The moment your toddler falls asleep is a magical time for some parents.
It can also be a very precarious time!
After all, toddlers have all kinds of problems falling asleep, staying asleep, and waking up too early.
So when they do finally zonk out, the last thing you want to do is ruin it.
But what if they fall asleep before you’ve finished the bedtime routine, like while watching a movie?
Do you need to brush your toddler’s teeth while they’re sleeping? Or wake them up to brush?
I’m pretty sure 99% of parents have been there.
You’ve had a long day at work, and you go to pick up your toddler from daycare.
You’ve missed them! You’re excited to see them!
And when you first walk through the door, they’re all hugs and smiles.
But as soon as you get into the car, it’s meltdown city.
Tears. Wails. Screaming.
Sound familiar?
Why are toddlers so cranky after daycare?
Stop me if you’ve heard this one…
You’re all done setting up your new baby swing.
You’re excited and desperate, hoping it will finally help baby get to sleep.
(So you, in turn, can get some sleep. Or get some chores done in peace for once.)
You turn it on.
And it starts making an awful sound.
What do you do?
Dads matter.
You probably already knew that, and so did I.
But don’t take it from me. Because the science on the subject is clear as day.
Children with good, loving, actively involved fathers have better outcomes in life.
They:
That’s not to denigrate single mothers! Or lesbian couples! And it doesn’t doom kids who grow up without a father for one reason or another.
But if you’re alive and well, you owe it to your kids to be the best possible father you can be.
The question is: How exactly can you be a better dad?
So you want to have a boy.
Like, really, really, really want to have a boy!
I don’t blame you. As a dad especially, there’s something really cool about the idea of having a son, a buddy, a dude-pal.
(I have a daughter and she is my world. But there’s always next time!)
The big question people seem to want to ask is how to have a boy, if it’s even possible to control, and what kinds of things you can try in order to conceive a baby boy.
There is a LOT of myth, urban legend, bad science, and misinformation around this topic.
So I’ve read pretty much everything that exists on the subject and have tried to distill it down for you.
Mealtime with babies and toddlers is…
… an adventure.
There’s a lot going on. A lot of chaos.
Food is flying everywhere. Kids are yelling. Or singing. Or throwing things.
Sometimes their favorite cup is dirty. Sometimes you forgot to give them their juice.
And sometimes you’re out of plastic kid-friendly silverware.
If you’re like me in those situations, you might be wondering when it’s OK and what age babies can use metal cutlery (forks and spoons).
Daylight savings time just passed, and in our household brought with it a disturbing new trend.
Our 3-year-old is now waking up around 5:30-6am, ready to rock and roll.
This is not OK with me. Anything before 7 is the middle of the night as far as I’m concerned.
I don’t like waking up in the middle of the night.
Baby toys have a rough life.
They get tossed around. Rolled around in the dust and dirt.
Drooled on. Stepped on. Thrown up on.
And no matter how dirty they get, babies want to put them right back into their mouths!
So it’s no wonder that keeping baby toys clean and disinfected is a pretty important job. But how exactly do you clean baby toys? What do you clean baby toys with?
My 3-year-old sometimes complains that her tummy hurts.
With kids that age, it’s really hard to tell when they’re in a lot of pain, exaggerating a little discomfort, or making it up entirely for attention or comfort.
Plus, when my stomach hurts, I’ll often take Tums or a store brand antacid of some kind. She sees me do this and will often ask if she can have some.
So for a variety of reasons I’ve been wondering lately if it’s OK for kids and toddlers to have Tums or other antacids. They seem harmless to me, and I’ll down them like candy when I have a stomachache, but I’m not a doctor.
Is Tums for kids OK? What do medical experts say?
Babies are expensive.
It’s amazing how quickly the costs add up once they pop out into the world.
It’s no wonder every parent you know is busy scrambling like crazy trying to get hand me down clothes, loaner toys, and used nursery furniture.
But if you’re gearing up to buy a new crib for the nursery, you might be wondering; How much does a crib cost? What’s the average cost of a baby crib?