Sleeping Should Be Easy

How to Quickly Get Through the 12 Month Old Sleep Regression

Toddler sitting on a bed going through the 12 month old sleep regression

Going through the 12 month old sleep regression in toddlers is a challenge. Learn the best ways to get through this challenging phase as quickly as possible! Hitting that one-year mark is often a celebration not just for the baby, but for us parents who somehow survived a year of raising a baby. And for the lucky ones, sleep-deprivation is a distant memory reserved for the newborn stages. I have a good sleeper, we can finally say at this stage. But sometimes the celebration is short-lived, especially when you're suddenly hit with sleep issues you never anticipated. Maybe your 12 month old, who normally sleeps at least 11 hours straight, is now waking three times a night (with the first one starting barely an hour after bed). Perhaps she now wakes up at 5am (link), … Read More...

What to Do When Your Toddler Won’t Poop on the Potty

toddler

Potty training poop anxiety is common with kids. Learn what to do when your toddler won’t poop on potty, even when he holds it or refuses to sit. I didn't know what I was more tired of: buying pull-ups or cleaning accidents. You see, I couldn't for the life of me get my toddler to poop on the potty. He'd go days without pooping. Or he'd poop in his pull-ups before naps or bedtime—and of course not tell anyone he was sleeping in poop. The thing is, he was already peeing in the toilet for a year, all without accidents. He knew exactly what to do—he simply refused to poop in the potty. I tried sitting him on the potty for a length of time, but he'd hold it in the whole time. I'd even find him clearly needing to poop, but no amount of encouraging helped. He'd instead hide … Read More...

When Your 3 Year Old’s Behavior Is Out of Control

behavior

Struggling with your child hitting or not listening? Learn how to discipline when your 3 year old’s behavior is out of control. Many of us were warned about the "Terrible Twos," but they don't always tell you about what happens after. The days when your 3 year old talks back, is aggressive and mean (of course, only toward you), or won't listen to anything you say. When no amount of timeouts or taking privileges away does anything. Or when he totally ignores what you say, or yells "I don't care!" Maybe he bites, hits, and scratches when he doesn't get what he wants, or cries and whines over every little thing. Full-blown tantrums seem to happen every day—it's gotten so bad that you can't even take him anywhere anymore. His moods are unpredictable, and emotional … Read More...

Brilliant Tips to Stop Your Toddler Waking Up Too Early

sleeping

Is your toddler waking up too early all of a sudden? Discover how to help your child wake up later in the morning. I never used to be a morning person. Before having kids, the earliest I'd wake up was at 8am, to get to work by 9am. Now that I have kids, waking up around 5:30am is my new normal, admittedly not always one of the perks of motherhood. But there was a point when even 5:30am seemed "late," when my then-toddler would wake up even insanely earlier. You see, I treasure my time alone, whether it's the hours between my kids' bedtime and mine, or those early hours when I wake up before everyone else. So to have those precious hours disrupted, or worse, to have one of my kids wake up even earlier than me, was a big deal. How to finally stop your toddler waking up … Read More...

How to Get Your Baby to Nap in the Crib

newborn

Wondering how to get baby to nap in crib instead of being held, put in the swing, or co sleeping? Discover effective tips to finally get your baby to sleep in the crib! I was desperate. My newborn took long naps... but only in the swing. Any time I tried to put him down in the crib, he'd wake up (or only sleep for a few minutes before waking up). Another favorite way he'd nap was when someone was holding him. So of course I tried holding him as he started to drift to sleep, planning to put him down once he was in a deep sleep. But once again, he'd wake up as soon as his head touched the mattress. He slept in the crib every night just fine, but simply refused to nap in it. And while I welcomed the long naps in the swing, Moby wrap, or even in my arms, I knew that this … Read More...

What to Do When Your Baby Wakes Up Crying from Naps

infant

Let's start with a reassurance: if your baby wakes up crying from naps, you're in the majority. Rare is the baby who wakes up from a nap, cooing and waiting for you to come get him. Instead, most babies let us know that nap time is over with their piercing, shrill cries. Still... if you're in the minority of parents whose babies did wake up just fine but are now cranky after naps, you're not without hope, either. Perhaps your baby started waking up from naps crying so hard, only calming down once you pick him up. He wants to be held all day long, crying if you so much as put him down. You know he's not crying from hunger, a high temperature, or dirty diapers. And while he normally naps for at least an hour, now you're barely getting 30-40 minutes. And of course, he wakes up … Read More...

50 Unusual Old Fashioned Names That Won’t Go Out of Style

pregnancy

Looking for unusual old fashioned names for your baby? Take a look at this list of beautiful yet uncommon vintage names you don’t hear anymore. If you're like me, you're likely not a fan of the new, trendy names making their rounds. Every generation has them, and after a few years, they seem to go out of style as quickly as they came into it. Instead, I'm a fan of old fashioned names that stand the test of time. The names that grace classic literature or have been passed down through family lines. But one of the benefits of newer or trendier names is that they're pretty uncommon. Most old fashioned names you've seen so far—while timeless—are still pretty popular, even today. Instead, you're looking for old fashioned names that are no longer common. The solution? Look … Read More...

Top Gifts for Expectant Dads That Are Cool

pregnancy

Looking for cool gifts for expectant dads? Take a look at these best new gift ideas for your dad to be, perfect for expectant fathers. Dads have raised the ante with the role of fatherhood. While I've seen plenty of dads at park outings, I'm seeing more and more of them taking an active role in the daily routine. On Facebook, my dad friends post blurbs about helping kids with homework or taking them to doctor's appointments. In my own home, my husband isn't merely the occasional babysitter and instead feeds, bathes, and regularly engages with our kids. And my brother—long-known for packing his daughters' lunches, doing their laundry, and playing crazy games with them—has proudly proclaimed, "I know how to do a French braid!" Welcome to the new dad: men who no … Read More...

Sleeping Should Be Easy

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How to Quickly Get Through the 12 Month Old Sleep Regression

What to Do When Your Toddler Won’t Poop on the Potty

When Your 3 Year Old’s Behavior Is Out of Control

Brilliant Tips to Stop Your Toddler Waking Up Too Early

How to Get Your Baby to Nap in the Crib

What to Do When Your Baby Wakes Up Crying from Naps

50 Unusual Old Fashioned Names That Won’t Go Out of Style

Top Gifts for Expectant Dads That Are Cool

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