It’s safe to bet that the day your child was born was one of the best days in your life. You will never love anyone as much as you love your own children. The parenting tips in the following article can help you preserve the strength of that bond over the years so that, even as your child becomes older and more independent, your relationship will continue to deepen and thrive.

If you are an expecting mother, don’t hurt your checkbook by spending money on expensive nursery equipment. Changing tables, cribs, and other baby furniture can all be purchased for relatively low prices at department stores. An even better deal would be to find hand-me-downs from friends or family members.

If you bring a small child along on your travels, try to eat and go to bed at about the same time he does at home. Travel can seriously stress out children, especially very young children. Maintaining bedtime rituals will allow your child to feel comfortable and help ensure that he or she gets plenty of much-needed sleep.

Preschoolers often do not handle transition easily. Switching abruptly from one task to another can often be very stressful and result in melt-downs.

Parents should never pressure a teenager to choose a college. When teens feel they are being overly controlled, they tend to go in the opposite direction, sometimes out of rebellion.

Be sure to take time for yourself and away from your kids. Get a family member or sitter to watch them, even for a short time. Parents can become overwhelmed by stress when they do not have any time for themselves and that can have a negative affect on the entire household.

Smoking with children in your home can really have negative consequences on their health, so try not to do it in your home. In fact, consider simply quitting smoking for good. Breathing secondhand smoke can be just as harmful as smoking. Exposure to second-hand smoke puts children at higher risk for respiratory conditions like pneumonia, asthma or bronchitis.

No two children are exactly alike. If a technique worked on your first child, you may find it is useless on the second. Every child responds differently to punishments, as well as rewards for good behavior. However, you should still try to recall all of the various methods that you’ve employed.

If your baby is cutting a painful tooth, fill a mesh teether with carrots, cucumbers or pickles. While various other methods also work, your baby will use a teething device longer if it has some taste to it. Chewing on the item for a while can really make your child happier and less cranky.

If you have a good relationship with your children when they are still little you will have a better one when they get older. The advice and helpful tips in this article will offer guidance on starting and strengthening that parent/child relationship.