5. Take your child's ideas seriously. By lessening importance of a child's concerns you lessen child.

6. Help your child identify talents and hobbies that make him or her feel special.

7. Seek out activities that offer an opportunity for growth and increased interaction with other children of his or her age. Encourage your child to get involved in activities with others. Don't allow too many isolating activities, like watching TV.

8. Never push your child to do things he or she would find unbearable. Rather, make suggestions, but realize your child may not be ready. Be patient.

9. You need not handle your shy child with kid gloves, but be aware of how he feels and show that you understand.

10. Seek qualified professional help if necessary.

Being shy doesn't have to mean that something is wrong with your child. It simply means that your child is uncomfortable in social situations. You can start your search for help by reading books, talking with other parents of shy children, taking classes, searching for information on web or by speaking with your pastor. But if your child needs immediate help it's best to consult a qualified child counsellor. You can read some more articles about parenting at: http://www.baby-shop.org.uk/guide/

Well, if you are not a medical professional for children by trade, you can be eyes and ears for your children and their health care providers! And absolute best time to start is at their birth. If this is your first, second, or third child, it's important to learn about each child as an individual because their systems will be different which in turn means that they each will react differently to childhood illnesses. Always get a copy of any test results or other medical records before you leave or it could cost you a fortune in time, money or both later.