A Rare Think

A lot of time and energy goes into clothing your baby during the first year. From the color debate, to the rapid speed at which most infants outgrow their clothing, new parents have their plates full with keeping their babies clean, comfortable and clothed. So what do you do when all of a sudden, the baby doesn’t want to wear any clothes at all? How do you deal with the exhibitionist stage of your toddler?

At about fourteen months, your baby will most likely want to romp around in the buff. This is completely normal, and in fact could help a little bit with potty training. Obviously, however, it can be a bit troublesome when trying to introduce social norms, and of course when having company without children over for coffee or lunch. So how does a new parent deal with a naked toddler?

The best thing to do is not discourage this behavior entirely. Set limits about where and when your toddler can be naked and enforce them. It is tedious, but repeatedly re-dressing your toddler may be the best way to get the message across. Keep an especially close eye on your toddler in public. Not just because of the obvious, but because you don’t want to lose expensive items like shoes or jackets.

Setting a “naked time” where your child is free to roam around the house for an hour or so a day is a good way to set limits on acceptable behavior. Make sure this time is a time when you can be around to monitor them very closely and make sure that they don’t hurt their more exposed areas. Also, it’s probably best if naked time is a time when your home doesn’t see a lot of traffic. Your toddler may be comfortable with their naked time, but friends and neighbors may not be.

Use your child’s newfound freedom to encourage them to choose their own clothing. Let your toddler dress him or herself a couple of times a week as a special treat. Soon they might like to get dressed as much as they enjoy disrobing. Make getting dressed fun, and stress the importance of where and when it is okay to take off your clothes. This way your child begins to understand the important role that clothing plays in the day-to-day life of grown ups.

The most important thing to remember is not to let your discipline about clothing become about your child’s body. It is easy to make your child feel ashamed of their naked body, even if it is not intended. This kind of discomfort can go a long way in determining how your child feels about their body in the long term, right up into adulthood. Making play dates for right before or after naked time can be a good way to demonstrate for your child the difference between private time and public time, and let them begin making their own boundaries in their mind. This time in their life is a lot about exploration. So even though you’ve been there, it’s important to let them figure out some stuff on their own.

Kirsten Hawkins is a baby and parenting expert specializing new mothers and single parent issues. Visit www.babyhelp411.com/ for more information on how to raising healthy, happy children.

Celebration Cards

There comes a time in the course of a person’s life that the need to celebrate arises. It may be an achievement, a get together, a farewell and a birth of a new born baby whatever the occasion it does deserve to be celebrated in a big way and it cannot be enjoyed unless there are other people to join in. To notify and invite the friends, family and colleagues for the celebration, celebration cards are written. Because of the happy message they carry along with them,

celebration cards

ought to be colorful, fun and exciting.can be found in abundance from the local store and even online they come in different, designs, colors and materials. Some people however, would rather be more creative and make their own cards to personalize them. Before getting celebration cards it is important that one has an idea of the type of celebration one is holding incase gifts are to be carried and the number of people expected to attend so that the number does not exceed the people attending, important details like the date, time and location should be clearly included in the card. Though the color of the card is entirely upon the person sending cards, most cards are bright colored.

GraduationSource, a leader in graduation regalia products since 1960.

Moving is one of life’s most nerve-wracking events. For children, it is likewise an emotional event grownups sometimes do not pay enough attention to. Here are some matters to think about.

Letting Your Kids Say Goodbye

• It is important that your kids have the enough time to say bye to family and friends they are leaving behind.
• You should suggest they exchange contact information. Luckily, for most of us now, our friends are only a few key strokes away via e-mail.

Settling In

Realize that there may be a grieving period for youngsters after a big move; it may live on a few weeks, maybe even a couple of months. Here are a few easy things you can do to make moving smoother for your youngsters.

• Investigate and explore your new region together. Look for new and challenging things.
• Go to your kid’s new school with them beforehand and walk around the new school together to assist them to find their bearings.
• Go with your children on their route to school until they are comfortable travelling alone.
• Seek out after-school activities where your children can make new friends with similar interests.
• Don’t forget to remind them to keep in contact with old friends.

Additional Hints for Moving Kids

• There are children’s books that help kids deal with and understand an approaching move, and manage some of the feelings they may be receiving.
• If you have little children, it’s crucial to remove dangerous situations and to child proof your house.
• The sooner you teach your kids your new address and phone number, the better.

Finding a moving company can be hard enough, moving with a family might be even more hard. There are a lot of changes occurring for you and your home. That’s why it is important to spend some time helping your children deal with the changes taking place around them. The advice set forth above will help your move go more easily.

Additional Moving Resources

• Google Knol advice on picking movers
• Squidoo Lens on preparing for your move
• NY Times article on avoiding moving scams