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The different types of child-care providers.

The daycare industry is one of the fastest growing industries in the US today. This has been brought about by the need for parents or single-moms, a place where they can safely leave their kids as they work for a living.

There are many different types of child-care providers that parents can consider for the care of their children. Let us discuss each one of them:

1. Connecticut day care centers. Daycare is the most common type of child-care provider. In this setup, the parents bring their kids to the center which is mostly open from 8 AM to 6 PM. The daycare has competent and well-trained daycare staff which is tasked to take care of a group of kids. They provide not just an environment where kids can play, but can be considered as a CT preschool as some of the staffs are designated as the teachers giving individualized instructions for the kids where they can learn the alphabets, numbers, colors, and more. One advantage of a daycare is it provides a good venue for kids to learn socialization skills as they can interact with many kids of their age in the center as it is required that at least 12 kids are enrolled to be considered as a daycare center.
2. Family Daycare. This is a small scale version of a daycare and in this setup, parents bring their kids to the home of the child care provider instead. A minimum of 8 kids should be enrolled to be considered as a family daycare. An assistant to the primary child care provider is also required to help in taking care of the kids. One advantage of a family day care is that is also provides a good environment where kids can interact with other kids to help them build their social skills. The disadvantage though is that the staff of a family day care might not have a formal training on child care as compared to the training received by staff of a CT daycare.
3. Baby Sitter / Nanny. This is a one-on-one type of child care where the baby sitter or nanny will come to your house and take care of your kid for the time required. This is the most expensive type of child care service as most nannies charge by the hour. The disadvantage of getting a baby sitter, though they can offer more time and attention to your child, is it lacks the socialization that the other type of child-care services offer.

Which type of child-care service is the best? There is really no definite answer as every child and parent has each of their own child-care needs which can be met by any of the child-care providers mentioned above. Each type of child-care services has their own advantages and disadvantages and it is up to the parent to weigh these to help them choose the best setup for their kids.

Every parent would like their kids to meet these characters in real life. Oh, just imagine how their faces would light up when they finally do! Those moments are precious and are now going to be a reality for you and your family as you start planning for this ultimate getaway to Florida. Visiting the Walt Disney World Resort will surely be a dream come true! 

And just like any parent, you would like to focus more on making memories than fussing about accommodations, itineraries and everything else that is connected to the trip. I know of someone who was so stressed about planning for their Walt Disney tours that when the day finally arrived, she was too tired to even take pictures! She had no one to assist her in accomplishing the plans she laid out for her family that she forgot to relax during the trip. When she told us about their week-long trip upon their return, she admitted she’d pay for anything, even for private tours if it meant enjoying the moments with the rest of the family and not worrying whether their stay is being maximized or not. 

I mentioned to her the services being offered by Michael’s VIPs and she regrets not knowing about it while she was planning for their trip. The service they offer gives maximized fun with minimum waiting because they know the ins and outs of the resort parks. The guides will be with you “through the parks’ best of the best attractions, shows, and dining choices.” Going through the endorsements found in their website, I know in my heart that someday, I will choose to pay for their services for the best Disney experience.

Around last week, I was bugging DH to bring us to the mall so we could buy DD a new pair of toddler dress shoes. You know how it is for kids, their feet grow too fast. Before you know it, the ones you bought a couple of months back do not fit anymore. Shoe shopping is not exactly my most favorite activity so I made sure I looked online, i.e. over at Shopwiki, for options. At least I had ideas and this cut the amount of time we spent looking. We went home happy and satisfied with our loot for the little girl. It was also the right decision to bring her along because I thought she was a size 6 but her feet are actually now a 7.

Now that DD has her new shoes already, I realized that DH and I are also due to buy new shoes. See, hubby has caught up and now runs whenever he has extra time. The runs are getting more frequent that I feel he needs to buy himself a pair of running shoes. I think this is important because just the other day, he complained about achy heels. I am sure his sneakers are not helping him when he runs.

As for me, I would like to get a pair similar to my wedding shoes but less formal of course. I have been wearing sandals and flip flops since I quit the corporate world. My feet are getting wider because of that, and they sure need some loving. I wish we can do this over the weekend so I can plan on other things already.

Someone in my Twitter timeline posted about this article. The article says that Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or ADHD in children may be battled with proper diet. Parents and doctors should really exhaust all efforts first before resorting to medicines which may or may not develop long term effects on the child. I have always believed that more than drugs, food plays an important role in ADHD cases. Most if not all caregivers already know ingestion of sugar increases the hyperactivity, fidgeting, inattention, impulsivity. These are signs of ADHD in children (or ADD in adults). So cutting on sugar intake actually helps. Taking a step further, the study says that kids suffering from this disorder could possibly be hypersensitive to certain foods. In the study 64% of children diagnosed with ADHD actually are hypersensitive to food.

The recommendation, obviously, is for physicians and parents to not resort to drugs right away. It must be, under strict supervision, ruled out first which kinds of food the child is super sensitive from and cut those things in the regular diet. Only when this is done, and ADHD is still apparent, should drugs come into the picture. Proper training for the caregivers who will manage the eating habit is a must though.

For the past few nights, I find myself awake in the middle of the night watching out for DD who co-sleeps with us. See, she would get upset and throw tantrums for a few minutes. For all other parents, who experience the same, this can get pretty frustrating. For what can a toddler possibly be dreaming about that can make her seemingly angry, right?

Have you heard of the term, Night Terror? I believe this is the one that occurs while DD sleeps. Kids would “wake up”, cry even scream in the middle of sleep. with hand thrashing about. Consoling them is futile. The only thing parents can do is to wait it out because kids usually go back to sleep on their own. And usually, kids will not remember it ever happened when they wake up the next day. This is one of the differences between a night terror and a nightmare.

The main difference of the two occurrences would be the time by which they happen. Night terrors are likely to happen during the first three hours of sleep, while nightmares occur during the later part of the night’s sleep, nearing the morning. In nightmares, kids tend to wake up being scared and would allow an adult to comfort him’.

Night Terror is an interesting topic. I will probably post more about it in the next few days.

A few days of hearing the little one cough made me worry. I was almost ready to bring her to her Pedia so she could be prescribed some medicine but I came across an article that lists the nine medicines to give a toddler:

1. Aspirin
2. OTC Cough and Cold Medicines
3. Anti-nausea Meds
4. Adult medications
5. Any med prescribed for someone else
6. Anything expired
7. Extra Acetaminophen/Ibuprofen
8. Chewables
9. Ephedra/Ephedrine (Chinese herb ma huang)

Most parents already know about the first on the list. Even first time parents are usually reminded to stay away from aspirin because this is not for kids. Numbers 3-6 are self-explanatory and common sense. Acetaminophen is okay but it has to be prescribed by the doctor and extra dosage must never be given. Chewable tablets are obvious choking hazards. Herbal Meds have adverse results even in adults, much more on toddlers.

Since DD had coughs and colds (she is better now), number two got my attention. SO after reading the article, I am relieved that the ‘mommy-doctor’ mode in me did not meddle. I was right to follow the Pedia’s orders. DD’s doctor is kinda old-fashioned and would rather have his patients go the natural way. He does not prescribe cough medicines and we just follow the water therapy and good old “pat the back” remedy

Between the husband and me, he is the more practical one. When we were pregnant with our first-born, he would knock sense into my head about the purchases I was planning to make. He won most of the time but we still ended up buying stuff we were not able to use. Well at least, we saved some precious money on things we DIDN’T buy, eh?

I read an article that says a lot of new parents are prone to making money mistakes. Out of excitement, perhaps? While it is true that child-rearing can get pretty expensive (think of all those diapers you will need to buy on a weekly basis!), there are ways to avoid overspending.

1. You don’t need to make the nursery look like it springs out of a magazine shoot. New stuff is not required, especially for wall decorations.
2. Your friend’s lifestyle may be totally different so no need to take her product recommendations to heart. For instance, rather spend on a compact stroller if you live a busy life in the city than buying a snap-and-go car seat & stroller which is applicable more to those who live in the suburbs.
3. Avoid making career decisions while on maternity leave when you tend to just give up because you are too tired taking care of the baby.
4. Hiring a nanny or signing up for daycare were not always the only options. Consider babysitting co-ops or inviting a relative over.
5. Buying second-hand items such as cribs, car seats and high chairs which is risky and most of the time, unsafe. The items may be already recalled without your knowledge, so these items are better bought new.
6. Your baby don’t need branded outfits when at home nor Swarovski crystal pacifiers. Ask yourself if an item existed when you were still an infant. If it did not, then your baby probably don’t need it now.
7. Bulk buying while pregnant when you still do not know what the baby will like. Each baby’s personality is unique and it is obviously hard to predict before his arrival.
8. Don’t skimp on toys. Fine, the baby would play with the remote or empty water bottles, but some home items pose risks and choking hazards. It is always best to give age-appropriate toys and books.

I can still vividly remember our visit to the Happiest Place on Earth, the one in Anaheim, in 2007. It was really an unforgettable experience: DH and I chose going there for our honeymoon over Las Vegas. We did not go anywhere else and just stayed in the the two parks for about three days and we still felt our time was not enough. I remember getting all teary-eyed with matching goose bumps during the fireworks display. Never in my wildest dreams have I imagined that I would be given the chance to visit Disneyland.

Ever since Disney Resort opened in Hong Kong, we’ve always wanted to plan a visit. The city is just less than 2 hours by plane and that sounds more reachable than aiming for Florida, Paris or Japan right? I wish we can do that soon. I would like my DD to be able to experience the magic while she’s still a kid.