Transitioning Your Toddler from a Crib to a Bed

Transitioning Toddler from Crib to Bed

How and When to Transition Your Toddler from a Crib to a Bed

by Visa Shanmugam

It’s that time and you can’t believe it’s here.  How did your baby grow up so quickly?  How can they be ready to move out of their crib into a toddler or twin bed?  Or are they?

Most parents tend to jump the gun when it comes to transitioning their toddler from a crib to a bed.  If your child hasn’t learned to sleep well on their own in their crib or if you are still facing bed and night time challenges then they are most likely not ready.  Changing them to a big boy/girl bed, in the hopes that they will start to enjoy sleeping on their own, is probably not a good idea.  You will have a toddler who has a new game to play – leaving their bed and room to come find mom and dad.

How to Help Your Child Develop Better Thinking Skills

Developing Thinking SkillsUsing Questions to Help Kids Develop Better Thinking Skills

 

Guest post by Kids ‘R’ Kids

Early childcare researchers have learned a lot about the ways the brain functions in very young children. Many parents, as a result, want to help their child develop better thinking skills. Research has shown that one of the best ways to develop thinking skills is through the art of questioning.

There are different levels of questioning from the adult and also various responses from the child. It has been found, quite logically, that lower-level questions elicit lower-level responses. Higher-level questioning, on the other hand, tends to elicit higher-level thinking responses. Let’s discuss some of the differences between lower-level and higher-level questions and responses.

Help Your Child Develop Independence

Helping Your Child Develop Independence

How to Recognize When Your Child Needs Independence

Guest post by Kids ‘R’ Kids of Dallas/Fort Worth

A child developing his or her own independence is inevitable, though you might be surprised at how early it starts. If you’re thinking middle school – think again!

Understanding Toddler Development

Toddler boy reading

How to recognize developmental milestones for Children ages 12 – 36 months

 

Child Development is not a race — there is a wide range of “average” development. Children achieve milestones at different ages depending on their physical, emotional and mental attributes, as well as exposure to different environments, parenting styles and activities. Developmental milestones can be impacted by vision, hearing, general health, medical history, genetics, nutrition and the emotional health of the family.

There are certain developmental milestones, however, that most children reach within a specific time frame. The age when your toddler laughs at your silliness, puts words together to communicate, completes simple puzzles, starts to run and masters other tasks can give you and your pediatrician valuable information regarding how they are developing in relation to other toddlers.

There are three key areas in developmental milestones that your child should be achieving.  These areas are motor development (using their hands, arms and legs in a coordinated manner), cognitive development (thinking, reasoning, using memory and problem solving) and language/social development(communicating and socializing appropriately).

Following you will find a list of developmental milestones.  Under each developmental age, you will find specific milestones for that age. Following the milestones are “red flags” that you should probably bring to the attention of your pediatrician.