If you find that your parenting techniques have been letting you down lately, there is something that you can do today to get yourself back on track to be a great parent. There is help and advice in the article below that you can use right away to improve your situation.
If you are an expectant parent, remember that it is not necessary to spend obscene amounts of money on furnishing your nursery. You can purchase items cheaper at many department stores like Walmart, while sill getting high quality furniture like cribs and changing tables. Also, ask friends and family if they have or know of anyone that can donate these items to you.
Use clothes or items from the mother to wrap a bottle in if the baby is having trouble getting used to drinking from it. The smell of mom in the clothing will help calm the baby because he will associate it with his mother, thus making him more likely to give it a try.
Try to avoid giving children “I told you so answers.” Although in some specific cases this may be necessary there is generally a better way. It is very important for children to understand why they should not do anything because this allows them to grow as a person and to learn how to make their own good decisions.
An effective way to stop a tantrum is to ignore it, as difficult as it may be for you. Children usually throw tantrums to get attention. If you stand next to a child while he is throwing a fit, you are giving him an audience and he will have no incentive to stop. Just make sure that the child is in an area where he will not hurt himself and leave him alone. When he sees that his tantrum is not getting a rise out of you, he will eventually stop.
If you have teenage children, try to eat dinner as a family at the dinner table as often as you can. Sometimes teens may prefer to eat in front of the TV or at their computer desk. Having dinner at the dinner table as a family gives your children a chance to share with you about their day. This is a good way for you to connect with your teenagers and to show interest in what they are doing.
Make your kitchen baby-friendly to help you during the tough time of dinner preparation. Having an area in your kitchen set up for a baby or small toddler to play safely while still interacting with you makes them less clingy and allows you to finish meal preparation without worrying about safety.
When taking a road trip it is important to take breaks often so that children do not get too cranky. Rather then dash to your destination, taking a leisurely route will often result in a more peaceful trip. Take your travel breaks at restaurants with a place for the kids to play, or parks and open areas with plenty of grass for them to burn some excess energy.
There is always a way to make your parenting techniques better and make them more effective by learning new information. If you find that what you are doing now is not working for you, try some of the tips in the article above and keep working on being a great parent.