Every parent wants the absolute best for their child, but sometimes it’s hard to find the balance between looking after them and challenging them. Puzzles, projects and sport for kids can all go a long way in preparing them for the future, but how do you make sure you’re not pushing them too hard? To help you out with this little dilemma, here are some tips on why it might be worth developing your child’s skills through fun, stimulating activities, even from an early age. Continue reading “The Benefits Of Developing Your Child’s Skills From An Early Age”
Tag: children
Essential Adulting Lessons You Need To Teach Your Kids
The truism that the hardest job is being a parent has never been more relevant than now. Raising our kids to become well-adjusted adults in a time of unstable digital economy, the pressures of social media and time of rising anxiety and bad mental health among teens is a worrying prospect. It’s understandable to want to wrap your children in cotton wool and shield them from the world. Continue reading “Essential Adulting Lessons You Need To Teach Your Kids”
When Should I Encourage my Baby to Socialise?
Socialisation is an important part of life that has the power to open doors, allows us to make new friends and generally communicate with one and other, but do you remember when you first began to socialise? The chances are that you don’t because, believe it or not, babies begin to socialise from the very first month in this world.
Of course, newborns aren’t going to come out of the womb and ask “how’s it going, mum and dad?”, they socialise in their own unique way. Babies will experiment by making different faces at you, even attempting to mimic some of your gestures. This is part of what allows parents and baby to bond together.
When Should I Introduce Baby to Other Babies?
There isn’t really a definitive age where you should or shouldn’t as babies are social creatures from the very beginning. However, we would recommend bonding with the baby for a month or two before going on to actively socialise, whether that is by attending groups or nursery.
From two months old, the baby will have just managed this smiling lark, so you just know they are going to put on the charm offensive when they are out and about, and everyone is going to fall in love with them. It will serve you well, as a parent, to get baby used to interact with others their own age at such an early age, hopefully helping their social skills to develop and aiding them later on in life.
Socialising With Other Cultures
If you have the opportunity for baby to socialise with other cultures then 100% go for it. No one is born racist and much of the prejudice is fear of the unknown – by familiarising baby with other cultures at such a young age, they will develop a greater understanding that will serve them well through school and adult life.
Babies, children and adults all learn best through personal experiences. When it comes to learning about other cultures and faith, socialising and learning first-hand will always beat listening to a religious studies teacher giving a lecture on why Muslims give Zakat – of course, if you are interested in learning why you can find out more here.
When Can I Take Baby to Nursery?
Many nurseries accept babies from the age of three months old, although some will also offer care from just after birth. Full-time care is generally available from 18-24 months of age when, at this point, your baby will have a range of autonomy skills – beginning to walk and talk, as well as playing with other children.
While many have the option of becoming a stay at home mum, therefore meaning they do not have to rely on childcare, many cannot – or simply do not want to – give up work from the moment they become a parent. In the United Kingdom, nursery ratios mean that there must be at least one qualified practitioner per three babies in a room in order to give the child the required amount of attention.
Many parents, particularly of young babies, prefer one on one childcare, which is perfectly fine. When the baby, though, becomes a little older and more active, a nursery setting with other children is certainly the better choice to help develop social skills.
Of course, all children are different and no one knows them half as well as the parents. Some take a little longer to develop their social skills, while others could probably lead a conversation (if they could talk, of course).
*This is a collaborative post. For further information please refer to my disclosure page.
Mummy Can We Pleeeeeease Get A Dog? (Considerations Before You Say Yes)
It’s a request that most mum, dads, and caregivers have heard at some point. Yes, it’s when the kids realise that dogs aren’t just pets that other people have, but that they could get one in there very own home too. Of course, it’s a tough question to answer from the parents’ side of things, because it’s not only about giving your child a cute new canine best friend. Luckily, I have outlined some of the primary considerations that you need to think about before you decide. Read on to find out more.
Are the kids old enough?
Many families have a dog when the kids are young and experience no problems at all. However, some younger children can find it hard to understand that the family pup is a living, breathing animal and not just a super smart stuffed toy. Sadly, this can lead them to chase your pooch around, pull at its coat, and generally make the poor dog’s life pretty tough, something you can read more about at sites like https://www.cuteness.com.
Of course, the problem only gets worse if you have a dog that has been rescued from a dangerous situation, or has a bad temper because then they can retaliate when annoyed and bite the child. Something that no dog owner will want to go through. Therefore it is vital that you ask whether your kids are old enough to understand exactly how to treat a dog well before you agree to have one in the house.
Have you got the time, money, information, and energy for a pup?
Next, before you consent to your child’s request to get a puppy, you need to ask yourself whether you are set up to offer them a healthy and happy home. To do this you need to consider whether you have the money to pay for their upkeep, and the time and energy to walk them at least twice a day.
Also, you need to ask yourself whether you know enough about dogs, and the particular breed you will be bringing into the home. Although, if you are struggling here, you can get some detailed information from sites like DogsByNina.com that specialise in canine care. After all, the more info you have, the better your dog’s life will be, and that is something that should be a top priority if you are going to make a pup a successful part of the family.
Are you willing to groom the dog regularly?
Lastly, don’t forget that caring for your hound isn’t just about feeding and walking them, in fact, you have to groom them on a regular basis as well.
In particular, remember to pay attention to the smaller issues that can cause your dog to be uncomfortable such as eye crust that needs gently cleaning away, and excessive hair growth in the ears that need to be trimmed.
Although, if you don’t want to deal with these sorts of tasks yourself you can always employ the help of professional dog groomer to assist you. Something that it is worth considering if this is the only thing standing in the way of you agreeing to get a dog!
*This is a collaborative post. For further information please refer to my disclosure page.
Our Visit to Little Play Town
The weather has been less than Spring like recently (to say the least) and as most of our usual indoor activities had been exhausted we found ourselves at a bit of a loss over what to do the other day. Then I remembered hearing about a new play place in Odiham, Hampshire. A friend had highly recommended that we visit Little Play Town because her children had such a great time so I set about looking it up online.
Little Play Town is an indoor interactive play place for babies and children aged 1-6 years. It is very similar to Continue reading “Our Visit to Little Play Town”
Help, My Four-Year-Old is Broken!
Ok, so tell me this. How come I heard so much about the terrible two’s and then the Threenager stage but why has no one ever mentioned the four-year-old to me, eh?! The last two stages were nothing compared to what we have hit right now and I don’t think I am exaggerating when I say my four-year-old is broken!
Is anyone else’s child around this age happy one minute, having a meltdown the next, then angry, then storming off to their bedroom, crying, then suddenly happy again? Continue reading “Help, My Four-Year-Old is Broken!”
Why I Was Wrong About Co-Sleeping
Before you become a parent you know it all, don’t you? I mean, how many times did you look at a parent and think my kid wouldn’t be stropping in the street like that, my kid will eat all their dinner, no fuss from my amazing imaginary children! My baby will be in a great routine from early on, oh and they will never, ever sleep in the bed with me. Yeah, this was me all over and I’m here to admit it because at the end of the day I had no clue, not one at all. I assumed far too much, I had never experienced the type of sleep deprivation that comes with children (only from drunken nights out!). I had never had a tiny person rely on me 24/7 and I never had to question every decision I made throughout the day– over and over and over again. Continue reading “Why I Was Wrong About Co-Sleeping”