Lying is common in toddlers so don’t fret if you heard your tots lying about the soap, the mess, or the cake. More often than not, children below the age of three are oblivious to the fact that they are already lying.  Since they are still starting to express themselves or build words and sentences, their response would actually depend on the grownup’s body language and tone when talking to them.

Toddlers lie not because they do not want to get in trouble. Believe or not, here are the main reasons why they lie to you.

1. They think that lying is funny and they would get funny reactions from you when they lie
2. They simply want to play with you
3. They are jealous especially if they have younger sibling who gets the most attention

But then again, lying can sometimes be a form of anxiety or a sign of child depression.

Have you caught your toddler lying?

When parents start to teach kids the Art of Flossing, most of them starts to feel grossed and the initial reaction would be “Eew!” This is very common since kids who haven’t experienced flossing their teeth think that it could be messy, difficult, and even painful.

But thanks to the product called FireFly® Kids’ Flossers by Dr. Fresh®, kids may now get to enjoy flossing and maintain a healthy teeth at the same time. These are small items that can be used for single flossing. Kids no longer have to grapple the slippery floss just like the adults do but instead, they would just have to hold the firefly-shaped floss holder to floss their teeth in a saw-like motion. This makes the FireFly® Kids’ Flossers by Dr. Fresh® very easy to use!

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Here are some tips that would guide you in taking proper care of your little one’s teeth.

• Don’t use toothbrush just yet when the first tooth appears. Instead, use water and a soft cloth to clean it.
• There are toothbrushes that are made specially for kids. Choose the brush that has soft bristles and let your child choose the design he likes most. This kind of toothbrush can be used as soon as the child already has 8 teeth.
• Use only non-flouride toothpaste if your child does not know how to spit yet.
• To make it fun and to teach your child the proper way of brushing teeth, do this together everyday. Brushing teeth can be a family activity too!
• Take advantage of the reading materials that teaches child proper brushing and mouth hygiene.

Reading can really give you a lot of knowledge in all kinds of topics including parenting. That is why many new parents/first-time mom and dads are into different reading materials that would help them learn more about parenting.

One of the common mistakes that new parents make is that they base everything about the book. Yes, it would teach you a thing or two about changing diapers or how you should react if your toddler is being bullied around, but is it enough?

When it comes to nutrition, first aid, medicine, and alike, the book may be a great help. However, no book can deal with the emotional problems and disorders of your child. Don’t be frustrated if your little one did not react according to what the book said. Believe it or not, parents who are deeply into the parenting/baby books face more frustration because they expect a lot from their child (thanks to the material that they read).

Parenting books are just there to guide you but it doesn’t mean to have to live, eat, and breath it. Bear in mind that your parental instincts is the best tool that would help you cope up with your child’s development. And don’t hesitate to ask your own parents if you have parenting problems instead if the guides don’t seem to work.

Psychologists are often associated with people who are crazy. That is why when it comes to child depression, both the child and the parents are thinking twice whether they should consult a doctor or not.

If your son or daughter has a child depression, the first thing that you must do is to talk to him/her as a friend. In this way, your child will be more comfortable in opening up his feelings, insecurities, and inhibitions.  Tell them that just like when they are sick, psychologists or emotion doctors can help them feel much better. Reassure your child that he has a chemical deficiency which can be fixed and that he is not a crazy person.

Before paying a visit to the doctor, give your child a rundown of things that he can expect from the place and from the doctor. You must also tell your child that his full cooperation is essential so that the doctor can easily treat his depression.

When parents mention the word “pedia” they usually think of doctors that they can consult only if their child is still an infant, toddler, or pre-school. Therefore, by the time that their kids are already 10 years old and above, they start looking for doctors for grown-ups.

However, pre-teens or bigger kids can still consult pediatricians. As a matter of fact, pediatricians can look at infants and children aging 16 to 18 years old.

Having one pediatrician to check on your child from birth till puberty can be an advantage for both your child and the doctor. Because they see the doctor as one of the family friends, they would feel very comfortable with the pediatrician to discuss health issues.

But see to it that your teen is still comfortable having his health checked by a child doctor. Sometimes they might feel very awkward as they enter the clinic because of all the baby-related designs, baby weighing scale, and others that which makes the ambiance too babyish.

By the time that your infant already knows how to climb the rails of his crib, you now have a perfect reason to your husband why you should get your child a toddler bed. A toddler bed is also advisable if your child’s height is 36 inches already.

But there are other alternatives to toddler bed if you do not want to move your kid yet. This includes the crib tent which could prevent your child from falling. However, the crib tents are not really recommended by the American Academy of Pediatrics. If in case an accident or an emergency happens, you would not easily get your child out of the crib.

Infants are angels. And when they reach the toddler stage, they are like little prince and princesses. However, just like real “royal highnesses”, they too sometimes (or most of the time) have their tyrant behaviors. The best way to deal with this is not to nag or give punishments. Instead, you must give your focus to the positive behaviors of your toddler.

They always ask for attention from adults, especially from their parents. And that is one of the main reasons why they do those not-so-nice behaviors – because they crave for the attention. When you consistently focus on what they do best, on the things that they are good at or simply praise them, you are giving them attention. And this is the best way to prevent your little tots from doing the tyrant behaviors.

Remember that for them, scolding and nagging is better than no attention at all. So give time to look at their positive attitudes to prevent your child from being naughty or rebellious.

Common mistakes and frustration in potty training happens when a parent keeps on insisting that his child is ready to take of his diapers. That is why it is necessary that before you start teaching your child how to use the potty, you must look at the signs that they are prepared to take this step.

1. Your child already knows how to follow directions and knows how to cooperate
2. Soiled or dirty diapers make your tots feel uncomfortable
3. They can’t wait to have their diapers changed
4. The child gives signs (such as facial expressions or calling you) if he wants to  pee or poop
5. Asks if he can use the potty chair

Before training your child, see to it that you have all the vital materials needed for this training such as a potty chair, videos he can watch, or books about potty training that you can read to the child.

If you think that you have already done everything and yet your child keeps on resisting to learn potty training, then give your child and you a break.

For a few weeks or a month, stop teaching your child how to do the potty. This allows you to prevent your kid to think of potty training as a stressful activity. But this doesn’t mean that you would stop the whole process. During the break, tell your child stories about potty training or let him watch videos that teach the importance of using the potty.

At the same time, you can show your kid how to do it the right way by going to the toilet with him.