As a parent, you are probably well aware of the many different trends in parenting styles. It seems that every day, a new book comes on the market, explicating a great new way of parenting. One current buzz phrase among well-intentioned parents is that of attachment parenting. If you are curious about this parenting philosophy and wonder if it might be right for you, then read on. Here is a summary of the principles of attachment parenting:

Early attachment. Parents should begin bonding with their babies immediately after birth in order to establish a strong initial bond that will continue to grow as baby gets older.

Breastfeeding. Attachment parenting encourages breast feeding for a number of reasons. In addition to the obvious health benefits, breastfeeding also gives the mother valuable insights into her baby's verbal and non-verbal cues and stimulates hormones that support the mothering instinct.

Carrying baby. This is also called "babywearing" in the world of attachment parenting, and it is exactly what it sounds like. Proponents of attachment parenting believe in carrying baby at all times, and they use slings to "wear" their babies no matter what activity they are performing.

Co-sleeping. This implies sharing a bed with your child as a baby and for as long as possible after your child is no longer a baby.

Responding to baby's cries. According to attachment parenting philosophy, your baby is crying for a legitimate reason and there is no excuse not to respond to those cries. This is the opposite of letting baby cry it out. Be wary of fads. Instead of paying attention to any and every fad parenting style book that hits the best seller list, listen to your baby and parent accordingly.

Maintaining balance. Being a good parent also means being a good adult. Attachment parenting holds that parents must remember to take care of themselves and seek their own fulfillment if they are to be the best role models and caregivers possible for their children.

It is important to understand that attachment parenting is not a strict set of rules, or what you absolutely MUST do as a parent. Instead, it is a set of tools that you may pick and choose from in order to provide individualized care for your children. No two children are alike, and no one parenting style will work for all children, so take what you can from these attachment parenting principles and apply them in a way that is suited to your unique circumstances.

About the Author: Glenna Wiltbank didn't practice attachment parenting techniques but did her best to talk to her own mother and her doctor before making any major behavioral changes. In her spare time she enjoys searching http://www.goldenmoontea.com for the oolong tea blenda and accessories she loves.

I don't know about you, but there is one thing that always manages to spoil my enjoyment of outdoor entertainment - particularly eating. Flies - I swear they can smell a bar-b-cue from a mile away, and the minute you fire up, they invite all of their mates to come and join in. They call is the Aussie salute - the constant waving of a hand to shoo away flies. Try doing it with a burger in your hand, or with a fork full of coleslaw - half you food goes flying, always in an embarrassing direction, and that darn fly is back before you've finished your follow through.

There are many devices on the market at present. They range from outdoor chemical sprays to electronic zappers. The zappers are fine at night, but they don't do much during the day. As for chemical sprays, I like my burger with sauce, not fly-spray!

Someone has come up with a very clever idea - and like most great ideas, it's very simple in concept. They have take the Aussie salute and mechanized it. Not only that, because it's battery operated, and small, you can take it anywhere. Picnics, outdoor entertainment, even your dining room table or kitchen bench. Not only is it handy, it's inexpensive as well, so you can buy a couple of them to protect everyone.

What is it? It's called the ShooAway. It looks a little like a small light house, except, instead of the beacon on top, it has two wands that spin around. Now the concept is clever at the point, however, they have also added holographic dots - these are the final component that helps to keep those flies away.

I was sent one to test out, and I was quite impressed with the quality of the finish, and the ease of use. Two AA batteries and it's ready to go. Is it safe? The wands do swing around quite quickly, but they are very soft, and the motor slows as soon as the wands are impeded. The wands are quite harmless, even to a child's tender hands. I wouldn't want to have one of the wands hit me directly in the eye, but there's little chance of that, unless you're the kind of person that leans over a table and gets up close and personal with the food - and if that's you, you're not invited to dinner.

At a touch under $20, it's cheap, and it will be still be going long after the fly-sprays been used. In fact, if you buy one of those continuous spray devices, the ShooAway works out cheaper from day one.

What I like about the ShooAway is that it is user friendly, it's safe, it's inexpensive, and best of all, it's completely portable - you can take it anywhere. I have one running right alongside me as I type, just to keep the flies at bay.

You can check out the ShooAway yourself at http://www.shooaway.com/, and yes, they do ship globally.

Article written by Les Scammell, editor and publisher of Just4Families. Les is a professional ghost writer having written several thousand articles for website owners in Australia and around the world. You can connect with Les through Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+ or his latest social venture, Pinterest. You can see more of his work through Helium where he has over 100 articles published under his own name.

Babies spend most of each day sleeping, eating, and crying. One of the most frustrating things about having a young baby is trying to figure out what is needed when they are crying. While some of their particular cries can be distinguished, it is not always easy to know exactly what your child needs at any given moment, which can be especially frustrating in the middle of the night. There is a growing movement of mothers turning to baby sign language in order to bridge the communication barrier and provide an easier way to understand their babies long before they are able to properly articulate their needs through speech. Sign language is not just for the deaf, and children who use sign language before they can speak reap additional psychological and intellectual benefits as well.

Early Development

Non-verbal communication is an important part of a child’s early development. There are a variety of styles of baby sign language, but all provide a way for parent and child to communicate with one another. Some parents choose to use a made-up set of signs, while others stick to traditional signs that can later be slightly altered and used in proper American Sign Language. Babies are able to control some hand movements long before they can speak. You can begin introducing sign language at birth, but most babies can best use signs starting around seven months. Teaching your child is simple, just use a sign along with the verbal word each time you say it. Make sure you use the same sign each time you use the word, and be sure to repeat the words/signs often. Repetition is the key to quick learning. Introduce just a couple new signs at any given time and be sure each is introduced in context.

Emotional Expression

Temper tantrums in young children are often caused by excess frustration due to the inability to verbally express themselves. Learning sign language as a baby helps to cut down on those unwanted tantrums because babies and toddlers have a way to communicate their desires with their parents. A one-sided conversation is an aggravating experience for anyone; using sign language allows children to convey their message, which cuts down on both crying and frustration.

Infants are emotional creatures, laughing and crying, screaming and whimpering to express their many emotions. Having the ability to convey needs and wants through baby sign language is emotionally satisfying. Feelings of anger that are the result of an inability to communicate are not as frequent. Less anger often means fewer incidents of unwanted behavior and habits like biting and hitting. Happy babies will later turn into happier toddlers that are able to properly express themselves. Confidence and self-esteem are also improved through successful interaction and communication with adults.

Advanced Speech

Many babies who learn to sign end up speaking earlier than non-signing babies, and even those who speak at a normal rate often have an easier time learning language. Signing motivates babies to learn to speak meaningfully. They often have larger vocabularies and become better readers as well, as baby sign language provides a good foundation for early literacy. This is partially due to the fact that signing stimulates more synapses of the brain. Signing babies have also been shown to have slightly higher IQs than those who do not sign. Baby sign language provides a foundation for further learning ASL, meaning your child could fairly easily become bilingual through increased signing skills, which could be very beneficial throughout their childhood and into adulthood as well.

Citations:

• Photo Credit

Olivia Nicholas is a busy mom to twin boys and believes that each child should be given the skills and ability to reach their pull potential.  Olivia is in the invitations business and loves to write and share her parenting experiences with other by writing for Storkie.

Working parents tend to think they can do it all: work, kids, cook, clean, organize, and schedule. If you're wonder mom or super dad, perhaps you can do it all with style and grace. If you're like the rest of us, you're always searching for corners to cut. When it comes down to it, what matters most is your family. Parents must make their kids and spouses top priority on their to-do lists. That makes it easy to fall behind on household chores. Try some of these time-savers to keep your home in order without sacrificing time with your family.

Set Goals

Most parents can easily walk through their days staying busy every second. If you don't have a clear plan, however, you might spend time on the things that don't matter much. Make a list of a few priorities for the day. Perhaps the laundry pile has grown to the size of Mt. Everest, or you were supposed to schedule dental appointments for the entire family two weeks ago. Make the list manageable, and then set to it. Tackle any other tasks that come up throughout the day once the list items have already been accomplished.

Prepare Ahead

If mornings are hectic at your house, and most likely they are, get things ready the night before. Lay out clothes for your kids, pack backpacks and leave them by the door, get work items ready, and set your goals for the next day. You can even set the breakfast table, or prepare lunches so the kids can grab them from the fridge and go.

Just Say No

When your life becomes too busy with outside commitments, it's okay to say no. Your son's teacher can find someone else to bring a craft project to kindergarten, or your boss can ask another to work extra hours on Saturday. Remember that you are only as busy as you want to be, so keep your commitments manageable by saying yes only to the things that matter most to you.

Accept Imperfection

It's okay to designate household chores to your kids and husband. Whatever you do, don't criticize a job that is done. It's not the end of the world if your kids dusted the living room with Windex instead of Pledge. Try to appreciate the fact that family members are willing to help and understand that they will not do the chores exactly as you would.

Prioritize

When you generate your to-do list, put them in the order of importance for the day. This will ensure that you at least get the most important things done, even if you fail to accomplish the entire list. If the dog and your potty training daughter have wet on the carpet one too many times, make scheduling a carpet cleaning your top priority for the day. You just can't do everything yourself.

Schedule "Me" Time

It might not seem like there is an extra second in the day to take for yourself. However, this is a necessary part of maintaining your sanity on a long-term basis. You must take time for yourself regularly. Perhaps it's a weekly yoga class, a 10-minute chunk when you get home from work to sit alone in your bedroom, or a daily workout.

Take the little bits of alone time and make the most of them by doing something that is selfish and fulfilling.

How much time do modern day parents have to spend with their children?  We constantly ask ourselves this question as we juggle the rigours of modern day living and all that life has to throw at us along the way.

We look around and measure ourselves against other parents who seem to be getting the work life balance right and we even feel envious of those who do seem to have more time –did they make better choices than us along the way or were they born with a silver spoon in their mouth?.  Is this sounding familiar?

The stark reality is that most parents have a lot to juggle whether it is home life, work life, relationships, childcare; the list seems to go on and on.  The stresses of modern day living are all around us no matter who you are. The real question is how “do you deal with them?”

Sometimes we find ourselves wondering if the situation will change in the very new future.  We drift off to dreamland where we have all the time in the world and we’ve become the world’s best parents overnight.  We don’t have to worry about paying the bills, they just pay themselves!

Okay, back to reality.  We’ve decided to enjoy every moment we have with our children instead of worrying about the time we don’t have.  Every second counts and the time you share can be very simple like:

• Talking about the day on your way home from school together
• Sharing family meal time together
• Reading, singing or dancing together
• Spending time playing together e.g. playing in the park, going swimming, playing games, doing creative art together
• Going on bike rides, or taking the scooters into the park

Setting up our own children’s furniture, toys, gifts and accessories business has given us the opportunity to explore what is good for our children and “mummy and daddy” time is the highest priority on the list. Whether you have a lot or a little time, it’s the time that you do have that matters.

We choose all of our games, toys and creative art sets with the intent of “maximising the time spent together”. We are great advocates for giving parents greater control over the time that they spend with their children.

Even when the going gets tough, make every day an opportunity to enjoy your children. We do.

This is a guest post by Mr & Mrs Kinderroom, owners of Kinderroom, a website of unique children’s furniture and creative games and art sets.

by Ashley Brady

Your baby's cold can be just as hard on you as it is on her. To keep your baby's infection and discomfort from getting worse, make sure she gets enough rest and liquids like formula if she's less than 4 months old or breast milk. Babies who are a little older can have some water and by 6 months they can have juice as well.

Try squeezing some over the counter saline solution drops into each nostril to relieve congestion, then after a few moments remove the mucus and liquid by suctioning with a rubber bulb syringe. This works well about fifteen minutes prior to a feeding if it's difficult for your baby to breathe nasally while nursing. A bit of petroleum jelly to the outside of your baby's nostrils can help reduce irritation.

Sitting with you in a steamy bathroom while the hot water's on in the shower for about 15 minutes, or using a cool-mist vaporizer or humidifier to increase the moisture in your baby's room should also help provide some relief for her. Also providing additional comfort is a hot bath.

If you try to sleep at a slight incline, postnasal drip can be relieved. But using pillows in her crib just to accomplish this is a bad idea because the risk of suffocation is too great. You may want to allow her to sleep in her car seat in a slightly upright position or place a couple of rolled up towels between the crib springs and mattresses.

At the first sign of illness in a infant of under 3 months old, contact your pediatrician especially if your baby has a cold or has a fever of 100.4 degrees. Guidelines about what constitutes a fever in older infants can be given to you by your pediatrician. If baby's symptoms don't improve within five to seven days, her cough worsens, she's wheezing or gasping (possible pneumonia or respiratory syncytial virus, or RSV), or tugs at her ear (possible ear infection), your pediatrician should also be notified immediately.

For more information on coughs and cold in babies and young children, check out the articles we have published over the last two years.

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by Damian Papworth

Are you ready to be a father? The first year is always the toughest. It's incredibly challenging; but the rewards are well worth it. So, just what does it take to be the best dad you can be? If you're worried about navigating the ins and outs of fatherhood, don't. It may be hard at first, but a little love and care go a long way.

Of course, there are some incredibly hands on, practicable things you ought to know as a new father. Babies obviously aren't simply cute creatures who will be easy to handle. They cry an awful lot. In fact, babies may be finicky. They may cry for hours on end and often, at first especially, it can be hard to decipher the reasons why.

Babies sob and snivel for a huge variety of reasons. When you're a fresh, out of the box parent, so to speak, it can be quite difficult to figure out what to do and how to make it all better. It's times like that when you can feel overwhelmed and also unworthy of being a father. But don't let things like that get you down. It's all natural. Simply try your best; hold your child, comfort her (or him). Don't get caught up on all the rules.

There are no firm, set terms that are the be all and end all of parenting. There's no golden rule that will help you to become the best parent ever.

Being a good father simply takes some effort and a whole lot of TLC. Even if you're clueless or tend to be the more hands-off type, you can still become the father of the year with some practice.

The first few months are probably some of the toughest you'll know. Both you and your partner will be knackered. A new mother has a lot of work to do, what with feeding and tending to the new baby; but that doesn't mean that she has all the knowledge nor does it mean that she should bear the brunt of the work.

The most crucial aspect of being a father is to engage in team work. Don't simply hand off tasks that you don't know how to handle to your partner. Even if she offers to take up for your slack, hang in there, try to do it yourself. Most likely, both of you will be pretty clueless in the beginning, so take this initial period as a time for both of you to explore the joys of parenthood.

There will be a fair amount of fretting and worrying; taking care of a new baby is hard work, and it can be doubly stressing if it's your first time. Although you won't be perfect, everything takes practice, after all, don't let that fact overwhelm you.

Simply get involved. Don't sit out on the sidelines. Always make time for your children.

Spending quality time with your newborn child is crucial to developing a healthy relationship later on.

Damian Papworth is a dedicated father and husband. He recently took his wife shopping for women's shoes. He found some great information here on women's running shoes.

by Tiffany Windhurst

We all think our home is safe for our children, but until you get on your child's level you can't be sure. Even before your baby begins to crawl, walk and climb you should start looking for hazards. The best way to determine what may harm your baby is to get on the floor and crawl around at a toddler's level.

Some general things to look for are cords on blinds, chemicals in low cabinets, outlets, sharp edges on furniture, small toys or jewelry within a child's reach, and things to climb. There are lots of devices on the market today that you can use to protect your child against these hazards. However, nothing replaces proper supervision of your baby and child.

Chemicals and other toxic substances should be placed out of the reach of your child or cabinet safety locks should be installed. You can purchase specially made soft bumpers to place on the edges of sharp furniture, or simply tape a wadded cloth on the corners. Cords on blinds should hang individually or be rolled up out of baby's reach. You can also get child safety locks for drawers. Tall furniture that can be climbed should be anchored to wall to prevent it being pulled over on the child.

You should also make sure the areas where your child plays are kept picked up free of small objects. Cords for appliances should not hang down off counter within your child's reach. Keep handles on pots turned toward the wall to prevent accidental spilling. Sharp objects like knives and forks should be kept out of reach.

Your child's safety is very important and parents should take all the necessary precautions to prevent injury. A child does not know what will harm him and what will not, he is constantly learning and everything looks fun to him. You can never prevent every injury or protect against all hazards, but using common sense will prevent most injuries.

Learn more about baby shower centerpieces at our baby health care website.

by Tiffany Windhurst

Babies, toddlers and young children are constantly learning. A toddler, one to three years old, is learning to feed himself, to walk, to sleep on his own, to use the big boy potty, to play with other children, and assert his independence is some ways.

Basically, children are trying to figure out where they fit in the family, and where they fit in the bigger community as well. While a normal part of growing up, this can scary for the toddler, as well as the parents. Realizing how a child develops between ages one and three will help you understand his behavior and help you relate better to him.

Children love to play games, even when you as the parent don't realize you're playing a game. Children learn through games and discovering new things. Children ages 1 - 3 generally have short attention spans and will easily move from one activity to another all through the day. Organized games should be age appropriate and have fairly simple rules. Giving children some small responsibilities at these ages, which are age appropriate, will help them find a role in the family. It's never too early for children to learn simple chores like picking up toys when play is finished.

Toddlers will also begin asserting their independence by defying mom and dad. Often this defiance results in screaming, crying, and a very upset little boy or girl. It's important for parents to continue to show authority and stick to their guns. Giving in to fits only reinforces the behavior in the child, and tells the child that with enough crying he or she gets the desired outcome.

Gentle discipline (not punishment), lots of encouragement, and overflowing unconditional love are important at all stages of a child's life, but especially while the toddler is learning to relate to you, other family members, and society as a whole.

by Audrey Hegarty

Now that we are into November \ December, we can expect to see some grisly weather coming our way. There are stories being thrown about that this winter is set to be one of the coldest in history with night time temperatures to allegedly hit lows of -16. Not a typo I actually did say -16!! Who knows maybe Mr. Crosby's dreams will come true and we will have a white Christmas. This is all very well, but what about those little babies who have just left the warmth and security of their mother's womb, only to arrive in the cold winter world of torrid rain and biting winds and if we are to believe the gossip never before experienced cold snaps!

To prepare your baby for the cold days that are coming, I thought up of some tips for keeping your baby all cosy and warm this Christmas. The main thing we need to take into account is that we don't actually over heat the baby while trying to protect them. Babies can be very resilient in many different ways. They make look very vulnerable but we must be wary of over protecting them.

It's widely believed that its not cold weather that gives baby a cold, rather contact with people who have virus or infection. That doesn't mean that you have to hibernate until spring, rather avoid tightly crowded places for the first 3 months or so until baby has had a chance to strengthen his or her immune system.

It's probably best to avoid unnecessary close contact with persons who have a runny nose or appear to be snuffling greatly! It is best to keep baby's vaccines up to date also. Babies with underlying conditions or premature babies may need extra care, we recommend consulting with your health care practitioner in this case!

In terms of baby clothing your baby will need a pair of soft soled leather shoes or fur lined bootees. These baby shoes will keep a babies' foot warm and they will also prevent baby socks from falling off.

Visit Tiptoe Tots for great prices on baby shoes this winter. You can also purchase baby leggings and baby socks too.

Footnote: It is interesting to note that the UK and Europe are already receiving the heaviest snows in over a decade, and we're still not done with November just yet. Pundits are probably correct, this may well become a very cold winter. On this side of the world, we have the opposite to deal with. A hot summer and how to keep your baby in cool. Coughs and Colds in new born babies is still a worry, even in summer.