BY the zillionth time your child asks, “can we get a puppy please?” You finally give pet ownership some serious consideration. The matter deserves a good deal of thought, since caring for an animal is a big responsibility, one that you’ll ultimately share with your child no matter how much he promises to take care of his furry friend himself.

• You can adopt from a shelter. You’ll find lots of loving animals in need of a home at your local animal shelter. The staff can help you find a pet that suits your family’s needs and may be able to tell you about the animal’s history.
  • An outgoing animal. If the pet is cringing in the corner of his cage or seems overly shy, he probably won’t be good around kids.
  • A friendly temeperament.  A dog that seems overly protective of his treats or snarls when it’s taken away may be too aggressive to make a good family pet.
  • Bright eyes and shiny coat of fur. These are signs of a happy, healthy animal.

Now who’s going to walk the puppy? Here are some guidelines:

Ages 0-3 – Don’t expect your curious baby or toddler to do anything other than grab, poke or crawl on your pet. Be extra vigilant to keep both your child and animal safe.

Ages 3-5 – Preschool begins to understand that pets have feelings and can help with tasks that make the animal happy, such as petting it or filling its food and water containers.

Ages 4-9 – better concentration allows your child to help with chores like cleaning the cage, or changing water in a fishbowl.Still supervise to ensure your pet’s daily needs are taken care of..

Ages 9 and up- Older kids can take on primary responsibility for their pet. Assign your child a daily task like walking the dog, playing fetch, scooping doggy litter, or brushing the animal’s fur.

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helping your child understand the permanence of death

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It’s natural to want to avoid talking about death with your child. But if you skirt the issue or speak in hushed tones when someone passes away, your child may become even more curious. Most kids this age have trouble grasping the permanence of death because their sense of time isn’t developed. They don’t understand the concept of forever. When they play dead, for example, they can get up and run around a few minutes later. Kid’s understanding of death occurs gradually, and they use plat to make sense of what it means.

Your child may ask lots of questions; try to answer the, patiently and honestly, but keep your explanations simple. Tell him, for example, that when a person is dead, his body doesn’t work anymore and he can’t become alive again. You can say that it’s usually something that happens to older people when their bodies get very tired and can’t be fixed.

It’ll still take a while for the concept to sink in. even if a close family member has died and your child has attended the funeral, he might ask “Is grandma coming to my birthday party?”. It is very confusing to our little ones to understand death because they’re taking it literally. If you say that your guinea pig has “gone to sleep”, there’s a good chance that your child will develop a fear of going to bed. So try to be honest as possible and always use the right words that won’t traumatized your child.

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How to calm your little one

they love sweets

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If you’ve been trying to teach your child to be kind, honest, and polite, it can be really frustrating and heart wrenching when he disappoints you. He swipes some coins from your dresser and swears he didn’t. He teases a boy at the bus stop. He throws books when he gets angry. There’s no need to panic because a child’s moral growth is an ongoing process, and all  kids slip up from time to time. You still have a tremendous influence on your child’s behavior.

If your child gets angry easily, has a hard time calming down once upset and interrupts  and has trouble waiting for his turn, here’s how to help:

• Do your best to be patient.
• Acknowledge how tough it is to maintain self-control.
• Teach him to recognize his own feelings of anger, and encourage “self talk” to avoid an out burst.
• Ask your child to come up with a  list of things to do when he feels himself getting out of control.
• Look for examples of people losing control on TV or out in public. Discuss how it makes others feel and what else could have been done.

If he doesn’t understand how his misbehavior affects others here’s how to help:

• Point out the impact of his behavior on others.
• Require reparations.
• Praise your child when he admits a mistake or apologizes.
• Role-play so that your child can imagine himself in the victim’s place
• Ask him what types of things people with a conscience do, such as keep a promise or give back extra change.

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Toysplash introduces new disney themed products

cars lightning mcqueen and tow meter footed sleeper pajama

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ToySplash.com, a leading source of water fun, today announced a new addition to its line of Disney themed pool toys. New for 2010 are the Disney Toy Story Dive Sticks, manufactured by Swimways.

With the new “Toy Story 3” movie debuting in June of 2010, these water toys are sure to sell out fast. At just $12.99 for Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Alien, they’re the perfect water accessory for children five years and older.

In addition to the new Toy Story Dive Sticks, ToySplash offers many Disney accessories such as Disney Glitter Dive Wands, Disney Princess Baby Spring Float and the Finding Nemo Baby Spring Float. ToySplash provides a wide assortment of pool toys, beach accessories and inflatable snow tubes.

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The Cars Lightning McQueen and Tow Mater Footed Sleeper Pajamas for Infant and Toddler Boys will help your little one stay warm all night long in these fun footed pajamas. It carries a fun Cars Lighting McQueen and Tow Mater print with a zipper in front.

Price: $14.99

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Who can resist the most tempting and the most scrumptious chocolate cake made by grandma? or the most creamiest cupcakes freshly baked by the store near your house? Needless to say but it’s true that kids can’t give up their craving for sweets. But is it really good for them? We all know that too much of something is bad. According to A.Mennella a developmental psychobiologist, Kids are normally drawn to eat sweets because it makes them feel good. Fact is, it also gives them energy, that’s why sweets aren’t allowed to some children diagnosed with ADHD, because it triggers something in their body that makes it hard for them to control their behavior.

As I was saying, too much sweets are not good, though it looks so irresistable, we still have to control the sweet intakes of our kiddos. So here’s how:

•  Try to schedule a “goody day” where in your child can eat her goodies. If you do this, you can be assured that she gets enough sweets in her body.
• Use sweets for motivating her to show her best behavior in school, church etc.
• Make a regular appointment to her dentist to check if her teeth are nice and clean. If there’s no problem with her teeth you can give her some goodies.
• Make a Goody chart. Everyday she has to do some chores in the house inexchange for points for her goody chart. It doesn’t have to be cleaning or washing clothes. Simple chores like, packing away her toys, setting up the table etc.  

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For the many young fans of Thomas the Tank, the Playhut Thomas Tank Play Vehicle should be something fun and recreational to get for your little one. This is a play hut that can be set up in seconds and should be great for the indoors and the outdoors.

Other features of the Playhut Thomas Tank Play Vehicle include a sunroof and a smoke stack which should give the little conductors a lot of fun.

Price: $32.39

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The Thomas 3-in-1 Potty should be something useful for toddlers, especially the ones who in their developmental stages.

They come with low profile splash guards and easy grip handles for added child security. It has a base that is used as a step stool. It also has lift-up pots for easy emptying and cleaning and has an award certificate included.

Price: $24.99

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Although children ages 6-8 are more emotionally invested in their friendships, they’re not totally secure in them yet. Kids often think that relationships will end if they have a squabble with a friend or if the friend starts playing with someone else. They can become so dependent on one special friend that they have trouble joining in group activities when she isn’t around. First or second grade is also the time when kids may start forming cliques and excluding those who seem different.

While it’s not crucial that your child have a best friend in the early grades, it is important that he begin to form a few ongoing relationships. Friends help teach kids the norms of behavior and lay the groundwork for satisfying relationships later on. Even though your child is in increasing control of his social life, you can continue to play a valuable role. Here’s how:

• Foster your child’s friendships: Listen when your child talks about the kids she likes, and help find opportunities for them to spend time together. Suggest activities that are fun for both children.
• Gently expand his social circle: Encourage your child to get together with friends from a variety of places besides school,  such as day care, soccer or religion classes. This will help him feel comfortable with different kids and help him limit cliquish behavior.
• Be an occasional coach: Before a playdate, help your child think of a game or snack she and her friend might enjoy, If you hear her say or do something mean, try to help her understand the impact of her words or actions. Discuss some tactics she could use to solve the problem, and what might happen under each scenario.

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Kids, despite appearances, don’t master manipulation overnight. Rather, they experiment with different methods until they discover what works with whom, and how far they can go without getting into trouble. If your child doesn’t want to eat her vegetables, for instance, she may first argue and then plead before finally settling on a winning strategy “Mom, I feel sick, Can I be excused?” usually, parents are most likely to give in when a child sulks, plays the guilt card “You promised!” or pretend incompetence “I don’t know how, Can you please help me”

As devious as your child may seem at times, experts say there’s no need to fear she’ll turn into a liar. Such behavior is a normal phase of childhood and can’t be stamped out completely. But it can be controlled. Here’s how.

• Become immune to his efforts.- If you catch your child trying to manipulate you, don’t push him or express annoyance. Simply ignore the actions. He’ll soon realize that his tactics don’t work.
• Set the terms. – If you ask you son to clean his room and he replies “I will as soon as you take me for a bike ride” gently but firmly clarify that you’ll consider his request after he’s finished tidying up.
• Teach better manners. – Explain the distinction between an impolite way of speaking and an acceptable way of asking.
• Make him take “no” for an answer. – Don’t get dragged into a discussion. Let your child know a subject is closed by saying “ Enough’ or holding up your palm. Show your children you mean what you say. Manipulation loses its appeal if they know you won’t change your mind.

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