“Wah, Wah, Wah!” are the sounds flooding the baby monitor as we jump from the bed at 1 am.  I rush into the bedroom to find her fast asleep but crying frantically.  I pick her up and rock her, check her diaper and nothing gives.  Finally, I give her a pacifier and she is off to dreamland once again.

After a couple of nights of doing this, my wife and I decided enough is enough.  Our daughter has become a pacifier junkie.  We had gotten her so used to taking naps with it, that she would wake up in the night wondering where it went. (more…)

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My last article for this site was titled, I NEED that! I have discovered one luxury item we have that we actually could not live without.  You guessed it, the Graco Sweetpeace Soothing Center.

This beauty is a modern day design for the traditional swing.  Instead of the back and forth motion offered in the old styles, the Sweetpeace allows for multiple swinging sensations for your baby.  You can face the seat outwards and do a side to side motion.  The seat also can be turned horizontally in either direction to get the back and forth feel.  Basically, your baby can have enjoy whatever motion he or she likes the best. (more…)

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That’s right, the dreaded time of year has arrived for most American students!  With this comes panic, fatigue, and suffering.  So, in order to keep you from quarantining your child or wallet, I’ve made a teen’s back to school survival guide for you, the parent.

• Don’t buy school supplies in advance:  Almost every year I have gotten school supplies in advance, only to show up at school and discover I need something else or something I got isn’t the right type.  Get it all after the first day of school in one easy trip to avoid miscalculation.  Most schools aren’t going to force you to have everything on the first day of school.
• Get a good night’s rest:  The first day of school is stressful and exciting , so the night before, have your child get a good rest.  Not only will they be tired and confused without it, they will irritate everyone around them, and that will not help their school year.
• Feed them well:  On the first day of school, my mom always makes breakfast and in my opinion, that helps my attitude and gives me energy to get though the day.  Also, a good meal the night before doesn’t hurt.
• Run a ‘trial night’:  A few days before school starts, have your children go to bed at school bed times and wake up and get ready like it’s a school day.  You can try to work out the kinks like showering and a decent wake up time to prevent commotion on the real school day.
• Don’t stress:  Your child (or children) is already stressed enough without you freaking out, too.
• Prepare the night before:  Pack school bags and lunches, pick out outfits, and other things in advance, so the first day’s morning runs smoothly and without a hitch.
• Don’t overdo it: This is the first day of school, not World War Three.

This guide should help you along, but it won’t be perfect, so just run with the ball. . .

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Recently, I completed earning enough  money to buy a Xbox 360 Pro for myself.  I am limited in the amount of ’screen time’ I am allowed a day, and I wanted to discuss that with you.

Now, some of my thoughts on screens (TV, video games, computers, etc.) for kids.  First of all, I believe they are addictive.  Some studies have shown that video games are addictive, they release a drug-like chemical. Here is one article on the study of video game addiction.  I have seen kids at school who are addicted, it’s all they talk about or do after school (World of Warcraft is the most common addiction).

Also, there is a link between screens and obesity.  Sure, there are games like the Wii Fit that exercise you,  but how much of an exercise are they?  To me the Wii Fit doesn’t provide a serious workout, and most games in it are not as effective as believed.

I think screen time for children should be limited.  Screen time should be decided on a child by child basis, but on a school night anywhere from no time to an hour and a half a day is good.  For example, if a child is doing poorly  in school, limit the amount to a low number (for example zero to half an hour).  On weekends, up to four hours a day is a good amount.  I have noticed that kids who are allowed to use screens more get worse grades.  That is because instead of doing homework when they get home, these kids game or watch TV. Also, in class, these kids will think things like, “I need to level up my dwarf mega super warrior” or “What’s on Fox tonight?… oh, it’s that comedy show” instead of “Two plus two equals four”.

These addictions can cause physical injuries, too, such as the ones mentioned in an older Level Revel article, Injured by Living in a Virtual World (Thanks, Bea).

Screen time should be limited because there are many dangers lurking around the corner!

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With a soon-to-be 13 year old in the house, there have started to be some discussions about bedtimes.  On school nights, bedtime doesn’t tend to be an issue.  He is in bed at 8:30 but can read until 9:00, or later if he can’t sleep.  The 8-1/2 to 9 hours of sleep he receives seems to be enough, as he is ready to go in the morning, and he doesn’t mind this time.

However, the discussions have been based on weekend bedtimes.  With younger siblings, bedtimes are extended, and all are sent to bed at a later than school night bedtime.  And that is where the problem lies.  The typical argument is, “But I am the oldest!”

While this is true, the next two youngest are only 1 and 2 years younger than he.  However, both of them need more sleep than he does.  So, my husband and I have been pondering how to handle this situation.

With weekends being short, bedtime on those nights will be decided by us.  Just one very late night on a weekend can affect tiredness during the week.  However, to give him both responsibility and freedom, we are going to try something different in the summer.

Our plan simply is that he can choose his bedtime. . .with a catch or two.  He needs to choose a time that allows him to be productive the next day, and he can’t be so stubborn about staying up “late” that he falls asleep on the couch.  This will give him the freedom of deciding his own bedtime, but he will be responsible for the consequences.  If he doesn’t pay attention to the needs of his body and falls asleep on the couch, for the next week, we get to choose his bedtime.  Additionally, if we need to do something early the next morning and he has difficulty being ready, again we get to choose his bedtime for a week.

I am hopeful that this will be a win-win for both sides of the equation.  Our son will get to be in control of his bedtime, but we will have a supervisory role when needed.  It seems that it should be a winning solution, but only time will tell.

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