A lot of us moms always wonder if we spend enough bonding time with our little ones. The truth is, there is not enough time in a day to spend time with our little ones. If you are feeling this way here are some things you can do to make more bonding time
Read books - Reading books is a great way to have quiet one on one bonding time with your child. Make it fun, make funny voices for each character. The best way to do this is to do it at bedtime, lay in the bed with your child and read.
Play time - Goofing around and playing with the kids is a good stress relief. Roll around on the floor with them, build forts, get mega blocks and build castles for magical princesses. Play dress up, play tea party, play barbies, play house. There are so many things you can do when it comes to play time all you have to do is think like a child.
Snuggle time - Having snuggle time after a long day of playing and fun is a good way to wind down. Snuggle time falls under a lot of categories on this list, reading a book and snuggling at bedtime, watching a movie and snuggling before bedtime etc.
Movie time - Watching a movie with your little one is a good way to spend quiet quality time together. Make some popcorn, juice or milk, little ones love movie time.
Go for a walk - Going for a walk is always fun, especially if it's going to the store for some occasional junk food! On the way to the store with your child ask them what they would like to get, chips, candy, gum, juice etc. On the way back ask them if they are happy, tell them you love them etc.
Play in the snow! - Alright moms we all knew how much fun it was when we were small to play in the snow, get yourself a snow suit this winter and join your babies in the snow. They will absolutely love it! Grab some spray bottles and food coloring from your local grocery store and make some colored water, let your little ones spray away at the snow. Be sure to join in on the fun with them, just because you're mom does not mean you can't jump in and have fun with them.
Hot chocolate - After having fun in the snow come inside get into some dry clothes, put a blanket in the dryer for 5 minutes. Sit your little ones on the couch start a DVD and make some hot chocolate, put some marshmallows in a bowl so that your little ones can put them into their cup by themselves. Grab the blanket out of the dryer and everybody cover up with your hot chocolate and enjoy the movie.
Crafts - Kids love crafts! Coloring, cutting, painting, gluing, glittering etc. They love it all, a great thing about crafts is that you can do them anytime. A lot of moms don't like to do crafts due to the mess and expense, the truth is that your local dollar store has everything you need. Who cares about the mess?! Doing crafts is not just creating things, is creating memories for your little ones! Be sure to take lots of pictures. Crafts are also good for making gifts for other people for any occasion.
Go to the park - Kids love parks, there are a lot of things to do at the park, you can push them on the swings, catch them on the slide, run around with them. When going out to the park it's a good idea to have a picnic, pack up a blanket and a basket of food, when the kids are done playing you could have snacks and drinks.
Go swimming - Swimming is a good exercise especially for kids, most kids love being in water. Swimming is a good family bonding sport. Your local pool/recreation center is a great place to go, they have pool toys etc. Local pools are also great for swimming in the winter time, they provide showers, locker rooms, you can bring along a hair dryer and dry your little ones hair before leaving to ensure they do not catch a cold.
Go skating - It's great for little ones to learn how to skate when they are young, it's good exercise and fun for the whole family. Make it a weekend thing, or a reward for good behavior.
Out for dinner - Going out to dinner for two is a good way to have a nice chat with your child. If you have more than 1 child you can bring them all to dinner or you can schedule a day for each child.
For older children - For older and more mature children you can get into TV shows with them. There are multiple TV shows on every night. Get some snacks ready with some drinks, maybe some homemade pizza.
No matter what a child will always know mom loves him/her.
Your little ones face is red, she/he is straining and grunting, then they start to scream and cry in pain. Yes your little one is constipated. There are many reasons a child can get constipated such as, not enough fiber in their diet, too much dairy in their diet, if they are too busy playing sometimes they just hold it until it "goes away". It's very hard to see a child uncomfortable and in pain, luckily there are ways to avoid it and make it better. Here are some tips
Add more fiber - Adding fiber to your childs diet is a good start on avoiding and soothing constipation. Some great high fibrous foods are raspberries, apricots, pears, strawberries, apples, beans, bread, bran cereal, broccoli, oatmeal, dried fruits such as figs and prunes, peas, potatoes with skin and many many more foods are great for adding fiber to your little ones diet. Fiber helps regulate bowel movements.
Add more water - Drinking a lot of water during the day and avoiding dehydration is a good way to avoid constipation or soothe it.
Warm bath - If your child is severely constipated to the point that they are walking funny and scared to poop, try a warm bath, make it a little warmer than usual but not too warm. The warm water relaxes your childs abdominal muscles and intestines, getting things moving along very quickly. Let them sit and play if they can as long as they wish. Usually it takes between 5-20 minutes to work, this method works best when your child is scared to push the poop out because of the pain, the warm water relaxes the muscles in your little ones tummy, pretty much making it hard to stop the poop from coming out.
Apple juice, prune juice - Giving your child fruit juices can get things moving along, do not give them too much as this will cause diarrhea.
Too much milk - When some kids drink too much milk they tend to get constipated. Try rotating the drinks, give milk for breakfast, juice for lunch, water for snacks, milk for supper and milk for bedtime snacks. Always offer water and juice for when your little ones are thirsty.
Tummy massage - Giving your baby a tummy massage can help relax muscles and loosen things up.
If all else fails talk to your Doctor about it, he/she may be able to prescribe a suppository to help move things along. Be careful with the suppositories and be sure to try everything listed above before you ask about them. If you use them too much your little one will become dependent on them.
There are a lot of mothers out here who are uninformed about the importance of car seat safety, there are a lot of mothers out here who do not know how to properly install a car seat and there are a lot of mothers who do not know how to properly strap their children into a car seat. Here are some very important tips to keep your child safe in their car seat during every ride
Straps - The straps on your little ones car seat should always be tight enough that you cannot pinch the fabric. Loose straps are not good when traveling, your child could possibly slide out of the seat during an accident and they can climb out of the car seat while you are driving causing a distraction for the driver therefor possibly causing an accident. Make sure the straps are not twisted as well.
Winter safety - Winter time means puffy jackets, hats, mitts, boots etc. If your little one is going to be mostly in the car for example, going to the grocery store or the mall or a long trip, they will not need a big puffy winter jacket. There are jackets you can buy that have a liner inside of them that is removable, they also have winter jackets that are not puffy. It is extremely dangerous to strap your child into their car seat while wearing a puffy jacket. If you do have to put one on them it is best to unzip the jacket and pull it out of the straps as much as possible, strap your child in and make sure the straps are tight enough so that you cannot pinch the fabric. Always put the chest clip up to the childs armpit. When you are done strapping your child in pull the jacket to the front and zip it up, when you are finished the straps should be inside of your childs jacket. This is the safest way to strap your child in. If you do not believe us try it for yourself. Strap your child in with a puffy jacket on, make sure it's tight so that you cannot pinch the fabric. Now remove the jacket completely and strap your child in, pinch the fabric, do you understand what we mean now? Very dangerous.
Chest clip - A lot of mothers think that the top clip of the car seat is actually a belly clip, well it's not. The clip is a chest clip, this clip should be level with your childs armpit. As you can see when the clip is on the childs belly, they can slide their arms out or they can lean forward without effort. When the chest clip is at armpit level your child cannot slide their arms out and they cannot lean forward. This is the safest way for your child to be in the car seat.
Properly installing - Properly installing the car seat into the vehicle is very important. All car seats come with installation instructions, it is very important to follow these instructions and install your childs car seat correctly. If you are not sure how to do this you can contact your local police and fire department, they can show you how to install your childs car seat.
Expiration dates - Always follow expiration dates. If your childs car seat is expired, time to buy a new one.
Extended rear facing - Rear facing is the safest way for your child to be in the vehicle. Just because your little one has hit their first birthday, does not mean they have to be forward facing in the car. When a child is rear facing in an accident their head does not jerk forward, when a child is forward facing in a car during an accident their head jerks forward.
Follow weight & height regulations - All car seats have certain weight and height limits, it's best to buy a car seat with the maximum available height and weight.
Second hand - It is not recommended that you buy a used car seat as it may have been in an accident. If you are to buy or receive a second hand car seat be sure to ask questions such as : What is the expiration date? how old is it? was it in an accident? how long did you use it? what is the maximum height and weight?. It is a good idea to only buy or receive used car seats from friends or family, this way you are sure the seat has not been in an accident.
There are many different ways to wean your baby off the bottle. Some moms like to do it cold turkey, some like to do it slowly. I say it is better to start early. Here are some tips and a good schedule.
Introduce the sippy - Introducing the sippy cup early will help when you want to wean baby off the bottle. Starting at 6 months of age is a good idea.
Start slowly - Starting slowly is best, offer the sippy cup during the day at least once a day.
Get the right cup - Getting a good cup is important, be sure to get the right cup for their age. It should be a spill proof cup. Bring your little one with you when you are looking for a cup, let them pick one out for themselves if they are old enough.
Here is a good schedule to start.
Week one - Breakfast bottle - snack sippy cup - lunch bottle - snack sippy cup - supper bottle - snack sippy cup. In between meals and snacks offer the sippy cup.
Week two - Breakfast sippy cup - snack sippy cup - lunch bottle - snack sippy cup - supper bottle - snack sippy cup. In between meals and snacks offer the sippy cup.
Week three - Breakfast sippy cup - snack sippy cup - lunch sippy cup - snack sippy cup - supper bottle - snack sippy cup. In between meals and snacks offer the sippy cup.
Week four - Breakfast sippy cup - snack sippy cup - lunch sippy cup - snack sippy cup - supper sippy cup - snack sippy cup. BYE BYE BOTTLES!
When trying to take the bottle away all at once the #1 thing that makes most moms give up is the crying. Your little one cries for the bottle, do not give in! If you give in and they see that their crying is making them get what the want, they will use this against you. If your little one is crying to much, be sure to keep all bottles out of sight and comfort your child. Some children can go from bottle to sippy cup overnight, but most do have trouble coping with the switch. Taking the bottle away slowly is the best way to ensure it goes smoothly.
Your little one just hit their first birthday! Time to stop spending so much money on formula and start spending more money on cows milk. There are some babies who can make the switch overnight, but there are a lot of babies who need time. Sometimes switching too early will cause constipation, although your doctor may tell you that you are able to switch at 9 months it is up to you to decide what is best for your child. There is a reason it is best to wait until 1 year of age, babies digestive systems are not ready to handle the proteins in cows milk. Your child needs the fat that is in 3.25% milk for brain development, so be sure to always give him/her 3.25% milk. Here is the best and easiest scheduled way to introduce cows milk to your little one.
Week one - Mix 7 ounces of formula with 1 ounce of cows milk.
Week two - Mix 6 ounces of formula with 2 ounces of cows milk.
Week three - Mix 5 ounces of formula with 3 ounces of cows milk.
Week four - Mix 4 ounces of formula with 4 ounces of cows milk.
Week five - Mix 3 ounces of formula with 5 ounces of cows milk.
Week six - Mix 2 ounces of formula with 6 ounces of cows milk.
Week seven - Mix 1 ounce of formula with 7 ounces of cows milk.
Week eight - Say bye bye to the formula and give 8 ounces of cows milk.
If you notice your little one is getting constipated try not giving so many milk bottles in a day. A 1 to 2 year old should drink 16 to 24 ounces of milk a day. If more than that it is possible for constipation to set in. Some babies can handle more, some not so much.
Your little one also needs water, be sure to offer a few bottles of water during the day. Juice is not necessary but it is a nice treat every once in a while, be sure to only offer pasteurized 100% real fruit juice. Always dilute your childs juice 2 ounces of juice 2 ounces of water. Do not give your little one too much juice as this will cause diarrhea and possibly a rash. Now is a good time to say bye bye to the bottle and introduce the sippy cup.
