A boy calls this 4-year-old ugly. Her response is perfect

    How many of us females remember being told that when a boy was being mean to you it meant that he liked you? It's time to stop perpetuating that LIE and teach our girls to respond like Cici did.
    Siahj, nicknamed Cici, was called ugly by a little boy at school. Her response is perfect and drips of confidence and sass. Her mom asks what she said back, "I said, 'I didn't come here to make a fashion statement. I came here to learn — not look pretty.'"
    The boy, not giving up on his rude statements, retorts that she looks "bad." Luckily, Cici has another truth for him: "Did you look in a mirror lately? Bye bye, see you later, you're making me mad."
    Of course, she is completely adorable, but her confidence in the face of being bullied is admirable. As mothers and fathers, we need to raise strong, confident girls who know who they are, even in the face of naysayers.
    Read this article on "Raising, confident, independent daughters."

    With so much uncertainty and mixed messages in the world, it is easy for girls to be influenced and become confused about who they really are. This knowledge and confidence starts at home. Giving your daughters (and sons) a sure foundation and understanding of who they are, and filling their lives with love and support, will help prepare them to stand up to the bullies of the world.
    It's not just boys who bully girls; often, it is other girls who can hurt other girls the most. Friendships turned sour can lead to gossip, hurt, broken relationships and embarrassment. We need to teach girls to be each other's allies instead of enemies. Read what two women did to combat girl-on-girl bullying.

Why it seems like moms get nothing done all day

The fact of the matter is, moms DO get stuff done, it also gets undone just as fast, if not faster.

This true-to-life video shows a mom and baby going about their day. The mom is folding and putting away laundry, doing dishes, picking up toys, feeding her baby and bathing her baby — more than once. Meanwhile, her adorable baby is unfolding the laundry and taking it out of drawers, thwarting her attempts to do the dishes and laundry, dumping toys out on the floor and getting herself dirty thus requiring another bath.

Do you have days like this? OK, it's every day, right? You think you're done with the laundry and then everyone gets ready for bed creating more dirty clothes. The dishes are done until someone gets a drink or has a snack. There's always trash to be taken out, toys to be picked up, bodies to be washed and kids who need attention. It really is a never ending job.

How many moms can relate?

We have grand plans of a clean house, clean kids, milk and cookies for the kids when they get home from school and dinner ready like clockwork. Usually, we're just lucky to have a somewhat reputable house, kids that are mostly dressed, a grab-and-go snack and a frozen pizza and bagged salad on the table before bedtime.

But, you know what? It's OK. We're not meant to be "Stepford" mothers. We're meant to be real moms. Moms who love their kids, sacrifice for their families and do their best — not be perfect.

Let's be real. Read "Moms, stop lying about your messy house." It's OK to be real and to have a messy house. Yes, we should still try to keep it somewhat clean, but it's nothing to get depressed about — your mom friends not only understand, but their house is a mess, too.

How is Baby's Hair Care?

With your baby, the main goal to keeping your baby's hair healthy is moisture. With that being said, you should only wash their hair once or twice a week when they are young, because this should be all the baths they have unless they are crawling. Once you start bathing your baby daily, still keep washing their hair to a minimum, unless it absolutely needs it. If your baby is biracial, you should adjust the number of times because biracial hair sometimes gets greasy if not washed daily.

 

With babies and toddlers, however, I don't recommend using these products just for the simple reason that you don't know what all is used in these products. What you'll want to do is take about a dime to nickel sized amount and rub into your hands before distributing throughout your baby's hair. Any more than this and it will make their head greasy.

Babies don't come with a manual, unfortunately. Even so, motherhood will not be the exciting journey that it is without the challenges along the way. But to get at least one thing out of the way, here's a little 101 on taking care of your baby's hair. Be very careful not to go obsessive-compulsive on your child. Applying pressure to the soft spot on top of your baby's head will endanger her.

That's called adolescence. But that's a whole other story. One reason could be that their shampoo has stung their eyes once before and they are afraid that it might happen again. One solution is to make sure you buy a shampoo that is especially formulated for babies. They are also free of sulfates that are in most adult shampoos. However, also consider that baby shampoos tend to have a higher pH-balance, which causes hair to tangle. One solution is to switch to very mild shampoos as your child grows older and develops longer hair.

Here Are A Few Tips On How To Properly Wash Baby Clothes

There are very many new parents out there who are looking for ways on how to properly wash baby clothes for their newborns. Washing baby clothes is not as difficult as people may think. There is definitely no need to be nervous. Just because the clothes are small doesn't mean that there is a special way to wash them properly. You just need to be careful and have a few things in mind, that's all. Let us look at a few tips on how to properly wash baby clothes.

First thing you have to keep in mind is that your baby has sensitive skin compared to you. For this reason, you should try avoiding using laundry detergents that you use on your clothes. Such detergents can be very harsh on a newborn baby's skin. Your baby may start itching and this may cause ugly marks which I am sure you do not want on your cute baby. For your baby's clothes, it's best to use gentle detergent which is not perfumed. Also, remember to have a second rinse which can have a softening effect on your baby's clothes.

When a baby is born, there is no way that you can learn of the allergies. There are certain perfumes and soaps that bring about allergic reactions in adults. The reactions may even be worse when it comes to a baby. Be careful when introducing such perfumes and chemicals to your newborn baby's clothes since this may increase the chances of your baby developing an allergy later in his life. Your awareness should be at its peak when washing the clothes. When the baby wears them, be keen to spot a rash, redness and so on, on your baby's skin. This may be as a result of the kind of chemicals you are using to wash the baby's clothes. If there is any reaction you notice on your baby's skin, call a pediatrician immediately and stop using soap that caused the reaction.

Almost all baby clothes have the capability of being dried by use of a dryer. Many parents think that using a dryer to dry baby clothes will make them shrink. Well, you will be relieved when I tell you that this only happens rarely if you do it correctly. When drying them, use the lowest heat setting that your machine has and this will ensure that the clothes dry without shrinking. This will also make your baby's clothes appear more vibrant and fresher.

Finally, if you really want to know how to properly wash baby clothes, never use fabric softeners or dryer sheets. Dryer sheets do not only bring about allergic reactions or irritations but can also have hazardous effects on the health of your baby. Your baby's clothes have fire retardant chemicals and when you use fabric softeners, you risk removing these chemicals which render your baby susceptible to fire. Never dry your clothes with the baby's since there is a potential your clothes can leave some residue that can be rubbed off to your baby's clothing.

You Need To Make Your Baby Avoid The Winter Harm To Their Skin

You just can't keep your hands off your little one's oh-so-soft skin, and you’d do anything to keep it as silky as the day he was born. But with winter in the air, you need to do more than just bundle up your precious bundle. That's because a baby's thinner, more sensitive skin is especially vulnerable to dropping temps and wintry gusts. Here's what you need to know to ward off the winter's harm to your baby's skin.

You'd feel all that baby fat would help, but infants lose body heat a lot faster than we do. As a result, they're more prone to frostbite — especially on their tiny fingers, ears, toes, nose, and cheeks. How can you tell if your tot has been bitten? With frostbite, the affected area will feel very cold and look white or yellowish-gray.

If you spot signs of frostbite, there's no time to waste. Open up your coat and shirt and tuck your baby next to your skin for warmth. Then get to a doctor or emergency room stat. If that's not immediately possible, go indoors and begin gradually warming your baby.

Never put your infant next to a radiator, stove, or heater. Instead, soak the affected area in warm-to-the-touch water. If the area is too difficult to soak, use a warm, wet washcloth. Keep soaking or gently applying the washcloth until the color returns to your baby's skin. As his skin warms, it may become red, swollen, or blistered. Then, if you haven't already, call your baby's pediatrician.

Air is the best insulator, so dress your little one like an onion. He'll feel warmer and more comfortable in several layers of light- to medium-weight clothing than one big heavy outfit. Last but not least, make sure your baby's cold-weather gear includes a hat, mittens, cozy socks, boots, and a warm coat or snowsuit.

When it comes to winter skin care for wee ones, don't ignore those cherub lip area and chubby cheeks. Dry air and windy weather can play havoc with a baby's exposed skin, making chapped lips and cheeks, and even windburn common winter skin-care problems.

The same way you treat dry baby skin on any part of your little one's body — moisturize, moisturize, moisturize. At least twice a day, smooth some fragrance-free, hypoallergenic lotion, cream, or ointment on your baby's cheeks. And put some made-for-baby lip balm or ointment on your cutie's chapped lips. Always moisturize before you step out with your baby. On blustery days, use a plastic rain cover to keep the wind out of the stroller.

Here Are Some Useful And Great Baby Education Advices

Parents know that babies learn very quickly in their first months and years of life. What many people tend to forget is that there are a myriad of ways to teach your child even when he or she is nonverbal or even in utero! It is important to remember how babies develop so you can provide baby education that is well suited to your baby's age level and level of development.

A 2-month-old baby spends most of their time eating or sleeping, and really won't have much interest in rudimentary arithmetic no matter what the people trying to sell you the videos may say. There are things that will engage your baby's interest and help him develop his or her brain and senses, however.

Firstly, young babies love faces. Your mouth moves and makes sounds, your eyes blink, your cheeks can puff out, your head can nod, and shake, and your tongue can move in and out. For baby, this is the best toy ever invented. For you, it is the most affordable educational toy ever invented. The words you speak, their inflection and intonation, all attract the baby's interest as well. This is still the best education your baby can get in spite of the fact your baby is still quite a long way away from. Faces are fundamental to the human social world, and your baby will spend the rest of his or her life trying to interpret facial expressions. Forget all those dopey videos, the best educational entertainment for your baby is to watch your face and watch and hear you speak.

It is impossible to spend all your waking time talking to your baby and entertaining him. Most parents hang a mobile over baby's crib. This kaleidoscope of shapes and colors engages their attention and hones the connections between their eyes and brain. It is possible for babies to get bored just like everyone else. Change the appearance of your mobile and even replace it with a different mobile. The changes can be small or large. For example, of baby's mobile has horses, you can tie bows around their neck one day and bells the next.

When your baby can sit upright for long periods of time without falling over, it's a great time to get a set of blocks. These blocks have to be small enough that your baby can hold them but big enough that they won't try to swallow them. A good game to play with baby is "stack and tumble." You stack the blocks, and your baby is charged with the task of knocking the blocks over. See how many blocks you can stack before baby knocks them over. This may seem rather pointless to you, but baby is learning something absolutely fundamental: cause and effect. This simple experiment says to baby: when I do something, it causes something to happen.

Baby eduction is quite simple, they don't need elaborate 'educational' videotapes; babies need to develop the basic connection between their senses and their brains.

How To Care For Your Baby's Hair

Not exactly sure how to care for your baby's hair? New babies born with lots of hair often lose their locks during the first six months as the effects of pregnancy hormones wear off. New hair will grow in fairly quickly, but it may be totally different in both color and texture from their first hair style.

Baby hair is easy to care for, but there are a few tips to keep in mind.

• Wet snarls are tough to untangle, so gently brush or comb hair before bath time begins.
• Use a gentle shampoo once or twice a week. If your babe has lots of hair, a two-in-one cleanser will ensure a snarl-free brush-out post-bath.
• Little ones with especially sensitive skin should use a hypoallergenic formula, which cleans without drying out delicate skin.

To wash hair, pour a cup of water over your baby's head, making sure to shield her eyes with your hand or a washcloth. Alternately, tilt her back slightly, supporting her head and neck with your hand and forearm as you pour. Apply a few drops of cleanser to your hand or a soft wash cloth and gently wipe your baby's head, neck and behind her ears. Rinse with cupfuls of clear water, taking the same care to avoid getting soap and water in her eyes, until all suds are gone.

If your babe has a long locks, use a soft-bristled brush or a wide-toothed comb to gently untangle any snarls. Baby hair is so fine, it doesn't need a blowout—just blot your babe's hair dry with a soft towel. Older tots will love bundling up in a cute hooded towel.

As far as we know, there's no such thing as baby hair gel or volumizing mousse, but if your little Curlylocks's do is out of control, try rubbing a tiny dab of infant skin cream between your palms and use it to tame minor cow licks.

Many parents agonize over cradle cap, a common skin condition that can affect babies until their first birthday. The telltale bumpy, yellow, scaly crust is the result of overactive oil production, and can form across your baby's head and behind their ears. It's harmless and painless, but can look icky. Experts at Toronto's Hospital for Sick Children suggest rubbing a dab of baby oil or olive oil across your baby's scalp.

Let it sit for an hour or so before washing it off, using a soft washcloth to gently rub away the scales as you rinse. Comb or brush away flakes from hair shafts after the rinse. If the area appears irritated, talk to your doctor, who may prescribe a hydrocortisone cream.

Resist the urge to deck your baby out with sweet barrettes. Small hair accessories can pose a choking hazard for babies and toddlers, and hairbands can damage her delicate scalp. Skip the blingy barrettes and too-tight headbands, and opt instead for a stylish trim to keep hair out of her eyes. You can do this yourself, or take your tot to a salon that specializes in children's hairstyles.