Eating Out with Small Children – Survival Tips

Eating out with small children may seem like a good idea but it can easily turn into a nightmare. That is because kids get bored quickly and they are not used to stay seated for too long. The majority young children are very energetic, moody and unpredictable. Among the most common scenarios when it comes to kids and eating out involve drink spilling, food throwing, tantrums and a good amount of innocent mischiefs. Therefore, you need to be prepared when you go with them to a restaurant. Remember to always have a plan and to follow these simple survival tips:

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Mission Impossible: Keeping Children Away From Computers

Non-Tech Activities for Kids Which are Both Educating and Entertaining

Today, children are growing up surrounded by technology. That is why they are often more experienced and familiar with electronics than adults. Although technology gives them access to a lot of information and makes their lives easier and more fun, kids need to engage into some technology-free activities. In that way they will not become dependent on technology and they will experience real life as it is. But keeping children away from computers, TVs and video games seems to parents a mission impossible. Not many things can grab kids’ attention nowadays. Moreover, those which do grab it are usually not really educational. However, there are some fun old-day non-tech activities for kids that can actually teach them something.

Simple Science Experiments

Don’t worry we are not talking about homemade explosive volcanoes or other dangerous experiments. You can simply make a sundial and then explain your kids about the planets and their movements. Another thing you can do is to plant seeds. In that way your children will learn more about the biology of plants. They will understand the relationship between them and sunlight, soil, bees and etc.

Write a Short Story

Even if your kids are too young, you can sit down and write a short story together. That will develop their creativity and imagination. Also, it will teach them how to construct texts and improve their language skills.

Pen Friend

In the past kids did not have social networks or chat platforms. The only way they could make friends with someone from abroad was by writing long letters regularly. This activity is still useful today, since it will help your children practice their writing and foreign language skills. Practicing a language with a native speaker will encourage them to use their knowledge more actively.

Draw a Family Tree

We assure you that this activity will be very interesting to your children. It includes drawing and storytelling and kids love both of these things. By introducing your children to their family tree, you will familiarize them with their ancestors as well as some major historical events that influenced their lives.

Go Outdoors

Ultimately, this is the most educating, entertaining and healthy activity for kids. You can even practice it in the city by visiting a park in the area. There, you can explore the wildlife together and discuss things like the landscapes around you and the weather.

Technology is useful and it is everywhere. So you can’t fight it and you can’t block it from your kids’ lives. However, you can introduce them to some alternative activities which you have practiced yourself as a child.

Best and Worst Countries to Be a Mother

Every year three million babies die within the first month of life and more than one million of them die the day they are born, according to NGO Save the Children. The humanitarian organization released its annual State of the World’s Mothers report which showed the best and the worst countries around the world to be a mother. Read more

Raising smart kids? Find out the secret

Parenthood comes with a lot of responsibilities and investments we make in hopes of return – a well-adjusted, loving child and a good, responsible and successful adult in the future. Many ambitious parents also hope for a little genius running around the house, but this rarely happens by accident. It usually takes conscious efforts and few smart genes to do that. In addition, certain strategies and the application of a few secrets to raising smart kids can improve the outcome. Read more

Cut Your Kids’ Pocket Money

In modern consumer-oriented society parents usually try to provide their children with as many toys, gadgets and money as possible. But it turns out the more pocket money they children get, the poorer savers they are going to become. New research advices to cut your kids’ pocket money and teach them how to earn it.

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How to Raise a Confident Child

Everyone who becomes a parent wants the best for his or her child. To raise a confident child is a common goal for most parents. Having confidence means that a person is not afraid to take decisions without the help and guidance of anyone else. Confidence enables individuals to be more flexible in different situations and more accepting to other people. In addition, the more confident people are, the less depressed  or sad they are likely to be.

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Does Technology Hold Back Learning Process for Toddlers?

Many parents worry about their children spending too much time in front of the screen and kids’ experts say there should be some limits, indeed. But there are also lots of educational and therapeutic uses of tablets and smartphones that little children can benefit from. So does technology hold back toddlers’ learning process, or does it help?

It has become usual to see toddlers confidently pressing buttons and swiping screens on tablets, smartphones and laptops. Sometimes we even wonder how they manage to understand, especially without being thought to, compared to us, the grown-ups who often need weeks to get used to our new phone, for instance. Many experts call today’s children “the technology generation”, and with a good reason. Don’t be surprised if your 4-year-old son learns how to download and play a game or an app faster than it would take him to learn how to pronounce its title. The truth is, parents shouldn’t be alarmed about the harm screens do to their children if there is a certain limit for their use. In fact, it turns out screens may be beneficial to learning.

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Grandmas May Be the Best Babysitters

Finding the best care for our children can be difficult sometimes with so many government and private nurseries with various requirements, offers and fees. With more than 300 licensed nurseries in UAE, around 100 only in Dubai, and considering the high fees, it becomes a difficult task to find a good place for your child. But there’s the alternative – why don’t you pay Grandma to take care of the kids? She might just turn out to be the best babysitter. Read more

Rich Countries Fail Their Children in UNICEF Report on Children’s Well-Being

A new study on children’s well-being in rich countries released last week by UNICEF’s Office of Research finds that rich countries such as the United States and the UK fail their children on poverty, education and overall well-being. Top ranking in the list are Netherlands, followed by four Nordic countries – Finland, Iceland, Norway and Sweden. Read more

What Your Child Eats Depends on Your Education

A new study revealed that the level of education of parents influence the way they feed their children. It appears that better-educated parents give their kids healthier foods such as few daily servings of fruits and vegetables, regular fish and and other rich in minerals meals.

The study conducted by Juan Miguel Fernandez Alvira at the University of Zaragoza and his colleagues from other European countries, looked at more than 14,426 children aged between 2 and 9. The results showed that parents who with a lower level of education fed their kids foods that were rich in sugars and fats more often. In comparison, children of better-educated parents ate more fruits and vegetables, pasta, rice and whole meal bread. The researchers said the greatest differences between families with different levels of education were observed in the consumption of fruits, veggies, and sweet drinks.

The children that took part in the study were from various European countries – Italy, Spain, Germany, Sweden, Belgium, Hungary, Cyprus and Estonia, places with various traditional eating habits. It seems parent’s education has a greater influence on what kids eat than many other factors. The research also said that lower-educated parents tended to feed kids more sugary and processed foods, as well as more genetically modified foods. The scientists warn that the findings may mean that parents’ lower education leads to greatest risk for childhood allergies, obesity, and even cancer.

Another study however showed that parents who were more educated didn’t vaccinate their children. It followed nearly 12,000 American families and discovered that mothers who hadn’t finished high school were in fact around 16 percent more likely to complete the whole vaccination schedule for their kids, compared to mothers graduated from college. What’s more interesting – the poorest kids were as often vaccinated as the ones who came from the richest families.

It seems that better education of the parents may and at the same time, may not lead to kids’ better health. Although during the rapid growth period of childhood the requirements for energy and nutrients increase, doctors say we need to monitor kids’ diet which is in fact, not so different from that for adults. And using food as method to award or punish the child’s behavior should be avoided.

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