Nose picking is one of the most common and annoying habits your child can develop. Your child might start picking his nose because it's itchy, infected, irritated or just because he's curious. But once he starts, you'll need to nip the habit in the bud if you don't want to deal with increased nasal infection and potential nosebleeds -- both consequences of too-frequent picking.

If you've ever looked at a toy catalog, parenting magazine or TV commercial and thought, "My baby is so much cuter than these babies!" then you might consider perusing a modeling career for your child. Advertisers need babies of all shapes, sizes and backgrounds. Just like the adult modeling industry, baby modeling can be very competitive and difficult to break in to. Persistence and knowledge will get you so far. The rest is up to fate.

Have you ever wished your little one hadn’t blurted out that naughty word to his oh-so proper grandparents -- an expletive he evidently learned when you accidentally slammed your finger in the door last week? Have you ever watched your child eat and, in horror, had to ask yourself, “Did he just watch Animal Planet before this meal?” Has your child ever done something so embarrassing that the only thing you can do is smile politely, apologize and glance around you with the I-want-to-crawl-in-a-hole-right-now look? Welcome to the club!

In this modern, technological age, basic etiquette can feel outdated and stuffy. Following a few simple rules for dining, however, and passing them on to your family, can go a long way in instilling a little etiquette to your everyday life. Set your table properly at your meals and teach your children how to use the settings properly to ensure a lifetime of etiquette.

When it comes to teaching manners, actions do speak louder than words. Regardless of how many times you tell your child to say "Excuse me" when he has gas, if you don't make a habit of saying it when you are tooting up a storm, he likely won't either. While the best way to teach your child good manners is to display good manners yourself, there are some activities you can teach your child to reinforce the importance of having good manners.

You have probably been out to a restaurant and have seen kids behaving in a decidedly unmannered way. You know the ones--elbows on the table, whining about the food, kicking the chair, getting up and running around, picking fights with siblings, yelling and crying. No one wants to be around kids like that. But, if children are never taught any better, they will never do any better. Teaching manners doesn't have to be a punishment. You can use games to make teaching manners fun.

So here I am in Paris having breakfast with my dearest friend Vanina and her husband, along with their adorable two-and-a-half-year-old boy Laurent. Great food, great place, great friends. We dive into conversation. All would be fine and dandy and pretty close to blissful, if it weren’t for these darned obsessive interruptions from my beloved friend and her husband constantly requesting little Laurent to, “Say hello,” “Give a kiss,” “Give a hug,” “Say please,” “Say thank you,” “Say bye-bye,” “Give a bigger kiss.”

It is important to start practicing healthy habits early on, so that they become part of our routine as we grow older. Good table manners are among these. Good table manners and healthy eating habits go hand in hand. Here are some steps you could follow to teach kids good table manners. In the process, you will also be raising kids who are less fussy at the dinner table.