Home and Family | Babytoddles

March 29, 2012

Maternity and Newborn Photography: Capturing The Most Precious Moments of Your Familyâ€™s New Beginnings

Human history has been told over the eons through pictures and stories. Today, instead of cave drawings, we have photography. The “times of our lives,” including pregnancy and new parenthood, can be told now and in the years to come by using the services of a professional photographer.

Some years ago a famous celebrity celebrated her advanced pregnancy on a well-known magazine cover. Since then mothers-to-be have been recording this life milestone much as they would their weddings, graduations and holidays, and family photographers have expanded their scope of work to include gorgeous portraits of the family members awaiting their new arrival. The old ultrasound black and white snaps on the refrigerator have given way to stunningly beautiful images of the expectant mother in the full bloom of pregnancy, at times actually holding the ultrasound photograph. There is also the popular option of showcasing both mom and dad together, in a variety of adoring poses.

Baby photographers also offer packages to record the first year of your child’s life. During each photo session photographers will capture your child’s rapid development in wonderfully staged vignettes of your choice. You can opt for a fully staged prop-filled memento, or a more simple, classic look. Just imagine posing your little one in a wheelbarrow surrounded by flowers and perhaps a trowel if your family is into gardening. Or, how about a future dancer sporting a tutu, sitting next to a pair of silky pink ballet shoes?

Then, instead of these cherished moments being left in your digital camera or put away in a drawer, the photos can be uploaded to a photo-sharing site, featured on your Facebook page, installed in a digital photo frame or even sent to friends and family.

When selecting a photographer, it’s important to confirm he or she has experience working with babies. They will know how to prop your child amongst the flowers or other piece of stagecraft in a manner that will avoid injury or unhappiness. Of course, it helps if they know just how much excitement baby can handle before running out of patience and energy. The best photographers will be able to advise you on keeping your baby’s other activities on picture day very low key (doctor’s appointments or lots of errands can result in crankiness and tears).

Another advantage to hiring professionals is that if any touchups or other tweaks are necessary to achieve that perfect shot, these talented photographers have the skills and know-how.

So, don’t let these precious moments slip by. Let a maternity and baby photographer help you capture them. Your loved ones will appreciate it.

March 29, 2012

Helping Your Child or Teen Overcome Depression

Depression is a very real ailment that affects millions of Americans every year. Nationally recognized psychiatrists nationwide serve their communities by offering psychotherapeutic solutions for those in whom depression manifests. Although it’s typically thought of as something adults predominantly experience, depression commonly presents itself in children. Compounding this issue, it is often more difficult to diagnose in kids, especially those under the age of twelve. As a result, some kids suffer tremendously from the mental condition.

The same factors that lead to adult depression apply to children as well. These include genetic disposition, drug use, family history, physical health and life-changing events. Symptoms of childhood depression include:

•   Lingering sadness
•   Appetite changes
•   Sleep pattern changes
•   Difficulty concentrating
•   Withdrawal socially
•   Irritability
•   Guilty, worthless feelings
•   Suicidal thoughts

Mental health problems have a stigma, which may cause many parents to deny that anything could be wrong with their child. Kids whose parents are depressed are also more likely to develop symptoms. However, just because a child is depressed does not mean the parents are somehow at fault. It is crucial, though, that parents recognize it early and seek treatment.

Medical diagnosis – especially in children – can be tricky, because there aren’t any medical tests that will confirm depression. A question-and-answer session involving the child, parent(s) and the therapist is necessary. Before the condition is allowed to fester, a psychiatrist must be consulted. The risk of suicide increases dramatically for depressed children. In addition to depressive symptoms, other suicidal indicators include:

•   Isolation from family and friends
•   Talking about suicide
•   Aberrant actions (behavioral, sexual, risk-taking)
•   Drug/alcohol abuse

Overcoming the condition starts with diagnosing that there is a problem. The earlier the better, for depression doesn’t merely go away. A clinical mental health professional will dispense individual therapy, but family therapy could be recommended as well. Well-structured therapy is the ideal approach for managing the condition, although antidepressants or another type of medicine may be prescribed.

For many kids, depression manifests as a symptom of another physical or mental illness. Depression may mask bipolar disorder, ADHD, or oppositional defiance disorder, or it could arise from a physical problem such as diabetes, obesity, cancer and other diseases. The relationship between depression and physical illness works both ways. Depression can lower a person’s immunity and increase susceptibility to physical problems. Likewise, the pain or stigma from a physical illness can cause depression.

If you suspect your kid is depressed, counseling specialists are there to help. Identifying childhood depression as soon as possible is critical given its destructive effects, its connection to physical disease and the elevated risk of suicide it brings. With your love and support and the assistance of a qualified mental health professional, your child or teen can break away from the mental morass of depression and live free again.

December 15, 2011

Important Things For Your Baby

If you are a mother, you would most likely be on the run to find what milk, clothing or items could make your baby very comfortable.As a mother, it is your obligations to nourish your baby.Love and care can be best exemplified by buying the right kind of baby stuff.You should be aware of the things that your baby needs and also tha things that can have bad effects on her.

First, know the right kind of diaper for your kids.Get one that is washable with lots of compartments.There are usually vibyl material that can be used to change it, however if you are using the ordinary one, you need to purchase at one.

Second, choose the right pacifier for your baby.Select one which is made by a good company.Know if the pacifier is made from safe materials.Also, be sure that you have chosen the right color and style.

purchase a sling where you can place your baby.It is vital to have it so you can in places anywhere.It is also useful if you want to feed your baby secretly.That way, you wont be conscious of eyes staring at you.You should also purchase nice clippers and baby ointments.select a clipper which wont hurt your baby and ointment that heal rash.

Another thing that you need to buy before your baby’s birth is a crib.It is very important that once the baby arrives from the hospital, it has a place somewhere where it can sleep.there different types of cribs that you have to inquire from the sales person the right one for you. You can check baby stores. It is a good idea to buy the crib before the baby arrives because you want to be ready for the baby. After the baby arrives it will be very stressful so you should get these big purchases ahead of time.Plan out things before your expected date of delivery so you would be stress-free.

May 30, 2011

What Can Be The Causes Of Bed Wetting?

Every kid absolutely goes through a point where they wet their beds at night. Bed wetting, otherwise known as nighttime enuresis, is very common among children, particularly those younger than eight, which is usually very frustrating not only for moms and dads, but for young children too. In many instances, bedwetting kids could have the ability to stop this particular habit independently, however there are some children also who need the assistance of a doctor and their parents. So how could you know what’s causing your son or daughter to wet his or her bed?

You may not know this, but bed wetting is regarded by several experts as genetic. There were a number of studies stating that a parent who has problems with nighttime enuresis is extremely likely to have children that will also deal with the same problems.

The likelihood should get bigger when both parents have problems with this kind of problem. Thusit’s essential to know if your child’s bedwetting habit is hereditary or not. At least you can feel comfortable that there’s nothing wrong with your child’s overall health. Additionally, it will be easier for you to understand and be patient to your child every time he or she wets the bed.

One more thing you should do is to take your child to the doctor for a check-up. You need to see whether your son or daughter has a rather small bladder, which may not have completely developed yet to contain pee during the night. There are instances also in which the nerves in the bladder are not developed yet, making a child not capable of realizing the feeling of having a full bladder while asleep. If it turns out that your boy or girl has a small bladder, then you certainly must be more understanding because it will certainly take some time until your son or daughter figure out how to control his or her pee.

Afteryou’ve figured out the reason why your child usually wets his bed, you should then think of ways to help your child stop bed wetting. There’s an item called wetting alarm, which your child may use at night in order that he could wake up and go to the bathroom once the alarm goes off after it detects moisture on the bed.

February 10, 2011

Assessing Your Child’s Early Reading Potential

Think your child may be getting ready to start reading? Unlike children who learned to read at a later age, your child will have a greater chance of excelling in school if they get a head start on reading. Here are some ways to assess your child’s early reading potential.

Does your child pretends to read?

One of the first things a child will do when they have reached an age where they’re ready to begin reading is to pretend to read their picture books. If you spend a lot of time reading together, then this is especially true.

Following along with the words in the book with their finger and reciting out loud is what most children who are ready to begin developing their early reading skills would do. If has to be a story they’re intimately familiar with because if not, then it won’t match what is actually written. Getting ready to learn their letters and starting to put words together is what this indicates.

Recognizing letters

When it comes to your child’s development of early reading skills, another tell-tale sign is how often they recognize the letters of the alphabet without any prompting from you.

As children begin to grasp the concept of letters and words, they will often begin pointing out letters they recognize in their everyday life – on their cereal boxes, on signs on the street and in shop windows, and anywhere else they see them. Help your child sound out the letters phonetically when they reach this stage. This is will be helpful in further developing their early reading skills.

Other Signs of Early Reading Comprehension

Other signs that your child is beginning to develop his early reading skills include recognition of how a book works. Does your child recognizes when a book is upside-down and knows it should be turned over first in order to read it?

Perhaps your child knows that pages are turned from front to back and that the story is over when a book is closed. If the answers to these questions are “yes” then it is a good probability that your child is beginning to develop early reading skills, which can be easily built upon.

Another great way to assess whether or not your child’s early reading skills are developing is to pay attention to whether or not he’s showing an interest in pretending to write. Writing the letters in their names long before their fingers can actually form the letters is what many children often does.

When it comes to assessing your child’s early reading potential, another thing to be taken into account is their attention span. A child is probably not yet ready to begin reading if they can’t sit through an entire reading of their favorite storybook.

However, a good indicator that they’re ready to learn how to read is when they repeatedly asks you to read their favorite story over and over again.

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