds
• smile when smiled at
• communicate hunger, fear, discomfort (through crying or facial expression)
• usually quiet down at the sound of a soothing voice or when held

By 6 months of age

Motor Skills

• hold head steady when sitting with your help
• reach for and grasp objects
• play with his toes
• help hold the bottle during feeding
• explore by mouthing and banging objects
• move toys from one hand to another
• pull up to a sitting position on her own if you grasp her hands
• sit with only a little support
• roll over
• bounce when held in a standing position

Sensory and Thinking Skills

• open his mouth for the spoon
• imitate familiar actions you perform

Language and Social Skills

• babble, making almost sing-song sounds
• know familiar faces
• laugh and squeal with delight
• scream if annoyed
• smile at herself in a mirror

By 12 months of age

Motor Skills

• drink from a cup with help
• feed herself finger food like raisins
• grasp small objects by using her thumb and index or forefinger
• use his first finger to poke or point
• put small blocks in and take them out of a container
• knock two blocks together
• sit well without support
• crawl on hands and knees
• pull himself to stand or take steps holding onto furniture
• stand alone momentarily
• walk with one hand held

Sensory and Thinking Skills

• copy sounds and actions you make
• respond to music with body motion
• try to accomplish simple goals (seeing and then crawling to a toy)
• look for an object she watched fall out of sight (such as a spoon that falls under the table)

Language and Social Skills

• babble, but it sometimes "sounds like" talking
• say his first word
• recognize family members' names
• try to "talk" with you
• respond to another's distress by showing distress or crying
• show affection to familiar adults
• show apprehension about strangers
• raise her arms when she wants to be picked up
• understand simple commands

For children older than 12 months

If you'd like to know more about what experts consider the developmental milestones for children older than 1 year, we refer you to the resource links identified below.

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Reprinted with permission from the National Network for Child Care - NNCC. Powell, J. and Smith, C.A. (1994). The 1st year. In Developmental milestones: A guide for parents. Manhattan, KS: Kansas State University Cooperative Extension Service.

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Resources You Can Use

The American Association of Pediatrics has a wealth of parent information and practice guidelines related to well-visit checkups, developmental screening, as well as articles on health conditions, and childhood diseases and treatments, all available on their web site or through their bookstore.
www.aap.org/

Posted on the AAP site is an illustrated brochure from Pathways Awareness Foundation entitled, Assure the Best for Your Baby's Physical Development, that describes typical speech, play, and physical development up to the age of 15 months.
www.aap.org/family/2004PAFBrochure.pdf

Plus, you can find 30 fact sheets that described the background, training, and areas of expertise for many of the pediatric subspecialists parents may encounter when they have a child with a special health condition. The latest offering, What is a Developmental Behavioral Pediatrician?
www.aap.org/family/pedspecfactsheets.htm

And last but not least, the AAP's partnership initiative specific to developmental screening and children with special needs can be found at:

Developmental Surveillance and Screening - National Center of Medical Home Initiatives for Children with Special Needs

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Developmental Milestones

Listening Milestones

Toddlers who hear lots of lively, interesting talk are more likely to develop a rich vocabulary. They learn language best when adults make eye contact with them and talk about topics of interest to them. Your toddler’s language development is also supported when he hears his own words repeated back to him and when adults expand on what he says.

Your toddler can understand the words she hears but may not be able to name or describe what she sees and does. For example, your toddler may not be able to name everyone in her playgroup, but when her caregiver asks her, “Where’s Nicole? Where’s Hector?” she points accurately. Toddlers also demonstrate their understanding of language by being able to follow one-to two-step directions that they hear.

Don’t assume toddlers aren’t listening when they are playing. It’s the work of toddlers to explore and play. They still may be listening even as they are pouring, stacking, or swinging.

Encouraging Your Toddler

• When adults speak in a lively tone about exciting and interesting things, toddlers will listen. On the other hand, they may seem to "tune out" adult requests when asked to perform a particular action like "Put on your shoes."
• Through listening, your toddler begins to learn the rules of grammar. For instance, when your toddler says, "I maked the picture," he is applying the -ed rule for past tense and is learning the principles of grammar. Even though "maked" is not the correct past tense for "make," this shows your toddler's ability to apply the rules of grammar he is learning to new situations.
• Talk to your toddler about special days or events. Talking about past events, such as the day he was born or a trip you took last summer, can help your toddler understand story structure. For example, your toddler will understand that a story has a beginning, a middle, and an ending. This will help him to tell stories himself and to understand the stories he hears in books.
• Tell your child stories about herself or other family members. Toddlers love to hear parents tell stories about important people in their lives—and especially about themselves. These stories often become lifelong favorites. In telling stories to your toddler, make them come to life. Use different voices for different people and don't be afraid to play around with language—“a teeny, tiny, itsy, bitsy baby!” This will help keep your toddler interested in the story.

http://www.pbs.org/parents/readinglanguage/toddler/main.html