If you’re a football fan, your eyes have been glued to the news for updates on how the NFL is handling abuse issues within the league.  More than one player has their career on the line for making questionable decisions when it comes to disciplining their kids.  As parents, we all make mistakes and fall short from time to time, but when it comes to keeping our anger in check, we can’t afford to get it wrong.  Keeping kids safe has to be our number one priority.  Below you’ll find a few tips to help set boundaries and prevent tempers from flaring.

• Be proactive – Praise is a great tool for kids.  Kids will act out for attention, negative attention is better than no attention, so be proactive and keep them focused on things they do well.
• Be consistent – Kids need consistency to feel safe.  When they don’t feel safe, they will push boundaries so they know how far they can go.  Having a clear set of rules and consequences is vital for kids to thrive.  “No” always needs to mean “No.”  For instance, not playing on the stairs should never be up for discussion.  If kids can sometimes play on the stairs, it becomes a game for them and they will continue to test the waters.
• Validate their feelings – Toddlers can’t always articulate how they feel so they will act out in a tantrum.  Provide choices for them to feel empowered and deal with a situation they are not happy with.  For example, if a toddler doesn’t want to go in the car, explain that sometimes we all have do things we don’t want to do, then offer to let them bring their favorite book or doll on the trip.
• Designate a safe place – Time outs can be effective for older kids, but this tactic isn’t always effective for toddlers.  Create a cozy corner where they are not removed from the family but in a safe place where you can redirect their attention.  Stay calm until they can relax and get past their tantrum.
• Take time to cool down – Teach kids to count to 4 when they are upset.  Model that behavior when you’re upset and need to catch your breath before responding to the situation.  Providing a cooling down period can be beneficial for both of you in the midst of heated circumstances.

Discipline in its simplest form is teaching kids how to self-correct and how to behave in accordance with accepted rules at home, school or wherever life may take you.  Keeping that in mind, you don’t want to do anything that will undermine your ability to mold your kids into healthy well balanced people.  Never spank.  Hitting a child will kill any trust that exists in a parent / child relationship.  Spanking teaches kids to be aggressive and develop the need to protect themselves at all costs.  It destroys their ability to feel safe and accepted.  Hitting and love cannot be reconciled in a child’s mind; therefore, kids will develop an unhealthy association between love and abuse.  Providing age appropriate discipline and consequences will systematically train kids to develop healthy attitudes toward adult authority and boundaries.

About Jennifer Chung & Kinsights:
Jennifer Chung is a parenting expert and co-founder of Kinsights.com: part parenting community, part online health record. Kinsights provides parents with a safe place to seek answers to their questions while also helping them track their child’s health information. Organize your child’s growth and developmental milestones, immunizations, medications, allergies, and more.  Connect with Kinsights at https://kinsights.com to learn more and sign-up! You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@kinsights).

The post Healthy Discipline Strategies For Your Kids appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Finding the right person to care for your children while you work is one of the most important decisions you’ll make as a parent.  It will give you tremendous peace of mind to know that your children are safe and happy while you’re away from them.  There are many factors that go into choosing what is right for your family, below is a list of tips to consider when looking at child care options and why you might want to choose go to with a nanny vs. daycare.

One-on-one care. Nannies provide consistency for your children by having the same person care for them day in and day out. Consistency builds a sense of security in young children.  In addition, the nanny’s only priority is your children, so they come to love your children and know their routine.

Routine. Rather than having your children adapt to a day care’s routine, a nanny will cater to your children’s routine. This will allow your children to develop and grow at their own rate, nap when is best for your family, and play in their own home while learning to respect your rules and property.

Activities. A nanny will take them to gymnastics or ballet, or participate in music and swimming lessons. They will engage in playgroups, take trips to the zoo and run around at parks. With a nanny your children are free to explore on their own terms.

It’s your choice.  Although it may be a painful, laborious process, you are ultimately in charge of who watches your children. You conduct the interviews, you set the rules, and you write the paycheck. This also allows you to really get to know your nanny on a professional and personal level.

Safety. You are able to keep an eye on things. Either with a nanny cam or your own two eyes, parents with nannies are more engaged and aware of what goes on during the day.

Cost. Believe it or not, nanny’s typically cost less than daycare, especially the more children you have with them.

Sick days. A sick child doesn’t cancel your day. If your children are sick you usually can’t drop them off at daycare. However with a nanny, depending on the illness, you are still able to go to work despite having a sick child. Staying at home with a nanny also protects your children from exposure to germs and illnesses floating around a daycare.

Nannies become your right hand person.  Over time they become an extension of your family and offer stability that isn’t found in a daycare environment.  Having the help of a loving nanny gives your child the best of both worlds, they get to stick to their routine, they are able to socialize though activities and they have a trusted adult they can bond with while you’re at work.

About Jennifer Chung & Kinsights:
Jennifer Chung is a parenting expert and co-founder of Kinsights.com: part parenting community, part online health record. Kinsights provides parents with a safe place to seek answers to their questions while also helping them track their child’s health information. Organize your child’s growth and developmental milestones, immunizations, medications, allergies, and more.  Connect with Kinsights at https://kinsights.com to learn more and sign-up! You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@kinsights).

The post Thinking About Hiring A Nanny? appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

One of the never ending chores busy parents face is battling the mountain of laundry that gets generated each week.  How much time do you spend each week fighting stains, hunting down missing socks and sorting clothes? 

Time is something that parents just don’t have enough of.  If you’re looking for a system that works for getting the laundry done in an efficient organized manner, you’ll want to take note of these 10 simple tips for getting your laundry clean and extending the life of your clothes.

Sorting

More efficient sorting: Designate five to six separate piles when sorting laundry. 1) whites (entirely white), 2) light colors that include striped whites, 3) darks (blacks, blues, and browns), 4) brights (reds, yellows, and oranges), and 5) delicates. To prevent lint from spreading, create a separate pile for linty fabrics like towels, flannels, and sweatshirts.

Keeping socks paired up: Use a large safety pin to keep socks together in the laundry. Simply attach them in pairs or throw them in a small mesh laundry bag and assign one to each family member. When the laundry is done, the socks are still together and separated by family member.

Pretreating and Washing

Treating stains: Treat stains right away. Once a stain dries it can easily become permanent. Put the stained article of clothing in a bucket or sink full of water with a little detergent until you have time to treat the stain. Do not treat the stain before soaking.

White vinegar magic: Add one half cup of white vinegar to the wash cycle to prevent lint from sticking to clothes, remove soap build-up, remove stains (wine, mustard, perspiration, and more), and take the musty smell out of clothes left in the washing machine.

Grease stains: Rub chalk onto greasy stains. Don’t worry about the chalk powder, it will absorb the grease, and make the stain easily removable by the laundry soap in the wash.

Optimizing your wash cycle: Add powder detergent before adding clothes to the washing machine.  Powdered detergent will work more effectively if it dissolves in water before adding clothes.

Reducing your energy bill:  Make the switch to Cold Water/Bright Color wash for almost all of your laundry.  Unless a garment is severely stained, cold water cleans just as well as hot, is gentler on clothing, can save you $70/yr. on energy costs and has a lower carbon footprint. According to the US Department of Energy, 90% of the energy used for washing clothes in a conventional top-load washer goes to heat the water.

Using homemade laundry soap: Make homemade laundry detergent for about $10 using baking soda, washing soap and Dr. Bronner’s bar soap (the peppermint and lavender combined makes a wonderful laundry scent). It takes only 1 tsp. per load. One batch lasts for 1-2 months.

Drying

Fresher smelling laundry: Use an outdoor clothes line.  Clothes lines have become increasingly popular with the transition to more eco-friendly living. There are many benefits to using a clothes line: whites become whiter, clothes rarely need to be ironed, nothing shrinks, your towels smell wonderful and it uses no energy.

Residue free soft clothes: Spend a few dollars on a set of eco-friendly dryer balls that last for years instead of sinking money into fabric softeners or dryer sheets. Unlike fabric softeners and dryer sheets, dryer balls won’t leave a residue on your clothing.

 
About Jennifer Chung and Kinsights

Jennifer Chung is a parenting expert and co-founder of Kinsights: part parenting community, part online health record. Kinsights provides parents with a safe place to seek answers to their questions while also helping them track their child’s health information. Organize your child’s growth and developmental milestones, immunizations, medications, allergies, and more. Connect with Kinsights at https://kinsights.com to learn more and sign-up! You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@kinsights).

The post 10 Sure Fire Tips for Getting Your Laundry Clean appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

As babies grow into toddlerhood they pass through many developmental milestones.  Learning to share is one of them.  Sharing, just like everything else up to this point, is a practiced skill.  Kids aren’t intentionally being selfish when they don’t want to share, they are simply acting their age developmentally.  So, don’t be embarrassed when your two year old grabs a toy and shouts “MINE”, simply turn it into a teachable moment. 

Try these simple tips to help teach your toddler how to share and have a good attitude:

1.  Create sharing opportunities – Sharing is not a natural response for a toddler, the concept must be taught. Be patient, don’t rush the process – and they will catch on. Don’t force your child to share. Instead, create opportunities for him to include others and share his belongings. Coach him through the event prior to guests arriving.  Host a playgroup in your home to create a safe practice space. He may be unwilling at first, but with practice he will see that he has other toys available to play with.  Redirect his attention and eventually he will be okay with other children playing with his toys too. To make it easier for him, remove his favorite toy from the whole equation and don’t allow any child to play with it during play time.

2.  Set time limits – Set the expectation by saying, “You can play with it for 10 minutes, and then it is Sally’s turn.” Toddlers have a hard time playing together as it is so setting limits will encourage sharing. Setting a timer works great, when the bell chimes it is time to change toys. Your child may be reluctant to pass the toy on so don’t be surprised if you have to intervene.

3.  Reward good behavior –  If sharing goes well, praise him on a job well done in front of the group.  Say things like, “You’re such a big boy for sharing your toys with Tommy,” or “Doesn’t it feel good to play nice with your friends?”  Kids love stickers.  Give a sticker for good behavior or a special snack at lunch.  Make the reward immediate as toddlers have a short attention span.  At dinner time, have him tell Daddy what a good boy he was by sharing his toys at playtime. Continual positive reinforcement goes a long way with kids because they have an innate desire to please you.

4.  Model your behavior – Kids will imitate what they see.  Offer opportunities for to share with them by sharing a bite of your food.  Talk them through the process, “This is a yummy sandwich, I would sure like to share it with you,” then offer them a bite.  End the conversation with “Thanks for sharing with me. It makes me feel good to share things with you.”  Make sharing a positive experience with them so they will associate that feeling when sharing their toys with friends.

5.  Teach delayed gratification – Kids want everything right now.  Offer them choices like, “If you let Susie take a turn playing with your doll now, we can go to the park tomorrow and play on the slide.”  Make the reward for sharing bigger than just playing with the toy in that moment.  Giving them control over the process also makes them feel grown up. 

Start teaching the concept of sharing early.  Talk out loud when you are sharing with them to familiarize them with the process of sharing.  When introducing the idea of sharing to a group of kids, set rules so everyone knows they are expected to share.  Model offering toys for friends to play with in front of your child so they can model your behavior; i.e. “Sam, would you like to play with Ethan’s truck today?” Then motion to Ethan to pass the truck to Sam.  Don’t punish them when they don’t quite get it, express your disappointment and encourage them to do better next time.  Intervene when you must to keep the peace, but with consistent reinforcement sharing will become a natural response as the child grows older.

About Jennifer Chung

Jennifer Chung is a parenting expert and co-founder of Kinsights: part parenting community, part online health record. Kinsights provides parents with a safe place to seek answers to their questions while also helping them track their child’s health information. Organize your child’s growth and developmental milestones, immunizations, medications, allergies, and more.  Connect with Kinsights at https://kinsights.com to learn more and sign-up! You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@kinsights).

The post 5 Tips to Teach Toddlers to Share appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

By Jennifer Chung – Kinsights.com

The good news for all of us is winter doesn’t last forever (yes, you can come in off the ledge now unless you’re planning to cannon ball into the snow).  Even though your kids have you driven mad, it’s not too late to turn that angst into something that’s fun and productive for the whole family.  We’re talking about family bonding activities and here are some fun ideas for making the best of the remaining snowy days. 

1.  Got a Wii or X-Box?  Get the family together for “Family Olympics”.  Whether it’s Just Dance for Kids, boxing or bowling, this activity is for the whole family and burns off the winter doldrums.


2.  Get out the board games and have some fun.  Some of family favorites are Sorry, Beat the Parents and Head Bandz.


3.  If you can’t beat the weather, join it!  Pull on your snow pants and boots and have a good old-fashioned snow ball fight or build a snowman right in your own backyard.


4.  Don’t under estimate the power of a good puppet show.  It may sound a bit old fashioned but kids love this activity.  Make your own puppet theatre by having the kids design and decorate an old sheet or using a big box.  If you don’t have any puppets, stuffed animals work great or make homemade puppets using socks.  Have the kids work together to come up with a story idea and have them perform the show for you, neighbors or grandparents.


5.  Have a ton of photos and collected souvenirs/artwork lying around?  Buy up a few photo albums or scrapbooks and work with your kids to put together their own keepsakes.  They can use art supplies to decorate the pages, bling and stickers.  It gives the kids a fun project to work on and accomplishes something most busy parents don’t get time to work on.


6.  Who doesn’t love a good family talent show?  Have each family member work on their talent, whether it’s a magic act, dance number or some killer lip-synching, and put on a show for each other, friends, or neighbors.

7.  Stuck in the house for too many days to count?  It’s time to break out of the ordinary routine and have some fun with your family.  Have a slumber party in the living room with sleeping bags and flashlights, have breakfast for dinner, organize a family movie marathon with popcorn and movie treats, work with the kids to rearrange their bedrooms for a change, or if you’re brave, let the kids be the parents for a day!


8.  Meet the family in the kitchen and cook or bake up a storm!  Have the kids help in finding recipes and creating a menu plan.  They could even pick a couple of items to bake that could be frozen and used to put in their lunch boxes.  Get the kids involved in washing and peeling veggies, give the little ones wooden spoons and have them help dump in measured ingredients.  This is a great time to help your older children learn to stir foods on the stove top, crack eggs, and figure out which measuring spoon and cup to use.  A dinner cooked by the whole family will be amazing.



About Jennifer Chung

Jennifer Chung is a parenting expert and co-founder of Kinsights: part parenting community, part online health record. Kinsights provides parents with a safe place to seek answers to their questions while also helping them track their child’s health information. Organize your child’s growth and developmental milestones, immunizations, medications, allergies, and more.  Connect with Kinsights at https://kinsights.com to learn more and sign-up! You can also follow them on Facebook and Twitter (@kinsights).

The post Fun Family Bonding Ideas For This (Long, Snowy, Cold) Winter appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Valentine’s Day is a special day to focus on those you love.  It’s a perfect opportunity to teach kids about the meaning of love within your own family as well as to perform acts of kindness for others. To help parents make this holiday a family affair, here’s a list of some fun, creative ways moms and dads can teach their kids about love through activities.

Eat with love.  Make a Valentine’s dinner together using only foods that are red in color (before and/or after cooking). For example, for starters make a beet salad, red carrot salad, or tomato salad; for main dishes make lobster, steak, or red snapper fish; for dessert make strawberries, raspberry fruit salad, cherry pie, or raspberry sorbet. Drinks can include champagne with a dash of cranberry juice or wine for mom and dad, substitute sprite with grenadine or cranberry juice for the kids. Let the kids help chop, cook and decorate the table.  Don’t forget to include kid friendly foods like red velvet cupcakes.

Family movie date night.  After enjoying your special Valentine’s Day family dinner, why not end your night with a romantic family movie!  Fortunately, there are many romantic movies that kids love such as Beauty and The Beast, Anastasia, Be My Valentine Charlie Brown, Cinderella, High School Musical, and many more.  So grab some popcorn and cuddle up! 

Sharing your love.  Show your kids what love is truly all about by sharing it and volunteering together at a local food shelf, dog shelter or nursing home.  The nursing home residents will love seeing the bright, happy young faces.  Ahead of time, make special valentines to hand out.

Secret valentine exchange. Instead of a “Secret Santa” try a secret valentine exchange with small handmade gifts and candy. Ask each family member to pick a name.  The gifts must all be Valentine’s Day themed.  This will give you and your kids an opportunity to be crafty and creative.  Think outside of the box to come up with the perfect gift for your valentine (think baking heart shaped cookies, red and pink hand made bracelets, V-day photo frames, etc.).  Every member of the family will love having their very own special valentine! 

Sweet treats scavenger hunt. A fun way to celebrate Valentine’s Day with the kids is through a scavenger hunt.  Provide them with a map or leave clues around the house that lead to yummy valentine’s treats and cards.  If you have more than one child, try giving your kids different maps for different surprises to keep it interesting, competitive and fun. 

Tree of love.  Trees aren’t just for Christmas anymore.  Pick up an artificial Christmas tree (you should be able to find one on clearance), spray it pink (or buy a white one) and decorate it as a family with handmade valentines, pink and red paper hearts, pink lights, and family photos.  Creating the “ornaments” or love will ensure an afternoon of fun!

Valentine’s Day is a special time to teach kids important lessons about loving and serving others while at the same time creating meaningful family traditions.  Modeling love through shared activities has a profound impact on kids and it is so easy to do. Happy Valentine’s Day!

About Mommy Chung

Parenting Expert and mom-of-one, Jennifer Chung, is the co-founder of Kinsights.com – part parenting community, part online health record.  Kinsights provides parents with a safe place to answer their questions while also helping them track their child’s health information.  Organize your child’s growth and developmental milestones, immunizations, medications, allergies, and more.  For more information on Kinsights, please visit their website, like them on Facebook, and follow them on Twitter.

The post HOW TO MAKE VALENTINE’S DAY A FAMILY AFFAIR appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.

Kinsights’ CEO/co-founder and parenting expert Jennifer Chung shares her personal and parenting resolutions for the new year. Join Jennifer and commit to a few positive changes in 2014 like embracing the chaos and living in the moment.  And have a happy and healthy New Year!  

Live in the moment: It’s easy to get caught up with the logistics of life (what’s for dinner, did I schedule swim lessons, where the heck are all of my son’s socks?!) – these details are important, but I’m trying not to let them rule my life. In the same way that I try to unplug from technology every now and then, I need to make an effort to unplug from my to do list, and just enjoy unplanned, unproductive time with the family.

Creative play: I’m always tempted by new toys – maybe this will be the new gizmo that will occupy and teach my son for hours on end!  Of course, that is rarely the case. In the new year, I’m scaling back on new toys, and focusing on ways to encourage creative play with my son. So this year, we’ll be planting tomatoes, gluing macaroni to a piece of paper, and making mud pies in the backyard.

The post Parenting Resolutions for a Happy 2014 appeared first on AKAMom Magazine.