The signs of teething to look for in your children by Jess Chamberlain

There are ten signs of teething that all parents should be aware of so they can understand why their baby is fussy or uncomfortable during this milestone:
The signs of teething usually begin a few months or weeks before their first tooth even appears, so you will need to look for these symptoms to ensure that the symptoms you notice are truly teething-related symptoms and nothing something else that needs to be checked by your pediatrician.

1. Irritability: If your baby is fussy and crying and putting their hand in their mouth it could be a result of the new tooth coming to the surface of the gum.

2. Drooling: Drooling is a common symptom of teething due to the increase in saliva.

3. Coughing: When your baby starts teething they drool and have increased saliva which can cause your baby to cough or gag. Watch your baby to make sure it is just teething and not a cold.

4. Rash on their chin: If your child drools often due to teething, the saliva can cause and irritation or rash on your baby’s chin. Make sure to gently wipe your baby’s mouth and chin during the day to help prevent rashes.

5. Fever: A fever is another symptom that sometimes accompanies teething but it is usually very low-grade.

6. Biting & gnawing: A teething baby will put just about anything in their mouth to help massage their sore gums. You can purchase teething aids which are designed specifically for babies going through the teething process and they are safe and effective.

7. Cold like symptoms (runny nose, etc.): If your child displays cold like symptoms which include coughing, runny nose and acts like they don’t feel, take them to doctor to verify that it is in fact just teething rather than a cold.

8. Diarrhea: You may notice that your child has diarrhea while teething. Doctors believe that the most likely cause of diarrhea during teething is the extra saliva swallowed, which then loosens the stool. Contact your child’s pediatrician if any diarrhea that lasts for more than three bowel movements.

9. Pulling at their ear: The ear pulling signal can confuse parents because not only can it mean that your babies molars are starting to come in but it can also mean your baby has an ear infection. One way to determine if it is an ear infection is if they have a fever.

10. Lack of sleep: Children that are uncomfortable while teething will often wake up frequently in the night.

About the Author
Visit http://www.onestopshopforkids.com/kidsteething.html for everything you need to help your children while they are teething!

Author of A Humorous Guide to Being a First Time Mom and Bright and White Brushing Your Teeth Can Be Fun

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7 Tips for Taking Better Family Pictures by Jennifer Shannon

As I prepare to write my very first article, I can’t help but feeling like the magician who does the tricks and then tells you how he does it… gives you a look behind all the smoke and mirrors. The reason is I am a photographer and I want to share with other families on how to take better pictures themselves of their own families. I know it’s blasphemy… but for me it’s important to have memories and an important way of preserving them is through photography.
Before I became a photographer I was a mother who could not always afford the film in my own camera much less to have pictures taken professionally of my children… so there were long periods of years undocumented in their lives. Now so much has changed, and I want to share with other families simple tips they can use to help preserve their own memories.

1. Get together with another family. Have the other family take pictures of you and then you take pictures of them… have you ever noticed that a lot of the pictures you have, there’s always one person who’s the photographer and never in the shot… doing this with another family gives you a different perspective (pardon the pun) and the freedom to actually be in the shot.

2. Go outside! To a park, or take advantage of any other beautiful setting and especially the natural light. The average person cannot afford studio lighting and that flash that comes with the camera, ick! So go out and use the best lighting that is a true gift from God. But don’t take the pictures in direct light… go under the shade of a tree or structure if it’s full sun.

3. Best times for lighting is early morning (before 10) or evening… when the sun is not directly overhead. Look at the sky during different times of the day and you’ll see how either the light is soft and flattering or bright and harsh. Use this to your advantage.

4. Sometimes the best shots of children are when you are on their eye level. If they’re crawling, that means you’re laying on the ground looking up at them.

5. Stay away from white shirts… they can wash the subjects out, especially in the sunlight. Use softer colors that compliment the skin tones.

6. For a different twist, take bubbles with you to the park or everyone have a red balloon. Who cares if it’s gimmicky… it’s fun. And when you’re having fun, it shows in the picture.

7. Study portraits taken by photographers who specialize in children & family photography. Now I’m not suggesting that your pictures will look exactly the same. You have to take into consideration the years of training, experience, thousands upon thousands dollars of equipment and software (if using digital) and the millions of shots taken… until just that perfect one… but it will help you to understand the style you like and try to create in your own shots.

Irregardless of what methods you use, just take those pictures… they’re only little for only so long.

Good luck and remember to just have fun and enjoy your family!

Jennifer Shannon, A Different Perspective Photography

Richardson, TX and greater Dallas/Ft. Worth area

www.adpphotostudio.com

214-994-8745

About the Author
Photographer, Mother, Wife, Grandmother and just a little off center… A Different Perspective Photography - www.adpphotostudio.com

Landscaping For Dummies - Yes, You Can Do It, Too! by Cindy Heller

If you have no idea what a xeriscape or a classic rosebud is, or if you want to get a nice, enjoyable view out of the window but wonder what trimming scissors are, then landscaping for dummies is for you. If you consider yourself a dummy when it comes to plants, then this article is for you!
The Basics of Landscaping

Some basic concepts when you want to start a landscaping project. First of all, there are a few simple ideas you can do to improve your yard. Secondly, what type of landscape are you looking for? What’s the average rain and temperature during winter and summer? How much time can you devote to maintenance? What type of plants grow in your area?

All these questions are crucial when it comes to plan your landscaping project, since humidity, temperature and local plants are very important factors for a successful yard, since not every plant will grow in your area and weather no matter how much you take care of it.

So, now that you are ready to do it, where can you get the 411 on landscaping? The most popular resource is the Internet. There are plenty of sites that have tips and information on plants and design.

The website I’d suggest to get started is the local site of the Extension Agency. The Extension Agency is devoted to provide information on growing any sort of plant, tree or shrub, and it’s useful for home hobbyists, farmers and gardeners. So, no matter what sort of plant you want to grow, there you can find the info you need.

You can also ask your neighbors about how they do their garden. They will surely give you plenty of ideas and secrets, and lot of support in your projects. You can even recruit some helping neighbors to give you a hand.

Another source of information is your local home improvement store, where you will be informed about tools you need to get started in your landscaping project. However, be careful about buying your plants there, since most of them are sold all over the country, and, therefore, they might not be suitable for your area.

The most suitable place to find both great information and the best plants are the local, small nurseries or greenhouses, where you can talk to the owners, who are passionate about landscaping and plants.

In small local nurseries you’ll find the best landscaping information for dummies to make your landscaping project a great success!

About the Author
Cindy Heller is a professional writer. To learn more about landscaping for dummies, please visit backyard landscaping idea.

Childhood Diseases - Chickenpox Symptoms and Surviving the Pox by Paul Banas

Chickenpox is the common name for Varicella simplex, a disease that mainly affects children. Until recently, chickenpox manifested itself so frequently as a disease, that it came to be recognized almost as a rite of passage for childhood.

Parents knew the first symptom: the red itchy rashes that would spread across the back, the chest, and the scalp; the smaller signs of sickness: the fever, the loss of appetites and finally the scars it would leave behind. Most parents raised their children, accepting chickenpox as a fact of life.

The year 1995 saw the development of a chickenpox vaccine, which turned out to be a safe, effective way to prevent chickenpox and its possible complications. Even in cases where the vaccine does not stop the disease’s progress completely, the surviving infections are known to be much milder than those of the past.

Chickenpox is believed to have been named after chick peas. The specks that appear after the contagion make the skin look as though chickens have pecked it.

There is usually a 10-14 day incubation period before symptoms can be noticed. The disease is highly contagious and spreads by air.

Chickenpox starts off with a few red spots or bumps (often mistaken for insect bites). The appearance of fever is common. The signs then proceed from bumps to blisters and on day 4 the original blisters will start to crust over. By the end of the week, most or all of the blisters will be crusted over. The fever is known to last for 5 days.

Doctors are known to prescribe an antihistamine to relieve itching but other than that, chickenpox requires no medical treatment in healthy children and should simply be allowed to run its course. Parents should be wary of any treatments involving aspirin, due to the risk of developing Reye’s syndrome.

In case of complications (such as pneumonia and encephalitis) or exacerbation of symptoms, parents are advised to seek their doctor’s attention. However, serious illnesses are more common in older children and adults.

About the Author
Paul Banas is a founder of GreatDad.com. He writes articles on parenting skills, parenting, pregnancy and dads, parenting tips, baby names, adopted child and many more topics related to dads.