After many years working in childcare I wanted to take some time to cover some of the topics that cause many new parents the most amount of stress, and share some quick tips to help you through.
Help your baby sleep through the night
Cracking this as early as possible will be one of the most positive things you can achieve as a parent, there are many different methods out there but in this article – ‘Help your baby sleep through the whole night‘ i share what worked for me and really hope it works for you too.
Create a stress free bedtime routine
Whether you have a baby or a toddler (or even a preschooler) a good bedtime routine is key to a happy home life, here I take a closer look at what works for both babies and toddlers.
Promote good behavior from an early age
Good behaviour should be encouraged from a very early age, it’s much easier to teach good behaviour from the start than correcting bad behaviour. The best way to teach good behaviour is to model it yourself, be a good role model, being a good person makes it easier to be a good parent that in return has respect and a well behaved child. Recognise when your child behaves well, acknowledge and reward that better behavior and Ignore any bad behaviour where ever possible. Some of the best advice regarding promoting good behaviour can be found on this website; Good behaviour tips
Provide healthy meals
Knowing what and when to feed children is a big worry to many toddler parents, in this guide there’s a handy download on portion recommendations plus some good healthy meal ideas that children love. Being able to provide a nutritious meal is important but don’t worry, no-one expects a perfect parent, the odd chocolate sandwich wont hurt!
Create a happy mealtime routine
Mealtimes should be a time for the family to come together, it should be a time that in years to come your children will look back on and have fond memories of, it doesn’t always happen immediately with young children, you may have to persevere a little to get it to run smoothly and be the quality time you want it to be, but if you take the steps in this post about happy mealtime routines you’ll soon have it under control and everyone laughing around the table together.
Promote good communication skills
The sooner your child can effectively communicate with you and others the easier everything becomes, communication is a natural part of a child’s development and there are many ways to encourage good communication skills, this internet site has some really good ideas.
Learn how to cope with lack of sleep as a new parent
Lack of sleep takes some adjusting to for most first time parents, if you follow the guidance on getting your baby to sleep through the night you may be lucky and your lack of sleep might not last too long, but for some people 6-8 weeks is still a really long time. The best thing to do is be prepared and know your coping strategies to make it easier, things such as preparing your morning coffee the night before and putting any baby items you’ll need first thing in the easiest place to access them. And like all the good women’s health books tell you rest when baby rests, it doesn’t necessarily have to be sleep, some meditation or yoga could help increase your energy levels too, there’s also no shame in asking a family member for help.
Learn how to potty train easily
So many parents spend so much time thinking about potty training, its definitely one of the big developmental milestones for both child and parent, but don’t overthink it, there are basic signs to look for to know that your child is ready, such as your child’s age, recognising their toileting movements, being able to communicate these and being physically able to dress and undress, once you see these new things then its time to start, this post shares more details on potty training the right way
Know how to deal with temper tantrums
Temper tantrums will happen, sorry but they just will, even the most well behaved child is entitled to the odd melt down! The good news is knowing how to deal with them in a good way can make them much more manageable. The better way is to remain calm, keep eye contact and stick to your guns……..tantrums often occur when a child doesn’t get their own way, but backing down isn’t the answer! There’s more helpful tips here on controlling toddler temper tantrums.
Be prepared to ditch the dummy (pacifier)
Like potty training this is just another one of those little things that most parents have to deal with eventually and the times will vary amongst children and parents but having an idea in your mind of how you will approach it when the time is right will certainly help. The biggest expert tip i can offer immediately is to limit the dummy’s use from an early age, if a child knows that the dummy is mainly for naps and bed there will be less power struggles later, a dummy is not necessary at all during playtime and can affect speech development. I go into more detail on ditching the dummy here.
Don’t be afraid of head-lice
As a parent of young kids you’re more than likely going to come across these little fellers, often not long after your children start nursery and are happy hugging all the other children! But don’t panic, its not as bad as you may expect, a lot of treatments now kill the eggs as well as the lice, which didn’t used to be the case, but this makes them much more effective, There are also many products you can use as a deterrent which is most definitely what i would recommend, i go into more details on head lice products here.