Discipline That Works!

We have a 5 year old and a 2 year old, so life can be crazy at times.  And many of those times, my husband and I just plain don't know what to do.  We've gotten stuck in this rut of bribing our kids to behave, which only lasts for so long.  And then there are the times I want to pull my hair out.  "Is anyone listening to me?!"  As a stay at home mom, (as any parent!), I often feel like I am talking, but NO ONE is listening to me.  How many times do you have to tell a pre-schooler to put on his shoes?  Very frustrating. 

No more!  A good friend of mine, who is a 3rd grade teacher, recommended the book, "123 Magic" to me and it has made a world of difference!  This book is so easy to read - it's funny and tangible and the suggestions and ideas are easy to implement.  My husband and I started using the 1-2-3 technique a few weeks ago and we have seen such a great improvement in our kids' behavior - and our's too!  No more yelling, no more nagging!  The kids know what is expected of them and we, as parents, have a good tool that helps us to deal with difficult situations.

I have read several other books on discipline, but nothing has been as helpful or as down-to-earth as this book.  I am recommending this book to everyone I know with young kids! 

Forehead Thermometer

We recently spent the day at our pediatrician's office for our son's high temp and belly pain.  It turned out to be nothing serious, but we were so impressed with the speed and ease of the doctor's forehead thermometer, that we decided to buy one for ourselves.  And we LOVE it!!!!  It's the easiest thing to use and boy is it quick!  The one we bought doesn't even touch the patient's head.  You just scan it across your little babe's forehead and you instantly get an accurate reading.  The screen is a back-lit LCD screen, so you can even read it in the dark....which by the way, you can EASILY take a temp on a sleeping child.  No more under the tongue / in the armpit / in the ear / in the bottom / in the ear awkward and uncomfortable temperature takings!  Did I tell you how much I love it?!?!  It's the same thing our doctor uses in his office, so I trust it and know it's accurate and I don't have to worry about adding various degrees to get the true body temperature.  This is one thing I am so happy to have on hand for those crummy, feverish nights with the kids. 

                                                         

Recaro Car Seats - Safe Enough for NASCAR!

Have I told you about Recaro car seats?  These are among the safest car seats on the market, and yet remarkably, very few people have even heard of them! 

RECARO is the seat specialist for the automotive industry with "complete seat expertise". Decades of collaboration with medics, professors of ergonomics, universities and institutes have created an unreachable lead for RECARO.

Recaro makes safety seats for automobile (including NASCAR) and aircraft companies.  With a reputation for safety standards high enough to protect professional racecar drivers going hundreds of miles an hour (not to mention the speed of airplanes!), Recaro has the experience and know-how when it comes to safety. 

So what are Recaro car seats like?   They may not have all the bells and whistles of some of the other brands (you won't find fancy seat covers here), but these child safety seats make the grade with flying colors!  Recaro has taken everything the company has learned over the past 100 years of business about seating safety and "miniaturized it!" 

On our site, http://www.best-baby-gear.com/, we have two Recaro car seats listed as our top picks.  The Recaro ProRIDE Convertible Car Seat offers protection for babies up to 70 pounds, while the Recaro ProSPORT Combination Harness to Booster Car Seat can be used for children 20-120 pounds!  Read our reviews to learn more about each of these amazing car seats.

So be one of the first of your friends to strap your child into a NASCAR-quality car seat.  We think this is a trend worth starting!

More MLK Books for Kids!

I found a few more books about MLK appropriate for school-age kids!  Great!

   
  














And this one's one of my personal favorites...not about Martin Luther King specifically, but the themes and values are the same...

Martin Luther King Jr. Board Book

In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. day, I'm promoting this wonderful board book - The Story of Martin Luther King, Jr. by Johnny Ray Moore.  Its beautiful pictures and message about Martin Luther King, Jr. are perfect for introducing your little one to important values such as respect, as well as teaching them about an important part of our history.

Was "Britax" Santa's 9th Reindeer? We think so!

What better Christmas gift for a young family than that of safety and peace of mind?  Add in a sale and free shipping and you've got yourself a happy holiday!

Amazon is still having a sale of up to $110 off select Britax Convertible Car Seats, plus FREE Super Saver Shipping!  Ho ho ho!

An Alternative to Bed Rails for Toddlers

It's December 1st and in our house, a new month usually brings a new change.  This month, it's time to convert the ol' convertable crib into a toddler bed for our 23 month old.  She's now able to climb out of her crib on her own, even with the mattress set on the lowest setting and the railing up. 

When we initially bought this crib, I liked the idea of being able to convert it into a toddler bed and then eventually use it as the head and foot boards for a full sized bed.  What I didn't realize was converting it into a toddler bed essentially meant removing the front railing and that's it.  That's still pretty high off the ground.  And this means that our little monkey, who still moves around in her sleep A LOT, will only be protected from falling out on three sides of her bed.  She definitely needs a fourth, safe side. 

So I started researching bed rails.  Most bed rails are longer than we would need, as they are meant for a twin or larger sized bed.  Also, many of them specify that you need a mattress and a box spring for them to work properly - and her crib doesn't have a box spring.  Another concern was that these types of bed rails come with the warning of the possibility of your child getting caught in between the bed rail and the mattress.  Although, I think at this stage, I can't imagine Ashley getting stuck in such a predicament, it's not out of the question.  See monkey reference above. 

What I found - and can't wait to try - is called Magic Bumpers.  Basically, they are 5" high foam blocks that you place under your child's fitted mattress sheet.  They are low enough to allow your child to easily climb in and out of bed, but high enough to prevent them from falling out of bed!  Plus, they are cheaper than traditional bed rails!  Score!  The only drawback I've found is that it says that deep pocketed fitted sheets may accommodate Magic Bumpers better than regular sheets, so new sheets may be in our future. 

We're going to try them out within the next few weeks and get back to you with my personal review!