Parenting

Seeing the world, visiting friends and family, going to the cottage: whatever the vacation may be, having a relatively well rested child who will enjoy the time away will be key.

There really is no way of knowing how your child will adjust to being away from home, however, there are a few things you can do to prepare your child for the time spent away from home and their sleep space.

Teaching your child responsibilities is something that many parents may not even think about but something that all children should learn from an early age. We are not talking about major household chores a la Cinderella, but little things to start that you can build on from year to year. Responsibilities can build confidence in a child’s self-worth, can teach them to take care of their belongings and take pride in the work they have done.

A pacifier soother, sucky, soo soo or whatever you chose to call it can be a great tool in the early months and even as your baby gets a little bit older as a comfort item when they go to bed. Some infants are born with an extreme urge to suck, which is likely when you introduced that soother.

Using a soother is a family decision and it does not have to be considered a negative sleep association. It gets tricky when you are needed to re-plug it all night long but there are ways that you can teach your child to be able to do that on their own.

Have mealtimes become a dreaded power struggle of pleading and arguing with your child to eat something, anything, just one bite? The challenge is real and although it can cause anxiety for us as parents, it is beneficial for us to take a step back and allow our children to be in control of what they eat.