3 Kids and Us

Ingredients & Baby Skin Care Products: How Important Are They?

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Many baby product ingredients on the market have no place on an adult’s skin, let alone on a baby’s delicate skin. Human skin in general is porous, like a sponge, and anything we put onto it soaks right in – sometimes causing quite a bit of damage to the system.

So why do companies use ingredients that seem like they belong more in a science lab than in a personal hygiene product? We can’t be sure of other baby skin care companies’ motivation, but we fear it often comes down to cost, convenience, and pure marketing hype.

Fewer Ingredients is More

Even though we sell baby skin care products, we’ll be the first to tell you that your baby doesn’t need loads of ingredients and tons of products to stay clean and soft. A simple cleanser, lotion, and perhaps a baby diaper rash ointment or a few other gentle products are all an infant requires when it comes to personal care.

Further, a healthy baby certainly doesn’t need ingredients with hard-to-pronounce names that have been synthesized. Plant-based ingredients that are naturally cleansing, hydrating, and healing are good for promoting and maintaining healthy baby skin.

The EWG Says to Avoid These Toxic Ingredients

The ingredients that we and many experts (including the EWG) don’t believe should be in your baby’s creams, soaps, and other personal care products include: talc (known to be a drying agent, a lung irritant, and a possible carcinogen), synthetic fragrance (may cause skin, eye, respiratory, and neurological damage), propylene glycol (a penetration enhancer that easily absorbs into the skin and might be carcinogenic), and 1,4-dioxane and ethylated surfactants (the EWG reports that 57% of baby soap is contaminated with this known breast cancer inducing agent), among others.

Baby Mantra thinks that baby skin care should be made with simple ingredients from nature. Many are known to clean, moisturize, and heal gently, such as nut and vegetable oils, flower essences, and herbs. We want to keep babies protected and feeling good, so we make sure that all of our products – including our popular organic baby lotion – are clean, non-toxic, and naturally safe.

How to overcome children’s fear of the dark

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It is very common for young children of all ages to have fears surrounding going to bed and being alone in the dark. As the parent or guardian of young children, you can help set them at ease and teach them that night time is nothing to be afraid of. Whether it is a fear of monsters under the bed or glimpses of mere shadows that look terrifying, your children will need patient coaching to overcome their natural, fearful emotions.

The nature of fear changes depending on your child’s age

For babies, it is primarily the strong bond with their parents or caregivers that leads to fears – in this case, a fear of separation. Even short breaks from people they have grown attached to can lead to a lot of crying. Babies can be reassured if they just hear your voice from a distance, but don’t leave them to simply cry it out as this could make them feel even more anxious.

Toddlers are just starting to develop real feelings like fear and anger, and it is often a fear of these feelings setting in that unnerves them. Elementary school-aged children will have fewer problems with separation anxiety, but their more complex understanding of the world around them brings in a range of new worries. It’s often an awareness – warranted or not – of supernatural beings that scares them the most, but so does the possibility of a burglary or even wars.

What you can do to reassure your children

There are a few steps you can take to make your children feel safer. Never be judgmental or dismissive about their fears; they might not be rational to you, but they are very real to your child. Dismissing and ignoring their fears will only let the problem fester. Instead, do your best to provide reassurance and comfort.

It often helps to find out what exactly it is that scares your child. You might find that there is something in the room that scares them – perhaps an object that looks like it is lurking or casts a curious shadow. If it is something that is completely imaginary, ask your child to check the room with you while the light is still on to show them that there is nothing lurking.

How to make your home a place that feels safe

It might not have occurred to you, but simply adding a carefully selected light in the right position in a room can banish any fears of the dark while still allowing your child to sleep soundly in near darkness. For example, the Night Angel is a light fitting that you may have noticed from as seen on TV products, and it discreetly lights up an area in the room by simply snapping onto an existing wall outlet.

Creaks and squeaks in an old house are other common terrifying culprits as your child wonders whether that scratching noise by the window is a monster trying to come in or simply a tree branch swaying in the wind. Keep your child’s window clear of tree branches, and tie down any loose objects that make noises through the night, such as floorboards or roof tiles.

Practical things to do – and avoid

An empty tummy can often be the cause of your child waking up in the middle of the night, so make sure your child has a small snack before going to bed to help them sleep through the night. Make sure you avoid sugary snacks as these can increase brain activity. Instead, opt for cheeses or dairy snacks along with a warm beverage to set them at ease.

Monsters are a common reason that kids are afraid of the dark, so be careful what media you are watching before bedtime. Don’t watch horror films, even if they are kid-friendly; these films often use dark scenes to induce fear and excitement. Your child won’t be able to separate fiction from reality as quickly as adults do, and what you might consider a walk in the park in the horror film stakes could have a tremendous influence on your child’s ability to fall asleep.

Your input can make all the difference

Children need to learn to navigate the world, and they can benefit enormously from adult input. Irrational fears of the dark are just your child’s way of discovering what the world is about, and you can teach them how to interpret it. However, some small changes in the way your home is arranged can also help, so think from the perspective of your child and you will be on your way to peaceful nights for the entire family!

Teaching Styles at Sunday School

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If you are considering high school ministry, or other forms of Sunday school, you will must first learn to understand the different teaching styles. There are two types of styles to choose from generally, being small group or master teacher format. It is important that you learn the difference between these two options, so that you choose the one that is right for you.

Master Teacher Format

You may feel that something called “master teacher” is quite intimidating. After all, becoming a master takes a whole lot of pressure, work, and focus. In reality, however, being a master teacher means that you will work with the whole student ministry, being a large format. This could be high school ministry, for instance, whereby you could potentially work with every child within that high school. During your cases, however, you will be the sole teacher and spend the first quarter of your lesson introducing the subject, after which the children will be divided into groups, usually by gender and age, and they will then work independently on the subject, facilitated by yourself.

Small Group Format

With small group format schooling, you are likely to work specifically in a Sunday school. All your students will be in smaller groups, and you get to decide how to divide them. You will not just teach them, but encourage discussion and debate. This is the format seen in almost every church across the country.

Which One Is Better?

You will be happy to know that there are no rights and wrongs when it comes to teaching styles. It all depends on where you teach, and what your church expects the children to learn. It also depends on what you are most comfortable with yourself. If you have been used to delivering education using a small group style, and you are suddenly expected to become a master teacher, you may struggle with that to a degree. Similarly, if the church you work for has always offered master teacher styles, you shouldn’t suddenly decide to switch to small group teaching. Unfortunately, you are unlikely to have the flexibility to go from one style to the other while remaining within the same church, in other words. However, you do have the opportunity to switch your style if you were to teach at different high school ministries or different Sunday schools.

At the end of the day, deciding between the two formats is something you need to do based on your personal preferences, and based on the preferences of your church, or the school itself. Remember that you are doing the work of the Lord, and you will not be doing anything wrong by choosing one style or another. The difference is in method of delivery, not in the opportunity to give children the ability to get closer to God, or to increase their understanding of His teachings. That is what truly matters, after all, and not the method in which you are able to achieve this.

All You Need to Know about Making Your Child Look Cool and Funky

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It seems like only yesterday where, if you wanted your child to look a bit different, you had to make the clothes yourself. And even then, you were probably quite limited to funky shirt for boys, or a frilly dress with a belt and bow for girls. Today, however, there are so many kids clothing brands available, and at such friendly prices, that you can literally allow your child to dress however they please.

Some say this is a negative development. One where people lose the skill of being able to make things themselves. But on the other hand, being able to pick from such an array of choices, and making your child look cool and funky, yet different from everybody else, could be considered a skill in its own right. Best of all, thanks to the popularity of kids designer clothes, they are now functional and comfortable as well.

How to Buy Clothes for Your Child

You have the option of going all out and buying something from the Ralph Lauren kids line of clothing. Doing so, however, will leave a burning hole in your pocket. It will generally also mean that your child will only be able to wear those clothes on very special occasions, and they will be able to sit still whenever they do. Realistically, this means your child will be able to wear their outfit no more than twice, before they will have outgrown them.

Instead, try to look for some of the more popular, and affordable, kids clothing brands. Those clothes are designed to be practical and functional, as well as being made of high quality, durable materials. In other words, your child will be able to look amazing and unique, while still being able to just be a child, play around, and have fun. Plus, because these items are so much more affordable, you will be able to buy multiple outfits that you can mix and match, so your child can look good every day.

When you do start shopping for your child’s new clothes, make sure that they are involved in the process as much as possible. You have to allow your child to develop their own individual personality, with a little bit of guidance from yourself. Because cool kids t-shirts and clothing are now available largely online, you don’t even have to drag your children out for the dreaded shopping trip anymore either. Instead of having to worry all the time about your child’s sticky fingers getting on the clothing racks, losing them in the mall, and worrying about your husband eating too much fast food and drinking too much beer as they wait for you, you can make a fun activity at home from it. Simply sit behind the computer together and decide on what types of things they would like. Once they arrive, you can try them on together and send back anything that isn’t as nice as you both would have hoped.

How to Choose a Summer Camp for Your Child

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If you want your child to have a fantastic time this summer, then you need to start looking for summer camps now. One example of an excellent summer camp can be found on http://preschoolfunland.com/our-programs/junior-summer-camp/. However, the internet will only tell you so many things, and since you will be entrusting your child to the group leaders at a summer camp, it is likely that you will have a few other questions. This is true whether you want to send your child to Preschool Fun Land or to any other camp. This is why it is recommended that you think about what your most important outcome is for your child.

Possible Outcomes

Most preschool camps have a focus on a particular outcome with their children, but they touch on all of them. If you know which one is most important to you, you will also be better equipped to choose the right program. Key focus areas are:

  • Pursuing a passion.
  • Skill development.
  • Relaxing.
  • Making friends.
  • Being a child.
  • Learning something new.
  • Academic challenge.
  • Trying a wide variety of activities.
  • Family time.
  • Gaining independence.
  • Building social skills.
  • Travel.

When you consider what your decision is, you have to do some introspection to think about why you are picking a certain focus. Is it:

  • Because you really want this focus?
  • Because someone else thinks that it is best for your child?
  • Because it is what your child wants?

One issue that may also help you cut your shortlist down significantly is that of location. People tend to send their children to camps that fall into one of two categories:

  1. The convenience of being very nearby, which means that there are little associated travel costs, and that someone can come if anything goes wrong.
  2. The experience of going to a completely new destination.

There is no right or wrong in this answer, only a right or wrong for you and your child. Do take location into consideration, focusing again on what you believe is best for your child. And remember to involve your child in that decision.

Remember that children are only children for a very short period of time, and they need to be able to enjoy it. When you consider that they will spend between one and eight weeks at camp, it is important that your child will have an opportunity to build positive memories. Before you know it, they will be all grown up and there will be no more need for any kind of summer camp!

Now, you should be ready to start looking for the camp of your choice. This may seem overwhelming, because there are so many options out there. However, if you have determined what your focus is (and that your child agrees with that focus), you should be able to narrow your list down significant. If you feel a bit overloaded, then you need to simply take a step back and wait a couple of hours.

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We left our home in Sydney, Australia many moons ago in May 2012 and, other than a brief stint back in Perth for Christmas and a wedding in early 2014, we have been travelling the world nomadically ever since, running a business from our laptops and we’re here to show you how to do it!