Children who are four years old are old enough to understand when their birthday is coming up and all the excitement that surrounds the big day. They are excited about a celebration that makes them feel special with gifts, cake, candy, and a party. It’s also a time when parents are expected to throw a party for friends and family that will be a magical time for the birthday child and for guests.

Monique Banks and Ariel Banks Baker, founders of BLUEPRINT party plans, have thrown over 3,000 birthday parties. They understand that every age group requires something different to keep children engaged, happy, and feeling included. One of the most important tips that they share is including a story time for birthday parties for three and four-year-old children. By taking a quick quiz, BLUEPRINT is able to create a plan that gives parents the exact tools they need to host a magical kid’s birthday party. There are 27 themes to choose from and each theme for this age group will include a story time. Below are the top reasons why the best birthday parties for four-year-olds include a special book.

Finding a Balance Between High Energy and Relaxation

Whether you’re the parent or guest, birthday parties for a 4-year-old can easily be somewhat hectic. Monique and Ariel create an atmosphere of “controlled chaos” with high energy games, favorite music playlists and constant activities. Jumping from activity to activity during a birthday party makes the experience extremely fun, but at a certain point, everyone needs a break. It’s a break that cannot be boring! With the addition of a story time, there is a shift in the energy and a time when children can participate in something fun and relax at the same time. It’s the perfect chance for everyone to calm down a little bit before the high energy fun starts again.

Read all about it!

Reading is an activity that kids should be taught to love at a young age. Instead of having kids only associate the action with going to bed or school, story time in a fun atmosphere, like a child’s birthday party, can make books and learning more enjoyable. The team at BLUEPRINT do not recommend a book that your child has read many times. Instead, recommended books are within one of the 27 BLUEPRINT themes, are colorful and interesting, and allow kids to participate in the story time with various prompts. It’s a new experience so the kids pay better attention, and no one is calling out the next parts of the story!

A Good Way to Teach an Important Lesson

As we all know, books are one of the greatest ways to learn something new. Including such an important skill into a fun celebration is the best way to teach your kids something they can take with them into their interactions with others. A BLUEPRINT plan will recommend a story with a theme that reveals a deeper message. For example: kindness, inclusivity, curiosity, and creativity. By including these values into fun environments, kids are much more likely to adapt and absorb what they are being taught.

Involve Everyone

As our kids grow up, we should always teach the importance of inclusivity and sharing. When books and reading are included in birthday parties, these significant values can be utilized. Reading and storytelling can become something that is interactive. Party guests can read along, add to the storylines, and make inferences about characters. Story books can also show different types of characters that many can relate to. Especially now, it should be our goal to teach our children that everyone is unique and different; everyone has special qualities that make them, them! By adding books that share these values, every child can be taught these important messages in a setting they associate with a fun time.

So, the next time you plan a birthday party for your four-year-old, be sure to take the advice of the BLUEPRINT team! Include a story time that provides a few moments of relaxation. Hopefully, the activity will also be remembered for being extremely fun and reinforcing positive messages.

 

Comic book superheroes are impressive, but even more impressive are the natural superpowers of animals. Having teachable moments to share the wonders of Mother Nature with kiddos is just what confectionery brand Yowie is doing with its new surprise inside chocolates series called “Animals with Superpowers.”

From an animal that can carry ten times its natural weight to an arachnid that can taste and smell with the hairs on its body, children and families will delight in learning about an entirely new variety of endangered species. Children beam with excitement as they unwrap the brightly colored foil Yowie characters, and open the egg to discover fascinating endangered species like the sunflower sea star, a dingo, a spotted hyena, and amur leopard.

Collectors can be on the lookout for a peacock tarantula and a rusty-patched bumble bee too. Animals with Superpowers also include two new species discovered in recent years – a mutable rain frog discovered in 2009 and a ruby-eyed green pit viper discovered in 2011. There’s even an opportunity to obtain Nap and Crag as collectible glitter characters.

Having teachable moments with kids using sustainably sourced chocolate is a parenting win.

 

Preparation is the key when you are getting the most out of your baby’s swimming classes. We know that it is quite challenging to bring out your kids from the house for swimming. But, it is one of the best exercises that your baby can have, and it has lots of benefits. Swimming helps improve your breathing capacity, muscle strength and makes the kids stronger than ever. So, if you plan to take your kids swimming, here are some of the checklists to follow.

• Taking the Nappies and Swim Nappies

It is always a good decision to take an extra pair of swim nappies and some regular nappies that you might need after swimming. We recommend that the mothers wear the swim nappies over the regular nappies to provide additional support. However, if your child is susceptible to cold, you should discuss with the doctor beforehand while buying the nappies. The experts suggest wearing cotton nappies as they will not cause any allergies.

• Taking the Baby Swimwear

Though the public pools will allow your baby to wear the swim nappy, it is up to you if you can buy good swimwear for your kid. There are various cute baby swimwear available, and if your child does not like to wear them, it is always better to go for the swim nappy.

• Carry Wet Wipes and Creams

One of the most common checklist items you should carry when taking your kid swimming is wet wipes and creams. Wipes help you easily remove any dirt particles or water from the kid’s face, and also, the cream provides additional protection from the sun. Pool water contains chlorine that can be bad for your child’s skin. Better to apply a good layer of body cream to avoid any infections or rashes.

• Extra Pair of Outfits

It is better to carry an extra pair of outfits for your kid while taking him swimming. It is quite normal that your kid’s dress will get wet while swimming, and if the water stays on the body for a longer time, your kid will not feel good. So, it is always important to carry an extra pair of outfits to cope up with emergencies.

• Towels 

Towels are the most important items in the pre-swimming checklist during your kid’s swimming lessons. If you miss out on taking the towels, you cannot wrap your child with the soft cotton towel.

• Do Not Forget To Carry Snacks and Child Food

Swimming classes do not end in 1-2 hours, and the time is also consumed in your traveling. So, for safety purposes, you should carry enough snacks for your kid. After kicking and splashing water, your baby will feel hungry for sure. Hence, you can carry health drinks, snacks like bananas and yogurt.

When you are planning to take your kid to swimming classes, you should check the reputation of the swimming school so that your kid feels secured and good while practicing. This is the pre swimming checklist to keep in mind while taking your baby to swimming.

 

Did you know that almost 50% of American children will see their parents divorce? It’s a very sad reality, and this might be happening to your own family soon.

Raising a child is already challenging enough. Through a divorce into the mix, and things can get even more complicated.

If you need some advice on raising a kid in two houses, then read on. We’ll give you some great tips for divorced parents.

Have Two Sets of Basic Items in Each Home

When you’re living in two households, it can become tedious remembering to bring all your things with you each time you go to a different house. Not to mention, if you forget something, it can put a huge damper on your day.

Make sure you and your ex have sets of basic items in each home so your children don’t have the burden of lugging their belongings around. Some things to include are:

• Toothbrush and other toiletries
• Underwear, socks, and clothes (including pajamas)
• Toys

Make a Packing Checklist

For everything else that needs to go back and forth, make a packing checklist. This can ease anxiety for everyone involved and with enough time, it’ll become so routine that packing won’t be stressful at all.

Have a checklist on the wall in each home. A day before your kids go to your ex’s, take a look at the list and help them pack.

Set Ground Rules

You and your ex may already agree on some parenting methods. However, once you’ve split up, each household might diverge slightly on parenting, especially if there are stepparents involved.

Have everyone sit down and agree on some ground rules. And if there are different schedules in each house, that’s fine! Just make sure that everything’s clearly understood and that no parent will break the rules of the other.

Once you’ve agreed on the ground rules, you need to stand together as a united front. Acknowledge that while things might be done a certain way in your house, they’ll be different in their other parent’s house. Your kids will adapt quickly if things are kept consistent.

If you aren’t able to get along with your ex, then it might be a good idea to hire a custody lawyer. Click here to find out more.

Do Drop-Offs Smartly

It might be a good idea for the parent with the kids to drop them off when their time’s up. If you have the other parent go pick them up, then there’s a chance they might interrupt some valuable bonding time.

When you leave drop-offs in the hands of the parent who’s currently with the children, this enables them to wrap up those special moments without it being jarring.

Cooperate When Raising a Child With Your Ex

In this article, we’ve given you some great tips for raising a child in two households.

But in the end, what really matters is that you cooperate and communicate with your ex. When your kids see that you’re still working together as a team, this can give them a healthy environment to grow up in. Plus, it’ll make custody much easier, so it’s a win-win situation!

For more parenting tips, make sure you check out the rest of our family blog page.

 

Every parent knows at least one child that says “I’m bored” at least once a day. While many parents may go for the easiest option of putting their child in front of a television, it’s not always the best way to encourage imagination. The more that you allow your children to turn to screens when they’re bored, the more that they’ll lack the ability to entertain themselves.

So the next time that you find yourself dealing with a bored child, refer to this list of awesome activities to choose from.

Make Slime

Homemade slime videos are all the rage on YouTube, and chances are your child is a slime fan. The great news is that there are recipes for slime which are pretty simple to make, with ingredients you likely already have in your home. Just make sure that you set some ground rules for where the kids can play with the slime in the house. If you hope to sell your home one day, you probably don’t want slime spread throughout your home.

Have a Dance Party

You heard us right, turn on some music and have a dance party. Dancing is something that everybody loves to do regardless of their age. Put on some tunes and bust out your best dance moves. Older kids may even enjoy turning whatever dance you do into a TikTok. The possibilities are endless!

Do Yoga

Initially, your child may scoff at the idea of doing yoga. However, yoga is something that is incredibly enjoyable once you give it a chance. The great news is that there are all sorts of videos online that guide you through yoga poses. There are even kid yoga videos that incorporate popular cartoon themes into the yoga poses.

Paint

Why not grab a set of paints and have a family painting session? Painting is something that is soothing, entertaining, and above all, you have something to show off at the end of your painting session! Don’t stress yourself out about needing the right supplies. While ideally, you’ll have some paints and paintbrushes lying around, markers should do the trick for creating a masterpiece.

Play Board Games

There are so many different video games and apps nowadays that people often forget the joy of traditional board games. Yet, there’s still tons of fun to be had with some of your favorite old classics like Sorry and Monopoly. It’s something the whole family can enjoy and brings out your competitive nature with each other.

These are just a few ideas to turn to when you’re bored at home. Consider adding some more ideas of your own and writing everything down on pieces of paper, and putting it in a box. The next time someone’s bored at your house, they can pull a piece of paper out of the box for a random activity idea!

 

When it comes to your child’s safety and comfort, you wouldn’t think that you would need to think twice about sleepwear and pajamas. However, the fact is that some companies don’t abide by certain regulations for children’s pajamas, meaning that you could be putting your child at unnecessary risk without realizing it.

This might be difficult to hear. In this article, we can highlight all the things you need to look out for to ensure your child gets the coziest night sleep as well as being as safe as possible.

When you tuck your precious ones in at night, it’s important you are dressing them in the best in children’s PJs. Read on to find out more.

Check the Labels

Some companies will allude that their pajamas are for sleeping, even if they haven’t gone through the necessary requirements for sleepwear. It might be a case that they don’t even have their CPS certificate and they haven’t adapted their garments to pass the safety checks.

You should be able to check the labels to see whether this is the case, you are looking for something that says ‘not intended for sleeping’ or a disclaimer in the small print. These sets should be avoided at all costs and not used to sleep in whatsoever.

Other things to consider with labels, is whether it states if it is flame resistant or not. If it is not flame resistant there will be a label stating that it isn’t and that the garment should be worn snugly and not loosely.

Although snug and tight pajamas are not ideal for your child and their sleep. You want loose and breathable fabric. Good quality pajamas will use a flame resistance material and should always be prioritized.

Check for Loose Hanging Embellishments

Some children’s PJs can have elaborate and brightly colored designs on them which children can love to wear. However, you need to check that the designs don’t have any long embellishments such as ribbon or string that can get stuck or caught on things, causing a risk of injury.

This is also a worry if your child is sleeping and could get tangled up in it at night when they are asleep, also posing a risk of injury. Regulations from the CPS state that tags or ribbons can’t hang longer than 1/4” longer than it’s attached to the garment.

If you are concerned that any tags or ribbons are hanging longer than that then they might have not passed the relevant safety checks.

Consider the Material

The material of the pajamas will be crucial in ensuring a blissful night’s sleep for your child. The last thing you want is itchy uncomfortable material that a child feels unsettled in.

There are pajamas that are made with synthetic materials like nylon and polyester and also natural fiber garments that are made from cotton and wool. On the whole, it’s recommended that are more comfortable, although this can depend on the season.

Wool and cotton can be a great choice for snugglier and more cozy fabric in the winter, although synthetics can be more breathable for the summer months. It’s good to have a few sets in each so that your child has the right pajamas for the changing seasons.

You also want to look out for materials or blends that are chemical-free, moist-absorbent, and hypoallergenic. These factors will make the difference when it comes to your child being able to comfortably drift off to sleep. Check out these pajamas to have a look at some excellent children’s pajama sets.

Think About Your Child’s Age 

Depending on the age of your child, will indicate the type of pajama set you will need to buy. For newborns and young children of up to 6 months, sleep gowns footsie sleepers offer the most protection as they cover the child completely.

This replicates the cozy, protected feeling they had growing in the womb so they tend to enjoy feeling all of the body covered up. With toddler age, you can gravitate towards more of the footless romper style.

This is because they are often wanting to walk around and they are able to get more of a stable base without the sock element attached.

When your child grows out of the toddler stage and starts to be more independent, you can move away from the one-piece sets and start to build in two-piece pajama sets.

Your child might be able to dress themselves, or certainly give it a good attempt, so these pajama sets are great for them to practice that with loose, breathable material. Two-piece pajama sets are also good for those children that are going through potty training.

Tight Fit vs. Loose Fit Pajamas 

There are benefits to both tight fit and loose-fitting pajamas. Ultimately it is your decision and your child’s whether you gravitate towards more of a loose fit or whether you prefer the pajamas to fit more snuggly.

It might be a case of trial and error in some circumstances, tight fit pajamas don’t mean that there isn’t any stretch in them whatsoever. The same with a loose fit not having any grip at all.

The main thing is sourcing your pajamas from a quality company that has ensured that their garments comply with the CPS health and safety checks and meet the standards expected of children’s pajamas. Do your research and read up on the reviews before you make any purchases.

Buying Children’s Pajamas: Where Can I Find Out More?

We hope this article on the important things to consider when looking at buying children’s pajamas has made you more aware of the safety and health risks you need to look out for. Children’s pajamas can be extremely fun and vibrant and children love wearing them.

It’s just a case of making sure you are buying the right fabrics and materials so that your child is safe and happy in their bed at night.

If you enjoyed this article, take a look at some of our other articles on this site!

 

Experiencing the death of a loved one is difficult for anyone at any age. Having to say goodbye to someone who you love dearly requires a lot of grieving. However, children may have an even more difficult time handling the death of a loved one.

Because it’s the first time that they’ve likely experienced a death, they may not understand what to expect at the funeral services or the stages of grief they may experience. Kids may react in many different ways that can be tricky to handle. They need your help to navigate the feelings that they are experiencing and plenty of support.

 

Take a look at some of the best things you can do to help your child handle the loss of a loved one.

 

Use Language They Can Understand

 

Heavy subjects like death can be tricky for children to understand. Concepts like death may be very confusing for them to wrap their head around. Therefore, it’s important that when you break the news about the death of a loved one that you use simplistic yet straightforward language. Trying to dance around the subject too much can cause confusion and misunderstanding. Use basic language that directly expresses what’s happened.

Chances are that they’ll have plenty of questions, so prepare yourself to answer them. For example, if they want to know how their grandma died, try to prepare an acceptable way to explain the circumstances. You can explain something like as people get older, their bodies may not be able to heal as well as they once did in their younger years. Going into detail isn’t necessary.

 

Comfort Them

 

Comforting your child is incredibly important. Even if they may not seem very sad initially, offering your love and physical affection can make a big difference in how well they receive the news. Physical affection is incredibly helpful for children to be reminded that they’re safe and protected. Offer hugs whenever they need it and give them whatever they need to feel better. Sometimes they may want to talk, and sometimes they may just want to be with you without saying a thing. It helps to follow their cues.

 

Explain The Next Steps

 

A lot of things can change when a loved one passes away. You may not have the same family rituals or routines. It’s important that you help your child understand what changes they can expect as time goes on. Be as clear as possible when explaining how routines will change so that they will know what to expect. The better that they can anticipate the future, the more prepared they will be for the changes.

 

By applying these tips and managing to handle your own emotions as well, you should be able to help your child navigate the complications and pain associated with the death of a loved one.

While most stay-at-home moms spend the majority of their time at home with their kids, they also usually don’t have a lot of time to devote to actually caring for their home the way they’d like. Rather, most of their time is spent keeping kids out of trouble, refereeing fights, making food, cleaning up immediate messes, helping with homework, and a million other things. Because of this, deep cleaning the house is often put on the backburner.

If this sounds like your life, here are three tips for keeping your home clean as a stay-at-home mom.

Don’t Aim For A Germ-Free Home

Many times, our expectations for ourselves are a little extreme, and this is true for stay-at-home moms, too. So if you think that your home should be constantly spotless, you’ve likely put your aim a little too high.

According to What To Expect, it’s not realistic to think that you should be keeping your home completely germ-free. In fact, having some germs around your house can help your family to have stronger immune systems. So as long as you’re keeping up with the big messes or hazardous materials and bodily fluids, you’re likely already doing a great job.

Bring In Reinforcements

All of the tasks required of stay-at-home moms can’t always be accomplished by just one person. Because of this, it’s perfectly fine to bring in some reinforcements when you need them.

If your kids are old enough, you can give them chores to help ease the burden of cleaning. Or, if you’d rather handle things on your own, Denise Stirk, a contributor to PopSugar.com, suggests hiring a babysitter to play with your kids while you get some housework done. On the other hand, if you’d rather spend your time doing anything but cleaning, you can also hire a cleaning service to take care of all the mess for you. None of these options makes you any less of a good mom than the woman who appears to do everything herself all the time.

Schedule It In

For busy parents, things usually won’t get done unless they’re on the calendar or scheduled into your phone. Knowing this, you may need to physically schedule in cleaning in order for you to make it happen.

To help with this, Katarina Milovanovic, a contributor to LifeHack.org, suggests making a concrete schedule of when you’ll do which jobs around your house. You can either split your time into days or devote a certain hour of your day to cleaning whatever needs it most. But as long as you’re planning to do some cleaning, it’s much more likely to actually get done.

If you’re needing to find some better ways to keep your home clean as a stay-at-home mom, consider using the tips mentioned above to help you accomplish this.

 

Being a parent or spouse can often feel like a full time job in itself, and you should be commended for everything you do around the house for your family. Unfortunately, most people also have to work outside of the home in order to make a living. This can often cause a lot of stress or to force people to feel like they have to choose whether their career or their family is more important to them.

Of course you love your family more than anything, but the main reason you have a job in the first place is to be able to provide for them so it has its own value. Because the two are often difficult to juggle, here are 3 tips for balancing work and family.

Work From Home When Possible

Depending on what type of job you do, find out if it is possible to work from home sometimes instead of always going into the office. If you work for yourself, such as in real estate, try doing some of your marketing from your computer at home or bring your kids along when you run to the post office to send out real estate postcard mailings. Working from home once in a while will also save you money on gas and childcare. If it is an option for you it’s definitely worth a try to help balancing your work and family life feel much more manageable.

Take Time Off

This one may seem obvious, but no matter what type of job you do, always make sure to take time off to spend with your family. If you can take a couple of days off every week that’s great, but if not just make sure you are getting adequate days off at some point! Not only will this help you to rest and reset but it will also allow you to have some much needed quality time with the ones you love.

Get Plenty Of Sleep

Trying to balance family life with a full time job, you may feel like there aren’t enough hours in the day most days. Sometimes it might seem like you barely have time to sleep! But don’t underestimate the power of a good night’s rest. Your body will thank you and you will be much better equipped to take on all of the stresses and challenges of all aspects of your life.

No matter what, remember that you are doing the best you can in all aspects of your life and even when you don’t feel like you’re good enough, you are! Everyone gets a little stressed and has issues balancing work and family, so just know that you’re not alone!