Hello, I have shared this on my other site Everyone Can Build a Castle, and is a free printable that I do each week and this weeks it is about, When you feel overwhelmed.
Being parent, we can often feel like this because of so much we have to remember and do, and it can be so overwhelming that all you want to hibernate and not think about getting this done and that. So here are some tips on how to manage overwhelm.
Now it is time to get my other jobs done and been out which feels so good and still going to go for a walk tomorrow as I to have blood tests done, that I have to do yearly, to monitor my blood sugar levels, and one reason why managing your health and wellbeing is important, because I did have type 2 diabetes and was managed by diet based and get my eating habits under control and prevent overwhelm, as I can comfort eat and stop my healthy eating.
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As a kid I was emcouraged to play out. living on a housing estate we knew how far we could go, and were always told when playing out. that we, my friendds and I, stay togetther and go in before it got dark.
Picture of my son watching his favourite thngs trains
Today my son and I went to one of our favourite parks in Wimbledon to search for a cat we often see and wanted to look for her himself whilst I sat on the bench, and is him telling, “I want to do things on my own” and that is fine, as long I can see him and trust him more now, as there was a time he’d run off and if he saw a gate run out of it, but now came back to where I was and feeling comfortable in letting him walk around the park on his own.
I was lucky when it came to school as it was just around the corner and so when I was in my final years at Primary school started to walk home to school on my own, before then I would be looked after other parents, but as we go older the boundary of where we (tlking about my brother and I, could go further on our on, and of the estate, and to the adventure park nearby, as we became more responsible.
I know at some point Henry would like to go out on his own and it scares me not going to lie, and worry about it because of knowing where he is and make sure he will let me know where he is and when he will be coming home.
I will be getting him an Apple Watch to use to make sure I can keep track of his whereabouts, but at the same time don’t want to be intrusive and have him think, feel that he can’t be trusted. So, for me, when Henry can go out on his own will be when it is right for both of us, and not restrictive because from experience is not always effective, and can cause kids to go somewhere and not tell you and so it will be setting boundaries. Allowing him the freedom to explore, but safely.
I feel the time will be on, when I know he can cross a road safely as he is getting to that stage, but he not got a long concentration span and goes into his own world, so it is paying attention of his whereabouts, he can pay for things himself, can travel by himself and come home safely, and being street wise.
So if you are a parent and your kids have begun to go out on their own, and when you feel is the right time, please leave a comment below as I’d love to share and give me some tips and tricks.
I am not sure why but my son gets a cough and cold when we reach to the time of the year, Autumn and so gave him some Calpol as we checked his temperature and was a little high and put some Oabis oil on his pillow before he went to bed and put some on his feet too, and you can do the same with vapour Rub (putting it on the bottom of the foot) or the middle of their neck. Only Vapour rub not Oabis oil.
The tricky thing is that because my son has a good body temperature and never feels the cold it is hard to know if he has a temperature, but if they looked flushed on the cheeks, is often a indicator that they may have a temperature that is higher than what it should be.
Often Boots do deals on their cough and cold medicines this time of the year, and I use if my son does have a high temperature Calpol like many parents or Calcough. However if not sure talk to the pharmacist or contact your GP, but in saying that it not always easy to get an appointment at his doctors, and when my son was ill last Spring, I gave them the details to the receptionist of the what was wrong with my son, and told us to go to A&E.
However, by insisting that I need to see the doctor, they gave me an evening appointment with another clinic and found he had Tonsillitis, and needed antibiotics and now it is all done online, so not sure how that will work, but dread contacting them because they at any opportunity push you away, and see why A&E departments are struggling, and so don’t allow them to put you off, and don’t take no for an answer.
It means putting the heating back on, but a lot of families because of utilities costs rising, it is making it tough to heat their homes, but with central heating you can put it on a timer, and set up for when your kids get home from school and in the mornings. We for free got our attic insulated by British Gas, my husband sorted that out, but it has helped with keeping the house warm, and not getting to hot in the summer, and once it reaches the limited temperature, the heating automatically cut off, and keep the thermometer in the room you use the most and will help you see if the heating needs to be turn on or off.
Invest in a blanket, and I bought one from TK Maxx and originally was for a sofa we had, but now it is in on my sons bed in Wimbledon and great for extra warmth and invest in a thick Duvet depending on age, as have a room thermometer as this will help make sure that your child’s room is not too cold or too hot.
If their appetite goes then try making soups and warm breakfasts like porridge with banana, Weetabix or toast, and for lunch or dinner, soups, that aren’t so heavy on their stomachs if they don’t feel like eating, but worried about them being hungry, and that they stay hydrated.
I do get a bit too concerned, so need to work on holding myself back and not making it out to be a big deal as this can make him worry too and say that he is unwell, so try to not go into panic mode and have a medicine in date, in the Winter time, should you child get a cough and cold, and if they are bringing up anything or being sick by coughing a lot, then seek medical help, as it may be a chest infection,which is easily treated.
Kids will have runny noses and working in nurseries, they all can have a runny nose and so use a tissue on each, making sure we wash our heads, and make sure I have tissues to hand and bulk buy.
A nice warm bath can help too and I still use Head to Toe wash from Boots and lasts for a long time and great for their skin and they do a moisturiser too, Boots and great if they suffer with eczema. Also helps clear their noses and their symptoms, along with clean bedding and I make sure that any towels used are washed and that if I have a cold I take medicines and precautions that I don’t pass it on.
So I hope you have had a good half term, and that this blog helps you and many thanks to those who follow me on this blog and if you have tips them please leave the tips in the comment section below.
If you like reading then I have written two The Parenting Adventure books on amazon, under the name, Carrie Challoner.
There was a time when Henry would have certain meals because he wouldn’t eat any vegetable, yet this week, he has eaten Chinese Food, gone back into having a Banana, he has eaten berries. and this morning he had scrambled egg on toast instead of his normal cereal.
This could change, so treading carefully, but yes and has eaten Vegetarian food and avoided him having too much chocolate. I do thank my mum and step dad for helping, because now it becomes easier when it comes to meal times, and the tip I say is to keep trying. Not False feed, but say you can have chips on occasion but you have to eat your cucumber for example aswell.
Cutting all treats is a hitting a disaster, but minimising them, really helps widen their food choices. It helps when going out of meal. It can be hard to know what they will have and if they don’t have a kids meals. Now though many restaurants to cater for all, and so it is not restrictive. I didn’t have my first Curry until I was 21 years old.
My son will eat spicy food and again just give the a pea size amount at first when it comes to spicy dishes and sauces, it good for them to get used to different tastes.
Having chips everyday is not good, but a bit of everything. I now will eat Vegan food depending on what it is and helped conquer my fear of such food.
Kids taste buds change, and often when kids see you eating and is something different to what they have seen before may ask to try and so if they do, allow them to have a bit, just to widen their tastes, to just see.
Do check the nutrition labels just in case before making them meal, and why not get them involved in the cooking. My son this morning helped make his scrambled egg, and he asked me if he could. Never be reluctant as it is good for their development.
It all about trial and error. Never fear if they change their mind again, never make a meal out of it, pardon the pun. It is them growing and getting to know about themselves. Kids need to learn about cooking, aswell as reading and writing. It is all about independence and preparing them for the outside world.
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As I write this blog all I want to do is give my son a big hug, but he is now in school so I will need to wait for cuddles and I never knew about separation anxiety until I became a mum. I do get to see him everyday, as I wait for him to be come home from school and because it is Friday he stays with me and then goes back to be with his dad on Sunday.
The time I spend with my son, we will read a book, sit and watch a TV programme, play some games. He has a new game where by we have to try and get a ball into a dinosaur’s mouth. That is how it is described and was really good fun. Henry and his dad made it up. So we played that yesterday.
My son never stays sitting for too long and has to get up and play. He loves Tipping Point, as UK Quiz show and has his own machine and has a Countdown game too, and I am like that he is into these programmes, because they are educational. It has amazed me by how he has built up loving these, and decided to like these on his own.
We do play board games like Snakes and Ladders, he did have connect4 but not played that in a while, and he is really getting into dinosaurs. Again not influenced by me or his dad, or his grandparents, but on his own. I love the fact that the loves so much to do new games and we have played Dino Duo, which is stack of cards, where we can do matching pairs and snap.
I like to explore, and I do take him up London and have done a bus tour as he love busses and trains. I would like to take him on a plane and a helicopter, and I hope we get the chance to do those and finding new parks and walks.
By doing these different things it does help with my Separation anxiety and he gets it too, with me and his dad, and so to tackle this we count the sleeps and co-parent the best we can.
Due to the internet it is so easy to share pictures of our kids, of days out and when they have started school and birthdays, but it is also important to be vigilant .
With Ipads and Tablets they can share anything they want to, but the other side of it , is that you have no idea who is reading and seeing that information, because Peodophiles thrive on pictures of naked pictures of kids, and this is why I never share pictures of my son naked in case the pictures ends up in the wrong hands.
I want help stop child abuse because it wrecks their childhood and to keep our kids safe, we must be aware of what content they watch, who they speak to and do they stop watching something when you walk into their room. When abusers target kids it is for one reason because they can and they will.
My first tip is:
Monitor what your child looks at and there are settings you can put on your child’s tablet and iPad, parental lock on certain sites, same with TV’s and computers/laptops
I remember there was a guy who lived in the New Croft Estate that would watch pornagraphy and would make his kids watch it. I know this because my brother would hang out with his son’s and saw it for himself.
2. Get to know other parents well enough before allowing them to go to their friends for a playdate and if you do run a sports or children’s club to always do a CRB check first on volunteer helpers and make sure they have an up to date DBS.
They can put their DBS on an update service, which shows that their DBS is up to date.
When your DBS expires then you do have to have a new one when working with children.
Going on my experience though these channels don’t stop adults from abusing but it will help you see if they have any passed convictions or not.
When looking after children it is your responsibility to keep them safe and I remember when running a kids football team, one of the boys wondered off and so I told him off to the point I did make him cry because they were my responsibility as a football coach and I didn’t want any of the kids going missing whilst I was in charge, as that is something I didn’t want on my conscious.
3. The one thing I did when we had a match is made a substitute area so they could have a kickabout and keep warm whilst the game was playing and had one of the kids parents watch them whilst I coached the team on the pitch, and I would say to do this all the time, and make them wear bright coloured bibs whilst not playing as if they do wonder off they can be easily seen.
I would say to do this when taking your kids out of the day too, wearing bright coloured clothing but also if they still walking without knowledge of where they going have them wear reins just until they learn about their whereabouts.
4. If you run a kids club of any kind make sure you’re wearing bright coloured bibs or t-shirts too so they know who is supervising the club and an ID badge with their name and role within the club.
To help with child abuse if a child reports abuse or you notice abuse may be taking place, have a Safeguarding officer within the club, who will be specifically there to help kids stop the abuse and to make sure those responsible are investigated and the report is given to the Police aswell.
Also you can seek advice from Childline, NSPCC, Barnardo’s and your local authority.
5. When taking kids to the toilet always have them remove their clothing themselves if they can and make sure if you are in a children’s setting like a nursery you have trained staff who can change nappies safely following hygiene rules and no touching of their private areas, and if you see any bruising near these areas that this is reported immediately.
Do make sure if they have any soiled underwear that this is changed and clothing is washed above 40 degrees to make sure they are thoroughly cleaned and germs are removed.
6. To stop intruders coming into a kids club, school or nursery have a system like having a parent give a password that only the parents and you know, for picking up children if it isn’t you the parent or carer, and make sure keep a register of the children and their guardians.
I remember running a football team and the lady organizing the club didn’t tell the parent that I would be coaching the team and so when she turned up had no idea of who I was and was expecting to me the male coach.
Always communicate with you club volunteers and helpers of who will be attending the club and who will not be for health and safety and in case of a fire.
7. Do a medical form if they are doing sport so they can give you details if they have any medical conditions that could effect them from participating and that they give you an emergency number.
Never pass on any child’s personal information and all subs or fees are taken in and kept safe to bank, and make sure the name of the child and parent is named, and the best way to do this is a letter with fee and have a strip that they can cut to hand in, and that they have a copy of what they have paid to them too.
8. If you are a child minder then make sure you register as a childminder and that your home is checked by Ofsted and that you get to know the child first, and chat with the parents before looking after a child.
Take note of when they usually have their nap and of when they need feeding and changed.
9. When a visitor does check your club or organisation that they fill in a visitors book and they to are given an ID badge and you check their ID.
Always do a risk assessment of venues for health and safety, for any potential hazards.
10. Make sure when using equipment that it has been cleaned and that no doors or corridors are blocked and that you lock equipment away and you are aware of where the fire exits are and assembly points.
I remember when at Butlin holiday camp they did a fire test in the restaurants, and the new staff we had there had no idea of what the fire alarm sounded like and do when it went off they stood around not knowing what to do.
All volunteers, children and parents should be made aware of the fire safety rules and what the alarm sounds like and where to find the vacuation point is, and mark everyone on the register in case there is someone stuck in there.
All tower blocks should have a sprinkler system, a fire escape and an alarm fitted, and don’t stay inside evacuate immediately.
Keeping our kids safe should be top priority and so do make sure you take note of these tips and advice to protect you and your children.
Being a parent we can often neglect ourselves because we are so focussed on our kids, but what about the key things we need:
A place where you can take 5 minutes of peace and quiet, so why not create a place in your garden or a room where you can just sit and be quiet, and put a sign on the door, “Only come in once mum or dad has had some quiet time”.
A hobby. IÂ am loving my weekends now and so my hobby for myself at the weekends is to do some walking in many different places and sit in the sun reading a book, writing in my journals or planning my writing for my books and blogs
Time with friends. Being a parent we can often feel isolated and lonely at times so make a date with your friends to have some time with them, whilst someone else takes care of your baby
Learn something new. I love doing training courses, so I will often go onto Offcourse.co.uk and do a course to help me with my work and on my own personal development
Take yourself on a date. So now I have my weekends free, I will be having a lot of dates with myself and going on many trips. You don’t have to necessarily spend money but just go out and explore
Parks with a kiosk, so you can grab that well earned coffee whether hot or cold, whilst your kids are playing
Cook your favourite meal for once or go out to dinner, with no kids for a change and put on a movie or play out some tunes, respecting your neighbours or fellow public in parks, and bring some festival music to enjoy your summer even more
Have money saved just for you, not just for your kids, so you can save up for things you would would like on your wish list aswell as your kids
As parents, it isn’t often that we get time to ourselves so when we do, it is important I think to make the most of any free time, to help us recharge our batteries.
It is important to look after our own wellbeing aswell as I kids, as when we are happy, they will be happy too.
Nose bleeds can be common if your child is like mine and picks it a lot.
We do try to stop him as much as possible, but often he can pick it so much it can bleed.
How do you treat a nose bleed. Ask the child to tip their hand forward, and then hold their nose just on the middle of the nose the softest part for 10 minutes.
Encourage the child to breath through their mouth, and use a disposable cloth to wipe up any blood gone on any surfaces or the floor. They need to keep breathing through their mouth, and should avoid hot drinks, picking or blowing their nose for 24 hours.
If they do get frequent nose bleeds then do seek medical advice just to make sure it isn’t anything more.
Here is a video which talks more about how to stop nose children’s nose bleeds:
Children can be unpredictable at the times and can touch hot surfaces in the kitchen unaware that the hob for example is still hot from cooking.
We have a gate on our kitchen doors, one on our door leading to the living room and the another on the door that leads to the hallway.
However accidents can still happen and so if a child burns themselves, the first thing we do is grab some ice. DON’T. Run the burn under cold water for 10 minutes.
Scalds are caused by wet heat and burns are usually caused by dry heat.
Remove any jewellery, any clothes that is not stuck to the burn and then cover the burn in clingfilm.
There are three types of burns:
Superficial- Burns only the outer layer; often caused by hot water. It will look red, sore and swollen
Partial thickness- It looks raw and blisters form
full thickness- layers of skin are burned away to the subcutaneous fat layer or beyond. Burn may look pale, charred and waxy.
Never:
Cool the burn using ice
Burst blisters
Touch the burn
Apply creams, ointments or fats
Apply adhesive dressings
Remove clothing that has stuck to the burn
Always keep calm as possible not to cause alarm to the child, and they may be in shock too, so do take them to hospital or call 999/112. Here is a video of an example of how to treat burns.
I hope you found this helpful, lets keep our children as safe as possible.
The parenting adventures 