Online Resources to Help Parents Raise Smart, Healthy, and Independent Children
     By Sara Bailey
 
When you prepare a dish at home, you likely research online tips and recipes to ensure success. So, when you are preparing children to grow into happy and healthy adults, why not do the same? There are endless tools and resources online that can resolve some of the toughest issues you face as a parent, and you should not have to figure it all out on your own.
 
If you want help with everything from helping your children begin learning at home to protecting your bond with your children, here are some resources you need to read through.
 
Resources to Keep Kid Learning Even at Home
 
From the time you bring them home, your children begin learning and exploring the world around them. So be sure to reinforce a love of learning with these handy resources:
 
Simple Ways to Make Your Baby Smarter
Educational Activities for Kids
STEM & STEAM TV Shows for Kids
 
Toolkits to Keep Kids Safe at Home & Outside
 
Safety is always on your mind as a parent, so you should definitely look into these helpful sites and resources for keeping your kids protected both at home and out in the world.
 
When to Babyproof Your Home
Playground Safety for Young Children
Keeping Kids Safe Online
 
 
Resources to Keep Parent-Children Bonds Strong
 
As your children grow older, they’re bound to become more independent, but you can help foster a bond between you and your children that will last a lifetime.
 
Why Bonding Is Essential for Newborns
Tips for Strengthening Relationships with Kids
Bond Together Through Gaming — Upgrade Your Internet for Ultra-Fast Speeds
 
Getting children ready to face the world is one of the toughest jobs on earth! So, be sure to fill your toolbox with enough resources to make that job easier — being a parent is already hard enough without having to come up with all the answers on your own.
                                                        *******************************************

​Sara Bailey is a writer and parent of two young children.  Her husband passed away when she was 40, in the recent past. Suddenly confronted with the role of being a single parent and child rearing as a widow, she was forced to find ways to manage her situation for herself and her kids.
 
In Sarah’s own words:  “Like many people who have lost the love of their life, I never in a million years thought I’d be here. On my 40th birthday — which I spent with my husband and our two kids bowling, devouring cupcakes, and laughing more than I ever thought was possible — I never dreamed that by my 41st, I’d be a grieving single mom raising a son and daughter on her own. But here I am, and with each passing day, I get a little stronger, and life gets a little easier.”
 
To learn more about Sarah….please click this link: Home | Thewidow.net

​        Mornings can be difficult, especially when you’re managing an entire household with kids included. You’ve got to wake the little ones up, make breakfast, send them off to school, all while tackling a few chores and getting ready for work yourself. It’s a real battle, and it takes place every day. At the worst of times, it seems there’s no way you’ll keep your sanity intact.
 
What you need is a morning routine that would get things rolling efficiently with little thought or effort on your part (just a little dedication to a system). Here’s how to achieve that, say goodbye to stress and enjoy your mornings for a change.
 
Write Down Your Tasks
 
It’s all chaos until you make a “to-do” list, which is a great method for managing your precious time. Start off with waking up, and be very detailed from there. Don’t forget brushing your teeth, making coffee, taking out the trash and putting the kids on the school bus. The morning won’t seem so daunting once it’s organized on a sheet of paper.
 
Prepare the Night Before
 
Go through your to-do list, and you’ll find plenty of items you can tackle in advance. Those include packing lunches, picking out clothes and even arranging the items you need to make breakfast right on the kitchen counter. With less work, you’ll have more time to enjoy your own cup of coffee.
 
Get Yourself Organized
 
You’ll save even more time if you know where everything is. Focus on the kitchen, as making breakfast is one of the most important morning tasks. Place pots and pans on their sides so you can pull them out easily from the cabinet and hang utensils near the stove. As for the bedrooms, stack clothes in the dressers vertically and store items under the bed to create space. You can also organize your closets by adding an extra shelf and storing off-season items.
 
Stay Firm with Bedtime
 
Don’t forget to tuck the kids in tightly while you’re preparing for the day ahead. They need their sleep so they don’t wake up groggy and drag their feet on the way from the bedroom to the kitchen for breakfast. If you’re looking for some techniques to get the little ones to bed each evening without a tantrum, Positive Parenting has them.
 
Wake Up Earlier
 
Wake up well before the kids. That way, you can get ready yourself and even finish a few chores without chasing the little ones around the house to make sure their teeth are brushed and their bags are packed. If you set the alarm early enough, you may even have some quiet time to yourself.
 
Give the Kids a Checklist
 
Post a checklist on their bedroom door. Like your own “to do” list, it should consist of every task marked clearly from first to last, starting with “make the bed” and finishing with “go to school.” With any luck, you won’t have to interfere at all. Before you go making your own, check out the printables from Carrots Are Orange. They’ve got checklists for all ages.
 
Use Technology
 
There are plenty of devices on the market that were invented to make your life easier in the morning. Electronic toothbrushes (can be purchased for $19.99) and high-speed blow-dryers keep time in the bathroom to a minimum, while you can use a smart speaker to listen to the news so you can use your hands to make breakfast.
 
Put on Some Music
 
A writer with Bustle has come up with the ultimate playlist to get the whole family humming, and it includes kid-friendly tunes that won’t drive the adults crazy. You’ll start your morning right with hits like Walking on Sunshine by Katrina and the Waves, and Wham’s Wake Me Up Before You Go-Go.
 
Hire Help
 
Despite all the planning and preparations, sometimes you may find that you just don’t have time to get everything done in the morning. In these overwhelming situations, hiring professionals can come in handy. For example, an occasional cleaning service can help you focus on the aspects of your life that matter most: family, work, and even “me” time. Be sure to research the average costs of services in your area and budget accordingly. In Boston, you can expect to pay $119 - $248 for a cleaning service.
 
By incorporating these measures, you and your kids will have less stress to deal with every morning. Now that you have a routine, the mornings may actually be fun for a change.


Researched and written by
​Daniel Sherwin

​                                             How You Can Help Your Kids—and You!—Get the Best Sleep
​
     Parents often have a love/hate relationship with bedtime. You love the quiet after the kids have gone to bed but hate the bedtime battle. Everyone needs sleep—parents and kids. Many of the same tactics and methods that will improve the quality of your child’s sleep can help you too. Besides, if you can smooth their way to bedtime, it will make your bedtime that much more relaxing and welcome.

Bedtime for Kids (and Parents)

Does your child’s bedtime change depending on the day of the week or the fullness of the schedule? If so, the inconsistency could be at the heart of sleep issues. The human body relies on recognizable patterns to correctly time any number of biological processes, including sleep. However, the brain has to recognize when to start the release of sleep hormones.
 
A consistent bedtime allows the brain to adjust the release of hormones so that it’s the same every day. The more consistent you can be, the better your child’s body will respond to those hormones. Kids aren’t the only ones who need a consistent bedtime. Adult bodies rely on behavioral patterns as well so make sure you’re hitting the pillow at the same time each night.

Get Rid of Screens at (or Near) Bedtime

Every improvement in technology comes with unexpected consequences. Those screens we all stare at—televisions, laptops, smartphones, even e-readers—can emit a blue light that causes the brain to suppress sleep hormones. During the day, that’s not a problem but at night it causes a delay in the sleep cycle.
 
Try setting a curfew for screen-time so that everyone’s unplugged two to three hours before bed. The adult brain is affected by blue light just as a child’s so consider shutting everything down earlier for the sake of your health too.

Don’t Ignore Comfort

Children can be sensitive to any kind of physical discomfort. Check your child’s pajamas, mattress, and bedding for any tags or stickers that could keep him awake. A new mattress or pair of pajamas could even have an odor that bothers your child. Organic mattresses often have certifications that measure harmful off-gassing to take care of those kinds of issues before you’re trying to coax your five-year-old into bed.
 
Comfort isn’t just physical. Emotional comfort is often critical to the success of your child’s sleep. A favorite blanket, stuffed animal (as long as it doesn’t have anything that poses a strangulation hazard), or another comfort item can relieve fear and anxiety. You might want to have several of the same item so there’s always a clean one available.

Rely on a Routine

Kids like routine and structure. It helps them make sense of the world and trains their minds and bodies how to function. Kids have a harder time controlling their energy levels than adults. A routine gives them a chance to calm themselves before bed. Routines also send signals to the brain so it recognizes when to begin the sleep cycle.
 
The routine can include anything that calms your child but it’s often best to start with the most active activities before moving to the quiet ones. Picking up toys and changing into pajamas may come before brushing teeth and reading a book with mom and dad. But, like a bedtime, the routine is most effective when it’s consistent. Start it at the same time and do it in the same order every night so your child, and subconsciously his brain, knows what to do.

Conclusion:

Your child may need more sleep than you but it’s absolutely necessary for the health of everyone in your family. You don’t need to make changes all at once. Start small by checking your child’s physical comfort before you take away screen-time and get strict with bedtime. As you make changes one step at a time, your evening will soon be structured to support healthy sleep. It might take some adjustments, but in the long run, everyone will sleep better.

Courtesy of -
Katie Phillips
katie@mattressreviews.net
​MattressReviews.net
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Kids have such a hard time on rainy days when they’re trapped inside. The good news is that there are options to help them stay active and use their minds while surfing the web. You can help your child stretch her brain and learn new things when the rain starts to fall by guiding her to fun, educational sites. There are more out there than you may know about.
 
Here are some great ways to help your kids learn online:
 

1. Online games -- Most kids love to play games online. But there’s a difference between games that are only fun and games that are fun and educational. Games can improve their math, reading and logical skills while making them think it’s just for fun.
   
   
2. Incorporate pets -- Dog-themed lesson plans help your little one enjoy the lessons so much more. When they see an animal they like, they’re more likely to pay attention and learn from it. Plus, it encourages your kids to be more empathetic to animals and take more responsibility for the pets in their lives.
   
   
3. Get them moving -- YouTube has a plethora of kids’ dance and exercise videos that will get them out of their seats and grooving. Jump in and join if you want a workout, too! Movement is important for kids because of the obvious health reasons, but also because it sets them up for a healthy lifestyle later in life. Bonus: After a few songs, they’ll be good and tired, and (hopefully) ready for a nap.
   
   
4. Learn to draw -- Another great feature on YouTube is free drawing tutorials. Nurture their artistic side and get that right brain working. There are step-by-step drawing tutorials in which they can learn to draw their favorite animated movie characters, which is sure to tickle your wee ones. Try it with your kids, and you can learn a thing or two, too. When you’re finished, host an art show for the rest of the family or your kids’ friends.
   
   
5. Get scientific -- Learning about science is so much fun for kids because the world is still new to them. Every fun activity and experiment is exciting to see. Try some games and lessons to get them used to the world around them.
   
   
6. Learn to code -- Coding might seem like an advanced skill, but kids are learning it at younger and younger ages. Go to a free coding website, and your young kids can learn the basics even before they get to school. Coding is a skill that helps kids learn in all other subjects, and helps them with attention to detail and logic.
   
   
7. Get musical -- YouTube also is a good place to find music lessons, too. Older kids can learn how to play an instrument by watching the right videos. For example, WeHaveKids recommends the clarinet for children who are hobby-oriented; it’s a relatively inexpensive instrument to purchase (prices start around $350), and there are thousands of online music lessons focused on it. For toddlers and preschool-age kids, you can watch basic rhythm and movement videos that will get them ready to learn about music.
   
   

Keeping your kids’ brains active during dreary days will help you all survive cabin fever. It expands their minds, and gets them ready for when school starts back up. The more active they are at educational games, the less likely they are to get into the less wholesome side of the internet.