Great little tips for first time moms

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Giving birth is a truly magical experience. Don’t listen to what anyone else says, it is. It’s wonderful and the feeling of holding your baby for the first time in your arms is absolutely overpowering. There is nothing else like it and you will love every moment of it. The question I’d like to ask now is what happens after that? How do you deal with the little issues that come with bringing a baby into your home? Well, here are a few little tips I’ve gathered for first-time moms.

Record Everything

I’m not suggesting that your husband should be in the delivery room with his phone recording the grand entrance. But, after that you will want to keep a video diary and take as many photographs as you can. With the latest tech, this is easier than it used to be. There are kids from the 90’s who have got no recordings of when they were little because the devices were to expensive. But, now the tech is cheaper, and you should be recording every moment. Of course, you will remember it. But one day when your little one is all grown up, you’re going to want to look back and live these days all over again. So from the every first day, record your baby's life in this world. Newborns look adorable, especially in professional photography.

When You Can, Sleep

You’ve heard the horror stories, and now we welcome you into the nightmare. The first couple of weeks where a baby refuses to sleep at night. Now, I should stress not everyone has the issue. Some babies are perfectly content to sleep straight through the night. They even learn to wake up when you do. But not all new parents get this luxury. Instead, they’re up at two am trying to get their little bundles of joy to sleep. Then again at three...and four...and five. I’ve seen these moms try desperately to cling onto their once perfect sleeping pattern. Do yourself a favor if this happens to you and let it go. Sleep when you can, when the baby chooses to sleep, otherwise you’re going to be exhausted.

You’ll Get Used To The Mess

It’s funny, I was speaking to a new dad the other day, and he uttered the words “It’s amazing how quickly you accept being constantly covered in poo.” The mom then chimed in “It’s not as bad as it sounds” and the father quickly replied “no, it really is.” I certainly didn’t miss those first days again after that, but it is true. You just get used to the mess, and if you take my advice, you’ll have that attitude when your kids start to grow up. They’ll leave toys around the house, they might draw on the walls, and you just have to roll with it. As long as their healthy and happy, try not to stress too much about the way your home looks.

Finally, remember to enjoy these times while they last. They certainly won’t stay forever.  

How I Aim to Teach My Child About the Dangers of the Outside World

As a new mom, I have a lot of planning and preparation for my child’s future. There are practicalities, such as money and clothes to think about. But there are also other considerations. And these are the things they don’t tell you about enough in parental guides. Things like how to answer the question ‘where do babies come from?’, and making your kids aware of dangers.

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Like it or not, these are things our children need to know about. So, I’ve already started planning for how I’m going to teach my kids about the dangers of the outside world. Not in an alarmist sense, but I do feel that it’s important to prepare kids and keep them informed. So, this is how I aim to teach my child about the dangers of the real world.

Explain Home Security to Them

First up, I will start the closest and most obvious - the home. I will talk about home security, and what we have in and around the home. I will then ask my daughter to list all the things she thinks constitutes home security. Making a game out of it engages them more. At my place we have CCTV systems. We have to buy fences direct from fence companies to protect our yard. And we have a state-of-the-art intruder alarm. I will make her aware of all of these elements. Then I will ease into why we need home security. And the fact that there are people out there who want to take what isn’t theirs. But reassurance is important too, so I’ll need to mention that these are just precautions. I don’t want to worry her.

Tell Them About Strangers

Another important thing that I feel we need to make out kids aware of is the risk of strangers. Now, fortunately, this is something that gets covered brilliantly in schools as well. So as parents we can work in unison with what the kids are learning in school. It’s important to make your child aware of the fact that they shouldn’t trust or talk to strangers at a young age. The trick will be deciding when I enter into this discussion with my kid.

Be Honest

I always find that honesty is the best policy in these situations. I have a friend who has recently had this convo with her kids. And she decided to be as honest and upfront as possible. Children need to be told the truth when they’re young, so they learn about it when they’re older. They might get confused if information you later give them is contradictory. Talk with them about 9/11; let them know there are bad people in the world. But reassure them that you will protect them and look after them. My approach will be total honesty, however, I will make sure I don’t frighten or alarm as well.

Give Them a Phone

When my kid gets a bit older, I’m going to consider giving her a cell phone. This is something my husband and I will need to discuss first, though. It’s important to choose the right age for this kind of thing. But, a phone is an important part of this learning process. By giving your child their own phone you give them a way of contacting you if they need to. And you should encourage them to do that. I feel like I might want to regulate my child’s phone regularly, and set some parental controls.

It’s a dangerous world out there, and our children are so naive and innocent. So we need to do what we can to protect them from the risks and dangers they face. These are some of the ways I’m going to use to teach my child about the dangers and risks in the world.

Fun Days Out You And The Little Ones Can Both Enjoy

When you have kids, you have to keep them happy. Happy might be cooking them their favourite meal, or it might be surprising them with a gift. Whatever it is, when your kids are happy, they are the moments that you cherish the most. Sharing quality time with your little ones is a part of every parent's' dreams. And, there is no better way than to share time together outside of the house. Getting out and seeing the world is a great way to keep them occupied and give them new experiences at the same time. So, what you need are fun days out that the kids will love.

Theme Park

Days out for kids don’t come much better than a day at a theme park, as long as they are old enough. Kids are fearless, which is why the prospect of going one hundred miles an hour on a rickety ride excites them. Plus, theme parks are made for children. There are fast, exhilarating rides that they can enjoy, and plenty of junk food and soda they can ingest. Quite simply, theme parks combine everything that kids love the most!

Go To The Zoo

Nothing peaks their curiosity more than animals. Even animals they see every day likes horses and cows are a big deal to children. So, when you put a lion and an elephant into the mix, they will be awestruck. Children can look at exotic animals for hours, which mean you can spend the whole day at the zoo without so much as a peep.

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SeaWorld

Or any exhibition with animals. SeaWorld is obviously one of the most popular because of the quality of the show. Watching huge, intelligent animals like orcas and dolphins do tricks and flips in the air is a sight to behold. In fact, the adults will love it as much as the kids! Plus, you can go underneath the surface and look at the marine life in their tanks. The sheer size and beauty of the animals will not be missed by the kids.

Watch A Sporting Event

Let’s face it – most children are sports mad. Most moms leave it to the dads to enjoy some father-son time at a game. But, there is nothing wrong with the moms substituting for the dads when they have to. As long as the kids get to watch their favourite players in the flesh, they don’t care about the chaperone. Tickets to games can be expensive, but they are a great treat every once in a while. The overall atmosphere and experience is something they will never forget.

A Day At The Park

Often, we try to think outside of the box when the simplest answer is the best answer. Kids have that much energy that they just love being outside and running around. You don’t even need to think of any activities because they will think of something all on their own. Better yet, if they are with a friend they will play for the entire day, and it won’t cost you a thing.

After all, parks are free!

Ways to improve your son's bedroom

As a parent, you should always be looking for new ways to improve your son’s bedroom. Here are some ways in which you can do exactly that.

Change the Window Coverings

You’d be surprised by what a big difference you can make to your son’s bedroom by simply changing the coverings of the windows. Is the room feeling too dark? Well, maybe the curtains are too thick, or they’re not letting enough light into the room. Curtains can often narrow the amount of light entering the room. For me, it’s usually better to use blinds because they don’t block light out the sides of the window. You can pull the blinds up whenever you want and flood the room with natural light.

Find a New Bed

Your son’s room won’t be complete until it has the right bed in it. You don’t have to stick to the conventional options when you buy a bed for your son. Why not go for something that will strike the right balance between fun and practicality? There are loads of interesting bed designs out there for you to consider. You could buy a bunk bed that’s themed like a tree house for example. You can view Cuckoolands Cabin Beds online. That will give you a better idea of what the different options are.

Give it a Deep Clean

Cleaning your child’s bedroom might not be easy, but the good thing about it is that it’s free. And it’s always a good idea to make the most of the free options that can make a big difference in how the room looks. This is important when you have a son. They are not known for being the most clean and tidy creatures in the world, as anyone with a son will know. So, it makes sense to get in there every now and then to give it a thorough and deep clean. It might be hard work, but it’ll be worth it.

Do Something Interesting with the Walls

Are the walls of the room looking a bit drab and boring? Well, there’s no reason it has to stay that way. Why not do something interesting with them? You could get together with your son and discuss a theme idea. You could then hire a decorator to translate that theme into a reality on the walls of the bedroom. It could be any theme at all, as long as it’s something that interests your son. Some people choose a race car theme, and others create an outer space design for the walls.

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Have a Regular Clear Out

There’s no doubt about it, bedrooms often get packed full of junk and toys. This seems to happen quickly, and before you know it, there’s no storage space left in your son’s room. This is not good, and it’s a sign that it’s probably time to have a big clear out of the room. You should conduct these clear outs regularly. Children grow out of things and get bored of toys very quickly. That’s because they grow up so quickly. So, it doesn’t make sense to carry on storing those toys they’ll never play with again and those clothes that no longer fit them. You could even make a little cash from selling them.

Teaching Your Little One To Ride A Bike

If you are thinking about beginning to teach your child to ride a bike, then don’t oversimplify it. I know there are articles online that tell you, that it's easy to teach a kid to ride in thirty minutes or less. It's a nice idea and certainly simplifies this part of parenting, but it's also ridiculous. I am sure these parents have had their kids on stabilizers for years, take them off, give them a push and away the kid goes. But if you do that, then you are going to find it takes your child a lot longer to learn. That's why my first advice is this

Forget About Stabilizers

Hey, I know that for some parents stabilizers are going to prove incredibly useful. Some children find it difficult to get the balance right away and immediately fall off a normal bike. But, most parents will find their kids don't need them. If your little one is very small and learning to ride you would be better off buying a trike then a bike with stabilizers. These are sturdier and a lot safer for little ones than a bike that’s too big with stabilizers stuck on the sides.

Balancing Is Better

If you have a toddler you want to forget about stabilizers completely and instead, buy a balance bike. You can find more info from http://balancebikespot.com/. These work a treat when teaching your kid how to ride. The balance bike doesn't have any pedals. Instead, your child will push themselves along. This teaches them about balancing and steering, two vital parts of learning to ride. Once they get a little bigger, you can move them on a proper bike. This way your child has never used stabilizers. A big problem with stabilizers is that a child will grow accustomed to them and then have difficulty riding without them.

Don't Rush It

You should leave your child using a balance bike for as long as they still need it. But eventually, you'll know it's time to move them on to a bigger challenge. Your child's first proper bike. Don't expect them to be able to ride straight away even if they have been using a balance bike for some time. Certainly, don't expect it to take a half hour or even one afternoon. It might be a couple of days before they can fly solo, and there is nothing wrong with that.

Teaching Them To Ride

If you want the learning curve to be as short as possible, watch out how you guide them. Do not steady them completely. Instead apply a light hold on their back without bending down fully to support them. Do not hold the handlebars ever otherwise it will take longer. As the ride continues, gradually lower your hold until the child is flying solo, but do not tell them they are cycling by themselves. Let them work it out for themselves otherwise the shock will cause them to fall immediately off!

Once you have completed this step, you can be proud in knowing you taught your child how to ride a bike. Get ready to be pestered about being taken on bike rides in the weeks to come. Good luck!

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