Child Development | From Childhood to Adulthood

Life Stages That Need Higher Priority

All of us have stages in our life that are given high priority. Whether it’s college, marriage, or children, our focus is more narrowed than at other times and we find ourselves involved almost to the exclusion of everything else.

Marriage. Getting married is a huge decision, one that takes planning and preparation. Often, we forget about the emotional changes we’ll be making in favor of the wedding dress, or we are worried about sharing our new space, instead of just sitting down and talking about it. When it comes to getting married, the wedding might be the most beautiful thing this side of the Caribbean, but we can’t forget what living with our spouse actually means. Conversation is key.

College. When it comes to attending school, we soon realize the choice takes money and time. It isn’t easy to make the time to travel to your local college or university. It may not be possible to schedule your day around the classes offered, and you may find that the cost far outweighs the reward. For these reasons, you may decide on an online college experience at your university of choice.

Children. Having a baby takes money and maturity. It isn’t easy getting up in the middle of the night to nurse a sick child when you need the sleep. No one really knows how to take care of a child until they have one, but quick understanding comes if the parents are wise enough to listen to parents and friends who’ve already had children.

Life stages are important in any life, and it’s important to remember to give them the high priority they deserve.

Filed Under: Budgeting, Child Development, General Tagged With: Caribbean, Child, Marriage

Tips for New Parents

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The experience of new parents after having a first child is often a rough one. While these individuals love and adore their children, the adjustment to little or no sleep at night, increased noise levels, and constant messes may be difficult for some. Before the baby comes, there are a few tips to remember in order to make the process a bit easier.

The first tip is for parents to remember to take care of themselves. While a baby does demand a lot of attention and care, a sick parent is going to be little help to the child. Making sure to rotate shifts of care between both parents, so that the mother is able to get some sleep will be helpful. New moms may also find themselves grabbing snacks during feedings or while the baby is asleep, but good nutrition is crucial for nursing mothers.

Another smart idea is to accept assistance from friends and family members. Those who are skilled in baby care may offer guidance that new parents may not understand. New moms often feel very protective of their children and skills as a parent, but accepting help is not the same as admitting defeat. Taking time for personal hobbies and to spend with a spouse is also important to remain sane. New parents should remember that a little time apart from the child may be more beneficial in the long run, although it may be difficult to leave the baby initially.

Spending time together as a family is important. New parents are making the adjustment to infant care, and taking time to enjoy it is a great way to bond.

Filed Under: Child Development, Infant Care, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Family, Infant, Parent

When is the Right Time to Switch to Formula?

Breastfeeding offers benefits for both mother ...

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Breastfeeding is a beautiful act that helps to nourish your baby with what you created with your own body and helps to bring you and your baby closer together. However, there may come a time when breastfeeding isn’t practical. How do you decide when it’s the right time to switch to formula?

When your child becomes dependent on you and you have decided that the breastfeeding has become a crutch. If your baby reaches to breastfeed in an effort to be comforted – before he goes to sleep, when he wakes up or when he’s upset in any way, that’s an indication that your baby may be using breastfeeding not just for nourishment, but also for comfort.
Breastfeeding becomes an inconvenience that negatively affects your life. This inconvenience or negativity can take many forms, depending on each mother and child’s personal situation – from fatigue or illness or embarrassment or even time constraints. It’s also the reason to switch to formula feeding that seems to garner the most negative attention from mothers who feel guilt over putting themselves over the perceived health or happiness of your child. However, keep in mind that your child is going to have a hard time being happy if you’re not and it’s hard enough with a new baby without added stresses.
Your child has expressed interest in a bottle or cup. Some mommies want to extend the closeness they feel when they breastfeed their baby, so they ignore the signs that their child is ready to grow up. While you can certainly pump milk to provide, don’t be scared to make the switch to formula.

Filed Under: Child Development, Infant Care, Parenting Tagged With: Breastfeeding, Infant formula, Nutrition

Is Your Child Ready for Their Own Place?

There comes a time in every parent’s life when his or her children grow up and move out on their own. This bittersweet experience is full of emotions. Parents have spent so many years raising their children and teaching them right from wrong that many parents want to help their children with this important and costly milestone. Of course, you need to be confident that your children are ready for their own place and the responsibilities of paying rent, HOA management fees, or a mortgage. The following tips will help you decide if your children are ready for their own place.

Financially Stable

The most important factor to consider, when thinking about your child’s readiness to move out, is his or her financial situation. Your child must be financially stable with a good job and steady income. Your child should also have a savings account, ideally with enough money to cover three months’ worth of living expenses for emergencies.

Mature, Responsible, and Independent

Your child must demonstrate that he or she is mature enough to move out. He or she must be responsible enough to pay the bills on time, especially utility bills and credit card bills. Also, your child must contact a reputable HOA management company to help them when starting the process. Independence also plays a role because children must be independent enough to handle living on their own. If an emergency arises, will your child know what to do, other than call you?

When your child shows all of these signs of readiness, it’s a good indication that he or she is ready to move out.

Filed Under: Child Development, Parenting Tagged With: Child, Home, Parent

Good Reasons to Refinance Your Car Loan

Many people don’t realize that they have the option to refinance their car loan as a way to save money. When you become pregnant it is often a good time to take a look at your finances and look for ways to cut down on your bills.

There are a quite a few reasons why you might want to consider refinancing your car loan in order to save money:

You have a high interest loan. If you bought your car at a time when your credit was not very good you may have had to get a high interest loan in order to buy the car. This is one of the best reasons to refinance the loan and reduce the rate.
You’re in an upside down loan. If you owe more for your car than what it is worth you may be able to correct this by refinancing. It is important to look at this situation carefully though before refinancing.
You need to reduce your monthly payment. Babies cost money and every little bit can help. A car refinance may help you to make ends meet while you are planning for the baby to come and after he arrives.
Your loan is through the dealership. Car dealerships can give you great deals on a car, but they don’t necessarily get you good deals on your interest rate. If you bought the car and had it financed through the dealership there is a very good chance you can lower your interest rate by refinancing the loan.

Filed Under: Child Development, Parenting Tagged With: Car finance, Loan, Refinancing

Proper Care of the Umbilical Cord

When you bring your new baby home she will still have a stump of the umbilical cord remaining from where the doctor clamped and cut it during delivery. Generally this will fall off naturally in about two to three weeks. In the meantime there are several things you can do to ensure that it is cared for properly. Proper umbilical cord care is necessary to keep your baby healthy and happy.

When changing baby’s diaper, be sure to keep the diaper off the umbilical cord. This can be accomplished by purchasing diapers specifically designed with a cut out section for the umbilical cord. You may also want or need to fold the top of the diaper over to avoid it touching and rubbing on the cord.

The cord needs to be kept dry and clean at all times. One way to do this is to keep baby in diaper and a loose shirt to allow for proper air circulation which helps the cord to dry up and heal faster.

Never pull on the cord even if it looks as though it is ready to fall off. This can cause injury or infection. In rare cases the cord may not fall off on its own. In this situation you may need to contact your physician and have him remove it.

Give baby sponge baths and do not immerse the baby in water while the cord stump is still attached. This will help ensure that is dries and heals properly without introducing additional bacteria. If you notice discharge or a foul odor coming from the cord area you should take the baby into the doctor immediately to have the cord checked.

Filed Under: Child Development, Infant Care Tagged With: Diaper, Health, Umbilical cord

Stages of Labor and Delivery

Every woman in unique and so is her labor and delivery. In fact, each labor can be different even in the same woman. Some women experience labor that is quick and easy and over in a matter of a few short hours. However, some labors are longer and harder, testing a woman’s endurance. Most labors, however, have three distinct stages.

During the early part of stage one of labor your cervix will begin to dilate. You may only feel some slight pressure and/or discomfort. In fact, many women do not even know they are in labor until they have already been in labor for many hours, sometimes days. Soon, however, you will begin to notice a very definite contraction pattern. Your cervix will continue to dilate up to ten centimeters. Your labor will become very obvious now and your contractions will be coming much closer together. In fact, towards the end of this stage it may begin to feel as though the contractions never let up.

Stage two is when you will actually deliver your baby. This stage can take a few minutes or several hours. You will now be encouraged to push during every contraction to speed up the process and bring your baby into the world! First-time moms and women who have had an epidural generally experience a longer second stage of labor.

You will experience a great sense of relief and joy once your baby is delivered. However, you are not done yet! You are now entering the third stage of labor which involves the delivery of the placenta. The placenta is delivered in an average of five to ten minutes but can take up to half an hour.

Filed Under: Child Development, General Tagged With: Cervix, Childbirth, Placental expulsion

Be Prepared for the Postpartum Period

Near the end of your pregnancy you most likely have gotten everything ready for your baby and are anxiously awaiting your little one’s arrival. Having a baby changes everything. Are you ready?

If this is your first child there will be many things you may not have considered. Many of the activities you previously enjoyed may need to be put on hold for awhile. This does not mean that you cannot still enjoy these things but you need to remember you have another person that you are responsible for now. Most activities will take advance planning and organizing whether it is simply for bringing baby along or finding proper child care for the baby while you are away.

During the healing period you may find that tasks that you found easy before baby are much more difficult to do. This is not only due to the physical changes your body has been through but it is also due to more fatigue from lack of sleep. Instead of expecting that you can and should be able to continue managing everything yourself, you need to call in reinforcements!

It may take several months for you and baby to get into a routine that will allow you to obtain adequate sleep and start back on an exercise routine to help regain your strength. In the meantime coordinate with your husband for additional help around the house. Allow family and friends to help. If your finances allow it, hire someone to come in and do major housecleaning tasks for you for at least the first few months.

Filed Under: Child Development, Health Tagged With: Home, Postpartum depression, Sleep deprivation

Foods for Proper Pregnancy Nutrition

Eating properly during pregnancy is important not only for keeping baby healthy but it is also important for mom’s health and strength. The nutrients that you and your baby need can all be obtained from the foods you eat. Our bodies can process these nutrients better in their natural forms than in supplements. Adding vitamin C rich foods along with the ones suggested below will help your body absorb the other nutrients better.

One of the most important nutrients our bodies need is folic acid. Folic acid is essential for proper fetal development and to avoid birth defects. If you are contemplating pregnancy anytime soon, you may want to start eating more foods rich in folic acid. The best source of folic acid is found in liver. Some of the other foods that have high levels of folic acid include egg yolks, kidneys, chicken giblets, dried beans, almonds, nuts, whole grain breads, wheat flour, potatoes, sweet potatoes, spinach, brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, asparagus, bananas, oranges, and peaches. Fruits and vegetables should be eaten raw whenever possible, as cooking destroys folic acid.

Another important nutrient is iron. Low iron levels can lead to anemia and extreme fatigue. To help keep your iron levels up during pregnancy and increase your energy try adding some iron rich foods to your diet. Many of the foods that were listed previously that are rich in folic acid are also rich in iron. Iron rich foods include red meat, egg yolks, dark leafy greens such as collards or spinach, dried fruits like prunes and raisins, mollusks such as oysters, clams, or scallops, turkey or chicken giblets, beans, lentils, chick peas, liver, and artichokes.

Filed Under: Child Development, Health Tagged With: Folic acid, Pregnancy

Your Baby’s First Year — Ten to Twelve Months

Your baby has already been through major changes in the first nine months of his life. Within the next few months he may start walking and will continue to explore his surroundings and learn from them. His digestive system has developed to the point that he will be eating the same foods as the rest of the family soon.

Between ten and twelve months your baby will become an expert crawler! He will begin crawling up stairs and will learn how to move one arm with the opposite leg while crawling. Your baby has most likely already begun to pull himself up to furniture and may have already begun walking with assistance. Some babies will take their first steps on their own during this time period.

His fine motor skills will be developing to a point where he can pick things up with the thumb and forefinger in a pincher-type grasp. While his fine motor skills continue to develop over the next few months he will be able to hold a fork and spoon by himself. Once he has developed the skill of grasping he will learn to throw soon too. Of course, babies love to throw things so that you will pick them up again. This will quickly become a game to your baby. You will now notice that your baby has developed a preference for either the right or the left hand by now too.

Physically your baby has gone through drastic changes since he was a newborn. By the time your baby is one year old his birthweight has tripled and he will have added 10 to 12 inches in his height! Your baby’s digestive system has now developed to a point that you can add in foods such as wheat, eggs, meat, and fish. You still need to stay away from adding honey to your baby’s diet until after he is one year old.

Filed Under: Child Development, Infant Care Tagged With: Fine motor skill, Infant