Six Points to Consider when Choosing a Pet for your Child by Hilary Daglish

"Can I have a pet for my birthday, Mum?" says Amelia "Not yet, you're too young" replied Mum This was a common question for several years until one day Mum thought that Amelia is ten now and might be ready for the responsibility of owning and looking after a pet. So what is the best pet for Amelia? How can Mum help her make this important choice? Here are six points to consider when choosing a pet for your child eg Amelia 1. Ask " What kind of pet do you like?" It may be a duck to a dinosaur. You need to set limits as to what pets you are prepared to have, what pets you are able to have eg if you live in an apartment then no Great Danes are allowed and what pets are safe for you to have. Write down the choices.

2.Level of Commitment: Think about what level of commitment Amelia has shown in past projects, like a sport or a hobby. - was she keen at first and then slack off? - did she wear her skates once and leave them lying around? - does her floor look like a jungle? - what is her staying power at things like? You have more pet choices if she is a dedicated person. And her interest should be long enough to see the pet into middle age.

3. What is the 'ick' factor? Is Amelia squeamish at the thought of little gerbil goodies left in the palm of the hand, pet vomit or fussy at the thought of feeding the animal that she mistakenly chose? If so then the pet needs to be a cleaner variety and less hands on - nice tropical fish are great for finicky children. 4. Activity Level: Is Amelia active or more laid back? This is something to consider because trying to get your inactive child to walk a dog is very stressful or giving tropical fish to an energetic person is totally pointless when they could be running a more active pet. 5. Temperament: The saying that 'opposites attract" could be beneficial. If Amelia was shy then a bouncy Boxer may help to break her out of her shell. or if Amelia can't stay still then a gentle pug might calm her down.

6. Responsibility: Who is responsible for this pet? Make sure everyone in the family is aware of this. Even though Amelia asked for a pet she is not totally responsible - it becomes at least partial responsibility of other family members who may, for example, feed the cat or walk the dog from time to time. It is important to make sure Amelia understands the rules and obligations that will be expected of her before bringing a pet home. You can make it clearer with pictures for younger children but Amelia is old enough to get clear worded directions. You can give out rewards and punishments for meeting obligations or not, e.g. if she does not feed the cat then she will loose television watching time.If Amelia is taught responsibility now then she'll turn out to be a responsible adult. Sometimes Amelia may forget certain things in cat care or is sick, have extra school work or extra curricular activities and so it may be time for you or another family member to step in. If you are not prepared to do this then you may need to reconsider getting a pet at this time. The idea about choosing a pet for your child, in this case Amelia, is to give them (or Amelia) the options according to what you want, what you can have with considerations of responsibility and their (or her) personality. Then let them (or her) have their (or her) say at what they (or she) wants. Hopefully a suitable choice can be made which can not only give the family a pet but your child or children (or Amelia) a friend forever.

The Final Outcome of Choosing a Pet for Your Child Let's take the example of Amelia. Amelia is a bright and bubbly girl who loves being active with sport like netball and swimming plus enjoying quiet times with reading and drawing. She also likes socialising with her friends. Her room can get a little messy but it's because she gets carried away with her interests.She doesn't mind the thought of cleaning up animal messes and decided she would like to have a young pet like a puppy or kitten to grow up with. Her parents thought that she would show responsibility towards caring for a puppy or kitten as well as having the right personality. There limiting factor was a small house and back yard. So they all decided that a kitten would be a great pet for Amelia. So what next in the process of choosing a pet for your child. 1. Finding A Pet For you child. In this case a kitten for Amelia 2. Training Your Pet In this case training a Amelia's kitten. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Hilary_Daglish

Carry-On Travel Bags - How to pack when you are travelling with children by Bill Hamilton

You're trying to check things off your to-do list before that big trip you're taking in the morning and you seem to be doing okay until it comes time to think about what to put into your carry-on travel bag when you're travelling with children. Whether you're a mom, dad, grandma, grandpa, guardian, friend, relative, or a nanny who'll be travelling with one or more children, you know in a heartbeat that you'd better have what the child needs already packed into your bag, just in case they need it. It can certainly be frustrating when that child asks you for something and you don't have it available. I'm not talking about the child being spoiled and not getting what he wants. I'm talking about thinking in advance what you'll need to pack before the trip to make your travel time go smoother and easier.

When you're travelling by car, it's not quite as demanding as traveling by bus, rail, or by plane. Sure, anyone can find a spare hanky or napkin to hand you in case there's an accidental spill, but what about all those other unforeseen things that require even your most basic necessities? While the following list most certainly isn't an exhaustible list of everything you could possibly need for a child while you're traveling, perhaps this list will serve as your own starting point for creating a "What to Pack" list for your situation.

1. Pack nappies for infants and those toddlers who are prone to have emotional accidents due to new or scary situations. For infants, it's best to pack one nappy for every hour that you'll be in the air or travelling to and from the airport. 2. Pre-moistened, individually wrapped antiseptic paper wipes. These are useful when changing a child's nappy as well as cleaning up messy hands, faces, and minor spills. 3. Bring travel sickness tablets, baby aspirin and other medications that the child may require, even if the child isn't sick. The travel sickness tablets will help with motion sickness, and it comes in handy to calm an impatient and nervous child. 4. Be sure to pack a small activity, cuddly soft sleepy toy, a book, or other item to distract or occupy the child. It will save your nerves and those around you when the child can be briefly entertained.

5. Always pack a thin blanket. It comes in useful for many things such as rolling it up like a pillow, covering a sleeping child, and it comes in handy for keeping you and the child warm. This is especially an essential during air travel since the cabin can become quite cool, and not every airlines these days offers blankets to their passengers-especially if your destination is in a arm location like Mexico or Hawaii. 6. Snacks, snacks, and more snacks. You can never have too many snacks, especially when traveling. If you're travelling by air, the pressure in a child's ears is eased while swallowing liquids or eating solids like crackers, dried fruit, cereal, or finger sandwiches. You can easily put snacks into small zipped-up snack bags. Carrying small amounts of foods in separate packages is preferable to bringing a large bag of pretzels or cheese fishes. 7. Bring bottled water, straws, covered sippy cups and other liquids. These are good to give during take-off and landing, but if you're traveling on land or by rail, it can be the difference between a cranky child and a happy child. 8. Pack a change of clothes for both you and the child. You might think you won't have an accident that would drench your clothes, but for sure if you bring the extra clothes you won't have to stress about any situation that can arise.

Travelling with children can be fun and challenging. To make your next trip more pleasurable, know what to pack and how to pack it in a Clava Leather bag - http://www.clava.com - a worldwide leader in fine leather products. Don't leave home without checking your travel list for what to pack. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Bill_Hamilton Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/3553610

Travel with children -"Are we there yet?" by Sam Serio

Travelling with children can be a nightmare. Any parent that has had to put up with a child on a long journey will testify to that point! Travel with children is extremely stressful and can indeed test you to the end of your patience. Not only that, there is no way to get away from the child if he or she does start acting spoilt. While spending time with family is extremely important, so is enjoying the experience so you have to have a plan of action prepared well in advance in order to make sure that you can have a relaxing time away from the stresses and strains of modern life!

Before you even set off, you should plan out how you are going to travel with your children. You should always pick a child-friendly destination to travel to if you are taking the whole family with you. Travelling with children to a remote destination that is tailored for adults is not a great idea because they will be constantly complaining that they are bored and thus will ruin your vacation as well. Look for a beach resort with a hotel that offers free activities for children. This will certainly save you money because the beach and free activities will keep the children amused for hours!

You should also think about the food available at the destination. Children are generally fussy eaters and travelling with children can highlight that fact, but if individual resorts offer buffets then this is likely to cater for all tastes! It is always best to choose a hotel offering breakfast only if you are travelling with children. This way, if they do not like the food at the hotel then you have lost absolutely nothing and can find a restaurant elsewhere that they do like! Travelling with children is perhaps the most difficult during the journey, but there are a few tips that can help ease the stress for you. For example, get to the airport early because they can amuse themselves with watching the aeroplanes and it saves the last minute rush than can really see your stress levels rise! Also, if you can get flights during the night then this will also help you to relax because the children will sleep during that time! Always pack a box full of treats when travelling with children too because this will help to keep them quiet throughout the trip! Include snacks like raisins, juices, cereal, rice cakes and fruit, along with some candy for the purpose of bribery if need be! Also, pack a few of their favourite toys and games to keep them amused if they do happen to wake up at any time! If they have comfort toys then be sure to pack those as well because travelling with children can be a nightmare if they do not have them!

When you do get to your destination, the nightmare of children can be far from over if you do not take the necessary precautions to ensure that all runs smoothly. Make sure that you have something different planned for every day to ensure that they do not get bored as a result of repetition. This can be extremely difficult in a resort that caters solely for older children and/or adults. A little research ahead of time can always help, but insist that you all spend the first day exploring so that the children are able to find things that they want to do on their own because this will keep them quiet and give you ammunition should they moan later on! Travelling with children can be a nightmare, but travelling with children can also be an absolute joy. Just make sure that you have done your homework and know ahead of time what to expect and you will find that your vacation falls into the latter category rather than the former! * * * * * * * * * * Sam Serio is the producer of Special Events like the Chincoteague Daffodil Festival and the Chincoteague Blueberry Festival on the beautiful Chincoteague Island, Virginia. To learn about this one-of-a-kind family vacation destination please visit http://www.chincoteagueislandvacations.com and http://www.chincoteagueoutlook.com for an informative tour of Chincoteague Island through videos, entertaining articles and fascinating interviews with local personalities. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sam_Serio Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/2438398

Beautiful art and craft kit - a wonderful Christmas gift for an older creative child

The Djeco Art Nouveau Workshop is a stunningly beautiful colour by numbers (well colours actually) for older children that teaches this classic art style. This drawing kit comes with four large preprinted images on very thick card, 2 sheets of stickers, 8 artist quality double ended felt tip pens and a detailed follow by picture instruction book all housed in a very attractive presentation box. Colourful, funky, stylish and wonderful this will make a great gift and the finished work will look fantastic on any wall. Box dimensions 29.5 by 23 by 4cms. Suitable for children aged 9 to 15 years. http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B001G7X1LQ

Four Healthy Habits for children's Screentime by Rebecca Dodds

If you can barely tear your child away from their tablet, here’s what you need to know about healthy screen time for kids Playing with a tablet, mobile phone or desktop computer can be beneficial for children’s learning and development (not to mention affording parents a break while the kids are occupied), but when is it too much? It can be hard for parents to tell. Here are some guidelines to help you and your children get the most out of screen time.

1. Work out how much screen time is right for your child “Screen time becomes worrying when it impinges on time that children would spend on other play activities that are important for development,” says Lucy Gill, director of apps and technology at Fundamentally Children. “Active, social and imaginative play are vital and it’s hard to get too much of these,” she explains. “Passive screen time, such as television, and more interactive, solitary screen time (playing with tablet games and apps) are fine and even potentially useful in small doses, but these should not encroach on active, social or imaginative play.” Lucy describes what Fundamentally Children calls a ‘balanced play diet’, which, like your child’s food diet, should contain a healthy balance of the different kinds of play. So, when should parents be concerned that their child’s play diet is out of balance? “If a child is spending plenty of time playing actively indoors or outdoors, interacting socially with parents, other adults and children, as well as in imaginative or creative play, then some screen time should not be a concern,” she says. “If children are becoming increasingly reluctant to do anything else and you’re struggling to interest them in playing outside or interacting socially, then decreasing their screen time would be a good step.” A more specific guideline for appropriate length of screen time could be based on your child’s age: “A rule of thumb is that children can, on average, concentrate for about five minutes per years of their life, so at three years old they can concentrate for about 15 minutes,” Lucy explains. “This concentration span is a good basis for the maximum length of a screen time session, as beyond it a child’s usage will become more passive and less developmentally useful.”

2. Make sure your child is getting the most out of their screen time Screen time does not have to be a passive, mindless activity. Children of all ages can benefit from developmental apps and games (sometimes without even realising they are learning!), so it’s important to choose the right content for your child. “We’ve seen children enjoy playing games that have learning or developmental benefits,” says Lucy. “Some are obviously educational yet still fun, and with others the children don’t even notice they are learning – they just see it as a great game. Clearly this is a win for everyone.” Lucy recommends doing some research and finding apps and games that are recommended for your child’s age group and which focus on developing skills that your child is interested in or which you are eager to encourage. 3. Enjoy screen time together “We strongly encourage parents to play apps alongside their children,” says Lucy. “We know parents are often grateful that screen time occupies their children while they get on with other things (as a mother myself, I know this!), but occasionally being with your child while they play allows the child to benefit even more from that time.” Some games suggest ways in which parents can encourage children to play which benefit them within the game or offline, and it’s good to take advantage of these opportunities to gain further benefits. “For example, if a child is playing a screen-based, dress-up or role playing game, encourage them to think more about the characters and roles they are taking on,” suggests Lucy. “At the end of screen time, help them to act out what they’ve seen on screen or engage in some other form of play inspired by whatever captured their interest. This is also a great way to transition away from the screen without a tantrum!”

4. Set consistent limits on screen time If your child is resistant when you say their screen time is over (and most are), it may take some time to establish your house rules regarding tablet or computer usage. “Children of all ages need to have their expectations clearly set,” Lucy advises. “Just as an adult would object if someone came in, with no warning, and swiped their mobile halfway through a text message or turned off the TV during their favourite show, so children will not respond well to screen time being ended unexpectedly.” Setting a time limit, making your child aware of it, warning them when they’re about to reach it and sticking to it consistently is what will help you succeed painlessly here. “There can, of course, be some leeway,” says Lucy, “such as allowing them to play to the end of the level or some other natural end point, but don’t let that turn into several more minutes of play.”

She also suggests using an alarm or the parental control limit feature available on some tablets (“Some children respond better to anyone but their parent heralding the end of play!”) and establishing clear consequences if they do not willingly end screen time. “You might be amazed at how quickly they will hand over the tablet if they know the alternative is that they don’t get to play again for a few days.” Lucy also stresses that it’s important to limit your own screen time around your kids: “Children really don’t respond well to hypocritical behaviour. Make time for your child when they finish their screen time – put away your own screens and agree on an activity to do afterwards in advance.” She also points out: “Making the transition more about what they do next than just putting the screen away will make it much easier.” Try to limit screen time close to your child’s bedtime, too – the blue light from tablet and mobile phone screens is known to interfere with sleep. Visit the Good App Guide on Fundamentally Children to find apps suitable for your child. And check out our collection of free phonics reading and spelling games here. Words: Rebecca Dodd

Exercising with baby - 10 Different Ways

When you have a newborn baby, finding time to exercise can be, well, almost impossible sometimes... or maybe even all the time, depending on how busy baby keeps you. So why not try exercising with baby? Here are some different ways you can incorporate baby into your workouts, so you get that special bonding time as well as a workout: 1. Push-Ups. Have baby lie on the floor on their back. Get yourself in a push-up position with your hands on the floor on either side of baby's head. As you're doing push-ups, you can lower yourself, give baby a kiss, then raise and repeat. 2. Dancing. Make exercising with baby fun; turn on the music and dance around, either with baby in arms (which will give you more of a workout) or as baby watches. Baby will probably enjoy watching as mommy dances around. Add some singing in too for some real entertainment! 3. Housework. Put baby in a carrier while doing your housework. There may be some housework tasks that can't really be done with baby "attached" to you but try certain tasks and see what works for you. The added weight from baby will make doing housework more of a workout. 4. Mommy and Me. Try joining a mommy and me exercise class if there's one in your area. This is not only fun for exercising with baby, but also a great way to meet other moms (if you so desire). There are classes such as yoga, pilates, swimming and stroller fitness that many places offer for mommy and baby to do together. See what types of classes there are where you live and try one out! 5. Swimming. Whether it's taking baby to the beach or a public pool, or even a wading pool, you will get exercise by moving around. You can also have baby sit in one of those baby rings/tubes while you push him/her around as you're swimming. You can also use baby as a weight as you lift him/her up into the air and down again, and repeat that several times to get a good arm workout. Baby will have fun too! 6. Squats. You can do squat exercises with baby as an added weight, or without, whatever is more comfortable with you. If you have knee problems, you may want to do the squats without holding baby. An idea though, is to put baby in something like a bouncy chair on the floor either beside or in front of you, and every time you squat, give them a tickle. To keep them even more entertained, sing as you do your squats. 7. Wii. Okay, this isn't direct exercising with baby, but you can have baby in their baby swing or jumper watching you dance around. It may be pretty entertaining for them. The Wii has many different types of games to get you moving. Find a game that interests you and try it out. Some examples are Dance, Dance Revolution, Wii Fit, Just Dance (1, 2 and 3) and then there is a Biggest Loser one and all kinds of different sports games. 8. Home. Again, this one isn't really exercising with baby directly involved. Try a workout DVD as baby watches you. They are inexpensive and there are a large variety of workouts to choose from. Also, many workout DVDs offer quick workouts nowadays, such as 10, 20 and 30 minute workouts, which is great for a busy mom. So, plop in your workout DVD, put your little one in their baby swing (or somewhere they really like to be) with some favorite toys, and start exercising! 9. Outdoor Walks/Hikes. Get out and enjoy the fresh air with baby in their stroller. Walk around the neighborhood, park, zoo, hiking trails, etc. For a really good workout, try to find somewhere hilly to walk. Also, it is best to do a brisk walk as opposed to just a regular slower walk. If you have a jogging stroller, work your way up to jogging. If you have older kids, they can ride their bikes while you jog to keep up. 10. Pelvic Lifts. Pelvic lifts will target your belly. Lie on your back with knees bent and feet flat on the floor. Have baby sit on your abdomen (make sure you're holding them safely). Now, contract your stomach muscles and tilt your pelvis up slightly, hold and repeat. Be creative and make exercising with baby fun. Try to think of new ways where you can do things with your little one while you get exercise at the same time, and you'll shed those pregnancy pounds in no time! Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Kristin_L. Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/7466721

Create Animals with stickers - children love this Christmas gift!

Colourful,fun,easy - just the activity for Christmas afternoons as an alternative to television! Play with the children or watch them become absorbed with these stickers creating their own imaginary animals or creatures. This encourages creativity and stimulates the imagination. The simplest gifts are often the best.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B005W0P490