CARE ABOUT KIDS

Parents: When reading to your child change your voice for different characters. Let your voice get soft and loud. Put some life into your reading.Instead of saying. "Now stop that and settle down" Try. Let's get cozy for our story. Keep plenty of reading materials around the house. Store children's books on low shelves within their reach. Choose books that challenge your child's mind and interests.Books make waiting easier for everyone. Don't leave home without one; they certainly make life more enjoyable. MY WORD: Most of all, take your child to the library. Libraries are a world of knowledge. Your child can take out many books and keep returning them and get out other great books.

CAREABOUTKIDS

Parents: Your kitchen has to be a safe place for your family. Don't leave your baby alone in a highchair; always use all safety straps. Use your stove's back burners and keep pot handles turned to the back of the stove. Lock household cleaning products, knives, matches, and plastic bags away from children.also,in the living areas, install smoke detectors on each floor of your home, especially near sleeping areas; change the batteries each year. Use safety gates to block stairways and safety plugs to cover electrical outlets. Keep all small objects, including tiny toys and balloons, away from young children.MY WORD: Always think safety first when decorating or putting things away where children are concerned.

CARE ABOUT KIDS

Parents: When buying toys choose toys with care. Keep in mind the child's age, interests and skill level. Look for quality design and construction in all toys for all ages.Make sure that all directions or instructions are clear-to-you, and, when appropriate, to the child.Plastic wrappings on toys should be discarded at once before they become deadly play things. Be a label reader. Look for and heed age recommendations, such as "Not recommended for children under three". Look for other safety labels including "Flame retardant/ Flame resistant" on fabric products and "Washable/hygienic materials" on stuffed toys and dolls.MY WORD:After Christmas I found it to be helpful and interesting to children if some of their new toys are put away for awhile. Then returning them in a month or so. It gives the child a new perspective on the toy and the child is glad to see it once again. It's like buying a new toy for the child.

CAREABOUTKIDS

CARE ABOUT KIDS

PARENTS:Doctors do not always know the cause of a particular pre-term or low-weight birth,and, in most case, there was probably little the doctor or mother could have done to prevent it.Accoring to Dr. Carl A. Keller, an epidemiologist with the National Institutes of Health, the most accurate predictor of pre-term birth is the mother's past obstetrical history. Women with histories of difficult pregnancies, spontaneous abortions, or stillbirths are more apt to give birth prematurely than women who have had full-term babies. Why some women cannot carry to full term is not always clear. The cause may be biological, chemical, genetic, or a combination of factors.MY WORD: Every day new advances in child birth are discovered and women can feel secure that some day they will be able to carry full term with the help of their obstetrician.

CARE ABOUT KIDS

Parents: In managing your children use your imagination; put yourself in their place. Let's pretend that you are expecting guests and your child is fingerpainting. If you say, "You can't do that anymore;go ride your bike," her/his answer will probably be, "I don't want to." If instead you explain that you are expecting company and ask her/him to think of something less messy to do, she/he just might choose to ride her/his bike or may even offer to help. A child is much more likely to carry out her/his own idea than one suggested or imposed by an adult. Of course, there will be times when you will have to insist that a child do it your way.MY WORD: Raising children is probably the most creative thing you will do in your life.