Kids Archive

What my kids are like, and how to raise your child/children in this day and age.

5 Tips To Get Your Kids to Brush Their Teeth

This is probably one of the most asked questions by parents. It does not matter if they are first timers or not, this is the part where the phrase “every child is different” holds true. So really, How to Get Your Kids to Brush Their Teeth? Here are 5 Tips To Get Your Kids to Brush Their Teeth based on our experience.

Brushing should be a routine. Build up the routine of routine of brushing as early as possible and never ever slip away from the routine/schedule. When the routine is established, they will bring that as they grow older.

Use age appropriate brushing products. Ever wonder why some kids does not like brushing? The toothpaste you are using may be the culprit. Ask your pedia or dentist which toothpaste is best tasting for your kids. It also helps if the toothbrush they are using are designed with their favorite superhero or cartoon character, or as simple as in their favorite color.

Let them shop for their oral hygiene products. As mentioned above, it helps if the oral hygiene products they are using are in their fave color or fave character. To make things easier, let them shop for their own products, it makes them feel that they have a say on it and will not feel that it is something that is forced.

Count instead of singing or vice versa. Take a cue from your child. Do they love singing? Then it is ok to use a sing. If they love Math, use numbers instead. According to our dentist, it should be 10 seconds for each side:

right top front
right top back
right bottom front
right bottom back
center top front
center top back
center bottom front
center bottom back
left top front
left top back
left bottom front
left bottom back

Don’t force brushing. Take it one day at a time, one count at a time. Don’t force it but never give up. If on day 1, they will only allow you to brush their teeth up to 3 counts, on the second time, try upping the number to 5 or 6 and so on. Before you know it, your kid loves brushing as much as you wish them to.

BONUS TIP: when do you start teaching/training them how to brush their teeth? Start the earliest possible. You can actually oral hygiene as early as 4 months or when signs of teething is already showing.

5 Practical Buying Tips For A First Time Mom

When I was a first time mom, only the coolest crowd knows about the internet. And me being married to one, I have unlimited access to all parenting resources one can find in the internet. So I thought I was prepared for what motherhood and being a home maker has to offer. So I thought.. it turns out, there really is nothing that can truly ever prepare you to being a mom. Emotionally, physically, and most specially financially.

Having a baby gives you a new perspective in life. You matured instantly and suddenly it is not just about you and your husband anymore. Everything you do is for the baby, all the things you aim for is for the baby. And you want the best, nothing but the best, top of the line. It’s very normal to think that spending more for your baby is part of being matured, of being a selfless mom, selfless parents. It may seem like it’s true during the first year. In reality or as you go on, you realize that there are things that you wished you did not bought.

To help you prepare for your motherhood journey, I asked my mommy club members to share a practical or tipid tips for first time mommies. Here are the Top 5 Practical/Tipid tips for a first time mom:

1. Never sacrifice birthing because of budget considerations. Pinag iipunan talaga yan. But you can still be practical when it comes to giving birth by asking your OB if your preferred hospital have an economized package. First time moms are advised to give birth in a hospital because of possible complications for giving birth the first time. How much it is to give birth in a hospital? It depends if it is public or private. When I gave birth to Marius last 2016, our maternity package from the hospital total cost is 60,000 PhP. Ask your OB about it and don’t by shy. You are not being a bad first time mom/ parent for asking a discount or a more practical package.

2. Be practical when buying clothes and toys. This is something that I wish someone told me or insisted on doing so. When I had my first baby, I want everything brand new! Truth of the matter is, my baby would still be the same baby as he is even with hand me down clothes. Be practical with that, check hand me downs first before buying. And when it comes to toys, your baby will probably will need just 1 or 2 and the rest is your face or anything you touch like the remote control.

3. You may not need a crib. Specially if you have plans on co-sleeping. Our crib took so much space and only lasted for months. It’s not just about the durability of the crib but also usability. It’s not as usual as I thought it was. But if it really something you feel like buying, check hand me downs first. What baby gears you need to buy as brand new? You need a car seat and a high chair, 3 years after and we’re using ours. Invest on a car set that can be used from infant to the time that they no longer need one. Of course if you don’t have a car, you don’t need one. Stroller? I highly suggest baby carrier such as ring sling or wrap.

4. Push on breastfeeding. Do you know how much you can save if you will breastfeed? 5000 PhP per month! Breastfeeding has a lot of benefits too, not just for the baby but for the mommy too. Do you know that when you breastfeeds, your body releases a relaxing hormone that makes you feel sleepy? It designed as that to give the moms the much needed rest for their body. You also save on other stuff when your breastfeed, like feeding bottles, sterilizers and additional cost on water.

5. Monthly birthday celebration is not a must do but personally, I encourage moms to do it. It’s just about celebrating the baby’s monthly milestones but also celebrating your monthly milestones as a first time mommy. What I can tell you is, don’t splurge on it. A small cake and a platter of your favorite pasta will do. Make the celebration more meaningful by making letter addressed to your baby or to you and take lots of photos!

Bonus tip: Buy a really nice mobile phone before giving birth, I assure you, you’re gonna need!

5 Tips to Helping Your Kids Can Enjoy a Good Night’s Sleep

Kids can be mischievous, and it can sometimes be hard to get them to bed at the right time. Some kids struggle with sleeping disorders and others are just naughty and will not immediately go to sleep when they are supposed to. So, you need to devise a way to ensure that they go to sleep on time and have a good night of sleep. The following are tips to help you get your kids to enjoy their sleep at night;

Ensure the sleeping environment is ideal
Creating an ideal sleeping environment for your kids is a no brainer. You want their rooms to promote sleep because that is the easiest way to get them to sleep. First, you need to make sure that their bed is comfortable enough as well as clean and fresh. Look for a mattress that provides better sleep as comfort is key to having good sleep at night. Dim the lights in the bedroom and make sure that there are no electronic gadgets that may keep them up at night.

Create a bedtime routine
Creating a bedtime routine is a great way to teach your children different practices they can associate to getting to bed. Switch off the TV and other electronics ten minutes before the actual bedtime routine. Use this time to relax as it will go a long way to helping you and the kids sleep better at night. The bedtime routine can entail taking a bath just to relax, putting on pajamas, brushing teeth, short bedtime stories then going to bed.

Have a specific sleep and wake time
When you fix a specific time for the kids to go to bed and wake up, then this helps train their internal clock. It will be easier for the kids to sleep well at night if they have a specific time to go to bed as opposed to having an irregular schedule for going to bed. Do your bedtime routine a few minutes to their sleep time and by doing this consistently, the kids will learn it as a part of their daily lives.

Ensure they exercise
One way to get your kids to sleep well at night is to allow them to play and exercise during the day. When the kids are active during the day, then it will be easier for them to sleep and wind down faster at night. Also don’t allow them to play less than 3 hours to bed because they will be too active to go to bed when they are supposed to.

Don’t give them food or drinks before bedtime
One of the worst mistakes you will do is to give your kids a hearty meal or soft drinks right before bedtime. If they have to eat anything before bedtime then give them something light like a healthy snack or even a glass of milk. Eating food before bedtime will make them uncomfortable at night and soft drinks will only stimulate them making them more active. Also, you want to avoid giving them anything with caffeine as it will also keep them active when they are supposed to be sound asleep.