Teach Your Baby to Spell

Let's face it; babies have some amazing brain development happening the first five years of life. The things they learn in those early years are nothing short of fantastic. They go from doing practically nothing to crawling, walking, and running, then babbling, saying a few words, and by two years old are usually speaking full sentences. It is almost as though they learn all these things on accident. However if we understand how babies learn, we can teach them much more on purpose.

I know of many babies that can read, and I know of others that can spell. It is not hard to give your baby some simple spelling lessons. If you use alphabet toys, such as blocks, magnetic letters or foam bathtub letters, this happens naturally.

By playing with letters and telling your baby what the words you form say, you are teaching your baby to read. You can simply teach your baby to spell by pointing to each letter and naming them when you form words. If you make alphabet play a part of your routine, your baby will easily be able to spell out their name and many other words in no time.

Children that are taught to sign as babies naturally learn spelling because there are words that are finger spelled. When we spell out many words, they can be spoken like a chant, making their spelling easy to remember. My children learned to spell their names and all the names of their family members from an early age. They heard this being done repeatedly and learned to spell many words with no effort.

There are little chants to help children spell words such as Mississippi and encyclopedia. These are fun to do with children of all ages. We can encourage our children to be great spellers by just making word play a fun part of our day. You can have magnetic letters and play around with names of family members on the refrigerator. You can progress from there to rhyming words and names of objects around the house.

Teaching babies to spell in this way is simple and fun to do.

Krista Guerrero is the founder of Intellectual Baby, LLC, a Florida based company that produces and distributes educational products for babies. The product line includes, DVD's, flash cards, toys, books, and more. Its founder, Krista Guerrero, taught her son to read as an infant. Having taught reading for many years, she discovered that babies are capable of learning to read easier and faster than school-aged children. Her proven techniques have been incorporated into the "Monki See Monki Doo" system. To get your free report "How to Have a Smarter Baby", visit http://www.intellbaby.com/babies-can-read.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Krista_Guerrero

When to Take Your Baby to the Hospital

My husband and I are obtaining all of the our minimum baby necessities we found necessary. He looked over our list and goes 'a thermometer? We don't absolutely need that immediately, will we?' His theory was, the temperature taken using our hands will probably be as telling as the temp that was taken with a thermometer.

I made him comprehend the reality that 'no way is a hand good enough!'. It is not remotely accurate enough to utilize the sense of touch as the only way to measure. You (and we) should have a thermometer from the start; as you never ever know whenever your infant will become sick. However, I then asked myself... now I have the thermometer, precisely what do I do next?

So I did my research and here are several danger warning signs that signify the need for a trip to the hospital...

1. body temperature of 100.4° Fahrenheit (38° C) or larger in infants younger than 2 months.
2. Lack of fluids (crying with no tears, sunken eyes, a depression in the fontanel, no urination in 6 or 8 hours).
3. Dry mouth and tongue.
4. Cool or clammy face, body temp under 98.6°.
5. In the event the fontanel bulges when your baby's quiet and upright.
6. Lethargic behavior.
7. Has a stiff neck.
8. Accelerated or unusual breathing (contact 911 if the infant has inhaling and exhaling difficulty and starts turning blue or purplish around the mouth or lips).
9. Abnormal throwing up, forceful or a lot, and / or incapable of hold liquids down.
10. Blood in vomit or excrement (poop).
11. Greater than 7 diarrhea stools in 8 hours.

If you notice anything alarming or out of the ordinary do not become nervous to get a hold of your health professional first, rather than running for the hospital. If you go straight to the Hospital you could risk getting unnecessary treatments.

An example is from a memory of me going to the e.r. when I was just 17 years old, throwing up from an incapacitating (level 10) kind of agony. Afterwards it turned out I had gallstones. The ER idiots, when I was done through my painful ordeal, recommended to me Prilosec. The med is for acid reflux. Those people tried treating a potentially deadly case of gallstones using antacids. This is why I would want to speak to my primary doctor and you should too.

If signs appear fairly 'normal' to your doctor, you may prevent the needless aggravation of the waiting room and paper work.

If you call the doctor or hospital, have the following info recorded as well as handy before you decide to calling.

• Your son's or daughter's temperature and the time the fever originated.
• Medicines you have given him/her, what time that it was administered first, last administered, as well as in between.
• When and what they last ate and drank.
• When they lasted soiled their diaper.
• How much and how often of vomiting or diarrhea.
• Other applicable signs and symptoms you detected.

Who ever you talk to will have more questions for you. Just stay calm! Your child being sick is not a reflection of your parenting skills.

http://www.onmaternitybelts.com/maternity-belts-articles/

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Teach Your Baby to Read But Don't Make This Mistake

When parents consider teaching their children to read, they usually make this one huge mistake. If parents can avoid this one mistake, there children will be able to read much faster and easier. It requires little time to teach your child to read, if you follow this advice.

First of all, when you set out to teach a child to read, the earlier you start, the better. By this, I don't mean starting at 5 years old instead of 6 years old. What I am saying is that research has proven that the younger you teach a child to read, the easier they learn to read, the more efficiently they learn to read, and they intuit the rules of language on their own.

This means that parents don't need to teach reading by a set of rules. They don't have to start with the ABC's and then learn the sounds of the letters. They don't need to teach long and short vowels and consonant digraphs. This means that parents can jump right in and just teach words.

While this is not the best way to teach a 5 or 6 year old how to read, this is an excellent way to teach young children and babies how to read. They are able to learn the patterns of the language and the rules of the language by being exposed to it. All that parents need to do to teach babies how to read is to read them words that are large enough for them to see without straining.

This is quite a revelation! This means that parents can teach their babies to read effortlessly in their first years of life. So what age is the best age to begin teaching a baby to read in this manner? The answer is around 3 or 4 months of age. While you think your baby is not capable of doing much, you can be teaching your baby how to read!

Babies under 6 months are pretty stationary, not moving about a whole lot. This is a perfect time to kick off a reading program for your baby. You can begin showing words to your baby and teaching them to read. By the timer thy are 1 year old, they will know hundreds or thousands of words, and they will have learned many of the phonetic patterns, allowing them to read words they have never been exposed to.

When children are taught to read as babies, they are given a strong start in life and avoid struggling in school. After all, children that struggle to read struggle with school, since school involves good reading skills to succeed.

The biggest mistake parents can make when teaching their children to read, is too wait too long to start. Babies can learn to read, why not start today, when it is effortless for them to learn to read?

Krista Guerrero is the founder of Intellectual Baby, LLC, a Florida based company that produces and distributes educational products for babies. The product line includes, DVD's, flash cards, toys, books, and more. Its founder, Krista Guerrero, taught her son to read as an infant. Having taught reading for many years, she discovered that babies are capable of learning to read easier and faster than school-aged children. Her proven techniques have been incorporated into the "Monki See Monki Doo" system. To get your free report "How to Have a Smarter Baby", visit http://www.intellbaby.com/babies-can-read.html

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Krista_Guerrero

Teach Your Baby to Read With Homemade Books

Homemade books are my favorite way of teaching babies to read. I do use all the methods mentioned here, but I find books to be very versatile and fun to make. Books are a wonderful way to supplement your reading program. They are easy to flip through and they are durable.

Materials Needed to Make Homemade Books

In order to make books you will need:

White 8 1/2 x 11-inch copy paper.

A non-toxic red or black marker.

Pictures from magazines or printed from the Internet.

Clear, plastic sheet protectors.

A soft 3-ring folder.

Word list.

How to Make Books

When you make books for your child, you want to be sure to keep the word separate from the image. You will do this by writing the word on one piece of copy paper landscape style. I tend to use black markers when I make my books. This is because most books are written in a black font, and black font is easier to read when you have more than one word. Either color works, so use either one. Always follow the rule to keep plenty of white space around the word. Next, you will tape your picture on a new piece of copy paper.

A soft 3-ring folder will act as your cover and is able to hold between 30 -40 pages. You can create books that have around 15-20 words followed by 15-20 pictures. You will place them in the binder; word then picture, word then picture. You can even write the word book on the front cover in black marker.

You may want to give your book a title if you created it around a certain theme. If it is all about animals you may want to call it "Animal Book". You do not, however, have to create the books around a theme. I have many books that contain all different kinds of words.

I like to peruse magazines and clip any pictures that are large and clearly identify what they are. Then, I write the words, tape the pictures and put together a new book in very little time.

I also have many themed books. I have books that are all about animals, food, actions and so forth. You can make books with couplets. You can also make storybooks around pictures you find. You can make books about your baby's day. Babies love to hear about themselves, so try making a book as follows.

My name is Jennifer Smith.

I am one year old.

I live in Detroit, Michigan.

I have two sisters.

I like to drink milk.

You can create a story around pictures of your baby. This is guaranteed to be one of your baby's favorite books to read.

You can create books of poetry or nursery rhymes.

You can create a family album. Take a small photo album and place the names of family members followed by a picture. Babies love these!

You can also create books using postcards and small photo albums. I have created many travel-size books using 4x6 inch index cards and small pictures or postcards. These are easy to bring along in your diaper bag and read while you are out.

Once you have your book completed, you will show it to your baby in a manner similar to the way you show flash cards. Sit down with your baby and place the book in front of you. Say each word in a joyful, upbeat voice. You can run your finger under the words as you say them to help your baby make more phonetic connections. After you say the word, quickly flip the page and look at the picture.

If your baby enjoys the pictures, you can spend more time looking at these and discussing them. Do not have your baby stare at the words. A baby must only see the word for a split second in order to learn to read, but the pictures can be savored and discussed without any adverse affects. However, you do not always need to spend a lot of time discussing the pictures. You can quickly flip through the book, just saying the words, and never comment on the picture, if necessary.

As far as books are concerned, the sky is the limit with what you can create for your child. My idea of an ideal day is to sit and create a bunch of new materials for my baby. I get so excited at all the things there are for them to learn.

Want to learn more? Click here to receive your free report, How to Have a Smarter Baby

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Tips for Getting Your Baby to Sleep

If your baby has some sleep problems, life can be very tiring. At times it seems that your baby just will not sleep, or not at any time you can enjoy some relaxation mom time. Try these approaches to help your baby fall asleep quickly and peacefully.

Play Music

Some babies will fall asleep to music playing in the background. You can experiment with playing peaceful tranquil music in the room where your baby is sleeping. Many babies like to have songs sung to them, and most of the time lullabies work. You can also try to read multiple stories or poems for your baby in a very calm voice, even if he or she is too young to understand.

Rock Your Baby

Many children feel safe when they are rocked and you know how it can soothe your baby to walk around the room while holding your baby. Many babies also fall asleep when they are walked in their carriages or when they are drove around in their infant carrier. It can be very frustrating to get your baby to sleep when there is no chance of you getting any sleep as well. But you can try putting your baby in the baby's stroller or in their infant carrier to be driven around in the car for a short drive. You can also use a crib that rocks to get your newborn to sleep but look for one that can be fixed, so that it will not be able to rock other times that you do not want it to. You do not want the rocking crib to rock when your baby moves therefore causing your newborn to get used to it always moving when he or she moves. This could cause problems later on when you would like to move your growing baby into a bed that does not rock.

Stay Calm

It is very important that you try to not pass on your anxiety about sleep to your baby. This can be really hard to do when you are desperate for your baby to go to sleep. Your baby will feel your anxiety and affiliate it with sleep or nighttime meaning your baby will become afraid to fall asleep or be scared of the dark. This may cause sleep problems that continue way into childhood and even into adulthood.

While you are trying to get your baby to sleep try making sleep a pleasant feeling and happy state to fall into and stay in by keeping yourself as calm and happy as possible. Music that you can relax with could help you with your emotional state.Consider making some changes either to the routine or to your lifestyle if the present sleep routine that you are using to get your infant to sleep is not working at all. Another alternative to try is having both parents participate in putting the baby to bed together. Other alternatives to try are changing your infant's routine of feeding, walks, daytime naps or the time that you get up in the morning. You could have an infant with a very different temperament if you try to force your baby into a routine that will only satisfy you.

If these suggestions do not help seek professional advice for your infants sleep problem. It is very important to know what is normal and what is not for your baby and to get some help for your infants sleep problem that is serious so that is does not affect your ability to care for you baby. In taking care of yourself you will be better able to take care of your baby when you are well rested.

As a mother of two children who are five and six years old I knew how tiring it was to try and get my babies to sleep. When my children were babies I tried different ways to get them to sleep. I like to help other moms by giving some tips that will help other sleep deprived moms.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Carrie_A_Stiles

5 Tips for Helping Your Baby To Talk

Getting to know your baby is a huge part of the excitement of having a child and when they start to make noises and sounds, you know it won't be long until they start to want to talk. Every child is different in terms of when they decided to start talking but by making some simple efforts to encourage them, you will likely see improved results. For a mom, waiting for a baby to start talking can be very frustrating, not only because you long to hear what they have to say, but because it can mean an end (or at least a reduction) in frustration based crying.

Lead by example

To encourage others to engage in an activity, it is important we lead by example and do that very activity ourselves. This is the same when encouraging your baby to talk. Engaging in regular conversations in front of, and with, your baby will help to encourage their interest and participation in language.

Talk is cheap

While it can be easy to get wrapped up in the sheer cuteness of your baby and start cooing and gurgling with them, talking to them in baby talk or incomplete sentences actually hinders their development. To build your child's vocabulary of the English language, research has proven that speaking in full, adult sentences will help their understanding and ongoing use of words in the future.

Encouragement is key

Like anything, having someone believe in your ability to do something is a quick motivator and support to achieve. Regularly encouraging and congratulating your baby on the sounds they make will make them feel comfortable about talking and trying out new sounds and, eventually, words.

Word Association

Building your child's connection with words through visual aids is a great way to stimulate their cognitive development. Baby products such as baby flash cards can be a fun activity that not only excite and interest your baby but help develop good understanding of sounds and words. Starting with noises, once your child's language skills start to build, you can move into words and sentences.

Building vocab

Once your baby has started to develop basic language skills, working with them to increase their vocabulary through fun games can be a great way to build upon what they've already learned. Make a Match Memory Game and other similar baby products encourage your child to start to understand relationships between certain words, sounds and images. This will help further accelerate their ability use phrases and sentences.

Dana Flannery and Angela Henderson work together to assist parents to help their children to reach vital early milestones. Angela is a clinical psychologist who sells educational toys and baby products through her online baby store.

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Helping Your Baby Take That First Step

Someday you'll be frantically chasing a runaway munchkin down the aisle at a grocery store, longing for the days when a stroller was enough to keep them contained.

For now, though, you are eagerly awaiting that first step from babyhood into toddlerhood. You're just waiting for that first real step, period!

So, what are the signs that the first toddling step forward is coming?

• Your baby will be sitting up all alone, without needing a trusty teddy bear to prop up on.
• The little tyke can stand alone, holding onto a coffee table or your pants leg.
• From sitting on the floor, your child can pull up to a standing position using said table or pants leg.

Once all three of these steps are accomplished, walking is only a matter of time!

How can you help?

You don't have to wait until the first step is imminent to begin teaching your baby some tricks that will help exercise the walking muscles.

No lazy babies!

It's not great for your little one to spend all day long lounging around on her back.

Even before she can roll over alone, you should help her onto her tummy at least a few times a day. Just a half hour each day can help her strengthen those muscles in her back and neck, building a strong core that will be ready for walking when the time comes.

Have a barrel-baby!

Nothing is cuter than a little baby barrel-rolling across the floor to get where she wants to go. This is how not-quite-crawling babies manage to explore their world, and they can go a lot farther and faster than you'd think!

This step builds even more muscles that will come in handy later, and teaches your little one to control their arms and legs. You can help by playing keep-away with a toy. Hold it just out of reach over your baby while she's lying down... when she reaches for it, move it steadily to the side, encouraging her to roll to reach it.

Have them take a seat!

Sitting up alone is just the next step toward freedom for a baby.

At first, there will need to be a pillow or a patient parent arm in place to lean on, but your baby won't need help with this one for long. You can teach your little one to get into a sitting position by pulling both hands up and helping her perform a sit-up.

Once she gets better at sitting, you can move toys around in front of her to grab at and practice leaning forward and to the sides. This is a great exercise for core-muscle building.

Play keep-away!

Another step in the game of making the baby reach out for toys is to make her reach further... as in completely out of leaning range. A favorite teddy bear sitting just out of reach will entice a tot to lunge forward, which is just almost a crawl!

Training for the marathon!

When you begin to see your little one pulling up and standing using furniture, it's time to start building some muscle in those little legs.

Holding her hands and helping her bounce, either on your legs or the floor, is a great exercise. Helping her sway and lean also helps. Be sure to show her how to sit get back down without falling...she can bend her knees to get lower and lower till the floor isn't so very far away!

Go for a cruise!

The very last step before actual walking is cruising, which is basically walking with help. Whether it's your hand or the edge of a table, most babies take first steps while holding onto something.

Encourage this practice and it will only be a matter of time till those steps are completely unaccompanied! Toys that can be pushed along are great for this stage.

Enjoy the hand-holding as you walk around like a duck, helping your child cruise around... all too soon your baby will be a walking toddler who wants to run along by herself!

Cheer for that first step!

Whether you're sitting in the floor just a bit too far from the coffee table for your little one to use it to get to you, or you sit a few feet from another helpful adult, the first steps will likely be into your encouraging arms.

Play the "Come to Me" game to get your baby away from the furniture and walls and out into the floor to come see you!

Don't Forget: As your little one becomes more mobile, you'll need to update and add child-proofing measures to keep ahead of the game!

This article is from Amy Brown, an editor of Livesnet, a site specialized in parenting tips and baby product reviews. Read her recent hot article onexpired car seats since child car seats are necessities of families and some families have difficulty in dealing with expired child car seats.

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