Tag: parenting

When you have recently welcomed a new baby into the family, you may feel a little lost. This could especially be the case if this is your first child. Once you have brought your baby home, you may wonder what you could do to make your life that little bit easier, as well as to positively impact your young child’s future. By considering the years ahead at the very beginning, you may be able to put some solid plans in place that could benefit your whole family. 

Setting up an Individual Savings Account, commonly known as an ISA, can be a good first step to make, especially if you do not currently have a pot of savings to hand. However, many people may be left wondering ‘what is an ISA’? This can allow you to put money away as and when you are able. One of the benefits of an ISA is that the amount contained can be free of any tax restrictions, which can be quite helpful, especially when you factor in the cost of raising a child. Alongside your own ISA, you may also want to consider setting one up on behalf of your baby. This way, you can start saving money for them too, which can then be accessed when they reach adulthood. The flexibility of deposits within an ISA can make them ideal for families on a low or varied income, due to there being no minimum payment required.

You can also save yourself money in other ways, even while factoring in the expenses that may be required with your infant. Your baby may grow quite quickly, meaning all the money that you spent on their first onesies could be wasted, especially if there are items that still have tags on, or only got a minimal number of uses. Going forward, you may want to consider seeing which items you could avoid buying brand new. Reusing items from your older children can also be a good idea. If you do opt to buy something new, you may also want to consider reusing it for any future children you may have, and even then, passing it down when your child reaches adulthood.

At times, you may feel utterly overwhelmed by the responsibilities of parenthood, especially when you are running on low sleep. Parenting stress can make even the most resilient of people feel low, or even question their ability to raise a child. It can be helpful, if available, to take any support offered to you. This could involve family assisting in those first few weeks while your body recovers, a good neighbour picking up groceries, or even members of your church bringing round a precooked meal for you. It can be these little bits of assistance that help you to get back on your feet.

A new baby can be both a blessing and a lot of work. By finding the ways to keep yourself afloat financially, and trying to improve your mental and physical health, you may be able to find this time more enjoyable.

There’s nothing that a parent wants more than to secure a good, healthy future for their child. No wonder that eco-friendly parenting is becoming an increasingly important issue for parents worldwide. According to the EPA, the average American produces about 4.4 pounds of waste every day. Many parents want to educate their children about the importance of caring for the environment, while also reducing the negative impact their little ones have on it. While it might seem like a challenging task, there are several ways to make parenting a little better for the environment. Here are some practical yet eco-friendly tips for parents. 

Buy second hand

One thing that surprises most new parents is how fast their babies grow. It might mean that baby clothes bought just a month earlier might not fit anymore. This fact can naturally contribute to waste, but it doesn’t have to. A simple solution is to buy second-hand clothes. Since such items are often used for only a few months, finding good quality, used child clothing in great condition should be on every parents’ to-do list. Parents can also promote this eco-friendly way of living by reselling or giving away their baby’s used clothing items.

Reusable diapers

It might seem that nothing creates more waste than, well, actual waste. Still, even this issue can be approached in an eco-friendly manner. Reusable diapers are becoming more and more common with parents worldwide. Since babies can produce even up to six used nappies daily, switching to reusable nappies can massively reduce the waste impact of the little ones. According to Statista, as much as 21% of American parents have now converted back to using reusable diapers, truly doing something meaningful for the environment.

Consider breastfeeding

Breastfeeding is the healthiest and most environmentally-friendly way to feed your baby. There are no unnecessary chemicals involved, no packaging or cooking. While it may seem obvious, breastfeeding is a major way of reducing the food and plastic waste while caring for infants. There also are green options out there for the mums who can’t breastfeed. Cooking your own baby food can reduce the amount of packaging landing in the landfill. You may also swap plastic feeding bottles for their more eco-friendly glass counterparts. Every little thing counts!

Walk and exercise with your child

While walking with children might not seem like an obvious way to save the environment, it actually has a big impact, both now and in the future. Walking with children lets them develop an appreciation for the outdoors at a young age. This can also make them more likely to walk or cycle in the future than using other, environment-damaging means of transportation. Additionally, the keen curiosity of little ones can be directed towards the environment, teaching them from the earliest age to enjoy and to care about the world around them.

The key to eco-friendly parenting is leading by example. Children are like sponges, they absorb the knowledge from their parents like water. When they see how important sustainability is to their parents, they are more likely to follow.

Babies are certainly delightful but they can create havoc in the house as soon as they start walking or crawling. In all our houses, the living room is the one where the family will usually spend most of their time. If you are someone who likes to chill in front of the television with an eye on your child, you are not alone. It is imperative that any room the child spends most time in will be the room you will have to make the safest. It is important for most parents to babyproof their living room either by modifying the current layout or redecorating it. 

It is not necessary to redecorate the entire room, you can place a coffee table or a rug and get babyproofing in the mix. If you want to give the living room a new look while keeping the safety of your child in mind, here are a few tips to help you child proof your living room. 

1.  Make the room softer

Babies fall often and the falls are not avoidable, but where and how the baby falls is on you. It is important to identify areas in the living room that can be softened up. Start with a soft rug as it will cushion the fall against the hard floor and also double as a play mat. Try to choose a dark color that will hide the sticky prints and the use of a rug pad can prevent the rug from sliding. Metal coffee tables are dangerous for toddlers but if you have one at home, you can place it in a different room for the time being. If you want to redecorate the room, you can add an ottoman as it is an ideal babyproof center table anyone can ask for.

2.  Buy furniture anchors

If you are looking for new furnishing, you can consider investing in furniture anchors. Your little one will always be pushing and pulling the objects and you do not want them to fall on your child. Furniture anchors can save lives. They consist of a strap and two anchor points. It keeps the furniture intact and can be installed on any furniture that can fall on your child.

3.  Go on the knees

The best way to identify unsafe spots in your home is to get down on the knees and into the perspective of the child. What might seem like a safe place to you could become a death trap for the baby. You must get down on the knees and examine the furniture from the perspective of your child. Try to look at hard pointed edges and covers that can harm your little one in case of a fall. Identify the pieces that could catch the clothes of your child. You also need to take a look at the footholds of the furniture. If you have to, crawl around the entire room and identify the hazardous areas. Being a parent isn’t as easy as it may look. 

4.  Ease and convenience

When you are a parent, you will always have to look for ways to remove the dirt and spots from the furniture. Eventually, you will not be surprised at finding such spots. If you are investing in new furniture, you need to be mindful and avoid choosing materials like suede or linen as it will cause a lot of grief and trouble. Functional is always better than fancy. Even if it looks good, but is not helping babyproof the living area, give it a miss. 

5.  Remove the trinkets

Many families like a minimalist interior design but there are also many who have many decorations in every corner of their home. You should reconsider your thoughts about trinkets and decorations when there is a baby in the house. Any decoration will draw the attention of your child and you do not want your child scaling furniture only to reach the flower vase on the table. Additionally, decorations are not designed for play and could be extremely harmful. They are small in size and could be a choking hazard for the little one. It could also hurt your child if they fall on a decoration. Hence, it is best to remove all the decorations and put them away until your child is older. 

Coffee tables, side tables as well as some couches have sharp corners and they are not an issue on their own but when a baby is trying to walk, they can add to the danger. The best way to stop an injury and fall is to soften the edges and corners with padding. It will not only protect the corners but also works on the edges. If you do not want your baby to reach the decoration, put it away.