March | 2017 | The parenting adventures

Getting out of repetition can be so easy as you can get bored doing the same thing, evening after evening, but the one thing I have learned, is that it is important for children, to continue repetition.

It helps with keeping the routine.

Settling down time for children, really does help, when it comes to the bedtime routine, it is so they know bedtime is coming up and will be soon, and helps them to wind down beforehand.

So no playing ball after 5pm and we will have TV on but not too bright and have the lights dimmed down quite a bit. When it gets lighter late evening it can be tricky to stick with the routine but keep with it the best you can, but make bedtime later or allow them to listen to soft music coming up to bed time.

I wrote about rituals, you do whatever it takes, some time ago, when it comes to bed time. That is why making settling down into a ritual, at night time will help bed time a lot less stressful, I say with a sigh.

It can be hard when they are screaming at night because they want to be up but they have to learn that they need sleep and it is coming up to that time.

We don’t do bath every evening but you can add this to the evening ritual if this will help and making nap times earlier making sure this is before a certain time (ours is before 2pm) if we can help it.

Toddler melt down image

Our is:

5pm all toys away and we will get or ask Henry to choose a book or sit with one of us on the sofa
Get Henry ready for bed, so put on his night gear
Put on pepper pig for a bit, but come an hour or so to bedtime, all devices are turned off and we will have TV on, but winding him down, watching challenge
6:30pm to 7pm take henry upstairs to bed and read, sometimes I will play lullabies too, but I put it in a place where he can hear the music but not see the screen.

So what do you do to settle down your baby or toddler I would love to hear.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

As a mum of a three year old many transitions such potty training and then from nursery to school is a big change for everybody. We are about to start potty training.

So in the mornings when it comes to his change in the morning, I have been trying to sit him on it. This morning on the 2nd March 2017 not success but we (my hubby and I) will keep on trying.

Speaking to other mums really helps when it comes to transitions, and the one tip given to me by a nanny of many years, is not to stress over these transitions, such as potty training. If they aren’t ready for that next stage then stop but keep trying.

I always follow that motto of introducing for example solid foods to keep trying and make gradual steps . At first Henry wouldn’t drink from a cup so we continued on trying introducing different types of toddler cups until he was ready and then it was all of a sudden he began to drink from a cup.

They will make the choice, which is part of them using their own mind to make decisions.

You can buy a first training cup from boots for about £1.45 and the potty we have ready was £2.00, from Boots (see link below).

http://www.boots.com/search/toddler+cups

This is the same with diffrerent baby and toddler toys like bikes. Try them with ones that they use their legs to move the toy bike then as help push them along until they have built up their confidence to move the bike with their legs themselves.

The next stage is using a bike with pedals.

It is all about growth and learning for us as much as it is for them, our children so not stressing but being patient, moving towards the new skill (transition) gradual is the key to helping your child grow.

I would love to hear your tips on what you have done to help your child with transitions. All information shared is welcomed. Knowing that other parents are going through the transitions too, does help and chatting about it, fears and worries helps to address them. Speak to your health visitors, I am going to chat with the doctors on Henry next visit this month and don’t forget if your child is 3 years and 4 months or near to book the next immunisations.