LilSugar

Excited For Your Children to Return to School This Week?

LilSugar — Mon, 05 Jan 2009 13:00:12 -0800

Today many mamas are celebrating their tot's return to the classroom, as some parents are anxious to get back into a routine after all the holiday hoopla.

Did you do a dance of joy as you saw your lil one off to school?

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Do Your Kids Keep to a Routine?

LilSugar — Sun, 16 Mar 2008 06:00:10 -0700

To schedule or not to schedule, that's the question. While some moms and pops believe in keeping their children on a daily track, other folks like to leave room for flexibility.

What happens in your household?

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How Strict Are You With Bedtime?

LilSugar — Mon, 21 Sep 2009 05:00:52 -0700

Good night, sleep tight and don't let the bedbugs bite! If only getting lil ones down to dreamland was that easy! Children have a way of pushing their bedtime to the limits by thirsting for another drink, saying they need the bathroom and sweetly asking us to read "just one more book."

New research shows that providing tots with strict bedtimes can improve the quality and quantity of the shut-eye they receive and their overall health. According to the study, families with lower levels of income and education were less likely to enforce a strict end of the day (this was attributed to stress levels and fewer routines), and their children's health and sleep patterns suffered. The authors of the study also emphasized the importance of a nightly bedtime routine to help the tots fall asleep faster. Most parents dream their children would nod off to sleep without putting up a fight, but that rarely happens. How do you enforce bedtime in your home?

Got a few pointers you've picked up along the way for getting your tot into bed at an early time? Join our Why Didn't Anybody Tell Me? group over in our LilSugar community and share your tips!

Tips For Getting Your Child to Open Up About School

LilSugar — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 12:00:30 -0800

Afternoons in many preschoolers' households often sound like this:

Mom: "What did you do in school today?"
Child: "I don't remember."
Mom: "What books did the teachers read?"
Child: Silence and a blank stare.

Though many schools provide parents with a preview of the week's activities – or a wrap-up at the end of the week – trying to get your lil one to open up to you about what they did on a particular day can be compared to pulling teeth.

To get the conversation started, try these tips at the end of the next school day.

Don't ask, just tell. Rather than pepper your lil one with questions about her day, tell her about something new or different that you did today. Present it in a way that she can relate to so that she can share about her day, too.
Shake up the routine. Don't ask the same questions in the same order every day. Rotate the questions you ask and how they are presented.
Make it funny. Try telling them about their day by substituting out-of-place details at key points. This should get them talking about what really happened.

To see the rest of our suggestions, read more.

Move beyond yes and no. Questions that simply require a yes or no answer are not going to spark a conversation. Asking about their favorite part of their day or who they sat next to for snack may start a discussion rather than a dead end.
Remove distractions. If your lil one has been in school all day and is now home with his favorite toys, he is more likely to play with his toys than speak. Try to hold the conversation in a space where he won't be distracted.

Do you have any tried-and-true tricks to get your wee ones talking?

Mommy Dearest: How Should I Deal With Gender Issues?

babysugar — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 13:45:44 -0800

Mommy Dearest,

I have a 4-year-old little girl who seems to fit into the stereotypes surrounding children her age; she loves princesses, makeup, and playing with baby dolls. In an effort to get her to branch out, I have signed her up for soccer with other boys and girls her age. At first, the playtime was terrific - boys and girls running elbow to elbow. Then the coach decided to split them up by gender. Kids generally play with their own sex, so I understood his rationale for dividing them, but at this past practice he decided it was time for the boys to play football while the girls still kicked the ball around. When one of the girls asked the coach why the boys got to play football, he said, "The boys have gotten really good at soccer so we're letting them play football. You guys still need to work on your soccer." All of the mothers on the sideline gasped. While the coach may be right, he is already starting to pigeonhole them into the stereotypes that we moms are trying so hard to avoid. They are such an impressionable age and they are already starting to hear that boys are better than them. I would like to talk with the coach about it, but I don't seem to have the right words. Do you have any advice?

- Antistereotype Soccer Mom

To see Mommy Dearest's response, just read more.

Antistereotype Soccer Mom,

Parents are often conflicted with how to share a gender-divided world with their children. It is commendable that you are trying to take actions to show your girly daughter the other facets of life that don't include tutus and lip gloss, but you may find that not everyone is like minded. It seems the coach could use some, er, coaching in stereotyping. He is probably used to straight talk and may appreciate the candor of a sideline mommy. Rather than make a big issue out of it, I'd simply tell him you want the girls to have the same learning experience as the boys. The larger concern at hand would be how he manages to tell the girls about their routine. I would ask him to explain to the girls that they are equal to the boys and ready to roll with the flag-football punches.

- Mommy Dearest

Submit a question for this feature at the Mommy Dearest Group on our new community page.

Has Daylight Savings Changed For You Since Becoming a Mom?

babysugar — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 09:30:58 -0800

Daylight Savings used to mean sleeping in an extra hour but now that I'm a parent, it just means my day gets started an hour earlier. Many moms gripe about the change while others hardly make it noticeable in their routine. When my kids woke up this morning, the clock read 7:00 instead of 8:00. I could get used to that. It also makes bedtime easier - waking up with the sunlight and tucking the kids in when it's dark makes more sense than when they are switched. Now that I'm a mom, I say bring on the regular hours! What's your take on Daylight Savings?

Lil Links: 4 Easy Mom Workout Routines

babysugar — Wed, 22 Jul 2009 11:00:01 -0700

Easy workout routines - Cookie
J Lo wants more kids - Celebrity Baby Scoop
How families can help each other lose weight - Health
6 Great Mom Friends - Parenting
Would you let your child name your baby? - CafeMom
Thoughts on a feminist site for teens - ParentDish
Getting kids to eat good food- The Poop
All about rainbows - Alpha Mom
Angie Everhart ready to be a mom - Celebrity Baby Blog

Are You Taking Your Child to the Doctor More?

LilSugar — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:32:40 -0700

Thanks to the H1N1 virus, cold and flu season kicked off earlier than usual this year. Since it's no longer safe to assume that a fever and cough are just symptoms of a pesky cold, worried parents are spending less time diagnosing their ill children and more time heading to the pediatrician to find out what is (or is not) ailing their little one. Many mums have made it a weekly routine even. Have you found that you are taking your babe to visit her doctor more this year?

Overwhelmed about deciding to give your child the H1N1 vaccination or not? Join our A Place to Vent group over in our LilSugar Community and share your stress with fellow moms who understand your plight.

Waste Less, Save More

LilSugar — Fri, 23 Oct 2009 08:00:06 -0700

Most children are wasteful little devils when it comes to meal and snack times. Parents throw out countless amounts of Cheerios, hot dog bits, leftover yogurt, and half sipped juice boxes. Tots are carefree so it's up to parents to incorporate food saving remedies into our family routines. While mama may be doing it to save a buck, it won't hurt that she's helping out the environment with these easy tips to reduce her brood's waste.

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When the Kids Are Away, How Does Mom Play?

babysugar — Tue, 20 Oct 2009 11:30:30 -0700

Mommy's doing the cabbage patch and singing out loud, "They're gone... they're gone... they're gone." The opportunity for some mom-me time may not come around that often so when mama finds herself free of kids, hubby and other responsibilities, she can do whatever her heart desires. Perhaps she has planned a Mexican getaway to celebrate a 30th birthday or maybe she's just eager for a night out on the town. But one thing seems to be common among many mothers... their party bark is bigger than their bite.

Many ladies talk up a big game of sipping cocktails and staying up until the wee hours of the morn but in reality, many spend their time catching up with friends on the couch or playing Guitar Hero and sneaking into bed earlier than expected. The fear of hangovers may be to blame or perhaps it is their internal clocks ticking to a settled routine that keeps mommies from playing too hard.

How do you play when the kids are away?