Charts, lists, and routines...oh my!

All parents feel overwhelmed at one point or another.  Being organized and structured can help tremendously, but what does that really mean?

• Well... you can start with introducing yourselves to a calendar.  Electronic, paper, or memory based (I would really discourage using the latter) can work.  Parents often tell me their kids have a busier calendar than they do.  By being organized you can make sure you keep your kids schedules intact, and make sure you have time set aside for your self as well.  You may use an actual calendar, or something more child specific like the one below, which was shown in Oleana's blog.  

Calendars, if paper-based or written on a board, should be in an area where all the family can see it, like the kitchen or living room.  

Check out Oleana's post about these great printables

• The second item that helps with organization is creating a daily routine for your children.  Using visual charts for young children, or children with special needs, is usually VERY helpful.  I often encourage parents to do it as a family project.  Take pictures of your child doing the behavior/activity, and then stack the pictures up or across according to time.  If you are unable to do it, use the available printable charts like the one below, which was also shown in Oleana's blog.  These will usually be for basic routines, not a full day schedule.  

Routine charts are best kept in your child's room.

• The third item on the list would be to create a list of house rules.  This not only teaches your children discipline, but it also allows for understandable and clear guidelines for you as a parent of when and how to punish.  See my two posts about discipline to learn more about rewards and punishments (Disciplined 1, Disciplined 2)

Rules charts should be in the living room and/or play area.

• A fourth item on our organization list is the "reward chart".  This is saved up for behaviors you would like to encourage and nurture in your children.  Do NOT punish a child when s/he does not do the behaviors on this list, but reward them when they do.  This chart aims to motivate your child, it is not intended as another list of rules.  I would usually encourage using two behaviors at a time for a period of 3-4 weeks.  Once these behaviors are mastered, you can substitute with two new behaviors.  The chart can also be done by using pictures of your child doing the goal/behavior.  

You may choose to have an actual big chart such as the one below, or keep a notepad with you and you can add stickers or happy faces to it, as in not to overwhelm your house with charts:)

Let's get organized!

The Other Voice: Little man's grub

Today's The Other Voice post is by the wonderful Noor Al Zabin...

Following the notes I shared with you regarding organic baby food and their availability, I thought I’d share some tips in preparing fresh food that I have tried with my child that could be of help.

Once a baby is set on a 4/5 meal plan (breakfast-snack-lunch-snack-dinner) is it’s important to ensure that the meals that you prepare are wholesome, fresh and varied.. Babies’ palates are clean and virgin to any tastes and preferences and it is as you go along that they start to develop their likes and dislikes. With that in mind I feel it is very important to introduce different tastes and flavors early on to avoid major dislikes in the future. Here are a few foods that you can try including with your cooked meals:

1)    Tofu: A fantastic source of protein, calcium and iron.. This would make a great alternative to meats a few times a week and its quite bland so babies usually don’t mind it mixed with their usual vegetables

2)    Quinoa: Packed with protein, vitamins A.C, B1 and B2. This could be cooked and added to vegetable and meat meals.

3)    Lentils: I make sure my little one has lentils with vegetables a couple of times a week on his meat-free days… Lentils are high in six minerals, fiber, protein and B vitamins.

4)    Vegetables: Be adventurous within boundaries. Include vegetables you might usually not have at home but know are very nutritious. Parsnips, broccoli, squash, cauliflower, asparagus, avocado, spinach and beetroot all make regular appearances in my little one’s diet.

5)   Fruit: As recommended by our pediatrician I avoid tropical fruit (mango, pineapple, strawberries) during the first year to minimize risk of any allergic reactions. That mentioned, it’s beneficial to ensure fruits are a part of the daily program such as bananas, grapes, oranges, pears, apples, peaches, plums.

As with any new food introduced to babies, it’s important to try each new food with caution looking out for any allergic reactions. After all every baby is different...

"The Other Voice"- Is our contributing authors post.  If you would like to contribute, email me at zalzabin@gmail.com for approval, editing and eventual posting:)

The Other Voice: Traveling with tots

Written by Sara Al Sayer, one of the most energetic and playful parents I know... Enjoy!

Most parents, myself included, who have traveled with kids, will have horror stories of disastrous journeys. However, we also have the most wonderful memories of holidays with our kids and no matter what kind of hell we went through on the journey, it was totally worth it.  I have found, though, that the more we travel with our kids, the easier they find the journey. Living away from Kuwait has made my kids seasoned travelers, and I have picked up some good tips along the way.

Planning and preparing them:

Before we travel, I like to countdown the number of sleeps we have with my kids until we leave. We talk about where we are going and who we will see and what we will do there.  We talk about how many planes we have to take to get there (three to Kuwait from Koh Samui where we live). They choose what they would like to take on the journey and help me pack it into our hand luggage. My eldest has this fantastic bag called a "trunki" (available from Oleana boutique) that he can pull along or ride while I pull it that he puts his toys in. I also make sure that they have whatever entertains them - their portable DVD player, iPad, coloring books etc. I tend to bring snacks for them as airlines typically have a lot of junk food for kids. I bring a change of clothes for them, and for me just in case accidents happen.

Some airlines like Emirates are particularly child friendly and if I can, I tend to travel with them. I love that they provide a push-chair for us to use in Dubai. When I travel with a baby (as their prams are not for babies), I bring a baby sling to use in the airport. If it is an overnight flight, I bring their pajamas to help keep some semblance of normality and to help them sleep.  When possible, I try to book flights that fit in with their timings so it is not too traumatic for them.  If you are traveling with a baby, it is helpful to feed them during take off and landing as this will help their ears to pop. I use a "bebe au lait" breastfeeding cover (destination maternity sell them) which are a fantastic invention - a piece of material that ties around your neck and enables you to breastfeed without exposing yourself to the people around you. It also has a wire running through the top to keep it more rigid so that you can look down onto your baby and see what you are doing. If the baby won't feed then a dummy is also useful.  

Where to stay?  

We look for different things in hotels depending on what stage our kids are at. The most important thing though, is that it is child friendly. We look for kids clubs and hotels that have activities for kids. Some hotels will even make pureed veggies for your baby if they are just starting solids.  If not, there is a great little machine from munchkin (you can buy it in mothercare) that will puree food for you and it doesn't need any plugs. It's called “baby food grinder”. This is small enough to fit in your handbag so that you can even take it with you to a restaurant.  Munchkin also have a netted fresh food feeder that you can put fruit or veggies in for the baby to chew on and the net prevents them from choking on the pieces that may break off.  We have recently discovered that hotels with private villas are great for kids because you can put the kids to sleep and then take the monitor and sit outside to enjoy the rest of the evening without disturbing them.

The first time that you travel with your children is daunting, but it is such a fun thing to do if you travel prepared. Try to keep to their routines when possible.  Bring a selection of bedtime stories if that is part of it, because it will help them settle. Don't stress if they are not eating all the things they normally eat - a holiday is just a short period of time and it won't harm them to have a few days without veggies. If you end up in battles at every mealtime, you will all be miserable.  

Most importantly of all, have fun! That is what you are there for after all, and all those wonderful memories are worth it...

"The Other Voice"- Is our contributing authors post.  If you would like to contribute, email me at zalzabin@gmail.com for approval, editing and eventual posting:)