But Daddy….Bears Eat Honey

ahem…ladies and gentlemen…

I am back tonight from a few weeks off from blogging. I am not sure where my nights have gone lately. Oh, that’s right…my Dad had bought me the first season of The Wire (HBO) and I watched 2-3 episodes a night for little over a week. Well anyway, here I am trying to jumpstart my blogging again. I find it relaxing and fun. Sometimes stressful when trying to think up new topics.

Well tonight was easy. My son helped me think of it. Actually, he didn’t help think of it, he just gave me the idea from a very cute thing he said…”Daddy, Bears eat honey!”

Huh?

Yeah, that’s what I thought. What does he mean?? Then it struck me….I had asked him if he would like to try a spoonful of honey to help soothe his nagging cough. And again his response was “Bears eat honey!”

See…it makes sense. He’s four. He reads books with bears. Bears that eat honey. Just like Winnie the Pooh. And the same reason the image I chose for this post is a honey bear. Those poor bees…they get no credit. I’ve never seen a BEE-SHAPED honey container.

So anyway, I thought it was cute what my son said and wanted to share that with everyone. Also, here is a post I wrote back in March 2008 about the same thing…the Nighttime Coughing.

By the way, all is quiet in the bedrooms. Guess the humidifer, vapor rub, a little bit of honey and his grape lollipop worked!

Disclaimer: there is no scientific proof that a lollipop helps soothe a nighttime cough…but holy crap I think it worked!!

Also I grabbed the image from Carlisle Honey, check out their site.

Nighttime coughing keep the whole house up?

Source: FlickrHow many households have at least one child or parent with a cough or other head cold? I’m guessing quite a lot since about 90% of my friends and family I talk to have one, including our preschool son. His cough seems to get worse in the evening and of course goes away each morning around 9am! So in my search for some peace and quiet at bedtime I Googled and found a few “home” remedies for soothing and hopefully quieting the nighttime cough. Read the rest of this entry »

No Struggle and No Tears at Bedtime

Need help putting Junior to bed at night? Does your toddler cry out 3 minutes after putting him/her down to bed?  Do you have to sit on a hard stool and wait until your child is asleep, or at least you think he’s asleep? (we do, and we want to stop and have him fall asleep by himself).

Here are 10 quick things to do that might help you out! (you can read the full article from HuggiesHappyBaby.com here)

1. Start the wind-down process early in the evening.

2. Follow the same evening routine every night, if possible. Dinner, bath, stories, then kissing and tucking in all the stuffed animals who share the toddler’s bed….
3. Help your toddler set his “biological clock.”

4. Set up a cozy bed.

5. Many toddlers need a bedtime snack to hold them through the night, especially during growth spurts.

6. Don’t give up naps too early.

7. Make sure they get enough fresh air and exercise during the day.

8. Most toddlers fall asleep easily if you lie down with them, and many parents do this. Other parents resist the temptation, because they too often fall asleep themselves, and lose their evenings.

9. All humans wake slightly at night during normal sleep cycles.
10. Start slow. Begin (after your bedtime routine) by holding your child until he falls asleep — not lying down, which puts you in danger of falling asleep.

About the author: Dr Laura Markham is a clinical psychologist and the founding editor of the parenting web site www.YourParentingSolutions.com, featuring a popular advice column and parent-tested solutions you can use every day to connect with your kids and create a richer family life.

Full article here > Sleep Without Tears

Sleep issues unique to toddlers

Ok I think my wife is at her wits end with putting our son to bed at night. Whenever I try to take him up to bed he starts to climb the stairs and then quickly asks for Mommy. I think we have to begin to work on that issue as well! Breaking the routine of just Mommy putting him to bed and then allowing me to help out a few nights a week would do wonders for the sanity of our household!

I found this good source of articles on Helium.com, they have a pretty good section on Parenting and different sub-categories. Here is the link to the article.

Sleep issues unique to toddlers – Toddlers – Helium

How to Deal with Monsters Under The Bed!

I received this article in an email from Pampers.com and wanted to add it to the blog.

Worries and Willies: Coping With the Monster Under the Bed
by Suzanne Dixon, M.D., M.P.H.,
and Lawrence Kutner, Ph.D.

Article Here

It’s healthy for toddlers to be afraid of strangers, dogs, noisy environments, and separation from parents or care providers. Common fears of 3-year-olds also include masks, old people, darkness, parents going out at night, and animals. Every child, beginning in infancy, has fearful responses to some things; that is part of normal development and keeps kids a little wary (a good thing) in threatening situations.

Read the rest of this entry »

Co-sleeping with your toddler? Good Choice or Not So Good Choice?

Do you worry that if you co-sleep with your toddler that they may become too attached and will affect your marital relationship? Many parents who co-sleep with their infants has such worries and also worry about keeping them in a family bed too long. Many families continue to co-sleep with their older children, who grow up to become healthy and well adjusted. Just as with infants, co-sleeping makes a child feel safe and loved. The real question should not be whether or not co-sleeping is a good idea, but rather whether or not it is a good idea for your family. Here are some of the pros for co-sleeping and ideas for setting some guidelines. Ultimately, it will be up to you as a parent to make this decision and what guidelines to set.

Read full article…