For instance, visual learners who use their eyes more, may rely on the sense of sight when absorbing information. They easily pick up visual clues like motion, color, shape and size.Such children usually have excellent eye- hand coordination.

Children who prefer their sense of hearing, on the other hand, are better listeners. They are more likely to be early talkers, and posses a greater vocabulary. Likewise, there are those who make more use of their sense of touch to absorb information and learn. They would prefer hands- on learning through touch and movement.

Most children would exhibit characteristics from more than one category. Yet, close observation may reveal a child’s strong preference for one style of learning.This would enable parents to use the child’s play time effectively, to develop weaker skills, while reinforcing natural strengths.

Every child would have a preferred sense and method to absorb information. Yet, he cannot be too choosy, because a child has to work in a group situation where all sorts of skills come into play. A little child cannot say to his teacher, “I would rather listen to the story, than read it myself .” Parents can help him from a very early age to avoid such predicaments.

Source: Dr. Sonia ( Psychologist )

Operating on a baby before birth may seem like science fiction, but prenatal surgery is becoming more and more common in special pediatric programs throughout the United States.

Since prenatal surgery was first pioneered in the 1980s, it’s become an important way to correct certain birth defects that could be severe (and in some cases fatal) if babies were born with them unrepaired.

Prenatal surgery (also called fetal surgery or fetal intervention) most often is done to correct serious problems that can’t wait to be fixed, like certain heart defects, urinary blockages, bowel obstructions, and airway malformations.

Some of the greatest successes have come from correcting spina bifida (an often disabling spinal abnormality in which the two sides of the spine fail to join together, leaving an open area). A recent landmark study reports that kids with spina bifida who received fetal surgery typically are more likely to walk, less likely to have serious neurological problems, and less likely to need a shunt to drain brain fluid.

So how does prenatal surgery work? The most common types are:

• Open fetal surgery: In this type of procedure, the mother is given anesthesia, then the surgeon makes an incision in the lower abdomen to access the uterus (as would be done during a Cesarean section). The uterus is opened with a special stapling device that prevents bleeding, the fetus is either partially or completely taken out of the womb, surgery is done, then the baby is returned to the uterus, and the incision is closed. Open fetal surgery is performed for problems like spina bifida and certain other serious conditions. The mother will be in the hospital for 3-7 days and will need a C-section to give birth to the baby (and any future children).
• Fetoscopic surgery: This minimally invasive type of procedure, often called Fetendo fetal surgery, is more common than open fetal surgery. Small incisions are made and the fetus is not removed from the uterus. The surgeon uses a very small telescope (called an endoscope) designed just for this kind of surgery and other special instruments to enter the uterus and correct the problem. Fetendo is most useful for problems with the placenta, such as twin-twin transfusion syndrome in which one identical twin grows at the expense of the other because of abnormal blood vessel connections in the placenta they share.
• Fetal image-guided surgery: Some fetal surgery is done without an incision to the uterus or use of an endoscope. Doctors use ultrasound to guide them as they perform “fetal manipulations,” such as placing a catheter in the bladder, abdomen, or chest. The least-invasive form of fetal surgery, it’s not used for serious conditions that require open surgery.

The benefits of prenatal surgery don’t come without risks, though. Chief among them are premature births and problems with the incision site. Moms who have fetal intervention are closely monitored for preterm labor and receive medications to control it. Still, for many parents and their babies, fetal surgery is a true medical miracle.

Source : http://kidshealth.org/parent/positive/_issues2012/2012_prenatal.html#cat20947

It’s how they communicate hunger, pain, fear, a need for sleep, and more.

So how are parents supposed to know what their baby is trying to tell them? It can be tricky to interpret your child’s cries, especially at first.

Here are the most common reasons babies cry. If your little one is wailing and you don’t know why, work your way down the list. Chances are you’ll find something that helps.

1. Hunger

This is probably the first thing you think of when your baby cries.

Learning to recognize the signs of hunger will help you start your baby’s feedings before the crying stage. Some signs to watch for in newborns: fussing, smacking of lips, rooting (a newborn reflex that causes babies to turn their head toward your hand when you stroke their cheek), and putting  their hands to their mouth.

2. A dirty diaper

Some babies let you know right away when they need to be changed. Others can tolerate a dirty diaper for quite a while.

Either way, this one is easy to check and simple to remedy.

3. Needs sleep

Aren’t babies lucky? When they’re tired they can simply go to sleep – anytime, anywhere. Or so adults like to think.

In reality, it’s harder for them than you might think. Instead of nodding off, babies may fuss and cry, especially if they’re overly tired.

4. Wants to be held

Babies need a lot of cuddling. They like to see their parents’ faces, hear their voices, and listen to their heartbeats, and can even detect their unique smell. Crying can be their way of asking to be held close.

You may wonder if you’ll spoil your baby by holding him so much, but during the first few months of life that isn’t possible. To give your arms some relief, try wearing your baby in a front carrier or sling.

5. Tummy troubles (gas, colic, and more)

Tummy troubles associated with gas or colic can lead to lots of crying. In fact, the rather mysterious condition called colic is defined as inconsolable crying for at least three hours a day, at least three days a week, at least three weeks in a row.

If your baby often fusses and cries right after being fed, he may be feeling some sort of tummy pain. Many parents swear by over-the-counter anti-gas drops for babies or gripe water (made from herbs and sodium bicarbonate). Get your doctor’s okay before using either of these.

By Internet

• Men are really in for a shock when their partner has a baby. They are no longer the centre of the universe and all attention and affection is redirected to the new family member. Soften the blow by giving your partner some conscious attention during the newborn stage.

• Men don’t understand women’s hormones at the best of times so unless he’s an endocrinologist, don’t expect your partner to understand what a full-on hormonal roller coaster you are on in those first postnatal weeks. Men are terrible mind readers. JUST TELL HIM what you are going through. Don’t expect the poor bugger to guess.

• My mantra for a happy marriage is: “You get what you settle for”, so don’t settle for your partner taking only a week off work after the baby is born and spending three of those nights out with his mates. Don’t settle for your partner planning a fishing trip two weeks after your due date. Lay down the ground rules before the baby is born.

• And here are the ground rules that he needs to know:
• You need him to take as much time off work as possible
• You need him to allow you to live in a mothering cocoon for at least a month so you can lavish attention on your newborn and establish breastfeeding, which means he’s responsible for everything else: housework, washing, cooking, grocery shopping.
• You’ll need him to beat a path between home and the chemist for anything you need, such as nipple cream, maternity pads, breast pads, breast pumps, bottles and sterilising equipment.
• You need to tell him that you need his unconditional love, which includes those extra 15 kilos you put on.
• Your mother is not a substitute for a good father. Tell him that HE needs to be there for you and for your baby.

Source

Five basic principles are as follows:

1. What You Do Matters:

BE A MINDFUL PARENT, one that is “intentional” rather than merely reactionary. And, “the more you make an effort to deliberately practice good parenting, the more instinctive it becomes”  for those times when you do not have time to think, where you have not choice but to respond reflexively. “Parent proactively rather than reactively.”

2. Be Involved in Your Child’s Life:

BE INVOLVED. “The strongest and most consistent predictor of children’s mental health, adjustment, happiness, and well-being is the level of involvement of their parents in their life”.

3. You Cannot Be Too Loving:

CAN YOU SPOIL YOUR CHILD WITH LOVE? “It is simply not possible to spoil a child with love…It is usually the consequence of giving a child things in place of  love — things like leniency, lowered expectations, or material possessions”.  “When children feel genuinely loved, they develop such a strong sense of security that they almost always are less needy.”  “Don’t confuse whether you show your child affection with how you do it”.  “Children know the difference between being truly loved and being bought off”.

4. Establish Rules and Set Limits:

ALL CHILDREN NEED RULES AND LIMITS. “Structure makes children feel secure”.  “The main reason is that over time, [rules and limits] help your child develop the ability to manage his own behavior…over time, the control of your child’s behavior gradually shifts from being external (imposed by you and other adults) to being internal (imposed by your child herself).”

5. Be Consistent:

BE CONSISTENT FROM DAY TO DAY. “The single greatest contributor to children’s disciplinary problems is inconsistent parenting. If your rules vary from day to day in an unpredictable fashion, or if you enforce them only intermittently, your child’s misbehavior is your fault, not his. The easiest way to help a child learn how to behave appropriately is to make her good behavior a habit that she doesn’t even have to think about. You do this by being consistent from day to day in your parenting”.

There is no more important job in any society than raising children, and no more important influence on how children develop than their parents.

Source: Dr. Sonia

While today’s fast life leave everyone so little time that sometimes it is almost impossible to spend much time with kids as you may wish. But smart parenting can help you in this. As you know that nowadays kids love to spend time on your pc playing games or watching cartoons and they just love those toon characters. So you can try educational games for kids to enhance their learning in the most interactive way with improvement in their memory, math skill, recognition and mental stamina.

Here you actually have three point advantages:

First you are providing your kids some games that they love to play and spend quality time.

Two they are playing educational games which are ultimately teaching a wide array of subjects including the curriculum courses and not playing something inappropriate for them.

Three you are getting a single point where you can see them doing math, learning vocabulary, improving general awareness, reading stories, doing paintings and a lot more than you could have handled otherwise.

By assisting them and playing with them give encouragement to these little kids and they also feel your support throughout which in turn increases their interest. While there are many websites available top assist you in smart parenting www.gudli.com stands out due to its concepts, approach and coverage of subjects. Gudli offers many interesting online activities to kids from pre-school to second grade. The games here do not only cover the educational aspect but also puts equal emphasis on practical learning like good habits, flourishing creativity, solving puzzles or just have pure fun.

Source: Dr. Indra

Fathers in the true sense are the first role model of kids who contribute hugely to develop
the personality of his kids. Surprisingly most fathers do not get their fair share of credit in
building the life of a child. This is primarily due to the protective nature and the responsibility
of guardianship they have to follow. But they have their own ways of showing the love and
eventually every kid realizes the hardships a father goes through to give him a better life.

Father’s Day is celebrated world wide as a tribute to the love, affection and values we receive
from them. Although the date of Father’s Day celebration is not same across the globe but
most prominent is the third Sunday of June. The credit of establishing Father’s Day celebration
goes to Sonora Smart Dodd of Spokane, Washington. She realized the struggle her father went
through to raise his children and created the cause to celebrate one dedicated day for fathers
in line of Mother’s Day. Although initially the day was marked as a religious holiday it became a
festival later on.

With changing times fathers have come much closer to their kids and are doing their best to
earn the love of his children. Today more and more fathers are spending quality time with kids
creating memories for life.

The celebration of Father’s day is incomplete without a surprise. So kids, Just gear up and put
your thinking caps on to make this day memorable for your father. In general gifting, special
trips, Family activities and special dinners are very good idea to uplift the mood. However Gudli
has some unique tips for kids which can add to the spirit of Father’s Day to a new height.

• Take a family picture and draw it by your own. Then gift the picture in a frame as a gift to
be remembered for life.
• Make a greeting card and write how much you love your Dad and see the smile
brightening on his face.
• Take a white Mug and paint “I Love You Dad” or “My Superhero” and gift it to your
father.
• Most important of all wake up early go to your papa and give him a tight hug and greet
him and you’ll know the celebration has started.

Source: Dr. Sonia

Our children however, have no problem showing, displaying, or expressing their emotions. As parents, we need to be a part of helping our children learn to recognize, label, and control their emotions.

The 5 Steps To Raising an Emotionally Healthy Child:

1. Be aware of your child’s emotions. Your child has emotions, which are inside, and they express them externally in their behaviours. You need to recognize, even though your child may be young, that they do have emotions.
2. Recognize the emotion as an opportunity for teaching. You can empathize and teach your child about the emotion they are feeling.You can acknowledge and accept the emotion, even if it is negative.We can also teach our children how to control and manage their emotions.
3. Listen, empathize, and validate your child’s emotions. Listen with your eyes, ears, mind, and heart to understand what your child is trying to say from their perspective. With your words you can reflect back what you feel your child is trying to say, and help label the emotions.
4. Help your child label their emotions in words they understand. Make sure you label what the child IS feeling not what the SHOULD or OUGHT to be feeling. You can describe their behaviour and attach it to an emotion. Something simple like “When you are crying, I can tell that you are sad”.
5. Help your child come up with ways to manage their emotions. Help your child come up with healthy solutions to help manage and control their emotions. Also to find ways to appropriately express their emotions.

As we become our child’s emotional coach, it will help our child discover and manage their emotions. It will also help us, as parents, develop a closer relationship with our children.

Source: Dr. Sonia

The reality: Your baby’s favorite playtime is after the 2 a.m. feeding. Crankiness peaks when you’re out and about. You had no idea a crying baby could keep the tears flowing for so long.

Sound familiar? In any given day, the average newborn cries for one to four hours. Find out why babies cry — and how to handle a crying baby.

I can remember so vividly my first daughter’s early months of life. She cried and cried and cried. The doctor told us it was simply colic, a common baby problem. Alycia was only comforted when her mom or I held her face down with a hand under her little tummy and cradled in our arms. From about 8:00 p.m.. to 11:00 p.m. every night we would walk and walk with her in that position. Julie and I joked that if she was ever kidnapped and we had to identify her, we’d need to look at the back of her head for a positive ID.

Patience is a virtue for new fathers, and learning how to work with a crying baby takes an extra measure of patience. But education and understanding the issues around a crying baby can be a big help in the process as well.

Why Babies Cry

Crying is a new baby’s first means of communication. As time goes on, parents get a little more attuned to the type of cry and what the baby is communicating, But at first, every cry seems the same. A cry from your baby probably means one or more of the following:

• Baby is wet
• Baby is hungry
• Baby is bored or lonely
• Baby needs attention
• Baby has had too much attention
• Baby is in pain
• Baby is tired
• Baby is waking up
• Baby needs to have a stool
• Baby is uncomfortable (too hot, too cold, too constricted)

What Should I Do?

Pediatricians and experienced dads and moms recommend the following strategies for dealing with a crying baby.

Respond to the cry. If the baby is by himself and starts to cry, pick him or her up. Or go to him or her and talk or sing in soothing tones. It’s important to be responsive-it builds trust that you will really need later.

Get close. Get your face right up close to baby so that when the baby opens his or her eyes, they see your eyes and face. Often the security from seeing dad up close can calm a baby right down.

Check the environment. See if the baby needs a diaper change. When you check the diaper, check for diaper rash or if a diaper’s tape or pin has come loose. If it has been a while since feeding time, take him or her to mom or get a bottle ready. If the baby is really warm or cold in a crib, change the blankets or sleeper.

Get moving. Many babies tend to settle down with a little walking, patting, or moving about. If you have a baby swing, you might try putting him or her in the swing and starting the motion. If you think about it, while baby was in the womb, he or she was moving constantly as mom moved about. We have even had success at desperate times with putting the baby in a car seat and going for a drive to get him or her to stop crying.

Try a little noise. We know that babies can hear sounds from outside the womb during the late stages of pregnancy. So a little noise like a radio turned down low, a fan, or other constant dull noise can sometimes comfort a crying baby.

Give baby something to suck on. Babies are a little weird sometimes-they want to suck, but they don’t want to eat. A pacifier can sometimes just do the trick.

Put him or her down. Sometimes we found our babies got overtired or over-stimulated and needed some alone time to calm down. Or if you are getting stressed about the baby crying, it’s important and safe to let the baby cry while you get some space. Trade off with mom. Call a neighbor to help.

Do not shake the baby-ever. Sometimes parents get too stressed with a crying baby and are tempted to shake the baby to get him or her to stop crying. This is an extremely dangerous approach. A baby’s neck can’t yet support its head, and shaking can result in brain damage, spinal injuries and death. Never, never shake a baby.

How long is too long? Different babies cry differently. The key is to watch for a crying pattern that is outside your baby’s normal pattern. The general rule of thumb is if a baby is crying constantly and uncontrollably for two hours, it’s time to call the doctor.

It’s also important to recognize your limits. If your baby’s crying is causing you to lose control, put the baby in a safe place — such as a crib — and go to another room to collect yourself. If necessary, contact your doctor, a local crisis intervention service or a mental health help line for additional support.

By Mrs. Mukherjee