Finding the Right Balance

The pandemic caused working moms to leave their jobs to stay home. Mothers were leaving the workplace prior to COVID, but the disease just made the numbers skyrocket. Daycare centers had to close and schools were closed.

Mothers today must work in the home and outside of the home. If this mish-mash worked perfectly every time, there would be no need to discuss this topic. The reality is that working moms find it emotionally challenging to balance the two worlds.

You are needed at home but you need to work. Finding the right solution isn’t a simple choice. You have decisions to make from the most important, like knowing when to take your child to the doctor, to the easy, such as finding the best bathroom faucets when the one in your home breaks. Finding the right faucet can be a walk in the park. By identifying the type and style of sink you have, you have the foundation to pick out the perfect bathroom faucet. Knowing when to take your child to the doctor is another matter. These are just a few of the decisions a mother has to make for her home and family.

In other words, finding the balance of taking care of things at home, raising a family, and working at a career will be different for each mother. The consensus found by moms seems to depend on factors that include asking for help, scheduling, or carefully managing your time and learning to be flexible.

In trying to balance their life, moms need some life tips. This includes finding the right support, taking time for yourself, and reminding yourself that no one is perfect, not even mom. Allow yourself the ability to fail sometimes and to follow some simple tips like the following:

• Accept imperfections
• Self-love
• Schedule each day as much as possible
• Separate work and home

What Does Help Look Like?

Moms will always be moms. They believe that they have to do it all. It is important to remember that you also deserve to be a priority. There is no shame to ask for help, even from your significant other. Psychologists say that asking for help is not a sign of weakness, but of strength. Asking for help means that you understand what you need to keep yourself and your home running as smoothly as possible. If you feel stressed out each day, this is a sign that you could use more help.

If you have school-age kids, find someone or a partnership with other moms to drop them off and pick them up. If there is a senior citizen family member with a driver’s license, they would probably be happy to look after the kids. Another option is enrolling your children in a reliable daycare in Celina, OH. Daycare centers provide children with a safe and nurturing environment while offering educational activities and socialization opportunities. Don’t hesitate to ask for help and explore all available resources to ensure your children are well cared for.

For example, moms, dads, and children can all pitch in for specific chores around the house. You can also cook large meals that can be frozen for another day without cooking from scratch. Just find short-cuts and help that will make you feel more confident in working outside the home as well as working around the house as a stay-at-home mom.

Separate Work and Home

This is an important topic that bears some discussion. Moms may need to talk to their employers about quality time that should not extend to their home life. Moms should not bring a load of work home that makes them divide their time between work and home. This of course assumes that mom is working out of the house.

Modern moms are working in their homes. To separate work and home means to set boundaries for yourself and the family, if possible. Moms should identify a room in the home that will serve as her office. The boundary lines include not interrupting mom when she is in her home office.

A mom’s duty is to set aside specific work times. When those times are up, come out from your home office and start mommy duties. Ideally, time with family should be planned. Then stop working and spend more quality time with the husband and children.

All Hands On Deck

COVID opened the eyes and pockets of employers. Female workers were an invaluable asset to large companies with mothers holding many key management positions. Today, there is hope emanating from employers.

Companies are making changes to help female employees. They are offering flexible hours, providing childcare benefits, providing job-sharing, and part-time shifts. The federal Families First Coronavirus Response Act allows parents to receive paid leave for up to three months.

To help working moms balance all they have to do at home with the possibility of hiring help to get it all completed is more a triathlon than a sprint. As a key member of any household, moms need help from the community of family members, employers, neighbors, and government.

If your child is afraid to fail, make mistakes, let others down or be embarrassing, they’re likely struggling with some form of social anxiety. This mental health condition can prevent them from adopting a growth mindset, trying new things, taking risks and connecting with others. Luckily, there are ways to help your child manage social anxiety so they can take life by the reins and embrace their full potential. 

1. Use the PACE Model

Engage with your child and help them feel safe by using the PACE model. This method stands for Playfulness, Acceptance, Curiosity and Empathy, all of which you should rely upon when interacting with your child. For instance, if your child is nervous about meeting new people, you can use playfulness to lighten the mood and help them feel open and relaxed. Meanwhile, you can practice unconditional acceptance in regard to your little one’s wishes, feelings, thoughts and perceptions to make them feel safe.  [Read more…]

YouTube is one of the most popular social media platforms for children. According to Statista, 80% of surveyed parents with children under 11 years of age stated their children watch YouTube, with 53% of them watching YouTube videos every day. The YouTube “Made for Kids” section also gets 11 million weekly users. If your kid(s) obsess over YouTube videos, then it’s no surprise that they’ll eventually want a channel of their own.

Having their own YouTube channel allows them to express their creativity, learn how to responsibly navigate a social media platform, and even allows them to tap into their entrepreneurial spirit. With that in mind, here’s how you can help them get started:  [Read more…]

Sleep is the most important part of a baby’s life. Here, we’ll provide you with science-backed information about an infant’s sleep and how it impacts cognitive development and physical growth. We’ll also discuss how to get a baby to sleep.

We, as new parents or parents-to-be, must consider numerous factors to enable our kids to grow and develop properly. We know everything about the best baby stuff and toys, the most responsible of us are even aware of such things as  (wow!). But what do we know about the most important part of every baby’s life – sleep? 

According to a study, baby sleep is a vital brain activity for cognition and physical growth. So, it’s extremely important for every parent to learn this theme deeper and establish an adequate sleep routine for kids.

We’ve teamed up with experts to create this post and empower you with evidence-based information on the role of sleep in the early years. You’ll also find here recommendations on how to get the baby to sleep. After all, a little one who gets a quality nap and good night’s rest is far more tolerant, patient, and engaging.   

Why Do Babies Need A Healthy Sleep?

All parents know instinctively that infants need quality, uninterrupted zzz’s. But unfortunately, many of us struggle to improve our own and our baby’s sleep patterns. Some lifestyle factors like a busy schedule, long working days, various commitments push back bedtimes and kids sometimes miss naps. If it happens too often, it can seriously affect brain development and increase the chances of behavioral and learning issues in the future.

Here is why your infant needs a good sleep:   

• It enhances brain development – when a kid gets enough sleep, it helps increase his/her grey matter – brain tissue. It’s especially important during the first three years of life. 
• It enhances learning – the baby’s brain is always busy during the night sleep; research has shown that kids who take naps have a better memory. 
• It improves health – children with sleep disorders are prone to heart-related problems, obesity, diabetes, and other health problems. 
• It boosts growth- growth hormone is produced most effectively during sleep, hence insufficient sleep leads to a deficiency of this hormone.  

Healthy Infant’s Sleep

As we touched on above, a baby’s healthy sleep must be long and uninterrupted. It means that the kid has to get good sleep without being woken up by noises, lights, or other distractions. Furthermore, infant shut-eye should be in sync with the internal clock. Simply put, your baby should catch zzz’s when he/she wants to or feels like sleeping.

Here is a baby sleep chart:

Kid’s age	Total sleep hours	Night sleep	Daytime nap
Newborn	16	up to 9	not less than 8
1 month	15.5	up to 9	not less than 7
3 months	15	up to 10	not less than 4
6 months	14	up to 10	not less than 4
9 months	14	up to 11	not less than 3
12 months	14	up to 11	not less than 3
18 months	13.5	up to 11	not less than 2.5
24 months	13	up to 11	not less than 2

Baby Sleep Regression: Is It A Problem?

Don’t worry, sleep regression in babies is totally ok. It’s a period when a baby starts fighting sleep although he/she has formerly been a perfect sleeper. Sleep regression may occur at any age, but the first one usually hits at 2-6 months and lasts 2-4 weeks. During this period a baby can experience problems with settling down when it comes to daytime naps or wakes up in the middle of the night. 

What may cause a sleep regression? Why baby won’t sleep?

• An illness, e.g., cold, ear infection, allergies, etc.
• Teething pain
• Reaching a new milestone
• Disruption in routines, e.g., starting a daycare
• Traveling
• Fatigue

How To Get A Baby To Sleep?

Swaddle

Keeping a tight swaddle allows the baby to feel like in the womb – safe and snug. Plus, it prevents them from startling themselves awake, so your newborn will sleep better and longer. However, swaddling is good for newborns (up to 2 months).

Sleep training baby

When your little one is 4 months or older, it’s time to sleep training him/her – let your baby self-soothe in the crib. 

• Do not rock him/her to sleep 
• Do not feed him/her to sleep
• Do not rush, give the baby some time to settle down.

Be patient, sleep training takes time, but the result is worth it!

Consider room temperature

The room temperature in the nursery must be cool and consistent – up to 

73 degrees Fahrenheit. And do not over-bundle your baby; this way, it’ll be easier to control his/her temperature. 

Sooth with music or sound

Put your little one in the crib and turn on white noise or baby sleep music. He/she will learn to associate these sounds with shut-eye. 

Keep the music in the lowest settings so that the kid feels comfortable.  

Share the room not the bed

According to the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics, parents should share the room with a baby until he/she is 6 months, but do not share the bed. It reduces the risks of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), helps the baby sleep better, and encourages breastfeeding. 

Create a bedtime routine

Kids of all ages, especially the youngest ones, thrive on structure, routine, and predictability. A consistent bedtime routine will bring order to a chaotic world and help your little one get settled before sleep. 

Hopefully, our post was helpful for you and you found several good recommendations for yourself. 

If you have your own tips and tricks on how to get a baby to sleep, kindly share them with us in the comment section below!