We all know raising children comes at a cost. Literally and figuratively.

Let’s Making Parenting Less Expensive

It’s no secret that raising children is expensive. For many of today’s parents, the challenge of making ends meet is much harder than it was for their parents and grandparents. This is due, in part, to rising costs and low-paying wages. The good news is that there ARE ways to make parenting less expensive. Read further to learn more about a few of them. Saving money is probably easier than you think.

Teach Children Early

Don’t wait until your children are older to teach them that money doesn’t grow on trees. When they ask for things, learn how to say no without feeling guilty. Consider giving them an age-appropriate allowance in exchange for doing their homework (without being asked) or doing simple chores around the house. This way, you can break the habit of your kids asking for something every time you leave the house.

Comparison Shop

There is a lot to be said about comparison shopping and taking advantage of sales and discount days. This takes more time than just running into the store really quickly to pick something up. But, if you have time to shop around, you’ll generally save big time.

Also, remember that there’s nothing wrong with buying certain things in a “gently used” condition. Shopping at thrift stores doesn’t mean you’re poor; it means that you’re a smart shopper.

Cook at Home

When you’re a parent, there never seems to be enough time in a day. Don’t let time constraints allow you to get in the habit of eating out. Cooking at home, from scratch, is so much more affordable. If your schedule is hectic, try “batch cooking” one or two days a week. You can successfully freeze almost anything. Pull something out of the freezer the night before. In the morning, toss it in a slow cooker. You be surprised at the money you’ll save.

Create a Support Network

When it comes to things like childcare, try to create a support network. Talk to two or three other moms about swapping childcare duties. The more you can trade-off with other moms, the less you have to pay for expensive day-to-day care. Doing so also allows you (as parents) to enjoy an occasional “date night” when the mood hits.

Look for After-School Alternatives

After-school activities can be quite expensive. Look for alternatives offered by your local park system, the library, or even the YMCA. Also, check out the community calendar on sites like craigslist.org and your local news websites. Many times, you’ll find listings for free concerts, classes, and other family-related activities.

Armed with this information, as well as taking advantage of some of these tips, should make parenting a bit less expensive. You can even go one step further and create a budget if you like. By sticking to it as much as possible, you’ll probably be able to save money and still be considered one of the coolest parents on the block! Why not get started today?

5 Shocking Behaviors Parents Should Never Ignore

As a parent, it’s very tempting to let smaller, less important issues go unnoticed. To some extent, however, it’s important to pick your battles. Why? Some behavioral problems can lead to worse issues in the future if they aren’t dealt with immediately. Here are five little behavioral issues that you may regret ignoring, along with what you can do to correct them.

Interrupting

If your child is eager to tell you something, he or she may ask you right in the middle of a task or conversation. It may not be much of a problem to stop to give your child the attention they’re looking for. But in doing so, they may feel even more entitled to your attention and develop a habit of interrupting you in the future.

In the event, your child yells or tugs on your arm to get your attention, tell him (or her) that he won’t get what he wants by interrupting. Don’t give in to him until he waits patiently for you to finish.

Pretending Not to Hear You

If your child gets away with not doing what you tell him to do until after you’ve told him a few times, he’ll think that he’s in charge of deciding when to do what you’re asking. Reminding a child to do what you asked teaches them that they can wait until they think you start to get serious.

Always make sure your child pays attention to you when you talk to him. Get him to respond to show that he is listening to you. If the behavior continues, you may need to impose a consequence on getting him to see that ignoring is not an option.

Playing Rough

Of course, if your child hits another child, this represents a situation that demands attention right away. But, many parents pay less attention to “less serious” forms of aggressive behavior, such as pinching and pushing. When this type of incident occurs, it’s still important to deal with it immediately. Don’t wait.

Not Seeking Permission

It doesn’t take long for children to start preparing snacks on their own, rather than asking for help getting them. However, giving them control over when they can eat or perform certain activities doesn’t help teach them to follow the rules.

It’s best to have an established set of rules for the household, instead of letting your child behave as he pleases. This gives him a constant set of rules to follow and adjust to, as opposed to teaching him to make the rules for himself.

Stretching the Truth

If your child exaggerates or lies about something that doesn’t matter, it may not seem like a big deal. But, lying easily becomes a habit that kids often turn to to get out of chores or trouble. If your child lies about something, make sure you let him know that it’s essential, to tell the truth. Tell him that lying hurts other people’s feelings and makes people suspicious of what they have to say. Kids will likely slow down on exaggerating if they realize that it is not as harmless as it seems.

These behaviors may be of little or no harm now. But, try to steer your child away from them all the same. If your kid often acts without permission, you must help him realize that this behavior is inappropriate or even dangerous. It’s better to deal with the issue now than to deal with the repercussions of a child acting impulsively in the future.

Tips for Dealing with Anxiety at Bedtime in Children

Getting children to go to sleep can be a challenge for most parents. However, if your child starts to show anxiety about bedtime, or genuine fear, it’s time to get to the bottom of the cause and take action to help them get a healthy and restful sleep every night.

How Much Sleep Do Children Need?

In general, school-aged children need ten to eleven hours of sleep per night. Unfortunately, sleep stealers such as homework, TV, DVDs, gaming, texting, and so on, can all have an impact on their sleep. Even five-year-olds want to stay up late and watch TV. They are anxious that they might be missing out on lots of fun. Even when they are tired, or even over-tired, it can be tough to get them to settle down for the night.

A calming routine of bath, PJs, and a bedtime story can help them wind down enough to be able to sleep.

Night Terrors

Some children are afraid of the dark. A nightlight can help. You can also play games in the dark to make it seem less scary, such as a treasure hunt with a flashlight or hide and seek in dark places like closets.

Other children don’t like to sleep on their own. Parents will often let the child come in with them, and they all fall asleep and end up sharing the bed all night. This can be a bad idea for several reasons. It can become a bad habit and cause intimacy issues between a couple. A sleeping adult can also cause serious damage to a child by rolling over, or through a misplaced elbow or knee.

If you wait until the child falls asleep to pick them up and carry them to their room, it might wake them. It can also be very disorienting if they wake in the middle of the night in a different place.

Nightmares

Many children have bad dreams. Avoiding scary subject matter in books and movies can help. Limit the amount of news they see on TV and what topics are discussed around the dinner table. If there are family tensions in the house, don’t allow the conflict to spill over to the point where it will make your child anxious.

Some nightmares are based on reality, like the time a big dog chased them. Deal with real-life events like this at the time by soothing them but not making a huge fuss. Try distracting them instead, so they don’t dwell on it.

Similarly, if they have a nightmare, don’t make them relive it by telling you about it. This might cause them to dwell on the dream and make it a recurring one. Reassure them that it was only a dream that came from their imagination, and then distract them with talk of more exciting topics.

Don’t engage with the content of the dream by hunting for “monsters” under the bed or in the closet. This might make them even more scared. Have them picture a safe, happy place, and that should counteract their fear and help them understand that their mind can create both monsters and paradises alike.