Swinging isn’t just a fun and interactive parent and child outdoor activity. It has a number of other less obvious benefits for child development that you may not think about.
1) Eye development
The development of changing the depth of focus has already started at 6 months and is basically completed during the baby’s second year. Swinging is one of the most excellent ways of helping to develop this ability and exercise it as the baby is moving back and forth constantly changing the depth of focus. (This is a period when watching TV should be at the absolute minimum, preferably not at all.) So don’t wait to long before you start your baby swinging.
2) Balance
Eyes and ears are major organs when it comes to balance. When …

To vaccinate or not is often a choice that is influenced greatly by where you live,  local health threats, personal values and your risk tolerance.  In Europe, some countries (UK and France) do not fund vaccinations through their government.  In Canada vaccinations are fully funded under the basic health care system. In the US, parents must sign a waiver saying that they do not want their children vaccinated (for religious or personal reasons) before they are sent to school. This is a highly personal choice, and one that must be done in the context of your own experience and values .
How Do Vaccines Work?
Vaccines originated in China where a person was infected deliberately with smallpox to help prevent future infection. Vaccines basically stimulate the body’s …

Young children under the age of 3 to 4 years old live in the present.  Although they are often brought together in playgroups, they simply are not capable of more advanced adult-like interactions like “socializing” or playing together (they actually “parallel” play). Their left brain (rational/analytical/language skills) and right brain (creative/emotional) are not yet fully talking to each other (via the corpus callosum), and their behaviour is in fact governed mostly from their right brain hemisphere. Kids are emotional creatures, and many parents try to be rational with them using adult concepts to drive their behaviour.
One parenting technique is the use of consequences for managing behaviour. “If you hit your brother again, then you won’t get a popsicle”. The reality is that a …