dorling kindersley books

TEACH YOUR CHILD ADVICE
Dr Miriam Says...

I know it's good for kids to get fresh air and exercise, but with my two young ones, sometimes it's hard just getting out of the front door. Have you any suggestions as to how I could make life a bit easier?

When planning an outing always try to consider what your child's personality can cope with best. If you have a quiet child who has a long concentration span, you can take her to a flower show or antique market and point out the things around her. If she is very active she'll enjoy a trip to a zoo, fair or playground. Make sure you take enough drinks and snacks to keep your toddler happy for the whole of the trip.

• Time spent in planning your outing is never wasted. The younger your baby is the more you'll have to plan.
• Lightweight changing bags containing a portable changing mat are a boon.
• Plan your route so that you know where you can stop, where you can change your baby, and where you can feed her without inconvenience.
• Take a friend or your partner with you if you can, so there's always an extra pair of hands and someone to help should you get into a scrape.
• If you're travelling on public transport, avoid the rush hour.
• Always ask for help from other passengers if you need it. And don't be embarrassed to ask someone to give up their seat: standing with a baby is dangerous.

Is television bad for my child?

Many children spend quite a lot of time watching television - some as much as four or five hours a day. Too much television can leave no time for reading, hobbies and other activities, and recently concern has been voiced that pre-school children are missing out on developing social skills such as speaking and group interaction. However, there are positive things that children get from television.

• Television can have a powerful educational effect, especially when parents make sure children have opportunities to talk over what they have seen.
• If you are concerned about the quality of what your child watches you can use your video to build up a library of good quality programmes.
• Watching recorded programmes is a way of getting her used to the idea of watching something specific rather than just whatever happens to be on.
• Remember that if you do want to reduce the amount of time your child spends in front of the television, you need to set an example. You may need to alter your own viewing habits in order to change hers.