Learning a variety of skills and techniques to deal with the many challenges of being a parent is crucial. The greater your knowledge about child development and methods of handling situations as they arise, the more effective your parenting will be.

While you need to take time with your children, you need to have time for yourself, as well. Drawing and enforcing this boundary allows you to maintain your individuality while still being an excellent parent.

If you have kids living in your home, you should never smoke inside the dwelling. You should even think about completely quitting smoking. The dangers of inhaling secondhand smoke are the same as those of smoking. Smoking around your children can be very hazardous and cause many respiratory issues including asthma, bronchitis or pneumonia.

Every child is unique. Methods that worked with one child could be ineffective with the next child. This applies to both rewards and punishment. It is important to remember what you have, and have not, tried in the past.

If your child is miserable from teething, you could try to put cucumbers, carrots or even sour pickles into a mesh teether. There are many items your child could chew on like a teething ring, but a tasty item is much more likely to be gnawed upon. Your child will get better relief during the day if he can chew longer.

Keep toddler toys rotated from the bottom box. Toddlers typically lose interest in a toy within a few days unless it is a beloved favorite. By regularly rotating toys, you ensure that your child is always stimulated and interested by every object. It also eliminates the urge to constantly buy toys on every shopping trip.

Children are naturally independent, and offering them the option to help you do chores can make them feel more important. For example, you could allow your young child to hand you some dishes out of the dishwasher when unloading it. Kids love to be helpful with the laundry, and can help you fold, or pass you items to be folded. The tasks will help them feel as though they are being independent, while giving you a hand.

Keep your eyes peeled for the family line at the security checkpoint if you’re traveling with kids. A lot of airports have them. Going through this separate line will allow you to take a little more time without having to interact with other grumpy travelers. Don’t forget that everything, including shoes, must be run through an x-ray.

Hopefully, the information from this article has inspired you to become a more loving, effective parent. The beautiful thing about living in the information age is that even if you don’t know something, answers are only a few clicks away.