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Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts
Showing posts with label parenting. Show all posts

Adapting to a New Sibling



Adapting to a New Sibling

It's no secret that it's sometimes hard to adapt to a new sibling, especially when your other children are younger. Consider the following three tips when helping your kids get to know their new brother or sister. The process may be easier than you think!

Stay Consistent
Of course, you can’t expect a newborn to follow the same rules that you put in place for your other children. Still, it's best to treat your kids equally whenever possible. 

adapting to a new sibling
Z and Zsquared
For example, if you bring along an extra bottle or jar of baby food on your next outing, bring a snack for your older child or children so they can all eat together. Your older child may get upset if they feel like they’re being treated unfairly. But, make sure that they understand that the rules can’t always be the same and that they still need to follow the rules even if they don’t seem fair.

Keep Old Routines Around
When a new sibling comes into the household, your older children may be worried that their lives aren’t going to be the same. Try to keep as many of your family routines the same as you can. 

If your family usually eats together at the dinner table or gets up early to watch cartoons on Saturday morning, keep up the tradition once the new baby arrives. This will let them know that the things that they enjoy aren’t going to go away just because there’s a new member of the family.

Encourage Older Siblings to Help Out
Often times, older brothers and sisters love “helping” out with a new baby. Whether it’s bringing you the diaper bag when it’s changing time or helping you to tuck the baby in at night, getting your older kids involved is a great way to make them feel included and appreciated. Not only will it help bring them closer to the new baby, it will also help them feel closer to you. 

This is just three easy ways to help your other kids get used to their new sibling. As you can see, they're all easy to put into place and don't cost a thing. Remember, with a little patience and a lot of love, you're kids will be best friends before you know it!


Disclaimer: This post may include affiliate and/or referral links. It may also include items received for review in exchange or my honest unbiased opinion. All reviews and opinions are 100% my own and unbiased.
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Ways to help with a new baby



Ways to Help with a New Baby

There are many ways to help with a new baby. You can rest assured that most parents appreciate even the smallest of gestures when it comes to an offer of assistance. So, why not make mom or dad's day? Follow through on any of these thoughtful suggestions. They're both easy to initiate and won't break the bank.

Don't Visit Empty-Handed
If your finances allow, never visit empty-handed. Gift mom or dad with something for the baby they really need. Yes, little outfits are adorable. But, they aren't as practical as a package of diapers or a few days worth of formula. Am I right?

On a smaller scale, consider bringing baby wipes instead. Wipes are obviously WAY less expensive than diapers and are uber-handy... in the nursery and all over the house.

Make Nap Time Possible
It's certainly no secret that the art of parenting is a joyous but tiring task. That being said, probably one of the best things you can do for your favorite new mom (or dad) is to give them the luxury of taking a well-deserved nap.
 
Give your friend or family member a "heads up" that you're on your way over specifically to babysit. Sometimes, just showing up at the door and announcing your intent will result in the the person insisting that no nap is needed.
 
Provide Meals or Cleaning Services
There aren't very many parents who wouldn't appreciate a home-cooked meal or a clean house. If you decide to prepare a meal or two, make sure to ask about any food sensitivities beforehand. They'll appreciate the gesture even further, if you include paper plates and plastic silverware. Less dishes to wash.

There are lots of ways to help with a new baby. These are just three of them. Just lending a listening ear is highly appreciated too. Remember, there's no need to spend money to be of assistance.

Disclaimer: This post may include affiliate and/or referral links. It may also include items received for review in exchange or my honest unbiased opinion. All reviews and opinions are 100% my own and unbiased.
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Top Tips on Healthy Sleeping for Children

Finding creative ways to get my kids to go to bed and sleep soundly through the night has always been an issue. When they stay up too late and then get up at the crack of dawn, they run out of gas in the afternoon and have challenges focusing at school. They are too tired to do their homework and they often fall behind on challenging subjects. It wasn't until I discovered a few simple tips on healthy sleeping for children that they regained their focus and actually got a more restful night sleep.

Avoiding Late Night Snacks

Snacks filled with sugar turn on the engines in children, getting their bodies to race instead of shutdown for the night. My children were still drinking soda and eating bowls of cereal right up until bedtime. I broke them of this habit by giving them healthier snacks like pumpkin seeds a few hours before bed. They were able to wind down as the night approached, sleep soundly through the night, and wake up refreshed each day. I noticed an instant improvement in their grades once we eliminated snacks and sodas from the late night menu.

Reducing Those Distractions

Its an idea to buy a nice childrens bed because when a child goes to bed, their mind and body are still in race mode, and any noises or distraction peak their curiosity and make it difficult for them to fall asleep. I bought them a nice kids bed from www.cutpricemattresses.co.uk, it helped them look forward to sleep time and help sidetrack them from all those distractions. Also I turn off the television in the living room and go watch it in my bedroom. It was further away from the kids room so they couldn't hear me giggling and laughing at the late-night show punchlines. I also purchased heavier bedroom curtains for the kids to block out lights and low noises from getting into their rooms to keep them from sleeping soundly. 

Living Off the Grid

Kids today are attached to their mobile devices from the time they wake up to bed time in many cases. They are usually playing video games, chatting with friends, surfing the internet, or listening to music, either on their phone or on some type of electrical device. Studies have shown that by engaging in these activities right before bed is very unhealthy because these activities cause the body to go into high alert mode. All the senses are alive and on standby, so falling asleep soon after is quite a challenge. I found that telling my kids to turn off their phones and shut down any electrical devices a few hours before bed actually put them in the perfect mode for falling asleep more rapidly.

When it comes to children, the sooner you can calm them down during the evening the better. I would focus on giving my kids healthier snacks that promoted a more restful nights sleep, while getting them to engage in activities that made them tired instead of hyper before bed. Reading a book, doing their homework, or just relaxing on the couch with their parents and watch show together all proved to have positive results in their sleeping.

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Off the spoon for Baby A

So Baby A is an exclusively breastfed baby. She has recently been showing signs of being ready for baby food so we gave it a try. We started with oatmeal mixed with breastmilk. We tried with water first. She did not approve of that at all. She ate it up when we mixed it with the breastmilk. 



As you can see, this was an impromptu feeding and all we had were plastic spoons. We went and bought infant spoons the very next day. She eats oatmeal at least once a day now. We have also started adding some banana or applesauce to it. She absolutely loves that. Applesauce is her favorite. 


She is a happy chunky faced baby. It was apparently good to the last bit. She ate it off her fingers. 


The cues we noticed as far as her being ready for baby food were as follows:
-tracking other people's food
-making chewing motions with her mouth
-trying to feed herself your food

Z's Mommy
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