Parent Fact Sheets

As a parent, one of your goals should be to help your child in their development of proper interaction with others. You need to teach your child how to solve problems, know his boundaries, and how to control his behavior.

Clear and concise rules are very important for children to know their boundaries. Knowing and understanding the rules helps a child feel secure in their environment. Often behavior problems arise when the rules in your home differ from the rules at school or childcare program.

Food safety and sanitation are important to keeping your family healthy. Understanding the key principles of safe food preparation, handling and storage is vital keeping your family safe from contamination and germs. Many disease that cause diarrhea and even illness like hepatitis can get contracted by eating contaminated and/or spoiled food. Please read the following rules and put into place the tips listed here:

• Teach your children to always wash their hands after going to the bathroom, before eating, before preparing food, after handling raw food,

Family activities bring the family together. It is a time when a parent can observe and learn about their child and what they are interested in. It is a time to strengthen the family ties and have fun doing it. Because most of us have very busy schedules it may be necessary to schedule family fun time on a regular basis and make it a priority.

Here are some tips to successful family time:

Be realistic about how much you can do, make it simple and fun.

Don’t be afraid to try new things and adventures.

Exercise is important for children to develop healthy bodies. Even infants need exercise.

Why is it so important that children get a lot on exercise? Here are five good reasons for children to get exercise:

• Fighting obesity: It is estimated that nearly 25 million children in the United States are overweight or at risk for becoming overweight. (CDC)

• Prevention of diabetes: A child born today has a one in three chance of contracting diabetes during his lifetime. (CDC)

Teaching children honesty is a very important part of their development. Learning how to be honest helps the child build trusting relationships as they grow. However, we all know that very young children often do not tell the truth. For example: The four year old who has cookie crumbs all over their face says, “I didn’t eat it, Rover (the dog) ate it.”

You never know when an emergency can happen in your home. For example: tornados, sever storms, fire or flooding can happen suddenly. It is important that you think about what types of emergencies can occur in your area and have a plan for evacuation.

There are things to tke int consideration when making a plan.

• The location of your home. Are you on a main street where you can get help quickly, or do you live out in the country? •

Are you in a designated flood prone area?

• Does your neighborhood often experience power outages?

As your child grows and develops there are many things you can do as a parent to prevent various health conditions.

The 2015–2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that people aged 2 years or older follow a healthy eating pattern that includes the following:

• A variety of fruits and vegetables.

• Whole grains.

• Fat-free and low-fat dairy products.

•A variety of protein foods.

• Oils.

BENEFITS

Young children understand death in progressive stages. There is no easy way to help a child deal with death. No child exhibits the same reaction. Some children may grieve for a longer period of time than others. There is an adjustment period they must go through and there is no set timetable for that to happen. Also depending on the child’s developmental age, they may have different understanding of death.

Here are some ways a child may understand death:

UNDER 5 YEARS OF AGE

• They cannot understand the causes of death

Right from infancy when your baby smiles at you and you smile back, you are helping your child build his self-esteem. Building a good self-esteem is essential for a child to be able to cope with challenges that arise as they learn to socialize with others and as they grow and learn new skills. Learning what they are capable of and how to interact with others helps them to develop a positive self concept. 

DEMANDING CHILDREN -REDUCE A CHILD’S SENSE OF ENTITLEMENT

As an adult you have control over what you do and where you go.  However, our children do not have any control. Here are three scenarios that might affect your child's behavior.

Imagine that you have no idea what was going to happen the next day.  You were hungry and don't know when you are going to get your meal or what you are going to eat.

 Imagine that you have a lot of homework to do and plan to get started as soon as you get home, but you are whisked right back out the door to run errands and don't get home until late.  

NATURE VS NURTURE

We have had some very difficult years, dealing with COVID-19. It has been especially difficult for our children. Even though it is not in the news like it once was, children and families are still being impacted by COVID.  Children do not fully understand what is happening in the world around them. They may worry that they will get sick, someone in their family, or their friends will get sick. As their parents they look up to you to make sense of what they are seeing and hearing.

It is normal for children to feel worried or anxious to a certain extent. For example first day of school or moving to a new area. As a parent you can help your child cope with anxious situations.

ANXIETY SYMPTOMS IN CHILDREN:

• become irritable, tearful or clingy
• have difficulty sleeping
• wake in the night
• start wetting the bed
• have bad dreams

In older children you may notice that they:

Computers and Internet use opens a world of knowledge and discovery for our children. There are programs for Infants, toddlers, preschoolers, and school age children. Programs that your school age children will use through their whole school experience. Young children have the opportunity to explore the world around them, learn about different cultures and many developmentally appropriate concepts and skills. Many schools now base homework assignments and research to be conducted on the internet. It can be a wonderful tool to expand our child’s learning experience and horizons.

Your school age child (6 to 12 years) now talks in full sentences and has a good understanding of language. He asks many questions and is curious about the world around him. He can recount experiences and amaze you with the details he remembers. He is beginning to understand how his actions affect others. He can see things from different perspectives. With help from you, he can begin to set goals and to learn how to solve problems. He also enjoy playing with their friends.

TIPS FOR ENCOURAGING COMMUNICATION YOUR SCHOOLAGE CHILDREN: 6 TO 12 YEARS •

Learning to communicate with your child starts very early. Building good communication with your child when they are young will make it easier to discuss serious topics like alcohol and drugs when they get older.

How you communicate with your infant will have an impact on how he/she develops his/her self-esteem, language, socialization, healthy relationships and the world around them. One of the most important things you can do as a parent is talk to the baby and listen to her. Have lots of positive communication and interaction on a regular basis. Effective communication with your baby requires communication styles and behavior that is appropriate for healthy infant development.

Your child probably has many ‘well-loved’ stuffed animals These stuffed animals that your child plays and learns with should be clean and well maintained. Because children often like to sleep with or cuddle with stuffed toys it is important that they should be kept clean. When a stuffed doggy or bear gets grimy perk it up with some clever cleaning techniques.

Choosing the right pediatrician is very important because you may have a relationship with this doctor your 20 years. Start searching for a pediatrician when you are pregnant. Your best referrals can come from neighbors, friends and relatives. You can also ask your obstetrician for recommendations. When you have put together a list of prospective doctors, check with your insurance company and make sure your prospective pediatricians are approved with your medical plan.