The Parenting Forum Blog

You have always felt great being a woman, haven't you? Your role as a daughter, wife, sister and now as a mother has revealed to you the several shades of feminine nature that have added more flavor to your identity. A woman is blessed by nature with the gift to give birth to new life, to create and nurture the next generation. Apart from this, a woman has multiple assets like beauty, talent, patience and intellectual as well. Women's day provides an opprotunity to feel these aspects of your identity.
 
If you have a baby doll at home, enjoy this great feeling of being a woman with her. If she is too small to understand this concept, just make her day pleasant by gifting her something.

If you have a young adorable daughter, discuss with her the joy and pride of being a woman. In fact, this is a great day to let her learn about the women who have been achievers in various fields like science, literature, fashion and business. That will inspire her a lot!

The teething process begins from the age of around 6 to 8 months, though it may be a bit late in some children. When the child gets around 3 to 4 teeth and also starts having external feeds, it is time to brush the teeth. The jaw, gums and teeth are very sensitive in this age. Hence selecting the right toothbrush is very important. Here are some tips regarding this:

Your baby's first toothbrush should ideally be a finger toothbrush. It fits around your finger and is gentle and soft bristled. This enables you to clean the few teeth without hurting the baby. The baby can also bite into it with no harm.

As the number of teeth increases, introduce a proper kids' toothbrush. This again should be gentle on the gums and teeth. In this case you can buy bright colored attractive brushes that make brushing an enjoyable task.

Toddlers usually insist on brushing teeth on their own. Hence, for kids above one year select a toothbrush which they can grip properly.

Even when the kids insist to brush on their own, you need to take charge and supervise the task of brushing teeth. Also induce the habit of brushing teeth twice daily.

Any toothbrush needs to be replaced after at least 2 to 3 months. Also teach your toddler the basic etiquette of brushing like cleaning the toothbrush and proper gargle.

Tips: Avoid using a toothpaste for babies.Start a toothpaste when the kid can gargle it out, say from around 18 to 20 months of age. This may vary in each child depending on the teething process and understanding.

 When you receive an invitation for a first birthday party, the toughest decision to make is the selection of a perfect gift. Since the occasion is special, you want your gift to be special too. But more the options, the more confused you tend to be. Here are few tips that will help you decide the special gift:

Toys: This is the obvious thing one would buy for a kid. But with the huge variety, the decision is difficult to make. Toys can be educational like jig saw puzzles, blocks or they may be entertaining like dolls or soft toys. Whatever you buy, prefer a good quality, brand and absolutely no hazards for the kid.
Clothes: The fashion and designs for young people are tempting nowadays. You may very well go in for this gift. But you need to remember two things- prefer a size that's a bit bigger. The baby will use it later. Secondly, as kids grow rapidly, clothes will be discarded within a few months no matter how costly they are.
Books: This is a great gift. There are books designed exclusively for this age group. They have large bright colorful pictures and hard tough pages. Kids enjoy that!
Accessories: Tricycle, baby play yard, walker and other such equipments are also a great idea. However in this case too, quality and safety assurance are a must.
Tips: When you gift a one year old kid, always make sure that the object is safe, free from hazards and of a good brand.