No one has ever said that being a parent is easy. No tip on earth can make this job a smooth one. You can be prepared for some of the trials that may come your way. Learning about the job of parenting will put you on the road to success.

Make sure you’re teaching by example. Your child is much more apt to learn behaviors when you exhibit these behaviors. It’s been proven that children learn by mimicking those around them. So if you’re telling your kids not to yell in the house and you’re doing it, they’re more likely to follow what you do than what you say.

Make time to play with your children every single day. Playtime helps get you and your children moving, which benefits your health. Playing also encourages creativity, social interaction, imagination, and good self-esteem. Active play is better than passive, so take your kids to the park or even just the yard and let loose your inner child.

Try to attend every performance, sporting event, or whatever your child has going on. This is a great way for you to show your child that you care about them and to encourage them in whatever they want to do. If you have multiple children and their events conflict with each other, one parent may have to go to one event and the other to the other event; but always try to attend these events unless you absolutely cannot.

To strengthen the bond between you and your child, and to help enhance their cognitive development, turn off the television! Limit their tv watching to special occasions – children who spend very little time watching tv are more socially competent, more academically competent, and more creative and imaginative than their television-watching peers.

Transitions can be hard to deal with for preschool children. In many cases, shifting between projects or tasks can be so upsetting that your child may even wind up in tears.

In order to have a proper developing toddler, it is important that they get many hours of social interaction. A great idea to get this done is for them to enter a preschool. This way, they can meet other children their age and build their knowledge basis at the same time.

Every parent needs an occasional break from their children. Ask a relative to take care of your children while you do something relaxing. All parents need a chance to relax and recharge child-free. Your household will be calmer and you’ll be a better parent if you take a break.

Feel free to breastfeed your baby for comfort. Many believe that breastfeeding for comfort will make the baby associate food with emotional comfort. Offering the breast actually encourages your baby to turn to you instead of things for support. The breastfeeding is just one component of the bond that helps your baby feel better. This will provide crucial emotional security and stability as they develop.

If your baby is irritable and not relaxing as quickly as you want him to, head to the bathroom with him. Make yourself comfortable on the toilet and rock your baby as you have the exhaust fan and the faucet running. These sounds mimic the sounds of the noise of the heartbeat in the uterus.

Start your child’s education as early as possible. Even when a kid is little, there are tons of games you can play with them that make learning fun. You can find games to teach them math, science, reading, spelling, etc. It’s never too early to start your child’s education, and if you make it fun, you’ll make them want to keep learning.

If your child has a hard time settling down for bed, try white noise. You can use a dedicated white noise machine, a radio tuned to static, or even apps from your mp3 player or cell phone to create soothing background noise. Playing a relaxing song or CD on loop can also put your child to sleep.

Always praise your children for the things they do correctly. Punishment won’t work if you don’t also reward your kids. They have to have the balance of both to remember that doing good is worth it. Even if it’s just a kind word, reward your children for their good behavior.

Establish clear rules in your family. This lets children know what their boundaries are. It also helps them to understand why you are disciplining them if the need should arise. Some rules should apply to everyone, even adults. If you can let your child have a say in establishing some of the rules that can also help.

You can never learn too much about parenting. Every child is different and some of these tips that we’ve covered may not work for you. In every tip though there is a thread that you can try and use to apply to your specific situations. Love your kids and learn all you can and you will see great results.

No One Said Parenting Would Be Simple was originally published on Spring