Category Archives: Parenting Procedures

Parents also lie to their kids, it just not as obvious or they don’t even realize it at all. You may have thought your children not to lie, but continually saying these lies as your kids grow older, teaches them to lie as well. Here are some of the lies parents tell their children unconsciously every day.

1. “It won’t hurt, promise.”
They need to get vaccinated but are screaming, and you need to stop the tantrums so the shot can be done. However, the screaming happens because your child knows you’re not telling the truth. You also said it won’t hurt the first time they had a shot, so they know better by now. Rather than giving false hopes, let them know that it’s going to be really quick and then it’s over. Explain why they need the shot.

2. “You are the best singer!”
…or artist, or dancer, or anything your child might be doing awfully. Don’t bother praising if you’re not sincere. Because believe it or not, children aren’t as gullible as you think they are. They can read your body language and tone of voice—they know when you’re not completely truthful to your words. Instead of praising an end product, praise the abilities they have shown while doing the activity.

3. “Be there in a minute.”
Yes, you want to be the one to tuck your child to bed or help them do their homework, but you’re also cooking dinner and want to finish up some chore. Then, just be honest to them. Tell them you need to finish something and then you can help them. Do not say you’ll be there in a minute when you know it’s going to take longer.

4. “We don’t have the money to buy that.”
Rather than telling your child this, explain it in a way that they will understand. Tell them you are all planning to go on vacation that’s why you’re saving up and can’t buy more toys. Help your child understand that sometimes greater things involve sacrifices. Not only you’re teaching your child a valuable lesson, but you’re also saving yourself from telling a lie.

5. “Santa Claus is watching you.”
If your children are fighting and you want them to stop, give them an acceptable punishment instead of threatening them that Santa is watching and won’t give them gifts for being naughty. Punish them by taking away their electronics or banning them from the cookie jar. These punishments work just as effectively since your children know that their bad behaviour has immediate consequences.

Any lies made to anyone, no matter how big or small, can be damaging. It can damage your credibility in the eyes of your child and can damage your child’s trust in you. As a parent, you want to have an open relationship with your child, but this can greatly diminish because of trust issues due to the small lies told during the formative years.

Nights are longer when your baby is always crying. As a worried parent, you seek to soothe the baby so you rock or nurse him/her. You have to know that crying is normal. There is a sleep training method that you can use for more peaceful nights plus the baby will learn how to be dependent. Have you ever heard about Cry It Our Method? It is also called CIO.

It is sleep training method with the ultimate goal to teach the baby how to self-soothe. At the end of the training, the baby will be able to sleep or go back to sleep without the help of parents or caregivers. Many paediatricians here in Singapore encourage this method so it is quite safe.

With these, your baby will be able to master the skill of falling asleep on his/her own. Just give him/her the opportunity to master it. Here are some tips that you can consider if you want to try CIO method:

• Set the mood: It is crucial that you develop the baby’s bedtime routine before getting serious about CIO method. It is also important that you stick to it no matter what happens. Bedtime routine means having a bath, a lullaby, book and then bed – it should be same time and every night. This is effective so your baby will know what to expect exactly.

• Be prepared: You should also be prepared not just the baby. Make sure that your partner is also in for it. Discuss about it first and make sure that both of you understand how to proceed and more importantly agreed to the process. Your baby will surely cry and it can be painful to hear so prepare for that as well.

• Stick to it: Sleep training is gradual. That means for the first night you will have to leave the baby for at least three minutes, the second night five minutes, third night ten minutes and so on. You have to stick to this plan. However if you feel that your baby is not yet ready for this, you can put this method on hold for a while. Never forget it.

• Anticipate relapses: Even if you successfully sleep trained your baby, anticipate that there are times he/she will relapse. That is perfectly normal do not worry. When this happens, you should still stick to the plan.

Few tears are nothing compared to the lasting effects it can bring. At the end of the day, the success will depend on how consistent you are.

If you are a new parent, you have to admit that things are kind of overwhelming. Raising a baby doesn’t come with manual however there are many resources that you can consider to help you cope up. Perhaps one of the most challenging things that you could ever encounter is getting the baby to sleep.

The good news is that there are many parents here in Singapore willing to impart some of their baby sleep tips. Here are some:

Do not wait too long

You have to know that the later you put him/her to sleep, the longer it will take for him/her to fall asleep. If the baby is restless, he/she will get cranky. With this, you do not need to wait too long for him/her to sleep. If you notice that your baby is sleepy, immediately put him/her to bed. Do not wait it out no matter the reason.

Ensure baby is in sleep mode

One problem of parents is putting the baby back to sleep in the middle of the night. He/she might cry or get hungry and most of the time it is hard to put him/her back to sleep. When your baby cries, do not make eye contact and just sing to him/her. Newborns are easier to put back to sleep. If you are used to changing diapers in the middle of the night, you have to delay it unless it is very dirty.

Administer good sleep habits

A baby is never too young to have good sleep habits. As early as one month, he/she can have good sleep habits. It is crucial that you start young because it is easier to break bad habits and form it into positive ones. When you put him/her to bed, make sure that he/she is only drowsy but awake.

Think about baby naps

Naps are good as it can facilitate good sleep at night. You have to be careful though not to overdo it. General rule is not to let him/her sleep more than 3 hours during the day. Even if you see the baby not that tired, naps can still be helpful. Make sure not to skip it.

Stick to the bedtime routine

Discovering a bedtime routine that will work for him/her is not easy but once you have found it, things will be stressed-free. For example, the bedtime routine involves bath, bottle, book and then bed. Make sure to stick to the routine and inform all caregivers of such. Do not break the bedtime routine as it can disrupt the baby’s sleeping habits.