- Offer your child healthy foods. Keep lots of fruits, vegetables, and healthy snacks in the house. Me & her Baba have been feeding her with healthy food since birth. From breastmilk to homemade pureed food, delayed exposure to MSG & junk food & fastfood. We also monitor & cut down & limit her intake on chocolate, ice-cream, sweets and all the processed food. We explain to her the good & bad side of having too much of these food.
2.Make time for your child to be active. Limit TV viewing to no more than 1 or 2 hours a day. Arissa is only exposed to TV some 2 years back.. We have been blessed by having a maid that doesn't switch on the TV when me & hubby are working. But she is used to listening to the radio. And so far, all of the maids that we had & have like to play and talk with kids. But thesedays, Arissa gets to watch the telly while my MIL reads the Quran (while waiting for maghrib prayers). It's hard for my MIL to control with tv show Arissa can watch. Thus, we always explain to her why certain tv shows are not good for kids viewing.
3 . Read and talk to your child. This helps children learn language and opens them up to new ideas. Both of us have been talking to her since she was 1 day old. And even the previous maids too likes to to talk to her since she was 1 day old. Imagine hearing her saying " A slip of the tongue" !
4 . Help your child get enough rest. Between the ages of 2 and 5, children need about 11 to 13 hours of sleep each day. So far so good . In fact her bedtime since starting pre-school is 9.30 pm every nite..And nap during the day too for at least 1 hour.Some days are 2 or 3 hours.
5. Give your child a chance to meet and play with other children. Preschool or play groups can be a great way for children to learn to interact. Her 1st playgroup was at Gymboree when she was 2 years old. And this year at Musikhaus. And now at the current pre-school. So far, her interaction with other kids has been good.
6. Teach skills, such as how to get dressed or use the toilet. Watch for signs that your child is ready, and try to move ahead at his or her pace. We are doing these . In fact she is better than her cousins who still depend on maid for shower and eating and dressing.. But then again, can't blame the cousins as it's the parents' fault too who depend too much on the maids..
7. Set limits that help your child feel safe and secure but that also allow the child to explore. Mostly it's hubby who is more relax on these.Me on the other side is the type that worry too much .. So, I'm thankful that hubby is guiding her on these and me learning to from him..
Above is from WebMd . I was busy reading about newborn when all of a sudden it crossed my mind to look up for info on pre-schooler. I guess it's not easy being a parent to two kids . Meaning, we always need to update our parenting knowledge all for the kids benefits.
