Tag Archives: Parenting

Jul 7 2017

How to pick safe items for a baby

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Just about anything can catch a baby’s attention and bring a smile to their face, which makes buying gifts and toys for little ones very exciting. The only downside is finding safe baby toys. We’ve put together a few tips to keep in mind when shopping for baby.

Age recommendations

Most toys have an age recommendation on the packaging. This can be helpful as some toys, particularly, have small parts that may be choking hazards.

Check out recent recalls

Head online to see a list of recently recalled toys and products to make sure you make a safe decision.

Be careful where you shop

Most cheaper store, airports, and drugstores carry rather flimsy baby products that can break off easily and have sharp edges. Also, be careful of products sold at vending machines and carnivals as they are not required to meet any safety standards.

A few toys you should avoid

There are a few common toys that really are no good for a baby, such as:

  • Those with small parts
  • No-name toys
  • Toys with parts that could pinch fingers
  • Toys with metal, magnets, and strings longer than seven inches

Big is best

Sturdy, large toys and baby gifts are a lot less likely to break, get lodged in the throat, or be swallowed.

Carefully inspect teething toys, squeeze toys, and rattles

Make sure that there aren’t any small ends that can extend into the back of a baby’s mouth.

Pick well-made items

Used items that have been passed down from siblings or relatives or bought at yard sales may be frayed or worn, which can pose a danger. Check out all new items for batteries, buttons, ribbons, beads, and plastic parts that could be snapped off or chewed on.

Make sure the baby is ready for the toy

Parents of older kids, for example, may buy a bike that is one or two sizes too big to save money. But, this approach can lead to serious injury if a child doesn’t have the skills to control a bigger bike. Make sure that whatever you buy for a baby, he or she is ready for it. There is a great selection of baby gifts in Australia to choose from.

Avoid balloons

Balloons may well be cheerful decorations and tons of fun to bounce around, but do note that latex balloons are a main cause of choking fatalities in children.

Avoid things with magnets

Magnets are another hazard. Small, powerful ones are often used in baby toys, and they risk falling out and being swallowed. Two or more magnets that are swallowed can attract one another through the intestinal walls, causing a range of serious issues.

Avoid toxic toys

Even if you find a baby item that appears to be safe, make sure it is not made from chemicals that could be hazardous to a baby. For instance, phthalates are used to make plastic more flexible, and you’ll find this kind of chemical in a range of toys.

 

Take note of those points and ensure that you choose gifts and toys that are safe for the baby.

Jun 1 2017

Becoming an over-anxious parent? Here’s how to regain your composure

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As a parent, you probably think that it’s only natural that you should worry about your children and what happens to them. Of course, that’s true. But caring about your children and wanting the very best for them is not the same as turning into one of those endlessly worried parents. There is not much to be gained from wrapping your child in cotton wool and worrying yourself silly. If you want to regain control and become more composed and calm as a parent, here are a couple of tips that might help.

When they’re young, take sensible precautions rather than being reactive

As a parent, you do need to take precautions and steps to protect your child, especially when they’re young. This is what your job is. And it definitely helps to plan ahead rather than be reactive. If you are constantly reacting to negative situations rather than preventing them from happening in the first place, it’s no surprise that you’re always worried and stressed about your child. Anything from stocking up on sun cream and other medicines from an online pharmacy, to attending first aid courses can really help. Equip yourself with the right tools to deal with an emergency and you’ll quickly feel more empowered.

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Work on your own mental health

Sometimes, rather than worrying about your child, you should think about yourself. If you feel like your worrying is getting a little too out of control, you should pay close attention to your own mental state. This will help you to assess whether you worrying all the time is a sign of another mental health problem that you might have. Even if that’s not the case, working on relaxation techniques can help control your anxiety. Things like deep breathing and CBT can also make a difference if you often find yourself in a panicked state.

Weigh up every parenting decision rationally

There are lots of parenting decisions that you will have to make as your child grows up. You should try not to get stuck in your ways and only do things in a way that is fair and sensible. If you just get into the habit of making certain decisions without them having much of a basis in fact or reason, this will just make your life more difficult, and your child will resent this as well. It’s important to weigh up every situation on its own. No child rearing book can tell you the precise and specific details of your situation.

Separate legitimate concerns from fantastical fears

There are two types of things that parents can be worried about. First of all, there are the day to day things that can realistically happen. We all know the dangers out there, and it’s only right to mitigate these for the good of your child. Then there are the fantastical fears that are not really logical or realistic. For example, if your child wants to stay over at a friend’s house, there is probably no reason to stop them. As long as you talk to the other child’s parents and make agreed upon arrangements, it will be fine.

Teach and inform your children

When children are taught about and informed of the dangers of the world, they are more likely to be able to stay safe. That might sound pretty straightforward and obvious. But many parents prefer to hide the harsher side of life from their kids. Of course, that’s something that is understandable too. But it won’t help your child, and it won’t stop you worrying. In a calm way, and a way in which is appropriate for their age, tell your children about what they should do to stay safe when they’re not with you or their other parent or guardian. As your child becomes more self-aware and makes better decisions, this should stop your worrying a little.

Don’t take everything so personally

Finally, you should stop trying to link yourself so closely to the things that happen to your child. For example, if your child does something wrong at school, it’s not necessarily anything to do with your own parenting skills. Much of the worry and fear that parents experience regarding their kids is down to the fact that they are worried about how they will be perceived as parents. That’s not what matters in this kind of situation though, so just focus on your child and don’t worry about the other things that might be whizzing around in your head.

You don’t need to be that parent who worries about everything. Try to relax and work on yourself, and you can avoid that destiny.

 

 

Jun 8 2016

Re-imagining parenthood - at least my children won’t ever sign up for Love Island

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I’m 99.9% sure I won’t be winning any parenting awards any time soon. Dexter (4) and Heidi (2) are hard work, so the thought of adding paint, crayons even water to the mix makes messy play a no-no in our house. I leave all the dirty work to Dexter’s nursery play leaders and my God those women deserve medals. If I was left in charge of 20x children for just an hour, I’d be rocking back and forth in the toilets swigging gin.

In fact, my two can be downright unruly. We get through around 7 plasters a week in our house and my two would happily knock the crap out of each other over the iPad. They’re not bad children by any means, they’re just at that age where the thought of sharing Avengers Mashers sends them into a blind panic.

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Then there are dinnertimes. Dinnertimes have me knocking back Co-codamol faster than it takes my daughter to wee on the bathroom floor after a soak in the tub. My son has a real aversion to food (all food, not just fruit and vegetables) and we’re guaranteed several tantrums if we have the audacity to read his mind incorrectly and serve fish fingers rather than pizza.

Moving onto bedtimes - these should-be-serene adult times are all too often hijacked by our little night-time ninjas. In fact, Heidi has been affectionately dubbed The Punisher in our home. I truly believe she’s capable of elicting secrets for Our Majesty’s Secret Service; one night with Heidi and sleep deprivation will have you coughing up all your darkest and shadiest deeds.

I can’t remember the last time I slept in my bed without a nappy-clad bum in my face - I consider myself lucky if I don’t wake up beside wee-soaked bedsheets. If you are reading this and thinking what an ungrateful mother I am, don’t worry, the chances of adding us to our brood are made near impossible thanks to our little passion killers Dexter and Heidi. They’ve even started screaming at us if they see us having a cheeky snog in the kitchen.

I’m sure you’ve read many a similar article before where the author will sign off with some twee comment about “not changing anything for the world”, but exhaustion has a way of forcing honesty out of me. I would change lots of things.

I’d rebuild my entire personality - I’d add in healthy slops of patience, self-control and cheerfulness. I’d get rid of this shitty bi-polar and remove any social awkwardness so I could ask for help when I need it. I’d switch up a few of my decisions and have spent more of my youth on practical life skills like learning to drive and cook before becoming a mummy. If we’re going the whole hog and I could change anything, I’d do away with a few excess inches off my bum and boobs too.

As regards my little people, I’d do lots of thing differently if I had the opportunity again. I would serve one meal for the entire family and adopt the “like it or lump it” attitude that better mothers than I have long since used on their toddlers. I would never have given into my daughter’s 3am screaming, and made a rod for my own back by dishing out night-time bottles. I’d stop using gin as a crutch to make it through an evening. And if reality could be altered, I’d have had a volume and sleep switch implanted when they were growing inside my womb.

Yet there are worse things than being a shattered parent, even a reluctant one. Like being a useless one.

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Somehow I still manage to read them a few books every night, and they’re crashing through milestones at an alarming rate. They are also capable of moments of such breathtaking loveliness - Dexter likes to hold my hand whilst he drifts off to sleep, and Heidi doles out up to 15 kisses in a row if she’s feeling generous. Despite resenting the state of my kitchen, my garden… my social life… we sort of mesh together as a family and I can definitely see us all enjoying each other’s company when we’re older. We’ll be like that Jewish family off Gogglebox.

And if I’m feeling particularly useless, I’ll reassure myself with the knowledge that my children will never sign up for Love Island and get their bits out for the nation to see. I know they won’t make a fool of themselves and audition for Big Brother either - afterall let’s face it, they’re bound to take after their rather flabby and cynical mother. Yes. There’s always that.

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