Today was the last day for our wonderful child and dear friend Olivia. Our Sophia’s first BFF. We will always miss you, you are the part of our day care’s heart. Thank you mama Oksana for your precious gift! Please come visit us when you are back in LA (-:

When a child is getting closer to 1-year old age, some parents want to pamper their toddler with various “goodies” and expand their diet with adult food.

Unfortunately, the most common everyday parents’ food may contain substances which are extremely harmful to children’s health.

Infant food is directly related to the metabolic processes in the body and is one of the main factors which determines the growth rate of the child, their balanced development, the stable performance of the immune system, resistance to the adverse environmental factors, the ability for various types and forms of education.

Children under three are particularly sensitive to the effects of malnutrition because this is the period of their most intense growth when many body systems are still forming. Thus, the digestive system of small children is characterized by relatively low activity of enzymes and high permeability of the mucous membrane.

My 2 y.o. daughter Sophia feeds herself kasha with a spoon

The ability to eat with a spoon and drink from a cup is one of the first self-service skills.

Spoon is one of the first tools which your baby starts using for its intended purpose. It is crucial for a child to learn to self feed, and it can’t be done without the help of adults.

It all depends on the parents at what age their baby learns to self feed. The more they look after their child, the longer it takes them to learn these new skills. And vice versa, when mother does not prevent her baby from desire to be self-dependant and supports them in everything, her child quickly copes with this new task.

When teaching children how to use a spoon on their own parents should arm themselves with patience. Feeding will take more time, than usually, and the learning process can take many days. You should be ready for your baby and everything around them to get messy during the meal. After each meal you will need to wipe the table, the floor, your child’s hands and face dirty with food. But this should not be a reason for you to give up the idea and get back to spoon-feeding.

Two-income households are now the norm rather than the exception — a stark contrast to how families and households were a few decades ago. Because not every family can afford to hire a babysitter, parents are turning to child daycares to help raise and nurture their little ones as they set about earning money to put food on the table.

However, another growing trend is entrusting their toddlers to family daycare — this type of childcare boasts of a smaller, more intimate group, hence ensuring that your precious child gets the care and attention of the provider or minder (which is something that is a bit lacking in larger childcare institutions). What’s more, it is the more affordable and more flexible option compared to daycare centers, who charge by the hour and can be quite strict about drop-off and pick-up times.

Before sending your precious kid to a private child day care, spend a time on a thorough research. Survey the providers in your area with the hope of getting the best place where your child can be most comfortable and well-cared for. Your child deserves to get the following benefits.

Education

Don’t forget prioritizing on the opportunity for the child to learn. Some family daycares only give entertainment. Education is not being emphasized. Check if your child will be taught basic concepts in language, math, as well as cognitive and physical development. Maximize learning for your child because this kind of service is usually very expensive. Also, a preschool daycare service should be a good preparation for the elementary education of children under their care. Read what other parents say about the daycare, pay attention to their complaints and suggestions. Today this information is readily available on the internet (e.g., Yelp, Google Reviews, or government child care websites).