CHILDREN PAGES

My daughter received a present that she really loves.

It is a baby doll that stands eighteen inches in height. The first thing I thought when I saw the adorable present was where on earth I was going to find 18 inch doll clothes. You really don’t see items like this in toy stores very much, at least not that I had ever noticed.

I did begin my search for 18 inch doll clothes in toy stores in my area with no luck.

I found the occasional outfit here and there but my choices were really limited. Even so, I managed to make some promising purchases of 18 inch doll clothes for my daughter to enjoy. The benefits of having a number of different outfits for a child’s toy are great.

First of all the child is encouraged to communicate.

You can prompt your child to ask for certain items out of the collection of 18 inch doll clothes. Then you can encourage you child to tell you which body part the item belongs to. This is a great learning exercise that helps your child develop good language skills and body awareness.

Another great benefit of having a selection in your 18 inch doll clothes is that putting the clothing items on and off helps your child develop good fine motor skills. Many of the toy outfits have buttons and zippers as well as ribbons to tie. The act of pulling the clothes on and off is good exercise for the little digits as well.

The last benefit that I can think of involves attention to task.

As many parents know, children often have short attention spans. Having a collection of 18 inch doll clothes for the toy gives the entire activity interest and depth. If your child has a lot of choices then chances are she will remain on task for a longer period of time.

Since I have such motivation to find a good collection of 18 inch doll clothes for my daughter I decided to do a little research on my computer. I was delighted to find a ton of clothing for toys online. I could buy any number of items in one online visit. The great thing about shopping like this is that I could make my daughter a part of the activity.

When we shop in toy stores she becomes easily distracted by the many toys and games in the shop. Shopping online keeps both of us focused on the 18 inch doll clothes. It gives us some time to enjoy each other as well.

Nearly everyone has access to the Internet on a daily basis.

There is no real censorship on line and many are concerned about child safety on the Internet. The risks of children being exposed to racy graphics and adult materials are great. Children are solicited on line every day and the risks increase as the child gets older.

Teenagers are at increased risk to exposure to inappropriate materials and dangerous predators because they go on line without supervision.

They are more likely to have on line discussions with strangers than younger children. Many of the discussions are about adult topics and many revolve around relationships and sex.

Child safety on the Internet is often threatened when the child or teen is making an innocent search.

A child may enter the word “toy” into a search engine and find adult materials not suitable for children. A child may come across inappropriate information accidentally. Pop-up advertisements can also contain inappropriate language and graphics.

Children may also be exposed to violent content as well.

There are many sites that house hateful material and some sites may encourage children and teens to engage in activities that are illegal or to engage in activities that will put them in a precarious situation. The difficulty is that the teens and children don’t have to search for the material; it often comes to them through emails, chat rooms and advertisements.

The Internet may also be used by other children to harass a certain child or teen.

The Internet has replaced the prank phone call in many cases, but the harassment is often very hateful and belligerent. Older children or teen may bully an unpopular student anonymously. Bullying over the Internet seems like a small worry, but it does pose a concern for child safety when using the Internet.

One major concern about child safety on the Internet is sexual predator.

A trusting child could easily provide personal information that could lead a sexual deviant right to his home. The child or teen may choose to meet with the predator putting himself and his family at risk. Child molesters have been known to use chat rooms and emails to befriend a child and gain her trust. Then the predator arranges an encounter in person.

Less horrific, but very valid concerns about child safety on the Internet are hackers and viruses.

It is very easy for a child to innocently download a file containing a virus.
The virus can be could damage the computer. The virus can also increase the odds of a hacker gaining access to the computer. The hacker can obtain personal information about the family, including financial information and credit card numbers.

In some cases, the child gives out personal information without understanding the consequences. He may provide a third party with credit-card numbers or bank account information without fully knowing the ramifications.

Parents need to take child safety on the Internet into consideration.

It is important to balance the child’s independence and privacy with parental involvement.
Taking time to create rules and regulations and taking time to talk to children will help lessen the risks to children’s safety when going on line.

One of the biggest decorating challenges I have run into is rooms for kids.

No matter how hard I have seen people try the rooms for kids always seem to have the doors closed when company comes over. Decorating rooms for kids is such a challenge because kids want to have a say in what their room looks like, however that usually does not fit in with the décor in the rest of the house.

There are a number of ways of dealing with rooms for kids that can ease the conflict and not break your budget.

One idea is to look at a variety of option that you can live with and that coordinate with the rest of your home, and then let your child pick from those options. This way the rooms for kids have their touch and choices and they also fit into your wants and wishes. The main thing to keep in mind in decorating rooms for kids is that you want to keep things as simple for them as possible when it comes to maintaining a clean look in the room. The fewer articles that are put in the rooms for kids the less they have to straighten out, dust and keep organized. If you keep items at a minimum then when they add things to their rooms, as all kids are going to do, things will not look so crowded and messing.

One decorating idea that does not seem to last for long in rooms for kids is going with a theme.

This can be a very expensive thing to do and as interests change with age the theme is no longer wanted. Then not only do you have the expense of re-doing the rooms for kids but you also have the theme objects to get rid of. Have you ever thought about how many “theme” items are on garage sales? Speaking of garage sales this is one very economical way of decorating rooms for kids and can be a fun outing with your child. You can spend a morning picking up items together at a garage sale and then go buy paint and other accessories that are needed in the rooms for kids.

The more involved your child is in the process of decorating the room, the more invested they will be in keeping it clean and tidy.

Your do not always have to resort to painting when it comes to decorating. If the walls do not need a fresh coat of paint you can change the look of the room by adding wall hangings. One of my favorite things in decorating rooms for kids is framing the art work that they have done. By using matting and frames and grouping pictures together you can create colorful and fun decorations, and it gets the art work off the refrigerator.

Kids often complain about having this work in their rooms; however I have seen many proud looks when kids see how matting and framing can transform even the simplest picture into a work of art. Decorating rooms for kids can be a fun and inexpensive undertaking. Enjoy the time with your kid.

Playground equipment safety is a must for any parent or teacher, or really anyone who is supervising small kids at play.

Ensuring good playground safety requires several things. First of all, there must be good playground safety rules for the kids to make sure that they don't abuse the equipment in a way which can cause danger. Second of all, the playground equipment itself must be inspected, and be insured of being safe. Third, there must be proper supervision by an authority who can do all that they can to ensure playground safety.

The playground safety rules are really a matter of common sense for adults, but common sense is anything but common among small children!

This is why an adult should set the playground safety rules and make sure that everyone knows them. A helpful strategy is to make sure that the kids repeat the laws back to you, so that you can check that every one of them has heard and understood them. Now, to set good playground safety rules, you must know the playground. For example, if the slide is particularly tall, you should set rules making sure that one kid has finished sliding before the next one starts to climb the latter. If there is a swing set, you should tell the kids not to run under it. Things like that, which would occur to any adult, won't necessarily occur to small children, and so you should spell them out for the kids.

The most important factor, however, for good playground safety, is good equipment.

You must do the job of inspecting it yourself, making sure that the swings are on good strong chains, that all railings are firmly intact, and all steps are solid. You can always buy new equipment that is professionally certified for superior playground safety.

Then, of course, there is the most important rule of playground safety: good adult supervision.

This is not as simple as you might think. On a small playground with few toys, it might be enough just to keep an eye on the kids so that they don't get in to any trouble, but if there is more to it, then you must use more elaborate methods of supervision. The best way to supervise kids is to make them come by frequently to check in.

That way, they can't wander too far off, and you will always know where they are.

Are you planning to have children one day?

This is indeed a huge step to take in your life. In fact, it's probably the largest decision you'll ever have to grapple with. With little ones come big responsibilities. On the other hand, nothing on this planet will light up your life like a child. You will certainly know and understand this when you have one of your own. However, what about those who cannot have one? This is a heart-breaking issue. Fortunately there are alternative options at-hand. I am referring to children for adoption. There are millions of children across the world that need homes. Please remember this option when you're pondering parenthood.

We all tend to have a different take on children for adoption.

I personally have my own views and some folks don't care for them. When it comes to having a child, I truly prefer to have my own. If this is possible, why wouldn't I? I want to stare my child in the face and see part of myself. It really makes me feel close to her. There's a certain nexus between parent and child. Now, on the other hand, I'm in no way against children for adoption or the concept itself. I think this is also wonderful, and I am glad it's available to any and all adults who can't have a child of their own. I think everyone deserves to at least have the option of becoming a parent or not. It's an incomparable feeling and responsibility that should not be overlooked in life.

There are oodles of children for adoption in this world we all share.

I'm sad to say that a great many of them do not end up in good homes, or any homes at all. I hate to see lazy adults acquire children so that they can survive on welfare and other government aids. This is the epitome of evil in my book. When it comes to children for adoption, you should only be adopting if you truly want a child to love and take care of. It's all about providing, unconditional love and guidance. If you don't have these things to offer a child, then parenting is not for you. To better understand the adoption process and children for adoption, you can get on the web for information and facts.

What is your take on Freud?

I'm sure you learned about this fellow in college. Hey, we all take those required psych 101 classes, right? Okay, well basically everyone I knew at school did. I am not going to lie; psychology was an interesting class to say the least. In fact, I enjoyed the introduction class so much that I moved on to developmental phych. This was even better. If you haven't already taken it, let me give you a quick rundown. You basically learn about the developmental stages of life. Does this interest you? Hey, if it does, then maybe you'd be interested in a child psychology degree. This is a field that always needs more devoted professionals. Maybe you would even enjoy taking classes online. This is totally feasible now days. Ready to get started?

How long do you think it would take you to acquire a child psychology degree?

In all honesty, this truly depends on the individual. For example, most of us take around four years to attain our BA in science or arts. I know that it took me the full time. On the other hand, I knew one girl who was getting ready to graduate at age 20. She completed a four year degree in two and a half. Man that is sweet. Talk about working your butt off! Although she did not pursue a child psychology degree, she did achieve some psychology-based diploma.

I can't recall what she specified in exactly.

When I think of a child psychology degree, I can't help but ponder the stress that would be involved. Seriously though, it would be a tad overwhelming at times to grapple with child issues. Can you imagine if they were harsh or crime-related? It would be up to you to help that child get past all the bad thoughts and move on. This is where that contemporary child psychology degree would come into action. Hopefully you learned your stuff.

So many individuals now days are going for their bachelor's degrees and masters in business on the World-Wide-Web.

This is unreal in my mind. How come I never got the chance to take online course? This would be so cool. You could literally lounge at home and take care of your child psychology degree courses on a laptop. Does this work for you? You can get on the web now and check into it further.

Do you have a little one?

Having a child is a wondrous event in anyone's life. I can honestly say that it's the single most amazing experience of my existence. Okay, so maybe I'm only 30 years old so far, but I'm betting that this is going to be a tad difficult to top. I was even amazed before my daughter was actually born. I couldn't believe how close I felt to her when I hadn't even seen her yet. Just wait until your baby arrives.

You will be left in blissful awe.

Okay, then there are all the safety measures. I say all because there is a ton. The key is knowing what they are and which ones are the most crucial. I will say with utter conviction that child car seat safety is imperative for every parent to consider. We all know and understand how dangerous motor vehicles are in the first place. Just imagine what could happen to your child if he/she is not properly secured.

What do you know about child car seat safety?

Are you aware of the current child car seat safety laws? I had my child back in 1999 and truly thought the car seats then were sufficiently safe overall. However, now that I'm no longer using the car seat, I snatched it from the garage the other day to give to the Goodwill. This is not exactly how things turned out. I quickly saw that my car seat was expired. Yes, I did say expired. It sounds funny, but it's totally realistic. Times have already changed, and this means the child car seat safety rules and regulations have evolved, or been updated. Therefore the car seat I had purchased in 99 is old-school. Isn't that funny? I certainly thought so.

What truly bothers me is when I spot a parent who has no respect for child car seat safety.

What in the world do you think will happen to that infant if they get into an accident? He/she will go flying somewhere or get crushed by the person holding them. This is truly a sad sight when folks have no regard for child car seat safety. They are seriously putting the child's life at risk. How about yourself? Are you respectful of child car seat safety? If not, you could at least be respectful to your child, who is the innocent victim of your ignorance.

When it comes to finding someone to care for your children, you want to find the very best.

This should go without saying, and when it comes time to find someone, you have to be careful where you look, and be even more careful about who you trust. There are many people out there who watch over our children, and they do it with compassion and with great skill. Sadly though, there are childcare providers out there who should not only be kept far away from children, they should be kept far away from the rest of the world as well.

When searching for childcare providers, your first questions should center on where you want your children to be.

There are childcare providers who will come into your home, and those who have children in their home each day. There are also childcare providers who have centers that are publicly open to those who wish to sign up. Any of these options can work well, and what you need is entirely up to you and your family.

The first thing to ask when interviewing potential childcare providers is about certification.

You don’t need an education in childcare, but this is a great bonus if you can find someone who can not only watch over your children, but also help them along with things they will need to know once they enter school. The very next question should be about your child’s safety. It may seem harsh, but you have to ask if they have ever hurt a child. This is a tough question to ask, and many people don’t ask, but it makes sense to say something. If childcare providers have nothing to hide, they will understand why you ask this question. If they are lying to you, you are going to know it, and you can move on.

If you choose to use childcare providers that have a daycare center, ask questions about the employees, and ask to see references and background checks.

Most good childcare providers have this information readily available to you. If they do not, ask them to provide it. If they hesitate, or don’t understand why this is so important to you, perhaps they are not the best choice of childcare providers for your family. The snacks they serve, the hours of operation, and their educational curriculum are far less important than the safety of your children.