by Ed Simmons

A high chair is one piece of baby furniture that you just cannot neglect. They come in really handy whether you're feeding your baby at home, or out in a restaurant (we shall cover more on this later). When investing in a chair, don't try and be stingy with money - put in a few more dollars to buy something that's going to help make feeding times more convenient.

There are just so many brands of high chair out there to choose from, and if you already have a few different chairs in mind that you like then that's great! The following tips will help you further narrow down the possibilities and choose the safest and best high chair for your baby's needs.

Baby high chairs come in 2 varieties. The foldable and the non-foldables. The high chair can be the classic wooden or a light-weight aluminum chair that can be effortlessly shifted from room to room, or stored in the boot of the family car. Their purpose? To raise the baby to table height so that so she can join the rest of the family for a meal.

There are just so many styles and brands of baby chairs available for you to choose, but rather than considering price first, you should be looking first at your baby's safety. Find out if that particular model you're looking at buying meets high safety standards (with features like 5-point safety harnesses). You'll want a comfortable and safe seat for your little one.

Since babies are naturally messy little creatures, save yourself a lot of time and hard work by buying a baby high chair that can be easily cleaned - look for those that come with dual trays which are also dishwasher-safe. The foldable chairs are also a great way you can save space if you're a young family living in a small city apartment.

While you're at it, you might like to consider also buying a portable high chair, just in case you decide to take your little one along with you for a family dinner or outing. Do not depend on restaurants to provide you with high chairs for dining. Most places will probably not have any and even if they do, you wouldn't want your baby sitting in them. These cheap chairs are not only dirty but are also very flimsy and are easy to tip over.

Portable seats or high chairs these days are fairly inexpensive and they're well worth considering. Most of the current models will allow you to hook the seat over a chair via a sling. Most importantly, the portable baby seat should be light enough so you don't strain yourself carrying around and it should also include a good height-adjustable feature.

There are certain models of portable baby seats that allow you to clip it to the table's edge. This is great as the baby can be closer to the table and the rest of the family and doesn't require the use of a chair. It can also be more sturdy compared to the chair sling models. For safety's sake, before you attach this kind of baby high chair to any table, check to make sure the table is strong enough and will not topple over.

by Elizabeth St Johns

One of the most common challenges new parents confront is getting their babies to fall asleep. Once their babies are sleeping, the challenge becomes ensuring they continue to slumber throughout the night. Most new moms and dads experience a period during which their little ones either refuse to fall asleep or wake up at odd hours, clamoring for attention. The results - for parents - is a persistent feeling of tiredness that affects their mood and alertness the following day.

Many moms and dads would be surprised to learn they're contributing to this problem. There are several blunders parents commit that make it more difficult for their infants to fall - and stay - asleep. In this article, we'll reveal the most common among them. If you are making the following mistakes, correct them and you may find it easier to get a peaceful night's rest.

Becoming Dependent On Movement To Lull Them Asleep

Riding in the back seat of a car on a long roadtrip can put anyone to sleep. Most of us can be lulled to slumber by the constant movement of a vehicle, train, or plane. Babies are similar. If you place your little one into a swing or stroller, there's a good chance she'll doze off if she's in motion. A lot of moms of dads consider this a useful tool, but it may set the stage for future difficulty.

Consider how groggy or tired you have felt following sleeping on a plane. This is because we never enter the truly deep - or REM - sleep that rests our minds. Here, too, your baby is similar. If she falls asleep as the result of motion, she is unlikely to receive the rest she needs.

Failing To Stick To A Consistent Bedtime Schedule

Infants fall into slumber more easily if they are trained to do so at a specific time each evening. Think about your own sleeping schedule. Chances are, your mind and body are attuned to a certain bedtime. When that time approaches, you become tired. This is your mind telling you that it's time to go to bed based on having consistently gone to bed at that same time in the past. Babies are even more susceptible to a bedtime schedule.

Unfortunately, a lot of moms and dads fail to recognize the importance of a consistent "lights out" time for their little ones. So they allow their infants to fall asleep on their own. Bad idea. If parents were to correct this single mistake, they would find it much easier to coax their babies to sleep.

Keeping Them Up Too Late In The Evening

In addition to keeping an inconsistent bedtime schedule, many parents allow their little ones to stay up too late. This has a larger impact on a baby's ability to sleep soundly than most moms and dads realize. Infants who go to bed too late tend to sleep less than those who go to bed earlier. Over time, this causes fatigue, which in turn, makes it more difficult for them to sleep peacefully in the future. Break the cycle and start putting your little to sleep earlier.

Making (Or Allowing) Changes To The Routine

Parents often rationalize making occasional changes to their babies' sleeping routines. For example, if your little one cries, you might decide to let her sleep in your bed once in awhile. Even though this may comfort her, it reinforces an expectation (e.g. "Mom will let me sleep in her bed") that might prove difficult to break in the future without causing sleeping issues. Remain consistent. Stick to the routine.

Many babies have difficulty falling, and staying, asleep. This problem, however, is largely encouraged by mistakes made by their parents. Avoid the above blunders and you - and your little one - will enjoy more restful sleep in the future.

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by James Kennedy

If you have to discipline a difficult child on a regular basis, you might just feel like pulling your hair right out of your head. Having to deal with a child who simply will not listen is every parent's worst nightmare. After all, you want to have a good relationship with your children. If you're constantly fighting them, it does not make for a very good relationship.

Starting early with disciplining children is an important component to long-term discipline. Even when the child is a toddler, it is important to start setting boundaries and consequences early. Children must know the consequences of an action before they take it so that they can learn self-discipline.

Allowing bad behavior to progress without doing something to stop it is only asking for trouble as the child gets older. Although children are known for testing their parents' patience, difficult children like to watch for your reactions. If you react with a lot of drama and excitement, the child will do things to try to get that reaction out of you over and over. This is why remaining calm is the best way to discipline the difficult child.

If you have a child who becomes physical with punching or kicking, it is easy to become angry and violent yourself. However, this is not a reasonable reaction to the situation and can make it worse as your child becomes older and stronger. Lecturing, criticizing and making threats do not work on a difficult child. The more you become excitable, the more dramatic they will become as it spirals out of control.

Parents should know that when they are trying to discipline a difficult child, dramatic and aggressive behavior is a very comfortable feeling for them. If you continue to feed that drama, the cycle of aggression will continue.

Most of the time, like it or not, the behaviors of the child are in part caused by the behavior of the parent. When you discipline a difficult child, first check your own behavior.

You may be one of the many parents frustrated because your three and a half year old still isn’t potty trained. He may not seem to have any interest in getting rid of his diapers whatsoever. Don’t worry - I guarantee that he’ll be potty trained by his wedding! Seriously though, for most every toddler, potty training is a problem that seems insurmountable now, but in no time at all it will be resolved.

The American Academy of Pediatrics says there is no set age when toilet training should start. They suggest that the right time depends on a child's psychological and physical development. Children between 18 and 24 months often start showing signs of being ready, but there are some children who may not be ready until 30 months or older. The American Academy of Pediatrics also advises parents that if their child resists strongly, they will be better off waiting for a while.

If you have a head-strong 3 1/2 year old, there are some things you can try. First, have your child accompany you to the local store that sells underwear with characters on it. Let him help you find the underwear aisle and tell him that he is a big boy now, and big boys are very lucky because only they can wear big boy underwear. Explain that Target, or whatever the store is that you chose, is the perfect place to find lots of underwear to choose from. Let him pick whatever special character he wants Thomas, Power Rangers, Spiderman, Bob the Builder, etc.

As soon as you get home, he can try on his new undies. If he can go a whole hour and stay dry, he can wear them all day. He needs to use the potty first, to help him stay dry for a whole hour. At the end of that hour, you'll remind him to use the toilet again, and try for another hour.

Have your child help you create a sticker chart and hang it in a prominent place. Every time he successfully uses the toilet, he can help you place a sticker on his chart. When he reaches ten stickers, tell him that he has earned a special treat, maybe a trip to the ice cream parlor or movies, a small toy, a lunch out, etc

If he isn’t successful at first, try to figure out what went wrong. Was he so involved in a TV show or other activity that he just forgot? Is he just really not ready, in spite of his new cool underwear? If it's the former and he really wants to try again, encourage him to, and give him more reminders to use the bathroom. Shorten the time frame to a half hour. If you sense that he just isn't ready, don't push him. Tell him, as patiently as you can, that you'll wash the underwear and put it in his drawer, and you'll try again in a week.

Odds are that some of his friends are already trained. Try to encourage a play date where he'll see them use the toilet. That alone might be enough to spark his interest. By 3 1/2, when he decides he's ready he will probably catch on very quickly. He most likely does not have a bladder control issue, it’s just that he needs to decide for himself when he's ready.

If your climate is warm, that’s the best time to train, because you can spend a lot of time outdoors where it's easier to clean up accidents. Potty training is hard work but you have to be consistent.