CAREABOUTKIDS

Parents: Most children have a full set of 20 primary teeth by the time they are three years old. Primary teeth are jut as important as permanent teeth-for chewing, speaking, and appearance. In addition, the primary teeth hold the space in the jaws for the permanent teeth.Take your child to see the dentist. Your child's first visit to the dentist can be a pleasant adventure. Talk about the visit in a positive matter-of-fact way as you would any important new experience. Explain that the dentist is a friendly doctor who will help the child stay healthy.MY WORD: Pediatric dentists are trained in dental care for children.

careaboutkids

Parents: pre-term babies: Later in children's lives there may be no obvious differences between pre-term and full-term babies, but in the first year of life, one month can make a difference in how babies look and act. For example, pre-term babies' visual responsiveness may be more sluggish and their heads more floppy because their muscles are not as developed. In time, the pre-term babies' muscles mature, but, if parents compare them, with development of full-term babies born around the same time, they may become unnecessarily worried and frustrated.MY WORD: Even full-term babies can have different parts of their body mature at a later time than other babies. Not a problem.

CAREABOUTKIDS

Parents: VISUAL ARTS: You will discover art all around: in local architecture, monuments, billboards, a park's design, the patterns of streets and signs as well as in traditional arts and crafts. And of course in your child's creativity. Parents should remind themselves that complex and fine motor skills take time to develop. Offer experiences that stregthen skills already learned. Provide material and tools that broaden the range of creativity.MY WORD: Take your child to museums. They lose interest pretty fast, but what they do learn and observe remains with them forever. Art teaches children to think outside the box. It offers them another perspective to think about in life.

careaboutkids

Parents: Cognitive Development: The reactions of other people are very important to a child's development. When parents talk to and play with their baby, they stimulate her/his senses. The baby, in turn, becomes more confident of her/his abilities. Games like peek-a-boo and patty-cake increase the interaction and improve the relationship between parent and child. At the same time, they lay the groundwork for more complicated learning. MY WORD: Talking to your child in the food market about products is not a waste of time it stimulates the child's senses.