Posts

Bedwetting solutions for Kindergartener

Bedwetting Solutions for Your Kindergartener

/in /by

Once you’ve gotten past one of the most difficult stages in early childhood development – potty training – you may find yourself facing something just as challenging – bedwetting. Nighttime involuntary urination usually becomes a concern around 5 or 6 years of age, often when children enter kindergarten. This is also an age when children can become embarrassed by the issue, and parents simply become exhausted with having to change the sheets every night.

Below are some bedwetting solutions that you can try to help your child stay dry throughout the night.

Adjust daily schedules.

Make sure your child urinates right before bedtime and on a regular basis throughout the day. Also, increasing your child’s fluid intake earlier in the day, and reducing it later in the day, can help decrease nighttime accidents.

Stay calm and reassure your child.

The worst thing to do in a bedwetting situation is to get angry and blame your child for the accident. This will just result in more anxiety and pressure for your child. Instead of making a big deal out of the issue, try comforting your child instead. Reassure him that bedwetting is very common among children his age, so he knows that he is not the only one going through this.

Check for constipation.

Your child’s bedwetting problems may stem from constipation since the bladder is located right in front of the rectum. Pay careful attention to your child’s bowel movements. If you notice that she isn’t going regularly, or that the stool is hard, encourage her to drink more fluids and increase her fiber intake. This will ease the constipation and get her system up and running again.

Try an alarm.

If all else fails, you can buy a moisture alarm and attach it to your child’s underwear. The alarm will go off the moment any moisture is detected, and your child will be woken up so that he can get up and go to the bathroom to finish urinating. The bedwetting alarm works best with children over the age of 7. Eventually, in about 12 weeks, your child should be conditioned to get up on his own to use the restroom during the night, or better yet, become able to make it until the morning.

Our approach at Parker-Chase:

At Parker-Chase Preschool, we strive to help each child develop cognitively, socially, emotionally, and academically. We understand that bedwetting is a part of growing up and that accidents at home or in school may make children feel insecure, especially at the kindergarten age. As loving educators, it is our goal to instill confidence and feelings of self-worth in each child. We work with parents to build self-esteem in our students, so bumps in the road like bedwetting can be handled together confidently.

Breakfast together

Preschool Parenting 101: How to handle a picky eater

/in /by

Picky eating is normal during the toddler and preschool years. Luckily, it is typically a phase that will pass! There are many creative ways of handling a picky eater. Below are some tips to help you deal with your picky eater in a positive way, while maintaining a balanced and healthy diet.

Put your goals into perspective:

Oftentimes your child’s rejection of food has less to do with the food itself, and more to do with underlying developmental advances. For example, your child’s refusal to eat what you put on her plate may not be because she doesn’t like the food, but really because she is exercising her newfound independence as she enters the preschool age. She may feel that you are taking that independence away by forcing her to eat the foods you serve. If your goal is to get your child to eat his food, then you should try putting that goal into the perspective of how your independent little one may respond at mealtime.

A good way to do this is by giving her some control over the menu. For example, you could have a make-your-own-taco night and lay out all the ingredients on the table – corn tortillas, flour tortillas, ground beef, rice, beans, shredded lettuce, diced tomatoes, shredded cheese, diced avocados, onions – and have her pick and choose what fillings she wants in her burrito. Your child will be able to exercise her independence in this situation, and will be more willing to eat what’s on her plate if she was the one who made it!

Be a role model:

It’s important to have meals together as a family so your toddler can see you, your partner, or older siblings, eating a variety of foods like champs. By exposing your little one to family mealtime, they can see what mealtime is supposed to look like. Serve the same food that you are eating to your toddler, and encourage him to eat a few bites of it.

Try foods in different forms:

Sometimes what your child might not like about the food isn’t the taste at all, but rather the texture. If your child doesn’t like a certain food, try serving it in a different form. For instance, your child may not like cooked peas, but you could find out he loves eating frozen peas right out of the bag after steaming! You can try serving raw veggies if your child doesn’t like them cooked and vice versa. You could even puree the food and serve it in this form first to get your child used to the taste first, before serving it in its whole form and natural texture.

Eating at Parker-Chase Preschool

At Parker-Chase Preschool, we strive to create a healthy learning environment that is also appealing to our students. For children to reach their full learning potential, we believe that they should be consuming a healthy diet on a regular basis. That is why we have an onsite chef providing delicious and nutritious meals served family style for the children to enjoy!

 

 

 

 

Love

How to Keep Kids Learning After School

/in /by

When your child steps foot outside of the classroom at the end of the school day, learning doesn’t stop. Children are constantly receiving an informal education from their environment, and from what parents teach them at home. Learning through experiences outside of the classroom helps children build bridges between theory and reality. By allowing children to be curious and explore the world around them in different ways, we provide the opportunity to engage their “natural learner” within.

Here are some simple ways you can help your child learn after school and outside of the classroom:

Play family-style games.

Young children often learn best through play experiences. Games such as Uno are great learning opportunities that can be played together as a family. Playing Uno reinforces numbers and colors, and teaches young kids some important skills such as pattern recognition and the relationship between numbers and objects. Older kids will also benefit from lessons in logic, reasoning and strategy.

Bingo is another fun option for a family game night. Bingo sharpens a child’s listening and memory skills, and aids in the ability to visualize shapes and objects and match them on a card. These skills will help children improve their reading and math abilities.

Board games such as Scrabble are great for advancing a child’s spelling, vocabulary, and literacy skills. For older kids, it also teaches math skills as they learn how to add up the points and strategize to create the words that will earn them the most points.

Exercise together.

Exercising is a great way to teach your child about the importance of keeping your body healthy. Whether you decide to go rock-climbing or play a game of basketball, exercising is a great way to emphasize the importance of staying physically active. Exercising through sports like soccer and softball are also a great way to build teamwork skills and teach lessons about adhering to rules.

Exercising doesn’t have to be too strenuous. It can be as peaceful as doing yoga, which teaches mindfulness, or as simple as walking the dog together as a family, which teaches responsibility.

Take your child with you to run errands.

Taking your child out with you, whether it’s to the grocery store or the dry cleaner, is a great opportunity for your child to spend one-on-one time with you. As they take in the world around them and see how you react to different situations, they learn valuable lessons from these real world experiences. Children often learn by imitation, so this is a great way for you to role model appropriate behaviors and establish certain values that you want your children to learn.

Learning after school at Parker-Chase

At Parker-Chase Preschool, our after school program is a great way to keep kids learning after normal school hours. Designed for school-aged children, our after school program is designed to foster peer connections, friendships, alliances, and responsibility. Offering a comfortable group atmosphere and creative learning environment, the program features weekly thematic units integrated into the schedule. After students complete their homework during the scheduled homework/study time period, they are free to play with any of the craft supplies, puzzles, board games, or manipulative toys that our classrooms are well-stocked with. We encourage our students to use their imaginations and engage in creative play that makes learning fun for everyone!