Contrary to what you might think, weekends are not cursed! There is a valid explanation for the weekend-naptime-horrors…

Overstimulation

Weekends are always filled with so much more activity; there are new faces of friends and family, the TV is on for longer, the baby’s older siblings are at home instead of at school. No wonder small children become overstimulated during the weekend.

A disrupted routine

If your child is in day-care or at school, chances are that the routine you follow at home is not the same that they follow at school. Also, our social calendars and our long “to-do-lists” over the weekend means that our children do not eat or sleep or play when they usually would.

Daddy is home!

In households where dads tend to work long hours and spend limited time with the children during the week, the excitement of having dad home and spending time with him, makes children even less fond of sleep time.

What can be done to keep your sanity?

Stick to your routine as much as possible. If your routine during the week includes having lunch, and then putting the baby down for a nap, make sure that over weekends you keep to the same routine.

1. Limit sweets and sugar! Too much caffeine and sugar is the main culprit over weekends. Stick to serving healthy meals as much as possible and if it is “treat” day, try and incorporate the treat earlier in the afternoon, before 4pm.
2. Be attentive to your child’s age appropriate awake time. Do not keep your child awake for longer than usual.
3. Plan your trips as far as you can around your little one’s sleep time
4. Ensure that there is no TV at least two hours before bed time.
5. Be consistent. Don’t let your child stay up later just because you have friends over.
6. Make sure your children spend enough time running around and playing outside, as well as getting exposure to natural daylight. Often, parents with a busy weekend tend to have their children’s eyes fixed on some type of screen, or stuck in the confined space of a shopping trolley or stroller.

If all else fails, remember that no matter what you do, Monday will come around soon enough, and things will get back to normal soon.

About the Author: Good Night is a child and baby sleep consultancy that specialises in helping parents with children who struggle to sleep soundly. For more information, visit: www.goodnightbaby.co.za

The post Why sleep can be a struggle over weekends appeared first on All4Baby.

But, while these videos illustrate the love of a mom, they tend to leave out the day-to-day mom fails; like how moms teach kids to swear, use their kids to get out of social obligations and lie to their kids (albeit for their own good).

Much to our amusement, there is now a video that does just that!

Thanks mom, for everything that you do (and we mean everything).

The post Video: Thanks Mom! appeared first on All4Baby.

Hazardous items such as matches, heaters, electrical appliances and any substances that can cause chemical burns should be removed from the reach of children.

All prime, gas or electrical stoves are a huge burn hazard and children should be taught about the dangers from a young age.

South Africa experiences a lot of overcrowded living conditions, where children should especially be watched as accidents can happen so quickly, and fires spread even quicker.

How to put out a fire (literally and figuratively)

In the event of an electrical stove catching alight, a bag of sand or flour should be used to put it out rather than water.Remember to switch off the electricity and turn the stove off.

In the event of oil catching alight, never throw water onto the pot as this will just make it worse, rather use a wet dishcloth or sand to put over the fire.

In the event of the child’s clothes catching alight, the child should drop to the floor and then be wrapped in a blanket to put the fire out. Never let the child run while his clothes are on fire, as the flames will get bigger with more oxygen.

Clothes that are melted into the skin will need to be removed by a doctor at a medical facility.

In the event of a water burn, the clothing should be removed immediately. Sepsis is a real threat and precautions need to be taken to avoid this. Hygiene and care is essential during dressing of burns to prevent or control sepsis.

After treatment

If your child is given antibiotics, this must be taken regularly and the course should be completed according to your doctors recommendations. The damage from burns is not only the physical damage such as scaring that may need skin grafts but the emotional damage, is also severe and very traumatic.

A multi-purpose cream

After the burn has healed, applying Multi-Purpose Cream to soften the keloids or to decrease the scarring is very important.

Healing of burns and especially keloids is a long process and a positive attitude of the parent or caregiver is necessary to assist the emotional wellbeing of the child on the road to recovery and in some many cases scaring and damage is for life.

Parents need to be educated and childproof their homes as prevention is far better than a cure.

About the Author: Sister Jenny’s JEN-TIL Multi-Purpose Healing Cream  is made from all natural ingredients that are non-harmful, non-toxic and are in a dosage that is ideal for safety. For more information, visit www.jentiltouch.com

The post Burn safety for toddlers appeared first on All4Baby.