While pacifiers are a great tool for many parents, my experience with my son was very different. Despite my plans for using pacifiers, we ended up using pacifier alternatives for babies. Here’s my story of why……
The Pacifier Fairy – A Fun Way to Get Rid of the Pacifier
Recently I have had the pacifier talk with several friends. Deciding when to get rid of the pacifier is a big decision! For some children it may be a minor event. But for others like my kids, it was a huge adjustment! So, I decided to call on the Pacifier Fairy (otherwise known as the Paci Fairy) for a little extra help!
If you haven’t heard of the Paci Fairy, then allow me to let you in on a little secret – She Is Amazing! And she is exactly what my kids needed!
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Potty Training Advice – How I potty trained all 3 of my kids in a few days
As a mom of three kids who each potty trained in a matter of only a few days, I wanted to share my potty training advice step by step with all of you! Keep in mind that every child is different. But in this parenting article, I’m sharing strategies that have worked well for each of my children – despite their differences.
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How Many Days Have You Been a Parent?
How many days have I been a parent? This simple question resulted in a whirlwind that has reached 2 million people on Facebook (and counting)! To find out for yourself, Google this: “How many days since [ your first child’s birthdate ].”
– Check out the viral Facebook post HERE –
How many days have I been a parent personally? 3,500 days right on the nose! And that number was amazing to see.
Those numbers are validating because we know just how much goes into each and every day as a parent! Being a parent is not a 9-5 job. There is no paid time off (in fact you don’t get paid at all). And you work nights and weekends. Picturing thousands of days of parenting makes you understand why you feel permanently tired!
It also puts the various stages of parenting into perspective. My heart goes out to the parents who haven’t even hit triple digit numbers yet. Those early days of parenthood are so challenging in so many different ways! Making it through baby’s first year is an accomplishment all on its own because each and every day is so intense.
There are the parents like me that are currently in that sweet spot of parenting. Our kids still need us, but their problems are still relatively small. Sure, we spend hours in the minivan trekking to and from youth sports and other activities; but the kids can at least buckle themselves into said minivan unlike the toddler stage that is in your rearview mirror.
I was able to look up to the parents just a few thousand days ahead of me and respectfully understand that they are trying to navigate the teenage years. Those parents have bigger concerns with real world ramifications for their children, and I can only imagine how many sleepless nights they are still enduring. The waiting, the worrying, and the wondering that goes along with raising a teenager can’t be easy.
Parenting also doesn’t stop once your child becomes an adult! There were many people commenting who were well past the 10,000 days mark, and yet they still have an incredibly important role in their children’s lives. Parenting is a beautiful commitment to a lifetime of love and helping your family through the ups and downs.
So whether you have been a parent for 8 days or 8,000… you are amazing! And you deserve credit for the many, many long hours you have dedicated to raising your family.
How many days have YOU been a parent? Share with us on Facebook!
And for parenting tips and resources, check out our full website: AdoreThemParenting.com
Five Ways To Help Your Toddler Cooperate
As infants grow into toddlerhood, they develop in amazing ways. One day, your little one isn’t even able to sit up on their own. A little while later, they are running and playing every chance they get. Beyond physical development, toddlers also grow intellectually at a rapid pace. Every day they learn a little bit more about the world, and also test new behavioral boundaries. Over time they can become more independent and strong willed. Naturally, this leads to conflict on occasion. Whether it’s a battle over bedtime, or a debate over what to have for dinner, most parents have experienced more than a few tantrums and meltdowns. Below are 5 ways to help your toddler cooperate and tips for dealing with these challenges as they arise.
This article is written by Ryan Howard
For more on this topic, check out the full All About Toddlers collection
5 Ways to Help Your Toddler Cooperate
Stay Calm
One of the biggest keys is to remember to stay calm. Toddlers are known to fly off the handle when they don’t get their way. As a parent this can be quite frustrating, particularly if you’ve had a long day. However, things will go more smoothly if one of you keeps a cool head (and this generally is not a strong suit for toddlers).
Don’t Cave
When you serve up chicken and broccoli for dinner, and your little one insists on eating ice cream instead, it can be really tempting to just give in. After all, one ice cream isn’t the end of the world. Plus, anything to make the crying stop is a good thing, right?
Not exactly. When you give in to a toddler tantrum, you are effectively teaching your young one that acting out is a good way to get what he or she wants. The more often you give in, the more often your little one will fight you on all things large and small.
Discuss Things Ahead Of Time So There Are No Surprises
Toddlers can get upset in the heat of the moment. One minute, they are blissfully playing in the living room, and then all of a sudden mommy or daddy comes out to tell them it’s time for bed. This lack of control can be frustrating for them. One way to mitigate this is to give them a heads up. You might walk over and say “in a few minutes, we have to go upstairs to brush our teeth”. Then, let them play a little while longer before telling them it’s time to go up.
To take things a step further, you might even talk to them a bit earlier in the day. Maybe while you’re having dinner you can say “I’m a little tired today, so I would appreciate it if you would cooperate when it’s time to get ready for bed. That would really help me.” Often times, communicating in this way can go a really long way.
Explain Your Point Of View
It might not always seems like it, but a lot of toddlers are quite capable of understanding your perspective. If you’re little one is in the middle of a melt down, it can be very hard to have a rational conversation. However, a few hours after the fact, or even the next day, it can be a good idea to discuss things. Simply explaining why it’s important to brush your teeth or eat a nutritious dinner can go a long way toward reinforcing good behavior.
Patience Is Key
Like a lot of things in parenthood, patience is a virtue. At the end of the day, when you’re trying to get your little one to brush his or her teeth, and you’re met with outright refusal, it can be really frustrating. All you want to do is brush those little teeth, so that both of you can get to bed. In these moments, it can be really easy to lose your temper. But, while this might get the desired result sometimes, it’s just as likely to blow up in your face. It can also lead to a more combative relationship over time. So take a deep breath and know you got this!
For more on this topic, check out the full All About Toddlers collection
Featured Contributor: Ryan Howard
Ryan Howard runs SmartParentAdvice, a site that provides parenting advice for moms and dads. Ryan writes about all of the different ups and downs of parenting, provides solutions to common challenges, and reviews products that parents need to purchase for babies and toddlers.
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- Website: smartparentadvice.com
Family Conversation Starters – All About Toddlers
We hear all the time how important it is to open up the lines of communication. Communication improves relationships with partners, friends, and coworkers; but we can’t forget that it also improves our relationships with our children.
Taking the time to have a genuine conversation with your child can be so much fun and so insightful! It also helps to build up a great family bond, which is why we are offering a few family conversation starters to go a long with each curated collection of content….
A Look at Toddler Development
It is amazing how quickly children grow up and change throughout the toddler years! I remember when I had my first baby. It seemed like it took so long for her to smile, hold her head up, roll over, grab a toy, and so on. These were big accomplishments for her, but changes happened more slowly as it would take several weeks (or months) between hitting the different milestones. A baby’s first year is very special! But it definitely can feel like it moves a bit more slowly. However, eventually they achieve everything that a baby learns to do, and eventually they become a toddler. That is when everything begins to change more quickly! Below is a fun look into Toddler Development….
A Simple DIY Behavior Chart that You Can Create and Use On-The-Go
One Sunday morning while sitting on our church chairs, my one son was having a particular tough time. I am not one to expect perfect behavior all of the time, especially during church. Kids are kids. And I understand that church can be boring for them. But this particular Sunday, he was extra wiggly, extra whiney, and extra loud. Luckily, a spark of creativity hit me, and I put together a super simple DIY behavior chart for him on the fly!
Scroll down to see the example, and learn more about my strategy!
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Letter and Number Printables for Toddlers
Teaching little ones their numbers and letters is really important, but it can take awhile. So make it fun and give them a visual with these free letter and number printables for toddlers!
Just grab some card stock from the store, print, and use in whatever way is convenient for you!
Free Letter and Number Printables for Toddlers
These printables are created by Karissa Tunis
For more on this topic, check out the full All About Toddlers and Free Printables collections
Toddlers are arguably the cutest, funniest, and most exhausting little things on the planet! They are developing at such an incredible rate, and it is amazingly rewarding to see them learning, discovering, and achieving new things on a daily basis. Because of these developmental leaps, toddlers can also present a different type of parenting challenge, which is why we have compiled this collection of resources for you!
Montessori Activities to Do at Home (on a Budget)
Although sending your child to a Montessori school is the best option, it is not the only option! With the rise of stay-at-home or work-from-home moms, it is not always in the budget, or feasible to send your toddler out of the home for preschool. But what is so great about Montessori, is that you can easily replicate these valuable lessons right in your very own home!
Included in this article is a collection of activities that you can put together for your child to enjoy! You can find most of the necessary items at thrift stores, the Dollar Tree, at craft stores like Michaels, Amazon, or look for free printables (like the one in this article) online. Some activities you will need to create or set-up yourself, but I promise…it is simple!
Keep Reading: Montessori Activities to Do at Home (on a Budget)
50 Easy Toddler Activities (with no mess!)
Putting together this list brought back so many memories for me! Memories of the days when I had a baby and a toddler to keep occupied for hours and hours at a time 🙂 While my boys are a bit older now, they still would love a lot of these activities. I even stopped putting together this list to go create the baby oil + food coloring one right then and there (#21). Below are 50 easy toddler activities that my kids love, and I am sure yours will too!
Keep Reading: 50 Easy Toddler Activities (with no mess!)
How to Get Your Kids to Eat More Veggies
Whether your child is a picky eater, or champion plate-licker, every parent struggles to include more vegetables into little diets. Nine out of ten children do not consume enough vegetables, and few get their recommended five to seven servings of fruits and vegetables per day. While broccoli may never truly compete with brownies in your child’s eyes, there are ways to make fruits and vegetables more enticing because it is truly important to get your kids to eat more veggies!…