Karen Ding's Home Page (Part of JKLMN Ding)

Welcome to Karen Ding's Homepage

Moi ...

Wife to

Michael and Mommy to Nicholas, Leona, and Joshua

Joshua.(^o^)v

Baby Signs® Independent Certified Instructor; UW MSc ( Biology'98); BSc (Science/ Environmental Science'94 minor in Biology & Computer Science)

See my new Green Page

Annual Family Newsletter ...

Newsletters

Job search ...

Job boards

Parenting ...

Signing with Babies

I have signed with all my children when they are babies. Signing is a very useful communciation tool,especially before the child becomes verbal. Many toddlers would throw tantrums, but the underlying reason, I think, is because they are frustrated because their care givers do not understand them. Listed below are some wonderful sites I use often:

I have always promoted sign language for babies among my friends and I am very excited to have become an Baby Signs® Independent Certified Instructor for the Toronto area. Together with the Baby Signs® Program, I want to introduce this wonderful technique to as many families with babies as possible.

Elimination Communication/Natural Infant Hygiene

Newborns already know when they need to eliminate just like us. The only difference is that when most babies try to convey this need, parents ignore them. Through time, they learn to eliminate into their diaper. People who EC are not trying to toilet train their baby. It's a mutual communication. When the baby sqirms or uses other kinds of body language to show others that they need to eliminate, they need their care givers to help bring them to the proper receptacle to eliminate. There are many benefits to EC-ing your baby:

Foster the bodn between the caregiver and the baby
Environmentally friendly:
- less disposable diapers going into landfill
- less water need to wash cloth diapers
- less resources need to make diapers
Saves money on the purchase of diaper rash cream, wipes, diapers etc.

Other than fostering bonding between the caregiver and the baby, there are other benefits. If you are interested in joining this new movement, you can read more about this topic by visiting the following sites:

Positive Discipline

I have come across this book called Positive Time-Out by Jane Nelsen. It's a very interesting topic. Time-out is not the convention time-out of making a child stay in a particular place for the number of minutes of his age. Instead, there is a postive time-out area for the child to feel better before the parent and the child discuss the problem and subsequently finding out a solution. The idea is that when a child or even an adult is in a bad mood, he is unlikely to be co-operative and therefore very hard to work out the problem together. The focus is on long-term solutions, and the author even suggested 41 action tools:

Be sure the message of love and respect gets through
Allow children to develop the Significant Seven Perceptions and Skills
Don't do things for children that they can do for themselves
Ask what and how questions
Ask curiosity questions
Get children involved in solutions
Hold regular family meetings
Use one-on-one problem solving
Establish problem solving guildlines
Create routines with children
Offer limited choices
Redirect misguided power
Say "I notice"
Focus on solutions
Create a "Wheel of Choice"
Use emotional honesty
Teach th difference between what children feel and what they do
Take responsibility for your part in the conflict
Give children a timer to set for themselves
Get into the child's world
Use reflective listening
Use active listening
Supervise, supervise, supervise
Distract and/or redirect
Stay out of fights
Use the Four Rs for Recovery from Mistakes
Put children in the same boat
Take time to train
Decide what you will do
Follow through
Less is more
Use nonverbal signals
Say, "As soon as ___, then ___."
Teach natural consequences
Use encouragement instead of praise or rewards
Allowances are not realted to chores
Get children involved in chores
Give hugs
Provide special time
Use positive time-out

It's very hard not to loose control, but I am working on this.

What Kids Really Want That Money Can't Buy

Under construction

Last updated December 24, 2008
Email me comments at snoopyandfriends@hotmail.com

[JKLMN Home]