When You’re At The End of Your Rope

Here are some tips for when you’re absolutely at the end of your tether with your toddler. They were passed on to me by my mother, who watched my hopeless early attempts to get my son and his sister to co-operate when they were three and a half and two a half and respectively. Yes, one was just beginning the terrible twos and the other was just honing his skills. It was not a pretty sight, and I can’t say I handled it well. 

Just One Pair of Hands…

As a lone father I often got overwhelmed and frustrated with the kids, and my mother would always appear like an angel of peace. Before I knew it calm was restored and the kids would be curled up next to her happily listening to a story and dropping off to sleep. “How do you do that?” I asked, but never got a satisfactory answer. It’s just Grandparent magic. They just have to turn up. It’s quite annoying in some ways, as I could not replicate the calm atmosphere she brought, however much I tried. But crucially he visits were a great way to get some respite, even if it just meant I got a few hours to spend looking for the best cash isas. Family finances have to be done, and my Mom often gave me the breathing space to do paperwork when I wasn’t exhausted in the evening. Here are a few tips she did pass on, however, and they have all worked, especially when you’re at the end of your rope.

1. Chill – seriously. Just chill. It may seem like the most important thing in the world that you get your kid to finish that sandwich he asked for. But it isn’t. Really it isn’t. Don’t fight the small battles, keep a sense of humour and try to put yourself in the child’s place. Have you never taken something to eat that looked good and then found it wasn’t? Or that you just weren’t hungry? Imagine having a huge policeman stand over you and yell at you to finish it. No wonder my son got stressed with me. Just let it go, was my Mum’s advice. And she was usually right.

Saving Money on Your Kids

Raising kids today is certainly not cheap. Parents today face many of the same child-related expenses that parents from previous generations have faced. These include the costs of clothing, food, toys and games, and even college education. Yet the costs of these expenses have greatly increased over time. You may be considering options to reduce your expenses and save money today. Some parents will compare house insurance and auto insurance through an online price comparison website to find extra cash, and others are cutting back on extra purchases and making an effort to live beneath their means. Here are some ways you can save money on kids today:

Buy Necessities and Save for Wanted Items:
When kids are younger, they often ask for everything from the latest toys to candy bars while in the checkout line at the grocery store. These little items can certainly add up over time. Yet they are small in comparison to the more expensive items that preteens and teens will ask for. Older kids want the latest electronics, the hottest styles, and more. Parents can save money by purchasing only necessities like only clothing that is needed, items needed for school, and so forth. For larger items or wanted items, kids can learn about delayed gratification by saving for them.

Teach Your Kids About Budgeting:
You can save your own pretty pennies to help kids get the items they want, like an expensive new pair of sneakers or the latest video game. However, you can also allow kids to earn their own money and save for those items they really want. They can be assigned chores and a set allowance, or they can earn money on their own through mowing yards, babysitting, and more. By allowing kids to purchase these extra items with their own money, the cost is no longer yours. Further, you will find that kids often will start spending money more wisely. It is common for kids to try to use parents as a living credit card, asking for everything their hearts desire. Yet when they have control over the budget, they often will make better decisions about what money is spent on.

Baby Hands To The Face!

I’d like to share with you a move I like to call the ‘get that out of my face’ or ‘wax-on wax-off’ type of blocking that Alejandra has been doing to let us know when she’s done eating / drinking / or has decided that she doesn’t want us to wipe her nose.I heard from a friend that this is a ‘day care’ learned behavior. I’m not sure she’s totally correct. It reminded of this little film I watched before I became a dad and which I now I think I should revisit just to see how much more I’ll enjoy it:

This behavior showed up a few months ago, and although it’s a seldom act, it nonetheless surprises us and leaves us somewhat in shock when it happens. Alejandra is normally a calm and relaxed kid. Her disposition is mellow and pretty ‘go with the flow’; however, when she sets her mind to something she can be very animated and passionate about what she wants. Interestingly enough, her slapping the hands to the face is much more common towards her mom than me. I’m not sure why that is, yet if I were to guess, it may be because of the difference in how we react when she does it. I tend to be more firm with Alejandra, whereas my wife is more understanding.

Do You Need a Second Base for Your Baby Car Seat?

I hate to be anti-climatic, but the simple answer is no.  In fact, to my surprise (seriously) you don't even need one base for your car seat.  Clark is my first and only child, before him I had no experience at all with small children.  His was the first car seat I ever handled.  I thought a base was required to install a car seat.  When my wife needed to take the baby somewhere, I removed the base from my car and put it in hers.  Then vice-versa later in the day.

All your base are belong to us!

One day I was looking at the stickers on my son's car seat and I realized the installation instructions on that sticker were different from the instructions on the sticker located on the base.  Then it hit me! You can install a car seat with nothing more than a seat belt (lap or shoulder).  No base required.

The car seat base and definitely a second base are just conveniences.  Convenient, but not necessary.  Loading a car seat into a car with a base probably takes less than two seconds (click-click).  Loading a car seat without a base will take 5 second for a speedster, but probably closer to 15-30 seconds for the average person (pulling the belt, buckling it and locking it into proper position).  Same for removing the car seat.  However, many people leave their car seat in the car permanently, once the baby is too heavy for them to carry around in his carrier, so differences in loading time becomes negligible. With a base the seat belt is threaded through the base.  This keeps the seat belt away from curious little hands and baby bodily fluids.