关于宝宝成长的英语美文
天上的星星像宝宝，依偎在月亮妈妈的怀抱，妈妈抚摸着小宝宝，宝宝脸上露出了灿烂的微笑。小编精心收集了关于宝宝成长的英语美文，供大家欣赏学习!
关于宝宝成长的英语美文篇1
Budgeting for Baby
Will you actually spend $30,000? Hopefully not. But the baby bucks can add up quickly, especially when you factor in things like lost wages and child care -- not to mention the optional luxuries, like a doula or night nurse. Of course, some of you living in large urban areas may wind up spending even more than this huge chunk of change, while others across the country may get away with spending much less. The out-of-pocket expense can vary dramatically based on the cost of living in your area, your health insurance plan, the amount of gear received as gifts, whether or not your MIL is up for babysitting, and so on.
Check out the figures below -- we worked with financial experts to get a handle on the basics. Let this be your inspiration to write down some numbers of your own and do a bit of math with your better half. Happy baby making!
SUPPLIES: $6,500
Nursing + Formula: $1,000-$2,500
For the first six months your baby will only drink milk. If you are using formula, the typical baby will drink an average of $35 worth of formula a week. That adds up to about $1,820 over one year. After you introduce food, around the six-month mark, you will need to add an average of $2-$3 per day to that, given that a jar of baby food costs about $.75 -- adding up to an additional $1,092.
Ways to save: Breastfeed as long as you can. Buy formula and baby food in bulk.
Nursery Setup: $2,000
There are several must-haves. For a crib with a mattress, you’ll spend anywhere between $160 and $750, depending on what style and brand you go with. You’ll also need the following:
Bedding set ($35-$270)
Crib blankets and sheets ($8-$20 each)
Mattress cover ($10-$20).
Beyond the crib, a changing table will cost somewhere between $70 and $600, then add $40 for a changing pad and cover. A dresser ranges between $90 and $650; and finally, you’ll spend $90-$500 on a rocking chair.
Ways to save: Do your nursery furniture research and prioritize. You may want to spend more on the rocking chair to use for future generations, and less on the crib and dresser.
Baby Gear: $1,500
Invest in a good stroller ($30-$300). Find a high-quality stroller if you do a lot of walking. Other items for outside the nursery:
Car seat ($35-$280)
Playpen or portable crib ($60-$180)
Baby carrier or sling ($20- $140)
For at home, you may want a swing ($45-$130); a play center ($50-$125); and a bouncer seat ($30-$90). And you’ll definitely need a monitor (about $80); a high chair ($45-$240); a diaper bag (about $35); and a baby gate ($35-$250).
Ways to save: Buy double-duty gear. Some strollers convert to high chairs for an easy switch at the restaurant; and many diaper bags can take you from newborn to toddler in function and style.
Diapers + Supplies: $1,000
Newborn babies use an average of 75 diapers per week and up to 320 diapers per month. At about $.25 per diaper, that adds up over the year. Tack on two boxes of wipes per month ($3 each), and baby soap, lotion, powder, oil, and diaper rash ointment (about $14 month) and you have an additional $240 per year. Cloth diapers will save you money, if you plan to do the laundering, however using a diaper service costs about the same as disposable diapers.
Ways to save: Buy diapers in bulk and online. You can save between 5% and 10% through large orders and online deals.
Clothes: $1,000
On top of maternity wear for those nine months, invest in staple items for baby. You’ll need:
Sleepers ($5 each)
Hats ($3 each)
Booties and socks ($2-3each)
Gowns ($6 each)
Outfits for warm and cold temps (about $15)
Coats ($25 each)
Shirts and pants ($7 each)
Considering you’ll go from 0-2 months to 3-6 months, 7-9 months, and so on, you’ll need several sets in every size.
Ways to save: Buy outfits in multiples. If you see something cute on sale, get it in two or three sizes to save money down the line.
OTHER (OPTIONAL) EXPENSES: $24,200
Maternity leave: $8,400
Depending on your salary and work policy, you’ll end up with lost wages after taking 12 weeks maternity leave. The typical policy will pay between 60% and 70% of your gross income for the first six weeks. With an average 50K salary and a policy that doles out 60% of wages for the first six weeks and no wages for the second 6 weeks, you’ll end up with $8,400 in lost wages after 12 weeks. Below is a quick breakdown of lost wages on a 50K salary.
First six weeks: $2,400
Second six weeks: $6,000
Total: $8,400
Tip: Whether or not you’ll receive salary while on leave, map out your expected income and expenses for during this time to make sure you can make ends meet.
Child care: $9,000
Childcare is a biggie, considering that costs range from $5,000-$24,000 per year, depending on the city and childcare center. Enrollment at a daycare center costs an average of $12,000 per year. For a full-time nanny in a city like New York, you’ll easily pay between $22-$32K.
Tip: Decide whether going back to work or staying at home is the best decision for you money-wise. Also consider whether your employer will allow you to work from home; or your parents will take care of the baby while you’re at work.
Family plan: $4,800
It costs an average of $400 per month to add a dependent onto the average health insurance plan. Before you commit to a plan, sit down and compare your health plans to find out which one is the most comprehensive and cost-effective.
Support Services: $500-$2,500
(Lactation consultant, doula, night nurse, birthing coach)
Decide whether you’ll need an extra hand for the first couple weeks. Coaching and a helping hand before and after baby arrives will allow for more relaxed parents and a happy baby.
Life Insurance: $500
Run the numbers using one of many online worksheets to find out how much life insurance you really need to buy. You’ll have to estimate the number of years you want to support, and any other big-ticket items (mortgage, college) you want to cover. For a 30-year-old seeking a 20-year-term, $500,000 life insurance policy, you’ll pay about $30 a month. For a 40-year-old, the monthly premium falls between $31-$40 per month; and between $83 and $92 for a 50-year-old.
Legal Fees and Will Preparation: $1000-$4,000
Between updating your will -- to name a guardian for your child and outline financials in the case of your passing -- and updating your 401K or retirement account, you’ll incur some legal fees. A simple will costs about $400, and a more customized document can cost between $1,000 and $3,500.
GRAND TOTAL: $30,700
Other Expenditures to Consider
Pre- and post-natal healthcare and hospital stay (if uninsured): $8,000
New car to accommodate baby gear: $10,000-$40,000
Renovations to set up baby space: $1,000-$5,000
Sources: Christine Zuchora-Walske, co-author, Getting Organized for Your Baby, American Pregnancy Association, SureBaby.com, National Association of Diaper Services, Finance.Yahoo.com
-- The Nest Editors
关于宝宝成长的英语美文篇2
How You React to Crying Babies Will Determine Their Future
Scientific findings show how parents react to crying babies can have an important impact on their development. Infants with parents who respond quickly, consistently, and warmly when they cry have healthy emotional development later on. These studies have suggested that responsive and sensitive parents can protect children from developing stress coping mechanisms. One study looked at babies born with predisposed stress-related symptoms and their parents, and concluded that even though there were risk factors in the babies for stress, they were able to be relieved with affectionate caresses during early infancy.
Quick and consistent response to a crying baby, referred to sometimes as “sensitive parenting,” might also make the difference between success and failure at school. Researchers have concluded that infants with relatively insensitive parents end up with the worst behavioral problems. At a chemical level, affectionate touch and other nurturing behaviors appear to trigger the release of feel-good neurotransmitters like oxytocin. With the release of these hormones, there is a fast recovery from stressful events.
As important as it is to respond warmly and quickly to a crying baby, it is also important to prevent the baby from being exposed to angry or fearful voices, negative body language, and being left alone in distress. Avoiding these stressful situations can also facilitate a baby’s learning and the development of positive social relationships. To better understand this concepts let us look at the physiological responses related to them:
1. Touch
Research studies have suggested that touch triggers the release of natural pain-killers and sedatives, thus counteracting the effects of stress. This is demonstrated in one study that looked that effect of a heel prick and signs of distress in infants. Once held naked against their mothers’ bare skin, the level of stress hormone levels was greatly reduced. Touch is vital, but more specifically the type of touch is also vital. For example, researchers have discovered that light touch in younger babies (two to six months old) can be irritating to them and so a firmer touch might be more preferred. The key is a gentle, slow, moderate pressure, a kind of infant massage. Touch is also more likely to soothe when it’s accompanied by other forms of affectionate contact.
2. Body language
Babies begin to recognize facial expressions immediately after birth. A large body of research indicates that babies prefer to look at happy faces, and are upset by displays of negative emotion. One study looked at six-month-old babies and found that they can distinguish between happy and angry body language, alternatively affecting their emotional development later on.
3. Movement
As noted above, all factors are important when trying to respond appropriately to crying babies, and movement is equally vital. One study showed that babies experienced slower heart rates and reduced crying when they were held by an adult who was moving or rocking them from side to side.
4. Cleanliness
One common factor that contributes to babies’ crying is comfort and cleanliness. Many times a diaper change can be stressful for a baby which presents with a dilemma. Should you change the diaper, or let the baby sleep through with a wet diaper? Some researchers have suggested that unless your baby has a skin infection, there is no need to wake up a sleeping baby for a diaper change.
5. Company
The World Health Organization recommends that infants under the age of six months sleep in the same room as their parents. This sleeping arrangement ensures that caregivers will be on hand if the baby is distressed or experiences a life-threatening event, and there may be other benefits too. Researchers speculate that having parents nearby at night may help babies regulate the stress response during the day.
关于宝宝成长的英语美文篇3
10 Things You Should Never Tell Your Sons Even Though Many People Do
This is the 21st century and as the old television and magazine commercial from many years ago indicates, ‘we’ve come a long way, baby.’ Well… maybe not! It seems that although we want to believe we have made tremendous strides when it comes to stereotyping the sexes, we may not have come as far as we think we have. Perhaps nowhere can this be more proven than when it comes to the everyday subtle or not-so-subtle instructions we give our own children.
We may not want to face it, but it is true. Many of us still, even in 2015 carry some pretty sexist thoughts, especially when it comes to the roles that we expect our children to carry on. Not only are they unsupported and quite stereotypically outdated, they may actually be harmful in a personal way. One book that tackles ways to parent children in a gender-free way is Christia Spears Brown Parenting Beyond Pink and Blue: How to Raise Your Kids Free of Gender Stereotypes. Below is a list of 10 everyday things we are guilty of telling our sons, even though we shouldn’t along with strategies for how to send a more stereotype-free message.
1. Boys don’t cry
This one tops the list. Not only is it incorrect and sexist, it is unhealthy. Evidence continues to pile up in study after study that links physical illness with repression of emotions. These negative physical symptoms and ailments most definitely do not show any preference for genders. Crying is a very healthy and appropriate way to release some deeper and more intense sadness, fear and grief and it harms everybody, including our beloved sons, if we instill inhibitions for crying in them.
2. Don’t act like a girl
Although similar to telling our sons not to cry, this is much wider in its scope and much more clearly separates behaviors into gender-type categories. We should be grateful that we no longer live in a time when there are some powerful societies that do not hold to any fast and steady rules for what girls and boys are supposed to do throughout their lives. Once again, we can call on professionals in the field of mental health profession to back up that there is no harm in young children choosing one activity over another. Girls who play in dirt don’t turn out to be more aggressive later in life. Similarly, if our sons prefer creativity or more domestic activities than ‘traditional’ male interests, there is absolutely no cause for alarm.
3. Grow up to be just like daddy
Sorry if this sounds a bit harsh on fathers, but there are other models in the lives of our sons who may very well be more appropriate than daddy. Many of us are fortunate to know both men and women who are highly successful and just all-around great people. There are some dads that choose not to play a significantly positive role in their son’s lives. The emphasis should not be on creating a little mini version of dad or any other person, for that matter, but rather to encourage them the choice to be their unique and individual selves.
4. If anybody starts a fight with you, you need to know how to fight back
Two wrongs do not make a right. While none of us wants to see our children taken advantage of in any way, instilling the need to raise up hands to fight, even in the case of self-defense in a school-yard brawl, may not be the best advice parents can give their young boys. There is absolutely no shame in choosing to talk things out rather than resorting to aggression as a defense. There is absolutely no shame in teaching problem resolution skills before we each how to throw a hook or an uppercut.
5. Boys have to be tough
Not necessarily. There is something quite appealing about vulnerability which can be seen as the opposite of being tough. There is a lot of courage in vulnerability. Although we still see a lot of the stereotypical behaviors and reactions, there are those that already realize that some vulnerability brings people closer together to one another. Teaching our sons that it is okay to be human and not have to feel the pressure of pretending to be the “rock” is a good choice.
6. Boys don’t have to express their feelings
Yikes! Communication is gaining more and more recognition and significance in successful relationships all the time. We don’t have to go far to see it in the workplace as well as in our personal lives. Learning to express feelings openly and appropriately is one of the most valuable things we can learn if we are to share our lives with others in a meaningful and purposeful way. By giving our sons an easy way out and letting them think it is not something they have to work on, we are doing much more harm than good.
7. Boys will be boys
This may be true, but if it is, perhaps it is because of poor advice that we provide them with. Boys will actually be men, and it is not a good idea to continue to permit behaviors based on a preconceived notion of acceptance that is grounded in someone’s gender. When we let our sons know that we already hold strong, preconceived notions, such as indicated by expressions such as this, we are setting the mold for them and preventing them from being themselves.
8. All girls want is a rich man
There are many problems with this type of thinking. First, we are not helping raise children when we speak in absolutes such as “all” or “only.” It is that type of thinking that perpetuates stereotypical thinking and keeps us apart rather than brings us together. While there may be some women looking for a man to support them, there also are women who are looking for the exact opposite, a man who will help them further their own careers. It is a good idea to think about where, as a child, you yourself developed this type of thinking and rethink whether you still truly believe the negative advice you are spewing. Perhaps you will find that you have outgrown some of these negative gender images yourself and that even you don’t feel they apply.
9. More is better
We live in a world that is highly materialistic even though times may be rough economically. By teaching our sons that a man’s value is measured by his financial wealth, we devalue other characteristics and qualities that ought not go unnoticed. While it is important to teach our children how to become independent and contribute to society, it is important to help them see value in things other than money and objects. Nobody has proven that the one with the most toys wins. In fact, some of the world’s most important people are not known for their wealth and materialism, but their philanthropy and altruism.
10. Look for a cute girl
Just like there are many other qualities to a man than toughness and being the breadwinner, there are many things that can make a person attractive other than looking like a Hollywood star or Barbie doll. It is important to help our sons learn what qualities and characteristics they personally find attractive such as a someone good in sports or a great listener or maybe even one who is smart or clever when it comes to academics. Letting our sons decide for themselves what type of person they find themselves attractive to is a wonderful gift we can give them.
By teaching our sons that people are people – that it is more important to focus in on our similarities rather than our differences, we not only become better people individually, but when the time is right for us to partner with others in different aspects of our lives, we are better prepared to do so.
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