Keeping Toys Contained!

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Keeping Toys Contained!When the cuteness has turned to clutter, and the toy piles are bigger than your toddler herself, it’s time to give our list a gander. Here are our top tips for “Keeping Toys Contained!”

1. Clean house. If your kiddo has more things than actually fit in his room, you won’t stand a chance of getting the mess tamed. So take a few hours to remove the toys that aren’t developmentally challenging for him anymore. Donate the outdated ones at a local charity.

2. Make the old new again! The toys that haven’t been used in a while, but are too hard to part with can make for a great rainy day activity bin. So pack them away for a few months, and when boredom kicks in, they can make a reappearance.

3. Get the low down. If you kneel to see whats actually at your tot’s eye level, you’ll be able to place her favorite things in reaching distance. Then pack smaller, less used items high above.

4. Invest in clarity. A few see through bins will make all the difference when it comes to clean up time. Once you’ve got things organized, you’ll see what size containers you’ll need to purchase. And everyone will be able to clean up if they can clearly see what lives inside.

5. Squeaky routine! Changes take time, but you can solidify new patterns of behavior more quickly by making them part of your every day routine. So maybe a 10 minute clean up can become part of your bedtime ritual. Goodnight clutter means good morning peace!

What To Do When Expecting Baby #2!

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What To Do When Expecting Baby #2What if just when you think you’ve got this Toddler thing figured out, a new baby is on the way?! We’re here to help ease the transition for you and your tot with “WHAT TO DO WHEN EXPECTING BABY #2!”

1.  Don’t expect your toddler to get too excited right away. Even if Jacob has a little sister, your little guy may not fully understand what’s to come over the next 9 months. With that said, things will become a lot more real when he can feel a tangible belly kick or hold his new sibling.

2. Reminisce about when your toddler was also a baby! How small were her feet and how cute was her toothless grin? Toddlers love to be the center of attention, so show off their old baby pictures and tell stories of how tiny they were once too!

3. Set realistic expectations. Babies cry A LOT. They wake us up in the middle of the night and use a ton of diapers. Have your toddler take care of a baby doll along side you, just make sure he knows the real thing will be a lot louder!

4. Give your little helper a specific job! Can they rub the baby’s lotion onto his arms? Or choose the baby’s pajamas? Your toddler will feel a special sense of pride as a big sibling if they have a say in the baby’s life.

5. Allow your toddler a few toys that are private and off limits to the new bundle. This will help keep her identity in tact and help her to feel like she too has privileges as the bigger kid.

Finally, quality alone time and special treats never hurt either. But most important is just remembering that your toddler is still a baby too! And so they need as much attention and affection as your newest addition. Enjoy cuddling two with both arms!

The Right Brain / Left Brain Challenge!

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The Right Brain/Left Brain Challenge!When kids aren’t working from both sides of their brains, chaos ensues. Ever tried logic with a tantrum throwing tot?!

Our right brains are emotional and impulsive, and they often take over. While the left side of our brains are logical and organized, we still need the right for creative problem solving and for reading nonverbal cues. It’s a peanut butter & jelly situation. One can’t work nearly as well without the other!

But how do we encourage our kiddos to use both sides of their brain for optimum growth? Through play and games of course!

— Lead your little one to color or paint with their non-dominant hand. Or for double the fun, use both hands at once! It may be frustrating at first, but once they get a grasp of it, they’ll love the challenge.

— Move and groove while crossing the midline of the body. This twisting does wonders for brain development. Try marching and hitting each knee with the opposite hand as you go!

— Take a kids yoga class. Breathing boosts brain activity and standing on each limb individually will promote balance!

— Play ball! Run, throw, kick, and catch. Bonus points if you make sure to alternate which arm/leg is doing most of the work!

— Tell a story together! This simple, creative act will build communication skills, empower the imagination, and help you make awesome memories. Who knew playing make believe could do so much good for our brains? (Okay, we did!)

 

 

 

Top Tips For Toddler Transitions!

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Top Tips For Toddler TransitionsToddlers and Transitions are words that do NOT flow together. Any parent or teacher can tell you that. But learning how to move from one thing to the next without throwing a tantrum is a life skill all of us (from tots on up) need to learn! Here are our top tips for helping your toddler learn to transition!

1. Recognize and acknowledge their feelings. “I can see you’re sad because you don’t want Mommy to leave.” Just hearing their inner feelings said aloud is sometimes enough to calm a child down. Many times most of their frustration is caused by feeling unheard or misunderstood.

2. Get down to their eye level and speak calmly. Okay, we admit this is easier said than done with a screaming kiddo. But they will feed off of your energy. Try your best to keep perspective, even when they still have none, and you’ll be leading the way to a more communicative future together.

3. Give your little one a warning. Imagine you were at a party having a grand old time when someone unexpectedly told you, “Time to put your shoes on and go!” Anyone would have a hard time with that. We all need a warning to know what is coming next.

4. Offer two choices. “Would you like to hop or get a piggy back ride to the car?” Two choices offer toddlers independence while still giving you the desired outcome you need to keep your day moving forward.

5. Create some transition rituals. The best teachers do this beautifully! Singing a favorite Clean Up Song helps saying goodbye to the toy trains a little bit easier. Picking a flower on the way home from the park makes leaving a little less terrible. When kiddos know what to expect, they can relax into the next activity, and so can you!