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Waiting It Out With Your Toddler

You may hire a sitter to entertain your toddler at home while you go to appointments. There are times, however, when you have to take your toddler to an appointment with their doctor or dentist. A wait in the waiting room is usually unavoidable, and with a toddler the wait can feel like an eternity. How do you keep your toddler entertained in the waiting room of the doctor, dentist, car dealership, or other place where you have to sit and wait a little while? You probably packed a toy or two from home in your purse or diaper bag, … Continue reading →

Not the Dentist!

My son is three and a half and terrified of his first dentist trip. He loves to brush his teeth, but if you even mention the dentist he comes unglued. This isn’t uncommon, most kids aren’t thrilled about having to go to the dentist. Unfortunately, this is one of the necessary evils of childhood. Seeing the dentist is crucial to the health of your child’s teeth. It may help ease some of the anxiety if you have a pretend visit first. All you need is a toothbrush and a mirror. Count your child’s teeth with them and let them look … Continue reading →

Toddler and the Dentist

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I don’t remember the exact date I went to the dentist for the first time. However, my first dentist memory is forever branded in my mind because I needed two fillings. I freaked out. I remember crying and protesting. The dentist grabbed my face and told me to calm down, so he wouldn’t injure me with the Novocain needle. I’m pretty sure I was in elementary school already when this happened. Texas Health Steps, which oversees how often children in state custody are seen by medical professionals, sets the first dental visit at six months old. I took the last … Continue reading →

Entertaining Toddlers

Toddlers have a very short attention span. In order to keep them entertained, there are many tricks that parents have learned to make their lives easier. This includes what to have in the car to entertain children during heavy traffic and what to have to lessen their anxiety in the waiting room. Let’s look at some ideas for entertaining toddlers. Busy Bag for Cars A busy bag for toddlers will come in handy when you get stuck in traffic or have to wait in the dentist or doctor’s office. Filled with special goodies that your child doesn’t get to play … Continue reading →

Avoiding the Brushing Battle

My daughter likes to fight. And by fight I mean win. The kid battles me at every turn:  bedtime, mealtime, chore time, and brush time. The simple act of brushing a few baby teeth has been a struggle since my child was a toddler.  Unfortunately, she still hasn’t outgrown her displeasure with brushing and flossing, but there’s hope for all of you parents dealing with the tumultuous twos and threes right now. To help your child embrace the hygienic task, which he will likely be doing daily for the rest of his life, consider the following: Shopping Trip:  Toddlers love … Continue reading →

Your Typical American Mormon Family

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So, I was watching the Today show this morning and there was a lot of focus on Mitt Romney and the Republican Convention. Big surprise there, I know. The story also included the subject of MItt Romney’s faith because apparently he is going to speak about it in his speech tomorrow night. So, once again, Mormonism is in the spotlight. But, one thing that surprised me was that they said that most people don’t know a lot about our faith. And, I thought, really? Sure, maybe you don’t know a lot about specific theology, like the fact that we do … Continue reading →

Taming Tantrums Part 1

Does your child start screaming the second you mention you’re going to the doctor’s? The dentist? The very moment you are on the phone? For my son it was daycare. I dreaded telling him when it was time to go. The tears started pouring and I literally had to drag him out to the car kicking and screaming. It was unbelievably draining and I wasn’t sure what to do. I had talked to every one I could think of and nobody seemed to know what to do about it. It’s taken a month and a half, but we are finally … Continue reading →

Thumb Sucking in Preschoolers

Thumb sucking is a habit that begins innocently enough. Most times the beginnings are in the womb and due to the comfort it provides it may last up until the preschool years. As my child turned three and still sucked her thumb I wondered if that were normal. My other children either did not suck their thumbs at all or not past a year old. I envisioned my preschooler in Thumb Suckers Anonymous introducing herself as “Hi, I’m Kara and I suck my thumb.” The time has come to admit that my child is a thumb addict. There are days … Continue reading →

Juggling Your Kids Activities

The kids are going back to school and now the juggling act begins. I know as a single mother making sure Hailey was able to get to all the places she needed to go while still working full time was a challenge. I have no idea how single mothers with multiple children manage to do it, but not only do they do it, they make it look easy. Once school starts so do the activities, sports, dance, after school activities, going to a friend’s house to do a project, it seems that every day there is somewhere new they need … Continue reading →

Meet the Teachers Night

All our parents visited during the last three weeks of July. Having so much extended family around is exhausting. I wish we lived closer to all our families so everyone could see everyone more. In the meantime, visits are infrequent and packed full of activity. One of my favorite moms’ group events, Manicures and Munchies, was not long after all the parents had departed. I wanted to go, but didn’t buy my ticket fast enough. I wanted Chris to be well rested first. By the time I went to buy, the event was sold out. I was disappointed, but it … Continue reading →