1. Listen. Get the facts right. Ask your child to tell you the whole story - do not interrupt. Listen to the entire spiel, all the time, figuring out what happened, the kids involved, when the teasing began and the most important - why your child was teased. If it turns out that it is harmless, then monitor how your child keeps reacting to the teasing - if it does not stop, that is where you can offer some advice on more effective methods.

2. Strategy. Talk about a range of different bully-proof strategies with your child and help him/her choose a few they are comfortable with. The most successful ones include:

- Being assertive. Teach your child that an eye for an eye is not the best way to solve the problem. Instead, teach him to stand up to the bully and use a firm voice asking the bully to stop. “I want you to stop bullying me” or “Why would you say something like that?”
- Agreement. Help your child to come up with statements that agree with teasing statements put across by the bully. After a while, the bully might just get tired of it and leave your child alone.
- Ignore. This is the best way to deal with teasing. Teach your child to act nonchalant and look uninterested.
- Reply. Showing that you will not let the bullying get to you, is one way of telling the bully to back off. Teach your kid to reply every tease, such as if the bully says “you are an idiot” - your child could say, “Ya, so?” or “Oh thanks!”

3. Practice. Once you and your child have settled on a technique, then practice it as many times as your child wants, and until he/she is comfortable with it. Make sure you instill in your child that he/she should stay calm through the entire confrontation.

Playroom theme
Choosing your child’s favorite cartoon as a theme is always a popular choice - and this could mean a pink room for a Barbie lover or even a bright yellow Sponge Bob room. Keep in mind though, that your children’s taste is bound to change quite frequently, so choose wisely, or simply opt for a neutral color on the wall. This is a better choice, especially if the room is going to be shared by two or more children.

Personalize the room with pillows, posters, rugs and other knickknacks that go with your child’s favorite cartoon characters or whatever they like, be it airplanes or balloons. You can do the walls up with their paintings, hang up a few photographs - do whatever you like.

Furnishings
Keep it absolutely simple. Playrooms for children do not need anything ornate or decorative. Just make sure there is a bookshelf that your child can reach as well as a table and chair for them. A bean bag or a nice big rug will make up their play space on the floor.

Toys
Choose toys and other things that your child is interested in, not what interests you. Here are a few things that could be considered essential:

-Books
-A box of old, funky clothes to play ‘dress up’
-Puzzles
-Blocks
-Dolls
-Cars
-Board games
-Art supplies such as crayons, paint, paper, glue, etc.
-Clay

First of all, handling two children might be a bit too much to cope with at the beginning. Try to organize yourself before the second baby is born. Once it is, keep in mind, just like the last time, the time you have is going to fly by, sleeping and eating is going to change rapidly every day - while a lot of other things that will change will also depend on your older child.
Keep in mind that since you also have to care for your older child, you will get tire a lot faster than expected. The first two months after the baby is born is going to be very tiring and very demanding. It is during this time that you should work out a feeding and sleeping schedule for your infant while also checking in on your older child’s needs and emotions.

Helping Your First Child Adjust

- Let the older child pick out stuff for the new baby room.
- Find a toy that belongs to your older child that he might like to share with his new brother/sister.
- Perhaps you could get your older child a special chair he can sit on while you feed the baby.
- Special time with just you and your older child is very important, even if it means a trip to the grocery store. At these times, your partner can take over the baby.
- Read stories, play games and watch movies that will help your first born understand the new addition to the family.
- Prepare your child for the change. Explain that the new baby will cry a lot and sleep a lot and needs a lot of attention. Assure him/ her that even though the new baby will be around, you will still have time for him and that you love him.
- Give your older child a bit of responsibility as the ‘big’ brother/sister.
- During the arrival of the new baby, try not to change too many things in your older child’s life. Keeping things the way they used to be will help in a big way.

-Use a soft toy or doll and demonstrate how potty training works. Explain how he needs to sit on the potty, etc. Praise the doll on doing everything right; which in turn will make your child want to do it right as well. It might take a few times until your child gets it right - be patient!

-The potty you use for your child should fit just right. Make sure it is not too big or small for him, because you want your child to be comfortable.

-Make a potty chart and award a star for every time your child goes to the potty in the toilet. Work out your own rewards system. Perhaps, you can buy him a big present like a tricycle, a pet fish or anything once he reaches 100 stars.

-Getting your son to ‘do it the way daddy does’ can be difficult. Try turning it into a game of sorts. A few Cheerios in the potty and get him to aim when he pees. Reward him every time he gets it right.

Here are a few items that MUST be included your child’s meals in order to ensure a ‘balanced diet’:

- Bread, rice, pasta and other such starchy foods
- Fruit and vegetables - the more they eat, the better
- Protein-rich food - fish, meat, eggs, lentils, beans
- Yoghurt, milk, cheese and dairy products - ensure that these are consumed daily

Here are the most essential vitamins and minerals that your child should be getting in his/her meals everyday:

Vitamin C - Synthesizing collagen and blood vessels, brain functions, effective antioxidant, iron absorption

Vitamin A - Healthy skin, teeth, production of pigment in the retina of the eye - good eyesight, antioxidant

Vitamin D - Absorption of calcium into the body Sunlight

Iron - Formation of blood cells which aid the transportation of oxygen in the body

Folate - Production of new cells

Essential Fatty Acids (EFA’s) - Efficient functioning of the brain, mental health, functions of the immune system Oily fish, Flax oil
Calcium - Formation of bones and teeth, regulation of muscle contraction, assistance towards normal clotting of blood

Fibre - Healthy bowel movement patterns

Water - Prevents dehydration and constipation

Scientifically speaking, all varieties of plastic are polymers. Modern plastics companies almost exclusively use synthetic polymers these days, although organic polymers also exist and were important in the early days of plastic’s history. A polymer is essentially a molecule in the form of a long chain, made up of smaller building blocks that are referred to as monomers. A polymer that is formed of only one type of monomer is referred to as a homopolymer. Polyethylene and PVC (polyvinyl chloride) are two very common types of homopolymers.

Plastics are not the only type of polymer that we use. Rubbers (often referred to as elastomers in today’s market) are also considered polymers.

Now is the time to put a stop to it. Not only does it stress you out, but also your children. Eliminating this issue will not only keep your mornings stress free but also help your children understand that they are not mature enough to make such decisions.

First, re-organize your child’s cupboard and ensure that t-shirts, shoes, jeans, and other accessories are easily accessible. Next, start a routine and make sure you stick to it. Do not even consider letting your child make clothing decisions as it is just not a good plan. Choose your kid’s clothes the night before and do not change your mind the next morning. Keep everything ready for the next morning, all ironed and wrinkle-free.
If getting your child dressed is another difficult task, perhaps you can tell them that they can have some ‘play’ time if they get dressed on time every morning. This should be initiative enough to get them to stick to your schedule.

This is the opportunity for you to exercise your control as a parent. If you do and your child respects that, then things will get much easier around the house. You can keep making choices concerning your child’s clothing until you think they are old enough to make them on their own.
You can occasionally let your child perhaps wear her favorite pink T-shirt on Monday, but instill in him/her that the final decision is always yours. This is also a great way to teach them to color coordinate and match accessories as well.

Explain to your child, which days of the week will include him being in childcare. You could even use a calendar to show him the days you work, which would then be the days he would be at the day care center.
Try reading or watching programs about childcare. You might be able to find one that explains what a day at a childcare center is like, while others also address children’s feelings about being away from home and their parents.

Remember, that you also must be prepared. It is important that you choose a good childcare center for your son or daughter. Meet the workers there and ensure that they will treat your child well and be attentive to their needs.

Before your child’s first day at the childcare center, here are a few things you should do:

-Visit the childcare center with your child. Give him a little tour of the place.

-Show him where the other children eat, take a nap and play.

-Give him some time with his childcare provider. You could also invite him/her home so your child can get to know him/her.

-Another method of acclimatizing your child to the change would be to invite one of the children at the childcare center for a ‘play’ session with your child. This way, the first day will not be so bad.

Caring for children in a uniform manner is not sufficient. Guidelines on how to best take care of a child do exist, as do those that refer to different levels of care, depending on the different stages of development. These are merely guidelines, to assist parents and care providers in understanding children better while helping them towards development in all aspects of their lives.

Listed below are guidelines which focus on developmental appropriateness:

1. Age appropriateness - deals with growth and change which take place in children during the early stages of their lives

2. Individual appropriateness - each child has their own growth patterns and timing.

Developmentally appropriate care for infants and toddlers

The environment is the initial channel through which infants and toddlers learn basic things. By interacting with adults, their sense of trust is built. Adults who are consistently around the child must spend ample time with them, playing, talking to them and holding them. It is the adult who is an infant’s primary teacher. Simple things like toilet training, dressing, feeding must be taught, and the child must be allowed to carry out these tasks by themselves when ready.

Toddlers need a fair amount of resources to learn new things. Music, pictures, games are important towards their development as is space for them to run around and explore. Reading aloud to them and teaching them new words helps improve their language.

Developmentally appropriate care for three to five year olds
Blocks, puzzles, toys, story-telling are all ideal learning activities for three year olds. This will help enhance their language skills, motor skills and movement.

Four year olds are able to identify colours, shapes and objects. They will enjoy little projects like cutting paper, pasting, colouring, etc.
The memory and motor skills in five years olds are constantly developing, so adults must be willing and amiable to listen to them, encourage them on and build confidence.

Perhaps you could try a mock gift-giving session with your child to ascertain what a likely response could be. Try different situations with a range of gifts asking the child what he would say. Trying taking him through possibilities such as getting a gift he already has, getting something he does not like and getting something he really likes. Help him with what he should say and should not. Your child’s comments sometimes can be somewhat embarrassing and sound rude and thoughtless. Remember: do not correct your child in front of others. This can be embarrassing for him. In the case of an impolite comment, take him aside and correct him privately. Point out the error and suggest something he could say to his ‘gift giver’.

After all this, if you child still is not aware that his comments are rude, this could be that you are not training him often enough. With children, once is just not enough. Make an extra effort to carry out constant training about manners and how to react politely in different situations.