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5 Signs You’re a Millennial Mom

As parents, we often find ourselves shaking our heads while saying, “kids these days”—kids of today’s generation who would rather stare at their phone than personally communicating with people around them. And then we come to think: what happens to these kids when they grow up and become parents?

Well, it’s already happening. Millennial adults are those born between 1980 and early 2000s. And if you happen to be one of them and already have kids, then you’re classified as a millennial mom. Here are some fun facts that you can relate to.

1. You are into technology and social media.
Today’s generation of parents has grown and matured with technology, so it shouldn’t come as a surprise that moms are highly connected. In an average, moms use four social media accounts—Facebook, Instagram, Twitter and Pinterest—and spend up to 17 hours a week on these networks. That’s like four hours more each week than average moms!

2. You do not want to be a mom all the time.
“Alone time” and “pamper day” is non-negotiable for today’s generation of moms. In fact, many would prefer to pay extra to have someone help them take care of the kids, manage their busy schedule and tackle some household chores.

3. You let your kids lead the way.
From weaning to letting your climb trees and ride their first bike, most millennial moms allow their kids to experience life at its rawest. Whether they get dirty, hurt or wounded, you prefer your kids to lead the way. You want to make your kids fee that they have choices that you didn’t had when you were their age.

4. You are naturally creative.
Although you are educated of how things should work, you still find creative ways to make things work and perhaps inspire other moms. Whether blogging about your highs and lows with your kids, vlogging about your everyday life or opening an Etsy shop for your custom-made goodies, you always come up with a fun idea to engage with moms and parents like you.

5. You are seriously smart.
More of today’s generation have college degree than any other young adults of other generation. And considering that women today are more well-rounded and liberated, it’s a given that mom’s today are smarter and more open-minded.

These changes are not as bad as what people perceived it is. Change is constant, and so are the ways of how women raise their children and their family. Embrace it and learn to make it work for you, your family and everyone around you.

5 Ways to Break Your Child’s Nervous Habits

Knuckle cracking, nail biting and hair pulling are just some of the pesky habits that most children can’t seem to stop doing. While these habits may be an indicator of your child’s boredom or anxiety, it’s important that as parents, you should be the first one to help them break such nasty habits. To give you an idea as to how you can help your kid, we’ve listed down several tips that both of you can use in breaking each of his nervous habits.

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1.       Recognize the Reason Behind the Habit. When a kid gnaws on his nails, picks at his scab, or bites his shirt’s collar, it could be a sign that he’s suffering from anxiety. To solve this, experts recommend that you look into what might be making your child anxious. Ask if he has problems at school, if he’s being bullied or if he’s affected by some family issues. If your child won’t speak up and his habits still continue, then it might be time to take him to a therapist or a paediatrician.

2.       Respond to its Cause Directly. Another effective way to deal with nervous habits is to directly respond to its cause. Such habits are often caused by the child’s stress or anxiety, and the best way to deal with this is to make your kid realize the importance of being optimistic. Tell him that if he’s a positive-thinker, more people would want to be around him. Also, explain to them that there are more constructive ways that he can do to voice out his complaints without being too negative about it.

3.       Motivate Him to Break His Habit. Motivating your child over something can really go a long way. Just like adults, if a child has a clear reason, motivation and interest to break his nervous habit, he’ll definitely make a change. You can also practise a reward system to further motivate him in breaking his habit.

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4.       Understand That a Habit Eventually Goes Away. While most habits develop at an early age, some of it eventually fades away. So in the meantime, just do your best to encourage and support your child every time he’s behaving appropriately, and focus on the positive things that he does.

5.       Replace His Habit with Something Else. In order to achieve this, you and your child’s teacher should work together to identify effective replacement behaviours. Closely study the habit of your child first, then think of a replacement that he’ll likely accept. Sometimes, a simple swap is already enough to break the pesky habits.

Whether such habits is a manifestation of anxiety or boredom, it’s important that you help your child in dealing with these practises. Not only to stop him from damaging his looks, but to improve himself as a person as well.

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The DOs and DON’Ts of Baby Napping

Sleeping is one of the few things that most babies love to do, and as a parent, you definitely want your child to get the best sleep possible. So, for you and your baby to enjoy a good nap, here’s a list of all the dos and don’ts of baby napping that each new parent should understand.

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Baby Napping DOs

1.       Spot signs of sleepiness in your child. If your child starts yawning, then it’s a sign to take a nap. Other signs of sleepiness among newborns include crying and rubbing of eyes. Overtired babies, however, might experience some trouble settling down, so watch out for these signs.

 2.       Understand that babies tend to sleep a lot. Although it might not seem like it during the first few days, newborns actually sleep for about 16 hours each day. As they get older, expect that they’ll be sleeping less during daytime and more at nighttime. During his 6th month, your baby should already be able to sleep during the night and have two to three naps. Don’t worry though if he doesn’t, since each baby have different sleeping patterns.

 3.       Establish a nap routine. One good way to ensure that your little one gets a good napping time is to establish a nap routine. This will help your child have the same nap times every day, and avoid late afternoon naps that might lead to trouble sleeping at night.

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Baby Napping DON’Ts

1.       Avoiding waking up your baby. In case your baby falls asleep in his car seat, don’t wake him up. Carry the seat instead and let him finish his nap on the seat. Don’t let him sleep there throughout the night though. Transfer him to his crib and make sure that he’s positioned comfortably.

 2.       Don’t rely on on-the-go naps. While it may be tempting to squeeze in your child’s nap on your errand time, he may not be able to get the kind of rest that you want him to get. If your schedule is always packed, try cutting it back, or hiring a babysitter to assist you in taking care of your baby.

 3.       Don’t panic when you hear sleep noises. Hiccups, sighs, whimpers and squeaks are just some of the common baby sleep noises, which means that your baby is just settling down. So, wait a little for you check on him, unless you think he’s uncomfortable with his sleeping position, or is hungry.

Getting enough sleep is important both for you and your baby. So, make sure that you keep these napping guidelines in mind to give yourself and your baby a sounder sleep especially at night.

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