How to teach kids to swim

Little ones love swimming – it’s comforting and fun! But it’s also essential that they learn to swim so they can be safe in a country packed with beaches and backyard pools. Here’s how to get started.

After spending nine months swimming and floating in the womb, it’s no surprise that babies and toddlers are quite content in the water. Introducing your toddler to the swimming pool will nurture and develop this water confidence and teach them the basics of swimming. A bonus: time in the water also enhances your child’s coordination.

Why it’s important to be able to swim

Setting up a secure password

We were surprised to learn that some of the leading sites (LinkedIn, Dropbox) got hacked recently. The problem is that most of us have one or two passwords we use across multiple websites. This can cause a significant problem when a hacker discovers one of these passwords and gains access to virtually all the user’s accounts. Fortunately, there are two simple steps to creating an uncrackable password.

1. Create an Acronym as Your Base Password

Think of a sentence, something like “I like walking in the park on a sunny day”, or a refrain from your favorite song like “Billie Jean is not my lover, she’s just a girl who claims that I am the one” and take the first letters of the words. In the latter case, it would be BJINMLSJAGWCTIATO - nearly impossible to crack, but super easy for you to remember.

5 no-go foods for babies

The basic advice when you're starting solids is to take it slow and steady: introduce foods one at a time, at intervals around three or four days, so you can keep track if your baby has an adverse reaction to a new food.

And while the advice used to be to hold back offering foods known to prompt an allergic reaction (things like nuts and fish), the Australasian Society of Clinical Immunology and Allergy (ASCIA) now recommends you don't delay the introduction of those foods.

That said, there are still a handful of foods which are definitely on the no-go list for babies, at least until they grow up a bit and get better at chewing, swallowing and digesting their food.

1.  Honey

Spaghetti Bolognese

Ingredents

• 1 tbsp Olive Oil
• 1 medium Brown Onion, chopped finely
• 2 cloves Garlic, crushed
• 1 medium Carrot (120g), chopped finely
• 1 stalk Celery (150g), trimmed, chopped finely
• 500 g Lean Beef Mince
• 2 x 400 g cans Crushed Tomatoes
• 1/3 cup (95g) Tomato Paste
• 2 tbsp Finely Chopped Fresh Basil
• 375 g Spaghetti
• 1/4 cup (20g) Finely Grated Parmesan Cheese

 Method

How to keep your toddler safe

Sometimes toddlers seem to be on a mission to get themselves into scrapes. Here’s how to protect them from everyday dangers and keep them safe.

Keeping your toddler safe: at home

• As your child starts to grow, walk and become more adventurous a great tip is to get down on your hands and knees and look at your home through a child’s eyes. What can they reach? What dangerous things will little fingers be able to touch? And what will attract curious eyes? Identify the danger, be it power sockets or kitchen cupboards full of cleaning products and then set about making them toddler-proof.
• Brush up on your food hygiene rules for the sake of your toddlers. Keep raw and cooked food apart, hot wash all your chopping boards, crockery and cutlery and make sure you’ve heated food long enough to avoid harmful bacteria multiplying, but not so long that your toddler ends up with a burned mouth. It’s best to check the middle of the food to get an accurate temperature. And beware of your toddler choking on finger food too. Never leave them alone while they are eating.

Money Saving Coupons from Costco

Shop now for an additional $870 in savings! Costco member only money saving coupons  are valid between 21 January and 3 February 2013.

A sample of what's offering:

6 tips on how to be a good money parent

CHILDREN of all ages - from preschool to young adults - can be taught valuable lessons from their parents. 
 
Your Money columnists David & Libby Koch have examined this topic several times in the past year, so here a collection of some of their top tips for good money parents.

1. Most children learn their money habits from observing and listening to their parents and relatives. Scary, isn't it? And those habits can often last a lifetime.

That's great if your parents were money savvy. But if they weren't then your inherited money habits could be wrong, dangerous, costly and probably all three.

What not to leave in your car this summer

Summer can be a wonderful time for road trips and spending time in the car, but not everything belongs in a hot car.
People, especially children, should not sit in parked cars, even in the shade.
Since January, the RACV and Ambulance Victoria have been called out to more than 1000 cases of children and animals locked in cars.
Ambulance Victoria group manager Brett Drummond said leaving children in a car can be deadly.
“Babies and young children can’t regulate their body temperature like adults can, so being left in a hot car can quickly become life threatening,” he said.

Tests show that in one minute a car’s temperature can soar from an air-conditioned 19C to 30C, and in another seven minutes can reach 40C.

Apple: 'Do Not Disturb' will remain disturbed until January 7, 2013

You might have been one of those who noticed over the New Year that your iPhone 5 wasn't disturbing you.

This was quite some time after it was supposed to disturb you.

And quite some time, even, after Apple had released an ad that celebrated this fine feature.
I would like to disturb you with some news.

ABC of Toilet Training

Most parents eagerly anticipate toilet training as a milestone in their child's development -- if for no other reason than that it means an end to changing nappies. But few mums and dads are prepared for how long it can take. Yes, some children get it within a few days. But many more take several months. You and your child have a better chance of success if you know the basics of training and can make the process clear to your child.

A -- Assess your child's readiness

Most people begin training when their child is about two, but some kids may not be ready until well into their fourth year. Watch for the right signs, such as imitating others' bathroom habits, and don't pressure your child to start before he's ready. It's worth running through a basic checklist to see if he is ready.

B -- Buy the right equipment