As a followup to my recent post on our allowance system, I thought I’d post a link to a report from Montana State University on teaching your kids about finances. It’s nearly two years old, but it’s short and worth a read. According to the article, only 7% of parents think that their kids understand financial matters (however that’s defined) and 30% of kids report that their parents never discuss saving and investing with them. They go on to suggest some good topics to discuss with your kids, including how and why your family saves as well as the difference between wants and needs. They also link to a great site on teaching children (and adults) how to save. It’s definitely worth checking out.

Our one year old just got over a raging case of diaper rash. We’re not really sure what caused it, but we think it might be his new-found love for mandarin oranges. Regardless of the cause, however, our pediatrician once suggested an interesting treatment…

First of all, use a soft wash cloth and a hair dryer to clean and dry their bottom. It’s much less irritating and a far more humane way to clean that sore little butt. Next, to sooth the rash area, begin with a skim milk compress. He wasn’t sure exactly how or why it works, but it does! Just soak a washcloth in cold skim milk and then press it against the affected area. The baby might fuss a bit, but take heart! It’s only because the milk-soaked cloth is cold. After the compress, put on a thick layer of Desitin ointment (NOT the creamy kind). The layer should be as thick as humanly possible. This acts as a barrier to moisture and irritants. Keeping the diaper area as clean and dry as possible will help fend off (or heal) diaper rash. In a few days his little toushy should be as good as new.

If you have any other diaper rash treatments and/or speculation as to what causes diaper rash in the first place, please post a comment.

Here’s a rundown of the recent carnivals that Raising4Boys has participated in, along with links to our posts that were included in each…

The Carnival of Personal Finance, which is up at FreeMoneyFinance, features Our Allowance System. Also featured is the first in a series of post on tax breaks not to miss from fivecentnickel.com.

The Carnival of the Vanities, which is up at A DC Birding Blog, features Otitis Media, Ear Tubes, and a Wet Brain. Also featured is Money Poll #1: Budgeting from fivecentnickel.com.

This past weekend our five year old was feeling under the weather. He’d actually had a cold for awhile, and was starting to run a fever. Thus, we were worried that he might have yet another ear infection. So we asked the obvious… “Do your ears hurt?” Nope, they were fine. Later in the day he was still pretty out of sorts, so we asked again. Same answer. Then I decided to rephrase the question… [more]

“Women shouldn’t have children after 35. Thirty-five children are enough.” — Author Unknown

“The Middles” (as we refer to our second and third sons) end up with an ear infection (otitis media) after almost every cold, resulting in multiple trips to the doctor and regular antibiotic prescriptions. And sometimes the first type of antibiotic doesn’t clear up the infection, so we have to switch to a more potent, broad-based antibiotic to fend off the infection. It’s been a frustrating, painful, expensive, and time-consuming ordeal. Not to mention our concern over pumping all those antibiotics into their young bodies. Eventually, both boys had surgery to place tubes in their ears (myringotomy and tympanostomy tubes) in hopes of reducing the frequency and duration of those pesky ear infections. [more]

I’ve written about this elsewhere, but I thought it would be worth pulling together my thoughts here… Awhile back we decided that the time was right to institute an allowance system at our house. After thinking it over, we decided that we’d provide the boys with $0.50 per week per year of age, which means that our four year old gets $2/week, our five year old gets $2.50/week, and our eight year old gets $4/week. [more]

Raising4Boys took part in three carnivals this week. Here they are, along with links to our posts that were included in each…

The Carnival of Recipes, which is up at Physics Geek, includes Bananas ala Kid.

The Showcase Carnival, which is up at Ogre’s Politics and Views, includes Big Heads, Little Helmets, and Plagiocephaly.

The Carnival of the Vanities, which is up at Financial Revolution, includes Rainy Days, TV and GameBoys. Also included is How Much Does a Million Dollars Weigh? from fivecentnickel.com.

“You can learn many things from children. How much patience you have, for instance.” — Franklin P. Jones

The other day we got an e-mail through our contact form with a plea for help… Here’s the deal:

My wife and I are at our wit’s end with our 4 year old boy. He’s been potty trained for 2 years, yet he will urinate on the living room carpet if no one is watching him. We’ve tried almost everything to stop this. He is stubborn and has a bad temper, yet can be nice as pie. ANY advice would be welcome advice.

While we’re not parenting experts, and none of our kids have ever done this, a few things come to mind… [more]