Sunday, January 27, 2013
Getting a child to sleep through the night is the aim of all parents, but what's the best way to do it?
How do you and your baby get a good night’s sleep? When you hear your baby cry, letting him or her cry it out is one of the hardest things to do. Your instincts tell you to go and soothe your baby. A study out of Temple University says that parents should let their baby cry it out. Psychology Professor Marsha Weinraub says in an article on the Temple website that babies need to learn to self-soothe, which they don’t learn if a parent is doing the soothing for them, such as nursing the baby back to sleep. "The best advice is to put infants to bed at a regular time every night, allow them to fall asleep on their own and resist the urge to respond right away to awakenings." There are many critics of the cry it out method, who will hopefully …
Sunday, January 6, 2013
Colder weather means fewer options to entertain your children.
A trip to the playground or park can be less appealing when the temperature dips. There are plenty of things you can do inside your home, but sometimes you get cabin fever and want to get out with your children to some place you can stay warm. Whether you want to go shopping or not, malls can be a nice place to stretch your legs and stay warm, whether you’re going to King of Prussia, Springfield, Granite Run, Plymouth Meeting, Exton Square or another mall. Some larger stores, such as Ikea are also entertaining and large. We took my son before Christmas and he loved walking around the place. We even stayed for dinner at their kid-friendly restaurant. There are also some children’s gyms that have activities, such as Gymboree in Ardmore, My …
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Do thank you notes need to be delivered by snail mail or do you think other, more electronic methods are appropriate?
The gifts have been opened and the bows and paper throw away. Now you have a list of presents and friends and relatives who sent them. It’s time to write thank you notes. My son isn’t 2 yet, so I’ll be writing his notes and mine again this year, but it won’t be long before he can at least contribute to and soon pen his own thank you notes. I have so far stuck with what I was taught as a child, to pull out the note paper and write thank you notes, but it’s almost 2013 and the electronic age has given us so many more ways to communicate, a landline, a cell phone, texting, Skype, Facetime, email and more. Do you let your children email thank you notes or do you make them handwrite them? Do you think thank you notes are a thing of the past or …
Sunday, December 16, 2012
Do you have cultural or family traditions that make the season brighter?
The holidays are a time for family, immediate and extended. Family and the holiday traditions can be what make the holidays the most special time of the year. There are some classic holiday traditions, such as Christmas trees, gift exchanges, Christmas cookies, Christmas music and more. When I was a child, we used to go to a cut your own Christmas tree farm with my grandparents. I remember thinking the giant Santa statue at the Christmas tree farm and the hot chocolate after we cut down the tree were my favorite parts. We never decorated the tree until Christmas Eve and we always left a few ornaments for Santa to finish off the tree. My son is still young and although we are continuing some of our older traditions, we are also starting new…
Sunday, December 2, 2012
How do you get the best picture? Where do you get the best cards?
Christmas cards have changed over the years. Now, frequently, it’s not just the card’s message that focuses on the family, but the card itself with pictures. Many people still send traditional holiday cards, but many others use any of the many businesses that create cards from your pictures or allow you to create them. Creating the Card and Printing It I’ve used Shutterfly for a number of years now, so that’s where I turn each year to make my holiday card. They, like many other retailers, offer such a large variety of options and price points, that it’s very easy to find what you want. I’ve also seen some cute cards from Tiny Prints. What site or business do you use for your cards? Getting the Picture But before you can create the card, …
Sunday, November 25, 2012
How much is too much to spend on children and teens?
As the holiday shopping season goes into full swing, some people are maxing out their credit cards to pay for presents and others are setting budgets and sticking with them. Scour just about any Facebook stream or stop in a local coffee shop and chances are you’ll hear parents debating the merits of setting spending limits. Or, you'll hear them lamenting about just how much they've already spent. The ideas for a perfect limit do seem to vary rather greatly. Some parents say $100 per child is more than enough. Others tend to lean toward much more generous figures. After all, there’s nothing like seeing a child’s eyes light up as they unwrap gift after gift. Do you set spending limits on the presents you buy for your children? How much is …
Sunday, November 18, 2012
The house will be filled with family or maybe you'll be stuck in a hotel. How do you keep your kids entertained?
Thanksgiving is days away. You may be preparing to host family in your home and cook up the holiday feast or you may be planning on packing up the family and moving out to a hotel or a relative’s for the big day. Whatever you’re doing, you’re taking your kids and they’re going to likely need some form of entertainment. We’re preparing to head north to New York state to visit my in-laws and we’ve already begun the hunt for potential attractions to keep my 19-month-old son entertained, since the hotel room and a house filled with grown ups will only offer limited interest. Obviously for us, going to see a movie is out, since my son’s attention span isn’t yet that long, but this is a big weekend for movies. Are you planning on heading out to …
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Share your expertise and see who others local parents recommend.
Many people are thinking about maybe finding new doctors this time of the year with insurance companies’ open enrollment periods and fall colds and the flu popping up. The American Academy of Pediatrics advises parents to interview potential doctors, ask questions about procedures and observe the doctor and other staff members reactions to you and your children. What do you look for in a good pediatrician? Do you prefer someone who gives you one set of rules and expects you to follow them with your kids or someone who gives you a bit more leeway? Choosing a doctor of any sort can be difficult, especially a pediatrician. Word of mouth can sometimes be the best help in finding the best doctors. So, who do you trust to care for your children…
Sunday, November 4, 2012
Do you take your child to vote with you? Do you discuss the issues?
Election Day is Tuesday and America will choose which man will run the country for the next four years. Our kids can’t vote in the election until they are 18, but my earliest memory of the election process is voting for president in a Weekly Reader poll. (I won’t date myself and tell you the candidates.) Children learn about current events, such as politics at school, from TV and from the environment created by parents. So, how do you deal with the elections and your kids? I remember my mom taking me to vote with her when I was a child. Do you feel it’s important to take your child with you for the experience? Do you talk about the issues in front of your children or with your children? Share your opinions in the comments area below.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Having a life outside parenting means finding someone to watch your children, but who can you trust?
Finding someone to watch of your child, or children at times is key to being able to have an “adult life.” But how do you find that babysitter? They don't suggest leaving children in the care of the family dog, like they do in Peter Pan, so how do you find someone you can trust with the responsibility of caring for your child? My son is now a year and a half, and I’m blessed to have a number of relatives nearby, so Mom Mom or Granddad are the go-to babysitters for us, but they have lives too and are not always available. Unfortunately, although our neighborhood has older children, they aren’t quite old enough for babysitting yet. Where to Look In today’s world of digital connections, there are websites that will link babysitters and …
Jane
9:17 pm on Sunday, February 10, 2013
Carrie is exactly the kind of Mom I hope never to be! more ›