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.

Have you heard of the term “baby wearing”? Have you wondered exactly what it is all about? I remember when I first heard the term and I wondered myself, “um, ok”. Well after some research, it turns out it is a very beneficial thing to do for the new mom. Don’t be afraid to do it. Here are some reasons to begin your “baby wearing” experience with that beautiful new baby of yours.

 It’s Convenient

When you have your baby strapped to you it makes life a little bit easier. It frees your hands to do other things. For example, doing the dishes or folding laundry. Maybe you work from home and need to type. If you are out and about and need to do some errands you can put your baby in the carrier and actually push the shopping cart or hold your basket at the farmers market. More and more baby carriers also double as a blanket, nursing cover or even a changing pad. This definitely lightens the load and allows you to remain productive even when you have a newborn.

 Breastfeeding

When you have your child so close to your skin all the time this helps to promote breastfeeding. In some cases, which a few of the carriers I have seen you can even feed your baby in private while walking around. This is awesome, live your life and your baby is content also.

 Cognitive Development

Babies are extremely observant. When they are worn up right, they are right in the action and it keeps their wheels turning. It allows them to witness everything you do throughout your day. Whether you are cooking, folding laundry, taking a walk, or grocery shopping, your baby is constantly in observing mode and soaking it all in. Babies who are worn are also being constantly talked to by their parent or guardian versus a baby who is pushed around in a stroller and in front of the parent. This allows you to have more interaction with your child and in return creating a stronger bond. All of this encourages learning and brain stimulation in your baby.

 Postpartum

You might be experiencing all kinds of new feelings after you have your baby. There are several things that are probably on your mind one of them being getting back into shape. When you utilize baby wearing you are able to get those daily exercise workouts in. Wearing your baby will distribute their weight a little more evenly, allow you to go in places where you can not take a stroller, and even enable you to boost up your workout and burn more calories.

Some new moms even experience postpartum depression. When you are wearing your body it allows for you to get in those extra little snuggles and kisses that will help you to beat the depression. This allows you to bond even more with your baby without feeling burdened with life’s day to day tasks.

The benefits are endless, and here we have only named a few. So put that baby carrier on your registry, and begin your baby wearing. It’s all worth it!

The Internet and the launch of social media has completely revolutionized the world of communication in more ways than many people may think. Over 1.2 billion currently use the most popular social media platform Facebook, according to Socialnomics.

A more impressive figure, though, is that a large number of them are mothers. Studies have confirmed that over 75 percent of the mothers in America use this particular website, according to Nielsen. There are several key points that could explain why mothers enjoy using social media as much as they do. 

It Allows Them to Express Themselves

One of the main reasons that mothers enjoy using the Internet overall is because it allows them to be able to express their thoughts and feelings publicly. Close to 40 percent of mothers around the world even write an online blog and over 60 percent read other blogs at least monthly, according to Forbes and NextWeb.

Moms are a powerful group on the social media landscape.  So much so that companies build whole engagement platforms around moms and their connections to friends, families and followers through blogs, Twitter feeds and Facebook fan bases.

Even though there are a small percentage of people that make a living writing blogs, over 30 percent of bloggers throughout the country are mothers, according to HubSpot.

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Lately it has been pretty stressful around our house. Our five year old daughter has all of a sudden been on her own agenda each day. She thinks the world revolves around her and she doesn’t have to do anything other than what she wants to do. When I correct her with her wrong actions it’s a constant battle and often times I feel defeated at the end of the day as if I have given her complete control of the situation. So after some research I have found a few key points that are crucial if you are experiencing the same type of thing in your home.

Do not overreact

Keeping your composure and not overreacting is extremely important in this type of situation. Even though it might be difficult at times, your child is in a very vulnerable state to copy everything that you do. So if you yell back at them, even though you are correcting their actions. They are just going to continue to think it’s okay to yell as well. If your child is yelling at you something you could respond with is, “I think you could find a better way to say that.” By you yelling back at them it will only add to what ever frustration might be the root of their behavior.

Offer choices

Children want to feel like they are in control of their own life. If at all possible during the day give your child options to make their own decisions. “Would you like to wear shorts or pants today?” “Would you like a sandwich or soup for lunch?” By letting them make their own decisions they will begin to feel like you are including them and allowing them to make their own big kid decisions versus you always deciding for them.

Setting limits

If your child says something that is not acceptable in your house. Be sure you draw the line and make it known that we do not say that in this house. It is extremely important to set limits with children and stick to them. If you don’t stick to the limits that you have set forth, your child will more than likely become defiant because they know you are not serious. It is also important to communicate in a calm fashion that every thought that runs through their head does not need to be verbalized. Whether it be the way someone looks out in public, or how something tastes when you are at a friends house having lunch. Set limits with your child and let them know what is acceptable and what is not.

Keep your eye on the goal

Always try and focus on the solution. Be sure that in your child’s calmer moments you try and understand why they act the way they do. Maybe the reason they don’t stay in their bed each night isn’t because they don’t like their bed, but because they see monsters on the wall. If so, buy them a nightlight to take care of the problem. Try to focus on how to get to the bottom of their problems versus always fighting them and thinking they are just being a little brat. There is almost always a reason behind it all.

Got Toddler Troubles?  Read this great article on keeping your toddler busy!

It’s really hard to stay current sometimes when it comes to fashion.  I am no fashionista.  Most days it’s comfortable pants, a simple top and some flip flops.  Since I work from home, I don’t really need to go anyplace.  Since we live in a really small town, I don’t feel like I have anything to really dress up for.

Then the other day, I went to the store and noticed that the lady in from of me was wearing fluffy yellow slippers, sweats and a shirt.  Then it hit me, I was just a pair of fluffy slippers away from officially giving up on what I wear. UGH…….

Since most of us don’t have the money for a full head to toe makeover, you can start with this list of five ways to get out of the mom rut. It’s okay, it happens to the best of us, but the good thing is, you can totally take control and get your pre-motherhood groove back.

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