Baby

How to Keep Baby Cool in Their Car Seat (5 Simple Tips)

Sweaty babies aren’t fun to hold and they certainly can’t be comfortable sitting in it on long car rides.

Whether it’s cooling towels or super fancy ventilation systems, there are ways to help your baby keep cool as a cucumber.

We’re going to answer all of your questions about why babies sweat so much and how to keep them cool in their car seat.

Dangers of Overheating

Overheating can still happen during cool months if you aren’t careful ⁽¹⁾. Your baby’s internal temperature should be between 98 and 100 degrees Fahrenheit ⁽²⁾. The best way to determine if your baby is too hot is to feel the nape of their neck.

If their cheeks are flushed and they’re breathing rapidly, those are good indicators of overheating as well. Just remember, if you’re too warm then your baby probably is too.

Ways To Keep Your Baby Cool In The Car Seat

I’ve probably terrified you with all this talk of overheating, but don’t despair. There are all kinds of products and tips out there meant to help baby stay cool ⁽³⁾. Here are a few simple things you can do:

• Control the temperature when possible: The best way to prevent overheating is to not be in too warm of an area (obviously). So while you’re in the car, use the AC if possible to keep the area at a cool temperature.
• Dress them appropriately for the weather: It may be tempting to bundle baby up while out and about, but this can cause overheating quite quickly. If it’s 75 degrees out and your mother-in-law is insisting baby wears a hat and you feel your baby is too hot, politely tell her to mind her own business. It may save your baby’s life.
• Cooling towels: If you’re in a pinch and you need to help your baby cool off quickly, cooling towels are beneficial. This helps bring down the body temperature and alleviate overheating. Cooling towels should only be used over the harness, never underneath.
  

  Never put anything behind a baby’s head or neck because anything that causes the baby’s head to be pushed forward can compromise their airway

  Editor’s Note:

  Kristen Gardiner, CPST

• Sweating is okay! So long as they don’t show signs of overheating. If your baby seems hot and they’re sweating then that’s okay. Sweating is the body’s natural response to regulating body temperature.

1. Blocking the Sun

Sun protection doesn’t just come in a bottle. There are a few different ways you can block the sun from heating the car interior too much. Each come with their own advantages, but they’re all valid options to consider:

Window Tint

Window tinting isn’t only beneficial in giving drivers and passengers more privacy. It can also block some of the harmful UV rays and keep your car’s interior temperature cooler as well. To top it off, a tinted window can also prevent shattered glass from flying inside of your car in the event of an accident.

Tinting may even reduce the temperature inside your car by up to 70 percent. Remember, though, that there are laws in place. If you do decide to tint your windows, find out your state’s laws regarding window tint.

Reflective Sunshades

These are really nice when you’re out and about and your car is parked in a sunny area or your driveway isn’t shaded. There are a few different types of reflective sunshades:

• Accordion-style: They simply fold open like an accordion and are placed on the front windshield. The reflective surface reflects the sun rays outward and reduces interior temperatures.
• Mesh sunshades: These go on the side windows and can help block the sun while you’re driving. While these are nice for keeping the bright sun out of eyeballs, they can make the view out of the window pretty dark. This can cause difficulty for the driver if they need to back out of a parking space or change lanes.
• Solar/reflective car covers: If you don’t have a garage at home, reflective car covers can help keep the car cool while it’s parked. They work in a similar way to the accordion-style sunshade, but they fit over your entire car. Of course, this would be the most labor-intensive option.

2. Light-Colored Car Seats

I’m not telling you to buy a new car if you have dark seats but cars with a lighter interior have an advantage. This also goes for your child’s car seat.

If you’re expecting a baby soon and you’re worried about the summer months, we recommend getting a seat with light-colored fabric. This won’t absorb as much heat as darker colors.

Black car seats can reach upwards of 192 degrees Fahrenheit ⁽⁴⁾. Some car seats come with moisture-wicking fabric which can help regulate sweating and body temperature.

3. The Noggle

There’s also a contraption called the Noggle that can be helpful if your back seat doesn’t cool down efficiently. You can hook up the Noggle to your car’s air vent and feed it into the back seat. This way, the AC can better reach your kids. I’ve never personally tried this, but it seems to have a fair amount of positive reviews.

There are Noggle options for forward-facing and rear-facing babies. They also come in 6-foot and 10-foot options. This is nice because you can find one to accommodate your car interior best.

They can be used with both the heat and air conditioning and are easy to remove and install. The downside to this is that it may get in the way if you have a front-seat passenger.

4. Encourage Sweating

I briefly mentioned sweating above but didn’t really go into detail about how you can encourage it. Sweating is your baby’s best defense against overheating.

If you have a toddler or older child, one of those spray bottles with a fan may be fun for them (if you aren’t afraid of a potential mess).

5. Don’t Leave Your Child Alone in the Car

This one is obvious, but it’s still such a prominent issue that I feel it’s worth mentioning. Leaving your child unattended in the car, especially on a hot and sunny day, can lead to overheating and even death.

Temperatures inside a car can rise nearly twenty degrees in just ten minutes even during mild temperatures ⁽⁵⁾. It’s never okay to leave your baby alone in the car for any amount of time, even if it’s for a minute.

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Medically Reviewed by

Kristen Gardiner, CPST

Kristen Gardiner, CPST is a writer, wife, and mother to three boys. Kristen became certified as a Child Passenger Safety Technician by Safe Kids Worldwide in 2015 and loves to volunteer and help educate parents about car seat safety. She has a passion for all things related to child safety.

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How To Keep Baby From Sweating In The Car Seat, Because The Summer Heat Is No Joke

Life

NHTSA

574Z”>July 16, 2018

My son was born the day after Christmas in the Midwest, so for months I fretted extensively about whether he was warm enough, especially when we were in the car. But now that summer has rolled around, the temps are so high that those days feel like light years ago — I find myself feeling guilty any time I put the poor guy in the car. In an effort toward safety (and just plain old comfort) I’ve done some research on how to keep your baby from sweating in the car seat, because I’m sure I’m not the only one who’s noticed that the statistics on babies dying of heat stroke are downright scary.

It turns out, there are a lot of things we can do to keep errands and road trips safe and pleasant for our little ones. Not only are there common sense tactics I’d already put into place, but there are plenty of life hacks and genius new products out there as well. With the help of a combination of things on this list, my baby (and yours) is sure to have a safe and virtually sweat-free summer. (Which means less overall whining from the backseat and less stress from trying to point your AC vents towards the back.)

1

Cool The Car Down Before Putting Her In

Yes, its the most obvious piece of advice out there, but it can be easy to forget to plan ahead. Before leaving the house, go out to the car and get the air conditioning cranked up for five minutes before loading up the baby. It’s a simple step, but makes a huge difference.

2

Park Your Car In The Shade Or Garage

Again, pretty obvious advice here. But the difference between a car parked in the shade or the sun can be pretty significant, according to a study published in the U.S. Library of Medicine, and in the heat of the summer you’ll need all the help you can get. And don’t just think about it when you’re at home — look for shady places, or even better, parking garages, when you’re out running errands as well.

3

Plan Your Day Strategically

I know, I know, you’re already planning your day around those sacred nap times. But your baby’s comfort and safety while riding in the car can be seriously impacted by the time of day you’re running around. Try to do any necessary driving before 10 a.m. or after 4 p.m. if you possibly can, Reader’s Digest noted.

4

Put An Evaporative Cooling Towel On His Lap

File it under “coolest invention ever” — these evaporative towels stay cool and moist without dripping or making a total mess. They’re the perfect way to ensure your baby’s temp stays regulated while you drive all over town.

5

Put A Carseat Sunshade On The Window

The popular sunshades simply stick by suction cups to your baby’s window, keeping the harsh sun rays out of their eyes and off their skin, and are readily available at most retailers of infant supplies.

6

Get Your Windows Tinted

If your car windows aren’t already tinted, having a baby might change that since the protective film blocks damaging UV rays that will otherwise hit the baby’s eyes and skin, according to the website Your Mechanic. Not only will your baby be more comfortable, but her risk of sun damage will be significantly lowered as well.

7

Try A Portable Fan

There are plenty of clip-on varieties on the market today that could serve to cool baby down while riding in the car, but caution should be taken when considering where to install it, since you don’t want it close enough for the baby to actually grab. Clipping it onto the top of a nearby seat belt could work, but if someone is in the backseat near him and could hold it towards your baby, that’s even better, since it would reduce the risk of the fan becoming a projectile object in the case of an accident.

8 myths about child car seats / Author / Blog on Avtokresel.net

June 21, 2017

New article from Stanislav Kruchinsky, a specialist from Izhevsk.

There are a number of misconceptions about…

New article from Stanislav Kruchinsky, a specialist from Izhevsk.

There are a number of misconceptions about transporting children in a car that guide many parents when choosing a restraint system. In this article, we will analyze in detail the most popular of them. nine0010

1. If a restraint is sold in a store, then it is safe

Unfortunately, in Russia at the moment the situation with the certification and control of the child restraint market leaves much to be desired. According to the results of research by the Russian Red Cross public organization, as of the end of 2015, 80 (!) percent of what is offered on the retail market of our country does not meet the requirements of the Technical Regulations of the Customs Union and UNECE Rules 44/04. nine0010
Until now, dangerous for the life and health of children (confirmed by the tests of FSUE “NAMI”) seat belt adapters and frameless car seats are widely sold.

2. If the driver is attentive and careful, you can do without a car seat. Previously, in general, everyone went like this and remained alive.

Unfortunately, not everything depends on the driver. The condition of the road, the technical condition of the car and, especially, other road users have a very serious impact. nine0010
Also, trips cannot be divided into frequent and rare, short and long, city and country trips. The laws of physics in all of them operate in exactly the same way.
There are hundreds of cases in history when people got into terrible accidents in their own yard (the reason is a drunk driver coming towards them), when traveling 2 kilometers to school (the reason is a slippery road) and even when they were stuck in a traffic jam (the reason was the failed brakes of a truck driving behind ).
According to the traffic police and the Avtostat agency, at 19In 1980, 27,000 people died in road accidents in the RSFR. The same number died in Russia in 2016. At the same time, the number of cars increased by 12(!) times. Consequently, the risk of death on Russian roads 36 years ago was 12 times higher than it is now. All this is largely due to the fact that cars have become safer, punishments have become tougher in relation to unfastened adults and children who are transported without child car seats.
Do you still rejoice in the fact that you went as a child completely unfastened and slept across the back seat?
nine0003

3. It is necessary to ensure that the newborn in the car is in a strictly horizontal position

Infants are the most vulnerable category of passengers. The mass of the head of a newborn is a quarter of the mass of his entire body (in an adult it is 5-7%), and the development of the cervical region is just beginning. The muscles are still very weak, the bones of the skeleton are flexible and soft, many of them will generally be formed later from cartilaginous tissue.
There is a car seat (category 0) in which the child is located horizontally. They are installed across the rear seat (they occupy two places) and among them, unfortunately, there are very few options that are really worthy in terms of safety. You can’t do without an infant car seat of this category only if the child has specific medical indications for such transportation.
nine0003

Category 0+ car seats are best suited for transporting babies. Due to the location of the child in them against the direction of movement, a much-needed support area for the back and the back of the head is created in the event of sudden braking or a frontal collision of cars. The optimal backrest angle is 45 degrees, in such a chair a semi-lying position is created, in which there is no dangerous vertical effect on the spine of a child who is not yet able to sit on his own. Attempts to make the backrest even more horizontal by tilting the car seat forward, or putting a thick layer of diapers under the baby, can lead to very sad consequences. nine0010
The recommended time for a newborn to be in a car seat is no more than two hours in a row, as the child grows up, this time increases.
Very often, parents use devices that are completely not intended for this, such as sleeping blocks from strollers and soft carriers, to transport babies. It is important to understand that under the pretext of “harmfulness of car seats” they endanger the most valuable thing – the life of their child.

nine0041 4. All car seats are the same – plastic and fabric, it makes no sense to overpay.

For any technically complex device, there are hundreds of factors, any of which can affect the result of use. It’s like saying – “All cars are the same – four wheels and a steering wheel, you can choose any, even the simplest one, there will be no difference.” Clear differences will be in safety and comfort levels. nine0010
The material, which in the layman’s language is called plastic, has at least 70 main varieties with completely different properties. For example, one will easily split upon impact and form sharp edges, which will easily hurt, the other will crumple, thereby absorbing energy. A number of manufacturers use secondary raw materials in the manufacture of plastics.
Car seat covers have repeatedly found a multiple excess of formaldehyde, extractable heavy metals and other chemical compounds hazardous to health. nine0010
Even visually (see photo) you can feel the difference in going to production, just remove the cover from the car seat.
At the same time, it is absolutely not necessary to hit the other extreme – it is not a fact that the most expensive car seat will be the best. There are examples when products of the upper price segment failed miserably in independent tests.

5. A used seat differs from a new one only in appearance
Child restraint is an element of passive safety. On a par with car bumpers, belts and airbags. At the time of the accident, their task is to take on part of the energy in order to reduce the dangerous impact of overloads on a person. Therefore, bumpers are crumpled and broken, seat belts are stretched and even torn, etc. The second time to use them for their intended purpose and get the same protective properties will not work, you need to change. nine0010
When buying a used car seat, unfortunately, visually, there is no way to determine its involvement in an accident. Microcracks in plastic or imperceptible stretching and tearing of internal belts will not be detected by any expert.
If the child car seat came to you from relatives or friends and you are 100% sure that it has not been in the slightest accident, this is the only option that does not involve a “lottery” in such a serious matter.

6. There are child car seats in which the child never sweats
In some configurations of expensive cars, additional fans are installed in the seats for forced airflow. Perhaps someday there will be similar offers for child car seats. In the meantime, we have the following “pie”: a plastic base, an energy-absorbing layer (if provided), a softening layer (if provided), a cover fabric. In any case, the fabric will be synthetic – this is a matter of hygienic standards and wear resistance of the material. There are no special opportunities for free movement of air. Manufacturers can make part of the frame discontinuous, or combine fabrics of different textures, but this will not fundamentally solve the issue. nine0010
There is a way out – buying a cotton summer cover, which is worn directly over the main one. Such covers are not universal, they are designed for each specific model of the chair. The fabric of the summer cover has a fleecy structure, similar to a terry towel, which allows it to absorb moisture well. An important plus in terms of hygiene is that the additional cover can be easily and quickly removed and then put on, which allows it to be washed regularly.

7. The safest place in a car is behind the driver

It is widely believed that the driver at the time of the accident instinctively takes his side of the car away from the impact, therefore, the passenger who sits behind him is in maximum safety. The statistics do not confirm this.
According to the University of Buffalo (USA), an analysis of accidents over several years has shown that the rear seats in a car are 60-80% safer than the front ones. This is especially true for accidents with frontal collisions of cars.
Among the rear row seats, the middle passenger seat turned out to be the safest. The difference between the right and left seats was 25%. This fact is also due to the fact that this place is farthest from the doors, which gives a significant advantage in the event of a side impact. However, it should be borne in mind that not in all cars the middle seat is suitable for the full and reliable installation of a child car seat – very often it is noticeably narrower than a full-fledged seat and has a convex shape. Even more rarely, middle seats are equipped with Isofix brackets. nine0010
If you choose between the right and left passenger seats, then the right one, which is located behind the passenger, has some advantage. On this side of the car is a sidewalk, or curb. Agree, it is much more convenient to seat and get a child out of a car seat from the sidewalk than from the side of the roadway. Especially if you are staying on a busy country road.

8. The chair must be equipped with mount isofix
Sometimes people also look for a seat “only with a metal frame”, or “only with a safety table”, or with a mandatory “five-point harness up to 10 years”…
Of course, the use of any technology is intended to increase safety. However, if done incorrectly, the exact opposite effect can be achieved. Therefore, choosing a child restraint only according to one single parameter is approximately how to choose a future life partner only by eye color. nine0010
In order to be able to compare, independent testing organizations (German ADAC and Stiftung Warentest, Austrian ?AMTC, Finnish Autoliitto, Swiss TCS and others) conduct tests. In equal conditions for all, the level of safety is checked (most often, a frontal and side collision is simulated), convenience and the likelihood of errors when using, the presence of harmful substances in cases, and much more.
Only on the basis of the results of such tests can we assume how this or that product will behave in the event of a real accident. nine0010

Do you find this article helpful? Be sure to share it on social networks, on local forums, send the link to your friends!

Winter, child and car. How to move comfortably with a child in a car in winter

First, a small digression in terms of safety.
Even in winter (and especially in winter!) the child must ride in a car seat. And only in a car seat. In winter, another feature is added: voluminous down jackets create the illusion of “protection” although they are not. The child must be tightly fastened with seat belts, to the maximum without voids under clothing. nine0110

Actually, we will talk about clothes.
You know, my experience with the sling and the car has been quite varied. Including a bunch of illnesses due to the fact that the child froze in a cold car, taken out of a warm and damp sling …

Therefore, the first thing I will say is to buy warm or demi-season covers for car seats-cradles.
It’s very convenient! Get the baby out of the sling, even from under the sling jacket, in not very warm clothes and put it in the car seat, fasten it tightly with straps, fastening the envelope on top. nine0110 The envelope hugs the baby from all sides, and the straps keep the baby inside the envelope, tightly insuring him in case of danger. Arms-legs can move, the child is warm and comfortable.

Yes, the envelope is not cheap, but it is an excellent gift for young parents. And now there are so many bright colors that it becomes “it doesn’t matter, everything is beautiful!”

And what about older children who do not ride in cradles and do not fit into envelopes?

In this case, the most comfortable clothing is important. No cotton to the body… Well, that’s my opinion. Only thermal underwear, if we are talking about a combination of winter, car and walks. Silk-wool, as the best of natural options, and special synthetics for those who value practicality and durability. nine0003

It is convenient to warm up the car before the children arrive, at least a little and put the children in unbuttoned jackets. But this is not always possible. In this case, the banal thing makes sense. Schedule a STOPPING when the car has warmed up to help the children take off their hats, mittens, scarves and unbutton their jackets.

I repeat that voluminous jackets for car seats are not suitable in principle, although now there are almost no such jackets. This is especially true for babies, for whom the thickness of the overalls can exceed the thickness of the arm, but this is also true for older children, in a voluminous down jacket you can simply not fit into the volume of the car seat, and, I repeat, it does not add security. nine0003

Sometimes it is convenient and useful to have two jackets and to put the baby in a lighter one in the car. Although in my experience, thermal underwear and removed mittens solve this problem.

Otherwise, trips are similar to summer trips. We sing songs, listen to fairy tales, look out the window and ask questions.
We play magnetic games and roll cars on our knees.

We eat food and drink water taken from home (rather than left in the car, which could be done in the summer).
Be sure to send the children to the toilet before going out and plan the duration of the trip so that everyone is comfortable. nine0003

To avoid advertising – I do not indicate stores))))

UPD.
Question:
Evgeniya, could you explain why no cotton? And how do you dress? Thermal underwear and overalls and all?
Answer:
cotton absorbs moisture, leaving it near the body. in winter overalls – the child sweats anyway (we basically constantly sweat), but if the moisture evaporates calmly, then there are no problems.

30 Fun Babysitting Games To Play On Job

Keep your child entertained and foster bonding with these indoor and outdoor babysitting games and activities.

Image: Shutterstock

Babysitting games are a great way to enhance children’s skills and bond with the babysitter. While parents are away, many children would not adjust to the babysitter. In such cases, introducing fun games and activities can keep them calm and entertained. Engaging children in activities is easy if babysitters come with a little preparation. Craft activities such as making a yarn necklace or games such as hide and seek are good ways to distract children and add some fun. So, if you are looking at ways to delight your children while a babysitter looks after them, try some games from the ones given in this post. Your children will enjoy them.

Babysitting Games To Play On The Job

It’s challenging to keep children entertained when their parents are out. A few games and activities will help the children get comfortable with you and keep them entertained.

1. Hide and seek

Image: Shutterstock

Hide and seek, a classic children’s game, is excellent for both older and younger children to play inside the house.

The rules are simple; you need a seeker, and the others hide. Ideally, four or more children make the game fun, but you can also play with two or more children. The seeker closes their eyes and counts to fifty or any decided number while the others hide. After the countdown is complete, the seeker goes looking for the other players.

Another variation can be one where the person babysitting hides a specific toy, and all the children hunt for it together.

2. Puzzles

Image: Shutterstock

Puzzles are engaging and keep children occupied for several hours while their parents are away. When you are babysitting, you can pull out a stack of games the children already possess and love to play. They will jump at the chance to do so with you. Alternatively, you can bring a few with you. New games and activities might excite children.

Puzzles are engaging, educational, and rewarding. But it’s important to determine the child’s interests, attention span, and skill level when you pick a puzzle.

3. Animal movements and sounds

Image: Shutterstock

Children love animals, so a fun, easy game with a zoo theme can bring out their personality and help you break the ice if it’s your first day.

Take a square box, and write the name of an animal on each side. Ask one child at a time to gently toss the box like a dice and enact or make the sound of the animal written on the side that’s facing up. Throw in a dice to mix things up. The number that faces up is how many times the child has to perform that movement or sound.

Such games bring about multiple opportunities for learning while having fun, too. They also help build vocabulary, improve listening and social skills, and encourage them to follow directions.

4. Eye spy

Here’s a game that can be played by almost everyone and just about anywhere.

• One player starts. This player picks an object that everyone can see and says the first letter of the word out loud as a clue.
• For instance, if the player chooses “television,” they should say, “I spy with my little eye something beginning with T.’
• Whoever guesses first gets to choose the next object.
• Another way to play the game is not to involve letters. For instance, the player can say, ‘‘I spy with my little eye something that is red,” or “I spy with my little eye something that I can eat.” This way, you can easily tweak the game for younger or older children.

This interactive game helps children open up, develop social skills, cooperate with others, and build vocabulary.

5. Lip-sync competition

Image: Shutterstock

Ever spotted your child standing in front of the television and singing their favorite tune or making use of different household items as a mic?

If yes, the perfect game for a babysitter and children is a lip-sync competition. Set up karaoke on the television with kid-approved songs and let them sing away. To add to the fun, you can even bring out pots and pans or use a broom as an air guitar.

6. Charades

Image: Shutterstock

If you’re babysitting many children at once, you could organize an interactive game, such as charades.

To play the game of charades, divide the children into groups of two members each, and choose a couple of kid-friendly topics.

• One player acts out, without saying a word, the name of a movie, animal names, well-known actions, such as brushing teeth, the name of a famous person, the title of a book, or the title of a song.
• If the other teammate guesses correctly, the team scores a point. The team that gets the most points wins.
• Alternatively, you can play as singles. Each player enacts, and the first person to guess the word or phrase scores a point.

It’s an excellent game because it’s almost clutter-free, there’s no running around, no mess, and no one gets hurt. Plus, it works as both an outdoor and indoor game. The game can help stir children’s imagination and facilitate brain development.

Related: 20 Smart Brain Games For Kids

7. Storytelling

Image: Shutterstock

This is a fun activity wherein everyone draws a picture on a piece of paper. Then you go ahead and swap your drawings with the person to your right. This person tells a story based on the drawing they have in their hand.

Not only is it an excellent game to help you bond, but it also helps children improve their interpretation and visualization skills and stimulates their imagination.

Quick tip

You can go the extra mile and introduce puppets to children. Have your very own puppet show and engage children by conversing with them. You can also ask children to play some characters from their favorite cartoons or movies.

8. Freeze dance

Image: Shutterstock

Ready to jiggle and wiggle? Freeze dance is a wonderful idea to keep children in a good mood.

• Play age-appropriate music and let everyone let loose and dance.
• Once the music stops, you have to freeze.
• Everyone has to freeze in the exact stance that you are in until the music starts again.
• If they move, they lose. Play the music for about 30 to 60 seconds between stops, so little dancers get into the groove.

Dancing is an excellent way to improve coordination, build muscle, and develop listening skills.

9. Fun with chalk

Image: Shutterstock

Everyone loves chalk. It’s a lot of fun to write messages and draw all over the driveway. It’s a great way to go outdoors and enjoy the sun, as well as let a child’s creative skills shine. From fun learning activities to doodling, chalk art possibilities are endless.

Related: 21 Fun Educational Games And Activities For Kids

Older kids can try twister, foursquare, or hopscotch, while younger ones can indulge in drawing and coloring. For an educational twist, get them to write letters and numbers.

10. Balloon tennis

When you can’t head outdoors, a fun indoor game that you could play to engage children and improve their hand-eye coordination is balloon tennis. Essentially, it’s tennis, but with a balloon instead of a ball.

The rules are pretty straightforward and depend on the number of children and the age of the players.

• To start with, you need rackets.
• You can either stick a popsicle to the back of a paper plate or use fly swatters.
• Next, to divide the room into two, you can keep two chairs a few feet apart and tie a rope between them. Ensure it is low enough so the children can hit the balloon over.
• Each child stands on either side of the court. One player starts by tossing the balloon to the other side, and the other players hit back.
• Let them continue as long as they’re enjoying themselves.

11. Paper plate ring toss

Image: Shutterstock

Bring home some carnival fun with the homemade version of this jolly game, paper plate ring toss.

You need paper plates, scissors, glue, paint, and paper towel rolls to play this game.

• Cut out the centers of paper plates to create a ring.
• You can have the children paint them for some added fun. Set them to dry.
• Meanwhile, take the paper towel tube and glue it to any sturdy base.
• Once the tube dries, voila, you’re ready! Get the children to toss the plate onto the tube.

This is a brilliant activity to help relieve boredom, build hand-eye coordination, develop gross motor skills, and improve spatial perception.

12. Pop the bubble

Image: Shutterstock

Bubbles never fail to fascinate children. Go outdoors with the children, blow bubbles into the air, and tell them to pop as many bubbles as they possibly can. All the children can pop the bubbles together or take turns.

Bubble games help develop visual skills, improve gross motor skills, and boost eye-hand coordination.

13. Bowling with plastic cups

Image: Shutterstock

Who said you need to leave the house to go bowling? You can set up your own mini-bowling alley at home with plastic cups or bottles as bowling pins and a regular-sized ball or tennis ball to knock the pins down. You can also go with the traditional triangle setup, stack the cups in different ways, or create a stacked pyramid.

Note: Children will nag you to play this over and over again. Be prepared.

14. Drawing game

Image: Shutterstock

In this game, you have to use 10–15 cards that contain instructions on how to draw pictures of specific things. You can ask them to draw a lion or draw an apple. For older children, you can set a timer to make the game more interesting.

15. 100 cup challenge

Image: Shutterstock

One of the things to do while babysitting, if you’re looking to make the children active, is to grab a stash of paper party cups.

• The challenge is to stack cups into the shape of a pyramid or a structure of their own creation.
• It’s the perfect way to awaken their engineering minds, and the challenge also helps improve their fine motor skills.
• If 100 cups seem a bit much, you can work around any number. If you’re babysitting just one child, it can be a competition between the two of you.

16. Paper Tetris

Image: Shutterstock

One of the most popular video games from the 1980s, you can now play a screen-free version of Tetris.

• You can download and print a Tetris-challenge template online along with the different shaped blocks.
• You and the children can cut out the blocks and jumble them up.
• From the jumbled pile, pick one block and place it on the button of the template.
• Remember, all pieces need to go from the bottom to top as if it’s falling from the top.
• Similarly, keep picking different pieces and place them on the template.

There will be a point where you will not be able to place a piece on the template. At this point, the game is over. The number of empty squares on the board is your score. The goal is to have the lowest score.

17. Build a fort

Image: Shutterstock

When your craft supplies run low, or you have no time to pick up things you need for games, a fort can come to your rescue. Gather the children, peek into the linen closet, grab a few sheets, and use them to build a fort. Fort building is a great way to improve team-building skills and pushes children to be creative. You can even encourage them to use pillows and other nonbreakable items. You can even go outdoors and create a cozy fort between trees.

18. Scavenger hunt

Image: Shutterstock

Whether you’re stuck indoors or spending the afternoon outdoors, steering children towards a game like a scavenger hunt can be an excellent idea.

Start by creating a clue to find an item or location, then have another clue waiting at that spot. That clue leads to the next spot, and so on. Keep a treat or toy for the winner at the final destination.

Scavenger hunts help children complete tasks and learn to work in a group setting, which will help them later on in life.

Related: 60 Fun Indoor And Outdoor Scavenger Hunt Riddles For Kids

19. Tape shape game

Tape, owing to its stickiness, flexibility, and strength, has multiple uses around the house. Who knew just a few simple lines of tape can lead to a lot of fun, games, and activities?

• On a flat surface, use tape to create shapes, such as a triangle, rectangle, square, and more. You can also draw shapes on paper and use tape to stick them on the floor or carpet.
• Remember, the shapes need to be big enough for the kids to jump in, and there needs to be enough space between each shape to avoid any collisions.
• There are many variations to this game. You can have the child pull a shape card and run to that shape, walk around the cards, or hold up a card and let the child run to the matching shape.

All in all, it’s an exciting game that children can enjoy.

Quick tip

Engaging children in making a DIY greeting card for their parents using simple craft supplies is also another fun activity you can try while babysitting.

20. Obstacle course

Image: Shutterstock

On days when you cannot take children to the park to play in the jungle gym, create an obstacle course on the lawn! Obstacle courses provide endless hours of fun, help kids stay active, and burn off excess energy.

You can build different stations where each one contains a different challenge, movement, or activity that the child must complete to move ahead. You can even make use of stuff that’s lying around the house, such as jump ropes, kitchen tongs, blankets, and paper towel rolls.

Here are a few ideas to get you started:

• Jump in and out of a hula hoop three times
• Do a ring toss
• Walk on a balance board
• Crawl under a row of chairs
• Somersault from one point to another

You can create simple courses for younger children and include a few zig-zags and more complex obstacles for older children.

Related: 15 Indoor And Outdoor Obstacle Courses For Kids And Benefits

21. Sack race

Image: Shutterstock

The sack race is a classic game that has been around forever. It’s one of the perfect games to play while babysitting. It’s pretty simple and so much fun. All the children need to do is get into a sack and hop around a racetrack in the hallway or on the lawn and toward the finish line. Whoever gets to the end first wins! You can keep an eye on the stop clock and make sure the children don’t get hurt.

22. Name that animal

Young children love to pretend play. In this game, each player takes turns to pretend to be an animal they think of, and the others have to name that animal. The child can slither like a snake, hop like a bunny, or crawl like a spider. You can play this game indoors or outdoors, but make sure there’s enough room for the child to move around without injuring themselves.

This game encourages children to think and use their imagination. It’s also a good form of exercise!

23. Pin the tail on the donkey

Image: Shutterstock

A crowd-pleaser that’s been around for ages, pin the tail on the donkey is a fun game that requires a blindfold and an image of a donkey on a large paper. Make sure you cut out “donkey tails.” Mount the image of the donkey at an appropriate height on a vertical surface.

Give each player a donkey tail with adhesive. Then, blindfold a player and spin them around five to ten times. It’s not necessary to spin young children. Next, the player has to walk over to the donkey and pin the tail on the donkey by attempting to stick the tail in the right spot. The child who places the tail closest to the right spot wins.

24. Pass the balloon

Pass the balloon is a game of agility and teamwork that requires a few inflated balloons or any round object.

• Create two teams, and ask them to stand in a line opposite one another.
• The first person in each team starts with a balloon between their chest and chin.
• They have to pass the balloon to the person next to them without using their hands, and that person should take the balloon only with their chest and chin.
• Continue until the balloon reaches the last person. If the balloon falls or bursts, the team has to start from the beginning.

25. Simon Says

Simon Says is an exciting game that never seems to get old! As the babysitter, you will be Simon.

• Get the children to gather around in a circle or line in front of you.
• As Simon, you have to begin calling out actions. You have to start with the phrase, “Simon says.” For instance, “Simon says, clap your hands.”
• The children have to follow this action.
• When you say a statement without the phrase “Simon says,” the children mustn’t complete the action. Any child who does the action is out of the game.
• As Simon, you can trick them into doing actions without uttering the phrase “Simon Says.” The last player left in the game wins and becomes the next Simon.

26. Hot potato

This activity will get everyone giggling instantly. Ask the children to sit in a circle on the floor. Give one person a softball or a potato, turn on some music, and ask them to pass the item around in a circle as fast as they can. As soon as the music stops, the person holding the item leaves the circle. This continues until only one player is left.

27.

Touch-and-feel box

Image: Shutterstock

For this fun-filled game, you need a corrugated box with a lid. Cut a hole in the box – it should be large enough for a hand to fit in. You can even decorate the box with paint, stickers, etc.

• To start the game, you need to put an item inside the box and have one of the children put their hand inside and guess what is in it.
• They can ask questions about the item, and you can give them clues.
• Use simple objects, such as a bar of soap, or tricky objects, such as spaghetti!

As the game progresses, it gets super-duper fun!

28. Tape maze

Image: Shutterstock

Here’s another fun game with tape. Firstly, you need to have lots of floor space in a room. Use the tape to design a maze. For the younger kids, the maze can be simple, while for the older ones, you can add dead ends, zig-zags, and obstacles to make it challenging.

You can ask the kids to kick or dribble a ball through the maze without crossing any lines. Another interesting variation is helping children recognize the number by marking numbers along the route of the maze, which the child has to follow in the correct order from start to finish.

29. Balance beam

You can set this game up quite easily. Again, you need tape to create straight lines or zig-zags. Challenge your child to walk on the line all the way to the end. Zig-zags and spirals are always fun! You can spice things up by getting the children to walk backward, walk with their eyes closed, walk without footwear, jump the line, or walk heel-to-toe.

30. Floor is lava

A classic indoor game perfect for all age groups, it’s also one of the fun things to do while babysitting. The game can encourage children to use their imagination while having a good time. Anyone can play this game anywhere!

• When someone shouts out, “floor is lava,” everyone has five seconds to get both feet off the ground in any way possible.
• After five seconds, if anyone is still on the floor, they lose. If everyone is off the ground, you resume the game.
• For younger kids, you can keep pillows on the floor for them to jump on.
• Another version that fosters learning is using sheets with letters and numbers and placing them at random spots on the floor.
• Instead of using pillows or obstacles to avoid lava, call out a number or letter, and challenge your little one to find it.

1. How can I be a cool babysitter?

To be a cool babysitter, you should be active and know how to have fun with children. Participating in their crafts and plays, involving in their activities, and being playful can also help. However, before you decide to babysit, you should be aware of your limitations, such as the number of children you can care for at once and their ages.

2. What are three things not to do while babysitting?

While there are many things you should avoid when babysitting, the main things to keep in mind are –

• Do not take the baby out without their parents’ permission
• Avoid looking or spending time on your phone when at work
• Do not click photos of the baby or make their family’s business public

Babysitting games provide a good opportunity for the child to bond with the babysitter and stay occupied. These babysitting games can be played with simple things already at your disposal at home. Games like a scavenger hunt or obstacle course will give your child an opportunity to explore the outdoors and connect with nature. And on the other hand, games such as puzzles or lip-sync competitions could help tap into their intellectual side. These games may also help your child enhance their educational and creative skills. So, when your child is with the babysitter, incorporate these games into their routine and let them have a gala time.

Key Pointers

• Trying out some fun and interesting games can help a babysitter bond with the child and keep them entertained.
• Hide and seek, eye spy, and charades are some of the many fun games that you can try.
• Know more interesting games such as animal movements and sounds, lip-sync competition, and freeze dance as you scroll down.

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Games & Things To Do Whilst Babysitting

Here are over 70 of our favorite babysitting activities.

Apart from being entertaining, many of these babysitting games are also
educational! Nearly all activities promote development of language,
cognitive skills, fine and gross motor skills. So not only do you get to
have fun together you can also be proud that you’re helping a child build
his or her skills!

Be led by the child

Let the child’s play guide you. Ask what they’re interested in! Observe
them and engage in their play. Most children will appreciate your interest
in them and their favourite things. It’s such a great way to connect and
build trust with others (big and little!). If you have not met the child
yet, ask the parent about the child’s interests before your first
babysitting shift. This way you can come prepared with some ideas. Maybe
their child loves unicorns and you can bring along a book about a unicorn
or some sparkly unicorn stickers. Or maybe they’re a big Bluey or Peppa
Pig fan and you can print up a colouring-in page. Perhaps they love The
Wiggles and you can check Spotify for some songs. Plan ahead to have a few
babysitting games or activities prepared, so you’ll have some fun ideas to
engage the children.

Be guided by the parents

Many parents are time-poor and will be delighted to have your help with
activities. Are there activities or outings they’d love you to do during
your shift? Some families want the children to spend more time outdoors
playing. Parents might want you to get the kids out of the house, on their
bikes and scooters. Others might like you to spend time in the house and
backyard, keeping the kids happy at home. Check if there are things the
parents don’t want you to do too (e.g., limits on watching tv or gaming).

There are literally hundreds of baby sitting games to entertain children.
Here are just a few to get you started.

Craft supplies for babysitting

Collect some craft supplies to make a box of fun art and craft items for
kids. A craft box stocked with basics will always help you find plenty of
things to do with children. This is especially helpful for those rainy
days when you’re stuck inside and looking for inspiration! Bring your own
craft box along, or ask the parents if they already have some supplies.

Some crafting basics include

• Plain paper
• Coloured paper
• Cardboard
• Glue stick
• Glitter glue
• Glitter
• Crayons, pencils, markers
• Sticky tape
• Cardboard boxes of all sizes – from cereal boxes to Amazon boxes
• Egg cartons
• Pipe cleaners
• Buttons
• Stick-on eyes
• Felt
• Ribbons
• Fabric scraps
• Paper plates
• Paint
• Paint brushes
• Small scissors
• Old magazines to cut out

20 Fun art and craft activities for babysitting

Wondering what to do with all the art and craft supplies? Feeling a bit
stuck? We’ve got you! Here’s a long list of babysitting ideas to keep the
children entertained using art and craft.

1. Make playdough – use a simple microwave recipe. Create some characters!
2. Fold a paper chatterbox for a fun, interactive game.
3. Make animal masks – use cardboard or paper plates, crayons, glitter,
   ears, feathers. and fine elastic to make masks of favourite animals
   like dog, cat, rabbit, chicken.
4. Design funny faces – use paper plates with paint and glitter to make
   funny faces .
5. Make hand or foot prints with paint or outlines with crayon.
6. Create a crocodile – use egg cartons with green crayons and paint.

7. Thread bracelets – create stacks of bracelets with fruit loops
   threaded on fine elastic.
8. Make a collage – with glue, paper and pictures from pages of
   magazines.
9. Paint with rollers, stencils, brushes, stamps, sponges.
10. Do sticker art – place stickers (e.g., frogs, butterflies) on
    coloured paper to make a work of art.
11. Use stencils – trace with stencils, paper, crayons or paint and
    rollers.
12. Create a self-portrait – draw a self-portrait OR trace around the
    entire body lying on butcher’s paper for a life-sized portrait.
13. Create an under the sea scene – using green paper background & shapes
    stuck on for fish and coral.
14. Make puppets – use colourful socks and sew on some buttons for eyes.

15. Design aeroplanes – use paper and markers to create your own flying
    machines. Try different designs and see who can fly further.

16. Thread necklaces – use pasta, paint, glitter and elastic to make
    necklaces.
17. Adopt a pet rock – create and adopt a pet rock with rocks, markers,
    and sticker-eyes.

18. Design spoons for a Spoonville – use wooden or plastic spoons to
    create characters for your own spoonville.
19. Make a card for someone special – use paper, drawings and photos to
    create a card to send to grandparents.
20. Make music shakers – use little plastic juice bottles, filled with
    rice

20 Great indoor babysitting activities and games

Apart from art and craft there are lots of really fun babysitting games
and activities to play indoors. Sometimes the simplest thing will
entertain children for hours. Who doesn’t love a pillow fort? Or a pretend
train trip in boxes?! Having a babysitting game ready to play can help
make time together more positive.

1. Have a puppet show.
2. Read to each other, tell stories, listen to audiobooks as you
   play.
3. Make a personalised story book about the child.
4. Build Lego.
5. Create a blanket and pillow fort.
6. Sing along to favourite songs or movies.
7. Disco dance to different music.
8. Compose music with instruments or with improvised kitchen implements.

9. Play board games and card games.
10. Have fun with dress ups.
11. Play hide and seek.
12. Build an indoor cubby house.
13. Decorate cupcakes and biscuits.
14. Host a teddy bears’ picnic.
15. Take train rides inside big boxes lined up like carriages.
16. Go camping with an indoor tent.
17. Play indoor sports in the hallway (ten pin bowling with plastic
    cups).
18. Play the Freeze / Dancing Game with music switched off and on.
19. Play Simon Says.
20. Use TV and technology – ask the parents what limits they set and work
    within this.

20 Active outdoor activities for babysitting

The great outdoors is so beneficial for children’s health and wellness.
Outdoor activities also give you lots of things to do when babysitting!
Whether you are exploring the backyard or taking the kids to the local
park, there are plenty of ways to explore the outdoors. Always get
parents’ permission before you go on outings. Remember to take hats, bike
helmets, sunscreen, water and snacks. For smaller children be sure to take
the nappy bag, with all the essentials. Here are some ideas for outdoor
play:

1. Play with sand and water.
2. Blow bubbles with big and little bubble wands.
3. Go on a treasure hunt in the backyard.
4. Make mud cakes in the backyard.
5. Paint outdoors, use a roller brush and water on the fence.
6. Plant a garden with herbs.
7. Visit local parks.
8. Ride bikes.
9. Ride scooters.
10. Skate board.
11. Rollerblade or rollerskate.
12. Play ball games.
13. Have a teddy bears picnic at the park.
14. Play hopscotch drawn with chalk.
15. Basketball
16. Soccer
17. Football
18. Create chalk art on the footpath.
19. Take an ‘awe walk’ where you look for ‘awesome’ things (e.g., little
    flowers).
20. Create your own obstacle course in the backyard with boxes and
    brooms.

10 Easy things to bake or make with kids in the kitchen

Baking is such a great thing to do when babysitting children. It often
works well with children who are 4-5 years of age and older. Ask the
parents ahead of time if you can use the kitchen and their ingredients to
bake. Start by checking for any food allergies, to avoid issues. Plan
ahead to ensure the space and the activity is done safely with the
children. You might choose a ‘no bake’ recipe to avoid using the stove or
oven. Or you might choose to bring along something pre-baked and spend the
time on decorating. Remember to always keep small children away from
ovens, hot water, and sharp objects in the kitchen. Always make sure you
turn appliances off at the wall. Here are some ideas to get you started:

1. Decorate gingerbread people.
2. Set jelly cups – fill clear plastic cups with different coloured jelly.
3. Put frogs in jelly – put chocolate frogs into jelly cups when they’re
   half set.
4. Pour homemade icy poles – create your own icy poles with juice e. g.,
   watermelon juice.
5. Make ‘funny face’ biscuits – ice an Arnott’s Marie biscuit with plain
   white icing and add lollies on top to create faces.
6. Make Rudolph the Reindeer biscuits – ice an Arnott’s Milk Arrowroot
   biscuit with plain icing and add a raspberry lolly for the nose, m&ms
   for the eyes, a jellybean smile and pretzels for antlers.
7. Make dolls’ tea cups – using icing to glue parts together – place a Tic
   Toc biscuit on the bottom, then a marshmallow in the middle, then a
   chocolate freckle on top. Attach a half a lifesaver on the side of the
   marshmallow for the tea cup handle.
8. Decorate muffins, biscuits and cakes with coloured icing and decorations
   – sprinkles, mini marshmallows, m&ms.
9. Make fruit skewers.
10. Make a chocolate ripple cake.

Engaging Kids Activities for Seasonal Celebrations

Using seasonal events is a great way to plan enjoyable things to do while
babysitting. It helps mark special occasions and also teaches children
about the months and seasons of the year. Use a calendar to show the
children the year and where the month and day falls. Days and celebrations
you can plan for include:

• February 14th – Valentines Day – cut out and colour in love hearts to
  hang around the house.
• March 17th – St Patrick’s Day – make anything green! Draw a 4 leaf
  clover.
• April – Easter – make an Easter bonnet, go on an Easter egg hunt.
• April 25th – Anzac Day – bake Anzac biscuits.
• May – Mothers Day – make a gift or card for mum.
• July 14th Bastille Day – eat croissants for morning tea.
• September – Fathers Day – make a gift or card for dad.
• October 31st – Halloween – make a costume or a basket for trick or
  treating.
• December 25th – Christmas – make decorations for the tree, bake, write a
  letter to Santa.
• Ask about traditions their family celebrates.

We hope these ideas help you find lots of great things to do when
babysitting. You’ll be the favourite babysitter once you add these games
and activities to your skillset. We hope you enjoy these ideas and feel
free to send through new ideas for us to add to the list!

What does the nanny do during the day. Responsibilities of a child nanny

This question is often raised in the conference about nannies and governesses – both by those who are just about to invite a nanny and draw up a contract or schedule for the day, and by those who are embarrassed or alarmed by something in the work of a nanny. So, the first discussion we chose is devoted to the cool attitude of the nanny to the development of the child. The participants of the conference gave a lot of useful advice to mothers whose children are from one to one and a half years old. The second discussion was caused by a list of requirements for a potential nanny for two children of different ages – and for many this list seemed impossible.

Topic : girls with children about 1.2-1.5 years old
Girls with children about 1.2-1.5 years old – tell us WHAT does your nanny do? I need to know this, because. I don’t know how I can continue to build a relationship with our nanny. I’ll tell you what she does with us: A child (he is 1.3 years old) wakes up at 8.00-9.00, for breakfast (at 10.00) he eats porridge (we breed “Baby”). The nanny comes at 11-12 (sometimes at 10). He sits, drinks tea, the child sits in an armchair watching TV. Around 11-12 he usually goes to bed for the first time. He sleeps for a short time, a maximum of 1.5 hours. This time the nanny washes in a typewriter or irons his things. Then he watches TV. After the first sleep, the child eats fruit (sometimes live, sometimes cans), and they go for a walk. They walk for a maximum of 1.5 hours. They come home, eat dinner (cans), and she tries to put him to sleep a second time. If it works out, then the child falls asleep again for about 1 hour. If not, then they “play” with him in the room. Those. the nanny watches TV, the child either watches too, or she reads books to him. She reads like him, and he crawls around the room, opens cabinets or throws books off the shelves. He has little interest in toys, most of all he loves all sorts of remote controls, telephones, etc. Well, maybe she’ll lay down a pyramid with him, but all the same, he pays practically no attention to her. She doesn’t potty train him. Those. he says that he teaches, but for 4 months he has been “accustoming” – there is no result, the child does not go to the potty. At about 6 pm, she gives him cottage cheese and biscuits. Then they watch TV. At 20.00 the child sleeps. At about 23-24 hours I give him porridge from a bottle. All. This is roughly our day. I feel that something is wrong, in the sense that somehow she is doing something wrong with the child. No, everything is fine with him, he does not get sick (pah-pah), always well-groomed, clean, fed. But I’m reading about all sorts of hardening, early development and so on. How far it is from us … When I told her that a child needs to be developed, she told me: “Go to the store, ask something for early development. Buy it, I will develop it.” She is basically a good nanny, kind. A little lazy – it is. The nursery is cleaned by a housekeeper, although this was originally the duty of a nanny. Well, in general, I don’t know … The agent from the agency where we took the nanny says that we have a sanatorium. The machine is washing, the housekeeper is cleaning, there is always any food (for the nanny), the child eats “adjustable” cereals or cans. You don’t need to cook anything. He can no longer live without TV, he is bored. And when there is an advertisement, he freezes and can eat the whole plate of porridge and not be capricious … Well, in general, I have a question for you – what am I doing wrong?
local

I would put away the TV (generally) and let the nanny read to the child at that time, take a walk twice, play. Buy some developer really. Show the nanny how and what to do, look at the result.
Frog

My first opinion: put the TV on the balcony or forbid it to be turned on. This is very harmful to the child and distracts the nanny from him. Second: buy educational games (books with stickers, cubes with letters, Nikitin and Montessori manuals, felt-tip pens, water coloring, nesting dolls, large Lego, loto and dominoes, if you have money – a sports center or a horizontal bar and a trampoline, hang children’s cards and posters on the walls – everything that the child will be interested in considering) and make a list of desired activities for the nanny. Start slowly, let her master the games and begin to enjoy it. And if you can’t or don’t want to, you will think about breaking up.
At the age of one and a half, I have such a list (everything is not done every day, and not everything is done by the nanny, but both I and she have a reference point – as a result, there are always a lot of ideas of what to do, and the days are fun and useful):
Physical development
Rollers 3 minutes a day along the corridor
Hangs on the horizontal bar and rings
Jumping
Walking up and down stairs
Ball/balloon games – hand, foot, racket, club. ..
General Knowledge
World map – looking for animals and plants on the children’s map
Warehouses/letters – Zaitsev’s cubes
Charging songs
We read books by 5-15 pieces. per day
Cards of 3-4 categories of 10-20 cards are viewed for feeding instead of advertising:)
Computer presentations – 6 presentations about different fields of knowledge are watched 1-3 times a day (very good instead of cartoons)
Mathematics
Counting fingers
Zaitsev’s numbers
We are looking for a pair (shoes, socks, mittens) and the game “The Third Extra”
Practice
Buttons, zippers, laces
Roll, throw, catch balls
Pour / pour / shift water, buckwheat, beans
Blow mouth, nose, spit
Speech
Facial expressions (faces)
Sound games
Finger games
Listen to Zaitsev’s chants
Creativity
Drawing, plasticine
Music (synthesizer, songs, dances)
The way your days go by is not great, the child learns to watch TV, it will be very difficult to wean. It’s not the babysitter’s fault – you need to decide what you want to be done and teach her.
In addition, it would be good to teach a child to go to bed and fall asleep on his own, put toys in place and wipe puddles behind him – to teach independence and allow adults to help. This is my opinion, my year and eight now.
The fact that we try to teach or repeat this in the game does not mean that the child will learn tomorrow, but these are goals, guidelines, so as not to forget anything important.
And all this for 1-2-3 minutes – i.e. your life does not stop. I am also a working mother, I also don’t have enough time for everything and to be with my husband – I learned to connect the child to my worries and “develop” him between chores in the literal sense.
Here is one of our evenings when my son was 1 year and 2 months old.
I arrived from work quickly, not at 19, but at 18.30, I run in for bread and meet the nanny and Danya – they were walking. I entrusted the bread to them, and she ran home, put on roller skates and skated in the park for 20 minutes . .. I haven’t skated for two years – either pregnancy, or a baby in a stroller. 20 minutes in total, but each of them is only for me – and I took a break, and I trained my legs a little !!!
Came home, let the nanny go – 7 hours. Danya and I began to cook fish and boil cauliflower. I cut and give Dana whatever pieces I can: this is cauliflower, it must be boiled, this is a tomato, it is eaten raw. Danya puts it in her mouth, then in a saucepan. I counted the sweets – 7, put a jar, a cup and a bowl on the floor, showed that it was necessary to put the sweets there. Danya undertook to lay out sweets, I cut the salad. I look – he gnaws one, apparently, he saw that dad was eating them, and guessed how to open it … took it away. I fed him dinner while he ate nectarine for dessert, I ate it myself. We sat opposite each other, Danya in a chair on one side of the table, I on the other, and were quite happy (dad was late). Let’s go pee.
8 ocloc’k. Let’s go take out the trash. Our staircase is very clean, we both go out as is – barefoot. 8 steps up – a little, but for the baby and fun, and useful. At 1 and 2 months old, Daniil walks the first two steps vertically without support, like adults, then he takes my hand. Mom opens the garbage chute – throw it, Danya. Danya throws, mom closed it, opened it – and there is nothing – a miracle!, again I put in his pen what is not dirty: a used folded diaper, a plastic bottle, a cabbage stalk – he throws it, and we listen to how it falls, what is heavy, and what lung. We went to wash our hands, feet and the trash can. Mom explained in detail that the bucket is dirty, and you can’t touch it with your hands, Danya learned to obey :). To control his desires and his hands is now the most important skill that he needs to learn, because the ability to climb everywhere and get everything has increased dramatically, but obedience has not yet :).
Let Danya get things out of the washing machine. You can’t turn these handles, but this one can, fine motor skills have gone 🙂 We lay out things – this is a T-shirt, it’s white, these are socks, they . .. Danya ran away to play with the car – I fold things myself, what I plan to wear tomorrow. Danya returned, they assembled a wooden mosaic of a bunny. For a long time, apparently, they did not ask him where the eyes are, where the nose is, etc. Danya forgot, they began to repeat, he very actively patted his mother by the ear. Then they played cubes – my mother built a pyramid, counting the cubes aloud – she would put two, then four (we repeat the numbers and the count), and Danya, with utter delight, turning into a squeal, broke. So we raged that we turned on the radio and began to dance, swing and twist the child – Daniil held on like a staunch rider, “machinations in space” according to Doman are over. We read books, looked at pictures, but I already wanted to run. They ran away from mom along the corridor, hung on the horizontal bar, looked like on their hands (mom holds her legs up:) the program of physical development was completed .. 9hours … let’s go swimming. They swam with delight, and my mother washed off her makeup, combed her hair and sang the letter “o” to different motives. In the end, Danya sometimes repeated “o”. They began to brush their teeth, mom cleans, and Danya puts a small brush in her mouth – because mom does it so funny. Mom taught me to spit out water in a trickle. Danya laughed and tried to get water into his mouth too – but it doesn’t work yet. They began to remove toys from the bathroom, it is necessary to pour water out of them. Look, Danya, – the duckling is pissing, the panda is pissing … Danya concentrated – and also peed into four hands to thunderous applause. Mom wrapped her in a towel and went into the room – we dry ourselves in a cool room for hardening, and we rage naked on our parents’ bed: we play peek-a-boo and hide a card with the letter O either under the pillow or under the towel – Danya, where is O? 9:30… Dad came. Danya and I hugged dad a little more, found his eyes, unzipped all the zippers, checked what he brought in his bag. 10:00 – go to bed. Danyukha sucked in a bottle of yogurt and fell asleep in an embrace with his mother to the lullaby “Grazki sleep, nose sleep, cauliflower sleep, Oh sleep, pillow sleep . ..” – repeated new words. I rolled him into his bed, which is close to ours, and I myself was tired on the other side. Here is such an evening from the life of a one-year-old boy and his mother 🙂
And today the baby woke up in the morning, crawled over dad, looks, and there mom … smiled. And mom: “Good morning, son,” and again the letter o. But Danya did not hesitate, he also folded his lips into a tube and said his childish “o” …. and a new day began.
Good luck to you!
Natal

If you don’t want to change your nanny, then definitely turn off the TV! Come up with something – the doctor forbade it, the TV broke down, etc. A very small kid and watches a lot of TV, as I understand it, these are not even cartoons: ((times an advertisement.
And immediately she will find what to do with the child 🙂 really buy literature on early development, download it from the Internet – and let it work.
I-ris

I didn’t find anything good in your nanny. .. :(((
I took my daughter a nanny when she was 11 months old. At your age (1.3), my daughter slept during the day 2 times for a walk (in a stroller), and at home the nanny played with her all the time, read, studied, and she had no free time at all !!! The nanny immediately asked for a potty and at home removed diapers from her daughter.
I do not work and often at home, the nanny’s mouth does not close, she is just a storehouse of poems, folds, songs. She washes her daughter’s hands – and then a rhyme in the subject, changes her daughter’s clothes – she sings a song.
To be a good nanny, it is not enough just to follow the cleanliness – IMHO. You need to have talent :)))).
And if it is not there, then even if you buy half a store of developing books, it will not help. If it is through an agency, is it possible to change it? Try it! I myself know how scary it is to invite a stranger again, but you must find YOUR nanny who will put her soul into your child. My nanny says she loved my daughter like her own. And I am very pleased with it :).
chamomile

You are extremely lucky! You got an excellent teacher and psychologist. Knowledge of rhymes and pestles speaks of high professionalism, and love for a child is generally just wonderful, I also work as a nanny, and I really fell in love with the children I sit with, and when I don’t see them for a long time, I miss them very much. Children feel everything.
And about that nanny, her professionalism is very doubtful!
Zaarina

My advice – don’t change your nanny. Awl for soap. Children at this age do not get used to new people well. Gently insist on your own about the schedule, if the nanny values ​​work, she will adapt to you. Also gently put the question about the TV – it’s better not to turn it on at all. About classes – he now knows the world himself, by touch, and this is normal. You need to constantly talk to him, if the child’s vocabulary is large, then your nanny does everything right (except for the TV).
babysitter

What vocabulary?! He doesn’t even say “mom”, let alone “dad”, etc. He says a lot of everything, but you can’t make out anything … all actions, name all objects slowly and articulately. Turn off the TV!
nanny

By the way, it’s too lazy to tell children, only if it doesn’t make sense – if they don’t listen to them and don’t try to understand them: what’s the point in telling them if an adult does it his own way anyway. Usually children speak as soon as the development of the larynx allows – it’s so nice to be understood. My son is so motivated that he replaces complex Russian words with simple English, if only they would understand him 🙂 (not “hot”, but “hot”, not “turn on”, but “he”, not “lift”, but “up” ), and he has been using finger signs since 11 months to show that he wants “more” (repeat the game), or a cookie, or a book. And, according to my observations, as soon as you understand it a couple of times and fulfill the request, the efforts to speak increase exponentially – it becomes easier to get what you want.
Natal

Topic : Maximum program???
Leave stones, plz! can be added constructively! 🙂
Nanny Requirements:
– age 40-50 years
– positive experience as a nanny
– own children
– love for children, responsibility, discipline, accuracy, punctuality, optimism, ability to play with children, fantasize, good contact with them
– no problems with registration/accommodation in Moscow
– availability of a telephone for communication
– the possibility of going out of town in the summer
Working conditions:
– hourly salary, at the rate of $2 per hour
– working day 8.30-20.00 from Monday to Friday (if necessary – longer (possibly with an overnight stay), on weekends/holidays)
Responsibilities:
– games with children, reading books to the younger
– hygiene procedures (for the younger): brushing teeth, washing, bathing
– daily cleaning of the children’s room – vacuum (including furniture), wipe the dust, wet floor cleaning, water the flowers, remove children’s things / toys / books (similarly – kitchens)
– cooking children’s food (breakfast-lunch-dinner), washing dishes
– ironing baby clothes
– senior – to meet from school, feed, follow the lessons, clean up their belongings
– walk, after it – putting children’s clothes/shoes in order
Fundamental points:
– do not open the front door to strangers in the absence of the owners
– when answering the phone, call yourself a relative, ask what to send
– know by heart / always have with you the full names of the parents, contact numbers, coordinates of the pediatrician / clinic, neighbors
– when walking with children, do not start conversations with strangers, do not tell them about children, their parents, home, about your work as a nanny
– do not let children go anywhere alone without special permission from their parents
– always keep parents informed about where the nanny is walking with the children today
– do not leave the younger one alone – even at home
– categorically do not allow children to take chemicals, sharp objects, medicines, turn on electrical appliances without permission, climb on window sills, open windows, look out of them
– talk to children respectfully, calling the full name (“Kolya”, “Vasya” – and not “Kolka”, “Vaska”)
– do not use swearing, rude words and expressions (“pissed”, “ass”, etc. ), always try to speak politely
– for any questions that arise, immediately consult with parents
– it is better to ask once again than to make a mistake!
– if children ask permission (to do something unusual, buy, go somewhere), send them with this question to their parents
– “quiet time” for children – working hours for the nanny!
Evil mother ;-)))

I am currently looking for a nanny myself. I think everything in your requirements is correct, except for household chores. Especially since you have two children. The nanny will not have time to do everything, which means that this will affect how she will communicate with the children. Yes, she should clean up after the child, but not wipe the dust, clean the furniture and so on. Only the biggest dirt) Wash also only what is urgently needed, or what is washed in the washing machine. In general, in this matter, it seems to me that we need to somehow weaken the requirements)
Natalia

The younger one sleeps during the day – 2 times for 1. 5 hours, the older one will be at school until lunch. Room – 14 sq. m, furniture – a sofa (1), dust is mainly on the windowsill and a desk … here are 3 more pots of flowers ;-))) For me personally, such cleaning takes, well, 30-40 minutes at the most … that’s if it’s very try hard! No one asks to wash the kitchen from floor to ceiling, but it would be strange not to wipe the floor where everyone tramples most of the day, and the child literally … licks!
ЗМ

Something tells me that with such a load, the nanny will only SIT with the children, and not deal with them.
I remember very well when I was sitting with my daughter: breakfast ended, we walked for an hour, then you cook lunch, then we have lunch, she has a quiet hour – I have ironing, washing, cleaning, then an afternoon snack and again a walk, then dinner.
I did not have time to engage in educational games at all, reading – 15 minutes. before bed 🙂
Xenny

Recommendations are required. And now it has become fashionable to call the reason for the lack of recommendations the departure of former employers. Ask for full name and address and say that you have connections and you will find them in any case in another country too. Look at the reaction. I’ve already encountered this. The previous nanny was fired because she yelled at the child about the fact that the baby at 1 year and 3 months old wrote on the floor, and not in the pot, and did not let her drink water all day (and I, stupid, could not understand why the child’s lips crack and she drinks a strange amount of water in the evening). And at the same time, the nanny in the evening reported to me with joy that the child did not describe a single panty. That’s it. And just looks like an angel. Both the schedule and the requirements were less than yours. Good luck.
Sashtash

Additions (constructive suggestions) :))
The conditions say nothing about vacation. With such a load (after all, this is her main job), you see, the point is important.
“Quiet Hour” for kids – working hours for a nanny?
Will the nanny have the opportunity to take a break while working from 8.30 to 20.00? She simply will not be able to work in such a mode and with such a load at 100% (with the joy and enthusiasm that you expect from her) without a short rest in the middle of the day. At any work (except slave) there is a break for lunch and rest.
There must still be, I think, a reasonable combination of duties / requirements with certain rights.
Nadezhda Grigorievna

Vacation – like all normal people: one 100% paid month (in whole or broken down – it depends on the situation).
With a lunch break, the situation is this: I cannot write, for example, “lunch – 50 (or 30, or 40) minutes”, because I know for sure that this time will completely depend on how a particular day develops (I myself stay with the children all day, sometimes more than 10-15 minutes until the evening and you won’t sit down :-(((. Therefore, I can’t guarantee , but I stipulate that the nanny must take a break / eat MANDATORY, otherwise by the evening she will simply fall – we have already encountered such selfless comrades … 🙂
Thanks for the advice, I’ll definitely put it on paper!
Evil mother ;-))) (ЗМ)

But I don’t need 40 years. 30 is the maximum. He will teach me “what and how”, and the “run-up” is not the same. Service speed is not the same. The attitude towards the child is not maternal, but “grandmother’s”. Is it necessary?
– about the positive experience – I agree 🙂 Recommendations are needed verbal – from all previous employers. Others are not accepted.
– You don’t need your own children. Better not to have them. And then I’m jealous 🙂 Will be torn to my children, to my family, to compare mine with my children. I don’t want 🙁
– the ability not only to play with children, but also to teach by playing (this is me, in terms of additions 🙂
I agree with the last three points. And registration does not suit me, for example. ONLY Moscow registration.
Regarding the “duties” block: my nanny does it all herself, without reminders and complaints, which makes me think “I don’t want to part with her, let her stay forever, even as a housewife” 🙂
“Principal moments”: I absolutely agree. The third point “to know by heart”, IMHO, is not very real, it’s better to let him know WHAT to do and WHEN to do, WHERE to get the documents.
About working conditions. My nanny does not agree to travel far for the summer (that is, if the road is inconvenient) and agrees “only for a special fee.”
Good luck 🙂
Buyanochka

Thank you very much for such a detailed comment! 🙂
About age and children – IMHO, a moot point … Still, at this age (30), the nanny has her children still not very big, and it is natural that she will worry about not seeing them all day (by the way, with them someone should also be in her absence? and if they get sick?). If the nanny is older, the children are older, although anything can happen. But if the nanny is 30+, and there are no children at all – I would be wary, to be honest – how does she know what they eat with ?! ;-))))))))
The work schedule is a tribute to the mother’s work, in our case :-(((Unfortunately, less does not work (tested in practice).
But the blocks “duties” and “fundamental …”, in fact, are the reason for writing everything. Let me explain: fortunately, we have not yet had global problems with our nannies (TTTCHNS), but there were complaints about trifles; so, they could (IMHO) be avoided altogether if our requirements for a nanny were very clearly specified from the very beginning – then a person who is categorically not satisfied with any of these requirements could immediately refuse. Otherwise, everything pops up later, hence the problems…
About love for children. We once dealt with an agency – we selected a nanny. We were offered, incl. a former teacher of either physics or mathematics. In response to the question if she likes to play, the potential nanny expressed her sincere surprise :-((( – initially knowing that it was a 4.5-year-old child…
ZM

age of children. You write that you can’t leave the younger one at home and at the same time you need to pick up the older one from school. It’s interesting if your younger one sleeps at 2 o’clock in the afternoon, and the older one needs to be picked up from school at the same time, then what should she do? “In general, neither the age nor the sex of the children is indicated, it is difficult to say anything specifically. Your requirements could be met if this applied to one child. But with two it is unlikely.
~Kolibri~

I absolutely agree that there is very little time for LESSONS – but with little we are not looking for much in this regard. The nanny plays, reads – well, excellent.
Oh, by the way: we have a boy. .. and a boy :-)))
One is almost 7, goes to the 1st grade, NOT a nanny will pick up from school, but she’s the one to meet at home), the second is 1.1 (very active, he’s starting to walk right now and puts everything in his mouth – that’s why we can’t leave it for a second, be sure to naughty something, and there it’s not far from trouble …).
Our children are quite adequate, there are no problems with the elder at all (TTTCHNS), so we actually take a nanny only to the youngest (do you think that you should feed a 7-year-old with lunch, remind him to put his clothes away and sit down for lessons on time, and then take him with for a walk – this is a big load on the nanny and you need a separate person for this ???). We always inspire him that he should help the nanny in everything she asks – just like us; and, by the way, the benefits from him – wow, how many, if a little older – in general, it would be possible to leave him alone with his brother, but it’s a pity – it’s time to go to school . .. ;-)))))
ЗМ

Yes, I also planned to have a nanny in a year, so that I could look after the elder from school … mine have the same age difference … so far the nanny is only for the little one …
With the older grandmother, if anything, they help … The requirements are, in principle, normal, it’s just harshly written. Many keep this in their heads without writing it out on paper for the nanny. I think if the nanny of your children will love and deal with them perfectly, then you, if a smart woman, will close your eyes to the dust wiped off every other day. Write, if you find, share your experience…
echo

We hope that those who are looking for a nanny could add to their list of requirements for her or think about a more detailed discussion with the candidate of child development issues. And those who already have nannies were able to compare the rigidity or reasonableness of the requirements – and be happy for their assistant and their baby!

Conference on nannies and governesses

[Opinion survey]

Finding Mary Poppins: 8 tips for finding a good babysitter

October 11, 2015

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• Forbes Woman

• Alexandra Wakar

  Author

• Natalia Presler

  Author

Search for a nanny and her adaptation in the family as a business process – in the advice of a family psychologist.

Almost all working mothers who are faced with the need to find a babysitter go through fire, water and copper pipes before finding their Mary Poppins. The main mistake of even the most experienced and businesslike mothers is that initially they treat the nanny and her search as a purely personal matter. They look through acquaintances, trust verbal recommendations and do not ask to see the compiled resume, and when they take a nanny into the family, they manage her work haphazardly and relying largely on emotions. This approach, as a rule, turns out to be ineffective and in the overwhelming majority of cases ends in parting and new searches. Much more successful can be the application of business practices in the process of finding and onboarding a nanny – try to approach this as a search for an employee in a company and use accepted methods in business practice.

Of course, we trust nannies with the most valuable thing we have and it will not work to completely turn off emotions when it comes to our own children, so we asked Natalia Presler, a psychologist and mother of a four-year-old daughter, to comment and supplement our HR advice.

Diomedia

1. Connect all channels to search

In addition to the recommendations of friends, use the bases of agencies and thematic sites, as well as groups in social networks, where they often post announcements about freed nannies.

Psychologist’s advice: “You shouldn’t rely entirely on the recommendations of friends: what one likes may not suit another at all. It is not uncommon for a nanny to be taken on recommendations with little or no interview and probationary period, guided by the fact that she worked for a friend for four years and was doted on, and in general she became a second grandmother for a child. Then the nanny starts working, but for some reason the child fights with her, her mother barely tolerates her, and in general “she is strange” (so dad thinks). When choosing a nanny, listen to yourself and answer the main question: what exactly do you need? Often a nanny is looking for a child. I think it is more efficient to select a nanny for the family. It happens that the mother did not like the nanny, but the child immediately went to her. If a mother feels hostility, then a person will not be able to work in a family, no matter how wonderful he may be. Compatibility with mom is one of the most important factors. Therefore, turning a blind eye to this or “enduring for the sake of the child” is the path to a painful separation from the nanny. Remember that a nanny is needed primarily for the comfort of the mother.

Diomedia

2. Follow the standard HR process for hiring an employee in the company

Do not rely on first impressions and do not give in to emotions that can lead to hasty decisions. Remember that a nanny, unlike an ordinary employee of a corporation, cannot leave “without consequences” after probationary days. The appearance of a new person in the house is always a certain stress for the child, so the selection of a candidate must be approached with all care. Conduct several interviews – with the help of an agency, then on your own, one more, if necessary, with your husband or with someone whose opinion you trust, and invite the candidate you like for trial days.

Diomedia

3. Before asking questions, let the candidate tell in detail about himself, about his experience, area of ​​interest

Pay attention to details in such a free story. Then ask questions from a pre-prepared list. For example, ask them to talk about their strengths and weaknesses, as well as what the nanny finds the easiest in her job and what is the most difficult. In the part of the interview in which you will be interested in work experience, ask to share your impressions not only about children, but also about parents. Find out how the nanny will act if the child refuses to eat or sleep, as well as in an emergency – what will her action be if the child falls, gets sick or gets stuck with the nanny in the elevator? Remember that sometimes the excitement and stressful situation of the interview can negatively affect the quality of the answers and some fatal mistakes, in fact, can be made by even the most beautiful nannies because of the excitement. Try to win over the person and create a relaxed and trusting atmosphere at the interview.

Psychologist’s tip: “Try a favorite HR technique of asking awkward interview questions to see how the person behaves in a stressful situation. Usually these are quick and varied questions that should be followed by quick answers. For example , “How do you punish your children?”, “What did you dream of becoming as a child?”, “Have you ever wanted to hit a child?”

Diomedia

4. Formulate in advance your requirements for the candidate and your vision of her work

Everything, including the payment of summer vacation and sick leave, should be agreed “on the shore”, perhaps even fixing your agreements in writing.

Psychologist’s advice: “Formalize on paper, as appropriate, the financial relationship with the nanny. If you can afford it, set the thirteenth salary (quite a logical bonus for a full year worked). Write in the contract how holidays, vacations, illnesses are paid. When negotiating the terms, you should not feel like you are doing charity work or think to yourself: “Oh, what a generous offer I am making to her! For her, a vacation of 56 days a year should be a gift of fate. You must be sure that the contract is fair for both parties. When determining the terms of the contract, be guided by the market. A person who is paid much higher than the rates accepted on the market must be somehow different from other candidates and have unique abilities (the talent “to love your child” cannot be such an ability).

You can also recommend discussing (and writing it down in the contract) a subtle point: that if the situation changes, then the nanny’s duties may also change. For example, the baby does not require much attention, sleeps, and the nanny has a lot of free time in which she takes care of the apartment, or cooks, or walks with the second child. When the baby grows up, the situation can change a lot. Or the mother decides to take the grown child to the pool herself. The nanny has 3 hours of free time in the middle of the day. Is she ready at this time to cook something or wash, wash the floors? This is not always a problem. The expectations of parents and the nanny may not coincide, as well as opinions on these issues.

Remember that it is impossible to discuss everything and foresee in advance. Therefore, it is important to have mutual understanding with the nanny, her ability and desire to negotiate, as well as the ability to express her own desires in an adequate way.”

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5. Prepare a detailed job description for the nanny

Prepare a full-fledged Job Description, which, in addition to the main duties and requirements that are important to you, can be accompanied by various reminders (children’s daily routine, list of useful contacts, recommended children’s menu for the week, parenting principles adopted in your family, a step-by-step description of behavior in emergency situations and how to provide first aid (for example, what to do when a child has fallen, burned, choked, or passed out. ) In addition, it is very important to immediately fix in writing the nanny’s work schedule, the conditions for paying for vacation, sick leave, and overtime.0005

Psychologist’s advice: “It is important to discuss what the nanny should do first in case of an emergency: provide assistance on their own or call their parents. For example: the child has lost consciousness: 1. Call an ambulance. 2. Call the parents. Unfortunately, this is not for everyone “Obviously. Sometimes they call their parents first and lose precious minutes. Sometimes they don’t call their parents at all.”

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6. Treat your babysitter like you would a new employee at work.

In the first months of babysitting in your home, behave in the same way as with a new employee at work – explain in detail (even if several times) exactly what you expect from her), correct her actions politely, benevolently, without hushing up discontent. Don’t be afraid to delegate, ask for feedback, monitor your nanny’s burnout, and make timely changes to your relationship and your nanny’s mindset.

Psychologist’s advice: “Information about the mood of the nanny will help to collect video surveillance records that you can install in the apartment with the consent of the nanny. This will allow you to see your child more often, feel connected to him, be aware of his small victories, and also see what is happening in the house in your absence.

Diomedia

7. After some time, you can think about continuing education courses for a nanny.

If the nanny suits you in many ways and has proven herself well in her work, you can think about advanced training courses. For example, team up with your friends and organize an interesting training for your nannies. In this way, you can help your nanny develop her potential and update her pedagogical base, and in addition, increase the loyalty of the nanny herself, letting her know that you value her and are ready to invest in her development.

Psychologist’s advice: “It is especially important to initially take a person who is ready to learn and perceive information openly. Any educational method can be quickly mastered by a person with normal learning abilities. Today it is not a problem to read about Doman, Montessori, Nikitins, independently teach a child to read according to Zaitsev, etc.

It seems to me an effective investment in courses, lectures, trainings on interaction with children on some specific issues in which there are difficulties.For example, if parents are against corporal punishment and intimidation, and the nanny knows how to educate only intimidating “uncle-policeman”, and the other option for her is a complete “do-what-you-want”, then this is just the case to get training on this topic. It could even be just a couple of consultations of a nanny with a child psychologist with a request “how to set boundaries without intimidation” or a full-fledged training on this topic among other parents and stakeholders. If, for example For example, a child has asthma, then you can arrange a conversation with the nanny with a doctor who will tell you about this disease, first aid and so on.

On courses, sometimes they try to turn a nanny into a teacher, a cook, a nurse, a psychologist… They give a lot of theory: how to put a splint on a fracture, how to develop a full-fledged menu for a child, how to recognize a crisis of three years, etc. But all this essentially theoretical knowledge within the framework of the courses is completely useless. Because in a normal and even more stressful situation, the usual mechanisms will turn on. It takes time or longer training, practice to develop a skill.

But you shouldn’t get carried away with courses and studies. After all, you are not an institution preparing the perfect nanny for future employers, you need a person who will look after your child right now. 0005

8. Learn how to properly motivate a nanny

Any HR professional will tell you that a salary increase is the best way to keep an employee motivated for the next three months. After that, the performance will return to its previous level and the employee will again feel that he is underpaid. Keep in mind that true loyalty to the company (in our case, the family) is achieved by a good atmosphere at work, sincere gratitude and timely recognition of merit.

Psychologist’s advice: “Quite often, parents, guided by the fact that they trust the nanny with the most valuable things, begin to appease the nanny with bonuses, expensive gifts. I know a case when a mother was worried that the nanny might treat her baby badly, take out her anger on him for the fact that she had to leave her own child. Having put a recorder, they were convinced that the nanny could yell at the child. On other issues, the nanny suited the family very much, they found her with such difficulty. Mom talked to the nanny and she admitted that she was very misses her daughter and, probably, breaks down because of this. Once, after conferring, the parents decided to buy the nanny a one-room apartment so that she could bring her family to Moscow and not worry about this separation. As expected, there are no problems with the nanny

I also know stories when parents paid nannies for expensive treatment, surgeries, a kindergarten for their child, and made other expensive gifts. As a result, they achieve the opposite effect. First, oddly enough, there is such a psychological mechanism at work here that a person who feels that he is not doing the work for this generous amount experiences a feeling of humiliation. The other side of the coin will be that instead of increasing loyalty, parents will grow the self-esteem of their employee, which, most likely, will lead to mutual dissatisfaction and a painful break in relations.

The feeling that a nanny is fulfilling the most important mission in the family does not leave many working mothers. Such reasoning is often followed by compensatory appeasement, beneficence and forgiveness of the nanny, behind which, as a rule, a feeling of guilt and self-flagellation about “going to work FROM the child” is hidden. It could also be the fear that the nanny (not appeased enough with gifts and bonus days off) will not be kind enough to the baby in the absence of the mother. This is, of course, a myth. A kind, decent and adequate person (what qualities a nanny should have!) will not change his attitude towards a child depending on the amount of the bonus. It just can’t. But unreasonable expensive gifts, hushing up what you don’t like, inflated salaries will do their job.

If there is no motivation to work as a nanny, then such a worker is not needed at all.

25+ Best Baby TV Shows And Programs To Watch In 2023

Make the best out of the limited screen time recommended for babies.

Image: Shutterstock

Introducing tv time for your kids needs some debate concerning the timing and its importance. In this post, we present you with a list of some of the best tv shows for your children. You need to make sure that they are allowed to watch an entertaining as well as educational tv show to ensure that it makes the most of their time. We have specially curated this list with the shows that will surely help your child learn new words, instil moral values in them and also spark their imagination and creativity, all while entertaining them. Scroll down.

26 Best Baby TV Shows

1. Alphablocks

A group of 26 friends (letters) falls from the sky onto a white world to discover that if they hold hands, magic and many new adventures happen in Alphaland. When the characters form small groups, a new word is created, which then comes alive. For example, if they create the word ’kite,’ it forms a kite that flies in the sky. This TV show will help your baby learn the letters of the alphabet, develop their phonic skills, learn spellings, and read stories, play games, and listen to songs in every episode.

Where to watch: CBeebies, Alphablocks YouTube channel, Netflix

2. BeatBugs

Five bug friends who live in an overgrown backyard, called Village Green, enjoy adventures, explore life, invent things, and sing songs by The Beatles. Jay is a curious and ambitious beetle, Crick is an intelligent and creative grasshopper, Walter is a generous slug with excessive fears, Buzz is an optimistic and enthusiastic fruit fly, and Kumi is a confident and imaginative ladybug with a zest for life. These bug friends tour the place and have fun every day. And when they get into trouble, they help each other with courage and resourcefulness. Beat Bugs is a musical adventure show that teaches friendship, teamwork, unity, and love.

Where to watch: Netflix

Trivia

The Beat Bugs soundtrack consists of 53 songs by the iconic band Beatles reimagined by top artists, including Sia, P!nk, Eddie Vedder, and Aloe Blacc.

3. Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood

Daniel, a tiger cub, lives with his family and hangs out with his friends O the Owl, Katerina Kittycat, Miss Elaina, and Prince Wednesday. This show teaches toddlers the values of empathy, sharing, and kindness and environmental science facts. There are  various ’strategy songs’ to help babies learn new words through repetition.

Where to watch: PBS Kids, CBC Kids, Family Jr., Netflix, Amazon Prime

Related: Babies Watching TV: Effects, And Alternatives

4. Dinosaur Train

Buddy, a Tyrannosaurus rex dinosaur, lives with his adopted family of Pteranodons. As an adopted kid in a mixed-species family, Buddy is curious to learn about the dissimilarities between different species. The show is set in the fascinating prehistoric world, with the jungles, marshes, mountains, active volcanoes, oceans, and underwater life, all connected by a ’Dinosaur Train’ customized for all kinds of dinosaurs. The show teaches preschoolers about natural science, environmental science, the prehistoric period, paleontology, and trains.

Where to watch: Netflix, Amazon Prime, and PSB Kids

5. Doc McStuffins

A young girl named Dottie aims to become a doctor like her mother. Dottie talks with her toys, and when she puts on her stethoscope, magic happens and toys come to life. She brings broken and stuffed toys to life by stitching or replacing the batteries. This show will help develop your child’s problem-solving skills, spark their imagination, and help them acquire healthy habits.

Where to watch: Disney Junior at Disney+Hotstar and Amazon Prime

6. Dragon Tales

Emmy and Max discover a fantasy world called ’Dragon Land’ through an enchanted dragon scale. They befriend four friendly, talkative, and colorful dragons, namely Ord, Cassie, Zak, and Wheezie, and embark on different quests in Dragon Land. This show will help develop your baby’s problem-solving skills, encourage them to take on new challenges, and teach them the importance of hard work. It is also a great show for helping your children identify shapes and learn numbers, new words, and the letters of the alphabet.

Where to watch: PBS Kids and CBC Television

7. Get Well Soon

Introduce your kid to this show to teach them about the human body parts. Presented by Dr. Ranj, a pediatrician, the show features five cute puppets that visit him. The show familiarizes kids with the hospital environment to let them feel comfortable and relaxed when visiting a doctor in reality. It also teaches how the body works when sick and offers a few tips for maintaining good health and hygiene. The engaging music and the humor of Dr.Ranj will keep your child entertained.

Where to watch: Get Well Soon YouTube channel by Dr. Ranj

Related: 12 Best Classical Music For Babies And Why It Is Good For Them

8. Handy Manny

Handy Manny, along with his eight talking tools, stays in the fictional town of ’Sheetrock Hills.’ Each tool has its own unique quirk and helps Manny repair and fix things for people in town. Turner the flat-head screwdriver is sarcastic and skeptical, Pat the hammer is talkative and clumsy, Rusty the wrench is a coward and worrier, Squeeze the plier is kind and classy, Stretch the tape has a mathematical mind and good memory, Dusty the hand-saw is very smart, Felipe the Phillips head screwdriver is very confident and teaches some Spanish words with translations, and Flicker the flashlight is still learning English.

The show encourages children to help and care for people. It also helps teach toddlers how to come up with step-by-step solutions to any problem. Besides, preschoolers can also learn the names of basic tools used in everyday life through this show.

Where to watch: Disney Junior at Disney+Hotstar

9. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

The interactive show features some of the major and classic Disney characters, including Mickey, Minnie, Goofy, Pluto, Daisy, and Donald. In the show, Mickey invites viewers to join him in solving problems. He asks questions, acknowledges their answers, cheers them up, and gives kudos for the job well done. The show makes the learning journey so much fun that kids will not realize they are actually working their brains. It can also introduce preschoolers to different shapes and colors and is a great medium for developing their mathematical and problem-solving skills in a fun way.

Where to watch: Disney Channel and Disney Junior

Related: 15 Colorful And Engaging Free Baby Game Apps

10. Mighty Little Bheem

Bheem is a show about an innocent but super-strong toddler’s mischievous adventures in a small town in India. He is always curious about things and fights back any kind of danger, whether from older playmates or wildlife, including a lion who sees him as a meal. This show will teach your baby to believe in themselves and their strengths.

Where to watch: Netflix

11. Nina’s World

Nina is a caring and kind-hearted Latina girl who lives in the city of Chicago. She and her best friend Star explores her vibrant and colorful neighborhood every day. This show celebrates love, family, friendship, and cultural diversity. It will help your baby embrace new experiences, build a strong relationship with people, animals, and plants around them, and develop their problem-solving skills.

Where to watch: Disney Junior and Universal Kids

12. The Numtums

Ten endearing multicolored creatures called Numtums have numbers on their tummies and live in Gumnut Gorge. Bendy Go is the tallest, Dar-Dar is a skateboarder, Champer is the highest jumper, Gladdy is very neat, Sandy is a scientist, Flinder is the oldest, Humpty Doo is always hungry, Coogee is a baby, Hobart is a dancer, and Nimbin is a painter. They embark on adventures while solving math problems, play several fun games, take part in parties and celebrations, including performing on stage without any fear, and sing catchy songs, which mention the names of some famous towns. This show introduces your child to numbers and shapes and teaches them basic math skills and how to be confident in every situation.

Where to watch: CBeebies

13. The Octonauts

Octonauts are a team of explorers living in an undersea base called Octopod. They are always ready to dive into action, rescue sea creatures, and protect the ocean. Captain Barnacles is a brave bear who knows how to drive any vehicle; Lieutenant Kwazii, the courageous cat, is a cryptozoologist and an ex-pirate; Peso, the penguin, is a doctor; Prof. Inkling, the octopus, is the founder of Octonauts; Shellington, the sea otter, is a biologist; Tweek, the rabbit, is an engineer; Dashi, the dog, is a photographer, professional surfer, and computer programmer; Tunip is a half-vegetable and half-animal; and Vegimal is a chef and horticulturist.

It is one of the most popular and loved shows for toddlers. The show will awaken kids’ curiosity about the world, introduce them to diverse species, help discover biological facts, and teach them about teamwork, friendship, and empathy. Besides, it is a good show for introducing your little one to different professions.

Where to watch: CBeebies

Did you know?

Two marine biologists, Lara A. Ferry-Graham and Michael H. Graham were involved in the making of The Octonauts. They helped with the sealife facts presented in the show.

14. PAW Patrol

Ryder, a young boy, leads a team of search and rescue dogs called PAW Patrol. They work together to protect the seaside community of Adventure Bay. Each dog has special skills—Marshall is a firefighter and paramedic dog, Rubell is a construction dog, Chase is a police and spy dog, Rocky is a handyman dog, Zuma is an aquatic rescue pup, Skye is an aviator, and  Robo-dog is a robotic dog. The show teaches the power of friendship, teamwork, kindness, and unity.

Where to watch: Nickelodeon, Nick Jr., and TVOKids

15. Pete The Cat

Pete is a composed, smart, optimistic, and lovable cat, who with her friends, experience day-to-day challenges that your toddler can relate to on a personal level. It is a musically driven series that will keep infants entertained for hours, and the nursery rhymes revolve around various themes. It is an excellent show for teaching courage, enthusiasm, honesty, patience, and perseverance to your baby.

Where to watch: Pete The Cat Official YouTube channel and Amazon Prime Videos

16. Sesame Street

Big Bird is the main cast of the series that teaches kids numbers, letters, vocabulary, and colors. All the main characters, including Bert, Ernie, Oscar, and Grover, are colorful and furry muppets. The show is set on the streets full of playful learning activities, catchy music, and bridges cultural and educational gaps with fun. The show is hilarious and combines live sketches, animation, and puppetry.

Where to watch:PBS Kids, HBO, and HBO Max

17. Super Simple Songs

It is one of the most popular baby TV shows that has music videos of the popular nursery rhymes. Toddlers can sing along and learn lessons in a simple and fun way. Some videos have color and letter recognition and counting lessons along with the songs. The show combines animated cartoon characters and puppetry with pleasant music.

Where to watch: Super Simple Songs – Kids Songs YouTube channel

18. Tayo The Little Bus

Tayo is a blue bus numbered 120. He is very friendly, mischievous, and playful with his friends and passengers. The other characters include Rogi (Bus 1000 – colored green), who is out-going and kind-hearted; Lani (Bus 02 – colored yellow), who is sensitive and timid; Gani (Bus 1339 – colored red), who is hardworking and shy; Peanut (Bus 03 –  colored white and sea-green), an eco-friendly tour bus; and Trammy (Tram 120 – colored purple), a city tram. The show teaches babies about safety measures, friendship, trust, and respect.

Where to watch: EBS TV, Tayo the Little Bus YouTube channel

19. Team Umizoomi

Milli, her brother Geo, and their friendly robot Bot team up to form the ’Team Umizoomi’. They teach the concepts of counting, sequencing, measurement, and shapes and solve problems while singing relevant phrases. Bot solves math problems on his chest screen. They have a car named Umicar who can speak and help at times. The educational show is a great pick for teaching preschool math concepts to babies.

Where to watch: Nickelodeon, Nick Jr.,  and Amazon Prime Videos

20. The Magic School Bus

Mrs. Frizzle and her class set off on adventurous field trips on their magical bus. They  discover new places, creatures, time periods, and several wonders of science. The magic school bus can transform into a plane, submarine, spaceship, and surfboard and travel to space, underwater, through an anthill, and inside the human body. The show will help instill a love of science in toddlers.

Where to watch: PBS and Netflix

21. The Stinky & Dirty Show

Two adventurous friends, Stinky the garbage truck and Dirty the backhoe loader, are resourceful, funny, enthusiastic, and have a knack for solving problems. They always learn something from their successes and failures. This show can help develop toddlers’ critical thinking skills, and encourage them to have a never-give-up attitude and believe in themselves.

Where to watch:Amazon Prime Videos

22. Wonder Pets

The show revolves around three superheroes and classmates who travel around the world, rescuing animals, singing, and appreciating music. Linny the guinea pig (wears a blue cap) is the most educated and drives the flyboard, Tuck the turtle (wears a red cap) is sensitive and empathetic, and Ming-Ming the duckling (wears a green cape) uses irony and sarcasm while talking. The show is a photo-puppetry series that encourages teamwork and problem-solving in children.

Where to watch: Nickelodeon and Nick Jr.

23. Timmy Time

Timmy, a mischievous lamb, has entered nursery school and is learning how to get along with his schoolmates. He works on fixing his mistakes, paints, sings, plays, and learns together with his friends. Yabba, a duckling, is Timmy’s best friend, and Harriet, a heron, and Osbourne, an owl, are their teachers. The show is in a dialogue-free format and entirely based on facial expressions and simple sounds, which will help your baby understand the body language of people around them. The show teaches children how to make new friends, get out of a problem independently, and other valuable lessons, such as sportsmanship and responsibility.

Where to watch: CBeebies, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Videos

24. Tumble Leaf

The blue fox Fig and his caterpillar friend Stick live together with other residents of the island of Tumble Leaf. Every episode introduces a simple scientific concept with exciting discoveries that will help your baby understand and explore the world around them, excite their imagination, and develop their critical thinking skills.

Where to watch: Amazon Prime Videos

25. Word Party

Lulu, a baby panda; Kib, a baby wallaby; Franny, a baby cheetah; Bailey, a baby elephant; and Tilly, a baby tortoise, are the five main diaper-wearing characters of the show. They ask questions to the toddlers in the audience and tell the answers at the end. The show is in an interactive form with good music and interesting stories and aims at improving the vocabulary of your baby.

Where to watch: Netflix

26. WordWorld

WordWorld is a place where a group of animals called WordFriends make words that come alive. Duck, Frog, Sheep, Pig, Ant, and Dog are the main characters in the show, and their problems can be solved only with the right word. Each word is built letter by letter and sound by sound, and once it is done, it comes alive and forms into the thing it is. This show will teach your baby new words and their meanings and help improve their reading skills.

Where to watch: PBS Kids

Most babies and young children are fascinated by cartoons since these shows depict adorable and engaging stories. Introduce your baby to some interesting yet informative baby TV shows with foot-tapping music, groovy moves, and amazing visuals. Shows such as Dinosaur Train, Dragon Tales, Micky Mouse Clubhouse, and PAW Patrol are bound to keep your baby engaged while encouraging them to learn in a fun way. Choose age-appropriate and entertaining TV shows to help children make the most of their screen time while indulging in a thrilling TV-viewing experience.

1. Can I show TV to my newborn baby?

Watching TV for babies below 18 months is not recommended since their brain is still developing, and screen time can affect their language development, memory, concentration, sleep schedule, and reading ability (1).

2. What shows are overstimulating for babies?

Certain TV shows or programs with fast images and loud noises, such as the non-educational and violent ones, can overstimulate the baby’s brain and senses (2).

Key Pointers

• The baby TV show BeatBugs is about curious, ambitious, and clever bugs who save each other from trouble.
• Get Well Soon is an educational show that teaches children about hospital environment.
• Dragon Tales, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, Nina’s World, and others teach new habits, such as problem-solving skills.

References:

MomJunction’s articles are written after analyzing the research works of expert authors and institutions. Our references consist of resources established by authorities in their respective fields. You can learn more about the authenticity of the information we present in our editorial policy.

1. Why to avoid TV for infants and toddlers;
   https://www.healthychildren.org/English/family-life/Media/Pages/Why-to-Avoid-TV-Before-Age-2.aspx
2. TV can be too stimulating for babies and toddlers;
   http://www.urbanchildinstitute.org/articles/research-to-policy/practice/tv-can-be-too-stimulating-for-babies-toddlers

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7 TV Shows For Baby Development

Although screen time often gets a bad rap, for many busy parents, sitting their child in front of the TV can be a saving grace when trying to check things off the to-do list. Ease your guilt by getting them comfy in their favourite baby romper, wrapped up in a snuggly organic baby blanket and popping on a show tailor-made for children that will be beneficial to your little one’s independent learning and personal progression.

Young children often have a hard time understanding that TV content can apply to the real world, so parents can really help in their development by pointing out connections or asking them to make their own. For example, make it personal to them by saying “they’re just like you and your friend Ben”.

To help you choose, we’ve narrowed down some of the best baby and toddler TV shows that are both educational and entertaining:

1. Octounauts

Broadcast on CBeebies, Octonauts has become a firm favourite with many parents and was even ranked the No. 1 preschool show in the UK. Each 11-minute episode revolves around three characters named Captain Barnacles, Kwazii and Peso who go on an underwater adventure. They discover biological or behavioural facts about creatures they meet and have an inner passion for protecting the ocean and sea life. The show’s key themes focus on teamwork and empathy, which are key transferable skills that will aid personal development growing up. If your little future scientist loves Octonauts, why not get some sea-themed baby bath towels or kids’ poncho towels to make bathtime more fun?

2. NumTums

What is the easiest way of teaching your little one to count to 10? Thank NumTums! Ideal for ages of 2-4, the programme revolves around a group of 10 characters who are based on the numbat and each feature a single number on their tummies. Great for introducing your child to the world of mathematics, series 1 was initially aimed at the toddler age-range, whereas the later series started to gear more towards slightly older children, in which they will learn the likes of adding, subtraction and even shape recognition.

3. Alphablocks

Alphablocks is intended to develop their fundamental phonics skills, which is now an essential aspect of the curriculum in UK school systems. The premise of the show is based on 26 letters who come to life by holding hands and creating words. It is ideal for any stage of reader, as it teaches the very basic concept of letters for those who have not yet started school and more difficult sentence constructions for more fluent readers. To support your child’s learning at playtime, it’s advisable to give them developmental baby gifts or stimulating newborn gifts to give them the best start possible with cognitive skills. 

4. Get Well Soon

This factual entertainment show will teach your child about medical issues, hospitals, and overall general health. Presented by real-life GP Dr Ranj, it is designed for a preschool-age audience. It aims to show the everyday experiences of going to the doctor, educating on how the body works in sickness and how to maintain good health. It explores common issues light-heartedly, so younger children will be less fearful when it comes to paying a visit to the doctor and having to undergo an injection, for example. A range of issues are covered from simple health concerns, like chickenpox or broken bones, to more serious illnesses such as diabetes. If your little one finds getting their injections distressing, try using a baby swaddle wrap after their appointment to soothe them.

5. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse

Every child loves Disney therefore you simply can’t go wrong with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. Ideal for preschoolers, the show features all six of the classic original Disney characters – Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy Pluto and Goofy in which your child will learn the likes of shape recognition, colours and mathematics in a 30-minute episode– that will be sure to keep their brain ticking. Mickey is constantly encouraging the viewer to help the gang solve challenges, as well as asking questions and praising audience members once they have solved a challenge correctly.

6. Timmy Time

From the creators of Shaun the Sheep, Timmy Time is very similar to its predecessor in the sense that there is a lack of dialogue, therefore the entire show is based on facial expression and simple sounds as a form of communication. This factor alone introduces youngsters on how to read people through body language, rather than just verbally. One of the chief lessons within the show is the form of ‘righting’ which educates on how to cope when getting knocked down emotionally and the act of picking themselves back up. Educational skills such as mathematics and learning to read are also featured.

7. Daniel’s Tiger Neighbourhood

This animated version of Mister Rogers’ Neighbourhood is focused on teaching youngsters key life lessons, such as sharing and empathy, as well as how emotions can be controlled. Between the two 11-minute segments, the programme uses ‘strategy songs’ to reinforce themes such as sadness, anger or disappointment to equip children with essential coping mechanisms for dealing with negative feelings constructively. Until your child is old enough to grasp these more complex methods, using a comforter, such as a kids’ blanket or soother, can help teach them to sleep independently. You may have selected received one in a baby shower gift set. However, it’s always advisable to have a few spares to hand until your baby can self-soothe – they will inevitably go missing but are essential for a smooth bedtime! 

Educational programs for children from 2 to 10 years old

At the MSUPE at the University Children’s Center, an additional program for the development of preschool children “Social, pedagogical and artistic orientation” is being implemented.

Educational services are provided for children from 2 to 10 years old and are divided into blocks depending on the age of the children and the focus.

Educational services for children from 3 to 7 years old are provided under the main educational program. The program was developed on the basis of an exemplary educational program “Development”, prepared at the training center. L.A. Wenger by the authors O.M. Dyachenko, Dr. psychol. sciences; N.S. Varentsova, Ph.D. ped. sciences; T.V. Lavrentieva, Ph.D. psychol. sciences; I.V. Mavrina, Ph.D. ped. sciences; L.N. Pavlova, Ph.D. ped. sciences; E.L. Porotskaya, Ph.D. psychol. Sciences.

The program is adapted to the conditions of the center and complies with the provisions of the FGT DO on groups of a reduced day and a short stay, to the category of which the educational activities of the center can be attributed.

The program is focused on meeting the needs of parents – preparing children for schooling. However, in order to preserve the specifics of preschool childhood, educational activities in the center are carried out in the process of organizing various types of children’s activities (playing, communicative, labor, cognitive research, productive, musical and artistic, reading), and not in special school-type classes.

The program is aimed at solving the following tasks:

• formation and development of psychological prerequisites and foundations of educational activity
• development of the cognitive abilities of the child, as a significant component of the structure of the general psychological readiness of the preschooler for schooling
• formation of ways to communicate with peers and adults, as one of the forms of socialization of children and their positive adaptation in the first grade
• mastering the optimal amount of knowledge, skills and abilities, which are the basic basis for the success of mastering any school program
• development of general creative abilities, on which the success and activity of the child is based in the situation of schooling
• prevention of reading and writing disorders, the formation of correct pronunciation and literate speech
• improving the physical development of children, strengthening their health

During the implementation of the program, mandatory psychological support is provided and modern gaming and developmental equipment is used, which provides a single educational space and conditions for the implementation of educational services at a high level.

On the basis of the center there are “Development Groups” aimed at accompanying children with developmental and behavioral difficulties. The groups are led by psychologists of the center.

The center also provides counseling services of a psychologist and a speech therapist to help parents in the upbringing and development of children of early, preschool and primary school age.

Care and education programs

Education and training programs

The content of the educational process in the municipal preschool educational institution “Kindergarten No. 41” is determined by the following programs:

The main general educational program of the preschool educational institution “Kindergarten No. 41”

This program is based on:

– exemplary basic general educational program of preschool education

“Rainbow” T.I.Grizik, T.N.Doronova, E.V.Soloviev, S.G.Yakobson.;

– partial programs:

PHYSICAL DEVELOPMENT

“Formation of the basics of life safety in preschool children” (author Belaya K. Yu.)

Purpose: to promote the assimilation by children of generally accepted norms and rules of behavior, safety, life in everyday life.

Program objectives:

form the basic rules of personal safety

ensure the psychological well-being and health of children

develop cognitive abilities; Creative skills; imagination, thinking; communication skills

teach children to help themselves and the victims

to cultivate personal skills of safe behavior in society and at home

“Entertaining physical education for preschoolers” (author Utrobina K.K.)

The program presents a non-traditional system of classes for the physical and comprehensive development of preschoolers aged 5-7, developed by physical education instructors in an ordinary kindergarten

Detailed notes for each physical education lesson in the gym are presented. A long-term plan of classes for the entire academic year is proposed. Monthly sports entertainments are systematized, which include sports rhythmic dances (“Cowboys”, “Lambada”, “Russian”), game exercises of a competitive nature. Rhymed words are given for an entertaining warm-up and exercises in the “Fun training” section.

“COGNITIVE DEVELOPMENT”

“Young ecologist” (author Nikolaeva S.N.)

This manual is devoted to the environmental education of preschool children. It includes the Young Ecologist program and detailed methodological developments for its implementation in the work of the preschool educational institution. The book is based on theoretical and practical research in the field of environmental education of preschoolers, conducted by the author over the years. The manual is addressed to the practice of preschool education. The purpose of the program: to educate the ecological culture of preschoolers. The program “Young Ecologist” highlights two aspects of the content of environmental education: the transfer of environmental knowledge and its transformation into attitudes. The author emphasizes that ecological education is connected with the science of ecology and its various branches. It is based on “the leading ideas of ecology adapted to preschool age: the organism and the environment, the community of living organisms and the environment, man and the environment.”

“Mathematics for children 6-7 years old” (ed. Kolesnikova E.V.)

Designed for children 6-7 years old. Through a system of exciting games and exercises, children will get acquainted with numbers up to 20, expand their knowledge about the seasons and parts of the day, about geometric shapes, and learn how to solve logical problems.

This edition takes into account the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard of DO for the structure of the Program, the conditions for its implementation and the results of the development of the Program.

Recommended to a wide range of professionals working in preschool educational institutions. Can be used by parents when preparing children for school.

“SOCIAL AND COMMUNICATIVE DEVELOPMENT”

The formation of a safe lifestyle in children is ensured by the implementation of the program of R. B. Sterkina, N.N. Avdeeva, O.L. Knyazeva “Fundamentals of safety for preschool children.”

The development of the emotional sphere and the formation of healthy and adequate behavior in society is helped by the program “I, you, we” “Basics of life safety for preschool children” (author Avdeeva N., Knyazeva O., Sterkina R.B.)

SPEECH DEVELOPMENT

“Teaching literacy in the process of pre-school preparation based on a variable approach” (ed. S.G. Makeeva and E.N. Martynova).

The purpose of the program: mastering the phonetic system of the language; preparation for mastering literacy by the analytical-synthetic method and the assimilation of some elements of literacy; development of speech understanding, development of active imitative activity in the form of pronunciation of any sound combinations; development of auditory attention, analysis, grammatically correct coherent speech and memory

“ARTISTIC AND AESTHETIC DEVELOPMENT”

The development of children’s musical abilities in all types of musical activities available to them is helped by the implementation of the program “Harmony” by N.

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Made By Mums

We’re Amy and Julie – two Mums who started Cheeky Chompers while on maternity leave with our teething babies.

It’s really difficult being a parent. We’ve tried to develop intuitive, practical and stylish products to help make parents’ lives that little bit easier.

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‎Baby Dribble on Apple Podcasts

23 episodes

Podcast by Sweet Dreamers

1. Baby Gender Reveals | BABY DRIBBLE: THE PODCAST | Episode: 23

   Baby Gender Reveals | BABY DRIBBLE: THE PODCAST | Episode: 23

   Lynda and Lucy here again and welcome to this week’s podcast. Today we are discussing all things gender reveals.

   Hello and welcome to Baby Dribble which is brought to you from Sweet Dreamers HQ by the SweetDreamers team. Baby Dribble is a fun, friendly and FREE parenting advice “channel” for new and expectant parents and caregivers. We aim to offer knowledge, support and insight into to the wonderful world of parenthood with industry expert guests and medical professionals.

   Follow us online here:

   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ewanthedreamsheep/
   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EwanTheDreamSheepUK/
   Twitter: https://twitter.com/ewanandfriends/
   Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/ewandreamsheep
   Website: https://www.sweetdreamers.co.uk/
   Blog: https://sweetdreamers.co.uk/blogs/family/tagged/featured

2. Pregnant during a pandemic (COVID-19) | BABY DRIBBLE: THE PODCAST | Episode: 22

   Pregnant during a pandemic (COVID-19) | BABY DRIBBLE: THE PODCAST | Episode: 22

   Lynda and Lucy here again and welcome to this week’s podcast. Today we are discussing being pregnant during the COVID-19 pandemic.

   Hello and welcome to Baby Dribble which is brought to you from Sweet Dreamers HQ by the SweetDreamers team. Baby Dribble is a fun, friendly and FREE parenting advice “channel” for new and expectant parents and caregivers. We aim to offer knowledge, support and insight into to the wonderful world of parenthood with industry expert guests and medical professionals.

3. C-Section, what to expect | BABY DRIBBLE: THE PODCAST | Episode: 21

   C-Section, what to expect | BABY DRIBBLE: THE PODCAST | Episode: 21

   Lynda and Lucy here again and welcome to this week’s podcast. Today we are discussing cesarean sections.

   Hello and welcome to Baby Dribble which is brought to you from Sweet Dreamers HQ by the SweetDreamers team. Baby Dribble is a fun, friendly and FREE parenting advice “channel” for new and expectant parents and caregivers. We aim to offer knowledge, support and insight into to the wonderful world of parenthood with industry expert guests and medical professionals.

   Follow us online here:

   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ewanthedreamsheep/
   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EwanTheDreamSheepUK/
   Twitter: https://twitter.com/ewanandfriends/
   Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/ewandreamsheep
   Website: https://www.sweetdreamers.co.uk/
   Blog: https://sweetdreamers.co.uk/blogs/family/tagged/featured

4. Positive mum coach guest | BABY DRIBBLE: THE PODCAST | Episode: 20

   Positive mum coach guest | BABY DRIBBLE: THE PODCAST | Episode: 20

   Lynda and Lucy here again and welcome to this week’s podcast, streaming LIVE on Tik Tok! Today we are very privileged to have a special guest here with us in our studio, Susan from This Mama Can.

   Susan Mitchell is a positive life coach and founder of This Mama Can, helping mums to achieve their life goals by offering coaching, planning and support.

   For further information please visit: https://www.picuki.com/profile/this_mama.can

   Hello and welcome to Baby Dribble which is brought to you from Sweet Dreamers HQ by the SweetDreamers team. Baby Dribble is a fun, friendly and FREE parenting advice “channel” for new and expectant parents and caregivers. We aim to offer knowledge, support and insight into to the wonderful world of parenthood with industry expert guests and medical professionals.

   Follow us online here:

   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ewanthedreamsheep/
   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EwanTheDreamSheepUK/
   Twitter: https://twitter.com/ewanandfriends/
   Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/ewandreamsheep
   Website: https://www.sweetdreamers.co.uk/
   Blog: https://www.sweetdreamers.co.uk/baby-dribble/

5. Baby slings and carriers, which is best? | BABY DRIBBLE: THE PODCAST | Episode: 19

   Baby slings and carriers, which is best? | BABY DRIBBLE: THE PODCAST | Episode: 19

   Lynda and Lucy here again and welcome to this week’s podcast, the first of 2020! Today we are very privileged to have a special guests here with us in our studio, Sophie and Rachel from Southsea Slings.

   Southsea Slings is a local business to us at SweetDreamers where you can hire and buy baby slings to see which is the best fit for you and your little one.

   For further information please visit: http://southseaslings.co.uk/

   Hello and welcome to Baby Dribble which is brought to you from Sweet Dreamers HQ by the SweetDreamers team. Baby Dribble is a fun, friendly and FREE parenting advice “channel” for new and expectant parents and caregivers. We aim to offer knowledge, support and insight into to the wonderful world of parenthood with industry expert guests and medical professionals.

   Follow us online here:

   Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/ewanthedreamsheep/
   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EwanTheDreamSheepUK/
   Twitter: https://twitter.com/ewanandfriends/
   Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/ewandreamsheep
   Website: https://www.sweetdreamers.co.uk/
   Blog: https://www.sweetdreamers.co.uk/baby-dribble/

6. Interview with an honest Midwife | BABY DRIBBLE: THE PODCAST | Episode: 18

   Interview with an honest Midwife | BABY DRIBBLE: THE PODCAST | Episode: 18

   Lynda and Lucy here again and welcome to this week’s podcast. Today we are very privileged to have a special guest here with us in our studio, Senior Midwife and founder of ‘Let’s Talk Birth and Baby’ – Louise Broadbridge.

   Louise currently practices in a London based hospital and has now delivered private antenatal courses to over 100 couples with excellent feedback so we are very excited to get the chance to talk to her today on the baby dribble podcast. We’ll be covering everything from our viewer questions, to what to expect post birth.

   For further information please visit: https://www.letstalkbirthandbaby.co.uk/

   Hello and welcome to Baby Dribble which is brought to you from Sweet Dreamers HQ by the SweetDreamers team. Baby Dribble is a fun, friendly and FREE parenting advice “channel” for new and expectant parents and caregivers. We aim to offer knowledge, support and insight into to the wonderful world of parenthood with industry expert guests and medical professionals.

   Follow us online here:

   Instagram: https://www. instagram.com/ewanthedreamsheep/
   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/EwanTheDreamSheepUK/
   Twitter: https://twitter.com/ewanandfriends/
   Snapchat: https://www.snapchat.com/add/ewandreamsheep
   Website: https://www.sweetdreamers.co.uk/
   Blog: https://www.sweetdreamers.co.uk/baby-dribble/

Top Podcasts In Kids & Family

Do your grown children constantly snide? This is a sign of intelligence!

• David Robson
• BBC Future

23 January 2022

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Children don’t understand sarcasm, but teens are supposed to be sarcastic by default. Here’s what the science says about what’s behind this not always pleasant for parents habit of verbal quirk.

If I told you that sarcasm is one of the most powerful tools of the language, your first reaction is likely to be: “Of course!”. You may even think that I myself am a little ironic.

One of Oscar Wilde’s famous paradoxes says: “Sarcasm is the lowest form of wit.” People sometimes forget that the great master of word play immediately added: “… but the highest form of the mind.” This linguistic twist seems especially doubtful to parents and teachers.

But this is exactly what psychologists and neurophysiologists say. Sarcasm is a property of a flexible and inventive intellect. It helps to rise above the banality, convey the idea more accurately and requires more mental abilities than straightforward statements.

Don’t look down on teenage jokes – it’s actually a sign of maturity. It takes years for a child to appreciate and master irony. “It can be difficult,” says Penny Pexman, a psycholinguist at the University of Calgary, Canada.

Image copyright, Getty Images

Image caption,

Sarcasm helps teenagers communicate

But the effort of the mind pays off. Sarcasm enlivens communication, softens insults, deprives compliments of loftiness, makes us more creative and fights bad moods.

Pexman is so convinced of its importance that she has opened a special course for those who suffer from a lack of irony.

Do dolls lie? Or are they snickering?

The key to understanding the nature of sarcasm lies in childhood. Pexman studied his development with mocking puppets.

In one of her experiments, she showed the little ones skits. Jane doll tries to draw a rose but fails. “You are a great artist!” Ann doll tells her. Sam weeds the garden and does the job well and quickly. “You’re a terrible gardener,” Toy Bob comments.

Children under the age of five are unable to catch the sarcasm in these words and take everything literally. Their most typical answer is: “These dolls are lying!”.

• The pandemic has shown that we are more meerkats than primates in raising children
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• 13 Advice for Parents, Confirmed by Statistics

Only with time do they realize that words can have a hidden meaning and the ability to feel nuances. Last but not least, they learn to understand jokes and feel teased. “Usually it happens by the age of 9-10”, notes Pexman.

A person’s sense of humor develops following the ability to read the mood and intentions of others. Both become stronger with age.

Image copyright, Getty Images

Image caption,

Irony develops creativity

“A child needs to put all these pieces together. None of them by themselves make it possible to perceive irony,” Pexman elaborates.

Her research also points to the key role of the home environment and parental example. If parents often resort to sarcasm, children are more likely to develop it in themselves. “At about four years old, children begin to feel other people and understand that they may mean something completely different,” the expert points out.

Sarcasm is a complex phenomenon. The child must guess what the interlocutor really thinks and what he wants to express in his own words. This is not easy to learn. Basically, up to the age of seven, a person is generally not able to compare opposite meanings in his mind.

But by the age of about 12, a teenager has mastered these complex skills and takes pleasure in experimenting with them and trying them on others.

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If you still don’t believe that your son’s or daughter’s sarcasm should be celebrated as a new important stage in their growing up, get acquainted with the experience set by the psychologist from the University of Nottingham Ruth Felick.

Participants connected to an MRI scanner read descriptions of various everyday situations, in some cases ironic.

In this sentence, the joke referred to the situation in principle: “Bernice and Caitlin were enrolled in a psychology course at an American university and went to print their resumes. There was only pink paper in the printer. “Very formal!” Bernice snorted.” On another occasion, the irony was directed at a specific person because Caitlin deliberately chose pink paper. To which Bernice responded with the same phrase: “Very official!”

Both types of irony activated parts of the brain responsible for recognizing the feelings and intentions of others.

But when the sarcasm was directed directly at Caitlin, the neural networks responsible for speech and sense of humor became more active. “It takes extra mental effort to recognize what the other person meant, why he said it, whether he was serious or joking,” the scientist notes.

Such exercises are useful. Li Huang, a psychologist at the INSEAD business school at Fontainebleau, and colleagues at Harvard and Columbia Universities have found that people become more creative when they express themselves sarcastically, hear sarcasm from others, or even recall previous comments.

One of her experiments involved solving the so-called candle problem. Participants were given a candle, matches, a box of nails and asked to come up with a way to fix the candle to the wall so that it would burn without the wax dripping onto the floor.

The correct answer was to pour out the nails, nail the box to the wall and place the candle in it.

Before that, half of the subjects were asked to recall some humorous conversation, and the other half – a serious one. In the first half, the number of correct answers exceeded 60%, while in the second half it was only 30%.

Image copyright, Getty Images

Image caption,

Parents are sometimes discouraged by the mockery of older children.

In addition, sarcasm helps fight frustration and stress. “It’s a way to let off steam,” says Katherine Rosermich of East Carolina University in Greenville, USA.

In a recent study, she found that during the Covid-19 pandemic, people began to resort to sarcasm more often, apparently as a compensation for depression and anxiety.

The main purpose of sarcasm lies in the linguistic sphere – to make statements brighter and more expressive. “Behind the veil of literal meaning lies hidden meaning,” says Penny Pexman.

Sarcasm serves as a gentle tease and softens criticism that might otherwise elicit a sharp rebuff.

All the studies mentioned above involved adults, not teenagers, but it can be assumed that teenagers experience the same feelings and also use sarcasm in difficult situations to cope with negative emotions.

Master the art of irony

Faced with the ironic, mocking tone of their offspring, parents often experience shock and helplessness. Sarcasm is associated with adult cynicism and means the end of their childish spontaneity dear to their hearts. Especially in cases where a teenager does not speak differently at all. It seems that your child is not capable of deep and sincere feelings.

But is it worth condemning the young? Let us assume that they practice using a subtle and useful tool in life. “They want to master this art because they see that people in everyday life often do not express themselves literally,” says Ruth Filik.

Penny Pexman agrees and, as we said, has opened special courses for children who have difficulty guessing hidden meanings.

She wrote the book “Sydney Becomes a Scourge” consisting of stories with examples of what sarcasm is and why it is used. In a recent experience, Pexman found that 5-6 year olds who read and discussed her stories were more likely to recognize implied mockery later on.

Sarcasm doesn’t have the best reputation, but we should appreciate its depth and complexity more. It is one of the main riches of the language. I say this without a hint of irony.

How to praise, but not overpraise a child. Advice for Parents

Things to Praise for

Do not sing praises just like that – there is no need to! However, there are some real reasons for praise when parental approval is needed:

· good behaviour;

good marks;

creative achievements;

sports achievements;

The solution to every challenge.

In the latter case, it is not so much about mathematics as about various life events. Has the child fixed a toy, repaired a dripping faucet with his father, cleaned the apartment with his mother, helped his grandmother, or did a common task that concerns the whole family, for example, walked the dog? All of this and more is to be commended!

Some children are not distinguished by obedience – parents have to make a lot of efforts to convince fidgets and real “non-rumors” to observe elementary norms of behavior. Praise can stimulate a child to good behavior.

High grades, various achievements in creativity and sports awards are definitely worth noting! True, praise should be tantamount to the effort expended. You should not arrange a family holiday because of the “five” in the Russian language. On the other hand, if this is an “excellent” grade for a quarter, which cost the child a lot of effort and painstaking work, then it is possible and necessary to praise a diligent student wholeheartedly!

How to praise correctly

Praise your child for specific actions! Children need to understand what the praise is for. The indefinite “well done” is not enough – specify the act or action.

Praising a small child is recommended to be accompanied by tactile actions, such as a hug or a kiss, which also go well together. Invest in warm words of emotion. A faceless duty phrase will be much less valuable to a child.

The performance of daily duties deserves minimal praise. If the student cleaned his desk, then it is not necessary to hug him for this with the whole family. Of course, there are exceptions, for example, for a 3-year-old kid, collecting scattered toys is a great achievement, which should be praised as a real champion.

For teenagers and older children, words are more important than hugs. Do not stroke the head of a high school student! Although, if we talk about significant achievements, for example, a high score for the Unified State Examination, then in this case hugs will be quite appropriate.

Never overpraise a child! Otherwise, the excessive delight of those around him with success will be perceived by him as the norm. Naturally, other people will not always praise the little “daffodil”. In the future, the lack of eulogies, odes and obsequious admiration will lead to the development of painful self-doubt.

Mistakes of parents

Many parents try to do the best, however, despite their efforts, they make the same mistakes. Here are some of the most common mistakes moms and dads make:

excessive praise for any reason;

comparison of the child with friends and other family members;

attempts to praise and criticize at the same time;

absence of emotions;

Rewarding only perfect results;

blatant flattery;

memory of past mistakes.

Praising a child too much and too often is a sure way to set the stage for a narcissistic disorder that is sure to appear in the future. However, reducing praise to a minimum is also not the best solution, contributing to the development of self-doubt.

Comparison with friends, brothers and sisters will inevitably lead to conflicts. Children will quarrel, the establishment of hostile relations will occur with a high probability.

Praising a child without emotions is worth it only for insignificant achievements. The lack of sincere joy among parents is a direct indicator of the insufficient significance of the event. The child will be very disappointed if he had to make a lot of effort to achieve a goal or complete a task that his parents underestimated.

Children have a good sense of lies. Refrain from outright flattery! In cases where a child recognizes pretense, it is pointless to praise – the whole effect of warm words, hugs and emotions will be reduced to zero.

When you decide to praise a child, do not mention embarrassing incidents and mistakes made in the past. In addition, you should refrain from combining criticism and encouragement – otherwise the praise will be completely leveled. If you want to praise, then do just that!

When and how to criticize

Sometimes the actions and deeds of children deserve criticism. The following are recommendations that will help parents guide their child on the right path:

· Make claims to the point;

Keep cool;

Speak in a calm and firm voice;

dialogue with your child;

exclude the presence of other people (with the exception of participants in the direct participants in the conflict, for example, a brother or sister, if talking about a domestic altercation)

Never resort to physical punishment and obscene language! Otherwise, you will not achieve anything, except for a damaged relationship.

The delinquent must understand why his parents criticized him. When talking with a child, in any case, do not go on a cry! Be aware of the need to have a dialogue and talk to him, and not just make complaints, as if your son or daughter is just a “dummy” who needs a good dose of criticism.

Avoid the presence of other people during the conversation. Practice shows that third parties will sooner or later engage in dialogue and interfere with the educational process.

Every parent should be a bit of an educator. Working with children also involves criticism – all children from time to time do things or actions that deserve blame. Criticism is essentially an integral part of the educational process.

Conclusion and nuances

Some children need to be praised regularly, others need to be praised a little less – it all depends on temperament and character. If the child belongs to the type of people with increased anxiety, then he should be criticized with the utmost care, while praising him on the contrary – as often as possible and for any reason.

Help! My baby will only sleep in my arms

“My six week old baby will only sleep in my arms, whenever I put him down, even when he has fallen asleep, he wakes almost immediately.”

I receive emails and facebook messages every single day from new mothers who are confused that they cannot simply pop a newborn down to sleep. Of course it’s stressful to be ‘the one’ who is holding your baby most of the day but it’s even more stressful to wonder, am I doing something ‘wrong’? Or to worry, am I creating ‘bad habits’?

It may help to know you are not alone and that it is very normal for newborns to want to be held against your warm body, close to your comforting heartbeat – in fact, many experts call this the ‘fourth trimester’ . What this means is that human babies are born immature so they really need some extra time to adapt to being ‘on the outside’ while their little bodies and nervous systems develop some more. This isn’t a time for ‘training’ or ‘teaching’ your baby to ‘self-settle’ or to worry about whether you are making the proverbial ‘rod for your back’ but a time for getting to know your baby and helping him feel secure outside the safe womb world.

Just for a moment, put yourself in your baby’s bootees and consider how overwhelming the physical and sensory changes must be for your newborn: imagine yourself soaking in a warm bath by candlelight, listening to the sounds of hushed voices drifting from another room or soft music playing in the distance. Now imagine standing on a buy street corner in the middle of winter, with the headlights of a car shining in your face and loud traffic noise all around you.

In the watery world of the womb, your baby was weightless and warm, he was comforted by the rhythm of your heartbeat and the gentle rocking motion of his “mother home” as his body was gently massaged by the uterine wall and contained by the boundaries of your own body. Now, from this dark warm world of muffled sounds, the newborn must get used to new sensations: air moving across his skin and into his lungs, lights, direct sounds, smells and stillness.

Another thing that makes it difficult for your newborn to fall asleep without help is that for the first few months, your baby will enter sleep from an active sleep phase, he will also have a strong ‘startle’ reflex that will wake him as his tiny body jerks and his arms flail uncontrollably. So, it’s perfectly fine to cuddle, rock or breastfeed your baby to sleep – you can make changes gradually as your baby grows or whenever this becomes unsustainable. And if you want to put your baby down when he has dozed off, one tip is to hold your him until he is in a deeper phase of sleep before you pop him down – when his arm flops it’s a good sign that he is in a deep sleep.

Looking for gentle, respectful ways to help your baby (and you) sleep without compromising breastfeeding or the beautiful bond between you and your little one? See my book Sleeping Like a Baby (it’s available on Audible too, if you don’t have time to read). You can download the first chapter FREE HERE.

Instead of worrying about what you are doing ‘wrong’ because your baby needs to be helped to sleep, you can ditch the pressure and remind yourself that ‘this too shall pass’. It will, all too soon and you may even miss those delicious newborn cuddles. Soon, when you feel your baby may be ready to settle in a cot you can snuggle him until he is relaxed then give him the opportunity to snooze by himself. For now, when you feel ‘all touched out’ call for help.

Hand your baby to a partner, friend or willing family member – you are not imposing, most people love baby cuddles. And try not to feel offended if your baby settles more easily in another pair of arms – it is probably just because he can’t smell your milk!

Meanwhile, by offering what I call ‘womb service’, you can help your baby adapt to being ‘on the outside’.

Womb Service:

Womb service involves recreating the sensations your baby experienced while he was safely carried inside you. To help you remember the important aspects, I have called these the five Ws:

• Warmth
• Wrapping
• Wearing your baby
• Water
• Womb sounds

Warmth

Inside your body, your baby didn’t experience cool air blowing on his tiny body or entering his lungs and these new sensations can be quite disturbing. So, at first, warm the space where you are going to be with your baby (16–20˚C will be a comfortable room temperature for your baby), and take care not to have fans or air-conditioners blowing directly onto him in warmer weather. If you are popping him into a cradle to sleep, he will be more comfortable (and likely to sleep better) lying on sheets that have been warmed slightly. You do need to take care not to overheat your baby, but you can warm his sheets slightly with a heat-pack before you place him into bed – test the sheets with your forearm to make sure they aren’t hot.

Wrapping

Just as your newborn was tucked snugly inside your body, supported by the uterine wall, you can provide a sense of security by swaddling him. With his limbs tucked securely against his body, just as they were in the womb, this will help your baby feel safe as well as inhibiting the newborn reflex known as the ‘startle reflex’, this is a primitive survival response that produces spontaneous, jerky movements and can be disturbing for your baby, literally.

Wearing your baby

Inside your womb, your baby was lulled to sleep by your body movements as you went about your daily work. Now, the motion of being carried in a wrap or carrier against your moving body and your comforting heartbeat, as he breathes the familiar scent of your body, will help your baby feel safe. This feeling of familiarity will reduce stress hormones and help your baby relax – and a more relaxed baby will sleep more easily. Wearing your baby may have a balancing effect on his irregular rhythms of waking and sleeping, and is also thought to help him regulate his developing nervous and hormonal system, promoting day waking and night sleeping. Best of all, if your baby falls asleep in the sling, you will have two hands free to do a few chores, or you can go out and enjoy a walk.

Water

Help your baby recall his watery womb world by taking a bath together. Remember that in your womb, your baby was confined, not floating all stretched out, and his womb world was gently bathed in filtered light. By dimming the lights or bathing by candlelight with your newborn, you will help her recall the safety of her womb world and you will be able to hold her close and support her as she gradually relaxes and ‘uncurls’ her limbs.   Bathing together is especially helpful if bonding has been interrupted by early separation or a difficult birth or feeding experience. It can also be lovely bonding time for father and baby.

Womb sounds

The calming, repetitive sounds of traditional lullabies recall the ‘womb music’ your baby heard before birth (your heartbeat, and fluids whooshing through the placenta). If you are feeling anxious or stressed, try humming, it will slow your breathing and help you relax so your energy will be more calming for your baby too. Baby music that incorporates elements such as the rhythm of a heartbeat or ‘white noise’ can have remarkable soothing effects, especially if played continuously through the night. Of course, your own singing voice is transportable ‘music’ that your baby is familiar with (he has been listening to your voice since before he was born) and it will help induce calm and sleepiness just as well as any commercial music –even if you don’t have a fabulous voice!

Pinky McKay is Australia’s most recognised and respected Breastfeeding and gentle parenting expert. She’s an Internationally Certified Lactation Consultant (IBCLC), mum of five and best-selling author of the newly revised and updated Sleeping Like a Baby,.

Dr. Harvey Karp’s Effective, Preventative Approach – Happiest Baby

By
Dr. Harvey Karp, MD, FAAP

On This Page

• What is the 3- to 4-month sleep regression?
• Signs Your Baby Is Going Through a Sleep Regression
• Why Babies Go Through the 3- to 4-Month Sleep Regression
• How to Handle the 3- to 4-Month Sleep Regression
• How SNOO Can Prevent Sleep Regressions

The 3- to 4-month sleep regression confounds and frustrates so many parents. But with these preventative tips, you don’t have to be one of them!

What is the 3- to 4-month sleep regression?

There’s a point in every parent’s journey when your little baby starts to sleep better…and you’re so relieved and so happy. But then…a bump in the road! Seemingly overnight your 3- or 4-month-old baby’s sleep patterns change for the worse. Why? When babies reach between 3 and 4 months old, their sleep cycles shift and their development is simply blooming, which can temporarily hinder sleep.

If your little one used to be a stellar sleeper and now—suddenly—they are not, sleep regression might be to blame. Sleep regression signs include:

• Worsening sleep
• Multiple night wakings
• Less napping
• More fussiness
• Appetite changes

Why do babies experience the 3- to 4-month sleep regression?

What’s changed? Your little blob of a newborn is now a 3- or 4-month-old social butterfly. They fall into a light sleep and wake up…bored! It’s too quiet and too still for your sweet pea. Your company-loving 4-month-old will wake up and think, “Hey you! Come back! I want to play!” But your baby’s new-found social tendencies aren’t the only thing contributing to the 3- to 4-month sleep regression. Your baby may also be…

• Learning to roll over. When that happens, you have to stop swaddling, which may mean your baby cries and wakes more often. (Of note: If your baby is sleeping in SNOO, they can remain safely swaddled until they graduate to the crib.)

• Experiencing a growth spurt. And man, will they be hungry!

• Teething or dealing with a cold. These types of mild discomforts can easily disrupt a baby’s sleep.

• More sensitive to temperature or light. As babies become more aware of the big world around them, new sensitivities can arise.

How to Handle the 3- to 4-Month Sleep Regression:

Most parents are blindsided by the 3- to 4-month sleep regression and don’t know what to do. But if you learn to establish healthy sleep habits, you may be able to steer clear of most, if not all, of it. Here are more time-tested strategies for helping to avoid—and cope with—the 3- to 4-month sleep regression:

• Continue to swaddle if you can. Swaddling babies safely helps bring on the ZZZs. Being swaddled is a similar experience to being carried in a sling, cuddled skin to skin, and being in the womb. The soft, snug caress of a swaddle can soothe babies for hours! (If your baby is rolling, swaddling needs to stop unless your baby is sleeping in SNOO. In that case, they can remain safely swaddled up to 6 months while in the bassinet.)

• Tune into Baby’s wake windows. Having a sense of how long your baby can (and should) be comfortably awake between sleeps is key to having a well-rested and happy baby. Learn how to recognize your baby’s sleepytime cues and how to pinpoint their wake windows with our wake windows guide.

• Turn on white noise. Although your baby’s natural calming reflex begins to fade around 3 to 4 months old, white noise continues to help with sleep. While white noise used to flip on baby’s inborn “on switch” for sleep, now the sleepy reaction comes from habit. Once you start using white noise in the background of baby’s bedtime routine, they’ll start to expect it and make the connection that white noise means sleepytime is here.

• Try using sound with rocking. Using the right types of motion and sound can help your baby gently slide into the light sleep part of their sleep cycle without being easily roused. Since baby’s should never sleep in a baby swing, the only safe alternative is rocking your baby all night long in your arms (not feasible!) or using SNOO. SNOO ensures babies can rock all night without the risk of dangerous rolling. (Learn all about how rocking bassinets help babies sleep.)

• Encourage more daytime eating. You can start to anticipate (and decrease) nighttime hunger by encouraging your baby to eat a little more during daytime feeds. It also may be smart to introduce a dream feed between 10pm and midnight. (This is when you rouse your baby without fully waking them to feed one more time before you go to bed. Sneaking in an extra feed has been shown to reduce night wakings.)

• Get outside. Fit in plenty of outdoor time, complete with fresh air and (safe!) sunlight exposure will help your little one recognize the difference between day and night. Morning light especially helps your baby’s brain release melatonin, a hormone that regulates sleep and wakefulness, at the right time for night-night.

• Keep Baby’s room dark. A dark room does a great job at encouraging sleep. Plus, if your baby wakes too soon, the darkness works to help you baby fall back asleep.

• Help your baby self-soothe. If you haven’t already, I suggest introducing your baby to my wake-and-sleep trick. Every bedtime, swaddle your baby, turn on the white noise, feed and burp them, and if your baby falls asleep in your arms before you lay them down in their bassinet, gently rouse them with a light tickle on their feet until they barely wake. After a few seconds, they’ll close their eyes and slide back to sleep. (If your baby fusses, pick them up for a feed or a cuddle, then repeat the tickle-to-wake routine.) Those few seconds of drowsy wake-time are the first steps to helping your baby learn how to self-soothe and sleep longer.

How SNOO Can Help Prevent The 3- to 4-Month Sleep Regression

Happiest Baby’s SNOO Smart Sleeper is a big help and parents’ best tool for preventing the 3- to 4-month sleep regression. SNOO teaches babies to be better sleepers by improving their day/night sleep pattern from day one and by using the rhythms they’re naturally familiar from the womb. (SNOO’s rocking, white noise, and swaddling are all part of the 5 S’s for soothing babies.) At the same time, SNOO quickly responds to your baby’s fussing before they fully wake up, which greatly contributes to everyone sleeping better. And because of SNOO’s patented swaddling system that prevents dangerous rolling, SNOO babies can remain swaddled longer worry-free. (Traditional swaddling must stop when Baby can roll.)

SNOO is so effective, in fact, that SNOO babies can often sidestep the dreaded 3- to 4-month sleep regression entirely! But even if your baby does go through the 3- to 4-month sleep regression in SNOO, you can easily help your little one by adjusting SNOO’s settings and “locking” SNOO at a higher level to promote sleep all night long. Just like you would rock and hold your baby more vigorously when they’re going through a hard time, leveling SNOO up similarly “ups the ante.” Because you can so easily customize SNOO, I like to think of it as a “spot cure” during any stint of wakefulness (a growth spurt, a cold), giving babies the extra soothing they need so that when they stir, they don’t wake up all the way.

For more help getting your baby to go to sleep—and stay asleep— check out:

• What to Do When Your Baby Wakes Up Every Hour
• How to Sleep Train Your Baby
• The Baby Sleep Advice All Parents Need
• Sleep Cues to Help Baby Sleep Longer

About Dr. Harvey Karp

Dr. Harvey Karp, one of America’s most trusted pediatricians, is the founder of Happiest Baby and the inventor of the groundbreaking SNOO Smart Sleeper. After years of treating patients in Los Angeles, Dr. Karp vaulted to global prominence with the release of the bestselling Happiest Baby on the Block and Happiest Toddler on the Block. His celebrated books and videos have since become standard pediatric practice, translated into more than 20 languages and have helped millions of parents. Dr. Karp’s landmark methods, including the 5 S’s for soothing babies, guide parents to understand and nurture their children and relieve stressful issues, like new-parent exhaustion, infant crying, and toddler tantrums.

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help! Connect with us at [email protected].

Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or
condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or
yourself, please contact your health provider.

How to wean a child from sleeping in arms

What to do if the child sleeps only in his arms? How to wean a child from this habit? How to transfer the baby to the crib? Is sleeping in your arms always a bad habit, how can a baby be taught to sleep in a crib, and how does sleeping in a crib affect the quality of sleep for all family members? In this article, we offer you to deal with these issues.

A baby has appeared in the house. A young family prepares for this bright event in advance – they buy a “dowry” – baby diapers, toys, pacifiers, a stroller, and, of course, a crib. A loving mother tries to create comfort in the “nest” of the crumbs, so she equips the cradle – she selects beautiful bed linen, bumpers and the cutest mobiles. nine0003

And here is the first night at home. Mom wants to put the sleeping baby in his cozy bed, but as soon as she brings the baby to her, he wakes up and starts crying. Mom calms him down, breastfeeds him, cradles him again, and makes a second attempt. This attempt ends the same – only now the baby is crying even longer and even harder. Then mom calls dad for help. Dad walks around the room for a long, long time with a tired baby, shaking him. Finally, the baby fell asleep. Whispering, the parents, barely breathing, carefully try to shift the child to sleep in the crib. And now, almost succeeded! But as soon as dad removes his hand from the crib, crying is heard. nine0003

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              —

The next day, young parents make a new attempt to teach their child to sleep in their beautiful bed. But all the numerous shifts end in the same thing – the crying of the baby and his instant awakening after he is placed in his crib.

On the third day, the mother does not even attempt to put the baby to bed: “the child does not like the crib”, “no matter what I do, it’s useless.” nine0003

After some time, the crib is filled with clothes, some baby things, and then it is completely removed to another room as unnecessary.

Parents have concluded that the crib must not be suitable. Since the baby does not want to sleep in it so much, we decided to wait until the moment when the child is ready for it. That’s when it will be possible to make a second attempt to accustom the child to sleep in the crib, and not just in the parent’s or in the arms. Common situation

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How to get rid of bad sleep habits?

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Sleep only in your arms?

What to do if the baby does not agree to sleep in the crib and sleeps only in his arms, and at what age can you start sleeping differently?

A child is born completely dependent on his mother and not at all adapted to life in this world, he still needs his mother’s help in everything. This also applies to sleep issues. nine0003

In order to help the baby fall asleep, the best thing a mother can do is to reproduce the “uterine conditions”, those conditions in which the baby was very recently. To do this, the mother can:

• swaddle the baby, that is, create a little tightness,
• cuddle up, picking up
• shush or turn on white noise
• shake

After all, before the baby was in just such conditions: constant movement, subdued light, tightness, noise. And it is precisely such conditions that associatively will help him calm down. Therefore, falling asleep and sleeping a child in her arms for up to 3-4 months is quite acceptable, while the so-called fourth trimester of “wearing out” continues. nine0003

The most important thing for parents in the period up to three months is to equip the baby’s sleeping place safely!

A safe place to sleep.

A safe place for a baby to sleep is a place where the baby cannot suffocate, burying his nose in soft bedding, where there is a fairly firm mattress and the complete absence of any unnecessary objects. After all, the crib should be associated with sleep, and not with games.

A safe bed is an empty bed! nine0003

• Cot without soft bumpers, pillows and blanket.
• Instead of a blanket, it is better to use a sleeping bag.
• Hard mattress
• No toys
• Location of the crib: not by the window and the radiator, but close to the parent.

The position of the crib is the very moment from which you need to teach your child to get used to the crib. Up to the age of 6 months, the baby will fit a crib placed close to the parent without a side. Thus, on the one hand, the mother and the baby will have a single space, but on the other hand, the child will still be in his safe territory. nine0003

How to transfer the baby to the crib?

But how do you put a baby in a crib if he wakes up immediately when you put him out of your arms?

– Until the age of 3-4 months, the baby still needs the help of the mother when falling asleep, so falling asleep in the arms at this age is normal.

– It is better to shift the baby in a diaper or in a diaper-carrier with handles. Thus, it will be easier for the baby not to feel the temperature difference between the hand and the crib.

– Use “white noise” to fall asleep

– By the end of motion sickness, try to make your movements as smooth, calm, close to a static position as possible so that it is easier for the baby to get used to the static position of the crib.

– Do not transfer the baby from your arms immediately, wait until the breathing becomes deeper

– Stay close to the baby and the crib at the time of sleep, shush, sing a song softly, touch your baby. This is important because the presence of mom is very calming. nine0003

Gradually help your baby learn the skill of falling asleep on his own

Some distance from the mother when the baby sleeps in the crib is one of the causes of restless sleep in the crib, and if you let the baby feel the mother’s presence, his sleep will be calmer.

– Starting from 5-6 months, the baby can be taught to fall asleep on his own, reducing his help. One of the highlights of sleep training is sleeping in a crib. In order for the child to sleep peacefully in the crib, after mom or dad put him there, he must see and “be aware” of the place in which he ended up. In this case, awakening will not cause anxiety (“where am I?”), And the child will have much more opportunities to fall asleep without active mother’s help. nine0003

– The baby sleeps only in his arms, because he simply does not know that it is possible to fall asleep otherwise. The task of parents is to gently and carefully give the baby a new experience of falling asleep.

– The expression “The child does not like the crib” is not a correct statement. Toddlers in general are very conservative and “love” what they are accustomed to and familiar with. If a child is used to sleeping in his arms, he will love to sleep like that. If his parents helped him get used to not sleeping in his arms, but in a crib, he will love the crib, and not sleep in his arms. nine0003

– The most important moment in teaching a baby in a crib is the attitude of parents to the sequence of their actions. Consistency is their predictability and repetition from day to day. If parents act differently, it is much more difficult for the baby to understand what they want from him.

And the most important thing in the mood of parents is their inner peace, which is undoubtedly transmitted to the baby, helping him to sleep peacefully.

Frequent Awakenings Melatonin Cortisol Signs of Fatigue 9Ol000 ,5–3 years

Article author

BabySleep 9 team0003

BabySleep team

Sleep consultants, doctors, psychologists, breastfeeding consultants

Your baby sleeps little during the day or hardly falls asleep during the day, and you constantly ask yourself: why does the baby not sleep during the day? Is a good day’s sleep really necessary?

Learn how much sleep your baby should have, why naps are important, and how to put your baby to bed during the day in our Baby Sleep series.

Child’s crisis calendar

Does a child need daytime sleep? nine0149

Regular daytime sleep can be useful not only for the baby, but also for the mother, because it is important for her to have a lot of energy all day long.

Studies [1, 2] show that a child’s daytime sleep allows him to maintain a good mood throughout the day and sleep better at night – this is what all parents dream of! If for some reason the baby does not fall asleep during the day, usually his mood deteriorates, he can constantly be capricious, and his nighttime sleep can also worsen. The advice “sleep less during the day to sleep longer at night” most often does not work with young children. nine0003

Also, scientists found that the lack of daytime sleep in children aged 2.5–3 years reduced the ability to concentrate and solve complex problems [3].

Establishing a daytime sleep of an infant, from an early age you form healthy sleep habits in him, contribute to his development and help maintain a good mood during the entire time of wakefulness.

How much daytime sleep does a baby need?

As with adults, the rate of sleep in children is individual: some need more time to rest, some less. nine0003

Many mothers worry that a newborn does not sleep well during the day (the World Health Organization calls a newborn a child in the first 28 days after birth). But in the first three months, the baby both eats and sleeps “on demand”, and it is almost impossible to talk about a clear daily sleep schedule at this age.

It is much more important to try to make the newborn feel the difference between day and night, and not to allow too long daytime naps (more than 3-4 hours between daytime feedings). This helps to form the biological rhythms of sleep and wakefulness of the baby. nine0003

After three months, wakefulness gradually increases to 2–3 hours or more, and children gradually move on to three and then two naps. Usually a schedule is set up that includes morning, afternoon and evening naps.

It is important to remember that sleeping too late in the evening often leads to difficulty falling asleep at night.

Between 6 and 12 months, a baby usually needs two naps: morning and afternoon. Daytime sleep can last from 30 minutes to 2 hours – depending on how tired the baby is. nine0003

At 1 year of age, daytime sleep gradually decreases. Closer to a year and a half, most children need only one daytime nap to get a good rest.

After two years, many parents are faced with the fact that the child protests against daytime sleep. Indeed, between the ages of two and five years, the need for daytime sleep gradually decreases, and children begin to stay awake all day.

Causes of a baby’s poor daytime sleep

Does your baby seem to not want to sleep at all during the day? This problem may not seem as important as poor sleep at night, but it is still a concern for parents. By understanding the reasons for the difficulties with daytime sleep, you can come up with the right bedtime ritual and use it to always (or almost always) put your baby to bed during the day. nine0003

A healthy, well-fed baby who has just had a diaper changed may refuse to sleep during the day for the following reasons: It may seem strange to you, but the “window to sleep” – the period of time when the baby can quickly fall asleep – is very small. If you skip it, the child will have a “second wind”, he will refuse sleep, and it will be very difficult to put him down.

If your one-month-old baby does not sleep well during the day, first of all check if he is overtired and if his wake time is age-appropriate.

Overexcitation

Babies are very interested in everything that happens around them. Therefore, if they are busy playing just before going to bed, it is very difficult for them to stop, calm down and fall asleep. Switch the child to calm relaxing activities in advance – and it will be much easier for you to put him to bed.

Unfamiliar environment

A one-month-old baby may not sleep well during the day if you try to put him to bed where he is distracted by sounds, lights and unusual surroundings. In such conditions, it is difficult for the child to calm down and fall asleep.

Inability to fall asleep on their own

If the baby is not yet able to fall asleep on his own, it is difficult for him to fall asleep without help.

Features of age

There are periods when daytime (and often nighttime) sleep worsens for objective reasons related to the stage of development of the child. nine0003

Thus, the main reason for “bad” (or rather, not meeting optimistic expectations) sleep in newborns is their lack of a circadian rhythm; the concepts of daytime and nighttime sleep are not yet applicable to them. Therefore, in the newborn period, the baby can sleep for longer periods during the day, and at the same time, unfortunately, sleep less at night.

The second wave of age-related sleep problems usually occurs around 3-4 months, during the 4-month sleep regression associated with a change in the child’s sleep structure. nine0003

The next major sleep regression often occurs around 8 months. Why it happens? For a variety of reasons, including the peak of separation anxiety, the next leap of development, the reset of the third dream.

Any developmental leap can worsen the sleep of a small child. Only in the first year of life there are eight of them!

Each reset of one of the daydreams can also lead to temporary difficulties. Usually, the fewer dreams left, the more troublesome the transition period is. Especially many questions are raised by parents when switching to one daytime sleep. nine0003

Physical discomfort

Hunger, thirst, uncomfortable clothing, a wet diaper, too tight swaddling, an uncomfortable mattress can all interfere with sleep. Lightly sleeping babies can be awakened by sounds. Sleep problems also create colic, teething, allergies, any illness or discomfort, even the common cold.

How can I help my child get better sleep during the day?

So you know that a child needs a good day’s sleep. We studied the norms of sleep from a newborn to older children. And realized that so far your baby hasn’t slept enough. It’s time to change the situation! nine0003

Learn to recognize the signs of fatigue

Babies go from active wakefulness to fatigue very quickly. Their “window to sleep” is very small. Therefore, it is important to learn to recognize the very first signs of fatigue and lay down on time. If you start too early, the baby will not fall asleep, because he is not tired. But it is worth delaying – and he is already overtired, overexcited (children are excited from fatigue) and cannot calm down.

Set approximately the same time for sleep

Try to organize your day in such a way that every day sleep starts at approximately the same time. With newborns, this is hardly possible, but after 3-4 months, you can start to go in this direction.

Remember that the baby’s regimen must be flexible. Follow your natural rhythms, pay attention to the peaks and troughs of your activity, and try to build your sleep patterns around them. When the rhythm of sleep and wakefulness becomes predictable, the baby will be easier to calm down and fit. nine0003

Help to calm down

To set your baby to sleep, be sure to spend some time before going to bed in a calm environment. Sing a lullaby, flip through or read a book, or just hug your baby and hold him in your arms. Whatever you do, it is important to create a calm atmosphere in which the baby will relax. The less he is distracted, the better he will tune in to sleep.

After the age of one year, it is necessary to lay on a calm wakefulness before going to bed for more time, return from a walk in advance, feed the child while he is not overtired. nine0003

Help them learn that they sleep in a crib

Toddlers associate where they are with what they do there. So if your little one doesn’t want to fall asleep for a nap in the stroller, try putting him down where he sleeps at night. This will help him understand that it’s time to rest.

It is advisable to avoid violent games in the place where you sleep. Let the baby know that here he only spends a pleasant, quiet time with his mother before going to bed, falls asleep and sleeps.

Create favorable conditions for sleep

It is important that the room has the most comfortable conditions for sleeping. It is much easier to fall asleep and sleep in silence, darkness and a calm environment.

Learn to fall asleep on your own

Often the easiest way for a mother is to rock her baby to sleep or let him fall asleep on her chest. But then he will not be able to learn to calm down and sleep on his own. Newborns almost always need help falling asleep. But even he can sometimes be put in a crib ready to fall asleep, but not yet sleeping, and given the opportunity to fall asleep himself. Gradually, the baby will need less and less help to calm down, and by six months he will be able to learn to fall asleep on his own. nine0003

Follow these rules, show perseverance and patience, and daytime sleep will definitely get better! And you will notice that the baby’s mood has improved, sleep, both daytime and nighttime, has become calmer, and the number of awakenings has decreased.

If you need help, BabySleep’s sleep consultants will answer any of your questions in a one-on-one consultation.

Sources:


[1] BERGER, R.H., MILLER, A.L., SEIFER, R., CARES, S.R. and LEBOURGEOIS, M.K. (2012), Acute sleep restriction effects on emotion responses in 30- to 36-month-old children. Journal of Sleep Research, 21: 235-246. >https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/j.1365-2869.2011.00962.x


[2] Hall, W.A., Scher, A., Zaidman-Zait, A., Espezel, H. and Warnock, F. (2012), A community-based study of sleep and behavior problems in 12- to 36-month- old children. Child: Care, Health and Development, 38: 379-389. https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1111/j.1365-2214.2011.01252.x


[3] Miller, A.L., Seifer, R., Crossin, R. and Lebourgeois, M.K. (2015), Toddler’s self-regulation strategies in a challenge context are nap-dependent.