Teaching your child to embrace a newborn baby

Geeta was taken back when her older child said, "I hate the baby!  You love the baby more than you love me! The baby is yucky, take her back!" Feelings like this is common as the first born feels slightly jealous when there is a new child in the house that is competing for affection, emotional time, and attention of their parents. This could show up as temper tantrums, acting out and regressive behavior.

Experts are of the opinion that this territorial revelry is common not only in toddlers, but in older children as well. Parents need to teach their child to embrace a newborn baby.

Firstly it is futile to force your child to love the new sibling; it would prove effective to recognize what may be going on with the older child and respect the emotions. Parents need to let the older child to express one’s feelings even if they are negative. Then the parent need to empathize with the child about how hard it must be for him/her to share mummy and daddy.

True, children also need a platform to express their feelings as adults; it allows them to vent their frustration and validate their feelings and not just sweep them away automatically.

Try to keep your older child on the same schedule as he/she needs consistency when one’s whole world is turned upside down.

Next ensure that you or your spouse spends some quality time exclusively with the older child taking him/her for a walk, read a book or take part in some activity that your child likes.  

Ensure that you reward a good deed that the older child does to her younger sibling; it could be emotionally like a kiss or praise or materially.

Lastly respect your child's boundaries and possessions and acknowledge that everything need not be shared and some toys and books are exclusively for him/her.

Great Games to promote reading in your kid

Reading is an important skill that each child needs to master to be able to gather a wealth of information. It does not come naturally for many kids, so do not let your child miss on the joys with reading though entertaining and enjoyable reading games.

A few reading games that help improve literary skills of a kid:

a)    Find an item:

The game meant for beginners keeps a child that is just learning to read to focus on the sound that each letter makes. Play this game in a playroom where your child has plenty of items to choose from; say the sound of a letter like “r” and challenge your child to find something that starts with it. The child should be able to say rag or roll; give her/him one point for each item one finds and then congratulate him/her for the points he/she earned.

Practice would make your child better in sounds and will lay the groundwork for him/her to sound words out as he/she begins to actually read words

.b) Find a word:

This game is meant for beginner readers; this game is a powerful way to allow your child to focus on content to practice reading and teach important concepts at the same time. This game can be played by a group of children or you and your child, if there are no other children.

Cut a piece of paper into squares and write a letter and category of words like animal or a food on each ensuring you skip uncommon letters, such as "q" and "x. Put the letters into a bowl and let each child draw one out a slip by turn. Tell your child what the letter and category is and let him/her write one word for each category; for example if the letter is “e” then elephant could be an animal and egg a food. Give your child 5 minutes to write down the answers; do not insist on the correct spelling as spelling can be tricky for beginning readers.

Award a point for each correct answer; the child with the most points is the winner. You could promote the reading skills further by having your child write a sentence using as many of the words he came up with.

c) Pick a Stick

An ideal game for intermediate readers; place wooden craft sticks on which commands like "hop on your left foot 10 times" or "turn in 4 circles" is written in a plastic cup. Each child draws a stick out of the cup, reads it and performs the action; he/she gets a point if successful. This game continues till all the sticks are exhausted; the winner is the one with the most points.

      This game not only boosts reading skills, but also reinforces reading skills already learned, such as recognizing sight words and number words. It also engages both sides of the brain as the whole body is engaged that proves to be helpful in improving reading skills and becoming a more advanced reader.

d) Cover a passage

 This is a game for advanced readers; it involves asking the child to read a passage from his/her favorite book/magazine, covering the passage   and then reciting what he/she just read.  Reading skills are best improved by choosing material that will engage and interest your child. Award a point for each passage she recites correctly, and award yourself a point if she leaves out words or forgets portions.

Gradually make the passages longer as you play and ask questions to jog your child's memory. Through this game you would not only provide your child with an opportunity to read content, but also to learn new things as he/she reads.

To conclude reading games are fun and build reading skills, but they cannot be a replacement for reading to your child; make time to read to your child even if your child can read independently.

Lot of efficient nanny in Chicago doing great jobs.

How to take care of a newborn baby in its early weeks

Motherhood is a delightful experience, with most new mothers may be confused about how they will feed, swaddle, hold and soothe the newborn. This article is meant to give tips to new parents for tackling this new responsibility.

Tips to care for the newborn in the first few weeks:

Holding your newborn:

You can bond best with your baby by holding him/her; hold the baby in one hand as a football player holds a ball. First place your baby in your forearm facing you with two to three fingers supporting the head, let your one hand be free. It is most important to know that though newborns are not as fragile as we think, it is necessary to provide support to the head and neck.  

Sleeping tips for your newborn:  

Newborn babies need much sleep; some sleep up to 20 hours in a day. So it is essential that you encourage your baby to take regular naps; this means keeping the environment peaceful and feeding the baby well.

When a baby is 3-4 months old, both breast and bottle fed babies sleep for about 9-12 hours in a row though most pediatricians opine it is only much later.

Diaper changes during nights should be kept as short as possible; daytime napping should be minimized and nighttime napping maximized. This will teach the baby the difference between daytime and nighttime.

The best way to avoid Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is to put your baby to sleep on his back. Avoid keeping any plush toys in the crib, use a firm mattress, and don’t allow/do smoking in the presence of the newborn.

Basics of newborn feeding:

Though breast feeding is the best nutrition for babies, there is nothing wrong with formula feeding if you cannot breastfeed.

Each feeding lasts for 20 to 60 minutes and a baby should be fed every 2 to 3 hours or more frequently if the baby is hungry. During the first few weeks, newborns take about 1 to 3 ounces of breast milk or formula at each feeding.  

An important sign that your baby is not getting enough calories is when your baby sleeps for 6 to 10 hours continuously.

Weight gain is an important indicator that your baby is having enough of breast milk or formula. The best person who can tell you that your baby is gaining weight appropriately is your pediatrician.

Soothing a crying baby:

Crying is the main means of communication for the baby; you will soon learn to realize if your baby is hungry, tired or needs to be held.  

If your baby does not stop crying in spite of your best efforts, it is best to take your baby for a walk or drive. Some babies are soothed by singing, dancing or rocking; reggae music helps as many reggae songs beat roughly 60 to 80 times per minute, like our heart.

Safe and tight swaddle with a correct size blanket 44" x 44 with practice of the swaddle-folding technique helps.

Burping of the baby also helps soothe a crying baby.

Changing diapers:

Babies urinate about 3 to 10 times daily and may have 1 to 8 bowel movements. Change your baby’s diaper every couple of hours and whenever he/she is dirty.

Babies are of various sizes and shapes, so use an appropriate diaper. Also choosing the best diaper brand for your baby is also important; it comes down mostly to trial and error.

 At every diaper change  ensure that you wipe your newborn front to back and also use a diaper rash ointment that is recommended by the pediatrician; this will prevent diaper rash.

The choice of a cloth or disposable diaper is more a question of personal choice. Each has its own advantages and disadvantages.

Ensure that you release the inner elastic that often gets 'glued' down to the inner portion of the diaper in tightly packed diaper packages.

Hope these tips will help you to comfortably care for your baby during the first few weeks.  

Nanny in San Diego and Daycare center in Atlanta are doing great job

How to choose the right Driving Nanny

In today’s stressful professional lifestyle it is tough to take care of your job and handle the daily responsibilities of dropping off your kid at school, picking them up and driving them around to soccer games or tuitions and getting them back home. Even if you have the time, it can be tiring after an entire day at work to drive around in peak hour traffic. This is where a Driving Nanny comes in handy.

Driving Nannies are regular Nannies who are also skilled enough to drive your kids around safely. But for most parents, it is a confusing decision to make! Leaving your kids under a Nanny’s supervision at home is easier but not so with the dangers of the road. Here are a few tips to help you choose the right Driving Nanny for your children,

Check the driving record

It is always good to start by checking the records. Speeding tickets, accidents, reckless driving – these are a few things that shouldn’t be on her rap sheet! Minor infractions can be given a leeway, especially if it was a long time ago maybe when she was learning to drive. Check for a clean sheet in the last few years and hopefully no strikes on her license right now if you plan to keep her as a nanny for long.

Inspect the car

Many families have their own car for Nannies to drive their kids around. A few are not comfortable with that and prefer the Nanny using her car for driving their kids around. If the car used is not yours, inspect the car thoroughly. Look for safety and ensure that there are Isofix seat anchors. Check how safe the car model is and if possible get it serviced at your expense before starting the run.

Insure her and the car!

If the Nanny is driving your car, insure her as well as add the driver profile to your car’s insurance policy without fail. If she is driving around in her car, make sure she has insurance. A small fender bender shouldn’t upset your financial plans for the month.

Discuss terms

Set the rules for gas, maintenance, toll, parking and service costs reimbursement. Will you be covering it in her salary or does she expect you to reimburse it separately? If it is going to be reimbursement, then request for the bills – there is nothing wrong in doing that!

Ensure that you are not taken for a ride but at the same time be a bit considerate. If she loses a toll slip or gets a parking slip because your kid made her wait – reimburse that without nit picking. After all, she is the one who brings your child back home safe and sound.

Tips to deal with a stubborn child

Firstly it would be useful to know why some kids are stubborn. Children are stubborn as they want to develop defense mechanisms to psychological balance in the face of life challenges that is as a result of the experiences they pass through earlier in their lives.  Some other  children become stubborn due to the over protective attitude of parents that makes them decide everything for the child; the child builds a defense mechanism that helps him/her to stick to one’s opinion. True, all stubborn children are the product of our controlling and over protective behavior.

Realize that being stubborn is not bad. Dr. Kenneth Ginsburg, a Philadelphia pediatrician and author of "Letting Go with Love and Confidence," says that "Independence is good"; we as parents surely want our children to ultimately be able to question authority and come up with a great solution. Being stubborn at 30 is good, but at 5 it is troublesome for parents and we want cooperation and respect.

Tips to deal with a stubborn child:

Since a stubborn child feels he/she should protect oneself and not be controlled by others, it is extremely important that parents make the child feel that he/she is in control even if he/she is not. Stubborn behavior can be tackled by parents when they set a fine and clear line between being strict and being too permissive and leave some leeway.

If your stubborn child starts a conflict, just step back and figure out if you really want to fight; your job is not only to set limits and boundaries that keep your child safe, but also to ensure he/she feels somewhat independent.

True having clear consistency around safety is essential so you can react in a way that is expected and appropriate. You should convey to your child that you love, trust and enjoy him/her and allow one freedom, but not at the expense of safety.

 The most intelligent way to deal with a stubborn child is not to give direct orders but give him/her 2 options that lead to the same goal. For example instead of telling the stubborn kid that he must wear his shirt, you can ask him whether he wants to wear the blue or the red shirt. Remember that it would be enough to not trigger his/her  stubbornness as he/she will feel in control and the parent also fulfills his/her final goal.

Pick a new focus by not complaining to others about your stubborn kid; let them overhear the good stuff and vent in private. Give attention to the behavior you wish to see in them, then you will help them to be their best.

Try new approaches; what worked last week may not this week. The trick is to redirect your kid when they are good and not give too much negative attention that will give him/her some control.

Boundaries are about safety and respect with other human beings, your kids need resilience to be able to advocate for them when they are teens and adults. With practice they can learn how to get their point across in a way that shows respect for others so they will be listened to as well.

Lastly channelize your kid’s stubbornness into persistence for facing life’s problems. A stubborn child can become a very persistent adult if he was taught how to channel his stubbornness in the right direction.

Nanny in chicago do these things well

Parenting made simple - 10 important tips

Do you want to simplify your life as a parent, slow down and enjoy a sense of ease and calm? I am sure all of us would like to do it as parents; this is best done by streamlining your responsibilities so you have quality time to spend with your family. By simplifying our own life, we will also be simplifying our child's and will encourage him/her to value his loved ones.

 Here are 10 important tips to make parenting simple: 

1. Identify what each room is for and stick to it:

Creating a purpose for each room helps; clear homework, art projects and other paper from the dining room and put your kids' backpacks, gym shoes and school textbooks in their rooms. You would then not have to stare at mess and would feel more relaxed.

2. Remove the clutter:

This is very important to get a sense of freedom. You should move all recycling and trash and put things where they actually belong. You could fill boxes with stuff you no longer need and donate them to charity; this would not only give you the pleasure of giving, but would also clear up the space that they were occupying.

3. Create a family routine:

Things move more smoothly this way as kids and other family members know what to expect and what is expected of them. This involves fixing time for meals, when children should go out to classes and sports and when they get up in the morning and go to bed at night.

4. Plan the week’s dinners as a family:

You could simplify the process by creating a rotating daily menu that remains the same week after week; this helps get family time and removes guesswork out of planning meals. Family dinners are a times that act as an anchor for family togetherness.

5.  Analyze and cut down the quantity of toys by 50%:

Work together with your child and analyze the toys he/she plays with and those he/she no longer plays or wants; it would be about 50%. Donate them to charity to teach your child important lessons in being generous.

. Spend time as a family outside:

Spend time outside in nature going out for family hikes, picnics by the lake or in a park or just flying a kite; spending time outside needs no elaborate planning, but creates calm with lots of great rewards. Spending time outside could encourage your child to be active and participate in physical activities.

7. Children need some unscheduled time or playtime: 

   Avoid over-scheduling as children need time to play, get creative with his/her toys, to get imaginative and spend time with parents and siblings. This would not only ease stress, but promote feelings of happiness; our true moments of connection are often in unscheduled down time.

8. Limit screen time to promote human interaction:

Screen time and electronics can be pretty distracting; let TV, computer and video games occupy a small part of the daily schedule.

9. Reduce sensory overload and create a quiet and serene home:

This involves minimizing or avoiding loud music, blaring televisions and bright lights that would distract and interfere with other interactions. Creating a quiet and serene home involves playing soft music and dimming the lights.

10. Do not hover over your kids and leave them alone:

Leave your kids alone by giving them freedom to read a book, play with their toys or do an art project on their own. However let them know that you are there.  

Nanny in Dallas 

Child Care Options

Child care is one of the most fun yet tedious types of cares among all other cares. Lack of basic knowledge regarding the various options used in Child Care can lead to complicated situations and can in turn affect the child.

For this reason getting familiar with the various commonly used childcare options is essential. Read on and find out about some of the commonly used Child Care Options … 

Nanny/Babysitter - A nanny or babysitter is employed by the family either on a live-in or live-out basis to perform all the childcare duties. Apart from taking care of the child, nannies usually perform some domestic tasks related to the child’s care.

Mother's Help - Mother’s helper need not have previous childcare experience. They generally assist parents with childcare and in some cases also in the housekeeping duties. 

Child Care Center/Day Care Center - This provides care for children in premises particularly built for child care purposes. They provide developmental programs within their care programs. Daycare centers usually provide meals and snacks for the children.

Family Day Care – This is a type of center that provides care services for other children in their own house. These centers provide care for children under the age group of 3 as well as older children up to 12 years of age.

Before / After School Care – this is a center to provide care and supervise the school age children. They even provide recreational activities for the children. 

Nanny in Dallas

Making your toddler get along with a new baby

Getting a toddler used to his/her younger sibling, a newborn cannot be an easy transition and none of us can promise ourselves that they would be the best of friends.

However there are some tricks that could ease the coming of a second child into their daily lives. I am sure all of you would be able to add more tricks as a comment in my comment section. 

Ways to help a toddler to get along with a new baby:

Get your toddler a baby doll to create a loving sense for babies both before and after the sibling arrives. Let your toddler hold, sway and sing to the doll, include the doll in bedtime story routines and be in charge of his/her baby. He/she could hold his/her baby when you hold yours; this would give the toddler important lessons in loving and nurturing a newborn.  

You need to create special toys that the toddler can play with during quiet times when you have to look after the newborn when he/she cries or is hungry. Your toddler can engage oneself during that time. Create a special bin of toys and books for these times and call it by a funny name; it could help your toddler pull something special out during quiet times.

It is normal and OK for your toddler to want to be a baby again just to attract your attention; he/she may want to drink from a bottle, be held more and be carried all the time. You can eventually get him to talk about how nice it is to be big and do things big kids do like going on swings, skipping, racing, sledding and choosing books. 

 You might just have to accept two babies for a little while.Set aside at least 10 minutes on a daily basis for a one to one time with your toddler. Spend time doing an activity or play he/she likes; this time is best allotted when the newborn is napping or when your spouse or helper is around. Since your toddler has you alone, it will keep him/her from acting out.Give your toddler, the older sibling fun jobs to do to help him/her to feel in control of all the change and attention the new baby is causing. Let your older sibling pick out the baby’s outfit, throwing out the dirty diaper, choosing a book to read or singing him/her to sleep.

Make some adjustments much before the arrival of the baby; if you plan on moving the toddler/elder sibling out of her room or crib, or change from day care to a nanny, or make big changes as potty training; do it as far in advance as possible and prevent association with the arrival of the baby. This would avoid accidents while on errands. I hope all these tricks would help make your toddler get along with the newborn baby.

Nanny in Dallas will do this in correct way.

How to choose the right Driving Nanny

In today’s stressful professional lifestyle it is tough to take care of your job and handle the daily responsibilities of dropping off your kid at school, picking them up and driving them around to soccer games or tuitions and getting them back home. Even if you have the time, it can be tiring after an entire day at work to drive around in peak hour traffic. This is where a Driving Nanny comes in handy.

Driving Nannies are regular Nannies who are also skilled enough to drive your kids around safely. But for most parents, it is a confusing decision to make! Leaving your kids under a Nanny’s supervision at home is easier but not so with the dangers of the road. Here are a few tips to help you choose the right Driving Nanny for your children,

Check the driving record

It is always good to start by checking the records. Speeding tickets, accidents, reckless driving – these are a few things that shouldn’t be on her rap sheet! Minor infractions can be given a leeway, especially if it was a long time ago maybe when she was learning to drive. Check for a clean sheet in the last few years and hopefully no strikes on her license right now if you plan to keep her as a nanny for long.

Inspect the car

Many families have their own car for Nannies to drive their kids around. A few are not comfortable with that and prefer the Nanny using her car for driving their kids around. If the car used is not yours, inspect the car thoroughly. Look for safety and ensure that there are Isofix seat anchors. Check how safe the car model is and if possible get it serviced at your expense before starting the run.

Insure her and the car!

If the Nanny is driving your car, insure her as well as add the driver profile to your car’s insurance policy without fail. If she is driving around in her car, make sure she has insurance. A small fender bender shouldn’t upset your financial plans for the month.

Discuss terms

Set the rules for gas, maintenance, toll, parking and service costs reimbursement. Will you be covering it in her salary or does she expect you to reimburse it separately? If it is going to be reimbursement, then request for the bills – there is nothing wrong in doing that!

Ensure that you are not taken for a ride but at the same time be a bit considerate. If she loses a toll slip or gets a parking slip because your kid made her wait – reimburse that without nit picking. After all, she is the one who brings your child back home safe and sound.

How to cultivate reading habit in your kid

Cultivating the reading habit in kids can be done early in life; it can be made fun by taking them to a library or bookstore and allowing them to pick up their own books. Do not fuss if they choose the same book every day. Here are some reading activities that would create a love for reading in the early stages.

Ages birth to 1:To encourage the love for reading it is best to have a lot of books around the house; board books, simple stories and touch-and-feel books would be good to capture and maintain a baby’s attention with their simple, repetitive text that includes tactile sensation and bright, bold colors.Snuggle together while reading, so that the baby associates reading with happiness, security and warmth; add more fun by rubbing the soft part on a baby's cheek or touching his/her arm. Pick up books with unique elements like cut-out windows that encourage prediction.Read your books, they could be anything from Shakespeare to Dr. Seuss out aloud; this helps the inflection and the tone of voice of book language to be most appealing to the kids. Reading in a lyrical or expressive way or even sing books to your kids helps encourages the love of language, lyrics and words, which clearly are the fundamentals of reading. It is a good activity to sing nursery rhymes while looking at a book with photos.

Ages 1 to 2: This is the stage when kids are building their vocabulary and interact with books, which shows early comprehension skills. Make reading time exciting by not confining it to bedtime only. Reading could also be done in the bath-tub with a waterproof bathtub book and the child could be asked to mimic the activities in the book; this helps make reading more fun and memorable. Sensory books or touch and feel books like "Does a fish really feel like that? “How about a goat's horns?” are great ways to get kids involved and interested and incite them to give verbal feedback.  

Ages 2 to 3:

Phonological awareness -- rhyming, knowing the alphabet and letter-sound correspondences – are very important at this stage which is a precursor to school success. Dr. Seuss books with their catchy rhymes and alphabet repetitions plus great story lines are great for this age. A very valuable skill at this age is reading comprehension; so after reading the book, ask questions about the beginning, middle and end. Retell the story without the book and ask about feelings like how did that make the mouse feel or was the cat happy or sad and what you would do if the dog sat on your lap. 

Ages 3 to 4:It is right at this age to choose books with repeated phrases; download a few fun interactive picture books on the iPad for building strategies to comprehend text. Kids at this age often memorize their favorite books, so encourage kids to read by lining up his/her stuffed animals for make-believe "story time."

Age 4 to 5: Encourage reading activities like reading grocery lists or instructions for a craft or game in your children of this age. While shopping hand over the list to your kid and let /her collect the items or let teach you a new board game. Also encourage your kid to read leveled books. All said and done do not lay too much emphasis on reading and writing before your kid is really ready; it would be a negative experience. Pull back when your kid is too stressed up and let him/her master a particular level before moving on to the next. 

nanny in New York helps for this kind of habits.

Homework tips for babysitters and nannies

Are you a parent, babysitter or nanny struggling to make children do their homework? Is your child finding it difficult with a specific subject and you're working to help them thrive? You can easily tackle these homework challenges with tips and strategies that have been given by professional tutors.

Tips to success in tackling homework:

a. Create a study zone that is easy to focus: Making a comfortable and easy to focus study zone means having comfortable seating with all materials the child requires.  This avoids distractions and sets an environment for the kid to concentrate.

b. Make a game of the homework: This tip requires hiding the homework books; you could hide homework of various subjects like science and math in different areas of the house. Whenever the kid finds it he/she needs to do it. A fun element with studies helps kids focus much better.

c. Help your kid to develop skills to tackle problems: Some kids avoid doing their homework to avoid the pain of struggling through the material. Don't just focus on the kid to develop skills to assignment; but give them the skills to make homework a fun challenge.

d. Give kids a chance to track their progress and take pride in their accomplishments: Homework should be meaningfully aimed at improving a child’s abilities and at giving that child measurable success. Once a kid has a graph of improvement, he/she will become aware of ways to improve their skills.

e. Improve organization by using technology: When you optimize scheduling programs or homework applications to keep track of   specific assignments, teacher's recommendations and resources it would make a big difference in terms of how kids perform.

f. Set up a reasonable schedule with plenty of breaks: It would help tremendously to allow your kids some time to play and decompress after school and before starting homework.  Short breaks for snacks and short walks between assignments also helps.

g. Don't hesitate to ask for help in the form of a tutor or some part-time assistance: They could help kids to focus during homework time; if your kid is really struggling then you could also talk to teachers and know the resources available in school.

h. Break up bigger projects into smaller pieces: Most kids do their homework better when they know what and why the homework is to done; teachers, parents and tutors can help kids break down assignments.

i. Teach kids all about wise time management: Encourage kids to utilize their free time wisely; if he/she finishes an assignment early in class, one should start the homework with the teacher’s permission. They could perhaps get away with doing homework in class.

All this goes to make doing homework less stressful for parents, caretakers, or kids; you will soon pave your way to productive, engaging and stress-free homework sessions.

Nanny in Atlanta

5 Things Not To Say To Caregivers

There’s a difference between sympathy and empathy! Care giving is a task indeed, and there are “certain things that shouldn’t be told caregivers”. Without beating around the bush let me nail the 3 things that aren’t to be said to caregivers.

God doesn’t give you more than you could handle

Oh please! You’re suggesting them to quit, when you really intend to encourage them.

The one who gets wrecked everyday knows the purpose better than you.

I wonder how do you do it!

“How come you’re so insane?” this is how your sanity is going to get blasted. At this point, it’s the “most awful thing to be said to a caregiver”.

You need to live a ‘real’ life

Caregivers are witty, and that’s what triggered you to hire them. Care giving is done with the help of one’s soul; it’s not just the paychecks!

So it’s a bad idea to suggest them…

You ‘re completely worn out

It happens with caregivers and they know how important it’s to catch up some sleep.

Everything you say becomes “what not to say” to your caregiver at times!

Nanny in Atlanta are good in services and they take good care of children.

Carrying your toddler can affect your back! Tips to do it right

New moms are eager to spend a lot of their time carrying their toddlers. Mother often tend to feel a bit left out once their kids start walking around on their own. They seize the very first opportunity to carry their toddlers who are by this stage as heavy as 10 – 15 kilos. Lifting up a toddler with the wrong technique can seriously hurt your back. There is nothing like having a sore back and a naughty toddler running around!

How not to carry your kid

• Lifting while standing upright

Many parents develop the habit of picking up their kids while standing upright. This would work when your baby is an infant but once they are a year old, the weight coupled with their amplified range of moments while picking them up and cause serious damage to your back!

• Lifting while sitting

Do not try to lift up your kid from a sitting posture. This puts all the stress on your back and shoulders rather than the lower half of the body

Smarter ways to carry your kid around

• Buy a stroller!

The smartest choice is to invest in a stroller that still accommodates your toddler who is new to walking and gets tired all the time. But always keep motivating your kid to walk more which improves their muscle strength and stamina for the future.

• Bend down on your knees

Transfer the weight of your kid away from your back while picking the toddler up by bending down your entire body a bit. This reduces the strain on the back. You can even bend your knees. The key here is to lift with your body rather than your back.

• Never lock your joints

Be it the arms or the knee joint – never lock them while picking up a heavy object or a kid. Locking a joint puts extra stress on the muscles as well as the joint. Bend your arms and let the muscle do its job. Stretch around a bit before picking your kid up if you are already sore. Let down your kid every once a while to avoid fatigue strains. 

And on a lighter note, if you have the strength, do what Batman does!

Apartment inspection checklist - Go through this list before signing the agreement

Every apartment will have its pros and cons but it is important to weigh the positives over the negatives and shortlist your next accommodation as a student. However, it is important to check the room thoroughly before signing the agreement. Once the agreement is signed you are legally liable and bounded to the accommodation and at the mercy of the landlord so ensure that you go through this checklist step by step.

Floors & walls damage

The condition of an apartment can be ascertained by the floors and walls. Check for the condition of the paint, holes, or stains and if there is existing damage make sure that it is mentioned in the agreement to avoid repair charges being extracted from you at the end. If the carpet is stained or any missing tiles make note of that too. Also, ensure that the house if handed over to you in a clean condition and you return the favor when you move out.

Pest/Insect inspection

This can be a major problem if left unchecked. Signs of trouble include cracks in walls, bedroom corners and kitchen cabinet crawling with roaches. If there are brown pellets or eggs in the dark corners it shows signs of vermin in the house. Make sure your landlord does pest control before you move in. Moving in with all your stuff and then doing pest control makes it double the work.

Plumbing & Utilities

Make sure you check if water, electricity, gas and other utilities work before you move in. If even one of this is not available and you move all your things then it becomes a big challenge to settle in and start with your daily routine right away.

Plumbing leaks are yet another hurdle that must be addressed. Not only does it cause wastage of precious water but also reduces the durability of the structure causing grave danger to the occupants.

Heat

Living in the US, heat is very important during cold winters. Even if you are moving in during summer make sure that you check if the heating thermostat works properly. It is a life-saver and you do not want till the cold sets in to test if it works.

Make sure you keep your landlord in the loop and sort out any of these issues. The ones that are not fixed should be mentioned in the agreement to avoid conflicts in the future.

Lot of Apartments for rent in miami in cheap budget