What can you buy for kids at Christmas or even birthdays

So today it is the 25th November and so a month to go. I am counting the days now as I just begun Christmas shopping.

What I like doing is buying little items as gifts, which is a nice bracelet, a pair of socks and fun clothing.

Kids love opening gifts and for Henry this took a while as in his early years he never really knew what to do and so wasn’t interested in gifts. Now he loves them.

Children celebrate Christmas

So what can you buy for kids as Christmas or even birthdays?

• A good puzzle that you can all do as a family and doing a bit each day or a small one for toddlers but still help them and see if they can do it without help
• Have them learn how to make things like a Jewellery making kit or a mini plant they can grow
• giving them a food hamper with healthy and a few unhealthy treats rather than a selection box. Why not, personalise it for each child
• Have them make a cake for eachother and again if they like baking why not buy them their own baking kit, with a small size wooden spoon, a spatula, and cake mixing box or make a jar of ingredients to give them
• When it comes to scented items nothing overpowering but if like doing their nails or want new underwear these can be great as gifts because you know they will be used and worn. I don’t really need to buy clothes because my nieces for example gets a lot f handmedowns so something like a small not to strong a perfume then they make great gifts
• When it comes to make up, when I was a kid it was kids make up but would cover the walls and carpet, and so why not as a gift, if you have space help give your children a make over and in a room where it can be easily be cleaned and make sure they aren’t allergic to makeup, and create an imvitation for the makeover event
• Make crafting packs. I have a lot of crafting papers and so great way they can get used to be given to kids to make things or write things on and helps with handwriting,
• Create a lucky dip for them in a box like a box made into a letter box and youcan do this with Christmas cards too.

It is all about using imagination and have something to remember and good way to bond with your kids at Christmas to make them truly special.

I do also make parenting videos on my Youtube channel so called “The Truth About Parenting”:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCW6X7xXVFoaToqlDpGLTtSg/featured

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

What Not To Give To Your Kids at Christmas

It really is coming round so fast, but I bet you are sick of hearing that, but it has and I am feeling that inner panic, of “No slow down please rudolph, as if he can hear me and the one of the longest raindeer ever born, so he should bve retired by now, but that’s the magic and joy of Christmas.

I type this blog as I am watching BBC Children in need a fundraising phemonon that raises money over britain and it reminds me how life is so important and it is important that we keep our kids safe during the festive period and to give back to others.

Christmas should be all about creating dreams come true, and so here in this blog I share What not to give to your kids at Christmas.

So the first thing is Candles until they are old enough to not pull them down and as a parent we keep them out of reach and are on a very high surface.

The other items are electrical appliances. Now as a kid I did have my own hairdryer very younger, and many atime got my hair caught in it and they were plastic ones. I would says appliances can be good but teach kids how to use them safely, like not putting the plug in water.

Teach them for exampe how to safely use a hairdryer, and that is applies to all Electrical goods.

The other items are things like body lotions, and skincare in general. Buy items that are catered specifically to kids, and only apply a little just to test, and try buying more natural products like, I have used Simple body lotions and face washes since a kid as soon as they came out.

If they are babies and then a definate no unless again it is for the child’s age group and for babies. The other thing is to check the ingredients of the product.

Be careful of the mince pies and Christmas pudding, as they do often have a brandy or whisky in them, and so I would make a cake instead,, if it is Fruit cake check the ingredients, as it is safer, but cut up the fruit and then put them into the cake mix, and a good iidea I did for Christmas made a cake specifically for my son and was a plane sponge, see below a chocolate cake I mae below.

If you are hosting a kids Christmas party then do check diatery requirements to be written down and make cakes with no nuts and the same, for certain oils used to make cakes. There are kids who will have a gluten intolerance so have a gluten free food along with a cake or cakes, as I find cupcakes are easier than a whole cake.

When it comes to giving food as a present again check the kids who they are for what they can eat and what they can’t. Discuss this with other childrens parents. Keeping on the same thing about food, but giving chocolates and sweets, check with their parents first and make sure they are kept separate to chocolates and sweets that are for adults.

When it comes to clothes make sure they don’t have irritating collars that can cause itching, and check the fabric first.

Perfrume, I love receiving this as a kid but never by those selling in the streets as they can cause burning if they aren’t real perfumes, and so buy in a store and that they aren’t allergic to body sprays and perfume.

Nail kits until they older because of the chemicals used, and because kid have a tendancy to put things in their mouths, and so wait until they are old enough to apply nail products.

We want our kids to enjoy Christmas as it is a day I look forward to again, as I did lose the spark for it, but since I had my son Henry it is back and I love buying gifts but nothing that could cause harm.

So I hope these tips are helpful,

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Back to school Monday and Co-parenting/Not having to rush

Hello and it is the first day of my son, to go back to school and it means getting the school uniform washed, his school bag packed with his books, coats and snacks. Thankfully because he lives mainly with his dad as its convenience really and I have been unwell with mental health, it is good to be back looking after him, so all his main bits and pieces are there, and when I have a place of my own again, it will be possible for me to take care of Henry fulltime again, to ease the pressure for his father.

Until then now it is getting up early and me taking over from his father until his transport to school turns up, and good to spend some time with him before he treturned back back this morning, and he is has been looking forward to it and kept asking when he will be back at school, and so different from when I used to go to school, it was the last place you wanted to be.

So I had to also sort my bags out for thie morning lastnight, being that I had to get up at the crack of dawn to be there, and I take two bags with me. This is due to being a writer, and if any ideas come into my mind whilst en route, and tomorrow like today I am birthday shopping, as I have two this week, my brothers and my son’s and so still is a mad dash for it.

This means checking the trains and buses of when they are due, and if there is a disruption. I have topped up my Oyster Card and again prepping for a new school week, and so I don’t neccessarily write a list, but keep it in my head and make sure I have a magazine and a book to read to help me take my mind of the fact I have gotten up so early and whilst travelling, and because it is at the time 5am really cold now, I have enough layers on me for the bitterly cold weather.

Then in the week just keeping up with him doing some homework my son has to do, and this week being his birthday, I will be writing a blog on my other The Parenting Adventures blog:

http://theparentingadventuresthebirthofmyson. wordpress.com

Then it is the Christmas season and planning for that. I find from September to December it goes so fast and keeping up can be overwhelming so I will start planning for Christmas once the birthdays for this months, are over. The actual buying will not be until next month, I just like to prep and have an idea of the gifts I gonna be buying for 2021.

I have filmed a Truth About Parenting video, as I one weekly and so check this weeks out today:

https://youtu.be/00LKy–Fzn8

So have a good week and I will be back with another blog next week.

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X

Getting back to school half term/Co-parenting made easy

Hello so thank you for those who have been loving my blogs it really means the world to me.

So some kids had just a week and others have had two. My son has two weeks, and so goes back next week, and so it means the school run is upon us again and means all uniform will need washing, if you haven’t done this already and brings us closer to the festive season and boy “NOT READY”, but yes and for me it is a busy time.

Getting back means going back into the routine, and means for me getting up at 5 on some days or getting home late for when my son gets dropped back from school. I am lucky in that Henry gets a lift by taxi, to and from school, but it still is pretty stressful, but you find you, and find your own way of getting kids to school and its about getting there on time and when it is raining it makes it even more challenging especially like I was doing, crossing a very long busy road and would cause me so much anxiety.

When it comes to getting back, try and prepare for it, and like me if you co-parent like I do, set the time you are gonna get to your child’s home to take them to school, and switch the times so one is doing the drop off and the other doing the pick up.

Have a set of unform between the homes that you and the other parent cleaned and ready to wear, and have duplicates of certain items, like trousers, shirts, and non school uniform outfits they can change into. This depends on if you take them to school from both of your own homes, for me its all at his dads because that is his main home still and nearer for travelling to his school, so this applies to when parents don’t have one base and they take them from different homes.

When it comes to them doing homework be on the same page as the other parent and work with your child. Does because you as parents live at different homes and lifes now, doesn’t mean you have to be against each other, and so talk about this and be on the same page.

Make sure you transfer items to and from your home you son lives in, so for example when Henry stays with me, his dad will bring his school bag over, so we both know what homework he has got and keeping tabs on how he is getting on at school.

Have again a duplicate bag if this helps.

When it comes to what the kids did during half term write it down in their school books, and really helps the teachers at my son’s school to see what they did and gives them so much to talk about, and for the summer holidays I created Henry a photo book via google and they loved it, and gonna do the same for half term aswell.

Once this is done then have both parents see it and talk about it to your children to and that you both stay on board with your kids even if you live apart.

So I am not gonna shortly film a few video to day, and if you didn’t know I film a series of videos called Truth About Parenting, so go and check them out, via my channel:

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCUDFIqjVKLy7NhtcR6Hy0Tg

Many thanks for reading,

Carrie X