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Welcome to the April 27, 2012 edition of parenting link roundup! Because the BlogCarnival.com site had some troubles last month, I wasn’t able to publish this list in March. So there are a TON of great articles below. Enjoy.

Cecily Paterson presents 20 ways to be a better parent posted at Cecily.Mostly..

Nancy Parker presents 10 Good Ways to Stretch Your Diaper Budget posted at eNannySource, saying, “Keeping your baby in diapers can be a huge strain on the household budget. Families spend hundreds of dollars on diapers for one child in a year. If a family has more than one child in diapers at one time, the budget for diapers can end up being more than your household energy bills.”

Suzanne Cullen presents Au Pair » 10 Ways to Tell Your Child is Faking a Nap posted at aupair, saying, “Little ones are notorious for fighting sleep, and for pretending to be asleep to avoid getting caught. As kids get older, their pretending-to-sleep skills can greatly improve, leaving even a parent to wonder if slumber is genuine.”

Debbie Denard presents 10 Lessons Parents Could Learn from Pirates posted at Nanny, saying, “The popularity of the Pirates of the Caribbean films have led to a surge in pirate popularity in the last decade; themed parties for kids and adults alike, novelty items and a flood of books and films have appeared to cash in on the pirate craze.”

Paul Taylor presents 10 Serious Choking Hazards for Babies posted at Babysitting Jobs, saying, “There are dozens and dozens of objects and items that could potentially cause your child to choke. A rule of thumb to follow is: if it is small enough to be in their mouth then it is probable they could choke on it.”

Theresa Torres presents A Look at Gender Specific Parenting vs. Gender Neutral Parenting | Family Focus Blog posted at Family Focus Blog, saying, “Here are some things we should know about gender neutral and gender specific parenting, how the parent’s values influence their preference, and some tips in raising children in a gender neutral environment.”

Jon Rhodes presents Timebox To Get Things Done posted at Affiliate Help!, saying, “This article shows you how to use the technique of timeboxing to get your children to do chores.”

Carol Watson         presents 10 Signs Your Child May be Color Blind posted at National Nannies, saying, “When someone is color blind it doesn’t mean that they see no colors. It’s not like they see everything in shades of gray except in very rare instances.”

Molly Cunningham presents 10 Kid-Related Excuses to Avoid a Speeding Ticket posted at Live-In Nanny, saying, “The sight of those flashing blue lights in a rearview mirror sends most adults scrambling for a plausible excuse that will get them out of a citation.”

Paul Taylor presents 10 Reasons Kids Don?t Play Cowboys and Indians posted at Babysitting Jobs, saying, “Kids nowadays don’t play the games we used to play years ago. For better or worse, they’ve got different options than we had.”

Debbie Denard presents 10 Reasons Kids Cry on Airplanes posted at Nanny, saying, “When small children are seen boarding a plane, many of the other passengers may be secretly hoping that their seats aren’t located too closely to the family with the children.”

Sandra McAubre presents 10 Ways to Tell Your Child is Fake Crying posted at Hire a Nanny, saying, “Children learn from infancy that a well-placed cry will usually get them held, fed, changed or just the attention they’re craving.”

Roxanne Porter presents 10 Safe Alternatives to Teething Rings posted at Nanny Jobs, saying, “More and more parents want options to the plastic teething rings available on the market today. The key is to find a safe replacement that your child will be happy with. If you are one of those parents and don’t have a clue as to what the alternatives are check out this list.”

Hannah Anderson presents 10 Classic TV Shows to Watch with Your Kids posted at Full Time Nanny, saying, “When you were a kid television shows were very different then they are today. Kids don’t grow up with the same reruns you did, and they’re missing out.”

Abby Nelson presents 10 Ways to Tell Your Child is a Poor Loser posted at Nanny Classifieds, saying, “Part of growing up is learning how to deal with adversity. It happens and, like it or not, we can’t always give out trophies to each of life’s participants.”

Molly Cunningham presents 10 Ways to Stop a Child from Shoplifting posted at Live-In Nanny, saying, “Finding out that a child has been shoplifting is a shocking revelation for parents, even though unfortunately it is a relatively common one parents encounter.”

Maureen Denard presents 10 Ways to Teach Your Child to Argue Logically posted at Find A Nanny, saying, “Developmentally children of a younger age will never be able to argue logically. However, kids will learn what works and what doesn’t.”

Roxanne Porter presents 10 Times “Because I Said So” is Appropriate posted at Nanny Jobs, saying, “Do you remember when you were a kid and your folks would answer one of your many, “Why” questions with the cliché response of, “Because I SAID SO!” Didn’t you find that annoying?”

Suzanne Cullen presents Au Pair » 10 Ways to See if Your Kid Really is a Genius posted at aupair, saying, “Your child learned to read at an early age, breezed through flash cards and mastered the multiplication tables. You wonder, is she gifted? Possibly even genius level? Well, there are a number of ways to know for certain just how sharp your little whiz-kid really is.”

Sara Dawkins presents 8 Ways to Tell Your Child May Have Serious Allergies posted at NannyPro.com, saying, “Do you ever wonder how you can tell the difference between if your child is just dealing with a cold or if they’re suffering from allergies? If you do suspect that your child has allergies, then how do you determine if they are mild or serious?”

Tina Marconi presents 10 Quick Ways to Make Your Child Furious | Babysitters posted at Babysitters, saying, “Let me preface this article with the statement that all children are different! You may have a hothead that will fly off the handle at the slightest thing, or you may have the calmest, most laid back child ever that rarely loses their temper.”

Barbara Williams presents 10 Different Yelling Techniques Kids Often Use posted at Find A Babysitter, saying, “Mankind has yet to invent an attention-getting device that works better than a screaming child. When a kid wants your attention, there is no power on Earth that will dissuade him from his mission.”

 Kaitlyn Johnson presents 10 Reasons to Avoid Smokers with Your Baby posted at Newborn Care, saying, “Smoking is still a pretty big thing in our society despite the large number of people have quit or are in the process of quitting. It wasn’t that long ago that mothers could be seen smoking while feeding their babies or holding their child in one hand and holding a cigarette in the other.”

Maureen Denard presents 10 Alternatives to Dramamine for Kids that are Traveling posted at Find A Nanny, saying, “If you have never suffered from motion sickness count yourself lucky. I’ve suffered with it my whole life and have tried many things. The funny thing (or maybe peculiar) is that different things work for different people.”

Sleeping Mama presents Why kids shouldn’t be forced to share posted at sleeping should be easy.

Sandra McAubre presents 10 Most Realistic Movies About Parenting posted at Hire a Nanny, saying, “Of all the family-oriented entertainment there is to choose from, only a fraction of the movies about parenthood portray it realistically. Realistic portrayals give us a glimpse into our own lives, with characters that we recognize.”

Sara Dawkins presents 10 Reasons No Child is Truly Ugly posted at NannyPro.com, saying, “A neotenized appearance, or having childlike aesthetic qualities, inspires sympathy and protective urges in adult humans and other mammals, even when the neotenized specimen is an adult themselves.”

Lindsay Samuels presents 10 Red Flags on a Nanny’s Resume posted at Nanny Background Check, saying, “As soon as you post a listing on a nanny agency board or on a job board stating that you’re looking for a nanny you’re sure to get a slew of potential prospects vying to watch over your little one.”

Lindsay Samuels presents 10 Places We Shouldn’t Mention Our Kids’ Names posted at Nanny Background Check, saying, “Statistics show that every 40 seconds a child goes missing. Think about that. In the time that it takes you to read this article several children will have gone missing. Fortunately many of these children are found within hours.”

Tina Marconi presents 10 Ways to Keep Siblings Hugging not Hating | Babysitters posted at Babysitters, saying, “Sibling rivalry has been going on since the dawn of time; everyone knows the story of Cain and Able. That story didn’t end well, so parents do their best to discourage animosity among their children.”

abby reeves presents The terror of the play date posted at schoolgates.

Abby Nelson presents 10 Signs Your Child is About to Throw Up posted at Nanny Classifieds, saying, “I’m pretty sure we all know the look of a child that’s getting ready to throw up, but what we may not know are some reasons that are the cause of the actual ‘event’. Be warned: if your child suffers from any of the things .”

Barbara Williams presents 10 Reasons Grandparents CAN Be Terrible Sitters posted at Find A Babysitter, saying, “Who could be more loving and caring for your children than your parents? Grandparents are a godsend for those times when you need a reliable babysitter. They’re almost always willing to watch the kids, and never sneak their boyfriends in after you’ve left them alone for a night out.”

Carol Watson         presents 10 Natural Instincts and Learned Behaviors That Work Against Parents posted at eNannySource, saying, “Most of the time we applaud the “mother’s instinct” and usually it is right on target; particularly so in emergency situations. We all have instincts and usually they can help us out in the majority of situations.”

Maryanne Williams presents 10 Reasons Kids Should Be Online at an Early Age posted at Share a Nanny, saying, “Much has been made of the potentially hazardous landscape for children that is the internet, and rightly so. Parents do need to be concerned about how their children make use of this valuable tool, and a valuable tool it surely is.”

Hannah Anderson presents 10 Reasons Moms Just Don’t Get Any Time Alone posted at Full Time Nanny, saying, “You wouldn’t expect to work constantly and not get any vacation time or time off and yet motherhood can seem just that way on a daily basis. There are many reasons mothers don’t get much needed alone time.”

Jeremy Biberdorf presents My First Childhood Exposure To Gambling posted at Modest Money, saying, “I’m not sure when the average child gets exposed to gambling, but I personally got a fairly young start. No my parents didn’t drag me to the casinos or horse racing track as a toddler. Instead I took the initiative with getting into gambling on my own.”

Kathy Simmons presents 10 Arguments You Should Let Your Child Win | Nanny Services posted at Nanny Services, saying, “As children mature they start to become more assertive and this can lead to arguments with their parents. Some kids will argue about almost anything. This is a bad habit that you don’t want to encourage.”

Sleeping Mom presents Why I don’t bother with working mom guilt posted at Sleeping Should Be Easy.

Andrew McGowan presents Parenting the Picky Eater? How To Help Your Child Eat Healthy Meals posted at Andrew McGowan, MFT.

leah aharoni presents The Ethos of Childhood Trauma posted at Ingathered.

Jennifer presents how I (accidentally) got my kids to eat vegetables posted at dairyfreediner, saying, “This blog post is about how I got my kids to start eating more veggies when I stopped trying. It might not work for everyone, but it’s worth a shot if you’re having a similar struggle.”

Meghan Welker presents 10 Kids Books to Help with Bedtime Woes posted at Babysitting, saying, “Bedtime stories are a great way to be able to sneak in a little extra quality time with children while simultaneously getting them relaxed enough to fall asleep. For many families it’s a key part of their regular bedtime routine, and one that can’t be missed.”

Patricia Salway presents 10 Ways to Stop Thumb Sucking posted at Live Out Nanny, saying, “Thumb sucking is a natural thing for babies. They will reflexively suck on anything put into their mouths and many start sucking their fingers or thumb before they’re even born. It’s not unusual to see young babies and toddlers sucking their thumb, but it can become a problem as they get older.”

Teresa Blecher presents 10 Early Warning Signs for ADHD for Children | Nanny Agency posted at 10 Early Warning Signs for ADHD for Children | Nanny Agency, saying, “I think everyone must go through a period when their kids are acting crazy and running around in a frenzy and in the back of your mind you are hoping they do not have ADHD (Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder). Rest assured that all kids go through this and it’s just kids being kids most of the time. There is a lot more to ADHD than being a little hyper from time to time.”

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