Cradle 2 Kindy Parenting Solutions

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https://www.mindful.org/how-to-teach-your-kids-about-the-brain/?utm_campaign=meetedgar&utm_medium=social&utm_source=meetedgar.com

Mindful Mindful celebrates mindfulness, awareness, and compassion in all aspects of life—through Mindful magazine, Mindful.org, events, and collaborations.

There are times during the day when our babies need us. Those times are vital for their survival and thriving. Those times include feeding, bathing, preparing for sleep ... and changing nappies. Those four times are prime times for us to nurture our little ones, giving them our undivided attention and love.

But how does one nurture a struggling, shrieking octopus with a dirty nappy?!

First, if possible, wait for your baby to be finished with whichever activity they were doing at the time. Then remove you and the baby from all distractions. Talk to your little baby about what the two of you are about to do. "Oh sweetie, I can smell your nappy. It's time to give you a fresh nappy. Let's go together." Put your hands out for your baby as an invitation to be carried.

If you do not have a designated space for nappy changes, head to a bedroom and place a change mat on the bed. Turn your phone on silent. Take the opportunity to make this time about the two of you connecting not just fixing a dirty deed. Before removing any clothing you might like to even sing a song or do a finger play song together or play This Little Piggie with their toes. Remember, this time is about connection and nurturing. Take your time.

Next, communicate what you are about to do together. "Ok, let's take your pants off and get started. We've got a clean fresh nappy here and some wipes. I need you to lie still for me and I'll clean your bottom." If you find that your little one's wiggling too much even before the nappy has come off, communicate that you cannot do your job until your baby has done theirs. "I'll wait till you are still. Then, I take off your nappy."

Stay calm, nurturing and connected during this time. "There now, are you finished wiggling around? Great! Now I can take off your nappy? Here we go. Oh, isn't that much better when I use the wipe to clean off the dirty bits? Nice and fresh. Let me just roll you over on your side while I make sure your back is all clean. Excellent. Here's the new nappy! Ready? Let's just slip it under your bottom like this and fasten the sides. Beautiful. We did it together, you and I. Go team! Let's just get your pants back on and we're ready to go." Put your arms out for an invitation to be held and give each other a high five or a cuddle.

Why are we talking so much to our baby who can't even talk?! Ha ha. You KNOW infants understand their routine and our body language and tone of voice before they even begin to understand words or express themselves using words. Don't we ask our dogs if they would like to go for a walk?

After this time of nurturing and meeting our baby's needs, the little one's cup is full of love and attention. This might be a great time to return the baby to his or her play in a safe place and make yourself a cuppa.

For more about routines and nurturing your baby, I can help.

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Working with me helped a mum and dad of a 4 month old teach their son to fall asleep on his own:

"I went in to it hoping things would change but kind of, deep down inside, didn't think my almost 4 month old baby was capable yet.

"My husband and I were so surprised how quickly he responded to the sleep learning methods. He had been carried in the Ergo Wrap for every single nap since he was a couple of months old because we couldn't figure out an effective (or efficient!) way of getting him to sleep in his cot!

"He had gone through the '4 month sleep regression' a month early and was finding it more and more difficult to sleep as each day passed. It is upsetting to not be able to help your baby sleep well, when you know they want to and need to.

"The first two days of the program were really difficult as I was so sensitive to hearing him cry but having Christine checking up on us all and being happy to answer any questions and acknowledge our concerns got us through it.

"From day three, things seemed to just click and our baby was trying hard to settle himself rather than just call out for us. Our baby was even sick for one of the two weeks and Christine gave us good advice on how to respond to him while sick.

"It has now been one month since we started the program with Christine and we can barely remember what our life was like beforehand. We have not touched the Ergo Wrap at all and since our baby has been going to bed at a reasonable time, my husband and I feel like we actually have time (and space!) in the evening to enjoy each other's company and not be such grumps.

"We are so proud of our son and...we are kind of proud of ourselves too. Not giving up on day 1 was one of my concerns and being accountable to Christine really helped me to not worry about that. Besides a few car-to-cot transfers, we have always put our baby down in his cot awake (which always amazes me) and almost never (besides when he was unwell) had to pick him up to settle or resettle him.

"One more thing! Our baby HATED the car most of the time before we started the program. I found it so stressful to hear him get so upset in the car that I was avoiding going out! Since the sleep training, our baby has rarely cried in the car and seems to mostly enjoy it!

"Thank you so much to Christine and Cradle 2 Kindy for helping understand how to help our lovely baby! We are sooooooo glad that we chose to do it with our first baby before he got too big. I definitely have imagined a much grumpier, less confident version of myself a year from now if not."

Learn how I can help you and your little one get the sleep you need:

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My clients enjoy an exclusive Facebook group so they can benefit from Live video Q&A and demonstrations like this one.

When I do home consultations or online consultations I will demonstrate my techniques first-hand. Clients can then refresh their memory by viewing videos like this later or showing their partners how to do the techniques.

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What Is an Emotionally-healthy Childhood? We know how many adult problems come down to issues from childhood - but what exactly is that wondrous, hugely desirable thing, an emotionally-healthy childh...

A toddler bites her friend when he won't share the toy she desires. A baby throws his food on the floor. A preschooler draws on her bedroom wall.

Depending on your own upbringing, many parents might utilize a time out or sharp tap on the hand followed by a stern "No!" or simply resort to distraction to deal with the behaviour.

The last thing we feel like doing is bringing the offending youngster in for a cuddle. Isn't coddling just rewarding the bad behaviour?

Babies, toddlers and young children do not know how to use their words to let us know what they are feeling or needing at any given time. A baby will cry to let us know she needs sustenance. A toddler will hit when she feels misunderstood or needs attention. A preschooler will have a tantrum when she is experiencing so many feelings and unfulfilled needs that she can't control herself.

The behaviour is merely the tip of the iceberg. Below the surface are all the feelings and needs that are causing the behaviour.

As the adult, it is our task to provide safe and firm, loving boundaries around our children. We are their teacher, their safe space to make mistakes and learn. When they venture out from us and explore the world they feel confident that we have shown them the way to go forward. And when they need us, we draw them in close to give them what they need. Like a rubber band stretching out and coming back in.

Young children need our loving, calm approach to teach them how to manage their emotions and upsets and how to communicate their needs.

Start today, by lowering the volume and tone of your voice. Get on your child's eye level and let them experience your safe, unconditional soft touch. They messed up. You will help them fix it and learn from their mistake. They will mess up again. You will acknowledge their feelings and needs and provide a firm, consistent boundary for their own and others' safety.

You are not rewarding them.

You are showing them how to grow emotionally and become resilient and independent. Teaching them what is safe and harmful.

You, too, will mess up. Model for them that you can bounce back from your own mistakes and learn from them. Apologise to your young children and allow them to show you the same unconditional love you have demonstrated to them over and over again.

Become a member today to learn how we can help you approach your little one's behaviour in a manner that they have a better understanding of themselves, their relationship with you and the world. Let us help you grow amazing people that will do amazing things.

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Do Children Misbehave? - Gordon Training International If parents only knew how much trouble this concept causes in families. Thinking in terms of children misbehaving not only spells trouble for kids...

HELP: "I've followed all the expert advice and have taken a calm and firm approach with my 4 year old daughter, setting boundaries in a loving way. But she STILL has tantrums and meltdowns."

Being four is an exciting time for your daughter. She is growing in confidence and a multitude of abilities every day. Laying loving boundaries down for her will help her flourish. Her need for autonomy and independence will push those boundaries, however. Be there for her in the moments.

You might take the following approach with your daughter:

"You didn't like what I had to say, did you? I can tell by how loud your voice is and you feel like you need to throw things. When you are ready, I am here for you. I will not let you hurt yourself or anyone or anything else. You are safe with me."

If your four year old has lost control of her emotions and body, be there to keep her from hurting herself and others. Removing her firmly but gently and respectfully from the room might help achieve some calm as the environment might be exacerbating her emotional response to the situation.

Sit with her, if she wants, until she has calmed down and would like to talk it through.

Obviously there's always a myriad of factors at play. Being firm and gentle and respectful is always the go, however.

While she is settling down, take that time to determine what factors are at play. What caused the emotional outburst? Is she hungry or tired? Is her emotions tank on empty? Does something seem unjust to her? Does she crave autonomy and independence? How can you help her achieve that within the boundaries you have already laid down? etc. Don't pester with questions. Just quietly look for clues that might help you understand her response to your limits.

Cradle 2 Kindy Parenting Solutions is here to help you on your parenting journey. We know you want to be the best parent you can be with your children, raising emotionally healthy and resilient young people. We are here to help you do that.

Become a member today: http://cradle2kindy.com.au?utm_campaign=meetedgar&utm_medium=social&utm_source=meetedgar.com

Book a parenting workshop with your community, school or church group. Topics can be on sleep, development, behaviour, eating or play.

I'm also a qualified facilitator in a number of Australian parenting courses including: Circle of Security, 123 Magic and Emotion Coaching and Bringing Up Great Kids

Send me a message.

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Ten Parenting Practices That Build Your Child's Self-Esteem After jumping down from a tree at the park my son stood up, did a little victory dance and then ran off to play on an obstacle course. It’s a pretty tricky course that requires balance, agility and coordination. It looked like it would take him a while to have it mastered. Sure enough my son strug...

Ask yourself these three questions? Based on my response to my child's behaviour, 1. How do they think about themselves? 2. How do they think about our relationship? 3. How do they think about the world and their place in it?

A sharp, harsh, punitive response will likely generate self-doubt and the feeling of being unsafe.

A firm, calm and guiding approach will solidify in a child's mind that even when they mess up they are loved. A trust that they can do better next time. A feeling that even though the world is big and wonderful and sometimes a little scary, they are not alone. We have their backs and will walk through the world with them.

Do you need a little help developing these skills as a parent? It's not easy. Especially if your own parents had a different approach.

As your parenting coach, we can work together to help you raise wonderful people who will go out into the world with confidence that they are loved and they can achieve amazing things.

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Giving Your Children The Brush Off It always jars me when a child is hurt — on the playground, in a soccer game, or just horsing around — and when he tearfully staggers towards his parents, he is immediately directed to “brush it off.” His natural reaction to pain and injury is perceived as babyish, weak and unappealing, or a...

Your newborn will be soooooo sleepy during its first three weeks thanks to your maternal melatonin still in its system. Here's what to expect of your sweet, sleepy little newborn.

During weeks one to three, expect your newborn to sleep 16 hours a day. That's only 8 hours of awake time in a 24 hour period. They may have a 2.5 hour nap and only wake up for a feed and a nappy change and a swaddle and go back down after only 40-60 minutes of total awake time. This is completely normal.

Your newborn will wake, feed, have a nappy change, get swaddled and be put right back to bed for a 90 minute+ sleep. Repeat.

Many have begun to promote the first three months of a baby's life as the Fourth Trimester. As such, parents are urged to consider replicating what newborns found comfortable. This is why swaddling is important. They were so used to being warm and bundled up inside the womb. To safely swaddle, keep the arms nice and tight by their sides but keep their swaddle nice and loose around their hips. Newborns should always be put down to sleep on a firm flat surface on their back with no additional loose blankets or pillows or cot bumpers.

You may want to introduce the idea of daytime v.s. night time to your newborn during the first three weeks. You can do this by keeping the curtains open during nap times, or have them in a bassinet in the lounge room during the day.

Some newborns are very "sucky" and might benefit from a pacifier or dummy to help them settle. Warning: Do not substitute a dummy for a feed. If a newborn wakes up after 45 minutes, you might attempt to settle them back to sleep by introducing the dummy. However, if they have been asleep for 2.5 hours and are chomping vigorously at the dummy and are unsettled these are clear cues that the newborn is hungry. Do not leave feeding off for too long as a distressed baby might not be able to latch on properly to have a proper feed.

Some things to be aware of:

• Weight - Your newborn should be gaining (on average) 30 grams per day (210 grams/week). If you and not sure if your newborn is receiving enough milk, you can weigh your baby immediately before a feed and immediately after (do not change their nappy in between weighing). Most newborns require 1-2 weeks to regain their birth weight.

• Breastfeeding - Feed frequently at this stage to establish your milk supply and your little one's latch.

• Allergies and Intolerances - Keep an eye on their skin and general well-being. If sleeping is a problem for them, it is likely a feeding issue at this stage. Speak to your GP or Pediatrician if you are concerned.

• Snoring - Newborns should not snore. This is an indication that a doctor's attention is required.

• Sweating - Sweating despite removal of layers of clothing is cause for concern. Speak to your GP or Pediatrician.

• Difficult to Wake - Is your newborn not waking after long stretches of sleep for a feed? Do you have to go to great lengths to wake up your baby so they can feed properly? Speak to your doctor. This could be a sign of jaundice.

• Too Hot? - Do not put a beanie on your baby as they sleep. Not only is this a SIDS risk but their head helps regulate their body heat. Touch their ears and tip of their nose. Are they cool to the touch? Perfect. Are they pink? Warm? Back of their neck sweaty? Take off their clothing and re-swaddle wearing a layer or two less. It is perfectly ok for a newborn to be swaddled wearing only a nappy if you live in a tropical, warm climate.

Your sleepy little baby will wake up around the three weeks mark as the maternal melatonin that has made it so sleepy wears off. At this point parents think there's something wrong with their baby. When in fact, the baby's body is not yet generating its own sleep hormone yet. A more alert baby who requires more assistance settling to sleep is completely normal at three weeks.

If you are experiencing sleep difficulty prior to three weeks, be aware that the problem is most likely a feeding issue. You would do well to talk to a lactation consultant or pediatrician to make sure that feeding is progressing exactly as it should for your newborn's health and well-being.

You may like assistance after this three weeks stage to help get a plan in place to settle your baby to sleep. I can help.

Become a member today: http://cradle2kindy.com.au?utm_campaign=meetedgar&utm_medium=social&utm_source=meetedgar.com

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How to Overcome Stress by Seeing Other People’s Joy If you’re feeling stressed or overwhelmed, don’t cut yourself off from other people, says Kelly McGonigal. Instead, double down on your capacity for connection.

Teamwork will set everyone up for success sharing the load with helping your newborn learn healthy sleep habits.

Take turns doing night time feeds and settling.

Breastfeeding mums can express before they head to bed at 9pm. Dad can then use the night time expressed milk to take on the first feeding shift at either 10:30pm or 1am. The night time expressing will ensure that all sorts of lovely sleepy hormones in the mum's night milk benefits the newborn's sleep.

This extra stretch of sleep will help mum better manage her day caring for her newborn rather than running on little sleep and having the same reaction time and unsafe decision making capacity as someone with the same levels of intoxication that would make them unfit to drive.

Need help figuring out how tag-teaming will work for your family? I can help.

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This is the most common concern of newborn parents when they reach out to a parent coach for sleep assistance. Their newborn experiences and extended period of grizzling, feeding and crying during the evening till 9 or 10pm.

The most common cause is that the infant is overtired. They may need to go to bed earlier. Try a bath at 6 aiming for bedtime at 6:30pm.

It exacerbates the problem and over-stimulates the baby when parents constantly swap settling strategies and parents during this time. If you are struggling mentally to sustain a settling technique, by all means swap so that you can get into a healthy mental state to care for your upset infant. But when possible, limit swapping as much as possible.

Do not leave your baby to cry. They do not have the ability this early on to soothe themselves and will create negative associations with sleep time. You will have to spend a long time re-establishing trust with your newborn if they have been left to cry over long periods as your regular strategy.

Is your baby hungry? Some mums will feed for five minutes on both sides and then put them to bed when their tired baby hasn't yet had a full feed. Do not unlatch baby. Let them unlatch themselves when they have emptied your breast and then shift to the other side. As long as they are sucking, they are still feeding.

Examine your bed time routine. Is it a clear transition from being wakeful to signalling that it's time to wind down to sleep. Have a relaxing bath BEFORE the baby is showing tired signs. Their body temperature will begin to lower as you dry them and get them dressed and swaddled for the night. Enjoy cuddles, a song ... even a story. And then give your bed time feed before settling them to sleep in your arms and transitioning them to bed, still using settling techniques while they lie in bed till they are deep asleep.

If you are experiencing poor naps during the day, this may be causing your baby to be over-tired at bed time. You might try putting them down for a nap at 4pm. If they wake at 5 or 5:30, you can feed, bathe, cuddle, feed and put to bed by 6:30pm or 7pm.

Is their sleep environment appropriate for sleep? Is it dark? Is it too cold or too warm. Make any adjustments necessary.

There are so many variables that cause a baby to be unsettled. Follow the above tips and that will help eliminate any external problems that might be causing restlessness. We can do a SKYPE, Facetime, Email or even an In Home Consultation to help you discover some strategies to help your family achieve optimum sleep. Get in touch.

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9 Tips to Get Kids to Listen - The Realistic Mama Are you tired of asking your kids 1,000 times to do something? Feeling frustrated that even when they do seem to “hear” you, they forget to follow through? Demanding, nagging and yelling will not get your kids to listen. In fact, if your child seems to listen “only when you yell,” chances ar...

A parent's greatest fear. In 2015, 3700 infants died due to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), Unknown Causes and Accidental Suffocation or Strangulation in bed. 1,600 of those deaths were caused by SIDS. This mysterious cause of death has left families devastated. Is your little one susceptible to SIDS? What can you do?

There are three main factors to SIDS. When all three of these combine, it requires the extra diligence of parents and carers.

The first factor is: Critical Development Period. This period of an infant's development spans from birth - 6 months. During this time period infants need to be put to sleep on their backs ideally in an infant sleeping bag. Their cot surface ought to be firm and not plush. Keep all toys and loose blankets and pillows out of the cot, including cot bumpers.

The second factor is: Outside Stressors. These external influences include loose blankets or pillows in the infant's cot. Additional factors include a parent smoking around the infant or even during pregnancy. Sharing a bed with your infant after drinking alcohol or taking medication or drugs that decrease your own waking response are also serious risk factors. Additionally, sleeping on a sofa or arm chair heightens the risk.

The final factor is: Vulnerable Infant. This glitch in an infant's brain stem is (at the moment) undetectable with tests. There is no way of knowing if your infant has this dysfunction in their brainstem. The glitch involves an immature cardioresperatory (or arousal) system. This glitch means they don't have the reactive response at this age to awaken if their airway is obstructed or covered.

Your mother may have put you to sleep on your tummy and you turned out fine. Your sister swears by this new-fangled pillow contraption the baby store is now selling. Half of your mother's group are co-sleeping. The fact is you don't know if your infant is vulnerable. You cannot risk it.

As your infant gets older and past the Critical Development Period where they are rolling around and sitting up on their own, you can be a bit more flexible. But until then, with the information you now know, be diligent for the health and wellbeing of your infant. Do your utmost to not let these three factors combine (like a ven diagram) to bring about the worst outcome for your family.

We can give you other solutions to better sleep for your infant. Become a member today: http://cradle2kindy.com.au?utm_campaign=meetedgar&utm_medium=social&utm_source=meetedgar.com

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Talks for when you feel like you’re not enough | TED Talks No one can decide your self-worth. Let these talks serve as a gentle reminder that you are enough.

From happy client, Helen:

"Christine has helped our little family beyond words. Our 11 month old has gone from being fed to sleep and waking 6 times a night on average, often screaming and sometimes inconsolable, to falling asleep happily on his own in his cot and sleeping all night. It has literally changed our lives - Our cranky, grumpy, itchy baby is now smiling, engaged and his skin has cleared, and now we are getting sleep and have a nap schedule we are so much happier too. Christine read our little baby and our situation perfectly, and was so supportive at every step which made all the difference. Thank you, Christine."

How can I help your family with any parenting challenges you are having?

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5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return - Center on the Developing Child at Harvard University Child-adult relationships that are responsive and attentive—with lots of back and forth interactions—build a strong foundation in a child’s brain for all future learning and development. This is called “serve and return,” and it takes two to play! Follow these 5 steps to practice serve and...

Just as you might use words to help little ones understand their big emotions. Use words to help little ones tie their feelings to their bodies.

Becoming more aware of how their bodies respond to big emotions will help them notice and regulate them as they sense their body reacting.

“Oh, your body feels very stiff. Look at your hands. They are clenched into fists. That lets me know that you are feeling upset.”

“How does your heart feel? I can feel it beating very fast. That fall must have scared you a bit.”

“Your face is a bit red and feels hot. I can tell you must feel angry.”

We might find statements like this incredibly banal and condescending. But for little ones their brains are only just beginning to make those neural connections, growing to understand how their bodies are tied to their minds and emotions.

Noticing their bodies reactions will help them eventually stop and pause. “Wait, my neck is feeling tight. This has really upset me. I need to move away from this situation and calm down.”

As grown ups, we too, can work harder towards noticing these connections and improve our parenting skills by responding to our own big emotions with calm reason.

As your parenting coach, I am here to help you become the parent you want to be.

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I've identified six ways parents stand in their own way when it comes to confident parenting. Which do you struggle with?

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How to Choose Self-Compassion When we listen to the nagging, negative voice inside our heads, we push ourselves too hard—and we push ourselves away, too. When you learn to love yourself, your relationships will improve for the better.

Some things I hear parents say:

“My baby needs me to do X to fall asleep.”

“If I do everything right (routine, nutrition, environment, temperature) he must sleep, right?”

“Tell me what to do to make him sleep.”

Here’s the problem with these statements: you are the main player. Beyond the newborn stage you are not the main player in your little one achieving a good nap or night’s sleep.

Your role has shifted as they develop and mature. You are now a supporting actor. But be an Oscar-winning supporting actor!

Your role is to provide the time and space and loving support for them to make their way over the bridge to slumberland on their own. You respond to their need for support in learning this new skill but ultimately no human being can MAKE another person sleep.

Ask yourself these 3 questions:
1. Is what I’m currently doing to help my little one sleep not working anymore?
2. Do I not want to continue this method of helping my baby settle to sleep?
3. Is my little one developmentally able to do more in getting herself to sleep than I am letting her do?

If you answered YES to ANY of these, let’s chat. Send me a message or become a member at http://cradle2kindy.com.au?utm_campaign=meetedgar&utm_medium=social&utm_source=meetedgar.com