Infants & Preschoolers Archives
Jodi Skulley-August 27, 2009-
I can honestly say that my little boy, Jack, has been an easy baby so far. He may be busy all the time and in constant motion, but he is fairly laidback when it comes to changes in routine and environment. He made the move to baby food without any complaint. He gave up his pacifier completely on his own around 9 months. The swtich from formula to milk was a breeze. And now baby food is history and he is eating table food. That's why I assumed that moving him from a bottle to a sippy cup would be a piece of cake.
Well ... I was terribly wrong. We tried for one weekend to offer him milk in a sippy cup to see how it went. Each time, he got excited when he would see his milk but he took one drink and pushed it away. He had no desire to drink his milk in anything but a bottle. More concerned with the amount of milk he was getting then the cup, I caved each time after about 10 minutes of trying and moved the milk to a bottle.
Many of my friends told me they made the switch cold turkey. If their babies didn't take milk from the cup, they just didn't get their milk. It worked really well for them, and they made the transition within days. But I'm just not sure I'm ready for that yet. I'm not sure I can be that strong!
I am encouraged that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends making the switch to a cup by 18 months. That means that we have a little over 4 months to make the transition. We have at least made the switch to bottles with soft, sippy-cup style spouts. It's at least a step in the right direction.
So I'm curious ... how did you transition your child from a bottle to a sippy cup? What worked? What didn't work? Are their other transitions that you struggled with ... such as moving from a crib to a toddler bed? Share your tips with us and other ParentLife readers by leaving a comment!
Jodi Skulley-August 13, 2009-
I am the mother of a very busy little boy. Jack is 13 months old and is walking very well. He is constantly on the move exploring every corner of the world around him. There is never a dull moment when he is around. Needless to say we have to keep a constant eye on him.
When Jack turned 1, we went to see his pediatrician for a well-child checkup. Does anyone else stress as much as I do over the developmental surveys that you have to fill out? You know ... the ones that say Is your child pulling up on furniture? Can your child pick up finger foods using his pointer finger and thumb? (and many, many more specific questions). I agonize over each question ... wanting to answer it honestly and sometimes nervous about what my answers might mean.
I knew Jack would score very well on his motor development (as evidenced by his perpetual motion) ... however, when I got to verbal development, I was a bit concerned. I couldn't honestly say that he was saying specific words (knowing what they meant) or that he understood me when I gave simple commands. But I filled out the survey to the best of my ability and decided not to worry about it. When the pedicatrician, who is famous for being overly cautious, talked to us about the results he seemed fairly concerned ... concerned enough that he wanted to test Jack's hearing (a traumatic event for both of us). But Jack passed with flying colors (just like I knew he would), and the pediatrician decided we would wait and see how things progressed over the next three months.Since then, we have made an even bigger effort to to read to Jack as often as he will let us (he generally doesn't like to stop moving long enough to read a book) and to label all of the things in his world. Since the doctor visit, I can tell he has made progress ... especially in comprehension. If you ask him where your nose is, he can tell you without hesitation. We're still anxiously waiting on that first official word, but my mind has been set at ease for the moment.
For information about your child's language development, be sure to check out the 1 to 2 Years Growth Spurt article "Communication Counts" in the August 2009 issue of ParentLife.
Have you ever been concerned about a certain aspect of your child's development?
Jodi Skulley-July 15, 2009-
Do you have a child under 2 years old? Or are you expecting a baby in the near future? Be sure to check out BabyLife -- the special edition of ParentLife designed for expectant parents and parents with infants and toddlers. Filled with tons of practical information on what to expect in those first two years.Here are a just a few of the helpful topics included in BabyLife:
- Basic care and developmental information for 5 different stages: On the Way, Birth to 6 Months, 6 to 12 Months, 12 to 18 Months, and 18 to 24 Months
- The 3 Rs of Spiritual Formation
- Encouragement for single parents
- The benefits of routines
- 9 games to play with Baby
- The bond between grandparents and grandchildren
Be sure to check out BabyLife today!
Tell us what issues new parents care about most -- and help shape our next issue of BabyLife!
Jodi Skulley-April 28, 2009-
Are you looking for faith-based clothes for your baby or toddler?
Check out
Faith Baby (
www.faithbaby.com). Faith Baby, a Christian children's clothing Web site, promises one-of-a-kind designs to enlighten the heart and celebrate faith. Faith Baby offers high-quality clothes and gifts for babies and toddlers featuring positive messages to rejoice in God's smallest blessings.
The site offers an alternative to the recent trend of "attitude-wear" for babies by featuring positive messages of Christian faith on onesies, tees, pants and accessories with a stylish, modern sensibility.
Ideal for baby showers, birthdays, baby dedications, or simply to celebrate one's joy over the birth of a new baby, Faith Baby products are made of super-soft 100% cotton. Onesies come in a variety of colors in sizes from 3 to 6 months to 12 to 18 months. Toddler t-shirts come in four color options in sizes 2T to 4T. The new "frilly" infant pants are one-size fits most from 6 to 12 months, and will soon be available in new color variations.
Jodi Skulley-March 25, 2009-
For most first-time mothers, the prospect of caring for a newborn produces serious apprehension. For unwed teenage mothers, that sense of anxiety is multiplied exponentially. To alleviate some of that stress, The Kentucky chapter of the
Baptist Nursing Fellowship (KyBNF) developed an innovative program called
Baby Boot Camp based on the devotional book of the same title by
Rebecca Ingram Powell.
During the five-hour seminar, young mothers learn the fundamentals of infant care. Most of the participants have no idea how to care for a baby, so the first component of the program is baby basics. Under the tutelage of a professional nurse, students use lifelike dolls to learn how to hold, feed, burp, bathe, and diaper their own bundles of joy.
The second component of the program focuses on wellness. "We teach them that in order for them to be totally well, they have to be mentally well, spiritually well, and they have to be physically well. In order to take care of themselves and their babies, they have to be happy in life," says BNF President, Jessica Childers.
At the end of the day the new mother's get a big surprise ... a baby shower! Each of the girls is sent home with a laundry basket overflowing with donated baby supplies. The baskets are so heavy that the girls need help carrying them out. For many of them, the generosity of strangers is overwhelming.
The Baby Boot Camp program has been a wild success. To date the KyBNF has held a dozen camps and has reached more than 100 girls and their families. In response, they have just written a "How To" guide for use by other state organizations that are interested in adopting their ministry.
Amy Hammond Hagberg is an author, speaker, radio host, wife, and mother. Amy's award-winning work has been featured in publications all around the world. Learn more at www.amyhagberg.com.
Baby Boot Camp is a very special ministry to parents in need. What ministries are you involved in or know of that relate to parenting?
William Summey-February 25, 2009-
Has your child had a big project due at school and needed your help? How much should you step in? Do you find that the majority of school projects reflect Mom's or Dad's work more than the student's?
Ouch! The truth hurts.
Why is it that we sometimes step over the boundary line and do things on our child's behalf? This tendency doesn't happen overnight. Parents often are caught in a pattern of doing things for their kids, rather than stopping to teach or coach them how to do things for themselves. The following are three guidelines for fighting this trend.
Step back. It is OK for kids to make mistakes. We sometimes forget that trial and error can be the best part of learning. We would rather step in and make things right. Or we are living vicariously through our children and take things personally when our children make mistakes.
Build in time for interruptions and teachable moments. Kids learn by asking questions, hands-on experimenting, and connecting new things with what they already know. We are sometimes too busy for our child's questions or to stop and teach a life skill. We have to fight packing our schedules so full that there is no time left for life's interruptions. Unfortunately, all too quickly the question "Dad, will you help me?" turns to "I can't do this! You'll have to do it."
Place the journey together higher than the finished product. Too many times, we focus on the end product. We want our child to make the perfect project or we must have the clothes folded a certain way or we are not happy. Resist the urge to refold those clothes or make the project the way you would have done it. Life is a journey together, so enjoy the time along the way!
Have you ever had trouble with this "doing too much" boundary? How do you discern where to draw the line?
Jodi Skulley-February 24, 2009-
It's hard to believe, but the
ParentLife team is already starting to make plans for 2010 and we need your help! We want to make sure the topics we cover are practical and helpful to your everyday life. So tell us ...
What parenting questions do you have (or hear your friends asking) related to this specific stage of parenting? Leave us a comment and let us know. Or e-mail your ideas to
parentlife@lifeway.com.
(Please include in your comment or e-mail the ages of your child/children.) We want to use this information to plan the topics we will cover in our "Growth Spurts" section in 2010.
William Summey-February 19, 2009-
My baby boy turned 5 on Tuesday! I can't believe it. It seems like it was just yesterday when
Christopher made his entrance into the world. But he was destined not to be a baby for long. Almost from the beginning he wanted to be like his big brother. Christopher walked and talked earlier, liked the shows and games his brother watched, and wanted to play sports with his bro -- no matter that Christopher is five years younger. How quickly this time has passed!
We thought about the reality of these changes as we completed an "All About Me" poster for Christopher's preschool to display on his birthday. We spent a day perusing every photo we had of Christopher to pick out our favorites
(this is one of our favs of the boys). Then came the whittling down process. We chose photos representing every year of his life and included every family member: aunts, uncles, grandparents, great-grandparents, and first cousins. Sound tiring? It was! But afterwards, we looked with amazement at how blessed we are as a family.
Of course, we celebrated Christopher's birthday in many traditional ways -- delivering cupcakes and treats to his school and opening presents between slices of pizza and video games at
Chuck E. Cheese's. We certainly made several more great family moments! But it is hard to top a poster overflowing with five years of memories. It will become a keepsake for our family, reminding us of how God has been good to us!
What about you? Share with us some of your favorite ways to celebrate birthdays and capture memories of years gone by.
Jodi Skulley-February 17, 2009-
I like to consider myself to be a laidback person, but those closest to me know I'm not. However, I've shocked myself (and many of those around me) by being a more relaxed mom than I thought I could ever be. I'd say my parenting style is fairly relaxed ... except when it comes to one topic in particular --
schedules.
A few months into
Jack's life, I become obsessed with his daily schedule. I wanted everything to be exactly the same every single day. I felt he should eat and sleep at the same times every day. It's not that I wanted to set the schedule and control every minute of his life. I was fine with letting him set the schedule. But I couldn't understand it when he didn't fall into a recognizable pattern every day. I just assumed that I must be doing something wrong.
I've read it a million times, but for some reason, it did not sink in --
Every baby is different. Some babies just don't fall into a perfect pattern like others. After a couple of exhausting months of worrying, I finally gave up. I decided to completely follow Jack's lead on a day-by-day basis. I can't tell you what a difference it made in both Jack and me! After letting go, I felt as if a burden had been lifted off my shoulders. I was able to spend less time worrying and more time enjoying every moment with Jack.
And would you believe, not long after I quit obsessing, Jack fell into a basic pattern. It's not exactly the same every day, but it's close. It would seem that my unnecessary anxiety was affecting his behavior.
What about you? Does your young child follow a schedule every day or is every day different? Are there things you find yourself worrying about unnecessarily?
William Summey-February 12, 2009-
One of my favorite parts of
Valentine's Day is helping the boys pick out their Valentine cards for school. They are not that much different than the cards I picked out as a young boy, except for the characters on the front of the cards (although I think
Scooby-Doo® has remained popular across all these years). And this year? My sons both picked out
NASCAR® cards to give to their friends!
Although Valentine's Day is about more than giving chocolate and flowers, these tokens of love still remind us of the source of unconditional love -- God. Perhaps our greatest task in parenting is to show our children unconditional love on a regular basis. If you are like me, when I am tired, frustrated, or angry, I realize that I can only love my children unconditionally with God's help. So as you open your cards and eat candy hearts, remember to give thanks to God for sending Jesus -- His greatest gift of love!
What do you plan to do this year with your kids on Valentine's Day? What are your Valentine's Day traditions?
Jodi Skulley-February 5, 2009-
Who doesn't love a child in footy pajamas? There is just something irresistible about them!
Before my son, Jack, was born, I couldn't wait to put him in cute pajamas. (See Jack to the right, exhausted after playing all day in his footy pajamas!) It didn't take long after he was born, however, to realize just how frustrating footy pajamas can be! I
almost never get footy pajamas snapped correctly the first time. It usually takes me at least two tries to get the snaps together right, especially if Jack is having a wiggly day (which is most days).
Who's with me?After over 6 months of footy-pajama frustration, I have learned a couple of things.
- First of all, I have learned to slow down. As I'm putting Jack in his pajamas, I tell myself, "Just take one snap at a time, and it should come out right." Sometimes I try to do too many things at one time and work myself into an exhausted mess. These are the days I am learning to stop, take a deep breath, and refocus. It may be a silly analogy, but I have to tell myself to take things one "snap" at a time.
- Secondly, I have learned that some everyday tasks just take more tries than others. As a parent, I certainly am not going to do everything right on the first try. It might take me several tries to figure out the best way to bathe a wiggly baby, establish a bedtime routine that works, or discover ways to make reading books a daily event. Thank goodness for second (... and third ... and fourth) chances!
Do you ever have days like this? What everyday things (like footy pajamas) have you found inspiration in?The funny thing is, my frustration does not keep me from putting Jack in footy pajamas. In fact, he spends most of his time in them!
Jodi Skulley-January 22, 2009-
Being the mother of a 5-month-old is definitely teaching me a lot of things. One of the things I have learned is that parenting can be compared to being involved in a giant guessing game.
From day one of your child's life, the guessing begins.
• Why is he crying?
• Is he wet ... hungry ... sleepy?
• Is my baby getting enough to eat?
• Should I wake him up to eat if he is asleep?
• Will I ever sleep again?
Just about the time you start to feel as if you've figured the game out, your baby moves to the next phase or shakes up a his routine and the guessing begins all over again.
• Is my baby ready to try solids?
• Is he teething and if so, what can I do to make him feel better?
• How do I get him into a consistent routine?
• Is he reaching the developmental milestones he should be?
Sometimes, guessing can be downright exhausting.
However, we can take away a couple of insights from this parenting guessing game.
1. As a new parent, there is no feeling quite like the satisfaction you feel when you finally figure out how to best meet your child's needs, even if it is only for a moment. Every correct "guess" works to build your confidence as a parent. And after a while, you are not quite as afraid of guessing wrong.
2. There is great peace in knowing that God is in control. You may feel insecure, but you can rest in the fact that ultimately, God will guide you as you care for your child. All you have to do is seek Him and trust Him.
Do you ever feel like you are playing a guessing game? Or do you have even more insight to share with ParentLife readers? Leave us a comment and tell us about it.
William Summey-January 19, 2009-
ParentLife Online is here! We are excited for the opportunity to communicate with you online. ParentLife Online will be updated daily during the week with commentary from the ParentLife staff, content that goes deeper into topics appearing in our print magazine, product reviews, and helpful links to parenting sites and the latest parenting information.
We also want to hear from you! Respond to our posts, send us ideas for articles, and submit your writing and queries to be considered for ParentLife.
Meet the Editor in Chief
Hi there! I am William Summey, the editor in chief of ParentLife. I have been working on ParentLife for 7 years, initially as editor and now as editor in chief (EIC). As an EIC, I help edit the magazine but function as team leader, helping everyone do their jobs as best they can.
I have been married to my wife, Christy, for 15 years. We have two boys, Jonathan (10) and Christopher (4).
One of my passions is to help encourage parents in their parenting journey. One of the best ways to encourage others is by being open and honest about parenting struggles and challenges. By building community, we are all stronger. I hope that our blog can be a small piece of that community for you!
What are the parenting issues you feel most strongly about? I would love to hear from you!
