3 Kids and Us

Key Items You Must Have In Your New Mum Survival Kit

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Being a new mum may be the toughest job on the planet, and it’s important to be well prepared. To survive the early stages, you will want all the help you can get. That’s why you need to make sure you’re kitted out with the crucial items. Check out our suggestions below.

1. Pacifier

Your baby is going to need a good pacifier: that’s a fact. Of course, picking the right one isn’t that easy. Pacifiers are designed with different ages in mind. For example, breastfeeding babies under six months often require different pacifiers to older, teething babies.

You will want to make sure that the pacifier you decide on is soft, comfortable, and easy to clean.

The good thing is there is so many Pacifiers For Breastfed Babies on the market.

2. Food!

With all the running around you’re going to be doing, except to miss some meals. That’s whys it handy to keep your fridge and pantry stocked with snacks. Just don’t take this as an excuse to pig out. Nutritious snacks such as fruit and cereal bars are the way to go.

Having premade meals is also a good idea because you won’t have much time to cook. You could purchase freezer meals from the supermarket. However, a better way is to prepare your own. If you can find the time to cook once a week (such as when your husband is home to look after the young one), then you can prepare all your meals at once and chuck them in the freezer. When you’re hungry, simply pull them out and zap them in the microwave.

3. A Good Book

You’re going to be getting pretty stressed out and having a book to read is a good way to relax. Feedings can also get boring so having something to keep your mind occupied is handy.

4. Baby Wrap

A baby wrap is a simple way to carry your young one. The fabric is soft against their skin and will help hold them tightly against your body. They may look a bit intimidating to fasten at first, but after a few attempts, you will get the hang of it.

5. Infant Car Seat

This item is crucial for transporting your newborn. In fact, you will want one installed before you even leave the hospital. Look for a model that’s soft and has a high safety rating.

6. Bassinet

 

With all the nightly wake up calls, it’s great to keep your baby within arm’s reach. You can quickly soothe them back to sleep without having a midnight hike to the next room. You will also be able to easily watch over them while they’re sleeping.

Final Thoughts

Good luck being a new mum. It’s a real mission, but by being prepared, you will make it through. It may be handy to have all the necessary items ready before your baby even leaves the hospital. Doing so will save you time when you need it most.

Ways To Become A Better Parent

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Being a parent is tough. As every single kid is different, it is impossible to say that there is a strict way of raising kids. However, after thorough research it has been proven that by following certain methods people can facilitate their life as parents and become better examples for their kids. Looking back at their childhood people realize how difficult and complicated their parent’s life has been, almost like a career. Back in the day people did not get access to books or online courses that taught them how to raise their kids. Yet our grandparents knew exactly how to deal with every single situation.

Even though they were not the most effective methods or raising a child and often they left many people scared, they still worked out. Fortunately, things have changed over time and raising a child is a lot easier these days. Parents need to be thoughtful and be very careful about how they act when they are around their kids. Good parenting is the most effective way of hosting empathy, self-control, kindness, and cooperation. At the same time, it protects kids from developing anxiety, depression and even drug abuse. The following principles are great for anyone who deals with kids.

Commit to Taking Care of Yourself

By taking care of yourself, you become a happy, encouraging parent for your child. In order to do so you need to integrate self-nurturing into your day to day life. This is not as complicated as it sounds. All you need to do is go to bed early so that you are well-rested, transform negative voices into positive ones, eat healthier foods and keep active for a more energized and well-balanced well-being and slow down the pace of your life. Most of the time kids can become a handful and you need to calm yourself down before interacting with them. Once you are at peace with yourself, you can easily manage certain situations and see things from a different perspective.

Avoid Comparisons and Labels

It is important to remember that good parenting happens in real time. A good parent is able to recognize key moments and transform them into the best life lessons. Comparisons among siblings will often lead to labels. It seems that even labels that are meant to praise children’s capabilities (e.g. little scholar, for a book-obsessed child) can be problematic. Siblings might develop fears related to certain aspects. For example, if one of the siblings already owns the musician title, the other sibling may be afraid to learn how to play an instrument for fear of falling short. Thus, you need to be very careful when labeling kids. Labeling is only effective when you rethink your words: “careful” instead of “shy” or “spirited” instead of “hyper.”

Walk the Talk

It is a well-known fact that babies and little children watch every move that their parents make. For that matter, parental behavior is critical when raising kids. Parents are teaching their kids a lesson every single minute of the day, even when they are not doing that on purpose. Your baby is observing the way you greet people on the street or how you talk to them and even the way you talk to your partner. In other words, the way you react in certain situations has a direct impact on their behavior. You don’t have to go out of your way when teaching them important life lessons, but you need to become aware of the way your react in every situation. This provides great life lesson about life each time your kids are with you.

Remember what is Important in Life

Kids make mistakes, but so does everyone else. No matter how big or small those mistakes are you need to start remembering the most important aspects of life. Stay positive and learn how to focus on what matters the most. In the larger scheme of things, the fact that their toys are spread all over the floor might drive you insane, but it not worth punishing them just for that. Kids will be kids, and they love adventure and experiencing new things. Make great memories with them before they grow up. Go on vacation together, visit relatives, go on spontaneous trips to the zoo and have the time of your lives. After all, people need to remember how to seize the moment. Take pictures on the go, and you’ll be able to keep those memories forever. Turn those photos into paintings and decorate your home with a unique piece of decor. You can do that in a simple manner. Want to know how? View here!

Trust Your Gut

Your intentions are good. Parents try to make the best choices for their kids, calibrate the best nutritional balance of protein, but all of those efforts are exhausting. You are the one who knows your children the best, so you should be the one who knows exactly what advice you need to follow. There are a lot of experts out there and probably too much advice that is somehow impossible to follow. Your gut may be telling you that your kids would be better off by doing something else. Fortunately, your gut is always “right”. Even specialists claim that parents who are not afraid to listen to their instincts in the decision-making process feel liberated and a lot more relieved.

Embrace Change

One of the most important lessons that you need to learn as a parent is the fact that kids get bored of certain activities, just like adults do. When they do that, parents are quick to assume that there is something wrong with their kids. Nonetheless, this is normal. Instead of being worried that your kids don’t like playing with a certain toy anymore or that they don’t like some kind of activity that they used to, it would be a good idea to evolve right along with them. Remember that kids don’t only grow on the outside they also grow and develop on the inside.

In conclusion, it is important to emphasize that parents need to become better individuals and watch every move they make when they are around their kids. As patience does not seem to work all the time, you need to manage your emotions first and only after that expect them to manage their own emotions.

6 Ways To Stop Being A Stressed Out Parent

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If you’re a parent, you are going to feel some form of stress. It may be a little, it may be a lot, but it will definitely be there. Even the most chilled out moms and dads will feel the pinch of a harsh word or a raised temper from time to time. It’s not pleasant, and the guilt that follows these exchanges is huge. Everyone feels bad. So it’s a good idea to reduce your stress levels as much as possible, thereby allowing everyone to have a lovely, happy life for as much as possible. You may not be able to rid your life entirely of stress (we actually need to be stressed at times; it’s a survival mechanism), but getting a handle on it is a great way to manage.

Know The Signs

In order to combat stress, it’s essential that you know the signs. When you have identified what stresses you the most, and how you react to that stress, you can take it in hand a lot more easily. So what are the signs to look out for? Raised blood pressure is one of the biggest ones. This can cause a spiked heart rate, and can even make you feel dizzy. You’ll also find that you’re talking much more loudly – you might even be yelling. You’ll feel impatient and irritable, and there will be lapses in judgment that means you jump to conclusions, blaming the kids for something when it wasn’t their doing at all, for example. When this happens, your children will be negatively affected. Therefore you need to be more in tune with your body and watch out for these warning signs.

Step Away

Stress can happen for a variety of reasons. You may have got a new job, and it’s harder work than before, or perhaps you have money worries. Maybe you’ve just moved home, and it’s hard to settle in (at least if you pick a good small moves company the move itself will be less stressful, though). Perhaps you’re just tired and need a break. Whatever the reasons behind the stress, it’s important to take some time out when you’re not feeling your best. Just a few minutes away from everyone and everything can give you the time you need to calm down and de-stress enough to go back with a fresh perspective on things. Go to your room and lie down to listen to some calming music while you decompress. Let your family know that you just need a little time to process things and that you will continue the conversation (in a better frame of mind) when you return. Perhaps everyone could do with taking a break so that the entire situation, whatever it may be, is much clearer too.

Find Solutions

There will be certain times of the day that are more stressful than others. In the morning when everyone is rushing around to get ready for work and school, it can be overwhelming, for example, and that sets the entire day off on the wrong foot. Work out what these ‘hot times’ are and find solutions so that they aren’t so stressful. If the morning time is the issue because the children can’t decide what to wear and breakfast takes forever, you could get them to choose their clothes the night before (or choose them for them) and prepare breakfast in advance. That way, everything will be much more organized, and the stress levels will be a lot lower. If your most stressful time comes at your kids’ bedtime, then find a routine or rewards system that works better than your current one; ask the children what they need to make their bedtimes easier.

Learn Meditation

Meditation techniques can work wonders at de-stressing you when you feel like you are overwhelmed and liable to explode at any moment. Meditation helps the mind and the body to relax, and what’s more, your entire family can meditate together if they want to, giving everyone more peace and relaxation. It can have a truly positive effect on everyone’s lives, so it is certainly something to consider. One quick and easy way to attempt meditation is called ‘elevator breathing.’ Close your eyes and imagine you’re in an elevator at the top of a very tall building. Breathe in and out three times, very slowly, then press the button for the first floor in your mind. As you descend, keep doing your breathing exercises. By the time you reach the bottom, your stress should have melted away. There are many different techniques, some taking longer than others, so work out which one is best for you and implement it in your life for some easy de-stressing.

Do Some Exercise

Exercise is a wonderful thing to do because it keeps us fit and healthy, of course. However, it does a lot more than that. When exercising, your body releases serotonin, which is the anti-stress hormone. It replaces cortisol (the stress hormone) and makes us feel happy and balanced. It’s why, once you get into the swing of your exercise class or workout, you’ll start to really enjoy it and feel good about what you’re doing. You’ll feel a lot less stressed. What works even better is finding an exercise you can do with the whole family. Not only will you be feeling good, but you’ll be feeling good together, creating lovely memories and enjoying one another’s company. You might go for a long walk, take a bike ride, go swimming, or even join a dance class.

Laugh

When was the last time you really laughed? Not just vaguely smiled, not just felt amused, but really laughed out loud? You need to be doing more of that. Stressed people have a lot of tension in their faces, making their jaws ache and creating headaches or even migraines. Having a proper old belly laugh can relieve that tension and wipe away the stress. So find some fun ways to bring laughter into your life for you and the children. It’s all about having fun in any way you can – that’s what life should be like.

How to Make Your Child More Independent

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Children seem to grow up so fast, but there comes a time when you can use their help with some of their jobs. Getting dressed, making their breakfast or brushing their teeth are just some of the things you can let your child do as they grow older. Teaching them that they can be more independent can be tricky as they might like you doing things for them. Here are a few tips on making your child more independent.

Give Your Child Warning

To start, you don’t want to spring the idea of doing things on their own as this may make them anxious and feel as if they have done something wrong. Tell them a few days in advance that you think they are ok to start doing a few things by themselves. Start with one job at first and when they have mastered that, move onto the next one. Soon, they will be doing many different things.

Make a List

Think about what things they can do on their own as they grow older. This list can include more complicated things, but at first, you just want to give them easy jobs. It is also a good idea to ask your child what they would like to do on their own; it will make them feel part of the process and give them the encouragement to do it.

Make Time

When your child starts to do things for themselves, especially at the beginning, they are going to take more time then when you do it for them. For this reason, you need to allow more time for them and try not to rush them, if you do, they will get upset and might not want to do it again. See how much time it takes them to do certain things and build that extra time into your morning routine.

Don’t Expect Perfection

Your child will not be good at the things they do in the beginning, they may spill their cereal or not brush their hair properly, but that’s ok, allow them to make mistakes and try not to clear things away while they are still around. You can help to make things easier for them by trying to adapt areas such as the sink and the kitchen counter so that they can reach more easily. The website parent.guide has many ways that you can help your child adapt to their surroundings.

Offer Praise

Try not to tell them if they have done the job wrong, instead, praise them for doing it in the first place. You can then guide them about the way they did it so that they get it right the next time. By doing this, they will feel proud of doing things on their own and be eager to try again next time.

With help and encouragement, you can help your child to develop the skills to do things for themselves. That will make them more independent and able to do more things for themselves as time goes on.

3 ways to motivate your kids by using the internet

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There is no end to the horror stories about letting your children use the internet. Keeping kids safe online has become a constant source of worry for parents, with many deciding that the risks are too great and as a result, many are unnecessarily restricting access. This can be a bad move for all concerned. While the internet should not be taken lightly, it is also a vast resource that can benefit your children in a number of ways, and by being overly protective, we can unintentionally make their present and future less successful, less adaptive and even less fun. Here are some great ways to use the very best of the internet to give your kids a positive experience and a solid foundation upon which to build their confidence online.

Homework can be cool

No matter how old your child is, they are very likely to be unhappy about the volume of homework that they have to complete. This is a constant source of irritation for kids, but there are ways to get them interested to the point where they might actually look forward to that next assignment. Obviously, a key element here is to be involved with their workload, so that you remain a part of their education. However, for those that fail to use the best tools that the internet provides, homework can be a tedious chore that ends up badly due to lack of interest. If your daughter is studying Greek myths, show her online articles about the kick-ass women of that time, and you might see a difference in enthusiasm. If your son is creating a presentation about space, then sit together and explore the NASA website, which might just ignite some eagerness for the subject.

Make a Channel

We’ve all seen those YouTube videos of kids unwrapping the latest toy trend, and have no doubt looked on in astonishment at the money they are able to earn doing something so simple. If your children have the confidence, there’s nothing to stop them creating their own YouTube channel, and with that comes some impressive advantages. Not only do they get to explore their interests (whether that’s a video about bugs in the garden or a discussion of the latest superhero film), they can also learn some basic branding tips that will come in handy in the future. Having a personal brand is becoming more and more important in the digital age, so it’s never too young to start. Teach them the importance of shareability and the best way to use a YouTube thumbnail editor, and you give them some key skills that they learn by using.

Learn a skill

There are a never-ending number of websites and videos that can teach your children everything from how to play an instrument to when to plant tomatoes, so whatever interest your child has expressed, there are tools available to help them explore their intentions. They could be learning a new language, planning their first gig or writing their first comic before you know it, using professional advice and experienced teachers. The sharing of knowledge is easier than ever, and your children will only ever benefit from the best the internet has to offer.

Stay safe and always be aware of what your children are doing online, but don’t forget the huge advantages that the online world has to offer. You might even find that your kids can teach you a few things.

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We left our home in Sydney, Australia many moons ago in May 2012 and, other than a brief stint back in Perth for Christmas and a wedding in early 2014, we have been travelling the world nomadically ever since, running a business from our laptops and we’re here to show you how to do it!