Fasten your seatbelts and…help!
Sorry for the slight hiatus. I’ve just come back from two wonderful weeks in Umbria and, a holiday being a change after all, my husband and I agreed a social media fast as well. Anyway, now that’s over,I can get on with gorging myself again – phew!
So holidays with children…can they really be called holidays? Certainly, the travelling part with my children can sometimes be…..well, challenging.
Before I went, the journalist Rosie Millard published a book called ‘Bonne Vacances: A Crazy Family Adventure in the French Territories’. Although I packed it in suitcase, I confess that I have still yet to read it (strangely the flight was not as good an good opportunity as I hoped…..) but I did see her interviewed about her trip and she struck me as a very brave woman! Her idea was to set out on a tour of the French Overseas Departments and Territories (the Dom-Toms ) with her husband and four young children to show the children it is possible to survive twelve weeks without Hannah Montana. During the interview she explained how they took very little with them, and her advice for in flight entertainment? Just a pad of paper and a pencil! I wish. I don’t know about you, but I’m pretty sure my two little ones would not be kept entertained for a flight with so little.
I really love the idea of travelling light though I always seem weighed down with bags, duty free, books and magazines. So this time I was determined to pack smart but also be prepared with everything required to deal with whinges from the kids. Even if you’re only doing a short 2 1/2 hour flight, there’s still the journey to the airport, hanging around at the airport and possible delays, so I always feel much better if I am armed with various activities and little tricks up my sleeve. Read more »
1, 2, 3, MAGIC (or is it?)
Behaviour has been at the forefront of my mind this week.
After the sugar-fuelled highs of Easter and the tantrum/headache-inducing lows of ‘back to school’, I’ve been considering how to regain some routine, balance and harmony into my family life.
Ok, so maybe I’m being optimistic here (!), but for me the desire to get ‘back to normal’ after holidays is always a strong one.
I really enjoy the freedom that a holiday brings; spirits are high and rules are relaxed. There is unlimited time to play, more treats and bedtimes are not so strictly observed. BUT….back to work/school/real life brings with it inevitable restrictions which can cause confusion and sometimes a rather unsettled period. I mentioned in my last blog that I had started to introduce my own formula for dealing with my 3 year old’s tantrums (I say “zip”, count to 10 then “let’s sort it out”) and I received a few interesting techniques from others I thought I’d share with you. Read more »
“I want it now”
My 3 year old is at that stage where he can be quite inconsolable when he wants something and isn’t getting it. Frequently, this is for the most trivial of reasons – such as the fact that his sister has the toy he wants to play with. But whatever the cause, when it happens, he won’t stop crying or get out of his mood whatever we say or do.
Yes, I know that this is normal and I have seen it a thousand times with the children that I teach, but it can be extremely stressful for you (and everybody around) when it happens.
At Perform, when children get ‘stuck’ in a mood and need to be brought out of it, we mostly find that distraction works brilliantly. We cheer up a child who is crying or feeling a bit lost by giving them a special job or a task to complete. All children like to feel helpful and special and, if you ask them to do something as simple as counting stickers or sorting out fruit, you’ll virtually always find that they stop feeling miserable and start engaging in ‘their job’.
However, when it is your own child and it is happening regularly, I’ve found that I needed something more powerful and also more versatile that works anywhere. Read more »
Music & your Child
Most children love music, whether it’s singing nursery rhymes complete with actions (of course), having a little dance or even listening to something more soothing before they go to sleep.
My Mum loves to tell people about how I would make up my own songs when I was little (well perhaps ‘songs’ is pushing it) they were more like stories which I’d sing to myself – e.g.:
I’m certain that they weren’t necessarily particularly tuneful, and I probably never sang the same song twice. I don’t have much recollection of doing it as I was too young really, but apparently I’d keep myself amused for hours. So, suffice to say, music has always been really important to me – perhaps even before I can actually remember!
Should You Encourage Children to Make New Year’s Resolutions?
Well, it’s a brand new year, and (for some at least) I’m guessing that New Year’s resolutions are front of mind.
They certainly are on the Supernanny website, where they’ve compiled a list of potential New Year’s resolutions for kids. On the face of it, I have to confess it sounds pretty good, right? You and your child agree a set of resolutions which they’ll try to stick to.
The only problem is, well let’s be honest now. When it comes to New Year’s resolutions we don’t necessarily take them all that seriously. Normally my resolutions last around a week or so, or possibly if I’m very focused, until the end of January; then – well they just sort of fall by the wayside. Read more »
Baby Steps for Bedtime Routines
Again, this week I thought I’d share one of my own experiences as a parent.
With newborns it can be really difficult to get into a bedtime routine which works for both you, and the baby. Most parents (myself included) bathe their newborn at around 7pm and then pop them down with a feed at around 10pm-10.30pm.
Now whilst this often works quite well for your baby, it’s not necessarily the best for you as a parent. Of course our newborns are the centre of our worlds, but still, it would be nice to reclaim a little of your evening back right? Sit down and have a proper conversation with your partner, or maybe read a book or magazine, have a bath – oh the possibilities!
Helping Your Child Adjust to a New Baby
This week I thought I’d share a story about my own experiences as a Mum.
Our son was 23 months when I brought our daughter home for the first time. Now, there are lots of different opinions over what to do when introducing a new baby to your toddler for the first time. It can be a difficult time for the firstborn child. Of course they’ll need lots of love and reassurance as you don’t want them to feel like they’re being replaced by a newer model!
Christmas Car Journeys – A Survivors’ Guide
Many of us make trips to visit family and friends around Christmas and of course over the New Year.
As such I get lots of questions from frazzled parents enquiring whether I have any tips to make those long Christmas car journeys go smoothly.
Well, smoothly might be pushing it somewhat – but I certainly have some suggestions which hopefully you’ll find useful.
