Weiss Report Blog

Parents of hyperactive children know the “Would you please just settle down?!” phrase well, and likely use it on a regular basis.

There are a number of tips to help parents settle their hyperactive child down. These quick tips and relaxation techniques take the same amount of time as yelling and scolding but produce incredibly different results in hyperactive children.

Quick Calming Tips:

Try quick tips to calm a hyperactive child down during temper outbursts or unusually rowdy days. These calming tips are not novel to adults by any stretch. How many times have you heard “Take a deep breath and count to 10″ or “Calgon, take me away.” What works for big people works for little people as well._ Deep breathing is one of the simplest ways to calm the body. Teach your children to take deep breaths (in through the nose, out through the mouth) when they begin to feel frustrated and out of control. Parents, you do this too!

_ Draw a warm salt bath or bubble bath to wash away the hyperactive child’s stresses of the day.

_ Take your hyperactive child for a walk or send them around the block on their own if they are old enough. Not only does walking burn off excess energy, the repetitive thump, thump, thump of feet hitting pavement brings the mind back into focus.

_ Give your hyperactive child a mini-massage. Touch is very important to Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder children. Massaging their temples, giving a shoulder rub or lightly running your fingers through their hair can calm children quickly.

_ Put together a “Boredom Box” that provides creative outlets for your hyperactive child. Fill this box or plastic storage bin with paint sets, coloring books, crossword puzzles, modeling clay, jewelry making kits and other artistic areas of interest. Hyperactive children bore easily and their fast spinning minds need extra stimulation. In the absence of nothing better to do, hyperactive children will lean on their own devises and you don’t want them doing that. Better that they draw than set the cat on fire…

The quick-fix calming techniques work to sooth the hyperactive child after they already became too stressed or active. There are also techniques that parents can teach their hyperactive children to help them get the “stuff” out before it builds up and explodes.

Create a calming home environment:

Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder children have difficulty remaining calm in a hectic environment. Clearing the clutter and taking a “less is more” approach to decorating can reduce the sensory overload on Attention Deficit and hyperactive children.

The Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder child’s bedroom especially should be free of clutter. Use plastic bins to organize and store all those precious little plastic treasures (that we adults commonly refer to as “junk”) and small toys. Open the curtains to provide natural lighting. Keep posters and wall hangings to a minimum. Paint the child’s bedroom in calming muted colors instead of bright primary colors.

If you play music in the house, opt for soft “elevator music” or classical music instead of rock. Try to avoid loud clatters and noises when your Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder child is at home.

Follow a Routine:

All children thrive in homes that provide routines, consistency and structure. Attention Deficit and hyperactive children especially need structure and schedules to feel secure in their surroundings. For these children, a more “military” approach to routines works better. Waking up, eating meals, doing homework, and bed times should all occur at about the same time every day, with few surprises to upset the Attention Deficit or hyperactive child.

A Place to Relax:

If at all possible, find a space in the house to designate as a relaxation space. It does not have to be a large space but it does need to be away from high activity areas. This little corner (or even a portion of a walk-in closet) can have a beanbag chair and a few books, coloring books or other quiet time activities.

Encourage your child to go to this space when they become angry or out of control, but never make this a place of punishment. This special spot in the house is a positive place where they can go to settle down, sort things out or just hang out when they need to be alone.

Journaling:

For the child who is old enough to write, journaling is an excellent way to untangle frazzled minds and get things off their chest. This technique allows hyperactive children to spill their internal stresses outside themselves and onto paper.

Develop a daily habit of having your child write a page or two, depending on their age, about anything that comes to mind. They can write “I hate school, the dog just drooled, the baby’s crying is driving me crazy…” - whatever comes to mind. Eventually, they will get to the guts of what is going on inside them. Then rumple or tear the paper up and throw it away.

These private internal thoughts are not for you or anyone else to read, ever. Please respect their privacy and let them know they can write anything down without fear of reprimand.

Taking a mini-vacation with Guided Imagery:

Guided imagery is a powerful relaxation tool for hyperactive children that pulls their focus to positive thoughts, all the while encouraging creativity in your child. You can check out books on this technique at your local library if you want further information on the subject.

Last, but certainly not least, diet:

Some parents find that reducing or eliminating sugar from the diet goes a long way in calming the hyperactive child. If your child is a finicky eater, you will need to supplement the diet to make sure your Attention Deficit or hyperactive child has the fuels needed for his body to function well.

Starting the day out with a healthy breakfast balanced with proteins, fats and carbs is important. An egg sandwich, peanut butter toast and fresh fruit, protein shakes and fresh fruit smoothies are great ways to start the day for Attention Deficit and hyperactive children.

Sugar cereals are quick and convenient but should not be used as a breakfast mainstay. Fruit juices are high in calories and sugar and not recommended for children, especially those with Attention Deficit or hyperactivity. Instead of juice or sodas, get in the habit of offering plain old H2O. With plenty of bottled waters that offer fruit flavors and vitamin enhancements, getting your children hydrated is easier now than ever before.

About The Author

Jeannine Virtue is a freelance journalist and mother of an Attention Deficit son. Visit the Attention Deficit Disorder Help Center at http://www.add-adhd-help-center.com for information about treating Attention Deficit Disorder without the use of Ritalin or other ADHD medications.

jvirtue@add-adhd-help-center.com

Those little containers of baby food sure are expensive once you start totaling up how much you use in a day. And now you are probably wondering how you could possibly save money on baby food (besides those $.25 coupons). Well, you can’t save money on those little containers, but you can on baby food itself. How? Make it yourself! It’s really not as hard as you think. Do a search on the internet for “homemade baby food” and you’ll find tons of recipes on how to make just about anything perfect for your little one.

Let me tell you how easy it can be to make your own baby food. Yes, it takes a bit of time, but knowing that you’re giving your baby the best food for him (uh huh, better than the baby food you buy in the store) and saving some money at the same time it is all worth it! So, here we go…

The best thing to do is to buy fresh fruits and veggies, but the next best is frozen. Canned foods usually have too much sodium or preservatives in them. Before we begin, there are very important rules to follow when you’re cooking the foods on your own, but you’ll learn those from specific recipe requirements. Besides bananas and melons, most foods need to be cooked or steamed first. Steaming is the best choice for preparing your baby food. You’ll need to steam the foods until they are nice and soft which can bary anywhere from 15-25 minutes. Once they are done, they are placed into a blender to be pureed (some foods will need to be peeled before they are pureed). When they’ve been pureed, you will either use fresh water or the water left over from being steamed to mix with the pureed food to make it thinner for the baby to eat. Once you have the food ready, it is poured into ice cube trays (which are easiest) and then frozen. When the cubes are completely frozen they can be stored in zip lock bags until they are ready to be served.

Also note that there are specific cooking rules for all the foods, so be sure to follow all recipes thoroughly. Try making some baby food yourself. If you don’t want to do it solely, try just preparing some homemade fruits or desserts for your little one.

For more money saving tips, visit us at www.MomOnABudget.com

Jennifer is the owner of http://www.MomOnABudget.com MomOnABudget is an excellent resource for money saving tips, work at home ideas, how to decorate on a budget and more. We also offer a free newsletter for more every day tips.

The method know as 3d ultrasound scanning is used in early pregnancy, it can provide 3d pictures of the unborn child. Most times these pictures are quickly collected and combined to produce a “4d ultrasound scan”.

Three dimensional scans works in a similar manner to the normal scanning methods except that the ultrasound scanning waves can be sent from multiple directions. The ultrasound waves can be reflected back then captured to provide info to construct a 3d image in very much the same way as 3d movies. 3d ultrasound was started by stephen smith and olaf von ramm.

It is important to understand that sonologists worldwide have always pictured three-dimensional images of anatomy or pathology in their minds while doing their 2d scans. However, until recently it was almost impossibel to do this kind of reconstruction on on info using ultrasound. The advent of baby scans for the first time allowed us a peek into the mechanics of thinking of a sonologist and hence letting us view the images on the ultrasound machine.

3d imaging should utilize ultrasound energy following the same limits as conventional 2d ultrasound to create the 3d images. While there is no information of harm due to 3d ultasound scanning, its use in none essential situations needs to be undertaken with the understanding of the risks.

Please remember to collect your babies umbilical stem cells by using people such as babycells.

Parents are in a unique position to “monitor” their children’s internet activities and to observe their behavior with respect to any actions generated by the child’s internet use. If children are hiding something from a parent, usually an astute parent will sense that something is askew… in these times it may well be internet associated. This is a delicate balance of empowerment and trust. And it is a wise parent that verbalizes this balance and discusses it openly with the child, especially teen age children.

The internet is a powerful tool for schoolwork and knowledge. It is, at the same time, a significant danger, offering pornography to underage children and the real danger of a personal contact with an undesirable internet “friend.”

Here are some ways that a parent can thwart the jeopardy:

1. The computer needs to be in a family room, not in the child’s bedroom.

2. Parents should get computer smart and learn how the internet functions.

3. Be aware of your child’s use of the computer.

4. Ask your children about their online friends.

5. Obtain programs that will block undesirable, “adult” sites.

6. Pedophiles use teen and preteen chat rooms to prey on children. Do not let your child enter any personal information in a chat environment. Chat rooms allow for one on one conversations… do not permit your children to engage in such conversations.

7. Be sure your child reports anything unusual that they observe on the internet, and, certainly never to answer any rude or offensive e-mails or messages.

8. Be sure your child knows that it is very dangerous to actually meet anyone that they have talked with on the internet.

9. Do not allow your child to send or receive any pictures on the internet from anyone not personally known to you.

10. Do not allow your child any “late night” sessions on the internet.

There are many jeopardies in which children can be trapped. Many are discussed in a new book by Dr. Stuart J. Malkin, “Empowering Children.” More information at: http://www.buybooksontheweb.com/description.asp?ISBN=0-7414-2331-6

Dr. Malkin holds a B.Sc. in Business and a Masters and Ph.D. in Religion. He has made hundreds of visits to schools with a moving and effective motivational presentation, urging teens to do their personal best. His mentoring programs have empowered many, many children. His quest for years has been to teach the power of Right Action, working towards the goal of a better world.

As you probably know, baby expense should be high on your list of things to plan for, before the baby comes. There is no cheap way to have and raise a baby: it takes sweat, work, lots of cash, patience, and more to have a happy, healthy baby. Some studies suggest that you will spend anywhere between $150,000 and $200,000 for your kids by the time they are 18 years old, not including private schools, special lessons, or college.

But if you waited until you had enough money, time and energy to have your baby, you would probably end up without any children. Here you’ll find a few ways to ease the finances, so that you can enjoy your new bundle of joy.

1. Get health assistance - if you don’t have health insurance, and can’t afford it, doctor’s bills can ad up really easy. But there are options out there for people just like you. This baby expense will probably be one of your biggest, so don’t be afraid to ask for assistance if your family needs it.

2. Breastfeed your baby, if possible. It’s free, it’s convenient, and it might help against breast cancer. It’s recommended as being the best form of nutrition for baby.

If you can’t breastfeed, don’t feel guilty. Try to apply for WIC (Women, Infants, and Children): http://www.fns.usda.gov/wic, a program designed to help middle and low income families with educational resources and food. You can also save money by buying formula in bulk, clipping coupons, and accepting free samples whenever they are offered. This is a baby expense you can’t do without.

3. Diapers - Some diapers are better than others, but most are basically the same. Store brand disposable diapers can be just as good as the name brand, for several dollars less than their name brand counterparts. You can save even more, if you use cloth diapers instead of disposable. As with breastfeeding, it’s a little more work involved, but well worth it.

4. Diaper Rash Prevention - instead of taking action after your baby got a diaper rash, prevent it with a drop of olive oil applied to their bottom every time you change their diaper: it works wonders (you should check with your doctor first).

5. Baby food - When it comes to baby food, a blender is your best friend: it will help you keep this baby expense at its lowest. Not only is it much cheaper, but it’s so much healthier! Save the little baby food jars for quick trips, or special occasions, and give your baby pureed food made by you. You can cook a week’s supply on the weekend, put the blended vegetables in the ice cube tray, for a few hours, and then place them in a freezer bag. Depending on your baby’s appetite and age, you can microwave one, two or three cubes before meal time. It’s quick, healthy and inexpensive.

6. Clothing - There is no need to buy expensive designer clothing for you little one. Do you think anyone will really notice that your baby is wearing Tommy Hilfiger? Babies look cute in anything: don’t waste your money! You can get most of your baby clothing at yard sales or second-hand stores.

7. Toys - they are big business, but you don’t have to feel pressured to get the latest and most expensive models. My kids were happy with everyday items as their toys: empty shampoo bottles (make sure they are cleaned and rinsed very well before handing them to your baby), plastic bowls, plastic containers from food products (margarine, sour cream , etc.) that they could stack up, etc. Also, buy some toys that will help with your baby’s development, are durable, and are age appropriate: a baby expense worth the money.

8. Wills - Get a will or update your old will. Name a guardian for your child and the trustee of your child’s inheritance (often but not always the same person). Without a will, the court will name these individuals and also split up your assets in accordance with state law which may not be the way you would wish. Please don’t try to avoid this baby expense: your kid’s future might depend on it. A simple will that includes a trust for minor children costs between $150 and $250.

Adriana Copaceanu is a busy mom of 2. Visit her at Busy Moms Online if you are looking for ways to maximize your precious time. And if you are a new mom, you’ll find everything you need to know at her
Baby’s First Year website.