Children | Pregnancy Center

What to Expect at Your Child’s 12-Month Check-Up

Your child will have many doctor’s appointments in their first year. However, the most important and biggest appointment will be their 12-month check-up. This is the appointment where the doctor will check their growth and development, and immunize your child against a number of illnesses.

If you are nearing your child’s 12-month check-up, here’s a look at a number of things you can expect to happen during their appointment.

Height and Weight

Your child’s doctor will take their height and weight. This information is used to compare them to other children and past appointments, and make sure they are growing at an appropriate rate.

Head Circumference

Your child’s doctor will also measure their head circumference. This measurement is used to make sure they are growing at a rate that is normal for their age and sex. Head circumference is often taken in case the height and weight are off, it can determine if there is a developmental delay.

Immunization

The 12-month check-up is a huge appointment for immunizations and vaccinations. The vaccinations that are usually given at the 12-month check-up include measles, mumps and rubella, chicken pox, hepatitis A and B, polio and flu. Chances are your child will not receive all these shots in one appointment but will be given a number of these immunizations at the 12-month appointment.

Every doctor has a different routine for what they do at the 12-month check-up. However, these general guidelines will help you know what to expect at your child’s 12-month check-up. This information can help you prepare yourself and your child for the appointment.

Filed Under: Children, General Tagged With: Chickenpox, Immunization, Vaccination

Budgeting Tips for Couples Who are Expecting

Image by ewen and donabel via Flickr

You’re expecting a baby, but before that baby comes, you’d like to have everything in order. How can you get all that your baby needs on your tight budget? There is a way. Following some simple tips can help you prepare for baby without spending a fortune.

For the best deals, shop garage sales and consignment stores for clothing and furniture. Baby clothing is usually grown out of before the baby can wear it out, and furniture can be painted to look new. You can also get second-hand items from family and friends who need to get rid of their old baby clothes and furniture.

You’ll want a crib, but maybe not right away. Changing tables are usually not a necessity when beds will do for changing diapers, and coordinating linens for your baby’s room is really not necessary (at least, for many folks trying to stay within a budget). Your baby will need a bassinet right away, and he/she will care more about the mobile hanging over it than the matching layette. Take advantage of payday loans if to help fund all your baby’s needs.

Perhaps the crib of your choice is on sale and you don’t have the money to fit the bill. Taking out a loan will help you get the crib you want at the best price. At baby showers, ask specifically for diapers. Cute outfits are “fun,” but diapers will cost you a lot more. If you get most of your diapers for free, you reserve more of your money for buying the cute stuff.

Filed Under: Children, Parenting Tagged With: baby clothes, Clothing, Diaper

Stimulating Your Child’s Brain Development

Your child’s brain development determines how much potential he or she will have in life. Brain development can determine your child’s math and language skills, coordination, physical development and logical thinking. Due to the level of importance that brain development has on your child, many parents are looking for ways they can stimulate and grow their child’s brain development.

Here’s a look at some things you can do to stimulate your child’s brain development.

Start in the Womb

Your child’s brain development actually starts when they are in the womb. Many child development experts believe that you can start stimulating your child’s brain when they are in the womb. This can be done by playing music and reading stories to them in the womb.

Don’t Baby Talk

Many people believe that children only understand baby talk. The problem with baby talk is it doesn’t allow your child to develop the parts of the brain they need for language. If you are trying to stimulate your child’s brain talk to them like you would a child who can converse with you so their brains start developing in the right way.

The Power of Touch

Child experts believe that the brain can be developed by using the sense of touch. It is recommended that you start your child in massage classes at the age of six months. This will help develop not only your child’s brain but will stimulate their sense of reasoning and surroundings.

Trying these activities with your child will help stimulate and develop your child’s brain development.

Filed Under: Children, Parenting Tagged With: Baby talk, Brain, Neural development

Take Your Daughter’s American Girl Doll to the Hair Salon

Image via Wikipedia

At American Girl doll stores, moms and daughters can share a memorable day by scheduling an appointment at the doll hair salon. For one-on-one time with a special little girl, an unforgettable birthday or “girls’ day out” party, the doll salon and spa is the ultimate experience for American Girl fans.

For those who just can’t get enough American Girl doll clothing, books and merchandise, the hair salon is the perfect way to share the excitement and some quality time with those who love American Girls as much as you do. At the hair salon, girls can place their dolls in special doll-sized salon chairs for a full round of styling including brushing, updos or braids. Each doll receives her own cape, as well as a new hairstyle.

In addition to the styling services, dolls can be treated to a facial by specially trained American Girl associates, and can even have their ears pierced or a “manicure” in the form of nail decals. Doll owners always receive an instruction book on how to recreate the hairstyles at home, making them easy to do at sleepovers and play dates.

American Girl makes mother-daughter or “girls day” events even more meaningful because of the company’s commitment to charities that support children in need. A portion of their profits are donated to organizations that help fund care for high-risk pregnancies at children’s hospitals, as well as assistance to pregnant women, children and families in distress. A trip to the salon can help teach young girls about social responsibility, as well as being a day of girl-oriented fun.

Filed Under: Children, Family Tagged With: American Girl, Doll, United States

Starting Young – Disciplining Your Young Child

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Disciplining your child can be one of the most difficult parts of being a parent. Many parents are reluctant to discipline their child because they believe their child will build resentment towards them and not love them anymore. However, when disciplining your child is done correctly and at the right age, it can be effective and help you avoid having your child develop any resentment or ill-feelings towards you.

Parenting experts recommend that you start disciplining your child as soon as they learn to crawl. Starting at this age will help your child develop a sense of right and wrong. Here’s a look at some tips for disciplining your child when they are between the ages of zero and two.

Develop an Understanding for the Word No

Young children do not understand the meaning of no. This requires you to have to teach them that no means no and is associated with doing something wrong. This can be done by calmly saying the word no when they are doing something wrong. Repeating the word several times before forcing them to stop what they are doing will help them understand what no means.

Do Not Hit or Spank

There is a lot of controversy surrounding whether or not hitting and spanking should be allowed. Regardless of your stand on the issue, children between the ages of zero and two rarely understand hitting and spanking as a punishment. They can wrongly interpret its intentions which is why it is an ineffective form of discipline for this age group.

Following these tips can help you develop a solid ground for disciplining your child in later years.

Filed Under: Children, Parenting Tagged With: Family, Parent, Spank