Month: May 2019

all, Parenting

Annoying Kid Obsessions

schmidtkathryn

Heres the story, there was a toddler we’ll call her Sam. Sam loved gold fish so much, thats all she ate for months.  Ok she did eat some other things but not many things. Her mom and dad tried everything to get her to eat something different, and to no avail she wouldn’t. When Sam saw her pediatrician, he said its ok! He said just keep trying those other foods, she’ll come around. Whats funny is,  she was only a week away from being food adventurous again!

Kids will always have some form of obsession and they will out grow it!

These are the top 5 kid obsessions:

  • Food obsessions – Favorites they will only eat, or foods they once loved and now decide they hate
  • Videos – Kids watch their favorite movie over and over again! Because of this they can quote it verbatim. Which drives you bonkers and now you can quote it too!
  • Toys – They will want and have their FAVORITE toy, and beg you for it left and right then just when you get used to it, it changes.
  • Flash lights – They want them for bed every night. Im tired of changing out batteries. This is one I can’t wait for mine to out grow!
  • Repeating words – Toddlers are so smart, they hear you talking to them and other people, even when you don’t think they are listening. Around toddlers you MUST watch your mouth! They get into this faze of repeating everything! Some how they know when to be the most embarrassing.

What were some of your kids obsessions? What was the one thing you couldn’t wait for them to out grow?

~ Katy Schmidt                                                                                                                                 The Nurturing Doula, LLC                                                                                                          Birth Doula, CPST and CBE                                                                                                           805-791-8325                                                                                     www.thenurturingdoula.com                                            thenurturingdoula@hotmail.com

all, Parenting

We only live once, enjoy it!

schmidtkathryn

Life is short!

 

Remember the little moments, for those are the moments that seem the biggest as we get older.

When:

  • Your little one smiles up at you just after a feeding then falls asleep, take a mental picture. Remember this mental picture when you are having a tough moment with your tiny baby.
  • You ask your kids to do something and they do it right away. Remember to praise them, they will happen more and more if you praise them.
  • Your toddler who is learning to talk says something you’ve been trying to get them to say for days/weeks. Remember this moment when your three-nager starts sassing you.
  • Your child comes home from school to share with you they learned the pledge of allegiance and they recite the whole thing to you. Remember this moment when they doubt their self worth.

These little moments you will remember the most.

  • Your teen is going from elementary school to middle school they are going from a sweet elementary kid to a middle schooler who thinks they know everything
  • Your child meets their one true love who they want to marry, they introduce them to you. You look at your child with the eyes of a new parent, you feel like you just blinked and then they’re off living their own life. Making their own family and you couldn’t be prouder!

These are the moments will shine into y

our brain and heart forever.

  • Your spouse comes home form deployment and looks at your children with a blessed heart. This moment needs to be remembered and maybe even documented just in case they deploy again. 
  • Your parents are getting older, you celebrate mothers day/ fathers day with them. Enjoy when they want to reminisce about when you were young or when they were young, even if its a story you already heard. There will be a day when they aren’t there anymore, You’ll look back and remember those little moments.  

If you can, document these little moments.

These are the moments that last a lifetime. Life is short, eat the cake, buy the shoes, take lots of pictures!

Take care of your self and your family. Enjoy those moments.

~ Katy Schmidt                                                                                                                                 The Nurturing Doula, LLC                                                                                                          Birth Doula, CPST and CBE                                                                                                           805-791-8325                                                                                     http://www.thenurturingdoula.com                                            thenurturingdoula@hotmail.com

all, Parenting

Easier Shopping with Kids

schmidtkathryn

Whether they are babies, toddlers, preschoolers or school aged children, shopping with them can be challenging.

Here are a few things to make each stage easier:

Babies:

  • Take them directly after a feeding if possible. Who knows maybe they’ll nap!
  • Make your list at home during nap time, so you can focus on what you need
  • Schedule your groceries to be picked up or even delivered. Sure having them picked up or delivered is fine most of the time, but when your babies are little the more you force yourself to go out the easier it will be.
  • For the first few weeks if you need groceries have someone else get them. Delivering a baby is hard on your whole body.
  • I found baby carriers can make shopping a little easier
  • Remember infant carrier carseats are safer in the basket not on top where smaller children sit.

Toddlers:

  • Bring snacks, no really bring snacks with an extra ziplock for the snacks they drop on the floor
  • Bring a few toys for distracting also get your hands on some of these rings if you don’t have them yet.
  • Make your list at home
  • Get cup strap which works on soppy cups, bottles, and some toys, for those moments when your little one wants to throw their cup.
  • If you have a lengthy list try to take some breaks, bonus points to the stores with fish! Kids love fish.
  • If you have a “helpful” toddler encourage them to grab something off the shelf and “put” it in the cart.

Preschoolers:

  • Preschoolers (most) like to be independent and not ride in the cart, which means chasing them down when they decide to run. When I first encountered my own runner, I took the time to teach him why we couldn’t just run off from mom.
  • Bring snacks, no really bring snacks with an extra ziplock for the snacks they drop on the floor
  • Make your list at home
  • Try to teach them about the produce you are picking out even if its just practicing how to say it
  • Have them count items you are buying more than one of
  • Read a few things off of your list to them before heading in, have them grab those items.

 

School aged:

  • This is the perfect age to teach them how to pick produce, how to watch out for the dented cans and check expiration dates on the dairy.
  • Have your child help you make your list at home.
  • Depending on the age, have them read the list to you
  • Try a new food with them, this will encourage them to be more adventurous with their food.
  • As they become older challenge them to find the best price on an item, remember the whole grocery list, or even pick all of the ingredients for a meal.

 

From the moment they were born they have craved knowledge.

They need to spread their wings and learn with their whole body. Shopping with children won’t always be terrible. If  you only have a baby now and its currently easy to shop with your little one, it may continue to be easy or it could get harder. With every age know that there can be a melt down. Its how you handle it that makes a difference.

When your little one is having a melt down and someone, like me, stops and says: I’ve been there and it gets better know that they mean it!

It takes a village to raise kids, really it does! Lastly on rare occasions you find someone who stops and tries to distract your little one briefly. They see you on the brink of a melt down yourself and they speak to your child with a kind soft voice.

I have been on both ends of this spectrum. When I encounter this situation I do not get too close to the child as that may seem life threatening. I try to talk to the kiddo who is most likely at check out with his/her parent and district them with “hey thats a cool shirt or toy!” Sometimes its the little things that help other moms out. Happy shopping!

~ The Nurturing Doula, LLC

    Katy Schmidt

    805-791-8325

    http://www.thenurturingdoula.com

    thenurturingdoula@hotmail.com

 

Uncategorized

You are a great mom!

schmidtkathryn

You are NOT a terrible mother. 

Motherhood takes out every last spec of patience. Motherhood gives you these moments where you can loose your mind or go with the flow. Motherhood is when they are so terrible that day like little demons and then they go to bed only to look like sweet angels. You aren’t failing them, when you loose your patience. 

You aren’t failing them when you just need a break, or to go to the restroom by yourself.

You are NOT failing them when you leave them for hours with a sitter to go pamper yourself. You are showing your child, self love is important. You are giving your mind and soul a reboot. A good mom looses her patience and returns with a hug or your own type of affection. A good mom, finds that little doubt in her body that maybe she lost her mind a little to much on a kid. A good mom feeds her kids, clothes her kids, and loves her kids.

See the moments…. be in them…….don’t fight the fun moments.

 I remember looking back on my childhood, remembering my mom teaching me how to cook, bake and sew. I remember my mom letting the messes happen in the moment. Im sure she was stressed about the mess, but I sure don’t remember it. She lived in the moments with us kids. Her smile was and still is infectious. Our moms are our world! 

Don’t beat yourself up

When you know you need a break take it, even just a minute or two. Don’t let guilt sink in, remind yourself its ok to take care of you. If you don’t take care of your needs you will run out of steam to take care of your family. When you need someone to remind you, you are on the right track, get ahold of me. Im a great hype “man”. I believe in you! You are a great mom!!!

Look at yourself in the mirror and tell yourself, you ARE a wonderful mom! 

Be kind to yourself! If you are expecting and want a hype “man” on your birth team contact me.

– Katy Schmidt

The Nurturing Doula, LLC

805-791-8325

http://www.thenurturingdoula.com

thenurturingdoula@hotmail.com