Happy New Year! Welcoming in 2015

As a new year is approaching and rolling into 2015, I just want to wish you all a Happy WONDERFUL New Year! Stay safe and enjoy your time with your family and friends during this holiday season. Looking forward to posting more and more articles to engage with and encourage parents, grandparents, and caregivers of infants, toddlers, and preschool age children.

Sincerely, 
*Iva
Precious Years Blogger

Weaning from bottle to sippy cup? Is your infant ready for this transition?

Generally, between the ages of ten months to one year, infants are ready to transition (wean) from a bottle to a sippy cup. This takes time and some patience to finally succeed. It works even better if your child care provider is willing to be consistent with the transitioning in child care as well. I find it best to gradually introduce the sippy cup during certain times of the day as a weaning process with the goal of slowly moving from a bottle to a sippy cup. Infants tend to get attached to the bottle and prefer the bottle over the sippy cup. So I suggest picking a time

Weaning from lap to highchair? Is your infant ready for this transition?

As your baby grows and strives for the need to be independent, it’s a good idea to encourage transitioning (weaning) to the next independent step starting as early as seven months. Usually around this age, babies show interest in holding their own bottle as well as the need to move around while they are drinking their bottle. This is a sign the baby is ready for a transition.

Transitioning (weaning) from lap to highchair ~ Here is an easy way to help with this transition.

Happy Thanksgiving Week

May you and your family have a memorable warm Thanksgiving. Don't hesitate to take the time to reach out and show appreciation for those special family members or friends that have been supportive and an inspiration in your life.

*Iva

Gratitude: How children develop the attitude of gratitude

We, as parents, can start inspiring the idea of gratitude even in our children’s first years. Be the reflection and model of what you’d like to see your children model in their future years. We can plant seeds along the way as they are growing and developing. By practicing gratitude with our own children and people around us, your children will see what the “attitude of gratitude” looks like and feels like.

You can model what it looks like by: 

Picky Eaters: Tips for Toddlers and Young Children

From time to time I have cared for toddlers that are very particular about what foods they like. My food menu includes a variety of foods that toddlers tend to like. However, even with a menu full of yummy healthy foods, you may need to be patient with a little one that refuses to eat the foods you offer. Don’t take it personally. Sometimes it could be reasons as simple as

Transitioning from Highchair to Table – Is your toddler ready for this change?

There are different reasons why your toddler may be ready for the transition from a highchair to a table. The signs I look for are:

Happy Halloween!

I love greeting all the little babies and children on Halloween. Be safe out there.

For safety tips like; pumpkin decorating, costume safety, Trick or Treating with care, and staying safe and sweet on the home front . . . check out this article from Mayo Clinic @ "Halloween safety: Tips for trick-or-treaters"

Enjoy!

*Iva

Spoon Feeding a Wiggly Infant

Is your infant ready to try his first solid foods? Have you already tried and found it to be a messy job? Read below to find some helpful tips on spoon feeding a wiggly infant.

Toddler Activities w/ Large Motor Focus Part 2

Here are some additional large motor activities with blog links to check out:

I am just thrilled to come across these great simple ideas from searching the Internet. This article is an extension (part 2) from my previous article: Toddler Activities with Large/Motor Focus

Toddler Activities with Large/Gross Motor Focus

Large motor or gross motor activities are intended to help develop the abilities required in order to control the large muscles of the body for walking, running, sitting, crawling, and other activities.

Read below a list of activities which help strengthen your little one’s Large/Gross motor abilities.

Biting . . . Why is my toddler biting his playmate?

It’s a common concern as parents are scratching their heads wondering “Why is my toddler biting his playmate?” The cause of biting varies. It can be a part of socializing, teething, for territorial reasons or mimicking a behavior learned from his surroundings. Little ones act on impulse and some choose to bite. This goes for grabbing a playmate’s face as well as pinching or hitting.

Here are some examples from my past child care experience:

Labor Day is for Memoriable Times

Wishing you all a wonderful Labor Day weekend full of fun memories with

Time-outs . . . Are They Necessary?

Back in the days when parents struggled with how to discipline their children without physical force, time-outs was an option to give some space between the parent(s) and the misbehaved child. However, overtime child development specialists are expressing how “time-outs” might be overused or lose its usefulness.

Teething Tips for Infants & Toddlers

To find a guideline for your little one’s development or milestones on a month to month basis, I suggest searching online with trusted websites listed below.

Discover Your Quiet Place

Parent's Well-Being series 8 of 8
Do you have a favorite place out of town to escape and enjoy nature?

I recently had an opportunity to visit Sedona, AZ with a good friend and my daughter. Sedona is a beautiful serene part of Arizona that brings one in a peaceful mood. I like to call it “God’s country”.

When we were walking along the historic uptown Sedona shops, I was drawn to this peaceful music playing up ahead of us. I located where it was coming from. A Native American was playing his flute as it was echoing through the streets. I walked toward him and saw several different types of flutes laid out in front of him. I noticed several CD’s he displayed for sale. I chatted with him for a little while, as he was pleasant to talk to. I purchased one CD “Sacred Fire ~ Meditation Songs for Native American Flute”. I now listen to it at home as background music. It truly calms me as I am working or just relaxing. 

I’d like to introduce my readers to this gentleman and his work. His name is Kelvin Mockingbird. He not only is known for his Native American Flute Music, he performs for weddings, does Medicine Walk Tours, Stories of Native American, and lessons of Native Flutes. Here is his website which include several other CD’s www.kingbirdmusic.com When you click on his website you will hear his calming music in the background.

Enjoy!

*Iva

Related topics:

How to Compromise and Communicate with Your Child's Child Care Provider (Series 1of 8)

Overwhelmed with worrying? Or preoccupied with “What ifs?” (Series 2 of 8)

Stress Relievers Through Food & Exercise (Series 3 of 8)

Stress Relievers Through Food & Exercise Part 2 (Series 4 of 8)

Got Me Time? (Series 5 of 8)

Favorite Quotes to Live By (Series 6 of 8)

Can We Control Our Thoughts? (Series 7 of 8)

Can We Control Our Thoughts?

Parent's Well-Being series 7 of 8

 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zBiBDHo6a10

Take a few minutes to listen to this short audio of Dr Wayne Dyer ~ Creating Your Reality

Related topics:

How to Compromise and Communicate with Your Child's Child Care Provider (Series 1of 8)

Overwhelmed with worrying? Or preoccupied with “What ifs?” (Series 2 of 8)

Stress Relievers Through Food & Exercise (Series 3 of 8)

Stress Relievers Through Food & Exercise Part 2 (Series 4 of 8)

Got Me Time? (Series 5 of 8)

Favorite Quotes to Live By (Series 6 of 8)

Discover Your Quiet Place (Series 8 of 8)