Reading - A nightly routine for children

Reading every night before bed is one of the best habits a child can get into. It is important for fluency, word attack skills and comprehension improvement. Children need the opportunity to read daily to be successful in school. The curriculum is all language based and without a good foundation in reading, the curriculum becomes more difficult. Even Math has become more about the process. Children need to explain their thinking for every question. Remember to give your child as much time for independent reading as shared reading. Independent reading should be with a book that is suitable for your child. A book that is too hard or too easy will not help them to make as many gains as a book that is at their reading level. To determine if the book your child is reading is too hard, have them read the first page aloud to you. If they make more than 5 errors, chances are the story is too difficult. If they can read all the words well, be sure to test their comprehension skills. Children will often have little difficulty decoding the words, but comprehension is lacking. This indicates that the story is too hard. Find a book that your child can read well and comprehend. When taking part in shared reading, a book that is at your child's instructional level is suitable. That means, they are making mistakes with both decoding and comprehension not less than 90% of the time. With shared reading, you can assist your child with sounding out the words and with comprehension. Ask your child questions about the story every few pages. Take turns reading the story. Maybe your child want to read one page while you read the other. Remember, make story time a part of your daily/nightly routine and make it enjoyable; not a chore. Get comfortable and choose a good book! (http://everythingforyourkids.com/)

Pajamas

Aside from comfortable, quality kids and crib bedding, make sure your child has a comfortable pair of pajamas or nightgown. Keep them warm in the cold months and keep them cool in the warmer seasons. Cotton is always a good choice. A lot of children's sleepwear is also fire resitant/proof. Be sure to follow the garment care instructions when washing. Try to purchase sleepwear that is bright and bold. Children love vibrant colours and patterns. A favourite pair of pajamas always makes bedtime more fun and less stressful for the parents. Kids want to put on their favourites and it makes getting ready for bed that much smoother and quicker, which is what all parents want. (http://www.everythingforyourkids.com/)

Organizing your Child's Room

If your child's room is also a place to play, try to keep organization in mind. Give them space to play, but keep their toys/books in shelving units or drawer organizers. You may also find the use of bins or baskets to be helpful. Sort toys by theme. Help your child to keep things neat and in the place they belong by labeling the bins, baskets, drawers or shelves. Teach them to be independent in keeping their space tidy. This will carry forward with them as they grow older. It will also, hopefully, help them to be more orderly at school as well. (http://everythingforyourkids.com/)

Co-Sleeping

Co-sleeping is standard practice in many parts of the world outside of North America, Europe and Australia, and even in the latter areas a significant minority of children have shared a bed with their parents at some point in childhood. One 2006 study of children age 3–10 in India reported 93% of children co-sleeping. Co-sleeping was widely practiced in all areas up until the 19th century, until the advent of giving the child his or her own room and the crib. In many parts of the world, co-sleeping simply has the practical benefit of keeping the child warm at night. Co-sleeping has been relatively recently re-introduced into Western culture by practitioners of attachement parenting. Proponents hold that co-sleeping saves babies' lives (especially in conjunction with nursing), promotes bonding, lets the parents get more sleep, facilitates breastfeeding, and protects against suddent infant death syndrome (SIDS). Older babies can breastfeed during the night without waking their mother.
Opponents argue that co-sleeping is both stressful and dangerous for a baby, pointing to evidence that co-sleeping may increase the risk of SIDS. They also cite concerns that a parent may smother the child or promote an unhealthy dependence of the child on the parent(s). In addition, they contend that this practice may interfere with the parents' own relationship, by reducing both communication and sexual intercourse at bedtime, and argue that modern-day bedding is not safe for co-sleeping.

A recent report suggests that co-sleeping initiated after night awakenings and other parenting behaviors, such as holding a baby until it falls asleep or remaining in the room until a baby sleeps, interferes with a baby's abilities to learn to comfort itself. Babies who had been exposed to co-sleeping or related parental behaviors had significant problems with sleep later in life. These difficulties with sleep were associated with increased health risks in older children. (http://wikipedia.org/)

Everyone has a different idea on what is best for their child. A compromise is to place the child's crib or bassinet in the parent's room. A parent should make a choice on what's comfortable for them. Maybe the infant needs to remain close by when sleeping for the first few months. I feel that a child should have the opportunity to sleep in their own room, and in their own crib as soon as possible. This helps them to independently fall asleep. Putting your child to bed after a suitable routine has been established (i.e. bath, read a book, milk before bedtime...) should never be an arguement. Children should understand that bedtime is not negotiable. Give your child lots of cuddles and he/she should be able to fall asleep without aid. Begin this type of behaviour as early as possible. My children were independently falling asleep as young as 2 months. Remember, teach them how to fall asleep the way you want them to always fall asleep. Don't begin a behaviour that you intend on changing when your child get's older. It will be more difficult to change something that has been instilled in your child from the beginning (i.e. rocking to sleep). And remember, give them a comfortable place to sleep. Good quality bedding is key!
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