Search Results for: blog getting a pet when you have a preschooler

How to Help Your Kids Fall Asleep

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Sleep is important. We all know what it feels like to have to get up and start the day after not having enough sleep. Before parents can turn in for the night they need to make sure their children are asleep. What can you do if your child is resisting bedtime or getting up at night? Here are some ideas that could help your kids to fall asleep. How much sleep do kids really need? The National Sleep Foundation has some recommendations that are based upon the age of the person. Adults need less sleep than children and babies do. … Continue reading →

Retro Fun for Preschoolers

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Yes, I’m having eighties flashbacks these days. Bear with me. If you’re seeking an eighties flashback yourself, preferably with your preschooler, read on. I enjoy reliving my childhood with my daughter. Although the hair was large and the hairspray was available in unimaginable quantities, there are a few things about the eighties that bear repeating. For those of us who are – ahem – getting on and were children of the eighties, here are a few ways to relive the good times. Beaded bracelets and pins: Do you remember those little beaded pins that you put on your shoes and … Continue reading →

A Preschooler’s Sense of Style

My daughter can be very amusing, as all daughters and sons can be sometimes. She’s especially funny when she tries out new words. Her current interest in words appears to be fashion. Overheard the other day, while my daughter played with the pet rats, “Sorrel, you are looking very attractive today. Parsley, you haven’t been grooming much, have you?” Lately, I’ve been told that I look ridiculous and that I look stylish. We’re trying out the words and the fashion sense around here, I see. Preschoolers definitely have a distinctive sense of style. I blame my daughter’s fashion sense on … Continue reading →

Getting a Pet When You Have a Preschooler

My daughter had a friend over the other day. The friend was greatly impressed at all of our animals: two cats, two rats, quite a number of fish. “That must be a lot of work,” she said. Yep. We had the fish and the cats when we had our daughter. The rats we recently acquired – they’re sociable and surprisingly cuddly pets, the dogs of the rodent world. However, I do find that I am spending a lot of time supervising my daughter’s interactions with our various animals. What factors do you need to consider when you’re thinking of getting … Continue reading →

Getting Preschoolers to Eat More at Mealtime

If I had a dime for each time I uttered the words: “Two more bites and then you may be excused,” to my preschooler at mealtime, I would be a rich, rich woman. For the most part my daughter has a healthy appetite, but there are some nights that it is like pulling teeth to get her to finish a meal. Recently, I’ve been looking for new ways to get her to not only finish eating before I’m done with the dishes, but to try as many new foods as possible. Here are the “tricks” I’ve been experimenting with: *Kid … Continue reading →

Preschoolers and Happy Meals

It’s official… I’m old. An impromptu trip to McDonald’s with my preschooler late yesterday assured me of this fact. My daughter is partial to Ronald’s Grilled Chicken Classic Sandwich and rarely ever requests a Happy Meal unless the toy is too good to resist. So when we entered the fast food giant yesterday and she saw the huge Happy Meal display containing dozens of stuffed animals, she just about fainted. She is the queen of fluffy fake pets, after all. The reason for the colorful menagerie of mini fluffballs: McDonald’s is celebrating the 30th birthday of its iconic Happy Meals. … Continue reading →

Board Games for Toddlers and Preschoolers

By the age of two, most children are ready to play simple board games. Here are some of the ones I recommend for toddlers and preschoolers. Yesterday, after a long day running around the house (my oldest son said it was exhausting work), and a quick dinner, I decided to settle things down for my own kids and one of their friends who spent the day with us. I suggested that we bring out a board game. “What’s a board game?” the little girl asked. In all of her six years of age, she had never played, let alone heard, … Continue reading →

When Did Your Children Start Taking Showers?

Bath time in our home is a key part of our bedtime routine. However, it is also a monumental production… for two reasons: First, the bathtub has morphed into another playroom. There are more toys in there than an average daycare has in its entire building. That’s not counting the 31 “flavors” of bubble bath, gels, beads, funny foam and other various accoutrements that my daughter chooses to enhance the water with on a nightly basis. This, of course, turns what could be a simple 5-minute wash-n-go, into a 55-minute (when I’m lucky) play-a-thon. Second, my preschooler screams like a … Continue reading →

Baby Blog Month in Review: October 2008

If you had an October baby, congratulations! I hope that you will spend some time with us here at Families.com, as we bring you the latest news and tips for you and your family. Here is the Baby Blog month in review for October. October 1st Insect Repellent and Young Children Protecting my children is the number one priority, but one thing that I tend to avoid is insect repellent. I figure that putting additional chemicals on my kids is not the best idea, that is until now. These days, a mosquito bite is not just an annoyance, but it … Continue reading →

Why Parents Should Say “NO” to the Real Life “Wonder Pets”

“Wonder Pets Wonder Pets We’re on our way To help a friend and save the day…” Parents with young children feel free to join in: “We’re not too big And we’re not too tough But when we work together We’ve got the right stuff… GOOOOOO Wonder Pets… YAY!!” I dare you to watch even half an episode of the popular animated Nickelodeon show about a determined guinea pig, an independent baby turtle, and an adventurous duckling without humming the theme song for the rest of the week. I should know. My preschooler has been a fan of the show for … Continue reading →