Toddlers: Parenting

We all want to be better parents, but don't always know how. In this area we've collected some great parenting articles, as well as articles on childcare and parent-child activities. The articles in this section are for toddlers (ages 1 to 3) For all of our articles on parenting, visit: Parenting

Our rating system for these Parenting articles is:

• - Best, in depth and most helpful overall
• - Very Good, but more specific in focus
• - Good reference material

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	Child Care Safety Checklist for Parents and Child Care Providers U.S. Consumer Protection Agency (CPSC) reports have shown that many children have been injured in child care settings. Here's a good checklist to help you to evaluate the safety of a child care situation.
	Discipline Without Disgrace The most effective method to help children gain a sense of responsibility for their behavior is to engage them in problem-solving. This article describes how parents can better discipline their children by turning the 5 "R's" (resentment, resistance, recalcitrance, rigidity, and revenge) into the 5 A's - agreeable, assisting, amenable, adaptable, and accountable that are characteristic of responsibility.
	Help! It's Another Tantrum This is a wonderful and insightful article that will help parents understand and cope with the various types of tantrums that young children go through.It is unique in that it described 3 types of tantrums and what parents should do.
	Selecting a Child Care Facility With a Safe Playground There are many options to choose from when selecting child care. There is a lot that goes into the decision, yet one thing that can get overlooked is ensuring the playground area is made as safe as possible. This article offers parents helpful information regarding playground safety when parents are selecting child care facilities.
	Emergency Illness And Injury Procedures When parents enroll their child, they should provide child care provider with the contact information and consent that they will need if there is an emergency involving that child. A sample "Child Care Emergency Contact Information and Consent Form" is included in this section, along with first aid measures one should take under different situations.
	I Want It My Way! Problem-Solving Techniques with Children Two to Eight An excerpt from I Want It My Way! by Sue Dinwiddie, a book containing problem-solving techniques with children two to eight. It teachs problem-solving skills from a skilled facilitator with young children. This book contains effective strategies to deal successfully with about children's quarrels, group problems, adult-child problems, and conflicts of developmentally young children. It also has over 15 real-life episodes from child care professionals to help you hone your skills.
	Early Childhood Activity Calendar This 1997-1998 Early Childhood Activity Calendar is from the U.S Department of Education and is filled with helpful tips and special activities that promote reading and language skills for young children.
	Nutrition and Foods Brought from Home - The ABCs of Safe and Healthy Child Care Parents and childcare providers must know the proper food safety, nutrition and food handling guidlelines. This will ensure that children in a childcare enviroment will have safe food and will receive proper nutrition.
	Summertime Funtime Activities A new activity for you to do with your child each day during the summer - they're fun, educational and can be done with children of all ages!
	Emergency Illness And Injury Procedures When parents enroll their child, they should provide child care provider with the contact information and consent that they will need if there is an emergency involving that child. A sample "Child Care Emergency Contact Information and Consent Form" is included in this section, along with first aid measures one should take under different situations.
	How to Teach Your Children Discipline Children have to be taught discipline. They are not born with it. Little by little parents have to teach it to them. While teaching discipline does take time and practice, it gets easier as children learn to control their own behavior. And best of all, teaching discipline does not have to hurt either the parents or the kids. This is a great article, filled with answers to commonly asked questions and contains many helpful suggestions for parents.
	Life as a Parent This is an excellent introduction to the world of parenthood. It provides a light, common sense approach to parenting and gives good advice for each phase that your child will pass through.
	Positive Discipline How do young children learn self-control, self-help, ways to get along with others, and family and school procedures? Such learning occurs when parents and teachers of infants, toddlers, or preschoolers are continuously involved in setting limits, encouraging desired behaviors, and making decisions about managing children. Read this article to learn more about how to do this!
	The Super Sitter In this guide written for use by your baby sitter, you'll find a wealth of information, checklists and safety tips. It was prepared by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission and is a must have article for all parents. If your sitter doesn't already have this article, give it to him or her.
	Helpful Information for You and Your Baby Sitter Contains a checklist for parents, and a form for parents to complete and give to their babysitter.
	Helping Your Child Learn Responsible Behavior Our children deserve to learn important lessons from us and to acquire important habits with our help. They need help in learning what matters to us. We want our children to grow up to be responsible adults. This is a great booklet, filled with ideas, advice and activities for kids of all ages.
	So You Want to Be a Foster Parent? Foster parenting will change your life-style. This touching article describes the challenges and rewards of foster parenting.
	High-quality child care: Luxury option or standard equipment? To ensure all children receive the kind of care and education they need to thrive, early childhood programs and centers must fully meet criteria of high quality. The author reminds us that 'option packages' do not exist when it comes to a high-quality early childhood education.
	When babies and toddlers are in child care, accreditation is a key to quality New research on brain development underscores the importance of the first few years of life for children's development and learning. New studies also confirm that when very young children are in child care, quality matters. With roughly half of all children younger than age 3 regularly participating in non-parental care arrangements, the quality of these settings is even more critical.
	First Vaccine for Chickenpox A healthcare reminder - the Food and Drug Administration licensed a new vaccine, Varivax (varicella virus vaccine live). Commonly known as the chickenpox vaccine, it will prevent the typical cases of itchy, uncomfortable, week-long rashes and mild fevers, and the rarer cases of serious illness caused by the virus.
	Parents As Partners In Children's Learning Parents and teachers may look at young children's learning from different perspectives, but they share a common goal: making sure that children receive the best possible education. Mutual respect and communication between programs and families takes advantage of both perspectives to provide children with the kind of care and education that will help them thrive.
	Biters: Why They Do It and What to Do About It Although biting isn't "abnormal" in the sense that one out of ten toddlers and two-year-olds does it, it is a disturbing and potentially harmful behavior that parents and educators must discourage from the very first episode.
	The Debate over Spanking Spanking is one of the most controversial discipline methods. On one side of the debate are parents who believe it is all right to spank their children. On the other side are those who think that children should never be spanked. Somewhere in the middle are parents who believe that spanking should only be used in particular instances. This digest explores some of the reasons for spanking, examines the effectiveness of spanking, and suggests alternative discipline methods.
	Early Childhood Violence Prevention This Digest focuses on preventing violence in children's lives and suggests ways caregivers, parents, and teachers can reduce the damaging effects of violence.
	How Can Parents Model Good Listening Skills? Adults, parents, and teachers set a powerful example of good or poor communication. Parents and teachers who listen to their children with interest, attention, and patience set a good example. This article is filled with suggestions and advice to help parents develop better listening skills, so they can better communicate with their children.
	Setting Limits: Steering Down the Rocky Road of Childrearing Is your child pushing the limits? Are you unsure of how strict or lenient you should be in responding to your child? Rest assured, you are not alone. This very good article first describes several different parenting styles and then provides many useful methods and suggestions to help you if your children are continually trying to test you and the boundaries that you establish.
	Tips For Shopping With Your Child Here is a good article to help over stressed parents know what to do in the store to help children behave...without spanking, hitting, or yelling.
	Tracking Down Quality Child Care Can Be Time Consuming and Expensive In this informative article from The Bradenton Herald, you'll learn about finding quality child care. It includes a good list of helpful tips.
	Effective Parenting Styles - Why Yesterday's Models Won't Work Today Have you considered whether your parenting style was better suited to yesterday than to preparing your child for the twenty-first century? This article describes three different parenting styles and explains which one is best for today's changing world.
	Developmental Considerations Concerning Children's Grief This chart, from the SIDS Foundation of Washington, outlines by age category, the developmental considerations concerning children's grief. It will help parents realize what a child understands about death and grief, how children respond and what interventions a parent should take.
	Escherichia (E.) coli In The Child Care Setting Escherichia (E.) coli bacteria are found in the digestive tracts of most humans and many animals. Usually, these infections are harmless and may even be beneficial. Not all E. coli are alike and, in a few cases, illness may result from infection with particular strains. One strain, E. coli O157:H7, causes one of the most serious digestive tract infections in the United States.
	The Grief of Children One of the most difficult tasks following the death of a loved one is discussing and explaining the death with the children in the family. This task is even more distressing when the parents are in the midst of their own grief. This article, from the SIDS Foundation of Washington, will help parents understand how children express grief, and it provides specific ways that parents can help grieving children.
	Listening is a core competency for communication and for relationships Listening is such an important skill for both parents and for children to learn and to continually improve upon. This article will help you understand more the importance of listening and it provides some activities for you to do to improve your listening skills.
	How does infant and toddler care measure up? The Child Outcomes in Child Care Centers Study measured the details of quality of early childhood programs around the country. The study's results helps practitioners take an objective look at how well they are meeting the needs of the children in their care. Here are their findings related to infant and toddler programs.
	Planning Ahead for Holiday Expenses The holiday season is approaching, and you know that often means increased spending. There never seems to be enough money for the things you want to buy, and every year you try to figure out how to pay for your purchases. The key to overcoming these holiday blues is to plan ahead and prepare for the expenses that come with the holiday season.
	Young and Old Together Young children may have misconceptions about older people and they may dislike them, feel sorry for them, or fear them in general. But it's important for children to feel good about their elders if they are to learn to appreciate people different from themselves and accept and understand the fact that they will get older someday. When children are happy and secure with themselves, they will be ready to take on each new stage of life.
	Illnesses and Child Care Illness, young children, and child care are facts of life. Young children get sick more frequently than adults because their immune systems can not fight disease as well. Considering the large number of children in child care, both parents and child care providers must learn to recognize whether children should attend child care, or stay at home.
	Ready or not...Preparing young children for the classroom Just when you've settled into the routine of the school year, it's time to think ahead to next year. With many preschools and kindergartens now taking applications for next fall, parents may find themselves asking: Will my child be ready? Will he measure up?
	Plain Talk About...Dealing with the Angry Child Handling children's anger can be puzzling, draining, and distressing for adults. In fact, one of the major problems in dealing with anger in children is the angry feelings that are often stirred up in us. It has been said that we as parents, teachers, counselors, and administrators need to remind ourselves that we were not always taught how to deal with anger as a fact of life during our own childhood.
	Ten Ways Fathers Can Contribute to their Children's Health Dr. Joseph Garcia-Prats, neonatologist at Texas Children's Hospital and himself a father of ten sons, stresses that fathers need to realize there are more aspects to their children's well-being than medical health.
	Fatherhood - It's About Time As Father's Day approaches, many men are reflecting on how they can be better fathers. This article gives fathers suggestions on achieving balance between work and family and talks about how that requires more than just scheduling.
	Low-Cost Ways to Educate Children on Money Management Financial planners, parenting professionals and family advisors everywhere are touting the need to educate children on financial facts of life. This article provides some practical suggestions and ideas to teach children how to manage money.
	Substance Exposed Infants and Children The problems associated with prenatal substance abuse are increasing and have serious implications for the future educational needs of the children and families affected. Services, programs, and strategies that have been developed in the field of special education will have a role to play in meeting their needs.
	The Only Child Popular thinking often paints an unflattering picture of only children, portraying them as self-centered, attention-seeking, dependent, and temperamental. Despite these negative stereotypes, smaller families in general--and the one-child option--are growing in popularity.
	Holiday Survival Tips Kathy McKinless, mother of four and one of the first women to become partner at worldwide professional services firm KPMG, offers tips for working mothers on how to handle work and home during the busy holidays.
	Tips for Parents on How to Have a Positive Impact on Gift-Giving to Kids Five scientists whose research has contributed to major biomedical advances offer parents tips on how they can make a more positive impact with the gifts they give their children. They had unique ideas, but one thing they all agreed on -- whatever else you give your kids, make sure you give them your time.
	Infant Child Care Close to half of all mothers of children under one year of age are now working outside of their homes. Their children are cared for by relatives, by in-home caregivers, and in family day care homes and centers. This has raised many issues about the effect of such care on the long term development of these children. This research article addresses these issues and provides a list of additional references for future reading.
	Building Self-Esteem Children with low self-esteem often feel like they're drowning in an ocean of inadequacy. This article will help parents improve the self-esteem of their children and it is the fourth in a series of articles from the Feingold Association. The helpful information here applies to all children, not just those who have attention deficit disorder (ADD).
	Infant Day Care: The Critical Issues Parents often agonize over the decision about care for their infants. This article discusses the development of attachment (between mother and child), the effects of early separations, parent characteristics and family circumstances that may contribute to insecurity, and the potential benefits of secure attachment to a caregiver. It also discusses infant care quality and the debate on infant attachment.
	Why Are Books Such as Everyone Poops Bestsellers? All the books focus on various aspects of the human body and human body by-products, and they are written for preschool children. Some hope that openly talking about and acknowledging these by-products may make them less of a source of embarrassment or giggles once kids enter school. Parents report using Everyone Poops when they are helping their child make the transition from diapers to using the toilet.
	How Can We Strengthen Children's Self-Esteem? Most parents want their young children to have a healthy sense of self-esteem. Experts generally agree that parents and other adults who are important to children play a major role in laying a solid foundation for a child's development. The points in this article may be helpful in strengthening and supporting a healthy sense of self-esteem in your child.
	Pediatricians Respond to Media Reports on Discipline The American Academy of Pediatrics clarifies its position on discipline for children and teens. This article describes alternatives to physical punishment, such as time-outs, as preferable means of discipline.
	Child Care Consumer Education on the Internet Child care consumer education provides helps parents choose the best possible care for their children. This article will help parents use the Internet to access an enormous amount of useful information.
	Look Beyond the Obvious for Telltale Signs of Child Abuse The eyes may be the window to the soul, but the face offers the most telling glimpse behind the closed doors of child abuse. In a comprehensive study of 371 children who were suspected of being abused, injuries to the head and face accounted for 28% of 892 soft-tissue injuries.
	Aggression and Cooperation Aggression and cooperation represent two critical features in the child's social domain. Both have important roots in early family interactions, both are responsive to adult expectations and values, and both can be responsive to environmental factors. This article discusses how these features develop and what parents and caregivers can do to reduce aggression and encourage cooperation in toddlers and in preschool children.
	An Important Bond: Your Child and Caregiver Have you ever seen a child cling to a caregiver when his parents arrive to pick him up at a child care center? How about a child who greets her parents happily then returns to her activity, in no rush to go home? While such close attachments to caregivers and child care settings may make some parents initially uneasy, these bonds are an important part of children's development and learning. Working together, parents and caregivers can ensure that children see their educational settings as safe places where adults other than their parents support and care for them.
	Free Information Resource Helps Grandparents Should you have questions or concerns about this new role of grandparenting, the MetLife Consumer Education Center has developed "Becoming a Grandparent," an educational brochure designed to refresh your memory about the basics of child rearing, and help you understand some of the difficulties you may encounter.
	National PTA Reaches Consensus on TV Ratings The National PTA, accompanied by leaders from other child advocacy organizations, said in a meeting at the White House today that it supports a newly-revised television rating system. The system was developed in conjunction with the television industry.
	Grandparent Programs Grandparents can feel overwhelmed or ignored, depending on the role they play in their grandchildren's lives. In today's society, an increasing number of grandparents find themselves responsible for raising their children's children. To meet the needs of grandparents raising their grandchildren, programs, organizations, and support groups have been developed and are available across the country. These organizations provide many resources, ranging from legal information to coping skills.
	Learning Partners -- Being Responsible This article highlights activities and stories which can help us teach our kids to be responsible.
	CPSC and Pampers Parenting Institute Announce Joint Grandchild Safety Campaign The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) and the Pampers Parenting Institute are joining together to offer important safety and child nurturing tips to grandparents. With millions of children getting set to visit their grandparents' homes over the holidays, they unveiled a free booklet, "A Grandparents Guide for Family Nurturing and Safety." which is also available on-line. The easy-to-read booklet contains critical information on child development as well as potentially life saving safety advice to help grandparents kid-proof their homes and protect grandchildren, from newborns to five-year-olds.
	National Child Care Association Urges Parents to Carefully Screen and Select Child Care Ask working parents to name the most important decision they've made about their child's welfare, and one answer will surface time and again: Choosing a quality child care provider. Licensed child care providers are working to ensure parents are asking the right questions -- and using the right criteria -- to select quality care for their children.
	What Should Young Children Be Learning? Recent research on intellectual and social development and learning is rich in implications for curriculum and teaching strategies for early childhood education. The data on children's learning suggests that preschool and kindergarten experiences require an intellectually oriented approach in which children interact in small groups as they work together on projects which help them make sense of their own experience.
	Study Finds: Mothers Are Worth $508,700! Your Mother may be priceless to you, but in today's job market she's worth over $500,000 per year, according to an Edelman Financial Services Inc. study of the many possible occupations that a typical mother might hold during the year.
	First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton Joins CPSC to Release Child Care Safety Checklist First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton joined U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) Chairman Ann Brown today to kick off a national campaign to alert parents and caregivers to safety hazards in child care settings.
	Tips to Make Moving a Positive Experience for Children Every year, approximately 6 million kids across America move into new neighborhoods and cities. Despite the reassurances of parents, children often harbor fears of leaving friends and familiar surroundings. Here are 10 tips to help the sometimes stressful moving process go smoothly for families.
	A Reminder to Parents From the IRS The Internal Revenue Service encourages parents to get ready for the upcoming tax filing season early by obtaining taxpayer identification numbers (TINs) from their day-care providers and making sure their dependents have social security numbers.