Month: April 2017

  • How to get your child to sleep through the night

    Tips on how to get your child to sleep through the night

    No matter what age your little one, us mamas always go through the sleep battle at one point or another. But it doesn’t have to be this way! Honestly…and we can get through this together! Here are just some of the best tips I’ve been given along the years.

    First things first- is your little one getting enough sleep? According to many sources, children should be getting hours upon hours of sleep! See recommendations below:

    0-6 months : 16-20 hours

    6-12 months : 12-16 hours

    1-2 yr olds : 11-14 hours

    2-5 yr olds : 10-13 hours

    6-12 yr olds : 9-12 hours

    Next, where is your child sleeping?

    wood crib with stripe pillow and plush brown fox

    Try these tips to get your little one to sleep soundly at night:

    Get enough sleep

    I fall victim to this one. Getting your children to nap during the day is crucial to them having a restful sleep at night. But can I be honest here? I wasn’t one of those grand mamas with a perfect schedule that had her kids napping soundly in their beds at a scheduled hour. I’d be lucky if I got them to nap at the same time! Sadly, I was THAT mama…you know, the one who’s kids napped in their strollers and car seats while running errands. Yea. That was me.

    Prepare The Environment

    This one seems obvious but doesn’t the obvious slip by us? Turn down the lights, make sure the room temperature is comfortable, soft music if they need it…

    Prepare Your Toddler

    Let them know what is about to happen. No sugar coating, no choices. Soft, kind and firm. My dear, it is time to rest for a little while and when our rest is over, we can continue. Prepare Your Toddler

    Simple choices

    There is just no need to have 7 pajama choices, 15 teddy bears, 5 blankets or 50 lullaby tracks to choose from. lol. If you desire to give your child a choice, make it between two items only. And be sure to play/rotate between only a handful of lullaby tracks, so your child is humming a tune to explain which song he/she really wants to hear. (Just trust me on that one lol)

    Introduce a Comforter

    This simply provides a sense of security. I’d suggest buying two duplicates to avoid tears during the wash or if God forbid it should get lost!

    Positive praise

    Whether or not your little ones love language is words of affirmation, words of encouragement and praise work wonders! It truly is foundational for a child’s growth development.

    Promote Independence

    You can start small here, by laying out a small area where they can possibly reach all these items themselves and prepare them on their own.

    baby girl sheep blanket
    How to get your child to sleep through the night 2

    How else can we encourage our kids to get rest?

    PIN FOR LATER>>>

    SLEEP TODDLER
    How to get your child to sleep through the night 3

  • How to survive parenting

    Laughter is the Best Medicine When Parenting & The Only Way You’ll Get Through It in One Piece

    Of all the different strategies and techniques for handling situations that come up as a parent, laughter is among the best. Not only does humor and laughter help to alleviate tension and stress, but it has also been shown to benefit us physically. Here are a few benefits of parenting with a positive spin, as well as ways to incorporate laughter into your parenting routine.

    Physical Benefits

    Laughter helps to relieve physical stress and tension, which leaves your body feeling more relaxed after. A good laugh also gets your heart pumping and gives your heart and lungs a workout. Laughing for fifteen minutes burns almost the same amount of calories as a fifteen-minute walk. This means that laughing can really help when it comes to keeping fit and keeping up with the kids.

    When we laugh, our bodies release endorphins, which make us feel good and give us a sense of wellbeing. Laughing also reduces the levels of stress hormones in the body, which eases tension and anxiety. Reducing your stress hormone levels may also boost the performance of your immune system. This means that laughter may also help keep you and your kids healthy.

    Other Benefits

    When people laugh together, it strengthens their relationship. If you share laughter and humor with your kids, it helps you to bond more as a family. Laughing together encourages people to work together as a team and helps to settle the conflict. Your kids will feel more connected to you if you share laughter and will be all the more motivated to do what you want them to.

    Humor also helps to relieve distress during times when you are feeling overwhelmed. By making laughter a part of every day, both you and your family can maintain a more positive outlook and a healthy attitude, all the way around.

    Bring Laughter into Your Life

    It’s easy to make laughter a part of your parenting routine because kids love to laugh and have a good time. If your kids have a hard time getting excited about cleaning up after themselves, come up with an encouraging activity or game to play while you clean. This way, they will actually want to participate and help out, rather than doing it to avoid getting into trouble.

    When something bad happens and it’s time to get tough, try to focus on the positive aspects of the situation rather than the negative. Your kids may be more inclined to stay in bed at night if you talk to them about some of the fun things that might happen in the morning, rather than how much trouble they’ll be in if they don’t fall asleep.

    Not only does laughter help to keep you and your family healthy and stress-free, but it also encourages your kids to behave better and enjoy life more. The times your family spend laughing together are the times your kids will fondly remember as they get older and form families of their own. If you encourage them to stay positive, they’ll pass that outlook down to their own kids in the future.