Sleeping Should Be Easy

How to Discipline a 4 Year Old When Nothing Seems to Work

Wondering how to discipline a 4 year old who hits, doesn't listen, or is outright defiant? Learn out-of-the-box parenting tips to solve behavior problems. "Please tell me this all goes away when kids turn four," I had told a few friends. When you're in the middle of the Terrible Twos or the Threenager stage, it's easy to assume that all defiant behavior issues magically disappear once said stages are done. Unfortunately, it doesn't exactly work that way. Sure, behavior typically takes a huge upswing as they get older, especially as kids learn to communicate and function more independently. But they learn how to behave throughout all of childhood—not just within the first three years. So if you find yourself wondering how to discipline a 4 year old, you're not … Read More...

How to Respond when Your 3 Year Old Won’t Go to Sleep

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What to Do When Your 3 Year Old Won't Go to Sleep

Surprised that your 3 year old won't go to sleep all of a sudden? Learn practical ways to respond that will give you and your child the sleep you need. Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links, which means I will earn a commission—at no extra cost to you—if you make a purchase. "Remember when we'd wake up every two hours?" my husband and I reminisced. Three of our friends had given birth within that month, making us shake our heads wondering how we ever got through that newborn stage. By that point, our then-three-year-old had been sleeping through the night—ever since he was six months old, in fact. The sleep deprivation and constant wake-ups had been a thing of the past. And so, it only seemed fitting that as we turned off the lights, we jokingly said to … Read More...

Top 7 Ways to Make Parenting Toddlers Easier

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Overwhelmed with the challenges of parenting toddlers? Discover the best tips to better communicate with your child and avoid another tantrum. To this day, my husband and I haven't returned to our local car museum. Seven years ago (seven!) we decided to take our then-toddler to see the car exhibits. We had just made it to the main lobby when he decided to throw a fit about being there. Trying to convince him to visit the exhibits or play with the hands-on toys and activities was useless. My husband and I looked at each other, in a What are we going to do? sort of way. We had just paid for the tickets and the parking, and felt silly walking straight back out the door. "Maybe he's hungry," my husband suggested. So we headed for the museum's restaurant and ordered an … Read More...

How to Rock a Morning Routine for Toddlers

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Morning routine for toddlers: A little toddler brushing his teeth

Wondering how to have a smooth morning routine? Learn the best tips to rock a morning routine for toddlers and finally have a stress-free start of the day! You'd think one hour would be enough, but according to my toddler, no amount of time would make our mornings at home any less hectic. My husband and I would try to get all three kids out the door on time before school, and I figured one hour would be enough to get through our morning routine. Except every morning seemed to have some degree of drama. A tantrum would erupt out of nowhere, and I'd even hear myself giving empty threats ("If you don't get your shoes on right now, you're not going to school!"). I needed to find ways to make our mornings calmer and more enjoyable. Losing my temper only made me feel bad the … Read More...

Anger Management for Moms: 7 Patterns That Keep You Feeling Angry

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Anger management for moms: Angry mom trying to calm down

Tired of constantly losing your temper with your children? Anger management for moms starts with breaking these 7 patterns to finally stop feeling angry. Every mom who has ever yelled at her child knows how irrational it is. Ridiculous even. After all, our kids are so young, some as young as babies, when we get angry. They're not even especially "difficult," but rather simply going through normal development all kids their age do. And as much as we don't want to yell, we still don't know how to actually stop. Common advice like putting the baby in the crib or counting to 10 doesn't seem to work, either. The baby cries even more, which only makes us more anxious, and we're just as upset when we reach 10. If you can relate, rest assured you're not alone, … Read More...

How to Discipline a Child with Autism

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Struggling with your child's erratic behavior, especially when typical advice simply doesn't apply? Learn how to discipline a child with autism and keep your home peaceful. By: Kori Tomelden Parents of autistic children like myself deal with common challenges (we're no different from other parents, after all). But learning how to discipline a child with autism became one of our biggest ones. Why? We had to differentiate between age-related and autism-related behavior. My daughter was young, after all, and temper tantrums were bound to happen as they do to all kids. Thankfully, we found our solution with behavioral therapy. With behavioral therapy, you too can take many steps to minimize the symptoms of autism. In fact, when you take a look at the underlying behavior, … Read More...

How to Introduce Cow’s Milk to Your Baby

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How to introduce cow's milk to baby: Baby holding a sippy cup of milk

Ready to transition your baby from breast milk or formula to regular whole milk? Learn how to introduce cow's milk to baby using these tried-and-true methods! Disclosure: This article contains affiliate links, which means I will earn a commission—at no extra cost to you—if you make a purchase. The one-year mark couldn't come fast enough for me. As much as I cherished my babies' last few months as, well... babies, I also looked forward to the days they'd each turn one year old. Beyond celebrating a milestone, the one-year mark also meant I could finally give them cow's milk. What's the big deal with cow's milk? Pediatricians recommend holding off on cow's milk until the one-year mark, relying instead on breast milk, formula, and later, solid food. But once babies turn one … Read More...

11 Multicultural Children’s Books to Read with Your Child

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A collection of multicultural children's picture books

Teach your child about diversity and inclusion with these multicultural children's picture books, perfect for toddlers, preschool, and elementary students! I'm fortunate my kids attend a school that prides itself on its diversity and celebrates the different cultures that make up its population. Our city demographic is just as diverse, from the people you see in the neighborhood and even to the delicious smell of their home-cooked food. You see, I didn't start out exposed to the different cultures of the world. I grew up in the Philippines with only one predominant ethnicity. Even after moving to the US, most of my elementary and high school years didn't really have a whole lot of diversity—one or two races made up most of the student body. Thankfully my kids are … Read More...