The Mom Crowd

The saying might be used almost to excess. But there’s a lot of truth to the idea that couples seldom know what to expect when they’re expecting. One’s first child is an event that’s almost impossible to fully plan for. However, this by no means should suggest that you should or can get away with not planning anything at all. Making that transition from a couple to parents is probably the single most important thing you’ll ever do with your life.

It’s taking total and complete responsibility for every aspect of another person’s life. A living being’s hopes, dreams and even ability to conceptualize those ideas will come down to how you raise it. As such, it’s important to do as perfect a job as possible. Nobody’s going to do a perfect job of raising a child. Given the conflicted nature of the human psyche, it’s impossible. But one can do a perfect job of making the attempt to be perfect.

Starting from the top

First, try to really take the lesson about perfection to heart. It’s something easy to grasp on an intellectual level. But it’s very difficult on an emotional one. Especially when you look at your baby’s face for the first time. Logic tends to fade away when you look at the product of your love.

Preparing the environment

You should then start planning for some of the more practical aspects of raising a child. People usually jump right to the toddler stage when considering the living environment. The impression usually goes along with an idea that a baby can’t walk and therefore is safe. But it’s important to remember that the environment can come to the baby rather than the baby coming to the environment.

But there’s good reason to begin planning for a baby by looking for pest control Riverside CA, or in the area where you live. Because as the name suggests, pests are the big exception in how your baby’s environment operates.

Bugs and other insects can walk right up to or even onto your baby. And the invasive mammals are often even worse. They’re in love with the idea of finding warm spaces. In fact, that’s often why they enter into a home in the first place. They’re trying to find some warmth when the weather becomes unpleasant. Anything from the colder parts of winter to a bad storm might provide initial motivation. But once they’re in your home they’re going to keep on looking for warmth.

Everything from mice to rats to bats would love to snuggle up to your baby. But rather obviously, you’re not going to want that to happen. That’s why in the time coming up to, and after the birth, you’ll want to make regular use of pest control services. This can ensure the health of not only your baby, but your home in general. After all, having to move because of pests isn’t much fun for kids.

Consider your schedule before rather than after

You’ll also want to replan your schedule around the baby. It’s important to remember that you’re going to be tired. Tired on a level that you’ve probably never felt before. There’s a number of psychological and biological reasons for it.

But the simple fact is, you’re not going to be up to a lot of careful consideration of your scheduling once the baby comes. Therefore, it’s best to plan around it beforehand. Consider what social function to keep, which to reschedule, and which you’ll drop. It’s best to err on the side of caution when it comes to how much time you’ll need to spend on the baby.

Consider the role of pets

Bugs aren’t the only living things to consider. You’ll also want to determine how to handle dogs and cats. One of the easiest ways is to simply put up a baby gate. This serves a double purpose. It can keep animals away from the baby. This isn’t always a perfect solution, and it’s why you’ll want to put it up early and then go on from there.

The biggest issue is that animals, and especially cats, can often jump over gates. As such you’ll want to consider how to get the best use out of them. But oftentimes, it simply comes down to having a small box or the like under the gate in order to make it a little higher. In the end, that little extra testing can provide a lot of help further down the line.

When kids get fidgety, many parents end up resorting to medication on the advice of a medical professional. While sometimes this is helpful, at other times, restless behavior is often interpreted as inattention arising from ADHD. Consequently, a child is given a stimulant drug; and, since these drugs do work, helping a child to focus, it’s easy to conclude that this is the right solution.

However, there are two possible downsides to putting a child on Adderall, Ritalin, or Strattera The first is that there are possible side effects, including severe headaches, insomnia, and depression. The second is that ADHD symptoms could also be attributed to other causes. For instance, common symptoms of ADHD include getting easily distracted and confused, frequently losing things, struggling to follow simple instructions, and experiencing a quick onset of boredom with most tasks. However, it’s important to bear in mind that many symptoms of ADHD aren’t exclusive to ADHD. Similar symptoms could also be attributed to a number of other causes—like uncomfortable clothing, sleep deprivation, dietary deficiency, and emotional upset.

1. Uncomfortable clothing.

Your child could be sensitive to bunches in socks and pinching underwear. If you suspect that this might be playing a role in your child’s restless behavior, you could try seamless socks or undies. However, even if you discover that your child is not hypersensitive to the texture of clothing near the skin, he or she will probably be delighted at how seamless clothing technology can make clothes so comfortable.

2. Sleep deprivation.

Although your child may no longer be a baby, he or she will still benefit from regular bedtimes. Since consistency is important for kids, bedtime is no exception. If despite going to bed on time every night, your child shows signs of sleep deprivation, then you have to get to the root of why they aren’t getting a good’s night rest. Is it the temperature in the room? Is it a lumpy mattress? Is it the noisy TV in the living room next door? Is your child worried or scared about something? It may take a while to get to the reason, and it’s a question of eliminating various factors; there also may be a few reasons why your child isn’t sleeping well at nights.

3. Dietary deficiency.

We often only notice nutritional deficiency when it becomes severe; however, nutritional deficiencies can be subtle. For instance, your child may be eating some magnesium-rich foods, but still not getting enough magnesium.

The following supplements have been found helpful in improving brain function and nervous system health:

•   Essential Fatty Acids. Try giving your child EPA, DHA, GLA, linoleic acid, and arachidonic acid.
•   Flaxseed Oil.
•   Vitamin C.
•   B complex.
•   Magnesium.
•   Probiotics.

Speak to your doctor or a nutritionist to get a good estimate of how much your child should take of each supplement. In addition to investigating any dietary deficiencies, you should also test your child for any food allergies. For instance, they may have unidentified gluten intolerance, but love snacks and meals that have a lot of gluten.

4. Emotional Upset.

Your child may be chronically emotionally upset about something that they have not shared with you. It’s helpful to speak to a school psychologist to get a better idea of how your child is doing emotionally at school in relationship to teachers or other children. They may be stressed out over a few conflicting relationships, an excessively critical teacher a bully, but have not told you about it. They may be getting teased, or have no friends, or feel low self-esteem because they aren’t keeping up with the rest of the class. Sometimes a child may be more open to sharing their feelings with a school psychologist than you, because they are afraid of upsetting you.

If your child is fidgety, there are many possible causes that could be more easily remedied rather than resorting to medication. Besides taking these four steps, you could also work on making your home environment more relaxing. While, of course, you don’t want to overdo it, there are many subtle things you can do, like having more indoor flowers, using subtle essential oil scents, reducing the breakout of exuberant sibling quarrels, and turning down the TV when it gets too loud.

When I met my husband, I was blown away. “He is perfect.” I told my mom. There are a couple of other things you need to know though. He is divorced, has 3 kids, and is 10 years older than me…I know. A lot to swallow especially coming from her 18 year old daughter. Needless to say, she was speechless and my dad was not happy at all.This guy was so perfect, I didn’t care at all. In fact, a week after meeting him I moved from Texas to Washington D.C. So I became insta-mom. FAST.

Being a stepmom is no piece of cake. It is hard work. It is probably the most challenging thing I have ever experienced.  I don’t think any woman ever dreams up a fairy tale of being a stepmom. The same goes for marriage. Nobody gets married with the intention of it ending in divorce. It has been almost 7 years since we met and here are some key points I have learned during my time so far as being a stepmom to 3 kids.

• Leave the discipline to their dad. This is tough to learn and respect. I will never be their ‘mom’ and I shouldn’t try to be. When we first met, I would try to discipline the kids and the outcome was laughable. Who are you to discipline me? We just met you! Believe me when I say this, Leave it to their dad! If something comes up where the kids need discipline, tell the dad and let him handle it. (At least in the beginning.) Once your relationship grows, the kids will learn to respect you and your rules.                           (more…)