Greetings Early Childhood Parenting Subscribers!

Happy Belated New Year! I hope everyone had an exciting holiday. We were lucky enough to welcome a new nephew, Avi, on January 2, which was an incredible start to 2010. I also have completed a program this fall and am now a Certified Lactation Educator, which is making for exciting times over at the Breastfeeding site that I also write for BellaOnline (http://breastfeeding.bellaonline.com).

I've been writing weekly to the Early Childhood Site, but with all of our family travel and excitement (plus homework and finals!) I've done a terrible job sending out the newsletter to you to let you know. Below are 3 topical articles and 3 product reviews (favorites resulting from the holidays and both my daughter's fall birthdays) that I've posted to the site in the last several weeks.

Using Time-Outs with Young Children
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art35991.asp
Time-outs are an extremely common discipline tool to deal with unwanted behavior in children. The purpose of time-outs is to stop, and sometimes to punish, the behavior so that it won't happen again. Do time-outs work, and if not, what are the alternatives?

Hand Washing and Kids
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art30718.asp
Hand washing is one of the best ways to prevent personal illness and reduce the spread of illness in the community. Teaching kids about when and how to effectively wash hands is an important tool in the effort to keep them healthy.

Disneyland with Kids – Top Tips
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art4367.asp
Disneyland is a great place to visit with young children. We are big fans and have taken both our girls frequently since before they were one year old. Here are some tips to make the trip more enjoyable for both the kids *and* the parents.

Disney Family Fun Magazine Review
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art27626.asp
I recently read the first two magazines in my subscription to Disney Family Fun Magazine, and was frankly surprised by how much I enjoyed them. Family Fun targets families, essentially moms, with children under 12 and features crafts, cooking ideas, activities and strategies for family life.

The Singing Machine Review - Karaoke for Kids
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art33880.asp
When I bought my 7-year-old daughter a karaoke machine for her "High School Musical" birthday party, I thought it was an extravagant luxury gift – more than I would usually spend on a birthday present (even a *big* one). But I have been delightfully surprised at at how much it provides daily.

Gigaball Toy -- Product Review
http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art4303.asp
My review of the Gigaball toy -- a giant inflatable "hampster ball" for kids. Overall, a great holiday gift or birthday present for kids. Positive aspects as well as cautions for parents when considering this toy.

I'd love to hear your thoughts and comments on these articles and reviews or any early childhood parenting topic in the forum
http://forums.bellaonline.com/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=67

Sorry again that I've been so remiss about the newsletters and keeping you up to date on the new articles. I'll be starting to send them again weekly and hope to hear from you soon!

Warmly,

Nicki Heskin, Early Childhood Parenting Editor
http://earlychildhood.bellaonline.com

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