Day 335 - Say Your Please's and Thank You's

Today's first time parenting tip - Say please and thank you to your infant when they do what you want them to

How many times have you seen a parent at the grocery store ask their kid to be quiet or to stop doing something, and then once the kid does what's asked of them, the parent just turns away and ignores them?

Now, everyone has bad days and no one says please and thank you all the time. But now is a good time to get in the habit of asking your child politely to do something and showing genuine gratitude when they obey.

IF the reward for being quiet or for behaving is being ignored with no acknowledgment, it's really no surprise if the kid keeps misbehaving.

Plus, your baby will soon pick up on the fact that when someone does something for you, you say thank you, if you want something, you say please. And the only way they're going to pick that up is if they get it from your example.

Parenting, Please, Thank, You, Manners

Day 333 - First Birthday Ideas Part 4 - The Thank You

Part 4 - The Thank You - Part of the First Birthday Series

Today's first time parenting tip - Make easy, hand made "thank you's" by your baby

The party's over, the food was a hit, everyone had a blast and you got some great, practical and fun gifts for your baby. What's the best way to say thank you to the special people who came to his 1st birthday?

You can easily help your baby make hand made "thank you" cards that mean a bit more than just paper and ink. Here's how you do it.

Buy enough blank thank you cards to send one to every guest. Don't just send one to the people who brought gifts, send one to everybody who showed up. They made your baby's day special just by their presence, and that deserves thanks enough.

Get some non-toxic paints. Remember the ones we used for Valentine's gifts?. Those will work here too.

Put your baby in a high chair or the bathtub in just his diaper (you don't want paint on his clothes) and put some paint on each of his hands. Give him the cards one at a time, letting him put his prints all over the cards.

Repeat with a couple different colors if you want to, or keep it simple with one. Once they've dried, write a simple, short note thanking the person for coming, and for the gift if they've brought one.

As an added touch, you can include a picture of your baby playing or using the gift they got from that person.

Parenting, 1st, Birthday, Party, Thank, You