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8 Mom Hacks that Every Mom Should Be Using

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Whether you have one kid or multiple kids, being a mom can be busy, stressful, and at times, overwhelming. And, whether you are supermom or still figuring things out, there are always helpful tips that can help you out along the way. 

These five mom hacks are going to aim to do just that. They are going to focus on several different areas with your children, but hopefully, all of them should provide some helpful mom hacks for you. And, don’t feel like you have to follow each of these mom hacks to the letter. You know what is best for your children, so please, feel free to adjust any of them as needed. 

All that being said, here are eight mom hacks that every mom should be using. 

Educational Entertainment

Whatever your stance is on screens, it seems like they are here to stay. That doesn’t mean that all screen time is equal, though. What you choose to allow your children to watch will have a significant impact on them as they continue to develop. And while most kid’s shows offer some educational benefit, there are shows and educational apps that stand out above the rest. So take your time to do some research to find the right shows and learning activities for your kids. They will be able to enjoy some screen time throughout the day, and will also be able to learn new things as they do. 

Nutritional Smoothies

It can be hard to get your kids to eat vegetables and fruits, but with a little magic (and a blender), you can provide them with everything they need in smoothie form. The right smoothie recipe can hide a number of different nutritious ingredients in a tasty treat. So while you should always be encouraging your kids to taste and eat vegetables and fruits, if they are still not getting enough, give them a tasty fruit and vegetable-filled smoothie to drink as well. 

Take Advantage of the Library

The library has so many excellent resources, and most of the time, they are not fully taken advantage of. From books to movies to learning activities, and more, the library is something that every mother should be taking advantage of. Even if it is to get out of the house for a short time, the library is an excellent option for kids. Also, the more the library is used when your kids are younger, the more likely they are to use it as they get older. By cultivating a love for the library, you will help set them up to use the library as a learning resource for the rest of their lives. 

Outdoor Safe Space to Play

As much as you love your kids, you also don’t want them in your face all day long. Also, kids need to be kids and have the ability to imagine and play on their own. A great way to allow all of this to happen is by creating a safe outdoor space for your kids to play. Whether it is a fenced-in backyard, a playset, sandbox, or whatever, create somewhere that your children can play on their own. Of course, if they are younger, you will want to keep a watchful eye on them, but also allow your kids to be independent, create their own games, and problem solve. 

Bring Toys With You 

Sometimes being a well-behaved kid is hard, especially when bored and in an unfamiliar place. Your kids may even want to behave; they are just so bored that they are looking for an outlet. A great way to help prevent this is by bringing toys with you. If you have to take a long drive, sit in a waiting room, or whatever, make sure that your kids have toys to entertain them. It could be some screen time, but that shouldn’t be your only go to. Instead, ask your kids what toys they want to bring (limit them to a few), and then pack them up to come with. Just make sure that you are also keeping track of the toys when you are out, you don’t want your child’s favorite toy left behind.

Workout at Home

As a mom with younger kids, going to the gym may not always be possible, but that doesn’t mean getting fit at home isn’t an excellent option. With the right workout plan, you will be able to get fit right in your own home. With a number of different bodyweight exercises or maybe some dumbbells and resistance bands, you will have everything you need to get fit.

If you are looking to find workout time during the day, try putting on your kid’s favorite educational TV show, or workout during nap time. 

Be Your Own Handywoman

When it comes to home repairs, some tasks can seem pretty daunting. However, many basic home repairs can be easy to take on with just a little know-how. Whether it is unclogging a kitchen sink, repairing a toilet that won’t flush, patching drywall holes, or painting a room, these are all tasks that you can not only take on but master. So instead of calling a handyman or paying for an over-priced contractor, do a little research and become your own handywoman. 

Start a Hobby/Business

One of the best things about life is being able to learn and try new things. It can be challenging, but in the end, it can also be so rewarding. This only happens, though, if you take the chance and challenge yourself. So if you have a passion, or are simply looking to break out of a rut, look to start a new project. It could be something that you do for fun or something that you are looking to make a little added income each month. 

An excellent example of this is a friend of mine who started Teddy Eva Scents. They are family run business that makes stunning wax melts. What makes this such a great family business is that they love what they do, are passionate about it, and also provide an excellent product. So while your passion project doesn’t have to be wax melts, there is still something out there that you can get behind and pursue. 

8 Mom Hacks that Every Mom Should Be Using Conclusion

Being a mom is one of the most challenging jobs out there, but it is also one of the most rewarding. There are days when you feel like you have it all figured out and then days when it seems like nothing is going right, and that is okay. You will continue to grow and learn as you go, and your kids will continue to benefit from everything that you provide for them. 

Hopefully, with this article, you have picked up a few new tricks that you can try out and will help make being a mom just a little bit easier. 

Do you have any mom hacks that you think other mothers would benefit from? If so, we would love to hear about them in the comments below. 

Perks and Drawback of Powerful Parenting

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Parenting involves guidance to the social, emotional, physical, and behavioral development of a child. Powerful parenting emphasizes the highly-effective strategies of parenting in order to get excellence in behavior management of the child. Holding a newborn may fascinate the parents initially, but it involves a long series of responsibilities and challenges of the developmental period from infancy to adulthood. Therefore, powerful parenting has a long list of pros and cons that affect a child’s behavior either positively or negatively. Here, we will provide you with narrative writing of some very common perks and drawbacks of some powerful parenting:

Authoritative Parenting

One of the parenting styles of powerful parenting is “Authoritative style”. Such parenting somehow manages to develop the balance between too lenient and too strict.

Perks

Children raised under authoritative style are confident, empowered and their emotional understanding is encouraged. This powerful parenting style promotes respect, independence, and flexibility among children.

Drawbacks

The strict rules and regulations in authoritative parenting tend to make children isolated. Such strict commanding parents unintentionally devoid the child of their happiness and joy. Such parenting not only throws a child into the pit of loneliness but it also has the tendency to develop rebelliousness in children.

Too much-involved parenting

This is another type of powerful parenting where parents get too much involved in child’s life whether it is related to his emotional, social, or even academic problems. Such type of parenting loads a child with a number of positive and negative aspects.

Perks

Studies have shown that kids with parents’ involvement in school-based activities show better grades as compared to those raised under uninvolved parenting. Along with better grades, there is remarkable progress in attendance, social behavior, and functioning of the child.

Drawbacks

Getting too much involved in the child’s academic procedures, we see most of the time the teachers are not comfortable with such an attitude. Teachers only focus to satisfy such parents instead of truly focusing on solving their child’s real issues. Moreover, such children are too much distracted by the presence of their parents; causing a lack of focus or behavior problems.

Authoritarian Parenting

Authoritarian parenting is a powerful parenting in which all rules and regulations are set by parents only without the consent of their children. In this parenting, only the parents decide their child timetable, interests, subjects to choose, setting a room, and even what clothes to wear. The children are never told why they are raised with such strict rules. Such dominating and commanding parents create a lot of positive and negative behaviors in their children.

Perks

Such children tend to follow rules all their lives and pass this legacy to their children as well. They are goal-oriented as they are taught to plan their goal from the very start of their school.

Drawbacks

The children raised under powerful parenting of authoritarian parents are not free thinkers. Ever since the child regained his conscious, they are given strict instructions from their parents, to spend their lives accordingly. They are strictly forbidden not budge an inch from such setup. Such an imposed lifestyle tends to develop lower self-esteem and a deep-rooted animosity against their parents and society. They are deeply pressured by being not decisive in their personality.

Too much friendly parenting

This powerful parenting has been appreciated widely due to its positive effects on the child’s personality. In the past, we see that there was a very serious and unfriendly relationship between parents and children. Those children used to hide everything from their parents leading to disastrous results as the cost of child sexual abuse. Today, when technology has not hidden anything from children, therefore being a friendly and cordial relationship between a child and the parents is quite inevitable. Such a relationship has the following perks and drawbacks in a child’s life:

Perks

The child enjoys the essence of life with strong confidence, positivity, free-minded. They can easily live independently. They are good at making decisions. As their friendly parents had been very good listeners, trustworthy, therefore their children do not hesitate to share any secrets with them.

Drawbacks

Though being friendly is escorted with a number of positive aspects but it has few drawbacks along. A child gets over-confident about his personality. He is not taught to listen to others thus this trait leads others to get irritated by him. People avoid making friends with him. Another drawback is that he gets involved in the superiority complex which is the same devastating as being over-confident.

To conclude, we can say that such powerful parenting appears to be very satisfactory for the parents but it brings your child under the quest of everlasting personality disorder. Thus, there needs to be a balanced relationship between the child and his parents to obtain the future goals of your child.

Ways to Keep Your Kids Healthy

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Health is one of the biggest blessings in life, as it enables us to cherish our precious moments. When we are physically fit, we can perform at our optimum levels in our personal and professional lives. In the same way, psychological health helps us remain upbeat and have a positive attitude in life. When we speak about wellbeing, then individuals, as well as families, need to pay attention to their health and fitness.

It seems particularly true during the COVID-19 lockdown when everyone’s health appears to be at risk. The confinement has affected kids and the elderly the most, making them stressed and lethargic. As the restoration of normalcy is not immediately possible, it is imperative to take a few steps.

This article will list out some ways to provide your kids with a stimulus and inspiration to be healthy and well. You can incorporate some fresh changes in their life to make their routine productive during and after the lockdown. So, let’s start.

1. Arrange a Fitness Activity

Arguably, there can be no better way to utilize the available time by indulging in some activity and form of fitness. While jogging is not quite possible inside a house, running on the treadmill is. Likewise, you can engage your kids in karate classes through online tutorials. You can do so in a small space and minimal equipment.

Moreover, you can choose puzzles and mind games as a fun activity for your kids. It will boost their mental health.

2. Transform Their Diet

Diet is the single most important factor to consider for wellbeing, so it is time to enrich your kids’ diet. The smart way is to include some healthy elements in their regular and routine intake. The right blend of vitamins, folate, protein, calcium, carbs, and fiber will keep them healthy in the longer run. The natural sources include fruits and vegetables, coupled with some shakes and non-carbonated drinks.

You may also want to add an energy drink in the diet, but be sure to read the labels to identify the ingredients. Some supplements may offer a health boost but are not beneficial in the long term.

3. Enhance Their Creative Side

To keep your kids healthy, it is essential to pay attention to their psychological side too. If you want to awaken the creative side of your kids, then perhaps this is the right time to lift the cover over the canvas and the brushes. You can take some prints of their favorite images and put them up for a drawing. These images could be of the superheroes or the scenic spots, whatever your kids like. To make it enjoyable, you can announce rewards for accurate and creative paintings. This activity will sharpen the artistic skills and abilities of your kids and will allow them to think freely.

4. Go for a Brisk Walk

When it comes to being healthy, then there’s nothing like a walk or a good jogging session. The right way to involve your kids in this activity is to do it together. What makes it more interesting is a reward system to encourage to walk or run greater distances. In the lockdown, it may be difficult to go for a walk as usual. So, you may head to the nearest walkway or street to your residence to indulge in this activity. For keeping your kids healthy and refreshed, it is essential to do brief walks whenever possible.

5. Let Them Relax

No fitness routine or vigorous exercise can yield the desired result if it is not coupled with some sort of rehabilitation. So, it is good to take a break every once in a while. And do what makes you relaxed and reenergized. For the children, there can be nothing more fun than to connect with their long-distance friends and peers. It is also essential to allow your kids to play videogames as much as they want as doing so will keep them going.

Videogames are not just good for reflexes, but these are necessary to prevent monotony. It is good to keep a watch on the kids, but it is also essential to allow them to be themselves some times.

The Takeaway

Keeping your kids healthy and inculcating some productive habits in them is not an easy task. It requires constant and consistent efforts to make healthy activities part of your life. It is ideal to utilize this lockdown time to engage your kids in fitness activities and enrich their diet. It is imperative to take part in indoor activities as well as some occasional brief outdoor walks and exercises. A few changes in the routine would yield significant benefits during these testing times as well as in the years to come for your younger ones. Happy Parenting!

How to Take Care Of A Newborn Baby

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As a matter of fact, the first few months with the newborn baby can be overwhelming and chaotic for the first time parents. You will face all the contradicting advice from everyone about taking care of the babies. The final decision is up to you on deciding what advice to follow. Taking care of the newborn baby can be really baffling. It is challenging and exhausting at the same time.

Here are some of the newborn baby care tips that you can follow to take care of the infants –

Feeding

This is an essential newborn baby care tip that you need to follow. The most important thing to be kept in mind is to feed the baby on time. A newborn baby or an infant has to be fed every 2 to 3 hours. It means that you need to feed the baby for around 8 to 12 times a day. You must only feed breast milk to the baby for the first six months of life. This is because breast milk consists of vital nutrients and antibodies which are required for the babies growth and survival. Nurse the baby for at least 10 minutes. Hold the breast near the baby’s lips until he or she latches on its family and starts sucking.

Burping

After feeding, comes burping. Baby needs to be burped. Most of the time it happens that babies swallow the air while feeding which might cause gas and colic in the tummies. As per the burping experts, this excess air leads to digestion problems or spit-ups in the baby. So, all you need to do is generally hold the baby against the chest with one hand and chin resting on your shoulder. Stroke the back of the baby very gently until he or she burps. This is an essential step to the newborn baby care process.

Holding

There is a way of holding the babies as well. It is very important to maintain that you are supporting the head and neck of the baby while holding it. This is because the neck muscles are not very strong enough to hold up independently. The backbone is still growing and must be taken care of. So, always pay attention to the neck and head supporting the baby while taking care of it.

Cord Stump Care

It is a must for the new parents not to bathe the babies for 2-3 weeks. Instead of bathing, you can give a baby a sponge bath or something with a wet towel or lukewarm water. Keep the navel area of the baby clean and dry. Clean and sanitize your hands before handling the navel area. If you want to clean the baby, use a damp cloth or absorbent cloth. Look out for the signs of an infection near the cord stump area. If there is any swelling, redness, is smelly discharge or bleeding in the naval area, take the baby to the pediatrician.

Diapering

It is very important for the new parents to change the diaper as frequently as possible while taking care of the newborn baby right after the delivery. If the baby is getting sufficient breast milk for the formula suggested by the doctor, he or she will wet at least 6 to 8 hours a day with regular feeding of the breast milk. You can also change at 10 times a day depending on the wetness and bowel movements. If you want to change a dirty diaper, you must purchase a changing sheet, diaper wipes, baby powder, diaper rash cream, and some fresh style diapers. In order to prevent uterus infection or anything like that, you must clean the baby from front to back then back to front. Let the babies remain without diapers for a few hours every day.

Bathing

Bathing a newborn baby is a very cautious task. You should start by bathing your baby around 2 to 3 times a week soon after the main umbilical cord stump heals and fades off. Make sure that you have the bathing supplies before you take your baby for a bath. Make sure the bath time is just before bedtime because it helps the babies in sleeping more peacefully. You must buy some of the essential bath commodities like a bathtub, lukewarm water body wash, baby soaps, wash clothes and soft towels, baby lotion, baby creams, and so on. Ensure that you have the best clothes for newborn babies for dressing them in the best attire. It is a must for every parent to make their little angels look special at all the events.

Conclusion

In this way, you can learn very easily how to take care of a newborn baby. The new parents should take some help from friends and family members as well so that they can rest and take care of themselves too. The first time parents are quite confused about many aspects of newborn baby care and it is natural. All the steps will help you in taking care of the newborn baby in the best possible manner.

Happy Caring!

BREASTFEEDING TIPS FOR NEW MOMS

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Feeding your little one is one of the first nurturing responsibilities for a new mother. Many women choose to breastfeed over artificial formulas to nourish their little ones with essential nutrients required for growth. However, the natural method of breastfeeding comes with a wide array of stress and worries for young mothers.

The goal is to provide your child with the nourishment he/she needs for a healthy bone structure and vigorous growth. But, it is also about ensuring that you get comfortable with breastfeeding and devise your routine. Young mothers have millions of questions about the correct methods of breastfeeding and the best way to do it.

In this article, we will walk you through some valuable tips to help guide the way.

Here, take a look:

ANTICIPATING NEEDS

As a mother, it is vital to attune yourself to your baby’s feeding desires and need. Don’t wait for the little one to cry; instead, lookout for signs that indicate that your baby wants to feed. For instance, babies open and close their mouth; they repeatedly raise their head, and even stick out their tongues. Some babies even start sucking on objects near them when they are hungry.

If you spot any of these signs, it’s time for breastfeeding. It will create a harmonious cycle where your little one will not have to struggle to capture your attention. It will create an intimate relationship between you and your child.

It is also essential to allow your baby to determine the frequency and duration of breastfeeding. Do not set a predetermined schedule and intervals between nursing. If you do that, you will deny your child the right to feed simply because of your scheduling. Many mothers have a habit of waking up sleeping babies just to feed them as per schedule. Allow them to enjoy their sleep and feed them when they’re awake.

GETTING COMFORTABLE

As a mother, your comfort is paramount in the act of breastfeeding. Be sure to invest in soft and comfortable nursing bras that offer adequate support. You also need to find a supportive sitting position, as you will be holding your baby for a considerable time duration. Uncomfortable sitting positions give birth to the horrid neck, shoulder, and backaches.

It is vital to make yourself comfortable because fidgeting, sudden movements, and squirming can disrupt breastfeeding patterns. It will increase your baby’s hunger and give birth to irritability. You can hold your baby in your arms and maintain a reclined position. Or you can comfortably lie on your side with your baby facing towards your body.

Be sure to breastfeed on a bed with lots of pillows to make you and your baby comfortable. You can also use a large couch that offers adequate support to your arms and back. These positions not set in stone. You can try any position that makes you feel more comfortable. Being attentive to your convenience will make the nursing sessions fulfilling for you and your child.

YOUR BABY CAN SENSE NERVOUSNESS

If your body is tense and nervous, your baby can sense, and it will prevent them from latching on accurately. Remember this: if you are not relaxed and comfortable, your baby will not be able to relax either. So, be sure to relax and eliminate tension from your mind before the breastfeeding session.

Naturally, if your environment is stress-inducing and chaotic, it will make you uncomfortable. Surround yourself with a peaceful and tranquil environment. Use the breastfeeding sessions to carve out some time for you and your baby to relax and unwind. You can perform some breathing exercises, visualize a delightful scenery, and look forward to bonding with your little one.

FINDING THE RIGHT POSITION

Many young mothers worry about helping their babies find the right position for breastfeeding. You see, your baby will find the correct position that is most comfortable for them. Every baby is unique and different, and there is no hard and fast rule for this. As a mother, you can ensure that your baby’s mouth leveled with your nipple.

You can make them comfortable so that they do not have to turn their head excessively. Keep the little one’s head titled slightly backward with their chin against your breast to keep the nose clear. Instead of forcing a position onto your baby, let them find their ideal place naturally.

FINAL WORDS

Being a mother brings scores of alarming changes in your body, and leaking is one of these changes. Rest assured that leaking is natural during the first few weeks of breastfeeding. Instead of being alarmed, you will have to adjust to it.

It will disappear on its own and lessen down in intensity as you and your baby continue on the breastfeeding journey. You can invest in good quality nursing pads that boost absorbent qualities to make yourself comfortable.

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