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Taking a long car trip with your children can be a trying experience. Parents have all heard the question “Are we there yet?” or the words “I have to go to the bathroom” five minutes after they have just past the last bathroom for miles. For parents with more than one child, it can sound like professional wrestling in the backseat. As boredom is the main cause of the whining and complaining that the children are doing, the secret to surviving a long car trip with the kids is to come prepared with numerous activities and toys to help keep the little ones busy.

First you can pack a small lunch basket with healthy snacks so the kids will not complain about being hungry. It might be a good idea to avoid salty snacks as this will cause your children to drink more which can lead to you having to make more bathroom stops. You also might want to avoid snacks and drinks that have caffeine or sugar in them. These will give the kids more energy than they need if they are just sitting in a car for several hours.

Next you can pack toys for your younger children. You should ask the child which toys he wants to take as well as picking a few on your own so that you can choose ones that will take up the most of his time. There are portable toy chests available which may be an option for parents who travel a lot with their children. If you only travel occasionally, an inexpensive alternative would be a plastic storage tub, preferably one that comes with a lid. Both the portable toy chests and the storage containers can be easily carried back and forth from the car and come in various shapes and sizes that can fit easily in your backseat.

There are also traveling games designed especially for long car trips available for you to purchase. These can be as simple and inexpensive as check lists that involve pads of paper that lists different items that your child can check off as they spot them along the road. These lists can include vehicles that you pass, a restaurant along the way, and animals that you might expect to find in the area that you are traveling through.

A more expensive alternative to these checklists are electronic handheld video games. Any parent who has these games in the home can tell you that a child can spend hours sitting in one place playing these kinds of games. The handheld versions have become quite elaborate and have many of the same features that the home versions do. Again, some of these electronic games can be expensive, but depending on how much your family travels, it may be a worthwhile investment.

There are also free activities that you can share with your child on long car trips. A good old-fashioned game of “I spy” or a sing-along of your child’s favorite songs can pass the time.

Whatever activities that you plan to use to keep your children occupied on a long car trip, make sure that you choose ones that are easy to do in the backseat. Just make sure that you plan something to keep the kids occupied. . It makes for an easier and happier journey.

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In the past few years, child safety in cars has progressed greatly. As of March, 2008 Congress is looking into passing a bill making it mandatory that all children up to the age of eight years old be placed in a appropriate safety seats whenever they are riding in a vehicle. For the present, most states require that children up to the age of five be placed in these safety seats. To purchase an appropriate child’s car seat, a parent needs to find one that is designed for the child’s age and weight.

For infants, there are infant-only safety seats that are designed for babies up to one year of age. These seats are designed to face backwards and come individually or can be part of a stroller system. Most models have a carrying handle that makes it easier to carry the infant to and from the vehicle while remaining in the seat. Some models come with a base that the seat snaps into which enables you to leave it right in the car. When installing these seat, make sure that the seat belt is put through it properly and that the belt is tight to hold the seat securely in place.

There are also toddler seats available. There are many varieties of these seats available. Some seats may be used front-facing or rear-facing, although most experts advise the child seat to remain rear-facing as long as the child’s weight and height permit it. There are front-facing seats only. When using any seat in the front-facing position you should again make sure that the seat belt is looped through it properly and also makes sure that the seat is tilted back so the child’s head is resting against the back of it and is not loping forward. There are combination forward-facing/booster seats that have a harness that fit over the child’s shoulders and usually attaches between his legs. This harness helps to hold the child in place in the seat. As a child grows, this type of seat can also be used as a booster seat that the child sits in with a seat belt holding him in place so that you are able to get longer use out it.

Travel vests are also available for children between 20 to 168 pounds and are useful in vehicles that only have the lap-style seat belts.

For school-aged children, regular booster seats are available. These seats ensure that the child is sitting high enough in the vehicle for the existing shoulder and lap seat belts to fit properly. This ensures that your child can ride safely just like you do.

There are several ways to tell when your child is ready to move into the more adult-like booster seat. You should keep close track of the weight and height requirements of your present safety seat. Once your child has reached either of these measurements it is time to move him into a bigger seat. You should also consider a larger seat when his shoulders surpass the top harness slots or when his ears have reached the top of the back of your existing seat.

Child safety seats have proven to be effective protection for children in case of a car accident. If the seat is installed properly and is the appropriate type for your child’s age, you can rest comfortably knowing that your child is as safe as possible.

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“Look Daddy…Wow…that’s so cool!” Parents are used to hearing such exclamations from their children when referring to video games, superheroes, cheap impulse-buy toys at the grocery store and, as they get older, clothing and hairstyles designed to cause maximum parental disapproval. The fact that one of my seven year old twin boys was applying these words to a stereo microscope was a pleasant surprise.

He was looking at a recently deceased bee or, more accurately, the incredible cross-hatching that makes up a bee’s eye. This was followed by a close-up examination of the stinger, the gossamer like fabric of the wing and, following a brief search round the ground floor of the house, a house fly. By then, his brother was full into “My turn, my turn” and believe it or not, their three year old sister was also clamoring to get in on the act! Before we knew it, a half hour had passed with all three kids fully engaged in the wonders of the microscopic - a full half hour focused on one activity! This was not only a record; it verged on miraculous!

As a cynical parent, I confess to having been resigned to watch the microscope consigned to the black hole of our children’s toy cupboard. To my surprise and delight, they have taken the initiative on a number of occasions to retrieve the microscope for further viewing. Shiny rocks have proved a big favorite as have the occasional worm, piece of fruit and other assorted items that catch their eye. But it was Grandma’s crystals from the Carnegie Institute in Pittsburgh that stimulated the next ‘big session’. She brought with her a glittering array of crystals as well as a series of geodes that reprised the cries from the top of this article. Even my three year old daughter has prompted me to get out the microscope – much to my wife’s chagrin, she found a dead bug on the kitchen floor – her enthusiasm was not only infectious, but for a brief parental moment, I was convinced that she was a budding Einstein.

And that is part of the fun of a microscope. Not only does it open up a whole new world of the microscopic, but it has something to please everyone in the family. For the kids, it offers all sorts of cool, phantasmagoric images to equal the most evil aliens imagined. Yet it also opens their eyes to a completely different and very real perspective on the world. For us parents, it is something other than a video game or TV to share with them while also giving us the satisfying knowledge that, apart from being fun, it is also educational! Under a microscope, the kids can view whatever they like. They learn and perhaps most important, they retain some wonderful visual images that help fire their imagination in other ways. We have some innovative new alien life form drawings to prove it!

Moreover, a microscope is inexpensive. Ours is a real microscope in the sense that it is not a toy. It is an Omano OM1030L stereo microscope from The Microscope Store, LLC (www.microscope.com). The cost($259)is a fraction of what we have spent on toys that have been discarded or broken within one or two uses and it has proved a wonderful way for us all to participate in something that we all enjoy. Our next one may be a compound microscope so that we can make and view our own slides – but so far, the ecstatic cries over our current stereo microscope continue. We can’t ask for more!

Visit The Microscope Store, LLC The author has three children including two twin boys aged 7 years old and a daughter aged 3 years. He is English, married to an American from Pittsburgh and lives in the North East. He is an enthusiastic father and apart from sculpture and microscopy, he is also learning baseball.

Whether single or not, all parents leave long lasting impressions on their child’s life. This is particularly true for single parents. Death, divorce or whatever is the cause of this singularity, it likely leaves deep impressions on the emerging personality of the child. What actually matters is the way the single parent responds to the task of single parenthood. In whichever manner the single parent has dealt with the parenting challenge, there are deep effects on the child’s character and individuality as compared to the children of parents living together.

Being a child to a single parent is a complex situation. Children look up and follow their parents. If the parents are confident and stable, their children feel secure and confident. The sense of belonging to a single parent who is either living as an unmarried heterosexual couple or a homosexual couple or without a partner at all has a disturbing effect on the child’s personality. Although the laws and norms of societies have changed, unlawful children are made fun of. They are called bastards, illegal and at some places natural born children. As it is a social taboo, it always haunts the child that his mother was never married to his father or at times the fathers refuse to recognize these children as theirs. They are singled out by others at school and playgrounds and made fun of. All these effect the child’s personality and self confidence. As a result of which they become reluctant to attend school and socialize. These are part of difficulties that children of lone parents have to go through.

Bringing up children as a single father is a tough task. Being a father you have to go to work as well as look after your young ones which is very taxing. You can really fatigue. As a single father neither you nor your child has the liberty to share your thoughts with the mother. The children particularly feel comfortable to converse with their mother for many of their problems. A number of public schools also don’t consider single parents worthy for the task which adds to their worries.

Some of the societies don’t accept single parents who exercise this option by choice. In many areas it is considered illegal and morally corrupt. Others consider it a religious taboo particularly the Bible belt. As the society looks down upon them and socially isolates them they feel left out. This makes their life nerve-racking. It is not always easy to migrate from one place to other due to job and financial reasons.

From the above it appears that there is nothing positive in single parenting, how ever on the contrary there is some ray of hope also. Recently some work done at Cornell University about the implications of single parenthood, particularly single mothers on the academic and behavioral progress of children in early teens revealed no harmful effects. This is very encouraging for single mothers. At last it is now obvious that if they are considerate and looking after thier young ones with love and affection, the single status would not be a hurdle in bringing up confident, well mannered and contented children.

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There are many safety devices that you may want to purchase with a baby in the house. Some you may want to install before the baby arrives home from the hospital; others can wait until the baby begins to crawl.

One of the first things that you may want to do is to install a smoke detector on every floor of your home and near all the bedrooms. These are essential as a first warning system to alert you to a fire anywhere in your home. Once you have installed this device, make sure that you have new batteries in and test it to ensure that it is working properly. After this initial test, you should retest it once a month to check the batteries and to ensure that it is not malfunctioning.

You may also want to install a carbon monoxide detector near the sleeping areas in your home to prevent carbon monoxide poisoning. This poisoning can occur gradually so that you may not be aware that it is even happening. This detector will alert you if the carbon monoxide in your home is at dangerous levels. You should install this device if your home has gas or oil heat or an attached garage, as these factors add to the danger of carbon monoxide poisoning.

Once your child begins to crawl, you may want to install anti-scald devices in your home. These devices can be installed in your faucets and showerheads by a plumber and can regulate the water temperature to prevent accidental burning if your baby turns the hot water on. Turning your water heater down to 120 degrees Fahrenheit can also prevent burns from hot water.

Another safety device that you may want to install when your baby begins to crawl are window guards and safety netting. These devices can prevent falls from windows, decks, and balconies. The guards and netting fit securely in the window or across the entrance out onto a balcony and deck to prevent your child from crawling near these areas. The bars on the guards should have no more than 4 inches between them to prevent the child from crawling through them. When you install these guards, make sure that you leave one window in each room available to use as a route of escape in case of a fire.

Corner and edge bumpers are safety devices that can also prevent injuries to your child in case he falls. These bumpers should be placed on furniture as well as woodwork and fireplaces that have sharp edges to soften the blow if your child would fall against them. You should check to make sure that the type of bumpers that you purchase will remain securely in place for a reasonable amount of time and once they are installed, you should recheck them often.

Finally, you may want to install door stops and door holders to prevent your child from pinching or crushing his fingers and hands ion doors and door hinges. A door stop can prevent a door from closing entirely while a door holder can firmly hold the door in place to avoid it being closed at all. For door that you rarely use, the door holder may be the better option.

By purchasing and installing some of these products, you can ensure that your baby’s home is as safe as possible for both you and your little one.

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The United States Consumer Product Safety Commission is a government agency that is charged with the job of protecting the consumer from injuries or death as the result of faulty consumer products. This agency has set up guidelines to ensure that products that you may want to purchase for your baby are safe. By doing a few simple checks you can provide your baby with the safest environment possible.

When purchasing a back carrier, there are several items that you should check to ensure that you have chosen a carrier that will be safe for your child. You should check to make sure that the style that you have chosen has a restraining strap to secure your child. You should also check the leg holes to ensure that they are small enough to prevent the baby from slipping out but large enough to prevent chafing on the baby’s legs. The frame of the carrier should have no pinch points, and should have a padded covering in the area around the baby’s face. As long as the carrier that you want to purchase has met all these requirements, you should have no problems with it in the future.

Many parents purchase bassinets or cradles for their babies. The Commission also has a checklist for these pieces of furniture. The base of these items should be wide for stability and the bottom should be sturdy. All the surfaces of the cradle or bassinet should be smooth with no protruding hardware or staples that could injure the child. If the furniture folds, the leg locks must be strong enough to prevent folding while in use. Finally, the mattress in the cradle or bassinet must fit snugly to prevent the baby from sliding in between the mattress and the side. By completing this checklist, you should be able to purchase the safest cradle or bassinet possible.

High chairs are another popular piece of baby furniture. When purchasing a chair, the Commission suggests that you purchase a style that has a waist and crotch strap that are independent of the tray and that the tray locks should also be secure. The agency also suggests that the buckle on the waist strap should be easy to use and the base of the high chair should be wide to ensure its stability. It suggests that you check the caps or plugs on any tubing to make sure that they are firmly attached and that they cannot be removed by a child who can choke on them. Finally, if it is a folding chair, you should make sure that the legs locks are strong enough to prevent the chair from accidently folding up. By ensuring that a high chair meets all these requirements, you should be able to buy one that will last you for years.

These are just a few of the many products the United States Consumer Product Safety Commission has evaluated. Although you may think that their checklists are time-consuming, you should realize that all the recommendations made by the agency were the results of a complaint or an injury sustained because of a particular flaw with the product. By using the agency’s guidelines, you can be assured of purchasing the safest items possible for your baby

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While infants have not fully developed their vision or movement skills, you can still stimulate their senses. Hand held toys as well as toys that are set up to play while the baby is lying horizontally and others that include lights and sounds are the best items to stimulate infants.

A mobile or an activity bar that hangs over the baby while he is in his crib is a good toy to stimulate his senses. Whether these items have bright flashing lights or are just brightly colored, your baby will enjoy staring at these toys for hours. Soft sounds or music may also help to soothe the baby to sleep at naptime and at night.

Another type of mobile projects a moving scene across the ceiling as it plays soothing music to lull the baby to sleep. As the baby grows, many of these mobiles can be converted to use on top of a dresser.

There are also some activity toys that attach to the side of the crib. These may include brightly colored blocks or a lit scene that repeatedly goes by as music plays, such as aquarium scene. Being at eye level, these toys may hold the baby’s attention longer than ones hanging above his head.

Play mats and gyms that rest above your baby’s head while he is lying on the floor are also toys that he will enjoy. Some of these have rings attached to them that he can chew and lights that flash as music plays. The items on the activity gym are usually adjustable and allow you to remove some items to replace them with some of your own if you would like. Mirrors and bells that can be moved by the baby’s hands and feet will also improve his motor coordination.

Toys made of soft material that your baby can grasp will also entertain him. These can be cloth books, bright colored blocks made out of soft material, and blankets with raised animals or other objects on them. Stuffed animals are also a necessity for infants.

Plastic keys are a favorite toy for small infants. Most keys come on a ring and are brightly colored. The baby will hold and shake these keys for extended periods of time. This item can also help with teething as your baby will chew on these as his teeth begin to come through.

Baby rattles and the noise that they make when your baby shakes them is a good toy that the baby can use to associate his movements and noise. Once the baby figures out that he can do it, he will enjoy the noise that he is making and shake that rattle continuously.

Electronic toys are also popular items for infants. Animals that sing and dance will cause you child to squeal with delight, and musical instruments that the baby can play himself by kicking his feet can also help the infant to associate his own movement with making sound and encourage him to do it.

By far, the best learning tool that your child can play with is you. Babies learn more from the people around them than from any toy. So play with your child as he discovers these new toys. You are the best stimulant that your baby has

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As a writer of children’s music, I always make a mental note when I hear an artist performing a song that was not intended for kid listeners but would suit them just fine.

There are lots of songs like this, but most of them are from another era, when lyrical content was less, uh, robust than it is now. Kid-friendly songs in the adult marketplace are harder to come by these days, but I scanned my iTunes library and came up with a substantial list of cool and current tunes I’d be happy to spin in the nursery.

We’re Going To Be Friends by the White Stripes is as good as it gets: simple, sweet, an ode to friendship with lyrics that could have been written by a six-year-old poet.

“Heavenly” by Harry Connick, Jr. is a swinging lullaby, performed with great retro style. It’s a love song about the man in the moon (who’s in love with the girl in the world) and it’s gorgeous. For other old-fashioned sounds check out The Puppini Sisters, who brind their inimitable charm to a new version of “Jeepers Creepers,” and to a cover of “Sisters” that’s a must for multiple-girl families.

If you are looking for some inspired goofiness, try Ben Kweller’s cover of “Lollipop,” or The Flaming Lips’ “If I Only Had A Brain.” Also, “Bathtime In Clerkenwell” is a bubbly nonsense song by The Real Tuesday Weld that’s perfect for tiny tub-lovers with a sense of humor.

When Toots and the Maytals sing “Never Grow Old,” I defy you not to dance with your child. Paul McCartney’s “Dance Tonight” might also inspire you, as will one of my all-time favorites, “The Littlest Bird” by The Be Good Tanyas.

If you’re a dad with a daughter, play her Paul Simon’s declaration of love, “Father and Daughter,” and keep the Kleenex handy. Or, for those moments when you are swept away with baby adoration, choose one of the great recent love anthems: Alicia Keyes’ “No One.” If you’ve heard it too many times, try the Curtis Lynch Reggae Remix, which is even better than the original.

On those occasions when a child needs a little encouragement after a bad day, a song with a fabulous message wrapped in a stunning production is “Pick Yourself Up” as sung by Diana Krall. It’s impossible to ignore her suggestion that you “dust yourself off an start all over again.”

A real morning song (for those five a.m. wakeup calls) is “Sunrise” by Norah Jones. It’s hard to tell if it’s the sun or the music that gives the nursery that glow. Another great way to start the day is to play Louis Armstrong’s “What A Wonderful World.” My daughter’s kindergarten teacher played it every day when the kids arrived, setting a sweetly positive tone in the classroom.

So, when you’re looking for music that’s both kid and adult-friendly, check out some of these tunes, and search your own music library. You will most certainly find more gems like these.

Jessica Harper is an actress, author and singer-songwriter who has recorded seven award-winning CD’s of music for children. She has also penned seven picture books, and her chapter book,”Uh-Oh, Cleo,” was published this spring by G.P.Putnam’s. Please visit http://www.jessicaharper.com.

In the modern age of two- income households, it is sometimes difficult to keep up with all the demands being made on your time. One of the most important things as a parent that you should find time for is involvement in your child’s school Studies have shown that children whose parents are involved do better academically that those whose parents are not. This involvement is easy to do and does not require a large amount of time.

One of the easiest ways to stay involved with your child’s school is to attend all parent and teacher conferences. This enables you to establish open communication with the instructor and enables her to make you aware of any difficulties that your child may be having. Most of these conferences last about fifteen minutes and are scheduled either during the day or in the evening to accommodate the different work schedules that the parent may have. If you are unable to attend the regularly scheduled conferences, most schools will accommodate you and will schedule your meeting with the teacher on another day or at another time.

If a face-to-face meeting not possible, you can also have a meeting over the telephone or via e-mail. Many teachers today include the school phone numbers in the papers that they send home during the first few weeks of school. While some may ask that you a call them at the school during regular school hours, many instructors include their personal e-mail addresses and home telephone numbers and encourage you to call at any time. It is as important to the teacher as it is to you to keep open and constant communication, especially if a child has academic or behavioral problems.

Attending school activities is also an important way to stay involved with your child’s school. Most of these are held in the evenings or on weekends and can include such things as a concert or a family fun night. By accompanying your child to these activities or attending a concert in which your child is performing is a good way to demonstrate to him that you are supportive of him and his school.

For parents who work the afternoon or evening shift, it may not be possible to attend these functions. Another option for you would be to volunteer in your child’s classroom for a day. With the larger size of your child’s classes, most teachers welcome any extra help they can get during regular school hours to complete small tasks in the classroom, such as preparing materials for an art project or copying handouts that they may need later in the day. Many teachers will send home a calendar at the beginning of each month so that you can mark the days and the times that you are available to volunteer. You may not need to volunteer all day. Just a few hours will be much appreciated. Younger children especially will be thrilled that you are spending time with them in their classroom.

Communication between you and your child’s teacher whether it is physically or over the telephone is an important step to ensuring your child’s academic success. Stay involved and it will pay off in the end.

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Winter is the time of year for the coldest temperatures and the most amount of time that your children have off during the school year due to holidays and bad weather. There are several activities that you can share with your kids to pass the long, cold winter days.

Outdoor winter activities are an option for some wintertime fun. An old-fashioned snowball fight or just building a snowman can be fun for the entire family. Young children especially enjoy flopping on their backs and making snow angels. Sledding and ice skating can also be a way for your children to get some much needed exercise during long periods inside. A walk in the woods can allow your young explorers to see animal tracks in the snow that they would normally not see.While outside activities can be great fun, you should only allow your children to venture outside if the temperature is reasonable and do not allow the children to stay outside too long. Make sure that they are dressed in layers and that they are wearing a hat and a pair of gloves.

For inside activities, there are numerous craft projects that you can do. For smaller children, you can make a scene of a woods or a farm and allow them to color small pictures of animals to paste on it. This helps the children to use their imagination and can lead to hours of fun.You can also allow your child to cut designs out of folded pieces of paper. Young children are always amazed when the paper becomes a snowflake.

Another indoors activity that you could share with your small child is an exploration of their toy box. They may find toys that they have forgotten that they had. Take the time to play with their favorites, making up stories and letting them add their own details. This activity will exercise their minds as well as your own.

Board games are also a good way to spend quality time with your children. With the popularity of video games, families have gotten away from playing Candyland or Chutes and Ladders. It may be time for your family to rediscover the enjoyment that these games can provide as well as the chance for you and your children to communicate.

Cooking and baking can be a fun family activity, especially if you have younger children. You should plan this activity when you have plenty of time to enjoy it. Little ones love to mix things, be it mud in the back yard or milk in the dog’s food dish. Give them free reign. Put the ingredients in the mixing bowl and let them go. They will have the time of their lives. The smile on their faces will be well worth the mess that you may have afterwards.

Reading is another activity that you can share with your young children. Studies have proven that children whose parents read to them regularly become better readers themselves. So take the time and read a book to your child. It will pay off in the long run.

Although some animals hibernate during the winter that does not mean that we have to. Enjoy quality time with your children whether it’s inside or out. You will be glad that you did.

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