Here is a quick video to demonstrate how you can use some household items to improve the safety around your house.
Children (like most humans) are creatures of habit. When something unexpected happens it can throw things upside down in their little world.
Children, especially young children, will struggle to discuss the changes that happened but you will know they are affected by it through their behaviour.
1. Increased Tantrums
2. Non-compliance/Defiance
3. Increased Emotion (tears and whining)
4. Interrupted Sleep
5. Decreased/Increased Appetite
First, let’s talk about a situation that we went through about a year and a half ago…
Unexpectedly, my husband and father of our then 5-year-old ended up in the hospital for just under a week. This event rocked us all to the core. I wanted to curl up and separate from the world; however, this adorable little 5-year-old had a different plan.
The little guy kept asking the same questions over and over again. He would replay the situation with his words. He would tell anyone that would listen (sometimes that meant he was telling strangers details). This was hard for me to process; however, I knew the importance of letting him talk so I did. We never shut him down. He slowly stopped talking about it on his own.
He asked to stick with his routine. I thought it was best to keep him home from school the day after his dad ended up in the hospital. He wanted to go to school. I then sent him to school. Children thrive on the expected! He was comfortable going to school and wanted to be there. So off to school he went. He also wanted to go to Beavers that night so he did.
He needed to see that Daddy was okay so we went to the hospital to see him but did not stay long. We kept the visit short and sweet.
Then he asked for answers. He needed to know why things happened the way they did so I explained things in terms I knew he would understand. I did not shelter him from the experience. Instead, I involved him and kept things as age appropriate as possible.
We often try to protect our kids. In protecting them we do not give them the information they need. This can be harmful. Children will start to use their imaginations to come up with reasons that things happen. It is best to keep them in the loop. This really helped our little man.
In time, he was able to move on from the situation. He actually moved on much quicker then the adults did.
1. Keep to the regular routine as much as possible
2. Let your child talk (no shutting them down)
3. Do not take any outbursts personally
4. Keep things age appropriate
In summary, do not underestimate your child’s ability to handle the situation. Your child will thrive if you keep things age appropriate and as close to their routine as possible. If you have any further comments, please feel free to comment in the comments section under this post.
I will often get asked if a child’s sleep is now ruined because a parent had to sleep with the child or had to offer more support.
There are times when my little man puts things into a perspective way better than I can. Last night he was struggling with going to sleep, Thank You Day Light Savings! When he really struggles my husband or I will lay with him.
As we were laying there I was holding him (a great big snuggle and a hug). We were listening to a guided meditation about a Koala Bear that was not able to go to sleep (here is a link to it). The meditation was talking about how the bear was not able to lay still in his bed. My little man said to me “someone needs to hold that bear down”. I laughed to myself.
Then I realized that my little man understood what I was doing. I was holding him down to help him sleep. After he made that comment I was even happier about the fact that I was able to assist him and he knew exactly what I was there for.
A short time after our snuggle our little man was able to go to sleep. Does this mean I will have to do this every night? No, it does not. After children have mastered the skill of falling to sleep with minimal assistance they often do not want you there.
There will be a time, or two thousand, that they require extra support. There is no harm to offer the support. Some children may need you to slowly remove the support and others will adapt quickly without issue.
The point of this post is to remind you to do what you feel is right for your child. Slowly but surely you will get them to be doing exactly what is best for them.
Take care and as always, Be the Parent you want to Be!!
Before you whisk your little one off to have a nap stop to see if she is bored. Yes, you read that correctly!! Babies can get bored.
Let’s put this into perspective. Our little ones are little humans and all humans (big or small) can get bored. Yes, you try to provide entertainment for your child but your child can get bored of you 🙂
Often a bored child will rub their eyes, look away from you, start to fuss or full on cry! These are also the signs that a child is tired.
Before you try a nap or bedtime try switching the activity you are doing. So if your little one is laying on the floor try putting your little one in an Exercauser or Jumper. You can also try placing your child on their stomach or back. Then if all else fails to work take your little one into a different room.
The different room can act as a change of scenery. I do not know about you but I know that if I am looking at the same thing for a long period of time I do get really bored!
A great example of this comes flashing back when I talk about this. Our little man would have been about 3 to 4 months old. I was at home with him and our then 16-year-old. Well, little man was not a happy man and I could not get him to settle. His big brother was doing homework and he stepped away from his work to come help. He simply took him from me and went walking around the house. When he went in the pantry little man stopped the crying right away and he was looking all over the place.
If your child has not been awake long enough change up the activity to see if she is bored before trying to put her down for a nap or bedtime.
Not 100% sure I would call it the “Most Wonderful Time of Year”!!
The malls are full of people bustling about. Children are bouncing off the walls with excitement. Parents are trying their best to make this a happy time adding pressure to their already busy times. Some people have located far away from family and friends which can add to feelings of isolation. My chest is pounding just writing this post!
It is possible to take a great deal of stress out of the holidays but it will take time and a change of perspective.
A number of people ( me included) put so much pressure on ourselves to make everything perfect! What is perfect? You are the one setting the bar so ….lower it! This year my goal is that we take in the holiday spirit as much as we can handle.
I am blocking out time that we have absolutely nothing planned. I will not fill it with an activity. Why? We all need time to decompress and do whatever we want. This reduces your stress level which makes it easier to cope with the high demands this time of year.
Play and have fun! Do things that you enjoy.
I will be following my dad’s lead. My father made it very clear that Christmas day was all about the kids. We had time to play and have fun. I have a number of memories of us laughing and playing as a family.
I recommend having lots of extra batteries on hand! Remove a great deal of the packaging on your child’s gifts. Make it easy for your child to play with that toy.
Also, make sure you have all the food on hand that is needed. Hangry people makes for a bunch of cranky people. If your child is prone to be anxious in new or crowded places utilize the techniques that help your little one cope well. Here is a link to a member only article that may be helpful How to Help an Anxious Child
The most important thing for you to pack is your patience!! The calmer you can be the better. I will be the strange woman taking deep breathes while I am in a lineup. I will do my best to be patient. This will help me as a parent. My little man is already showing signs of being excited. He is pointing out the lights or anything he finds interesting. I now take extra time to get places so he can explore and enjoy our time together.
I hope you have a wonderful holiday experience with reduced stressed and a great deal of fun!
From my family to yours, Happy Holidays/Merry Christmas/Happy Hanukkah/etc….!!
All the Best,
Brenda McSween
