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Ahh back to school. I have so many friends rejoicing in the break they now get. No kids at home for 8 hours a day? Such freedom! Then there is me. Me and my 3 year old. She attends a half day preschool program a couple mornings a week but that hasn't started yet so we have all day every day "just us." Don't get me wrong...I fully enjoy this quality time with my 3 year old. Quality one on one time with any of my children is rare but especially with the third one! However, it's often tricky to plan our days when we are down to "just one" at home. When you have multiple kids under your roof all day during the summer you get into a set routine of how to juggle all those balls at once. Now that school is back in? How can you productively spend your day with a little one still under foot? Structure Having a set routine is so beneficial at every stage in life. From sleep training an infant, to surviving home life with a toddler. There are endless bene...
Transitioning from a crib to a bed is a BIG DEAL. The crib has four sides. It has clear boundaries! It's where you child has slept their entire life and feels comfortable, safe and content. I am a big believer in NOT rushing the crib to bed transition. If it ain't broke don't fix it. I'd keep my children in the crib for as long as possible! We always do the transition because we have another baby on the way and will need the crib. In that scenario I recommend doing the transition during 2nd trimester of pregnancy. You don't want to throw too many changes onto your toddler at the same time and doing the switch mid-pregnancy gives the toddler plenty of time to fully adjust before their little baby brother or sister arrives. I have transitioned all three of my kids from the crib to the bed with minimal issues (We just recently moved our current toddler so I don't have a post on that yet but you can read about my oldest child's transition here and my middle...
It's important as parents to have a parenting toolbox. A toolbox filled with a variety of parenting tools to pull from when certain situations arise. No two children are exactly like. Each child will respond differently to different discipline methods and a variety of circumstances will occur with children where just having ONE method of discipline simply won't work. One useful tool I have in my parenting toolbox for discipline is the tool of ignoring. While it's not my everyday all day go to item, it is one that can be extremely effective if used in the right situation. And it's not as easy of a discipline method as it may sound. Ignoring a child while they are pitching a fit? Not easy. Ignoring a child who insists they don't want to meet Mickey Mouse after you've stood in line for an hour? Not easy. My husband and I have both been working harder at ignoring when necessary and it really does work so we're getting better at it ;) An important thing to ...
Today is Babywise Friendly Blog Network Day! I'm posting over on Chronicles of a Babywise Mom about the value of having a tribe and Katrina, from Mama's Organized Chaos , is posting here! She's sharing 6 methods of correction for toddlers...which is perfect timing for me personally as having a third kid who is also a toddler means it's hard to always be consistent! "It will be a great error to sit back and let your toddler direct his own show. He needs direction, and yes, correction. Both are demonstrations of love." (Toddlerwise, page 103) Parenting a toddler is hard. Toddler's are just realizing they can test boundaries. They don't fully understand the implications of their actions, and they have TONS of energy that, if not put to good use, will get put to bad use in a moments notice. If your 2 year old is suddenly saying "no" to everything you ask, or perhaps they've started hitting, throwing tantrums, and doing things the...
When I started Babywise with my first child I remember my mother saying to me "won't he end up being rigid and unable to be flexible due to this much structure?" I remember replying to her that if that was the only negative to come from having a set routine everyday then I was all for it! I do think it's common among Babywise babies to have some issues being flexible as they get older. They thrive on routine and structure and when things are changed up or done differently, they struggle a bit. As a toddler I really saw this as an issue for my first born. He wanted things done the same way, in the same order. At bedtime he wanted us to each say our prayers in a set order and if something got messed up with that order he'd want to start all over again with the "right" person going first etc. He seemed to go through a bit of a stage where those types of "obsessions" went into many areas of his day. He would get upset when things weren't ...
We've all been there. You're at the playground with friends and it's time to leave. And, sure enough, your toddler has an epic meltdown. How can this be avoided??? Today the topic of Babywise Friendly Blog Network Pinterest Day is transitions and I'm talking about ways to help your toddler transition to avoid those dreaded meltdowns! Toddlers feel emotions in a BIG WAY and communicate those emotions through tantrums, sobfests or just straight meltdowns. Transitions are SO important at this crucial age. Communicating with them, letting them know what's coming next, and preparing them when it's time to switch gears all help them to juggle these tender emotions and avoid meltdowns. 1. Meet Their Needs: It may seem obvious but making sure your toddler is full and well rested are both important elements to avoid meltdowns. All the transitioning prep in the WORLD won't help your toddler avoid a tantrum if they aren't previously set up for success. As...
I know the title of this post might scare some people off...bribery? Let me go ahead and say that I do NOT believe in using bribery as a parenting tool, other than in certain circumstances. I believe my children should make good choices because they are motivated by the inner peace that comes from doing right. I want their motivations to be God-centered. I want for my children to strive to be like Jesus and not to be doing something only to get a reward for doing it. I also am a firm believer in discipline and correction. How will my children be able to learn the right path if I don't correct them when they choose to do wrong? For example if we are at the store shopping I don't buy my children any prizes nor do I give them any treats for behaving well. They should behave well! It's expected and I will offer plenty of verbal praise and encouragement for making good choices, being big helpers, etc. However, if they misbehave while in the store they will have consequen...
I wrote this as a guest post a few weeks ago! All about keeping it "in the funnel" when it comes to parenting :) My biggest struggle so far as a parent is resisting the tendency to parent outside the funnel with my children. Toddlerwise reiterates the importance of avoiding this on page 36: "By "outside the funnel" we are referring to those times when parents allow behaviors that are neither age-appropriate nor in harmony with a child's moral and intellectual capabilities. To allow a 15-month-old child freedoms appropriate for a 2-year-old, or a 2-year-old child freedoms suitable for his 5-year-old sister, is to parent outside the funnel. Such freedoms do not facilitate healthy learning patterns - they only contribute to confusion." When Kye, my now four year old son, was my only child I didn't struggle as much with this issue. The only time I really found myself parenting outside of the funnel was when he first developed the ability t...
One of the biggest jobs we have as parents is to instill a solid self-esteem into our children. It's important for our kids to grow up feeling like they matter, that they have worth. However, it's also important for children to take responsibility for their actions. We live in a world today that is far more concerned about hurting kids feelings than holding them accountable. Parents blame teachers when their kid gets in trouble, parents fight with coaches when their kid doesn't get playing time, parents don't discipline for fear it'll scar their child for life, etc etc etc. Blogging is a tricky thing. I LOVE it and am glad so many of you read it, but having people read it means I also have to be aware of what I write. I don't believe in fluff. I don't blog to get more followers. Or to make people think I have a perfect little life. I blog to accurately tell my "story." To leave a little piece of myself behind for my children, and their children,...
This morning Kye had his first real temper tantrum. While driving home (with a kicking, screaming toddler in the back seat) I mentally blogged. Writing helps me vent and get my thoughts out so I don't go crazy (or become psycho mommy). I've grown up hearing parents complain about certain stages of parenthood. Whenever a child turns 13 you hear adults say "oh no, a teenager!" and whenever a child turns two you hear "the terrible twos!!!" Those remarks irritate me. Not all teenagers are tough and not all two year olds are terrible. Now that I myself have a two year old I feel that I'm allowed to say this. When I have a teenager, I'll let you know my thoughts on that situation ;) Our pediatrician calls this year the "trying twos" and I appreciate that. It is not a terrible age. It's a trying age. Kye is learning independence. He's learning that he can make choices and that those choices don't always match up with what Momm...
