HaltonParents

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, Matilda and Measles

Posted on March 9, 2015 by Dr. Hamidah Meghani

With all the snow outside, I find myself thinking back to my childhood and some of the ways I would keep myself busy if it was too cold to play outside. I remember reading the book Matilda and watching Charlie and the Chocolate Factory with my family – like all children, I was amazed at the idea of a wondrous world made of chocolate. Have you read your children any of Roald Dahl’s classics yet? Or maybe watched the most recent movie version of Charlie and the Chocolate Factory?

While Roald Dahl was well known for so many children’s classics, many never knew about his personal loss – one where his daughter died at the tender age of 7 from measles complications in a time when a safe measles vaccine wasn’t available. His heartbreaking story led him to plead with the public to vaccinate their children against this potentially deadly disease in order to avoid further tragedy. Continue reading →

Posted in Babies, Children & Tweens, Keeping Your Baby Safe, Keeping Your Child/Tween Safe, Keeping Your Toddler & Preschooler Safe, Parenting, Parenting Your Baby, Parenting Your Toddler & Preschooler, Preparing for Kindergarten, Toddlers & Preschoolers | Tagged communicable disease, complications, family, get vaccinated, immunization, measles, mmr vaccine, Physical Health, protection, school, school health, Services, special needs, vaccine | Leave a comment

Finding friendship and support in a parenting program

Posted on March 5, 2015 by Karen Hay, RN

When I became a mother for the first time, my extended family lived far away. Their love and support was just a phone call away, but not around the corner. To make things worse, my husband and I had recently moved to a new community and didn’t know a single person. He started a new job and I was home alone all day with my baby girl. The days started getting long and lonely. There was no one to vent to about my sleepless nights or to share a cup of tea.

I signed up for “Books for Babies” at my local library and soon everything changed. In the first class, I started chatting with a new mom who actually lived on my street and also had a baby girl. It was an immense relief to talk to someone who had a baby similar in age to mine. My eyes lit up when my new friend talked about her baby cluster breastfeeding in the evening and waking up frequently in the night. We were both zombie moms! Finally, I wasn’t alone! Continue reading →

Posted in Babies, Babies with Special Needs, Parenting, Parenting Your Baby, Parenting Your Toddler & Preschooler, Play, Growth & Development, Play, Growth & Development for Babies, Pregnancy, Toddlers & Preschoolers, Toddlers & Preschoolers with Special Needs | Tagged baby, baby group, family, friendship, halton parenting programs, Mental Health, mom, mommy group, new mom, new moms, parent program, parent support, parenting group, parenting programs, peer support, play, play date, play group, stress, support, the power of friendship, toddler group | 9 Comments

The dangerous games kids are playing

Posted on March 3, 2015 by Cynthia Lindsay RN

Young kids are playing a dangerous game called the “choking game”. I hesitate to write the word game, because it is not a game at all! And frankly it scares me that kids are doing this. It scares me as both a health professional and a parent. They play it with little to no understanding of the extreme dangers involved.

If you don’t know anything about the chocking game, you’re not alone – 86% of parents have never heard of it. Most people have no idea how dangerous the choking game is until someone close to them dies or suffers permanent damage. According to the Centre for Addiction and Mental Health, at least 7% of Ontario kids have tried it. That’s over 79,000 students! And as many as 1,000 die each year ‘playing’ it. Continue reading →

Posted in Children & Tweens, Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health for Your Child/Tween, Emotional Well-Being & Mental Health for Your Teen, Keeping Your Child/Tween Safe, Keeping Your Teen Safe, Parenting, Parenting Your Child/Tween, Parenting Your Teen, Teen Brain, Teens | Tagged alcohol, asphyxiation, brain cells, Bullying, california knock out, chocking game, death, drugs, flatliner, game, high, kids, Mental Health, parents, Physical Health, risky behaviour, school, strangulation | 2 Comments

Biting Part 2: How to manage it in the moment

Posted on February 27, 2015 by Karen Hay, RN

Earlier this week I was writing about why toddlers bite and I shared some tips you can use to help your child express their feelings in a more appropriate way.

To recap… tips include you being a:

Detective – discover the triggers to your child’s biting.
Teacher – help your child to understand and label their feelings.
Role model (the hardest one to do at times!) – use everyday moments to teach your child how you manage strong feelings.
Coach – guide your child as they interact with others.

Continue reading →

Posted in Babies, Keeping Your Toddler & Preschooler Safe, Parenting, Parenting Your Baby, Parenting Your Toddler & Preschooler, Play, Growth & Development, Play, Growth & Development for Babies, Toddlers & Preschoolers | Tagged aggression, babies, baby, behaviour management strategies, bite, biting, child, child behaviour, child biting, child development, discipline, early years behaviour, emotional health, express feelings, feelings, kid biting, parents, preschool aggression, preschool behaviour, preschooler, special needs, toddler, toddler aggression, toddler behaviour | 1 Comment

Biting Part 1: Teaching your children to express emotions in non-hurtful ways

Posted on February 24, 2015 by Karen Hay, RN

Well, I must confess I am a HUGE Modern Family fan!! This show has me laughing and crying all in the span of 30 minutes. I can relate to it every week. Sometimes I feel like they have hidden cameras in my house to get story ideas!