Karissa Tunis

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!…

Raising Kids to Have Strong Sibling Bonds

Having three kids is a lot of work. It’s a lot of laundry. A lot of school paperwork. And there are a lot of toys to clean up. However, it is also three times the fun …. or so I always try to remind myself 😉 Three kids within four years was a big commitment, and it has taken a lot of patience! But, I learned early on that if I can encourage these little people to get along, than my life will be much much easier! My goal is to raise my kids to have strong sibling bonds both now AND in the future.

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How to Get Along with Adult Siblings

I am so lucky to be one of four girls! (Yes, my poor dad had 4 daughters, and I am the oldest of the bunch.) But as you can imagine, we have had to figure out how to get along with adult siblings over the years. I feel so fortunate to have great relationships with my sisters, which is why I want to share what works well for us!

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When to Give a Group Time Out

Having three children means that there is a lot of activity in our house! And for the most part, there is a lot of love and laughter. Nothing makes me as happy as watching these three humans, who I helped to create, play together in a kind and harmonious way! However, there are times when someone gets upset. Whether sharing suddenly becomes painfully difficult. Someone starts crying because their feelings were hurt. Or things build into a nasty argument/fight…… Whatever the reason, we have all needed to step in and mediate these sibling rivals and quarrels. But have you ever considered giving a group time out?…

How to Ease the Transition to Two Kids

I was very nervous about the birth of my second child. I had heard stories of how the transition from one to two children was much worse than the transition from zero to one. This was hard for me to imagine since my transition from no children to one colicky baby was a rough one. I knew that we would survive whatever was thrown our way, but part of me dreaded the new baby’s first year and having to transition to two kids!

For more on this topic, check out the full Siblings collection

I saw friends struggle through the transition. I was one of the last ones in our circle of mom friends to join the Mom of Two Club. This meant that everyone else already had their hands full with their own children, and wouldn’t be able to help me much with my own transition. It also meant that I heard their difficulties and worried about what we might be up against.

Luckily, it also meant that I could watch and learn. I could see what worked, what didn’t, and how quickly things seemed to get easier.

And eventually, I was blessed with a baby who did not have colic AND was much happier than my first. I also had an independent three year old who has a soft spot for the baby, and took pride in his job as a brother 🙂

I understand that all situations are different. But here are 3 things that helped us with our transition to two kids, and I hope that they help you as well:

1. Don’t Ooo & Ahh Over Baby

Babies love and desire attention. They are adorable and perfect, and don’t get on your nerves as much as a toddler can. However, they do not understand when you tell them that they are beautiful, or perfect, or cute, or amazing. But their big sibling definitely understands.

I made an effort not to praise the new baby too much while big brother was around. And if I did, I included my older son – “Isn’t your little brother so cute?” “I have such sweet boys!”

Of course, I always made sure that baby felt loved. And when big brother wasn’t around, I gushed about how perfect he was. But it was important not to make my first son feel like he was completely dethroned and now second best.

2. Don’t Push First Sibling Aside

Life gets much busier when you transition to two kids. Days fly by in a whirlwind of feedings, naps, and diapers. There are dirty dishes, laundry, and vacuuming to be done.

The first child can get lost in the chaos because they are more self sufficient. They might not get attention from mommy because the load of poop stained onesies needs washed.

But it is important to give that first child plenty of one on one attention. I tried my best to ignore other responsibilities and spend one-on-one time with big brother while little brother was sleeping. We had a lot of quality time playing games, coloring, doing puzzles, and just playing while the baby slept.

3. Emphasize Big Sibling’s Role

Your first child has a huge role in their baby sibling’s life. They are role models, care takers, play mates, and teachers.

You, of course, don’t want to force your child into a role of taking care of their sibling unwillingly. But you should help them build that sibling bond, and encourage them to be a helper. They can grab diapers for you, they can bring snacks for everyone to share, and they can play peek a boo with the baby while you make them lunch.

You are the parent. But the older sibling deserves responsibility in caring for their new baby too. My son loved this role, and it made him feel that he was still a very important part of the family. He takes his job as big brother seriously, and he is wonderful at it!

Transition to Two Kids

The transition will never be perfectly smooth. There will always be mommy guilt and sibling rivalry. But having two children opens up the doors for new relationships and growth for every person in the family. And it can all be an incredible experience!

For more on this topic, check out the full Siblings collection