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4 Things You Can Get to Ensure Car Safety for Your Kids (Without Breaking the Bank)

2020/01 By Lauren B. Stevens 3 Comments

Today’s piece is by guest blogger, Daniel Sherwin. Daniel is a single dad raising two children. At DadSolo.com, he aims to provide other single dads with information and resources to help them better equip themselves on the journey that is parenthood.

Driving may seem like a no-brainer but it also requires a great deal of responsibility. This responsibility increases many times over when children are added to the equation, not to mention expenses. It goes without saying that new parents definitely have their work cut out for them. However, it’s nothing that can’t be surmounted by being prepared and informed. Consider these cost-effective tips to keep your family safe on the road.

Get regular maintenance and turn to Groupon Coupons

While you’re not required to be a grease monkey to drive a car, you do have to oversee its upkeep and general well-being. At the very least, this entails staying on top of your car’s regular maintenance schedule and keeping service records. You also need to be able to monitor tire pressure, check fluids like oil and anti-freeze, and observe battery health. Not only do these measures decrease the likelihood of damage and costly repairs, but more importantly, they also keep the vehicle road-worthy and safe.

Of course, vehicle maintenance and repairs have been known to cost an arm and a leg but there are always ways to save money. One way to do so is by checking Groupon listings in your local area for deals on oil changes, battery and tire replacements and repair, and more. With Groupon codes, you could even find general car maintenance services from your local auto care centers at prices that don’t break the bank.

Get a car seat

There’s no question that you need a car seat when driving small children. In fact, irrefutable data illustrates how car seats reduce the risk of injury to kids in car-related incidents by a whopping 71 to 82 percent. As such, car seats are required by law in the United States, and there are regulations firmly in place that govern their correct use. Car seats are particularly important during the winter, when rain and snow increase the chance of a fatal accident by 34 percent. First, you need to get a car seat that’s appropriate for your child’s age. A rear-facing car seat is required for newborns and toddlers up to 4 years old, while the front-facing kind is best for young children up to 6 years. Older kids may also need booster seats.

Secondly, a car seat needs to meet safety standards. Bear in mind that “expensive” doesn’t automatically translate to “safe.” As tempting as it might be to cut costs and get a used one, this is highly discouraged. Thankfully, there are resources available where you can get car seats for less—even free—so it’s a good idea to start there.

Get car insurance

With insurance comes peace of mind. Unfortunately, with the cost of car insurance these days, it may feel like you’re being made to pay through the nose for this peace of mind. Family car insurance, in particular, can be quite tricky as it’s dynamic and dependent on various factors that need to be considered. If your family has more than one vehicle, however, you could qualify for a multi-car discount if you meet certain criteria. It’s also important to choose a reputable insurance company, one that has strong financial stability and sports solid reviews from customers. Fortunately, there are many resources online that can easily provide this type of information in one easy-to-use location.

Get in the zone

The best things in life are free, and so are the best ways of keeping your children safe on the road. Remember that your kids are safest in the back seat, firmly buckled up away from airbags. You must also never drive when you’re tired or distracted. Most importantly, never take unnecessary chances on the road that could endanger your precious cargo.

Suffice it to say, car safety is one of your most important jobs as a parent. By taking it seriously, you’re not only setting an example, but you avoid unnecessary expenses, too.

Cyber Security 101: 5 Tips for Keeping Your Kids Safe Online

2017/07 By Lauren B. Stevens 3 Comments

Today’s blog is a guest post contribution by Joanna Sommer, Senior Editor of InformedMag.

The rise of the internet and increased use of personal devices, even amongst children and teenagers, has created a very different landscape for parents. Even young parents are unlikely to have experienced the level of technology exposure that their children have today.

Today, most children have their own devices, including cell phones, tablets and laptops. This makes it more difficult for parents to monitor internet use and makes it more important than ever to teach your children about how to use the internet safely.

Begin with one device.

As your children get older, it is likely that they will ask to use the internet for school projects, to find something they saw on TV, or even to play online games. There are plenty of educational tools on the internet – so it is possible that you may even be the one to first introduce them to it.

At whichever point you allow them to go online, it is advisable to limit internet use to one family computer. This enables you to set up site blocking and review their online history to make sure that your rules are being respected. As they adopt safe online practices and become increasingly comfortable with the internet, you can incorporate their own devices as well.

Internet use is a privilege, not a right.

As your children begin to start to use the internet, it is important that they respect it as a tool that they only have access to by your permission. Especially in the beginning, they should ask your permission to go online.

Even with site blocking in place, you may want to restrict them to certain children-friendly sites in the beginning. Review their online history to make sure that they are adhering to your rules.

Have established guidelines for proper conduct.

Type of your internet use guidelines and post them by the computer so that your stance is clear. You may want to include some of the following items:

Express that permission is required before accessing the internet
Establish a time limit for use per day
List whichever sites are off limits (for young children these may include social media networks, for example)
State that they should never provide any personal information (full name, address, payment information) without your approval
State that they may not create a username and password for any site without your approval
State that they need your permission to enter any website that has a posted age limit
If your child is allowed to use an instant messaging service, establish guidelines around who they are allowed to talk to (classmates only, for example)

Be open about your concerns.

The internet is a great tool and source of information and should be treated as such. You do not need to scare your children away from it, but it can be helpful to have a frank conversation about what your concerns are. This may be as simple as explaining that there is content on the internet that is not suitable for young children. As they get older, you can be more specific about the nature of the content that you feel should be avoided. This will enable your children to identify what is and is not appropriate without relying on a site blocker.

Invest in internet safety software.

With the amount that children do use the internet in today’s world, and the number of devices that they have access to as they get older, it is impossible to monitor everything on your own. This is where internet safety software comes in.

Parental control software, such as Net Nanny, enables you to utilize filters to block unwanted content, such as sites related to porn, violence or hate. Full spectrum versions analyze page visits in real time, so if your child accidentally (or purposefully) stumbles upon a site with unwanted content, it will be blocked. You might also consider purchasing a ‘clean router’ to replace your usual internet router. This enables your parental control software to monitor all of the internet-using devices in the house.

Conclusion

By establishing proper use etiquette, and monitoring for adherence, from the beginning of your children’s internet use, you will establish good use habits and best safe principals that will keep your children safe. By being clear about your guidelines and concerns, and utilizing monitoring software, you can keep your children safer online.

About the author

Joanna is the Senior Editor for InformedMag and is passionate about security and tech. She has been working in the home safety and security field for 5 years. Joanna loves to travel and enjoys going to hot yoga and Barre classes. She is dedicated to creating articles that both educate and help people make informed purchasing decisions.

Swap.com: Online Consignment Review

2016/03 By Lauren B. Stevens Leave a Comment

From my first sale, I’ve been a children’s consignment sale junkie! So, when I discovered Swap.com (and no longer had to wait for semi-annual sales) I was immediately sold. Well, addicted may be the more appropriate term (I placed two significant orders within the first two weeks using the site!). I wanted to share Swap.com with all of you, in case you’ve not yet discovered the site.

Not only am I a fan of the recycling aspect of shopping on consignment, but the deals are hard to beat. I receive so many comments on my son’s clothing, and it’s hard to admit that I only spend around $100 per size (yes, I said size, not season). I have a go-to thrift outlet where I’m able to buy most of my son’s clothing (Gap, Polo, J. Crew, Children’s Place, etc.), and I tend to shop on their 50% off days, which means that I get Gap and J. Crew sweaters and cords for my little guy for around $2 a piece (not kidding).

The remainder of my son’s shopping I do through semi-annual consignment sales; this is where I go to find high-end shoes, sandals and inexpensive pajamas for my son (we’re still going through a pair of pjs a night). We tend to find a lot of great children’s books at these sales as well, something you can never have too much of! I keep a running list of items I need for my son in the months leading up to each sale, but it’s a little nerve-wracking to make sure that I find everything in each shopping trip [knowing that I’ll need to pay full retail price if I miss something].

Shoes are super expensive, especially when you consider how little time your kiddo is in them (my son wears a new size every 3 months or so these days). I was able to purchase top brands — pediped, See Kai Run, Robeez, Stride Rite — for a fraction of the cost new (think $5-$8 a pair). Score!

Imagine my delight when I discovered online consignment store, Swap.com, and no longer needed to trek 45 minutes to my favorite thrift outlet or wait for a semi-annual sale! I stocked up on my first Swap.com purchase, outfitting my little guy for spring with a few key pieces. I’ve put together a few outfits to show you what I found:

I love this fun and funky outfit…and so does my son (who never really cares about his clothes). In fact, he insisted on wearing this outfit for the remainder of the day, and had a blast prancing around modeling it!

picked up this outfit in preparation for summer camp — D usually runs around in sweatpant material shorts all summer (or in the buff), so I needed make sure that I had at least 5 different nice outfits (read: not bummy or for fishing salamanders out of ponds) for him to wear throughout the week.

This year is the first time my little guy is attending summer camp, which lasts 5 weeks and runs from 8:30am-3:30pm. The best part about the camp is that it is at a Friends Meeting School approximately two blocks from our house. I’m already beginning to plan all of the things I’ll be able to get done in that time!

This is a fun spring pick and will likely be the outfit he wears for Easter. We channeled my husband’s 1980s preppy look with the layered shirt and popped collar (I’m bummed that I didn’t find a pink Polo shirt this year — that would have totally made the outfit!). The blue chambray pants are long, but the rolled cuffs give the outfit a less formal look — he’ll be wearing these light and breezy pants throughout the summer. The Vineyard Vines shirt my husband scored from the store clearance rack, not from Swap.com, but the clearance price was worthy of mentioning.

The items I did purchase from Swap.com — headphones tee, space needle tee, cargo shorts, chambray pants, polo shirt — I grabbed for a grand total of $19.50. It’s not often you can find quality children’s clothing, three complete outfits, for under $20.

Swap.com’s quality standards are high, and each item came individually packaged in ‘like new’ condition. I’ve been extremely pleased with my purchases so far (my second purchase was comprised of summer shorts and tees for the little guy), and actually send two large boxes to Swap.com for consignment. All of my maternity clothing and all of my little guy’s outgrown summer clothing and shoes are waiting to be photographed as I write this. It’s a heck of a lot easier to pack those boxes than it is to tag and enter 100+ pieces for semi-annual consignment sales! I’ll let you know how my consigning experience goes with them in a future update.

So, if you’re looking to grab brand-name clothing at clearance prices (they have women’s and maternity clothing as well), then you need to check out Swap.com!

Start shopping now — use my referral link to save 20% off of your first Swap.com purchase!

*This post contains a referral link. I purchased items from Swap.com to facilitate this review, all opinions expressed are my own.

Sitterberry App: Never Get Left in a Lurch

2016/03 By Lauren B. Stevens Leave a Comment

Fellow parents, how many times have you had to cancel plans because you couldn’t find a babysitter or your sitter canceled last minute? What if I told you that being left without a sitter was a thing of the past, as is scrambling to find cash to pay your sitter? Well, my friends, the Sitterberry app is helping parents and sitters everywhere!

My experience with sitters isn’t great. We live away from family and friends, so our network for finding good sitters is, well, nonexistent. I’m pretty laid back when it comes to parenting, but I have a difficult time trusting a complete stranger to watch my kiddo when I’m not around.

For about nine months before D. began nursery school, my solution to getting work done during the week was to hire a mother’s helper. I really just needed someone to occupy my little guy and make sure that he didn’t climb the bookshelves or draw on the walls while I worked in the next room. Using Care.com, I struggled to find anyone, and the mother’s helpers I did find and hire weren’t especially committed to the job. Womp-womp!

After speaking with Kathleen Malone, founder of the Sitterberry app, I discovered that I was going about things all wrong. Care.com findings show that it’s normal for families to go through 4-5 sitters per year. Here I was, throwing all of my eggs into one basket and then scrambling when my mother’s helpers left. My downfall? According to Malone, “it’s important to have 4-5 babystters on hand at any given time.”

What I was doing right, however, was using a service like Care.com to find and screen sitters, though word of mouth or recommendations from friends are close seconds. If you’re like me, living in an area with little to no connections, Malone suggests asking camp counselors, after school activity teachers or preschool teachers/teacher’s aids. In fact, the summer camp Malone’s children attend provides parents with a sheet of contact information for those camp counselors on staff who are also available for babysitting jobs. Genius!

So, how does the Sitterberry app fit into all of this? Once you have 4-5 sitters in your hopper, or 5+ if you’re really ~~lucky~~ good, it’s time to use Sitterberry so that you’re never left without a babysitter.

@Sitterberry helps parents book/pay babysitters at the touch of a button! Download FREE today!

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The Sitterberry app allows parents to add their pool of sitters within the app, and in turn, their sitters use Sitterberry to load their calendars of availability. Each sitter’s information is stored, allowing parents to check availability and request them at the touch of a button. No more phone tag, no more phone chains; all of your sitters in one place!

It gets better, my friends. You can pay your babysitter through the Sitterberry app, using Venmo. I can’t tell you how many times I found myself having forgotten to get cash (I never keep cash on hand) and uncomfortably asking my sitter if it was okay if I wrote her a check. Many, many times. With the Sitterberry app, you simply navigate to your sitter’s contact information and select “Pay”. The app will carry over the rate, so you need only enter the number of hours and tip to calculate your payment — brilliant!

As for me, I’m working on gathering together a pool of trusted sitters so that I’m able to use Sitterberry. Anyone have any leads on a great sitter in the Philadelphia area?

You can discover more about Sitterberry at sitterberryapp.com. To find out the latest news and information from Sitterberry, connect with them on Facebook and Twitter.

Download Sitterberry for free on iTunes today, and breathe new life into your social game!

Fun Stories For Kids

2015/08 By Lauren B. Stevens Leave a Comment

I remember shopping for books when my nieces were little, navigating the children’s book section of the bookstore was like navigating a war zone without a map. I had no idea what to buy, other than books I remembered from my own childhood and the books featured prominently within the section (publishers are genius about that kind of marketing, by the way). Even when I managed merchandising for a bookstore, I hated the chaos and confusion of the children’s section, so I handed off the merch responsibilities to our resident children’s book specialist.

Then, I found myself working for one of the top (if not THE top) children’s publishers in the world, and was thrown into the world of children’s books headfirst. Educating myself on a HUGE backlist catalog was definitely a challenge, but it came in time. Eventually, I found myself serving as the go-to person for children’s book recommendations — I had come a long way!

I’ve been out of the children’s publishing world for three years now, but still have a pretty good grasp on what’s hot in the children’s book publishing world with a little help from my son. I was thrilled to get this topic from Care.com, and I knew just the people to consult for the best children’s books picks — my former colleagues and clients!

Knowing that the children’s book world can be daunting for many, I had children’s book industry experts give me their best picks — fun stories that will breathe new life into your reading routine (we all need a break from reading the same books 500 times over) and continue to instill a love of reading in your kiddo. With selections ranging from birth to grade school, there’s something here for everyone!

Click here to discover 17 Fun Stories for Kids on Care.com

Curious to know what we’re reading almost EVERY DAY right now? See below:

Healthy Baby Sleep Tips Webinar w/ Giveaway!

2015/08 By Lauren B. Stevens 27 Comments

I’m so excited to be offering this amazing opportunity to 25 of my readers! My very own “Sleep Goddess,” Jennifer Schindele, Certified Pediatric Sleep Consultant and owner of Gift of Sleep Consulting is offering lo-wren readers a free Sleep Tips webinar. If you’re struggling to establish a healthy sleep routine for your baby (or toddler), this webinar is for you.

Jennifer Schindele is the go-to Pediatric Sleep Consultant for Philadelphia’s Main Line parents, recognized by Main Line Parent Magazine, consulting for several Care.com articles, and teaching sleep workshops across the region (if you’re in the area, check out her Facebook event listing, as she teaches several classes each month).

You can read about our sleep experience in my one year check in post: A Year of Sleep. At 3 years old, D still sleeps like a champ, with a two-hour nap mid-day (I don’t want that nap to EVER go away!).

Establishing healthy sleep habits when D was 9 months old allowed both of us to get the sleep we needed and created an excellent sleep routine for D to take with him through toddlerhood and beyond. That’s not to say that we’ve been without bumps and bobbles, as each milestone presented a sleep challenge, but for the most part, my little guy sleeps when he’s meant to sleep — no battles, no crying, just lots of Zzzzzs. Working with Jennifer meant that when sleep challenges did (and do) present themselves, I was able to calmly readjust (instead of panicking). I’m incredibly excited that Jennifer is offering this [free] opportunity for my readers to gather some healthy sleep tips and ask her their sleep questions!

Jennifer’s blog offers a wealth of advice, so if you’re unable to attend the webinar, I highly recommend checking out some of her most popular posts:

5 Ways Parents Unintentionally Sabotage Their Baby’s Sleep

Napping After Age Two: No-No or No Worries?

Help Your Newborn Sleep Longer

And a humorous one: 8 Signs You’re Ready to Transition From Co-Sleeping

Jennifer will be offering this webinar Tuesday, August 25th at 8pm EST. While the webinar is free, you must RSVP to secure your spot — only the first 25 people to RSVP will be accepted. All attendees will be entered to win one of four amazing sleep-related prizes (US only)!

Sustainable Babyish Overnight Fleece Bamboo Fitted Cloth Diaper ($28 ARV))

Onaroo OK to Wake Clock ($30 ARV)

HoMedics SoundSpa Sound Machine ($30 ARV)

Angel Dear Blankie ($15 ARV)

Remember, this webinar is limited to the first 25 people to RSVP, so please do not RSVP unless you are absolutely sure you can attend. The only entry you are required to submit is your RSVP entry, all other entries are optional.

Entry -Form

Breastfeeding After C-Section: 9 Tips

2015/08 By Lauren B. Stevens Leave a Comment

I ugly cried the day my midwife told me that I would need a C-section. After months of inversions, a rebozo and chiropractics, my little guy still wouldn’t budge. I’ll be honest, I was devastated and terrified. Not only would I not get my out-of-hospital birth, but I’d be having major surgery (while awake), with the possibility of complications as well as the possibility that I would be unable to breastfeed.

The more I read on the internet, the more fearful I became. My word of advice? Stay away from the internet if you find out you have to have a C-section! And if you are going to read all you can on the internet beforehand, make sure you read my uplifting and informative piece, Caesarean Section Words of Wisdom.

Don’t mind the myriad of articles you see around the internet, saying that you’ll be unable to breastfeed after your C-section. I am a testament to the fact that you can have a long and rewarding breastfeeding relationship with your baby after a Caesarean birth. In fact, my son nursed like a champ for 21 months (despite going through sleep training at 9 months old). In fact, I feel pretty confident that you’ll be reading my piece, 10 Signs You’re Ready to Stop Breastfeeding, at some point down the road!

Again, I was presented with an amazing opportunity, to write about a topic in which I had a great deal of experience, when Care.com wanted to post an article about breastfeeding after a C-section. I consulted several lactation consultants, each of whom were kind enough to lend their expertise, and the result was a total of 9 tips for a successful breastfeeding relationship after a Caesarean section.

If you’re interested reading my piece, it can be found on Care.com: Breastfeeding After C-Section: 9 Things You Should Know

Wordless Picture Books To Inspire Reading

2015/07 By Lauren B. Stevens 1 Comment

I’ve shared how I amassed a large children’s library on a budget, and even attempted to share our current favorite reads (not enough time to keep up with, I’m afraid), but I’ve not really compiled any suggestions for children’s books, apart from an odd book here and there.

For as long as I can remember I’ve loved to read. I studied English in college and even got my MA in English. My studies in English helped me build an impressive library, stocked full of titles that were more fun than work to read for classes. I loved to analyze great works of literature and I also read “fluff” as well. I distinctly remember a semester where I had four Literature courses, but still had a hankering to read something for myself. For the first time in my life I found myself reading romance novels, not for great storylines or deep characters, but because a.) I didn’t own a TV, b.) I had a coworker who had Rubbermaid tubs FULL of romances, and c.) I needed to give my brain a break from required reading every now and then.

I still use reading as a “brain break” in addition to entertainment. When I’ve been writing a lot and my brain feels fried, I pick up a book and give my brain a break from creating words by reading the words of others. In fact, I read every night before bed, at the very least. I love using my nap time break to read in the quiet of the house — a little mid day break from work and being a mom.

I found myself working in bookstores after graduating, and even while pursuing my Master’s full time. There’s something comforting about the shelves and shelves of books, the quiet, muffled sounds of people shopping, and the smell of coffee brewing. I’ve moved often in my life, and my books have always been the first things I unpack, as they are what make new digs home for me.

Imagine my delight when I began working for a major publisher, selling children’s books to independent bookstores. I loved the strong lineup of authors we had each season, the wide range of books we published, and most of all, I loved that I was paid to read books and essentially talk to booksellers about them.

Working in children’s publishing gives you insight into reading statistics pertaining to children, statistics that were as important in my conversations with booksellers as they were for my memory bank. Ironically, I worked in children’s publishing before having children, so I had yet to test my picks on a kiddo.

Despite being childless, I amassed a library for my someday child, hoping against hope that that child would develop a love of reading similar to my own. While my son is only three years old, he already has a passion for books (and bookstores), preferring books over toys. When my son excitedly opens a book, I come alive inside, hoping that he will maintain his love of reading. The statistics say that it’s very likely that D. will lose interest in reading in later elementary school, but I’ve already built a library to help keep him interested, with popular series and multiple genres represented.

I was delighted to have the opportunity to consult some of my former clients and colleagues for a Care.com article listing books to inspire young readers. More importantly, this list is comprised solely of wordless picture books, so readers of all ages, levels and abilities will be able to enjoy the adventures and illustrations inside.

You can read my article on Care.com: 13 Wordless Picture Books to Inspire Your Child

If you’re wondering what I’ve been reading this past month, here are my favorites (I’ve been in a Sci-fi/Dystopian/Fantasy phase):

The Baby Sleep Site: Express Sleep Plan for Tired Parents

2015/07 By Lauren B. Stevens 11 Comments

If you’ve followed my blog for any length of time, you know that I had an excellent experience sleep training with my son when he was 9 months old. I’ve said many, many times that the “training” part of sleep training was more for my husband and myself than it was for D. Sleep training also did not hinder breastfeeding one bit, in fact, D went on to breastfeed until he was 21 months old.

I won’t recap our entire situation because you can read about it HERE, but the short version is that I was exhausted and delirious from D waking every 2-3 hours at night and only napping in 20-30 minute clips throughout the day. I couldn’t concentrate, I became depressed, incredibly forgetful (to the point of being dangerous), and was often so overwhelmed by simple tasks that it brought me to tears.

After posting a plea for help and suggestions on my blog’s Facebook page, a local sleep consultant contacted me. After a phone consultation, I was convinced that she could help us, but money was extremely tight (as in, unbelievably tight because we hadn’t planned for me to stay at home with our son). Hiring a local sleep consultant who comes to your home is expensive, and we also had to wait for an appointment to get started. While I absolutely maintain that hiring a sleep consultant was the best investment we made in our son’s first year, I would have loved to have had a more affordable option. Enter the Baby Sleep Site.

The Baby Sleep Site offers a multitude of resources to help you understand and guide your little one into healthy sleep habits, including books, email and phone consultations. When the Baby Sleep Site contacted me to see if I would be willing to try out their Express Sleep Plan and share my thoughts with you, I was definitely interested. Intrigued by the thought of inputting information online and having a customized plan created for you – starting at $49 – I was excited to give it a go!

I began by creating a profile on the site, entering in perfunctory information such as my child’s age, nap routine, where he sleeps, what he eats (milk, formula, breastmilk, etc.), and his nighttime routine. From there, I went on to complete the sleep assessment that would be the basis for my customized plan.

While the Baby Sleep Site estimates that their Express Sleep Plan sleep assessment questionnaire will take around 15 minutes, it only took me 6 minutes to complete, so it’s definitely quick and relatively painless (apart from reliving the gory details of your little one’s sleep issues).

It’s important to note that the Express Sleep Plan is meant for babies who do not suffer from medical problems – it’s best to consult your pediatrician for guidance if there is an underlying health issue or if you suspect your little one may have a health concern.

The Express Sleep Plan also includes an option for your comfortability with your little one’s crying, ranging from not comfortable at all to being comfortable with your little one crying as long as you’re outside the room and are able to check on him.

After completing the assessment, the Baby Sleep Site then generated my customized Express Sleep Plan. You may be wondering what I would need with a sleep plan since a.) I already went through sleep training with D, and b.) D is almost three years old. Well, different ages and stages present sleep problems, and our current problem has been D not going to sleep for an hour or so after we put him to bed at night.

D still naps like a champ for two hours each afternoon, and his crankiness on the rare occasion that he misses a nap is an indicator that he’s not ready to give up his nap altogether. What the Express Sleep Plan helped me with is understanding that D’s “Nap Gap” is too short between waking in the afternoon and his bedtime.

In the initial assessment, I was able to input my ideal wake time and bedtime for D, which I now know needs to be tweaked – D’s been laying awake for an hour to an hour-and-a-half at night because there’s not enough of a gap between his afternoon nap and bedtime. Because I don’t want to push back his bedtime (I prefer a 6:30pm bedtime because it leaves the evening for my husband and myself), so I need to bump D’s wake time up to between 5:30-6am. I’m an early riser, so that’s not a problem (he typically wakes at 6:30am).

Because the Baby Sleep Site’s Express Sleep Plan gave a detailed schedule and an explanation about sleep for 2-3 year olds, I am easily able to adjust D’s schedule.

I must say that I’m pleasantly surprised by the amount of information the Express Sleep Plan provided, and definitely enjoy the convenience of inputting information and having a solid plan at my fingertips within a half hour’s time.

If you’re thinking about trying sleep training, or are looking for a more affordable option, you should absolutely take advantage of the Baby Sleep Site’s Express Sleep Plan! The best part is that you can start the road to sleep training in the middle of the night (if you wish), as everything is available with the click of a button.

For more information, visit the Baby Sleep Site at babysleepsite.com, or connect with them via social media: Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and Pinterest.

The Baby Sleep Site is sponsoring a giveaway for lo-wren readers with TWO winners! Click HERE to enter.

*I was provided access to an Express Sleep Plan, at no expense, in order to facilitate this sponsored post. All opinions are 100% my own.

How to Recognize Reflux in Babies

2015/06 By Lauren B. Stevens Leave a Comment

Your baby cries during and after feedings … and is still crying despite being fed, changed, rocked and cuddled. Could reflux the culprit? Reflux in babies is hard to detect.

Here are some signs to look for to determine if you might want to explore the possibility of reflux with your child’s pediatrician:

What Is Reflux?
Reflux — gastroesophogeal reflux (GERD) — is a condition in which the contents of the stomach come up after a feeding and are acidic enough to irritate or damage the lining of the esophagus, according to Mayo Clinic. Reflux is “the most common esophageal disorder in children of all ages,” says Jo Ann Serota, a long-time pediatric nurse practitioner and a lactation consultant in Ambler, Penn.

She defines it as the “backward movement of gastric contents across the lower esophageal sphincter (LES) into the esophagus.” It occurs, she says, because “the LES may be too relaxed to keep the stomach contents in the stomach.” With babies, says Serota, “breast milk or formula escapes from the stomach, via this sphincter, up the esophagus (regurgitation), causing a painful, burning sensation.”

What Are the Symptoms?
Some common signs of reflux in babies, according to Colette Acker, a lactation consultant and the executive director of The Breastfeeding Resource Center, are:

Your baby arches her back during feedings.
Your baby comes on and off the breast and/or cries during feedings.
Your baby often cries after feedings.

Your baby may also experience a dry cough after feeds or sound congested, Acker says, adding that in more extreme cases of reflux, a baby may limit his intake because it’s uncomfortable to be full, and he may start losing weight. Or, she notes, “Some babies may act like nothing is wrong, and mom gets a shock at the next pediatric weight check.”

Serota notes these additional signs:

Your baby is irritable, especially during or after feedings.
Your baby chokes or gags during or after feedings.
Your baby refuses to feed.
Your baby fails to thrive or doesn’t gain weight.

Serota adds that infants can also display signs of sleep apnea (breathing pausing during sleep), stridor (noisy breathing) or respiratory problems like lower airway disease (a respiratory problem of the lower airways caused by RSV, a virus).