Child-rearing is universally challenging, and it’s critical to know the skills and techniques to be an effective parent. The more you know about children and raising a child techniques, including milestones in children’s lives and certain types of behavior, you will become a much better parent.

If you are an expecting mother, don’t hurt your checkbook by spending money on expensive nursery equipment. Many baby items can be purchased at discount stores like Wal-Mart or secondhand from thrift stores, for a much lower price than at a more expensive specialty store. A lot of people give away their baby goods when they are done using them.

Think about what kinds of things you are telling your child. It is important to build and maintain trust with your children.

Preschool children often have a hard time with change. Changing activities suddenly can often result in a crying spell and stress out the child.

A little “me time” away from the company of your kids can be really important. Ask a relative to take care of your children while you do something relaxing. If parents don’t have time away from their kids, they often get more stressed, which increases the amount of tension in the house.

You should never smoke indoors when you have children. It’s a good idea to give up smoking entirely. You may not realize it, but secondhand smoke can be as bad, if not worse, than firsthand smoke. Smoking around your children can be very hazardous and cause many respiratory issues including asthma, bronchitis or pneumonia.

You have to remember that every child is unique. The methods that are effective for one of your children might not work on another. This applies to rewards as well as to punishments. However, you should remember what worked on other children and try that first, before moving on to new methods if necessary.

By reading this article, you should have learned some great ideas for becoming a more effective parent. You will never have every answer instantly available to you, but searching a few key resources just might help you to get the answers you need.