Infants are considered to be babies who are anywhere from birth to 1 year old. Toddlers, on the other hand, are those aged from a year to 3 years old. Then as children, legally, may refer to anyone (in most Nations) below 18 years old. These are the early stages of life. Stages that are very crucial and will have a great effect on what will they become in the future. During this time, we parents should invest a lot of effort, time, patience and love.

Infants

Infants, same like adults, are different from one another. Some may sleep a lot and be very quiet, while others are very active and may give you sleepless nights. Each difference should be accepted by parents to easily handle parenting. During this stage, they won't do that much, but they will surely need you all the way, from changing their diapers to holding and carrying them when they cry, to being cradled (sometimes all night long). It is definitely tiring, but please don't give up. They are starting to build their bond and trust in you.

Toddlers

The word toddler was derived from the word " to toddle" which means to walk unsteadily". In this stage, they will start showing independence more often. You'll witness as they learn new things and see handle different kinds of situation everyday. They may show new behaviors and even imitate how other children or even adults behave. Just like infants and adults, toddlers differ from one another and never push them to be like other toddlers as it may lower their self-esteem and increase aggression.

Children

During their early years, we have observed how our child play, eat and even sleep. That is one of the best ways to deeply understand them, by knowing them better everyday. At this stage, kids become more curious about everything. They would now interact more often. This stage would mostly show you their talents, interests and even weakness. Parents may often be "dictators", but I suggest to just be a guide to them especially within this stage. Support whatever makes them happy and a better person, but always set boundaries to know their limits as a young being.

Raising a child is no joke. As I said earlier, we would need tons of patience. We may experience a lot of scenarios wherein our child would cry about anything! (literally anything). Tantrums anywhere, anytime, Yes I mean it when I say "anywhere". Arguments and interrogation that we can't win and just give up to stop them from saying "but why?".

Now, how good are you in parenting? Or if you are expecting a baby, are you ready for parenthood? I'm going to share some tips on keeping our children safe and healthy at home and feel free to take note about it.

Safety and Health are the top priorities of every parent. The number one key to ensuring our kid's safety and health at home is supervision. We can check our entire home all day long and find which ones would cause danger and then removing them, but in reality, children will still have tumbles and falls. Another key to ensuring it is to help our children understand what is safe and healthy, and what's not.

1. Cover electrical outlets and wires

Make your home safe and childproof from electric shock by covering sockets. Better have damaged electrical cords changed or get help from an electrician to check all wiring connections and see if they are still in good condition. Make children aware of the danger it may cause if they thought of playing with it and remind them to always get help from us parents when they need something plugged in.

2. Setting Smoke Alarms

Have one installed and educate kids about it. It would be best to have escaped plans as well to make sure they would know in case of fire. (fire-which I always wish not to happen) We should also teach them about what to do and where to go.

3. Keep cleaning products away

Cleaning products have chemicals which are extremely harmful to kids if swallowed or played with. Place them in high areas where they can't be reached by kids or install locks on cabinets.

Another way to keep them safe from this is choosing Green cleaning products. Yes, it is still harmful if swallowed, but to lessen our child's curiosity of what it is, we can have a cleaning activity with them using natural cleaning products. And make sure they understand that these products are not to be eaten or drink.

4. Eating healthy foods

At a very young age, our children must practice healthy living. By offering healthy meals and snacks, fruits and vegetables. We not only build them a strong body but also a tough immune system. However, according to research, we shouldn't ban them from eating junk food. They may end up having eating issues ahead when foods are forbidden to them.

5. Exercise, Play and have Fun!

Obesity and most illnesses are caused by lack of physical activities. Nowadays, children are most of the time being put to silence by allowing them to watch videos or play games on gadgets. They are then missing out the fun of playing outside with real friends. We as parents should make sure that our children will always have enough time to play, explore and have fun away from their electronic gadgets.

6. Clean Surroundings

Neat and tidy environment plays a big role when we talk about health. Having kids will surely make our homes a mess at all times! For most parents it would be a "piece of cake" chore to clean up the house, However, there are parents who are working and most of the time have less time for family. What I can suggest is for busy parents to hire professional cleaning services to get the piled mess cleaned up. Some companies offer to use green cleaning products for it to be safe for the children and everyone who resides at houses they clean. Hiring cleaning experts will not only clean up the entire area but also make sure the home is sanitized and away from germs that can cause disease. Plus it would have a positive effect if our child's surrounding is clean.

6. Sleep

We, parents, were once taught of the required sleeping hours. We are fully aware that a full 8-hour sleep will help boost the immune system, growth and restore energy. Kids who sleep for only a few hours may be susceptible to germs and infections. They will be weak and would not be able to think accurately. Children should be aware that sleep is very important to one's body and even adults need it.

7. Vaccinations

It may be painful to watch our kids cry after receiving a vaccination, but we should be strong enough to know and understand the benefits our children will get from it. We need to explain the importance of having a shot and how it can save us from dangerous diseases.

8. Clean Hands

Kids often play and forget to get their hands cleaned after. Hand washing is the best and most effective way to easily prevent germs from spreading every day. At an early stage, our playful children should practice washing hands, before and after meals, after playing, after coughing, sneezing and blowing nose, after using the bathroom and even after playing with their pets.

9. Never leave them unattended in the water

We can see how happy our kids are when they are in the water. Playing with rubber duckies or sailing boats and even pretending to be a shark when they are in the tub. They may play inflatables while wearing round lifebuoy, which is actually not 100% safe. But we, parents, also be aware of the danger in the water. They might swallow the water accidentally or intentionally (for kids with high curiosity) and worse case drowning. On the other hand, we can have our little ones attend swimming lessons for us to be less worried when they are in the water.

10. Teach Healthy Habits

At home is where our little ones initially learn things. Whether it is simply as dressing up to saying please and thank you. At home is also where kids should learn healthy habits like brushing teeth, wearing seat belts when in the car, drinking the required amount of water every day and even taking a bath. Whatever we, parents, do, we should make sure that it is safe and healthy choices to show our children how to do things right.

11. Always be prepared

We may not know what the future brings, but we can always take cautions and prepared to whatever can happen. First Aid kit is something that all of us should have at home. Children should be taught of where to locate it, and what is the use of each item in it. They should also be aware of who and what number to call in case of emergency. Home address is also something that children should memorize at an early age. We always want what is best for our children, so preparing these should not be an issue.

I hope most parents can relate to these simple tips and tricks and to the soon to be parents, relax, take a deep breath and just LOVE your kids, and everything will fall into place just right.♥