Happy Mother's Day to all our mommies!

Fun things to do with your little ones in Kentucky!

Looking for something fun to do? Want it to be low cost or even free? Check out this list!

50 FREE Fun Things to do With Kids in Central KY | LexFun4KidsLexFun4Kids

ABC Mouse

 

 

 

Kindergarten teachers across the United States were surveyed on whether or not they felt technology was an added value in preparing children for kindergarten.

Seventy-seven percent (77 percent) of respondents view technology as "very  useful" or "useful" in this respect. Specific benefits of technology cited most often were engagement, helping children learn the ABC's, educational games, number recognition, and interactive learning.

Getting rid of the pacifier

Before you wean your child off of their pacifier think through the reasons your child is using the pacifier and try and consider a replacement behavior you can teach your child instead. 

Many children love to suck on things and a pacifier fills that need. When removing the pacifier you will need to consider other ways to help your child fill that need. You may find that the child starts sucking his thumb instead or sucking on pjs or blankets or even their hair. My pediatrician has always said that he'd prefer kids to use a pacifier because you can at least remove it, versus a thumb or hair.

If your child is using the pacifier for self soothing and it is a comfort object, consider other comfort objects you could introduce to the child prior to weaning the child off the pacifier. Possibly a special blanket, stuffed animal, etc.? 

When is a good time to wean kids off a pacifier?

There is no hard and fast rule. Each child will be different. Some doctors recommend waiting till after a child is 6 months since the incidence of SIDS is lower after that time (and some doctors think using a pacifier reduces the risks of SIDS). 

We weaned our son off of his pacifier when he was 2 years old. Some wait until their child is older and can communicate better and understand a bit better.

I would recommend avoiding weaning a child off of his pacifier during a big transition period- for example a new baby's arrival, a move, family changes, sickness, or other stressful periods. 

What are some ways to wean a child off a pacifier?

Here are a few ideas from several of our community members plus what worked at our house. Each child will be different. Some need to take it slow and have it be a gradual transition while others are fine with it being a quick weaning experience.

1.  Have the pacifier fairy come! 

At my house we put all the pacifiers in a big envelope and put them in the mailbox. Then we went back inside for an hour or so. While we were inside my husband snuck outside and replaced the big envelope with a special gift. When we went out outside to the mailbox we discovered that the pacifier fairy had come and taken all of our pacifiers to new babies and we got a special new toy to sleep with and a treat!

2. Cut the pacifier tip off.

Many mothers recommend you gradually cut the tips off of the pacifiers. Cut a little bit more off each week or each day. Over time the child realizes that they don't work well any more and will stop using them.

3. Have the child only use it at a specific time of day (bedtime/naptime). 

Many parents like a more gradual strategy by using the pacifier only at specific times and slowly whittling it down to just bedtime and then eventually removing them.

4. Just throw them all away.

Some kids are fine with just a warning that on a specific date all of the pacifiers are going to go away. On that day you can have the child help you throw them all away. I would definitely make sure you've come up with a replacement strategy before you do this.

5. Wrap it up and give it away to a new baby friend.

Some kids might love getting to share their special pacifier with a new baby and be a helper. Obviously tell that parent to just throw the pacifier away after you leave :) This strategy works best with older kids who can understand that giving away their pacifier would be helpful for a new baby.

6. Attach a balloon to it and send the pacifier away.

I thought this was a cute idea though don't love sending balloons up into the air to litter the oceans... if you have additional ways to make this work, pass them along.

7. Have the child give it to Santa at Christmas in exchange for all of her presents on Christmas morning.

Instead of leaving out milk and cookies, leave out all of the pacifiers. Tell your child that Santa wants to take the pacifiers to all the little boys and girls who are sad or sick at Christmas.

8.  Stop buying them!

Let your child know that you aren't buying any anymore. At our house they got lost so often so we'd run out pretty quick! :)

9. Trade them in at the toy store.

Put them in a big ziploc bag and take them with you to the toy store. Tell the store staff that you are going to trade the pacifiers in for toys (wink, wink). Pick a toy and stealthly pay for it and ask the store workers to throw the pacifiers in the trash.

10. Get a replacement lovie or stuffed animal for them and have them trade it with you for the pacifiers.

One reader mentioned that she had a pacifier stuffed inside a Build a Bear. She recommend that you NOT do that :) At least it didn't work for her. Her child now hates that bear! LOL.

Car Seat Safety

Safe Kids offers safety seat inspection at Immanuel Baptist Church on 3100 Tates Creek Road in Lexington
The Child Safety Inspection station will be open from 1-3 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month. Call 859-323-1153 for an appointment. Parents and caregivers will learn the correct way to install a child safety seat in their vehicle and how to properly buckle up their children. Seats will be inspected by certified child passenger safety technicians. There is no charge for inspection.

Daylight Savings and kids!

Daylight savings and your child's sleep routine

As if getting children into a good sleep routine wasn't hard enough, the commencement or end of daylight saving can add an extra element to the challenge of getting your kids to bed each night.
While moving the clock forward or back one hour is something that makes adults sleepy for a couple of days as their bodies adjust to the change, it can take toddler and older children a little longer to assume a new sleep routine but there are ways you can minimise the impact of daylight saving on your child's sleep patterns.

How to change to and from daylight saving time

To change your child's sleep routine to daylight saving time, it's a good idea to try to get him into bed a little earlier (or later, depending on which way the clock is going!) in the week leading up to the time change. This way, his body clock will have made some of the adjustment already.
To change his body clock to daylight saving time:

• A few days before daylight saving starts, get your child into bed a little earlier each night - he may not actually go to sleep until his regular bedtime but by getting him to bed earlier, you are encouraging his body (and mind!) to relax a little earlier than usual and this will lead to falling asleep earlier too - it just might take a couple of nights.
• Don't try to wear your child out in a bid to get him to sleep earlier - overtired children often actually take longer to fall asleep and may even resist sleep completely.

To change his body clock to standard time:

• In the lead up to the clocks returning to standard time, make your child's bedtime a little later each night so that when the time does change, you won't have a grumpy child on your hands begging for bed.
• You may find that while you're successful at changing your child's bedtime routine to fit with the change in time, he may continue to wake at his regular hour - which is now one hour earlier than usual! There is little you can do to control this but often kids who continue to wake early, get so tired after a week or two of the extra-early start to the day that they start to sleep longer. It helps too, if you resist putting them to bed 'early' because they're so tired from waking early!

Daylight savings tips

• The big challenge for parents during daylight saving is convincing kids that it's bedtime when the sun is still shining! Happily, the Christmas holidays coincide with daylight saving and during this time, many parents are a little more relaxed about bedtime than during the school year.
• If your child struggles to sleep in the daylight, try making his room darker and take extra care to ensure that his bedtime routine is as sleep conducive as it can be. No rousing games of hide-and-seek just before bed!
• If your child keeps waking too early, ensure that he understands that you don't consider this an acceptable time to start the day. Encourage him to doze but if he really wants to be awake, encourage him to stay in bed doing a quiet activity. Some parents put a clock beside their child's bed and explain what time it has to be before they can get up for the day!
• Children with good sleep routines -have a quiet time routine before bed, stay in their bed through the night and don't need help to get to sleep - cope well with the changes in time as they know what to expect at the end of the day regardless of the time.
• Generally it takes about a week after the clocks have changed for everyone, no matter what age, to be in a new sleeping pattern so try to have patience if you have a tired and grumpy child on your hands in the days after the time change

Let's make snow cream!

With all the snow outside, here is a great way to make it fun! Mix the following ingredients and enjoy! (quickly because it will melt!)

 

 

Ingredients:

1. 1 cup milk (any kind)
2. 1/3 cup granulated sugar.
3. 1 tsp. vanilla extract.
4. 1 pinch salt.
5. 8 cups clean snow or shaved ice (more or less depending on the density of the snow)
6. optional (but strongly suggested) topping: sprinkles!!!