Welcome to Parent Tips

Eating Dairy With a Cold

Many parents believe that feeding a child milk while they have a cold will increase mucus production and make the cold worse. This, however, is not true. While dairy products may coat the back of the throat, they do not increase mucus production, and are therefore fine to consume during a cold.

Stuck on Bandage

To painlessly remove a really stuck on bandage, saturate the glued areas with baby oil. Allow to sit for a few minutes, then the bandage will slide right off. Baby oil also works well to remove any glue residue from the skin.

Depression

Let's face it, sometimes life is hard. And no one every said life was fair. The important thing is to remember that this too shall pass. Sometimes we may feel like we can't deal with the many problems of life and may become depressed. Depression is a normal emotion that everyone experiences at some point in time. The important thing is to deal with depression, don't stay in that state. Get counseling if you need it. If the depression lingers, see your doctor. Get help from your friends and family. Find someone to talk to that will put some balance back into your life. Don't isolate yourself or the depression will get deeper. Deal with depression or it will deal with you.

Fight Depression with Exercise

One way to combat depression is to exercise. Yes, exercise, even if you don't feel like it. Make a commitment to yourself to do it. Exercise will help your body to get rid of those negative emotions that are pulling you down. Work off that anger or frustration, it is the same as venting your emotions verbally, except you are releasing the energy from your body physically rather than through your mouth which can have very negative ramifications. Exercise is a far safer method of venting.

A Special Box for Moving

To ease the transition when moving into a new home, allow each family member to pack one "special" box that they can keep with them at all times throughout the move. Allow them to put whatever they want into the box, to help them feel more comfortable. This also works great if you need to spend time in a hotel or with family until you move into your new home.

Art in the Tub

To help young children to put their heads back in the tub during hair rinsing, try placing pictures or photos on the ceiling. The pictures get them to look up, and you can hold their attention by asking questions about them. Use photos that interest them, and change them whenever their interest level drops.

Bee Sting Remedy

When a child is stung by a bee, scrape away the stinger with a credit card or butter knife,(never squeeze out a stinger, as more venom will be released). Wet the site, then rub an aspirin on the sting until it dissolves and is absorbed into the skin. The aspirin takes away the pain, swelling and the poison almost instantly. I just did this for my daughter today, and it worked wonders!! We can no longer tell where she was stung.

Mess-Free First Aid

Cut a clean sponge into several smaller pieces (approximately 1" X 2"). Dip the pieces into water before putting each into resealable freezer bags. When an accident occurs, they are ready. Use in the same way as you would use an ice pack. They are perfect size for small hands, and they won´t drip.

Parent Places

Check out your town. Usually there are parent groups where you can meet other parents, talk and also develop play groups for your children. They are a great help!

Settling Kids After a Move

To make kids feel more at home in a new house, unpack your children´s things first. They will feel more comfortable in the new surroundings with their favorite things around them, and will sleep much better in a comfortable room.

Dealing With Loss

In the loss of a pet, be honest with your children and allow them to express their feelings too. The loss of a family pet is often a child´s first experience with death. Discuss the loss with your whole family and give everyone a chance to work through grief in her own style.

Swimmer´s Ear

This common ear infection can occur because the outer ear canal has a tiny scratch in it from a fingernail, cotton swab, etc. Frequent swimming can cause a bacterial infection and the ear will become itchy, sore, swollen inside and may leak fluid. Treatments usually include antibiotic ear drops, and no swimming until symptoms disappear.

Getting All the Medicine Down

After giving your child chewable medicine, have them eat a piece of bread, or something similar. This way, the pieces of medicine that were stuck in their teeth stick to the bread and are swallowed. This ensures that your child gets the full dosage, and saves their teeth.

Bug Repellent

A dryer sheet makes a good alternative to bug spray, and it usually smells much better. To keep the bugs away, rub a dryer sheet over your clothes and skin, including your hair. You can also tie a sheet to your belt loop to keep the little pesks away.

Brushing Little Teeth

Establish a daily teeth-cleaning routine as soon as your child´s first tooth appears. A washcloth can be used to clean the front and back of these first teeth; switch to a toothbrush once molars develop. Don´t use toothpaste until your child can spit it all out, usually around age 3. You can start flossing with children once a week around the ages of 3 and 4.

When Can Kids Do the Brushing?

My dentist recommends that a parent do the toothbrushing for kids - at least at night - until they are able to do cursive writing, not printing. This is a sign of developed manual dexterity. Let them practice with the morning brushing until they are older.

Kid-sized Soap

To make bathtime more fun and manageable for your child, try using trial size bars of soap or the miniature soaps from hotel rooms. Kids enjoy having their own special bar of soap which fits easily into little hands.

Trimming Without the Trauma

To ease struggles during nail trimmings, I use a washable marker to draw a face and hair on each of my child´s nails. Then, we pretend to be cutting each "person´s" hair. We tell stories about who each finger is, and talk to them as they are getting their hair cut.