peterxu's Blog

Daycare centers are overrated. You can do better for your children. Here are five reasons why you should fire your daycare and hire a nanny for your kids.

1. Your children will get more one-on-one attention. Research shows that everything from school test scores to child self-esteem improve with more one on one attention. If your child is among many other children at a center, how is he getting the attention that he deserves

2. Great nannies have become easier to find. For instance, you can try an online matchmaking service like Sittercity. They have thousands of awesome babysitters all over the country. You can search their database before you pay for their service and probably find 10 great babysitters right in your area that would be perfect to watch your little ones.

3. You can get a background check. Not every person at a daycare is as nice as they seem. You should make the decision about who is in charge of your children, not the overworked owner of the daycare center. Most babysitting matchmaking services offer background checks, so you can be sure of exactly who is minding your kids.

4. More flexibility for you. There is no more rushing out of the office by five just to get stuck in traffic trying to hurry to get to the daycare center before your mandatory pick up time. You can work when you want ot when the daycare tells you that you can. Many nannies will still watch your kids when they are sick, even when daycares would not allow them to be there.

5. It is not as expensive as you might think. One woman I know actually saved over $300 a month by having a nanny watching her children instead of taking them to daycare. She found that is worked better, the children thrived, and it saved her money.

With all these great reasons, you owe it to yourself and your kids to at least consider finally firing the daycare center and making life easier for all of you.

Beth Howland is a mom and advocate for great parenting products like Sittercity. For more information, visit http://www.SittercityReview.com

As parents, we try every day to shield our children from violence, teen pregnancy, drugs and alcohol, and even peer pressure. Yet no matter how much you try to protect your children from these things sooner or later they will have to deal with the once the enter school. With the increase level of teen pregnancy from year to year it is time that parents once again sit down with their children and discuss sex but not in the way you are used to teaching them. I am not talking about the birds and the bees story, frightening your children with the abstinence talk, or throwing condoms at them. I am talking about teaching your children how to place value on sexual intimacy and not just giving away their goodies for free to anyone who will take it. Our children need to realize that their bodies are worth more than 10-60 minutes worth of sex or better yet, wham-bam-thank you ma m. Our children need to know that their bodies are precious like jewels and they need to treat their bodies as such.

Here are a few steps to help you start the discussion once again about having sex too early (use your personal discretion when considering the word early as what I may say as being too early to have sex you may not):

1. Think about your personal values on sexual intimacy: Before you can have a conversation with your child on having sexual intercourse, as a parent you need to determine how you view sex. If it just hitting the sack and talking your partner for granted then are you not telling your child the same thing through your own actions If you have never thought about this question or have put it to the side because you feel like you are grown, then rethink about your personal values before you share your wisdom with your child. Teens are smart and they can tell whether or not you believe what you are saying so don try to pull the cover over their eyes.

2. Ask your child their definition of sexual intimacy: For many kids they see no difference between intimacy and intercourse. Many will tell you that they love the person but when asked to define how they love the person and why, they may not have a clear picture of what love is. This is the perfect opportunity to go in and help clarify what love is and how it goes hand in hand with sexual intimacy.

3. Don accuse your child of having sex without all the facts: The worst thing you can do is accuse your child of having sex without asking them. Yes there are some children who will lie about being sexually active for fear of punishment but there are others who are telling the truth more times than not. Instead discuss with your child how they value their personal body as related to sexual intimacy as well as how they would value their partner body in the same way. If your child has no clue then he/she is not ready for sex.

4. You don have to sleep with the whole team to be popular: Some kids have learned in school that the more sexual partners you have the more you will become a part of the opular group. However, I would beg to ask that if you were to sleep with the whole team now to be popular, would you or the individuals you slept with remember your name a year later If your child says no then I would have them question whether it was worth becoming popular by sleeping around.

5. Know and love yourself: Unless you know and love yourself no one else will. Our children need to start loving and respecting themselves first so that others will do the same.

Finally, there is no cure all to having sex early as sex is all around our children no matter where they turn. However as parents we need to add something else to the alk that does not frighten our children or send them to the corner store on a contraceptive frenzy. If your child is having sex, then take all the necessary steps to ensure that they are practicing safe sex. If your child is not having sex, then take all of the necessary steps to ensure that they are continuing to live an abstinent life. Just make sure that whatever course your child takes as related to having sex that they learn to (1) place value on their bodies and treat it like there is not enough money in the world that could buy them out and (2) accept that sexual intimacy involves committed people who have decided to unite their bodies as one and not share it with another. It time that our children stop giving away their sex for FREE and start loving themselves for who they are and not what their friends or the media (videos, TV., magazines etc.) says that they should be.

April Lisbon-Peoples is a growth and development coach who enjoys inspiring her clients to find their lifes purpose through becoming visionaries. She the founder and CEO of Running Your Race, a coaching practice designed for individuals who are ready to awaken their visions and create their destiny. Additionally, she also works as a school psychologist in NV.

When I had my oldest daughter, 16 years ago, giving children unusual names was, well, unusual. During my pregnancy, I looked through baby name books, listened to what every shopper in the grocery store called their kids, and could not find a name that I liked. I wanted my baby girl (the wonders of ultra sound) to have a unique name to help guide her toward a personality all her own. I had for some forgotten reason chosen K as the letter sound that I wanted, but none of the traditional K names caught my attention. Then one night, lying on my aching and suddenly extremely wide back in bed, while putting random names together, I came up with Kelyn. It was a sound I liked. It seemed elegant and strong to me. Traits that a girl should have.

Little did I realize what I would putting her in store for. When she was little, people would ask her name, and either she or I would say it, KELYN, then it would begin, Kevin No, KELYN, Helen No KEL-YN, and on and on, until my little 3 year old would simply spell it out for everyone who asked.

I had chosen that name, thinking that it was one of a kind. I was wrong, years later I discovered that there were other Kelyns in the world, even some with the same spelling. It was unique enough that I could never give her all those nifty things like personalized license plates for her bike, or refrigerator magnets of her name. I did find ways to improvise though, like making a t-shirt with her name stenciled on it. Up until a couple of years ago, she tried every year to get me to let her change it to something normal, please Mom! Now she takes pride in her name, and appreciates that her name sets her apart just a little bit.

Catherine is a mother of three and staff writer/blogger at LikeThatName.com. LikeThatName provides a fast and fun way to discover thousands of interesting baby names, along with a supportive community and information for new parents. To read the latest articles and join our community, visit us online today!

The increasing availability of 3D ultrasound has resulted largely from the brisk advancement in computer technology. The aim of three-dimensional imaging is to eliminate invasive tests whenever possible and simplify workflow.

3D ultrasound scans are as safe as traditional ultrasound scanning because the image is composed of sections of two-dimensional images, so the ultrasound exposure is the same. In this procedure, several two-dimensional images are combined by specialized computer software to form three-dimensional images.

With three-dimensional imaging, sonologists can get the full picture in a single image. They can see the entire brain in one view instead of multiple images. Achieving comparable results with a routine 2D scan of the head requires at least three separate scans. In other scenarios, such as abdominal scans, it is not possible to obtain a third view with a routine scan. Three-dimensional imaging allows a physician to get a better look at the organ being examined and is best used for early detection of tumors, discovering masses in the colon and rectum, detecting breast lesions for possible biopsies, assessing the development of a fetus, and visualizing blood flow in various organs. Three-dimensional scans greatly aid in the diagnosis of problems by showing more detail from different angles.

Getting a good three-dimensional image depends on the aptitude of the operator, the position of the baby and the amount of fluid around him or her. A good image of the face, for example, can only be obtained if the baby is facing upwards, he does not have his hands in front of his face and there is a pool of amniotic fluid surrounding the features.

Also, pediatric sonologists are reaping a variety of benefits from improved technologies. Patient care has been enhanced via higher-quality images in 3D. Costs, too, have been reduced due to a need for fewer rescans.

Ultrasound provides detailed information on Ultrasound, Pregnancy Ultrasound, Ultrasound Pictures, 3D Ultrasound and more. Ultrasound is affiliated with Colostrum Milk.

Toddlers are naturally full of emotion, but to an exasperated parent a toddler temper tantrum can feel like a natural disaster if not quelled quickly. Tantrums are not a toddler way of being a bad kid, but simply how they cope with their feelings the best way they can for their age. What a parent to do to calm the storm before it gets out of hand Here are a few simple tips to help compose your distressed toddler without losing your temper or surrendering to the tantrum.

Ignore the behavior: Although at times it seems impossible, one of the most effective ways to stop a toddler tantrum is to just ignore it. Leave the room or move to another location in the room if you can. Your toddler will soon figure out that what they e doing isn working, and without an audience they usually stop crying rather quickly anyway. Keep an eye on them of course to make sure they can get hurt, but give them room and let them work out their emotions.

Express Yourself: Tell your toddler how their behavior makes you feel. Sound kind of silly to talk to a toddler about feelings Perhaps at first, but with time a toddler can see how talking makes you happy and they will learn to discuss their feelings rather than throwing a fit. They learn that talking about feelings is a good thing.

Don Give In: If the tantrum is a result of you having to remove a favorite toy or because you will not let them have what they want at the moment, remember that giving in to the tantrum only instills in your toddler mind that screaming is a good habit. They e simply testing the waters to see how far they can push before you give them what they want. Tell your child why they can have the desired object and then talk to them about it or distract them from the toy etc. Kids soon learn that screaming and crying will not work and that you have set boundaries that they cannot cross.

Monkey See, Monkey Do: This may sound surprising, but sometimes mimicking your toddler behavior will distract the child enough to stop the tantrum in its tracks. Throw the same silly fit as your child and most likely they l stop screaming and look at you like you e nuts and crack up laughing. They l see how silly their behavior is and perhaps not try that one again. Don be surprised, however, if they enjoy it enough to want to play illy fit with Mommy again, only not as a real tantrum!

What to Do in Public: Why is it that so many toddler temper tantrums occur in public places Most likely it because there are bright and shiny objects around that they want and also because toddlers tire easily and that prime time for tantrums. If a temper fit starts to build in public just remove your child to a quiet private place and implement step two above. Although tantrums are more stressful in public, try to stay calm and tell your child that screaming in public is not ok. Tell them it ok to feel sad, angry, tired, hungry etc., but that temper tantrums are not. If at all possible, the best bet is to just go home if you know that your toddler is overly tired and/or hungry.

Remember, parents are people too, and it only natural to feel exasperated, embarrassed and just plain mad when your toddler throws a temper tantrum. Try your best to use some of the tips mentioned and not give into frustration and start yelling at your child. By giving in to bad behavior yourself, you e only sending the message that tantrums are acceptable. Redirect the behavior and talk to your child. By starting this type of effective communication with your child at an early age, you e setting a precedent for future positive behavior that will help your toddler become an expressive and respectful individual throughout their life.

Learn more about toddler behavior and find fun toddler play and learning activities at amily Play and Learn http://familyplayandlearn.com and oddler Learning Activities http://toddlerlearningactivities.blogspot.com