Earwax is definitely unsightly and totally yucky. Having one is but normal but having a lot of it and compounded by different elements found in the environment specially for a child can be harmful to health and of course, a reflection of the personal hygiene taught by parents.

Nonetheless, it is crucial to note that the presence of earwax also known as cerumen is still just as important in order to maintain the cleanliness of the ears. As parents, we should know that the glands in the ears release the wax for trapping things in the surroundings such as dust and dirt. This is the normal function of the earwax. If the wax is not produced in normal amounts, chances are, your child can be affected with a host of ear infections, worse, the eardrum can even be damaged and affect other organs connected to the ears like the nose.

In normal instances, the earwax accumulate inside the ear and then dries to move out to the external part of the ear where it should be washed away during bathing or just after taking a bath where it is soft and moist which can be easily removed using cotton tips. As a warning though, do not let your child clean his ears using cotton tips when you think he is not yet ready as he has a tendency to push the earwax further inside the ear and this could possibly cause problems. The buildup can actually be pushed hard in the eardrum and this may even lead to a minor treatment at the doctor’s clinic. Also, the problems on earwax happen when the body has difficulty expelling the wax.

When the earwax accumulate, your child could have trouble hearing sounds because the canal that transmits the sound signals to the brain can be partially or totally blocked. Additionally, your child may be very fussy and may further complain of pain in the ears. There are instances when worse comes to worse, coupled with an associated problem, your child may begin to tug his ears or even develop a fever. This may signal an infection.

So, do not take your chances. If you know that a wax is there, wipe it with a soft and moist or wet cloth. As earlier mentioned, it is better to do such procedure after your child has taken a bath. Do not attempt to use a pointed object like the tip of a pen, a toothpick or anything sharp just to be able to get your hands on that annoying earwax. If you noticed that the accumulated wax is bothering your child, do not hesitate to visit your pediatrician. In turn, your doctor might flush the wax using a solution; if necessary, he may even use an instrument to get that earwax. Even if the procedure does not hurt at all, take this opportunity for your child to fight his fears of doctors. If it is not possible and the procedure should really be done, be there to accompany and comfort your child. As much as possible, never leave your child alone.

If your son or daughter is way past the diaper years and still has the tendency to move bowels in inappropriate places (anywhere besides the toilet), it can be embarrassing and frustrating for you, but even more so for your child. Some parents are under the impression that when children soil their pants, they are actually looking for attention, are deliberately misbehaving or are just too lazy to run to the toilet when they feel a number two coming. While this behavioral standpoint may be true, soiling one’s pants could actually be a physiological concern that parents must look into with care.

Children normally master bladder and bowel control after the toddler years. However, if beyond the age of four, a child is still having “accidents”, he or she may have a condition known as encopresis, or “defecating in one’s underpants”. A child with encopresis may have a bowel disorder or infection that prevents him or her from exercising control. The bowel disorder may also prevent the child from “feeling the urge”, and so he or she moves bowels without even being aware until his or her pants have been soiled.

Encopresis affects approximately one to two percent of children under ten years of age. However, more than 25% of clinic visits to pediatric gastroenterologists are recorded as concerning constipation and encopresis. Therefore, 90% of soiling cases is actually because of functional constipation (which means the constipation is not due to a medical problem per se). Children who are constipated have dry and hard stools which cannot be excreted with ease. As a result, a child may “hold it in” so that they don’t feel the pain, and in doing so, inadvertently do a number two in public.

Encopresis is truly frustrating for parents and caretakers. However, it is important to remember that how a child views his elimination capabilities has a direct impact on his well-being and self-image. A very young child, when scolded for soiling his pants, may feel that defecating is bad, and must be prevented. This could lead to medical problems. Parents must be educated on how to deal with encopresis positively, without putting elements of shame and guilt onto the child. Here are some suggestions:

1. Understand why it happens. Look for symptoms of bowel disorders in your child, starting off with constipation. There are many things that could cause your child to be constipated – diet, insufficient fluid, lack of physical activity and even stress could cause constipation. Some children develop constipation when they do not have access to clean toilets when they need to go. Holding poop in is a big factor that causes constipation. Ask your child if he or she has had difficulty pooping lately, or if he or she feels any pain. Sometimes, when poop becomes so hard and large in the intestines, the feeling or “urge” is decreased, and that’s why the child can’t feel he or she has to go.
2. Call your doctor upon seeing these signs: watery stools when  your child isn’t ill, extreme pain when moving bowels, completely not having BM in the toilet, pain in the abdomen, and appetite loss
3. Look beyond the nonchalance. A child who has soiled his pants may not panic or run in shame. He or she may just stand there, or be unfazed about the whole incident. Do not take this as misbehavior. A child will be so embarrassed and guilty, that he or she may completely be in denial of what happened. Another reason for the indifference is that the brain may have gotten so used to the smell and texture of feces, that a child isn’t even aware that he or she soiled his or her pants anymore. Let your kid know you understand and encourage him or her to come see a doctor so you can figure out together what’s wrong.

You love your child, and would give the world to see a bright smile on his or her face, but every good parent knows that submitting to a child’s every whim is not only tiring, it is also quite detrimental to the child’s development. After all, too much is never a good thing. There are many little requests your child may ask you, from “Can I have Cheetos for dinner?” to “Can we adopt a puppy?” and when he or she is older, “Can I go to a rock concert?” or “Can I get a piercing?” You know you don’t have to say “yes” to every question and request, but how do you say “no”, without making your child feel sore and resentful about the situation? In this article, we share five tips on the right things to say when a situation calls for a “no”.

Tip #1: Use the “look” and the “tone”.

When children are young, they study their parents’ expressions very closely. Your child is actually quite sensitive to your moods as well as your little reactions, faces and non-verbal cues. You can use this to your advantage in disciplining your child. When your child is about to do something that would normally require you to say “no”, you can use a look and your voice conveniently to get the message across. If you notice, saying “no” over and over only causes your child to ignore you after becoming immune to the word.

For instance, your toddler wants to play with breakable decorative items in the house. You can say “no” repeatedly, or you can simply establish a “look” (a stern face, for instance) that your child can recognize as “disapproving”. Some parents also use their voice – a deep, serious voice when calling the child by name. And others are pretty successful by just clearing their throat.

This tip works best for very young children. It is effective as long as parents are consistent about their facial expressions and voice. If you’re going to give your child “the look” but give in to what he or she wants anyway, your little one will simply think that’s the way it goes and will no longer respect that look.

Tip #2: Offer choices.

From toddlerhood onwards, you will notice that your child is gaining more and more independence in choosing food, clothes and even toys. Bear in mind that young children do not understand what’s good for them and what’s not. A classic example is when your child wants to have chips for dinner, but you know it’s not healthy. What do you do, when you understand that saying no could only lead to, “Okay, I’m not having dinner then” or “I hate you, mommy!”?

You can offer two choices which your child can pick from. “Do you want potatoes and chicken, or veggie sticks and fish fingers?” By using this technique, you saved yourself from saying the word “no”, and you also helped your child narrow down his or her choices down to two.

Tip #3: Learn the art of negotiation.

Another trick you can use to avoid having to say “no” is to learn how to use the intro, “Well, here’s what we can do…” Your child wants to buy a new gaming console, but you know it may disrupt his or her studies. At the same time, a gaming console isn’t exactly evil, and would be useful in keeping the children safe and dry, and not bored during the rainy days.

You can say, “Okay, we will get you that gaming console, but you have to get straight A’s for this quarter.” You’ve set a deadline, so the child knows he or she doesn’t have to wait forever, and you’ve given your child a sense of direction. The child will understand that in order to get what he or she wants, he or she needs to perform well in school.

Another example is when your child doesn’t want to eat the veggies on his or her dinner plate. “You can have one scoop of ice – cream as soon as you finish your carrots and celery” will give him or her motivation to munch on those veggies.

Tip #4: Set expectations early on.

You know that bringing a child to a toy store will lead to, “Can we buy…” and if it’s clearly not within the budget, you’ll have to say, “No”. If you can’t stand seeing those big eyes well with tears, set your expectations before even entering the shop. “We’ll look around, but we won’t be buying anything. We’re just going to look at some toys and play with them for a while, but we are not spending on anything today. Is that clear?” This is a firm but gentle way of preventing a “no” situation from arising.

Tip #5: Create a distraction.

Finally, if a child is voicing out whims and is going through an impulsive state, it pays to know how to channel his or her attention elsewhere. This tip works for young children best. Say your little one is at it again, banging away on your expensive glass center table. “Hey, mommy needs your help in the kitchen” and then offer him or her some pots and pans to use as drums. You didn’t say “no” at all, but you got what you wanted – that your child stop using your glass table as a drum.

Your two-year old has just discovered a word to turn your world up-side-down: No. You’ve had everything laid out in your head – you were going to be the perfect parent and would have no problems raising and disciplining your child. But he or she is only two years old and already showing signs of disobedience and hard-headedness. Before you put the blame on yourself, know that terrible twos exist for a reason, and that’s to allow your child to develop positively.

This article takes a look at two theories on growth and development, and why your toddler is acting out at such an early age.

Sigmund Freud’s Psychoanalytical Theory

Freud theorized that a child’s personality will be most evident when he or she is five years old. This means that any experiences when the child is younger are crucial to the formation of a positive personality and behaviors.

According to Freud, a toddler is in the second stage of development known as the anal stage. This follows the oral stage, wherein a child obtains gratification from sucking and being fed. The anal stage of development is called so because children usually learn about their excretory functions at the age of two. They begin to become aware of urges to pee or poop, which is why this is a good time for potty-training. As your child discovers his or her body can actually do these things, he or she will begin to assert independence, thus learning to disobey.

It is crucial that your child receives all the encouragement he or she can get during his or her toilet-training. If a child is ridiculed, shamed, or punished for accidents, he or she may exhibit negative behaviors later in life. There are two things that could happen – the child could be messy or destructive as a result of neglect and over-leniency from parents, or, the child may turn out overly stringent and obsessive about cleanliness and order, due to strict and premature toilet-training.

Erik Erikson’s Psychosocial Theory

Erikson believed that in every stage of the human life, people need to overcome certain conflict to be able to develop positively and move on to the next stage. Toddlers, he theorized, belong to the second stage, which is the “autonomy vs. shame and doubt” stage. What this means is that if a child surpasses the conflicts of his toddler years, he will develop a good sense of independence. If he is not successful, he will show signs of shame and self-doubt in his personality. This theory can be applied to toilet- training, as well as other important aspects of your child’s toddlerhood. You may now notice your child becoming interested in choosing his or her own toys and clothes. He or she may refuse to eat with the family, and may only eat a particular food he or she likes. Suddenly, you may feel that your innocent baby now has a mind of his or her own.

To discipline your child and make sure he or she overcomes the conflicts in toddlerhood, strike a balance between control and trust. For instance, you want your 2-year old to eat healthy food, but you also want to develop his or her autonomy. “Will you have cereal or carrots for a snack?” is a good question, instead of going for whatever he or she wants. When helping your child pick out clothes, hang two outfits instead of showing the entire closet.
Honoring your child’s little choices, no matter how trivial they may seem, gives them a sense of confidence and security. If they are not given choices or allowed to make simple decisions, they will feel inadequate and may assume they are inferior to other children and adults.

All children tend to develop one or more annoying habits at one point in their young lives. While they aren’t exactly life-threatening, these habits have certain health impacts on the child and are quite embarrassing for parents. This article will focus on the most common bad habits children have, and what parents can do to turn them around.

What’s behind a habit?

Habits sure are a mystery to the common man. What are they, and why do they form? Habits are actually behavioral patterns. These are repeated actions which other people notice, but not the habit owner. Unfortunately, it’s the bad habits that catch other people’s attention.

Why are habits formed?

There is no exact reason why people catch a habit or two. However, these habits are usually a form of coping mechanism. A child, when bored or sleepy, may resort to tapping on surfaces or picking his or her nose. When a child is anxious about something, such as a quiz or a presentation, he or she may unconsciously resort to biting his or her nails. A child who is trying to answer her math homework may not be aware of her hair-twirling habit. Habits develop because they have a soothing or calming effect to a child who is sad, bored, frustrated, frightened or stressed.

Some children unknowingly pick up habits when they interact with other children. Some kids develop them because they think it look cool. If this is the reason a habit is formed, it will most likely go away on its own, or the child will simply outgrow the habit, just because it’s “not cool” anymore.

Whatever the reason a child develops a bad habit, it is important for parents to understand the implications of the habit, especially health-wise, and to find measures to kill the habit while providing effective solutions to target a child’s negative emotions.

What are common bad habits in children, and why should parents be concerned? What can be done?

1. Nail-biting or cuticle-picking

A child could pick up dangerous germs from dirty fingertips and nails. Frequent biting of the nails could result to poor nail growth, due to the constant exposure to substances in the saliva that cause breakage. The cuticles could also be infected from the bacteria in the saliva.

Encourage hand-washing techniques in your child. It also helps to point out what the hands are really for, and how to use them. You can give positive reinforcements when the child is using his or her hands for something productive, like coloring, patting a pet or tying his shoelaces. “You wouldn’t want to eat your crayons or your shoes, would you?” is a great way to start teaching your child about why it’s wrong to eat their nails.

2. Breath-holding

This is a scare for many parents, especially when their child faints from holding his or her breath too long.

Children often do this when they are throwing a tantrum. To kill this habit, parents must have plenty of patience. The best way to start is to discourage the habit by ignoring it. When parents rush to the child every time he or she holds his or her breath, they are only allowing the latter to use this habit to manipulate them. The best way to prevent a child from doing this is to distract him or her. Eventually, the habit will die down.

3. Nose-picking

It may seem innocent and even comical, but nose picking must be a health concern. Children may not be aware but they may actually cause trauma to their noses from too much picking. This could cause infection, if not treated right away. Nose-picking is also one of the most common causes of nosebleeds. And, the habit is embarrassing.

The first thing to do is to understand why your child has developed the habit. The urge to pick one’s nose usually comes from an irritation, itchiness or feeling of stuffiness in the nose. Get this diagnosed and treated right away, as doing so may stop the habit.

Explain to your child that people do not like seeing others pick their noses in public, and that it is always better to carry a handkerchief to wipe one’s nose with. You may offer a reward every time your child uses a hankie instead of putting a finger up there.

4. Head-banging

This dangerous trauma may cause trauma to the head. It is usually a tantrum habit, and is a way of getting attention.

Prevent, then, a situation which would stimulate a tantrum. Tantrums often arise when children don’t get what they want. You may offer choices, to reduce your child’s frustrations and increase his or her self-esteem. Choices also distract the child from being one-sided about what he or she wants.

5. Masturbation

Playing with genitals is a normal occurrence for young boys and girls. They do not understand their genitals in a sexual way. Rather, they are just curious about them, and feel calm when they tough their privates. What it certainly is a bad habit when done in public.

The best way to curb this is to distract your little one from playing with his or her genitals. Never reprimand the child, because he or she may only associate his or her genitals with something that’s wrong or bad, and in doing so, may be sexually dysfunctional later in life. Simply offer a distraction. For instance, say “There you are! Let’s go out and play in the garden, it’s a beautiful day!” when you see your little one fondling.

Raising a child to become a wholesome individual and a well-rounded part of the society is no easy task for any parent, more so for parents of a child with special needs. It is normal to feel clueless and frustrated, and sometimes even bottled up.

The truth about disciplining children is that it is crucial to their holistic development. Therefore it is something that cannot be disregarded just because the child is “different”. Special children may have slower learning abilities and under-developed coping mechanisms, but this is not a good enough reason to downplay discipline. Discipline must be reinforced early in life, and consistently, as it is a vital component in the formation of a positive personality.

What makes the parents’ jobs harder is the fact that children with special needs have unpredictable learning patterns and developmental stages. For instance, most children would outgrow their tantrums when they learn how to speak in complete and clear sentences. Children with special needs, however, may continue to throw tantrums well into the school age years. As a result, parents are not sure which approach to use, and in the end feel like their children is controlling them instead of the other way around.

This article lists the dos and don’ts of raising a developmentally-challenged child. Being a parent to a special-needs child comes with all doubled worries and frustrations, but surpassing challenges and witnessing positive behavioral outcomes gives parents a magnified sense of joy and fulfillment as well.

Parents usually create a picture-perfect vision of their child even before the baby is born. They plan for ballet classes, basketball games, guitar lessons, Ivy League school, and other ways to make their child the best of the best. Having a child with special-needs then will be a nightmare for parents who have envisioned perfect lives. Inability to face this reality only leads to frustration and the failure to disciple the child appropriately.

Here’s an example: Your children are taking turns throwing pebbles on to a river, and your little differently-abled child decides to join in the fun, but only he picks your cellphone to throw into the river just because he thinks the kids are just throwing stuff. You lash out in anger, but you don’t realize that you had set your standards evenly among your children, forgetting that your little one has slightly different needs.

Never ever compare your child with other children, even if it’s just in your head, or just against your own children. Comparing causes you to keep the standards same among all children, and you will not be able to focus on your child’s special needs. The worst way you can actually rip a special child’s confidence out is by comparing. Your child needs your support, acceptance and understanding. You will need to make him or her feel that you do not feel sorry for his or her inadequacies. Rather, keep up a positive attitude and keep encouraging the child.

Speaking of encouragement, how do you teach your child a positive behavior? Use positive reinforcement. This is far more productive than negative reinforcement, wherein you focus solely on a child’s wrong-doings. Positive reinforcement is crucial to a child’s development of a stable personality. Be careful when using rewards. As their developmental stages are rather complicated, your “rewards” may not serve their purpose, and may rather be taken as a “needs” by your child.

Finally, consistency is important when disciplining a child with special needs. When he or she knowingly does something wrong, you do not bend the rules just because he or she is “differently-abled”. Be firm with your rules, but if you notice that your child cannot cope with them at all, you may need to modify because the child isn’t able to perform to your standards as yet.

Fisher-Price is one of the leading toy manufacturers in the world. Recently, with the assistance from various toy regulators including Health Canada and the Products Safety Commission, they have recalled millions of toys they have sold worldwide due to safety reasons. In addition, the general manager of Fisher-Price, Kevin Curran, wrote a letter which is posted on their website explaining the said move of the company and at the same time informing the parents who have purchased their recalled products.

In their letter, the company has enumerated some of the products which were subjected to the said recall, and they have also included a link for the parents to be able to determine if the toys that they have purchased are included in the recall, for them to review the recall announcement for a particular product, and a link which guides them on how to apply for a modification kit or for a replacement.

Trike Recall

Recently, Fisher-Price has recalled more than 7 million trikes due to safety hazards. Reports said that the trikes have a part which sticks out (ignition key located in front of the toy’s seat) which is said to have cut a number of children.

 Baby Play Areas

Aside from the tricycles, Fisher-Price has also recalled their baby play areas. There are close to 3 million of these toys which were recalled due to these play areas having inflatable balls which were concluded as possible choking dangers for children.

High Chairs

Almost 1 million high chairs were also recalled by the company because of the numerous reports of injuries caused by this product. It was said that children were cut from the chair’s legs. Currently, these products are still on sale in different stores, and Fisher-Price is doing everything they can to retrieve all of these products.

How can Parents be Careful?

One of the most important things parents should consider when buying a toy is the safety of their children. Before buying a product, parents should be able to carefully read the package to give them an idea if the said toy that they are acquiring is safe for their children or not. Normally, the packaging of a particular toy or its box contains information like what age is the toy suitable for, as well as warnings which will let a parent know of the possible hazards the toy could bring.

Tips on How to Choose Toys for Kids

The number one consideration of every parent when getting a toy for their children is their safety. In this regard, when picking toys, a parent should consider the age and the interest of their kids. They should not buy something that is not suitable for the age of their children because of certain hazards on their children’s safety. Parents should also consider reviews from the toys that they want to buy for their child. This will let them know if the toy they are planning to buy is safe, based on the testimonials of other parents who have tried it.

Children are often difficult to bring in travels and long trips. Aside from the fact they cannot stay still in one place they have the tendency to have motion sickness. They can get sick and vomit all over the place.

Motion sickness or travel sickness is common to children. The sudden change in motion like when you are in a car or boat causes your balance to go topsy-turvy. Symptoms may include pale cold skin, headaches, sweating or vomiting. Reading and watching TV while on a moving vehicle will only make the symptoms worse. At other times motion sickness can be triggered by strong scents or revolting smells. For some people reading and watching movies while in a moving vehicle can cause motion sickness so kids are not advised to play handheld video games while travelling. Anyone can be affected by motion sickness but it is commonly experienced by children and pregnancy women.

Tips on how to avoid motion sickness

• Avoid sudden movements while in a car, plane or any moving vehicle
• Open car windows to breathe fresh air
• Sleep instead of reading or playing video games
• Do not stare at moving objects instead look in the direction of where you are going.
• Avoid heavy meals and keep light snack along the ride
• Maintain a comfortable temperature inside the car
• Cover windows from the bright glare of then
• Keep your child’s mind occupied by playing games while travelling

How to treat motion sickness?

There are pharmacological and non pharmacological ways to treat motion sickness. The discomfort of travelling with motion sickness causes some to take medications to alleviate the symptoms and discomfort immediately.

Medications that can help treat morning sickness are the following.

1. Antihistamines – it induces relaxation of the esophagus and of the person experiencing the motion sickness. Side effects include sleepiness and lethargy.
2.  Metoclopramide – used to combat sea sickness but can be used for general motion sickness.
3. Hyoscine – is an effective treatment for motion sickness. It prevents motions sickness by preventing the confusing nerve messages going to your brain. A dose should be taken 30-60 minutes before a trip; its effect will last up to around 72 hours. Side-effects are uncommon include includes dry mouth, drowsiness and blurred vision.

Treating motion sickness without medications

• Awareness of situations where symptoms are triggered like keeping away from strong scents or revolting smells.
• Sit in the front seat; over the wing of an aircraft or in the central cabin of a ship.
• Eat and drink before you go on travelling in a car to avoid risk of vomiting.
• Shut your eyes to avoid seeing moving objects.