Parenting

Coping skills are strategies used during stressful situations and moments with high emotional intensity. The newer generations of children are dealing with significant levels of stress. One of the most valuable gifts we can bestow on children is teaching them strong coping skills to carry them through the rough times. Here are eight tips for raising a resilient kid.

1. Ask them how they’re feeling

From an early age, parents can help children learn how to address their feelings. When a toddler is throwing a tantrum, one of the best supports is providing soothing words and providing words for emotions. “Oh honey, your face is so hot and pink. Let’s fan it to cool it down. You seem upset, so we’re going just to take some deep breathes so we can figure out how to help you”. As they get older, using emojis or making faces in a mirror helps children identify emotions. Teaching emotion identification helps them read others as well to gain a better understanding of social cues. As communication skills increase, children can express how they feel; they just may need an audience to help them process the big stuff. A fabulous parent trick can simply be to ask them how they are feeling and then just listen.

2. Know their emotional triggers

Parents know their child best and know what can set off a meltdown. Help children learn to identify their emotional triggers to learn how to steer clear or self soothe. Some emotions become too big to hold in and need to be released. Coping skills help children remove the steam valve. So meltdowns become less frequent or are avoided altogether. If your child seems to tantrum more when tired, leave chores, homework, and even conversations to another time. As your child identifies feelings of tired he may be better able to cope with becoming more proficient in soothing the frustration, so it simmers rather than bubbles over. 

3. Discuss an advance warning

Like many adults, children are creatures of habit. They enjoy routines and like to know what’s coming next. For changes big and small, children do best when parents provide fair warnings for changes. Talk to children about whatever change is coming by using age-appropriate vocabulary, so your child understands. Highlight things that may be fun or exciting, the bright side. Make sure to provide time and space to talk about any concerns they may have. You can even leave out a notebook where all family members can ask questions. Parents can answer questions or address them at a particular family discussion. The most important thing is for parents to give as much warning as possible to help get their child ready.

4. Encourage them to try new things

Even for adults, trying new things can be scary or intimidating in the least. How do you help your chid tread a little further into a new skill? A growth mindset is a great place to start. Teach children the power of yet rather than focusing on perfection. Children who embrace mistakes are more willing to try new things. Children are more open to learning from mistakes with the fear of failure gone than simmering in disappointment. It is the emotional equivalent of getting back up, shaking off the dust, and trying again. Remind them they can always take a break and come back and give it a shot.

5. Take a seat and listen to them.

Sometimes the best thing we can say is nothing. While parents are often the problem solvers in children’s lives, parents also need to know when to stand back and take a moment just to listen and support the child’s own problem-solving. While some children may be more open to talking, others may need some help. Art is a great way to help children let down their walls and talk. A parent can sit and color with the child and ask a few topical questions. As children color, they may be more open to talking.

6. Teach them positive self-talk

Parents become one of the first voices behind a child’s self-talk. Even if they fail, children complimented for trying are more likely to go out and try again. Help children create self-affirming self-talk with a growth mindset. Use printables for kids to create artwork with affirmations and heartfelt intentions—model positive self-talk with yourself with a daily morning affirmation for the whole family.

7. Practice the “breathing in a box” method

Help children practice mindfulness with a breathing activity. Katie Lear provides “breathing in a box” as an example for helping children learn to self regulate. Her box breathing requires drawing a box. Your child moves their finger up the side of the box with a breath count of 4. They then hold then breathe for a count of four following the next side of the box. They will then follow the next wall releasing the breath with a count of four. This breathing continues as long as they need it. Mindful breathing and repetition help create a sense of calm. They continue around the walls of the box.

8. Spend extra time with your kids

Another way to build healthy coping skills is with strong, meaningful relationships. Children who feel connected to others can experience less anxiety and stress. Having parents around more help create bonding moments and allow more natural, less rushed, interactions. Busy schedules don’t always allow us to indulge in more time with our children, but you can make the most of the time you do have. Even an extra five minutes at bedtime can mean the world to your child.

Some of the most resilient children aren’t necessarily the straight-A students or the best quarterbacks; they’re the children who continue to get back up when they fail. They’re the children who can go from red-faced angry to cool as a cucumber through breathing and other mindfulness techniques. These types of healthy coping skills help your child learn how to endure stressful situations without becoming dysregulated. They also help your children enjoy the journey rather than worry about it.

Due to COVID-19, many working parents were compelled to work from home.

And because they’re not used to such a work environment, being productive is becoming a challenge.

If you are one of those parents who juggles work and family, here are eight tips that you can apply:

1. Prepare a schedule

Time management is a massive issue for everyone, but even more so for work at home parents.

When there’s so much going on at home, it can be so easy to find yourself wondering how the time passed you by without you knowing. It’s also difficult to coordinate activities between the members of your household.

To bring back more stability in your work-from-home life, you should consider preparing a schedule for yourself.

If you have a spouse or a partner living with you, you should coordinate your plan with them. That way, there is an understanding between you and your partner of what’s going on in your life.

A schedule will help make you feel less like you’re improvising your life and more in control of everything, which is always a lovely idea.

2. Batching method

Another time management solution that you can do aside from creating a schedule would be the batching method.

The batching method’s mode of operation is accessible. All you need to do is to do similar tasks in the same batch at the same time.

One example would be spending 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM responding to all sorts of messages, from emails to texts and online messages. You can then spend 10:30 AM to 12 PM doing chores related to childcare.

The batching method allows your mind to not be as tired after each task because the mindset shift isn’t erratic. You also feel less like you’re all over the place.

3. Prioritize hard tasks

When you have the most energy, that’s the time when you should be doing the more difficult tasks. If you put off these tasks later on in the day, you won’t have enough energy to do the job efficiently and as high-quality as you can.

That’s why you should be prioritizing the demanding tasks that you have as early as possible.

Even if you dedicate most of the day to that challenging task, knowing that you could cross off a primary goal on the list is rewarding. For each workday, try to set which job is a priority and then do that first before anything else.

4. Establish a work area

Not everyone will have space in their house that they can dedicate for work. But that doesn’t mean that you can’t establish a makeshift work area someplace in your home.

When you have a dedicated space for working, you can focus because your mind will associate that space with work.

When you’re establishing a work area, make sure that you don’t use places of leisure, like the couch and the bed, your work area. Otherwise, you might have a more challenging time focusing on relaxing or working when mixing up the two.

Even if you only have a table and chair in one corner of the room, that could be your work area. Make sure that you also notify the people in your house that when you’re in your work area, that means you’re working.

5. Define the lines

One of the biggest challenges of working from home is that the lines between home life and work life are blurred. If you stick to winging it, you’re going to make it harder for yourself to balance both of them.

For your sake, you should create boundaries between your work life and your home life.

When it’s time to log off, make sure that you do and that you don’t answer work queries or do any tasks related to work when you’re supposed to be off the job. Sticking to this boundary will allow you to have both a healthier work and home life.

6. Use apps and tools

If you want to be as productive as possible while working from home, you should automate some of your tasks.

There are plenty of tools that you can use to make it easier for you to do certain things. Whether it’s for work or for managing your home, there are productivity apps out there that can help.

For example, there are plenty of task list apps that help you keep track of all the things you need to do. If you want to make sure that you’ve finished all the tasks, having a to-do list on your phone or device might be a big help for you.

7. Have a stop time

Some of us have a hard time starting the work, and some have a tough time stopping the work. It’s even more apparent in parents working from home.

It becomes much harder to stop working, especially when you’re in the zone. However, that’s not a healthy habit for you to keep doing. That’s why you should make sure to have a dedicated stop time.

A stop time should be a point in the day when, no matter what, you’re not going to work the rest of the day. The stop time is going to be a crucial part of your time management routine.

8. Have a support network

We at Maid Sailors Hoboken Cleaning Service believe that you don’t have to shoulder everything yourself.

Many parents are too hard on themselves when it comes to combining household workload and actual work tasks. Too many parents think that if they aren’t doing everything at home and work, they believe they’re not good parents.

This idea is an absolute falsehood.

Everyone deserves to have a support network, even parents. That’s why if you feel like you need help, don’t hesitate to ask for it.

There are many ways you can get the help that you need. You can ask family and friends to help you take care of the kids when you’re away. You can hire professional services to help clean your home once in a while. When you feel that you need help, give yourself the rest you need, and seek your help.

Conclusion

Working from home as a parent is a challenge, especially at the start. Please don’t beat yourself up over it for too long.

You’re going to be stumbling around at first. But eventually, you can start creating a healthier work-from-home habit with the help of these productivity tips. 

A healthier work-from-home situation will be useful not only for you but also for your work and home life together.

If you have recently had a child, and you are wondering how this will change your life, it will likely be very dramatic. Your ability to go where you want, whenever you want, is now forever changed. As a parent, you are responsible for this individual for the next 18 years, and it will likely be very difficult during the first few.

It is during this time that you will experience sleepless nights, eventually leading to that unique person that your child will become prior to going to school.

If you are a young parent, here are some things that you absolutely need to know if you want to do this the right way.

Recognize Your Responsibility

This is the first step toward becoming a parent. You must recognize that your child is now your primary responsibility. Everything that you do, and every thought that you have, will be revolving around caring for this new individual. Whether it is a boy or girl, you must be prepared for the very fast changes that will occur.

This will start with changing diapers, learning how to speak, and eventually becoming an adult person. It all begins with fully embracing the fact that you are now a parent. Once you have done that, you need to prepare for a few things.

Things That Young Parents Should Know

There are three things that are very important for a young parent to understand. First of all, this is going to cost you a lot of money. The cost of diapers, baby food, clothing, and trips to the doctor are just the tip of the iceberg in regard to expenses. You must be fully employed, or both of you may need to have jobs to support this new person.

The second thing you need to recognize is that the lifestyle you have been living, which may have been freewheeling, needs to gravitate toward this child. Purchasing the necessities, as well as educational gifts, will begin to preoccupy your mind and time. Finally, you need to learn empathy.

You need to try to see things from their point of view and structure your life around them to the best of your ability.

This is the foundation for becoming a good parent. It begins with understanding that you are responsible for them. You then need to realize that life as you know it is about to change forever. This will be the central focus of your life and all of your decisions and desires will be augmented by their needs as well.

Final Words

Raising a child is hard work, but if done properly, you will be responsible for raising a wonderful person that will always thank you for what you have done.

Are you a newborn mom? Or are you just a mom struggling to get your baby to sleep? It is normal, especially the first few days, if you a new mom before you get used to it. If you are still not able to do so, then this is the article for you; read on. This situation can trigger your stress levels, and you do not want that to happen. You would want to be there for your baby: healthy and strong.

There is nothing more pleasing than watching your baby fall asleep. They are usually at so much peace, and they look so innocent. Even imagining that they will one day grow older is so surreal. At a point in their life, they will be entirely independent that also seeking your assistance will be a one-time thing.

Do you know how kids tend to be so vulnerable or how much they adore their mothers while at a ripe age? That is something most if not all mothers if asked, would tell you that they would love it if their kids remained kids for life and at heart.

That kind of vulnerability occurs once, and if the relationship grows, it never ends. The points that follow show how you can get your child to sleep.

Come Up With A Bedtime Routine

Do you want to have less stressful nights? It is best if you come up with a routine when your baby is at 6 to 8 weeks old. That way, as they grow up, they will have adjusted to it; hence can make changes if they want to. It can be a combination of normal bedtime activities, and they may include engaging yourselves in active games during the day and peaceful ones in the evening.

You do not want them to be too excited before bed because they will not be able to sleep. Hence these quiet games will ensure that they are tired: making sleeping an easy task. You will not even struggle! Consistency will ensure that their system will adjust to sleeping at night. Therefore make sure that the routine is followed to the latter.

As you approach the evening, make sure that any activity that you may have put there has a calming effect. This is similar to how you do stretches after working out- an activity that requires you to be very active.

Showering & Bathing

Do you sleep almost immediately after showering before bed? If so, you should try bathing your baby before bedtime. They will sleep like a log! As you gradually learn what intrigues your child and make them happy, you can include it in the routine.

This will always make them excited because they will have something to look forward too.

Night Time Rules

Also, as part of molding them into better individuals, you should set up some rules for the night. They may include switching off lights in case they wake up in the wee hours of the night. Stress on them, and soon everything will go with the flow.

The above points show what you can do if your child is not an easy sleeper. Also, remember to have relevant night time conditions- make it make sense! Ensure that the routine is kid-friendly.

It’s fair to say to be considered a good mommy depends on who you ask. Many people enter motherhood with a set of expectations and beliefs on what they think it takes to be a good mother.

You get these expectations and beliefs from the experiences with your parents, communities and society, family, friends, and many others. As a result of this, it can be difficult to apply your ideas of what you believe a good mother should be. This post will give you some tips for becoming a good mommy.

Love and take care of yourself

There is no doubt that mothers are pretty amazing as they give it all to provide unconditional love to their kids. But this comes at a cost because you are always in situations where you judge your efforts and criticize yourself. The best thing you can do is to have positive feelings and take care of yourself. You should not always put yourself last on the things to do. 

Most moms tend to focus on providing everything without thinking about their wellbeing. So they usually forget to nurture themselves, get sick, or become resentful. This is the reason why you should take some time to take care of yourself so that you can become stronger and healthier to look after your children fully with fun. 

Accept that it’s a lifetime calling

The relationship with your child is one of the most important things in your life. You will be involved in almost every activity of your child, such as nurturing, caring, teaching, supporting, etc. While this can sometimes be overwhelming, your child will need you in various ways throughout their life. 

Your baby will need you to be attentive at a short notice to feed, cuddle, and change their clothing. As the baby changes to become a toddler to a teenager, the needs also change. Therefore, to be a good mommy, you should be available to the needs of your child.

Spend enough time with your child

As a parent, it’s understandable that there are so many different things that keep you busy. Because of this, it can be challenging to have adequate time to spend with your child. But you should remember that your kid requires quality and regular time with you. 

Children communicate different things through words and behavior. Therefore, you should listen to them when they are speaking and try to be curious about what they are doing. By giving your little one time and space to hear what they are saying might even boost their self-confidence and development. 

Don’t be too frustrated with their misbehavior

At one point your child will try to experience independence and autonomy which may bring conflict with your beliefs. It might be easier for you to understand your toddler than a teen when they do similar behavior. Hence, in times of frustration don’t take their behavior personally.

Instead, try to figure out the message they are attempting to communicate to you. Most of the time, this behavior has to do with the development of your child and they don’t intend to attack you personally.

Many single mums find it challenging to handle their child’s behavior when it comes to getting organized and asserting their part as the head of the family. This usually happens when your young child’s behavior gets out of control. Thankfully, most single mums understand how to cope with such pressures to help them nurture their children.

Because single-parent families are becoming quite more common than ever, it’s important to know how you can manage some of the challenges so that you can raise a healthy and happy child. This article discusses how to deal with a young child as a single mum.

The challenges of a single mum

Child-rearing can be hard for single mums. This is because as a single parent, you have the sole responsibility for taking care of your child’s day-to-day activities. Worse still, being a single parent, means you experience more stress and fatigue. As a result, there are risks that you can easily get distracted to be involved emotionally or supportive, leading to the rise of behavior problems in your child.

Here are some ways you can reduce stress as a single mum:

• Show love to your child. Try to give your child unconditional support and love by praising them for the good deeds they do. You can also create time each day to read and play with your little one. 
• Create an activity routine. Having a structured way of doing things can have a positive effect on you. Hence, consider adopting regular scheduled bedtimes and meals. This can help your kid understand what to expect. 
• Find high-quality child care. Look for someone who is qualified to care for your child. You can seek advice from experts, friends, or family members for recommendations on how to get professional child care services. 
• Set limits. Setting home rules can help your child adopt the right behavior. This means explaining to your child what you expect from them in regards to how they speak and behave. Let the caregiver give immediate discipline if your child breaks these house rules. 

Handling your child’s misbehavior

It cannot be emphasized enough the importance of developing a serious tone of voice for your child. You should be firm and lower your voice to communicate with your child, especially when they cross a line. This is the only way your child can understand that their behavior is not within the set boundaries. Mind you, the house rules help your kid to remember what you agree as acceptable or not acceptable behavior. 

Don’t give up if you see that your child continues with their bad behavior. Instead, if the kid is fighting over toys, consider taking them away to redirect their focus. However, if bad behavior is a result of your child’s desire to get your attention, then simply ignore them. 

It’s also important to give your child time out in case of misbehavior. Therefore, choose a place like a corner or a chair where they are supposed to spend time thinking about their bad behavior. Alternatively, you can decide to deny them some privileges as a cost for their misbehavior.

Once you get home with your newborn baby, it’s easy to feel like you have no idea how to care for your little one. Unfortunately, without an instructional manual, new parents have to learn most of the things by themselves.

Your baby will cry for hours, but they might tell you what they want when they start talking. Here is parenting advice for new parents to help you feel confident if you’re nervous about your newborn.

Find assistance after the birth

It can be overwhelming and hectic during the first few days after the birth of your child. Therefore, consider finding someone to help you take care of your little one. You can also talk to the experts while you’re in the hospital to learn how to care for your newborn. The good news is that most hospitals have lactation or feeding specialists who can guide you on the best way to nurse or bottle-feed your child.

If you intend to have in-home help, then your best option is to find a responsible neighborhood individual or a baby nurse who can help you after the birth. Also, the hospital or your doctor can assist you to find the right information on how to get in-home help. Thankfully, many friends and relatives usually might want to offer their help too.

It’s in your best interest to get someone who has the proper experience in taking care of the newborn. 

Bonding with your child

One of the important elements of infant care is perhaps bonding with your little one. This usually happens during the first couple of hours and days after birth. You need to use this time correctly by making a deep connection with your baby. Mind you that physical closeness with the infant is bound to create an emotional connection. 

Bonding helps the infants to grow emotionally and also helps them to develop in most areas like physical growth. Simply put, bonding can be considered as falling in love with your baby, which helps them thrive as they are growing. Therefore, you can do the bonding by cradling and stroking gently your baby. Take this opportunity to hold your infant skin-to-skin while cradling or feeding them. 

All babies including those with medical issues or premature babies might do well with infant massage. These massages can help your baby bond with you and assists them to grow and develop. However, you should massage your baby gently to avoid hurting them. Besides, most babies like to hear you singing, talking, and babbling. You can also use musical mobiles and baby rattles to stimulate their hearing. 

Diapering

It’s important to decide quickly if you want to use disposable diapers or cloth. Regardless of what you want to use, make sure that you have all the necessities in place and within reach. After all, you don’t want to leave your baby unattended for long on the changing table.

Therefore, you should have a clean diaper, fasteners, diaper ointment, and diaper wipes. 

Here is how you can change a wet diaper. You should lay your infant on their back and remove the wet diaper. Utilize cotton balls, water, and wipes or washcloth to wipe gently your baby’s genital area.

You should always remove your boy’s diaper carefully because exposure to air might make him urinate. On the other hand, wipe a girl’s bottom from front to back to prevent a urinary tract infection.

At 4 or 5 years old, your child might be staying at home or could be attending a play school. Regardless of her situation, it’s likely that the little lady is a very busy person. Besides talking, walking, and making friends, you might have seen that your child can do quite a lot more things by herself. She will organize her play, dress, and choose her tasks to do.

Toys play a vital role in shaping the personality of your kid. It’s through playing that she can develop mentally, physically and becomes more creative. This article will discuss the gift ideas for 4-5-year-old girls.

Kids puzzles

The good thing about a kids puzzle is that it’s an educational learning tool that is suitable for girls aged between 4 and 5 years old. It can help them develop several skills such as problem-solving skills. Puzzle sets have different themes which will attract your child to play with them. While playing, she can also develop hand-eye coordination and fine motor skills. 

But when looking for the best kids puzzles, it’s important to choose the ones that are made from high-quality materials so that they can withstand rigorous play. Aside from this, it should have bright colors to make playing fun while your child develops sensitivity to shapes and colors.

Best of all, your kid can use the finished puzzle to decorate their room. 

Gardening toys

Gardening is a great task to introduce to your child, but don’t use the tools that you use because they are too large and unsafe for your child. Instead, use the gardening tools designed for children aged from 4 to 5 years old. As your child shows interest in gardening, it’s important to buy for them a gardening set that will help them improve their gardening skills.

For example, you can find a garden table play set that has a place for the water, dirt, and any mess your child wants to put on it.

The good news is that most of the toddlers’ gardening equipment comes with the necessary tools. You can use a basin to hold dirt or water, watering can, shovel, a rake, a tray, and many more. As you can see, your child can use gardening toys to do pretend play or real-play. 

An art set

Children love to engage with toys, and coloring can improve their creativity. This is probably one of the best hands-on experiences that your child will most likely enjoy doing. The best thing is that she won’t outgrow the simple coloring because some people even become professional artists.

Therefore, go for an art set that comes with a portable art case to help your child be organized. There are various art set brands available on the market such as Crayola, but you should buy the ones that have enough tools. This will help your child color, draw, and do craft for a long time. Fortunately, most of the art sets are not toxic, so you can have peace of mind knowing that your child is safe.