The toddler years are the years in which a child begins to grow rapidly in all aspects of their life including mentally, physically, and emotionally. During these years, a toddler learns to walk, speak, and interact with others and their environment. They literally take in and learn from everything around them.

Parents want their children to be confident in their own abilities and to not be afraid to try new things. After all, the toddler years are a time for exploration. Unfortunately, their exploring expeditions often leaves many toddlers hear the word ‘no’ rather than the word ‘yes’. As parents it is important that we provide a balance and give our child opportunities to explore within limits. Some quick tips are: remove objects that are too tempting, try to limit the amount of rules that you have when your child is exploring, and don’t get upset if things aren’t perfectly neat. For example, if your child dumps out all of their toys… relax! They are just exploring what happens.

Another way to help boost your child’s confidence is to indulge their ‘helper’ side. When I clean the house or try to get my toddler dressed, I find that these situations can always go one of two ways. Either my child hinders my progress or helps his growth. What I mean is that instead of telling your child to go play with their toys in the room quietly while you clean the windows, let them help. Instead of battling your child to get that last shoe on their foot, challenge them to see if they can do it. You want to encourage your child about self reliant living. Praise them when they accomplish something or even just try something new. Give them simple tasks to do around the house like putting spoons on the table, folding towels, helping with the cooking, or putting toys away. Toddlers feel an extreme sense of satisfaction when they accomplish tasks on their own. As a result, their confidence grows because they realize they are capable of a great many things.

Most importantly, listen to your child when they are talking. Often toddlers do not speak well enough to be understood but they know what they’re saying. Give them your attention and respond by asking questions if what they want isn’t clear. If they say something you don’t understand, ask them to point it out to you and when you find out what it is, say the correct word out loud. More often than not, your child will repeat the word and remember for next time. When you listen you instill in him the idea that what he has to say is important.

Today’s children spend less time exercising than any other preceding generation. Alloted time for recess and physical education is increasingly becoming eliminated in schools. Additionally, the prevalence of computers, gaming systems, and television invite children to sit rather than be active.

According to the American Obesity Association, obesity among children and teens is reaching epidemic levels. About 30% of children and teens are overweight and 15% are obese. Children, who are overweight, with at least one overweight parent, are 79% more likely to be overweight as adults. Along with the poor self-image that often accompanies obesity; children who are obese are at a greater risk for asthma, Type 2 diabetes, high blood pressure, sleep apnea, and damage to bones and cartilage.

To prevent your child from suffering childhood obesity, begin by helping your child make good diet choices. Sweets and treats should be allowed in minimum quantities and should never replace a well-balanced meal. Replace the sweets in your home with healthy snacks like yogurt, cheese, fruit, and nuts. Additionally, monitor the intake of soda and juices. Soda is loaded with calories and other ingredients that are not good for growing bodies and most juices are high in sugar as well.

As adults we realize the importance of exercise but for some reason we do not extend this necessity onto our children. Everyone - young or old - should exercise for at least twenty minutes each day. Make exercising fun with activities such as riding their bike, jumping on the trampoline, jumping rope, rollerblading, dancing or playing tag.

Most importantly, help your child prevent childhood obesity by leading by example. Exercise as a family. Make exercise fun by doing things together as a family. Also, if you’re going to ask that your child limits their sweets and candy intake, you should do the same. It’s hard to argue with a parent that practices what they preach.

Becoming a new parent leaves you with more questions then answers. One of the biggest questions that mothers are faced with is whether or not to breastfeed. Personally, I was so exhausted after my delivery that I was never even awake when it came time to feed my son. Because of this, the hospital bottle-fed him right off the bat. Once I was able to sit-up ad function properly I began breastfeeding him. This combination of both bottle feeding and breastfeeding really worked well for me and my family. Additionally, it made weaning off the breast much simpler. every woman is different and every family has different ideas of what is best for both mother and child. To properly make the decision for your family you should be aware of both the pros and cons of both feeding methods. Listed below are some of the most noted benefits to breastfeeding your child.

Health Benefits For Baby

In studies by the Centre for Disease Control, nursing has been shown to lower (in some cases totally eliminate) the number of infant ear infections, breathing problems, or stomach trouble;especially if breast milk is used at least 6 months.

Nursing protects against, and often prevents, the development of leukemia, allergies and Type 1 diabetes. Reports from the INDG as well as the CDC show this is due to the antibodies in the breast milk which build up the immune system.

The INDG has also found that babies who are breastfed 6 months or more appear to have a higher IQ due to the fatty acids that are in breast milk which increase brain development.

Health Benefits For Mom

In recent study by HealthDay News breastfeeding can lower one’s risk of cardiovascular disease,high blood pressure, high cholesterol, stroke and diabetes by as much as 20% for mothers who nursed for at least one year. And, according to studies at the CDC, other benefits for mom are:

1. Nursing helps mom to lose weight gained during pregnancy more quickly due to the calories burn producing milk.
2. Nursing reduces postpartum bleeding due to the oxytocin hormone that is released into the body and helps the uterus to contract.
3. Nursing is shown to lower the risk of breast and ovarian cancer.
4. Nursing has been shown, in at least 2 studies, to improve a woman’s bone density,thus reducing the risk of osteoporosis and bone fractures later in life. This benefit, however, is still being researched but it’s worth keeping in mind.