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photo credit: AForestFrolic

This weekend was beautiful!!   It felt like summer!!  It was one of those weekends I would like to bottle up and save.   It was so great to be able to be down by the beach and pool again!  I was scrambling for the summer clothes as I hadn’t really changed the kids clothes for the summer season.

The warmer weather made me realize it was time to get ready for summer weather and clothes.   Summer is fast approaching so I decided it was time to go through the kids closets.  It’s that time of year, again.  It seems to happen so fast!  I know before I know it, it will be time for back to school shopping for kids clothes!!    As I go through the  clothes it amazes me how much they have grown in a year!!  Some of the clothes that were big last year are small now!!   How fast it happens.   It’s going to be time for clothes shopping again!

I like to have my kids go through their clothes with me, so that the clothes that don’t fit them anymore we can donate.  It’s a good lesson for them to take part in donating their clothes to charity.  So as we look at clothes we decide, should we give this to someone who can use it?  My daughter really likes knowing her clothes will go to a child who can use them.

After going through all the clothes, which takes hours, I feel like I really accomplished something!!  I always feel like things are more organized and they only have the things they need.

Do you have any spring cleaning traditions?  Do you enjoy your spring cleaning?  How about your kids?

photo credit: drewzuckerman

Buying a stroller/pushchair for your baby is probably one of the biggest purchases you will have to make. So before buying a new pushchair it is important to bear certain things in mind before buying one.

The most important thing to do is think about the needs of your baby and your lifestyle. If you are buying a baby pushchair it is important to note that your baby will need to lie flat. So any pushchair will need a fully reclining unit.

Also, it is important to note that newborns often like to look at their parents, while older children like to see what is going on. So if you are buying a pushchair for a newborn, you need to have the option to swap the direction the seat faces. Comfort is also key, so look out for features such as padding and waterproofing so that your little one stays happy.

While the needs of a newborn baby are very different from that of an older toddler there are pushchairs available on the market that will cover all aspects of their development and growth.

While it is very important that your pushchair/stroller fits your baby’s needs it also needs to fit your lifestyle as well. So when you are buying a pushchair you need to look carefully at how you will use the pushchair. So, if you use the car more than you walk you need to make sure your pushchair is foldable and lightweight so that it will go in and out of the car easily. However, if you plan to do a lot of shopping with your pushchair you will need to make sure there is room to put your purchases on the pushchair. If you are using public transport you have to be able to get the pushchair on and off the bus or train, so it will need to be lightweight and foldable so you can get on and off the transport easily.

Also make sure that you can push and manoeuvre the pushchair easily; this is especially important if you are going to push it on rugged terrain.

Think about the space you have in your home as well so that the pushchair will fit in the space you have available and it may sound obvious but check the size of your car trunk so that you know it can fit in.

Here is another video I found on handling tantrums. The Doctor in this video gives some techniques on how to handle to tantrums to help minimize them. She discusses how developmentally children are prone to tantrums in their preschool years, since they working on pushing the boundaries.

Here are some common techniques:

• Ignore the negative behavior when it’s possible
• Praise positive behavior
• Give kids warnings before changing activities, For example, “In five minutes we are putting away our toys, In one minute we are putting away our toys, Ok- Now it’s time to put away our toys.”
• Give them 2 choices- example “you can give back that toy yourself, or I can help you do it”  “I am going to count to 3 and if you can’t do it yourself, then I will”

How do you handle tantrums with your child?

My kids would like to be in their pajamas all day, or better yet, just their underwear!! It has always been a bit of a battle to get my kids up and dressed for the day. This video gives some good suggestions on how to get children who are resistant to getting dressed up and moving in the morning.

A few things I have found particularly helpful in my family is:

• having a routine
• letting children know what to expect and giving them a warning before it’s time to get dressed
• I have found when I consistently have them get dressed at a certain time each day, it goes smoother.
• Letting them have some control over what item goes on first, second etc, and offering the opportunity for them to help pick out their clothes.

What works in your house?

My son has always been a picky eater and I have tried a variety of things to help expand his diet. This video has some good tips on how to deal with your picky eater. It shows Some simple things you can do such as making food sculptures like using cookie cutters for sandwiches, and happy faces on pancakes. I have always had success in make things like zuchinni bread. It’s one of the only ways my son will eat vegetables!! What are some tricks you use to get your child to eat?