Family

While having children is great, many people feel that having grandchildren is even better. And although some people are natural grandparents and are able to develop great relationships with their grandkids, others might need a little help in this department.

If you wish that your children had a better relationship with your parents, here are three tips for including grandparents into your children’s lives.

Become Pen Pals

Whether you live close or far away from your children’s grandparents, Dr. Steven Dowshen, a contributor to KidsHealth.org, suggests that you help your children and their grandparents become pen pals. Both sides would love getting little surprises in the mail from the other, and this can be a great way for your kids to keep in touch with their grandparents even without seeing them.

Especially during the current pandemic, becoming pen pals may be the only way that your kids can interact with grandparents living in assisted living facilities. Because of this, becoming pen pals could be a great way to keep spirits up on both ends when seeing each other in person isn’t a safe possibility. And to make these letters in the mail even more meaningful, you could have your children include drawings or other little art projects or trinkets that their grandparents can keep to remember them by—and encourage the grandparents to do the same.

Give Grandparents Regular Updates

When your children are little, or even as they get older, it might not be easy or natural for them to get in touch with their grandparents on their own. Knowing this, you may want to take a more active role in facilitating the sharing of information.

One way this can be done, according to Dr. Susan Newman, a contributor to NewsForParents.org, is for you to give the grandparents regular updates about your kids. If your children start a new hobby or have something exciting happen in their lives, share this information with your parents so that when they next get in contact with your kids, they will have a better understanding of your children and will have something that they can ask your kids about to get the ball rolling on conversation.

Choose Something Special To Share

For some people, what really solidifies a bond is doing an activity together. This can be especially true for grandparents and their grandchildren.

With this in mind, Esther Leung, a contributor to FriendshipCircle.org, recommends that you brainstorm with your kids and your parents about an activity or hobby that they could start doing together. This could be as simple as playing a specific game whenever they’re together or trying new foods.

If you want to help your parents be more involved in your children’s lives, consider using the tips mentioned above to help everyone feel more included.

Congratulations on expecting a baby! It’s an exciting time and a reason to look forward to the future. As exciting as it is, however, it’s not something that doesn’t come without a certain amount of pressure.

It’s important to make sure that you’ve got everything in order before the big day arrives. Not only will your birth go much smoother, but parenting will go much smoother if you prepare ahead of time rather than waiting until the last minute.

 

If you’re currently expecting a baby, then take a look at some of the most important things that you should do before they arrive.

 

Pay Off Debts

 

You may have heard that kids are expensive. Unfortunately, the rumors are true. It’s important that you prepare your wallet as much as possible by reducing your expenses where you can. It’s a good idea to pay off your debt as much as possible. From paying off your car loan to your credit cards, it helps to get as much out of the way as you can before your baby arrives.

The last thing that you want to worry about is money as a new parent. You want to make sure that you have everything you need to be able to provide for your little one. Money stresses can take away from the joy of a new baby if you don’t get debts out of the way as early as you can.

 

Buy A Home

 

Although renting a place is something that many parents do, ideally, you should have a home of your own if you can. Not only will you have creative control over how you want to decorate your family home, but you’ll also be able to gain equity each month rather than throwing money away to a landlord.

 

Travel

 

Although it’s possible to travel with kids, it’s a lot more enjoyable to do before you become a parent. It can get complicated balancing making sure that all of your kid’s needs are met and having a good trip.

Not only that, but it can get considerably more expensive traveling with multiple members of your family rather than just yourself and partner.

If possible, try to travel as much as possible so that you get it out of your system before you become a parent.

 

Spend Quality Time With Friends

 

When you become a parent, it gets more difficult to find time to spend with your kids. It’s a good idea to spend as much time as possible with them before you’re bogged down with nap time, nursery classes, and everything else that comes along with parenthood.

 

You’ll find that you may miss your friends during the first few months of parenthood, so treasure your time with them while you can!

 

 

 

 

Keeping your house clean with kids around can feel like an impossible feat. The more kids there are, the more junk seems to pile up. From the day a baby is born, they come equipped with all sorts of toys, equipment, and clothing, filling your house with extra stuff that wasn’t there before. The more that your child starts to grow, the more things they begin to accumulate.

In addition to coming with lots of stuff, kids are also known for being less than tidy. Anyone with a toddler knows what it’s like to leave a room for only a few moments only to find that they’ve gotten into something that is now covered over the walls.

If you’re starting to feel like your house with kids is overflowing with messes you’d like to see less of, then take a look at some of the best tips for keeping a tidy house with kids.

Declutter

The more things that you have, the harder it is to clean it all. It’s that simple. Before you tackle cleaning, you should tackle your clutter. Get rid of everything that you haven’t used in over six months.

Start in your kid’s rooms, and move on to the living room, bathrooms, and everywhere else. If there are certain items that you absolutely can’t bear to part with, then consider putting it in storage.

Assign Everything A Place

When your belongings don’t have a home, then your house can quickly become a free-for-all. Therefore, it’s important that everything has a place. Assign a basket or shelf where things should be placed every time they’re put away.

Having designated places for everything avoids junk getting piled up throughout the house.

Teach Your Kids To Clean

It’s important to teach your children how to clean up after themselves. Letting them get away with leaving things all over the house will only instill bad habits that will last their whole life.

Instead, get them involved in tidying up. Creating a cleaning routine which they are required to participate in is essential. Teaching them more responsibility is never a bad thing for anyone. Kids as young as 1 can start to understand basic tidying skills!

Create Designated Play Areas

It helps if you limit areas of the house where the kids can bring their toys. Allowing toys into your main living space is inviting clutter into your home. The majority of your kid’s toys should be in their room with a small amount in the main living space, perhaps on a shelf or in a basket. If you allow your children to overrun the house with toys, their room will spill over to the rest of your home, resulting in an explosion of toys!

Whether you’re a strong swimmer yourself or not you will recognize that water safety is ultra important for children, they need to respect water and be able to swim if they should find themselves in a situation where they are in water and there is no adult around. That is why many parents are taking their children to baby swimming school to develop swimming skills earlier on.

What are the Benefits of Baby Swimming School?

Swimming classes for babies of 12 weeks to 6 months are designed to build a foundation of water safety in a child while they are young, so that as they get older they will not only feel comfortable in water, but they will naturally know how to breathe and react when in water, and will quickly pick up swimming strokes and skills. This type of activity is an opportunity for bonding between the baby and its parent, and something many Father’s like to do with their child, to teach them some of their first life skills. Baby swimming instructors introduce age-appropriate water acclimation drills which help the baby to feel comfortable in water, and find their balance so they can first of all float ready to learn to swim in the coming months.

Why Should You Teach Swimming to Children Early on in Their Development?

Swimming is a healthy leisure activity for kids which not only promotes exercise and good fun but is also a life skill which could save their life at some point. The statistics are shocking, that 20% of all drowning deaths are children under 14, and 80% of those deaths occur in the presence of the parents. So often the parent is powerless to help. If you leave it until your child is in the sea at the age of 7+ to teach them to swim, this is a very dangerous environment, and they will struggle to learn. Whereas if taught from infancy they will be a strong and competent swimmer by the age of 7 and be able to save their own life if put in a dangerous situation in the water. Swimming lessons lessen the risk of drowning by almost 90%.

Currently in the USA 50% of children have no or low swimming ability, which puts them at risk of drowning. Not having confidence in water will effect their future, leaving them behind their peers who enjoy water activities on vacation or as extra-curricular activity. Swimming lessons from young promote physical strength, agility, safety awareness and confidence.

Swimming Lessons for Older Children

As children get older they will develop their experience in the pool and be able to be taught diving, swimming strokes, swimming under water, rescue and other skills which will further develop their confidence and abilities. Many high schools have swimming teams and children who swim regularly on their own time up to then have the ability and athleticism to be selected for the school team. This give them a big advantage and may qualify them for a scholarship at college.

 

Finding a nanny for your child may be necessary in order to balance work with your family life. However, choosing someone that you can trust to take care of your children while you’re not, there is not a decision to be taken lightly. The thought of leaving your child with a stranger can be downright unsettling.

Therefore, it’s important to make sure that you go through the hiring process carefully and thoroughly. Here are some of the best tips for helping you choose the perfect nanny for your family.

Ask For Recommendations With Friends

Word of mouth is a great tool when it comes to finding a nanny. Finding someone that already comes recommended by someone you know personally reduces the risk of putting your child into the hands of someone dangerous.

Don’t hesitate to post something on your social media mentioning that you’re looking for recommendations. You might even be surprised to find that you already know someone who is a nanny themselves!

Conduct a Background Check

Before allowing just anyone to come into your home and take care of your child, you should make sure you know everything about them. You should know their criminal history, and if they’ve ever been charged with sexual abuse, or any issues involving children.

Look into their previous jobs and find out why they quit. By doing your homework about their past, you’ll have an idea of how they’ll treat your children.

Be Specific About What You’re Looking For

When looking to hire a nanny, it’s important to be as specific as possible in your requirements. Failing to list the specifications could waste your time and someone else’s.

Make sure to clearly outline what kind of duties you’d like them to perform and what hours you’d like them to work. The last thing you want is to make time for an interview only to find that the person was expecting full-time when you’re only looking for a few hours a week.

Create a Contract

A contract is critical when you hire someone. It should outline everything from house rules to their hourly pay. A contract helps protect you and the nanny from unnecessary battles down the road.

The best way to make sure that everyone stays happy is to be as specific as possible from the beginning.

Agree On a Trial Period

Sometimes, despite your best efforts, you may not be a good fit for each other. It can put you in a bit of a pickle once you’re under contractual obligation.

Therefore, it’s helpful to agree on a trial period before hiring them indefinitely. It also gives your child the opportunity to tell you whether they like them or not.

For many people, the picture-perfect family just isn’t complete without a pet. Today, many couples and families choose to have dogs as their pet. However, taking on a pet, especially a dog, isn’t as easy as you might hope. So to help ensure that everyone in your family is ready for this transition, here are three tips for preparing your family to get a new dog.

Teach Your Kids How To Respect Animals

Before you bring a new pet into your home, including a dog, you’re going to want to be sure that your children are ready to be around this animal on a daily basis. While many children get very excited around dogs, this doesn’t mean that they understand how to give them the respect they deserve in order for everyone to stay safe while sharing a home together.

To help with this, Tisha Berg, a contributor to WorkingMother.com, recommends that you find plenty of opportunities for your kids to interact with other dogs before you get your own family dog. During each of these interactions, you should be teaching your kids the right ways to spend time around dogs. This should include how to approach dogs, when to leave them alone in order to avoid being bitten by a dog, and how to safely and calmly pet or play with a dog.

Have Your Kids Help You Dog-Proof Your Home

Once your think your children understand how to be around a dog in a safe and loving way, it’s now time to start preparing your home for the presence of your new pet.

Similar to babyproofing, Gina Shaw, a contributor to WebMD.com, shares that you’re going to want to remove anything that could get ruined by being chewed, licked, or eaten. This includes things like household cleaners, medicines, some potted plants, and toys with small parts or pieces.

During this removal process, you should also inform your kids that these things will have to stay out of the house, or at least off the floor, whenever your dog is around so that he or she will always be safe in your home.

Make A Plan For Routines and Responsibilities

Caring for a dog is a big responsibility that should be shared by your entire family, including your kids.

To help them prepare for this, Jen Hubley Luckwaldt, a contributor to Parents.com, suggests that the best way to ensure everyone is doing their part to care for your new dog is to make a plan for routines and responsibilities. Try creating a calendar where everyone has a turn walking the dog, feeding the dog, and bathing the dog. You may also need to lay out a plan for house-training if you’re getting a puppy that hasn’t mastered this skill yet.

If you’re thinking about getting a new dog for your family, consider using the tips mentioned above to help prepare yourselves for this new addition.