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Bedtime: 4 Tips for Keeping Your Newborn Cozy Each Night

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Every parent searches out the best ways to keep their little one bundled up and feeling cozy throughout the day. Feeling comfy makes naptime easier but gives them the sense of security they need at such a tender age. Get tips for keeping your newborn cozy each night from some seasoned parents to keep your child happy.

Swaddle Your Baby

On a chilly night, putting those cold-weather PJs on your baby isn’t enough to keep them comfortable, and you can’t rely on a blanket for that extra warmth since they can easily kick it off in the middle of the night. Keep your baby nice and toasty by swaddling them before bed; it should be tight enough that it doesn’t come undone but not so tight that it squeezes them.

Pro Tip

Some parents purchase a baby sleep sack or sleeping bag for their baby. With one of these, you won’t have to worry about swaddling, and you’ll get a great night’s sleep knowing your little cutie feels as comfortable as you do.

Buy the Right Baby Clothes

Your baby should wear PJs according to the season and how it feels inside your home. For example, if you crank up the heat on those cold winter nights, thick pajamas paired with layers of blankets is excessive. Instead of doing this, dress your baby in thin layers.

Don’t put your baby to bed in thick wool or clothing suited for the outdoors since this is uncomfortable and traps in heat. Rather, shop for quality baby blankets and clothes, such as outfits with climate control. These clothes will keep your baby warm on a cold day and cool on a hot day.

Have a Quality Mattress

Most parents recommend having a firm crib mattress. This keeps your baby comfortable and lessens the risk of serious injury if they roll over on the bed. Some little ones toss and turn in their sleep, and if they roll onto their tummy and can’t flip over, it could be catastrophic.  

Prevent Overheating

Many of these tips for keeping your newborn cozy each night have covered dressing your baby in layers to keep them toasty, but you never want to overdo this. Overheating is dangerous at any age, and a baby can’t remove layers as we would. While you should dress your little one in layers, keep in mind that they only need one more than you do.

Remain aware of the signs of overheating, such as redness, rapid breathing, and sweating. If you must dress your baby in thicker clothes, then make sure to check your baby by feeling their belly or back and remove layers if they feel hot. Sleeping becomes easier for the baby when they feel comfortable.

3 Unique Birthday Presents for Outdoorsy Kids

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Celebrating your kid’s birthday is so much fun. Children still love their birthdays when they’re little. Adults know this excitement dissipates as you get older. So make the most of these years while you can! Read about these unique birthday presents for outdoorsy kids if your little one can’t stand being inside.

An Electric Bike

Your kids will love you if you get them an electric bike for their birthday. These take traditional biking to the next level. They can speed across the neighborhood and learn about all the technology has to offer. Know that there may be an age requirement in your area and that safety gear is a must. So if you decide to get an e-bike for your kid’s birthday, you should also get a helmet and pads. They need to be safe while having fun.

A Microscope

Outdoorsy kids might love the outdoors because there are a bunch of creatures out there. If your kid loves looking at creepy crawlers, then a microscope is the perfect gift for them. They can use the tool to look at bugs and other animals that fascinate them. Be careful; you may have a future geologist on your hands!

Rollerblades

Another unique birthday present for outdoorsy kids is a pair of rollerblades. Rollerblading is a blast because you can glide across the neighborhood with your friends. Additionally, it’s a great workout! You can trick the kiddos into breaking a sweat by purchasing skates. As is the case with e-bikes, you’ll need to get safety gear with this gift.

Celebrate your kid’s birthday as they grow up. As they age, the excitement surrounding the day will go away. For this reason, it’s vital to make the day as special as you can while they’re still living with you. These gifts are perfect for kids to get out and explore.

Steps To Purchasing Your Teen’s First Vehicle

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If you’re looking for the right first vehicle for your teen, it can seem like a big chore. These steps to purchasing your teen’s first vehicle will help you figure out where to start. Get your teen the right car to get them driving safely.

Teach Your Teen About Car Maintenance

Teaching your teen the importance of car maintenance is one of the most important ways to ensure they’ll be safe on the road. Teach your child about getting regular oil changes, keeping the proper tire pressure, and the importance of hand-washing your car. Make sure your teen knows how to properly maintain their vehicle before getting on the road.

Talk About Your Budget

Some parents decide to take on most of the financing themselves, while other parents expect the teen to cover most costs. What works best for your family is up to you, but make sure to set your teen’s expectations. Your teenager should know the cost of their car, insurance costs, maintenance costs, and gas prices before signing on to get a new car. Help set your teen’s expectations and let them be a part of the process. Even if they aren’t paying for it, it can still be a learning experience.

Set Some Rules

Another essential step in setting up your child’s expectations is to lay out some rules they’ll have to follow when using their car. Set some ground rules like when they can use the vehicle, whether they’ll have to share with other siblings in the future, and how they’ll have to obey traffic laws. Setting up some rules will help manage your child’s expectations for their new car, and they’ll know when to expect consequences to occur. Lay down some clear boundaries around using the vehicle for your child.

Prioritize Safety Features

Safety features are essential for deciding on a car, especially for a teen driver. Let your teen know that you’ll be prioritizing the safety of their vehicle above the features that they are hoping to get. If they want a particular paint job or style of vehicle, they’ll have to invest in one in the future, but safety takes precedence for now.

Test Drive Some Cars

Now that your teen knows what to expect in their first car, it’s time to test drive some new vehicles. Let your teen test drive the car and allow them to enjoy their excitement. Complete your own test drive to check on the features you’re looking for in your teen’s car. If you both test drive the vehicle, you’ll both be happy.

Have a Mechanic Check the Car

If you’re looking at used vehicles, it’s crucial to have a mechanic look over the car for any repairs that will have to happen soon. Make sure a mechanic looks over any used vehicles, and you’ll be confident you’re making a purchase that makes sense.

Emphasize Safe Driving

Now that you’ve found and checked your teen’s new car, they’ll be ready to drive. Emphasizing the importance of safety is one of the most crucial steps to purchasing your teen’s first vehicle. Safe driving is critical to help your teen take care of their car and stay safe on the road. Now, your teen is ready to take on the road responsibly.

Things To Consider When Childproofing Your Home

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It is stressful enough to continuously make sure your kids are doing fine outside of the house; however, to help ease your burden when everyone is kicking back and relaxing, these are some things to consider when childproofing your home, so your afterhours are that much more stress-free.

Keep the Air Clean

For those with children who have compromised breathing, providing them with the best living conditions when they sleep is necessary to prevent them from inhaling excess particles at night. By using an air purifier, you are able better to control the quality of the air in their room. These machines also help reduce asthma symptoms while improving sleep and eliminating any harmful pollutants in the air. For those who worry when their child struggles to breathe sometimes, this is a great way to help soothe those symptoms.

Replace Your Doorbell

Not talking to strangers has always been an important rule for kids to follow. By installing a smart doorbell by your front door, you are able to more actively monitor each visitor to your home and speak to them without having to open up the entrance of your house at all. This is excellent for those who prefer to keep their children away from solicitors or unexpected guests.

Secure Loose Carpets

It is only expected that there is going to be a lot of activity at home, especially on the weekends. When everyone is running around the house, you’ll want to minimize the chance of accidents in playrooms or dining rooms. By taking advantage of different ways to prevent your carpets from moving around, you lower the risk of your kids slipping and falling on the floor or, worse, causing something to fall on them. The same is true for any furniture or other installations that have the potential to move.

Upgrade Indoor Security

Installing smart locks by any doors or windows in your home is a good way to be made aware of any unintended breaches. These locks are easy to install and provide a hands-free call to emergency services if you are not able to deactivate them for any reason. These locks normally come with a code typed into either an app or the main device installed elsewhere. By keeping this code between your family members, deactivation and activation are reserved only for your intended selection.

Keeping you and your family safe is always a top priority. For those who are vigilant or who worry over the what-ifs when it comes to your kids, these things to consider when childproofing your home are sure to help you ensure nothing goes wrong under your watch.

The Best Dog Breeds for a Family With Young Children

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When you’re ready to add a four-legged family member, you may wonder which breed will be best. When you have kids, that adds to the complexity of your decision. There are many beautiful dogs to choose from, including beagles, Irish setters, and collies. These are the best dog breeds for a family with young children.

Labrador Retriever

There is a reason that the Labrador retriever is the most popular dog breed in the United States. They are extremely friendly, highly trainable, and patient. The Labrador retriever is also a versatile breed. They enjoy dock diving, hunting, tracking, and obedience.

Labs are regular shedders and need weekly brushing. They are great with kids and love being active. Labrador retrievers also play reasonably well with other dogs as long as there’s supervision.

Beagle

Beagles make excellent family dogs because of their small size, easy-to-maintain coats, and intelligence. Personality-wise, beagles are curious, merry, and friendly. They are great with kids and get along with other dogs.

Beagles need plenty of exercise, so they’re an excellent dog choice for you if you have an active family.

Irish Setter

The Irish setter gained popularity in the 18th century. Another breed that’s great for active families, the Irish setter loves spending time outdoors and is full of energy.

They’re seasonal shedders and need weekly grooming. Find a local professional groomer to help keep your dog’s coat clean and shiny. Irish setters are excellent with kids and other pups. They also respond well to training and are wonderfully sweet-natured.

French Bulldog

The French bulldog is one of the world’s most popular dog breeds. They’re an easy-going breed, perfect for families, and they respond well to training. French bulldogs love to play with other dogs, kids, and adults.

They don’t require a lot of exercise, and a brisk walk will help keep them trim. They require occasional grooming and respond well to training.

Collies

Collies are affectionate, loyal, and known for their legendary herding skills. If your family loves being outside, the high-energy collie will make a great addition to your family. When they aren’t moving around, they enjoy being chill. Collies are lovely with kids and require occasional grooming.

Many dogs are out there ready and waiting to find their forever families. Understanding the best dog breeds for a family with young children will help you make an educated decision. Refer back to this article if you need to.

How Important Are Backpacks in Children’s Lives?

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Backpacks serve purposes beyond tugging around your things. They also become a personal item you carry along as if they were an appendage.

We must understand how backpacks play a significant role in child development and why they are necessary throughout childhood and into young adulthood. This article covers how important backpacks are in children’s lives.

Bridging the Gap

A lot changes when a child becomes old enough to go to school. There is a huge difference between home, which is all a child knows, and school, which is new and exciting. As great as school can be, they still need that comfort. Backpacks provide that comfort because they are a part of home that you can take with you.

This helps to ease them into the world early on. Kids also like to compare details about their backpacks with their peers. They become topics for conversation. Through backpacks, bonds and friendships are made.

Keeping Organized

It’s hard, if not downright impossible, for a child to keep everything together. This is why backpacks are so necessary. If you can keep all your things and resources together, you will be successful in school.

Holding Belongings

Backpacks hold more than just books and papers. They also hold a child’s nearest and dearest possessions, like their favorite toys or clothes. Snacks and lunches are also another huge thing that keep kids going throughout the day. Backpacks are perfect for this reason.

If kids use them properly, backpacks do a wonderful job of maintaining their motivation. When you shop for a backpack, make sure you search for the ones with the best quality.

Now that we have opened the discussion, we can easily see how important backpacks are in children’s lives. It is something that goes with them everywhere. Of course, it’s important that we recognize this as we grow older so that we remember how important they still are!

Easy Car Maintenance To Teach Your Child

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As parents, we want to give our children the best in life. We want to teach them how to perform the tasks they’ll need to do when they are adults. Most adults will have a car at some point, so they’ll need to know basic car maintenance. While you might not think your children are ready to start learning such an important job, there is plenty of easy car maintenance to teach your child. Even children as young as eight or nine are old enough to learn how to do easy maintenance tasks.

Checking Tire Pressure

Checking tire pressure is an important part of maintaining a car. When driving without the right pressure, you may damage the tires or even get into an accident. By teaching your child to remove the plastic valve cover on the rim wheel and then attach the air pressure valve, they can learn when to add more air or when to release it.

Cleaning and Polishing

Cleaning a car may be mostly cosmetic, but teaching your child to do so can be a great way to give them some pride. They will likely wash their own cars when they are adults at least some of the time. Of course, any time you are using chemicals, stay with your child to make sure they are safe.

Light Bulb Changing

Light bulbs will eventually die and require replacement. This is a great technical repair that children can learn. While the method will vary somewhat from vehicle to vehicle, this helps them learn the basics so they feel confident enough to take on the task when they grow up. Have them help you shop for the correct bulb, then guide them through popping off the light covers, replacing the bulbs, and then reattaching the cover.

Changing Windshield Wiper Blades

If you’re looking for easy car maintenance to teach your child, changing the windshield wiper blades is pretty high on that list. You can replace these easily as needed.

Air Filters

While air filters might seem like they’d be difficult to replace, they are pretty simple in most cars. All you need to do is help your child identify the air filter box, pop it open, remove the old filter, and put the new one in. Close the box, and you’re done in less than a minute. This little task can make a big difference in a car’s performance and can be pretty pricey at a mechanic, despite the simplicity.