LilSugar

Wee TV: Teens Raise Their Brothers While Parents Work

LilSugar — Thu, 05 Jun 2008 13:00:37 -0700

Do you believe in built in babysitters? Last night, I caught an episode of Supernanny where two teenagers were raising their three younger brothers while the parents worked. The girls, ages 14 and 17 for all intents and purposes had taken on both the roles of mother and father.

Between cooking, tending to housework and caring for their lil brothers, ages 2, 3, and 4, the young ladies were also expected to home school themselves. While this situation seems appalling, the parents didn't see anything wrong with it. And, that proves true for so many Americans who believe in the built in babysitter - parents, in-laws, friends and relatives who take on part of the responsibility of raising babe without any compensation. I believe that tots are solely their mom and pop's charge and that anyone else who lends a hand should be given kudos and appropriate payment, be it literal or verbal. Do you share this sentiment?

Supernanny Shares Her Secrets

LilSugar — Thu, 15 May 2008 08:00:44 -0700

Jo Frost is offering new parents advice before they even need a naughty mat. The beloved no nonsense nanny who straightens out wayward families on ABC's Supernanny, is now gifting her wisdom to mamas and papas-to-be so they can navigate their way through everything from feeding to teething to setting up routines. And, the parents don't need to star on the small screen to cash in on the goods, they just have to hit their local bookstore. To hear about her book, read more.

In Jo Frost's Confident Baby Care: What You Need to Know for the First Year From America's Most Trusted Nanny ($11), the woman who remained calm even when attacked by wee ones, guides parents through the tough parts of their tot's first year and their changing needs.

An ABC article published an excerpt from the book. It said:

Whether this is your first or your fifth, when you have a baby, you're about to go on an emotional journey that is as unique as the two of you and this child. As any parent of more than one will tell you, no two babies are alike, and no two first years are alike for you or your baby. You may be full of intense feelings of love, or it may take time to bond with your newborn. You may get postnatal depression, or sail right through the hormone changes. You may feel exhausted and overwhelmed, or calm and joyful. Or all of the above on any given day.

Would you buy her book?

Source

Does Discipline Send Underlying Messages About Love?

LilSugar — Tue, 29 Sep 2009 04:00:42 -0700

Disciplining a child is one of the toughest parts of parenting. Spanking, time-outs, and positive reinforcement all have their supporters and detractors, but do they all send subliminal messages to our lil ones about our love for them?

Recently, two of TV's popular authorities on the issue - Dr. Phil and Supernanny's Jo Frost - made strong arguments for positive reinforcement. They both agree that children seek praise and attention from their parents and by denying them those feelings until they act appropriately, they will learn right from wrong. Opposite their philosophies, author Alfie Kohn supports a program of unconditional love and suggests that regardless of the type of discipline used, punishing youngsters shows them that they aren't loved by their parents. Rather than taking away privileges and toys, instituting time-outs, or spanking, parents should take the time to work through the issue with their offspring, demonstrating that they love their wee ones regardless of how they behave.

What's your opinion?

Handling Bad Behavior: The Time-Out Trend

LilSugar — Fri, 26 Jun 2009 07:00:05 -0700

Parents aim to raise their children to be productive members of society, so when kids start pitching public fits or socking playmates at the park, most moms and dads step in to guide their offspring toward more positive interactions. From Kate Gosselin to Alec Baldwin, everyone has an opinion on the proper way to discipline. One trend that is increasingly popular with today's parents is time-out.

A time-out removes a child from a situation so they can reflect on their behavior. It also serves as a cooling off period. How and when that time-out is taken depends on which philosophy a parent chooses to follow. Here are two common techniques:

1-2-3 Magic: Dr. Thomas Phelan uses the time-out as the end-result of a warning system. According to his theory, a parent warns a child with, "That's 1", "That's 2", and then "That's 3 and time-out" over the course of 30 minutes. If the tot reaches the end stage, without emotion the parent removes the child from their current environment and places them in their room for one minute per year of age. When the time-out is over, the child is free to go on with their activities - no apology or conversation about the misbehavior is necessary.

Naughty Step: This method, made famous by Supernanny Jo Frost, tells parents to confront their child's misbehavior when it happens, explain why it is wrong, and warn them not to do it again. If the tot repeats the action, he is placed on a step on the staircase or a mat for one minute per year of age with a short explanation as to why he was put there. When the time-out is over, the parent should get on the child's level and explain the misbehavior one more time, ask for an apology, and then praise the child for their understanding.

Do you use time-out with your children, and if so, which method?

Jessica Alba's Setting Herself up For Motherhood

LilSugar — Mon, 19 May 2008 13:39:30 -0700

Fit for motherhood, Jessica Alba is this month's Fit Pregnancy cover girl. In the accompanying interview, the mama-to-be was vocal about how she and her fiancé, Cash Warren will raise their babe. While the actress suspects her baby daddy will sneak their tot to McDonald's much to her chagrin, she is serious about her maternal role. She said:

I don't want to be my child's friend; I want to be a mom. But I do want my child to come to me when they have problems and need to talk, so it's going to be about treading that line.

To see who Jessica looks to for advice, read more. And, the actress is already preparing for parenthood by taking note of Supernanny tactics. She said:

I watch the TV show Supernanny with Jo Frost, and it is so obvious, of course, when you are not in the situation yourself to go, "The kid is jacked on sugar all day long and you are arguing with them? Send them to a time-out chair or to their room!" But because the parents never established those rules, the kids are doing anything they want, and I look at that closely.

Did you have motherhood planned while you were pregnant? If so, what changed once your child was born?
Source

Lil Links

LilSugar — Wed, 04 Jun 2008 11:00:58 -0700

A few fab words with Nicole Richie about her upcoming kid line - FabSugar
What's up with the Supernanny? - The Poop
Gordon Ramsay gives advice on how to get kids to eat their veggies - Parent Dish
Father's Day gift guide and giveaway - The Nest Baby
Kirk Cameron sees no difference between his six adopted and biological children - Celebrity Baby Blog
Gwyneth Paltrow has motherhood guilt - Celebrity Baby Scoop
The four-minute shower - Divine Caroline
How much will it cost to raise a child? - Odeedoh
Worst working mom moments - Mommy Trackd

Pimp Your Crib: Time-Out Rockers

babysugar — Wed, 21 Nov 2007 10:00:37 -0800

Just because your lil one has misbehaved, it doesn't mean she should be banished to the basement. We know you wouldn't really do that. Instead, send her to her naughty place, just like the Supernanny suggests. But, why not make her naughty place a cute one?

Levels of Discovery makes the cutest darn rockers ($60–$160) for the most mischievous lil devils. Each chair has a timer that goes up to 15 minutes as well as the saying, "Time out to think about the things you do, but always remember I love you!" scribed on the chair. It makes mommy guilt so much easier to swallow. Besides, if they don't learn from you, how will they ever learn?

And, beyond the "Time-Out" rockers, the chairs come in a variety of themes - an airplane rocker, a ballerina rocker, a reading rocker with an attached book rack, and others. They can also be customized with your child's name and a special message. Your tot will probably look forward to time alone in her pretty chair. The rockers are available at Target and Babies "R" Us.

Levels of Discovery Reading Rocker ($130)	Levels of Discovery School House Rocker ($130)
Levels of Discovery Sports Rocker ($110)	Levels of Discovery Barn to Rock Rocker ($110)
Levels of Discovery Bible Rocker ($110)	Levels of Discovery Fire Engine Rocker ($130)	Levels of Discovery Always A Princess ($110)

SugarUncle: Vince Vaughn

babysugar — Sat, 10 Nov 2007 09:00:49 -0800

One of our favorite funny guys, Vince Vaughn, was on "Live with Regis and Kelly" on Thursday and Friday promoting his new movie, Fred Claus.

Though Vince doesn't have any children, he talked about tips he has taken from "Supernanny" to deal with his nieces and nephew. Vince is no sideline uncle!

Most of his movies aren't kid friendly so we're excited to finally see one that he can take his nieces and nephew to without earmuffs!