Woman and Mom

Car Seat Safety Tip Of The Day...

2011-10-10T10:26:00.000-07:00

Not all car seats are installed properly.
Do you have your baby or toddlers car seat installed correctly?

We here at Woman and Mom recommend you get a installation inspection. Find a Child Safety Seat Inspection Station nearest you.

Parents keep in mind that your child(ren) need to be in a car or booster seat until they are 8 years of age or 4’ 9”.

Let’s make sure our child(ren) are safe. Happy Driving!

MOMS LETS ThredUP

2011-08-06T21:37:00.000-07:00

Join thredUP's FREE online community

This post is for all of my devoted followers:-)

I wanted to share with all of you. This wonderful community of mom's that I belong too.

Where moms swap kids clothes, toys and books online. Thousands of moms are already trading boxes of stuff their kids no longer use for clothes, toys and books they actually need.

Join thredUP's FREE online community to exchange stuff your kids no longer use, for clothing that fits & toys they'll love!

Join the thredUP community For Free!

I also started a group on SocialMoms called Moms Lets thredUP. I would love for all of my wonderful followers on this blog to come be apart of it. Let's make this group grow into something wonderful:-)...

Sibling Rivalry...

2011-07-09T07:31:00.000-07:00

Do you have sibling rivalry going on in your daily lives between your children? Why can’t they just get along? Does it seem that they are jealous, or trying to compete for your attention?

Sibling Rivalry happens in some cases right after the second child is born, and it very well might continue throughout their childhood. Don’t be alarmed, you can work through this.

Your children are trying to find his or her own voice, and if they feel their voice is not being heard; because of the other sibling; then it can turn into a rivalry.

Parents try to give each child your undivided attention: Try to give your child their own special day, or their own special time. Your child wants to share with you their own special talents and success that they have done.

Just remember you don’t ever want to label them; don’t play favorites. You love them both equally, you need to always keep in mind that they need to know how much you do.

What’s lurking around the young ones?

2011-04-10T12:58:00.000-07:00

How clean is your kitchen? Ask yourself that question.

When prepping for any meal always keep all your foods separated for avoiding cross contamination of bacteria’s. Wash your hands and keep your countertops sanitized; and always cook at the proper temperatures.

Here is a list of bacteria’s that can be lurking in your kitchen; if your kitchen is not sanitized properly:

E.coli-

Unpasteurized juice and cider

Lettuce and sprouts

Raw milk cheese

Undercooked hamburger

Salmonella-

Egg and Chicken

Meat

Milk

Fresh Produce

Listeria-

Leafy Vegetables Contaminated w/Manure

Raw Milk

Raw Meat

Soft Cheese

Deli Meats

Sausages

Hot Dogs

Keep your family safe from bacteria. Don’t let the bacteria’s live and spread on your surfaces in your kitchen. These kinds of bacteria’s can become very hazardous to your families health.

Snacks, Snacks, and More Snacks...

2011-02-21T18:25:00.000-08:00

Does your child(ren) keep coming to you, telling you they want more to eat? Even though you just got done cleaning up from making breakfast, lunch, or dinner? This is called, “grazing” in other words snacks, snacks, and more snacks. Try to create a healthy grazing/snack pattern throughout their day. Try to give your child(ren) snacks that are high in protein and low in sugar; this will help to stretch out their energy. The reason you should stay away from foods and drinks that contain a high amount of sugar in them; is because your child(ren) can get a boost from the sugar of course meaning a (sugar high), and then next thing you know they crash...

Example: Snack Foods That Have Protein

Yogurt
Apple
Cheese
Peanut Butter

Just to name a few...

Be creative, before preparing the snacks. Get some cute little cookie cutters. Make your snacks into cute little kid friendly shapes; have your child(ren) depending on how old they are become mommies little helper, and have them help you prepare the snacks; “get them involved.” After all is prepared, make a picnic on the floor or in your own backyard

Happy Snacking...

Family Movie Night...

2010-12-31T09:48:00.000-08:00

Parents come together as a family and make it a movie night. What I mean by movie night; I don’t mean take your children out to the movies once a week, that can become very pricey very quickly. Make it a movie night at home, make that be your special time to spend with your children. Pick out a movie that everyone will enjoy from your local movie rental store what ever is easiest for you. It’s really nice when you do this once a week , and try to make it the same time each week. Put a blanket down on the floor right in front of the TV. Have the children help you pop some popcorn and get some drinks, and don’t forget to silence your cellphones before the movie starts. This is a budget friendly thing that you can do as a family.

One thing is for sure your children will always remember family movie night. You want your children to remember those special times that they spent with their parents. So make it special and fun for the whole family.

Baby Sign Language...

2010-12-17T11:02:00.000-08:00

Parents did you know that your hearing baby can learn sign language before they can talk? You can start teaching your baby how to sign as early as 3 months old. Some parents are concerned that by teaching their baby sign language it will make their baby not want to speak and always want to sign with their hands.

Here’s how:

When you start to teach your baby sign language don’t just sign to them. You need to always speak when you are signing. Your baby needs to hear you at the same time while seeing you sign the words to them; this will not inhibit your child's language development it will enhance their development. If and when you decide to introduce sign language to your baby, introduce it to your baby slowly. Start with one to two words a week, don’t go too fast, keep it simple for your baby to really be able to grasp what you are trying to teach them. Patience parents it’s going to take some time. Never show frustration towards your child, make it fun for you and them. You will come to see that your baby will have less tantrums because he or she will be able to communicate with you. Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to know what your baby is asking for, because you taught them how to sign. It will be rewarding for both you and your baby.

Happy Signing!

Love Love Loving This

2010-12-12T15:42:00.000-08:00

To all my Awesome Followers... I wanted to share I Just Won 10 Swag Bucks on www.swagbucks.com. Check it out, it adds up fast... See you on the other side.:-)

Breastfeeding...

2010-12-12T13:26:00.000-08:00

More and More mommies are breastfeeding now a days. If you are an expecting mom to be, and you want to be successful breastfeeding your baby.

I would recommend : That you ask your OBGYN, or if you have already established a pediatrician, ask how long should you breastfeed. Most will say you should exclusively breastfeed your newborn until they are at least six months old.

Keep in mind: The longer you breastfeed your baby the more you will be passing on your protective antibodies. Your antibodies will help to protect your baby from infection caused by the flu.

Breastfeeding is just as rewarding to your baby as it is to you. Did you know breastfeeding can decrease the risk to breast and ovarian cancers. Now keep in mind lower risk does not mean no risk.

Happy Baby, Happy Mommy!

For more information you may find this resource useful: www.cdc.gov/breastfeeding

10 Second Time-Out Rule for Parents...

2010-12-09T10:23:00.000-08:00

You have no more patience’s. You are really getting upset. You are yelling and screaming at your child(ren). You feel you are about to lose it.

Parent Time-Out - You need a time-out. I know personally being a parent is not easy by any means. You need to go and take a time out and breath. There will be some days you are going to think your child(ren) has turned off their listening ears. Compared to other days; when you feel they are acting like complete angels. There are days when you feel you have done everything you can think of, when you put your child or children on a time-out, you need to also put yourself on a time out. You don’t ever want to feel that you could probably lose it. Go to a quite place in your house, and take some slow deep breathes, count to ten when you are taking those slow deep breathes, and then count backwards. Always try to keep calm, if you are starting to feel yourself really getting upset and the only thing you want to do is scream at your child, because your patience went right out the window (You Need A Break). We all know once you start to scream at your children they will more than likely tune us out or get upset. You really never want to scream at your children. Try to keep calm, and talk to your child. Let them know what they are doing is wrong, and that if they keep showing bad behavior; that you are not going to give them any warning, you will put them on a time out and start to take their privileges away from them. Until they understand that they need to listen to you the first time, not the second, or third time.

Remember to always stay true to what you say to your children. So they know you mean what you say.

Home Remedy for Post Nasal Drip...

2010-11-30T11:53:00.000-08:00

Note: Always consult your pediatrician first.
Not recommended to children 5 years of age or younger...

Does your child(ren) keep coughing in the middle of the night due to having post nasal drip? You might of heard about this simple home remedy that you can do. This will help to dry or thin out the mucus in the nasal passage, that is causing the post nasal drip to occur.

All you need is: Water & White Distilled Vinegar

Put a pot of water on to boil. Once the water comes to a boil, put one cup of White Distilled Vinegar in the boiling pot of water. Turn the pot of water with the White Vinegar off. Pour the combination of water and white vinegar into a bowl (be careful not to burn yourself or your child(ren) in the process). While you are holding onto the bowl (never leave your child(ren) unsupervised). Have your child(ren) breath through their nose the vapors that are coming up through the steam (have them do this for a least 10 to 15 minutes). Again this will help to dry or thin out the mucus, that is causing the post nasal drip.

You will want to repeat this about every four hours...

No More Slips or Falls...

2010-11-19T09:28:00.000-08:00

This is for all you parents, that like doing a little Arts and Crafts.

Your toddler’s little feet keep slipping out from under them. Those darn socks; what is a parent to do? You can go to your local arts and crafts store and pick up a product called Puffy Paint. Then go and buy a packet of socks. Put the puffy paint on the bottom of the socks. There is no limit to what you can come up with; when you start putting the puffy paint on the bottom of the socks. You can make it into different themes for different occasions and so on. Now also make sure that you try to find puffy paint that will not bleed onto other clothes; when you go to do the laundry. I would recommend you wash the socks separately from your other clothes no matter what. Overall this is a fun little Arts and Crafts project that you can do with your child, depending on how old they are.

At the end of the day when the Puffy Paint is dry your toddler will not be slipping as much as they were before.

Your Child(ren) will Not Sleep by Themselves...

2010-11-16T12:59:00.000-08:00

What is a parent to do? When we first got started that was a battle; our little ones were not going to go to bed without a fight. We asked our pediatrician to give us some suggestions on what we could do.

Because between the two little guys; my husband and I were not getting any sleep. The pediatrician told us, and you have probably heard this before. “Just put them in their rooms; tuck them in and walk away, and let them cry themselves to sleep”.

Now let me make something really clear; I'm not saying don’t listen to your pediatrician, they do have some good advice. I just personally couldn’t do that; I was one of those mommies that hated to hear my baby’s cry.

So I sat down one morning and tried to think of something that we could do. I put some steps down on a piece of paper; hoping and praying it would work.

Simple Example:

Step 1: Bath time - to get them to relax and wind down for the night.

Step 2: Bedtime story - reading a cute little story to them each and every night.

Step 3: Night Light - No sleeping in the dark

Step 4: Teddy bears: Giving them a teddy bear or a stuffed animal of their choice to have in bed with them to make them feel safe or in some cases; feel that they were not sleeping alone.

Step 5: This step is optional, this might not work for some child(ren) - (Right outside their door) Let your child(ren) know you will be right outside their door until they fall asleep. Our children felt comfort in knowing that we were very close by.

Let me tell you it was hard work to do that each and every night. It took my husband and I a good month or so to get these little ones in a routine. But we were pleasantly surprised that keeping to this routine each and every night finally did pay off.

I’m not going to sugarcoat anything, we did go through a lot; our children at first did put up a fight, I’m not going to sit back and say that it was a piece of cake once we put these steps into place it took a lot of hard work and dedication.

Parents you are probably going through a lot, and are not getting enough sleep at night because one of you is sleeping with one of your child(ren); just so they will sleep through the night. Or maybe your child(ren) are sleeping in your bed between you and your spouse.

Now how crowded can that be? I know that you are not getting a good night sleep at all. You are probably waking up the next morning with a arm in your face and a foot in your side.

Or your about to fall out of the bed because your child is laying across your bed, and there is no more room for you; and lets not forget that your body is killing you from laying in the same position all night long.

Parents I have been there, and I can tell you we were a mess; we couldn’t even think straight. I have given you some suggestions that worked for us. But the bottom line is you owe it to yourselves, and your child(ren) to get into a routine and stick with it.

By the end of the day you will look back at all of the things you went through; and realize that sticking with the routine that you came up with was well worth all of the hard work.

Your child(ren) will now know when you say it is bedtime; that means it is time to stop playing and rest their eyes. When that day comes; that will be the happiest day for you and your spouse.

Number Recognition...

2010-11-11T09:46:00.000-08:00

This is a fun little activity that you can play with your preschooler. This activity will help to keep your child(ren) thinking about what number comes next.

Have your child(ren) stand in front of you with their back facing you. You are going to trace with your index finger on their back a number of your choice.

When your child(ren) think they know what the number might be. Have them say the number out load to you.

Start out simple at first:
Then up your number selection the further you go.

Remember don’t go too fast, do it slowly so that your child(ren) has time to think about what number you are tracing on their back. Your child needs to look straight ahead, no peeking...

Number Recognition Game:
If this number activity is becoming too easy for your child(ren). Make it challenging, add a timer to the mix. Get a piece of scrap paper, so you can keep a tally. Start the timer, and see how many your child(ren) can get right, before the timer goes off.

Tally up the numbers...

Make it a fun activity that the whole family can enjoy.

Child(ren)’s Tooth Decay...

2010-11-05T10:42:00.000-07:00

Parents were you aware that juice can and will; start eating away at your child(ren)’s teeth enamel?

This is due to the fact that orange juice and other kinds of juices out there have acid in them, and acid is known to eat away teeth enamel.

Here are some suggestions that you can do to help prevent your child(ren) from having any tooth decay problems:

Of course you don’t want to stop giving your child(ren) juice; because it is good for them. So what I recommend is have your child(ren) drink their juice through a straw. If your child(ren) drinks from a straw, this is known to slow down the process.

The juice will bypass your child(ren)’s teeth; unlike if they were drinking it directly from their sippy cup or from a regular cup. You can also buy those sippy cups that have the straw already built in.

Does your toddler still use a bottle for a pacifier? I would suggest that you start ASAP; putting plain water in their bottle especially right before bedtime. Parents you don’t want that acid or sugar sitting on their teeth all night long.

You can also water down their juice; half juice, half water.

Always remember to brush your child(ren)’s teeth after every major meal; or at least twice a day...

Your Newborn will Not Stop Crying...

2010-10-28T18:32:00.000-07:00

First thing I would recommend; is if you feel that your newborn is crying more than normal. You need to get in touch with your pediatrician, and let them know what is going on; to see if your baby needs to be seen. Now after you have done that first step and all is well, in which it should be. You can see if this works for your baby. This is a little trick that just fell into our laps.

If you feel that you have tried everything you can think of. While having your baby in your arms turn on your tap water. Your newborn will calm down when they hear the water running. We asked our pediatrician why does the baby calm down when they hear the water running. He told us; the sound of the water running is close to the same sound that the baby was used to when they are inside the womb.

So try this when your baby starts crying and you can’t seem to calm he or her down. Go turn on your tap water, and see if they calm down when they hear it. If the sound of your tap water doesn’t work very well. Then go to your shower and turn it on, it makes a louder noise than your tap water running. It will more than likely put them right to sleep.

Now if you don’t want to waste water. Just record the sound of the water running, and push the play button.

Just a simple home remedy!

Steps To: Potty Training Your Toddler...

2010-10-24T09:44:00.000-07:00

This Potty Training Method worked for our little guys. I hope this will help all you frustrated mommies out there....

Step 1. The first thing you need to do is go out and buy some underwear for your toddler; let your toddler pick out what kind of underwear they want. Buy a couple of packets or more of underwear; trust me you will need them. You don’t want to feel you are spending more time in the laundry room than you are with your toddler in the bathroom. You will feel that way if you only buy one pack of underwear. Because the first day, even going into the second day you will be taking a lot of messy underwear off of them, so you need a lot of back up.

Step 2. When at your Favorite Store. Take your toddler over to the potty chairs; let your toddler pick out what kind of potty chair they want to use, and of course show them a price range of items that you can afford.

Step 3. Next have your toddler pick out a pack of stickers. When your toddler successfully starts to potty in their potty chair; this is what you are going to use for your reward system.

You need to start first thing in the morning, pretty much don’t go anywhere for a good couple of days, devote your time and energy towards your child.

Step 4. You will need to make up a Potty Chart. You need to have it finished before you start the potty training with your toddler. The potty chart plays a big part in the potty training. You are going to make up a homemade Potty Chart. Just get out a plain piece of paper, put your son or daughter’s name at the top, and then state the days of the week below the title on your potty chart.

Step 5. Show your toddler the Potty Chart and let them know that after they have completely filled the whole Potty Chart with stickers. They can go pick out a special toy at the toy store, for doing a job well done. Now, parents this step is completely optional. But from are experience this extra step is a good one.

Step 6. Show your toddler their stickers; let your toddler know that every time they go potty in their potty chair, they can pick a sticker from their sticker packet and put it on the Potty Chart.

Step 7. This next step is optional. But this worked really well with our toddlers. You will need to get one of their special stuffed animals, and tell your toddler that their special stuffed animal is going to learn how to use the potty. By putting on one of your toddler’s new underwear on the stuffed animal.

Step 8. Put your toddler’s potty chart up where your toddler can see it. You will then need to get their big kid underwear. Put the underwear on them, and tell them that they need to keep them dry, like how they are right now.

Step 9. Start the clock; get into a routine. This is from our personal experience, and also from other parents stories. You will need to take your toddler to the potty pretty much every fifteen to twenty minutes. Watch your toddlers expression. You know your toddler; if they look like they are concentrating too hard, run them to the potty. If you decided to included the stuffed animal, you need to take the stuffed animal with you also and make the stuffed animal look like it is going to the potty.

Step 10. Make this whole experience for your toddler a joyful one. This is going to be a lot of hard work; stay consistent and stay positive. Get excited when they start using the potty. When you show them how happy and excited you are every time they go to the potty. Your toddler will start to get really excited also. Then all of a sudden they want to keep doing it over and over again, because they get a sticker to put on their potty chart. But they will also start getting excited when they see mommy and daddy so excited, when they use the potty.

Stay consistent I cannot stress this enough!

If you have a Potty Training story or tip. Please leave a comment below...

Graco Recalls Quattro and Metrolite Strollers

2010-10-23T10:55:00.000-07:00

Strollers Due to Risk of Entrapment and Strangulation:
Four Infant Strangulation Deaths Reported...

Consumers should immediately stop using the recalled strollers and contact Graco for a free repair kit. Please see the official press release at the CPSC website

Mommies, Stay Safe With Your Little Ones!!!

Tip Of The Day...

2010-10-15T16:37:00.000-07:00

Cold and Cough Tip: Do you want to sooth your little ones cough? Before giving your child(ren) cough medicine, try this simple little home remedy. Starting off by giving them a 1/2 teaspoon of Honey. This will help to coat, and sooth their little throat...

Now keep in mind your child(ren) have to be at least a year old. When given this home remedy.

Going Grocery Shopping??? Put Your Child(ren) to Work

2010-07-23T11:23:00.000-07:00

Going grocery shopping with your child(ren); for some of you mommies can be a big headache at times, and is probably not the most exciting thing on your to do list (right)...

Well, we here at Woman and Mom have a small but simple idea that you can involve your child(ren) once you step foot into the store.

While you are on your way to the grocery store. Let your child(ren) know that they are going to become mommies little helper once you get to the grocery store.

Get your child(ren) excited. Remember to try to say it with a lot of enthusiasm in your voice...

Once you get to the store; have your child(ren) be in charge of the grocery list. Make them feel important; like they are holding the golden ticket.

Depending on their age; while holding on to the grocery list aka golden ticket. Have your child(ren) help you pick out the items that are on the list, and put it in the cart.

Of course if you have more than one child. You can create different job duties that each one will have. One could be in charge of the grocery list; while the other is putting the items from the list in the cart etc.

This will hopefully help to keep your child(ren) out of Mischief; while at the grocery store.

Make it Fun Happy Shopping...

Mommies Magic Kisses...

2010-05-31T07:03:00.000-07:00

Does your child(ren) say that they are afraid of a monster in their closet or under their bed? Or they want you to sleep with them, because they are scared of having a bad dream...

Mommies Magic Kisses:

Monster’s Beware...

While you are tucking your child(ren) into bed (make it a routine). Tell your child(ren) that your good night kiss is magical, and once you give them (your child(ren) ) their good night kiss. The monsters will magically disappear, because your child(ren) have mommies magical kiss, that will scare them away, and the monsters don’t like to be scared ...

Bye Bye Bad Dreams...

Same goes for Bad Dreams. If your child(ren) has a bad dream every now and then (make it a routine). After tucking them in; tell your child(ren) that by kissing each of their eyelids with mommies magic kisses. It will help to keep the bad dreams away...

This will hopefully help your child(ren) to be able to over come their fears. When it’s time for night nights...

It's Complicated...

2009-12-27T17:51:00.000-08:00

Well, it's now two days after Christmas... I am kind of sad, because this is the holiday that I look so forward to every year (until next year). Well, one of the things that I got for Christmas this year from my hubby, and my children. Was two movie tickets, when I pulled out the movie tickets. The first movie that came to mind was It's Complicated, I love Meryl Streep, Steve Martin, and Alec Baldwin, and picturing them all in a movie like this one (looks really good:-) The first thing I said to my hubby after I already kissed my kids a big thank you was, "How does this weekend sound:-)"... My hubby the wonderful husband that he is said, "We can do that". Well, we were not able to go see the movie this weekend, it was to short of notice for the babysitter. So we are pushing for this coming weekend:-)

So my question is to you ladies, without giving any of the movie away. Have any of you seen it? How did you like it? If you had to give this movie a rating, let's say a 5 out of 10. What would your rating be??? Love to here your thoughts:-)

'Tis The Season...

2009-12-13T10:29:00.000-08:00

Christmas is right around the corner. I love the holiday season, it warms my heart:-) especially to see my children so excited that Santa is on his way. I told myself this year that I was going to do all of my christmas shopping online (I wasn't looking forward to fighting the crowds). Next thing I know, I was standing in a snake line at K-Mart (go figure). I guess when you have that opportunity to go christmas shopping without the kiddos around (you need to sees the moment:-). A couple of days ago we put up our christmas tree, and all of the christmas decorations. When my husband was putting up the tree, our two boys were going through some of the christmas boxes, and found their Santa Claus hats from last year. They immediately put them on, "How cute," I thought to myself:-) picture moment. I went and grabbed the camera, before I could say smile. They had their arms around each other, with the most wonderful smiles on their faces (priceless:-). This is why I love the holiday season, the warm memories that you hold so dear to your heart. Also don't forget the wonderful holiday food (can't get enough of that:-)...

Happy Holidays To You and Yours

Back To School...

2009-12-01T07:28:00.000-08:00

So I was reading this articles the other day about Obama encouraging mother's to go back to school. I was always interested in going back to school, I wanted to be a Medical Transcriptionist. But the economy has definitely affected our finances. The article that I was reading, indicated that Obama increased the maximum Pell Grant by $200, up to $5550 for the 2010-2011 academic year. I would love to move forward in this venture of becoming a Medical Transcriptionist, especially if I could do my studies online.

I just don't want to get way over my head financially. Are any of you mommies taking advantage of this??? How did you go about it??? I would love to hear all of your opinions. The more advice I can get the better:-):-):-) I just want to go at this the right way...

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone!!!

2009-11-25T07:54:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it, Thanksgiving is tomorrow. This year my aunt is having Thanksgiving at her house. We have some family coming in from out of town for thanksgiving this year, she is going to have a full house (It's going to be a lot of fun:-). What are your plans for Thanksgiving??? Sorry this post is on the shorter side, but my aunt is putting me to work this year (for the prepping of Thanksgiving:-). Why did I volunteer again???

Happy Thanksgiving Everyone:-):-):-)