Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

Recently, we took our 1 1/2 years old toddler on his first flight. Before, the trip we backed his little suitcase full of activities: a water coloring book, finger puppets, books, stickers, and toy cars. My husband loaded up some YouTube videos we knew he would like. 

But, we didn't need those things. With some positive parenting tips, including, preparing him for the flight, and this one last-minute buy, we were all set!

What is the one thing? 

A couple days before the flight, I was scrolling Instagram and saw one mom post about window gel clings and how her toddlers kept busy for hours playing window grab at home.

I even did an Instagram story Q & A, and my cousin suggested window gel clings. I thought that they would be perfect for the plane. 

I hurried to Target, and there were a ton of Halloween themed ones for only $1.

Did they work?

They worked better than expected. My son played with them, and only them, for almost all four plane rides. 

He loved putting them on and taking them off. Plus, the Halloween themed gel clings were a hit because we had been talking about Halloween and seeing Halloween decorations out and about. 

Granted these were only $1, so we had to throw them out when we got home because they had fallen apart and were dirty, but well worth it.

How else can you use them

With the holidays coming up, you can use them on road trips or to entertain toddlers at family gatherings. 

They are great if you have to cook dinner and need something to keep your toddler occupied.

You can do storyboards with them, practice the ABCs or numbers, and teach about holidays, animals, transportation, etc. 

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

We all know the toddler years can be full of fits, frustration, and total meltdowns. We even have terms coined terms for these years - The Terrible Twos and Threenanger.

But despair not, parents, not every day has to be a temper tantrum nightmare. I have 5 positive parenting tips to make your AND your toddler's day a little bit easier

1. Prepare for what's coming

Recently, we had to give our son some iron drops. The first time we did it, it was awful. It ended in a lot of tears. We had to force the drops down his throat, and I felt so bad. 

The second time we did it, we snuck it into his milk, but he wasn't born yesterday. He knew the milk tasted funky, and he refused to drink milk for a couple of days. 

The third day, I realized what we did wrong. We didn't prepare him for what was to come. So, I sat him down and showed him a video with kids taking medicine.

I let him hold the medicine bottle and dropper. I talked in simple to understand language about taking medicine. 

Guess what? It worked wonderfully! In fact, now he loves taking his medicine. I still cheer every time he does it because it makes him so happy. 

Prepare your toddler for what is to come. Doctor visits, dentist appointments, an airplane flight, Sunday church, etc.

Board Certified Behavior Analyst, Michelle Tangeman, agrees. 
​

2. Gossip about Your toddler within earshot

While getting our son to take his medicine, I would gossip to his stuffed animal, Prayer Bear, every night before bed. 

I would say, "Guess what Henry did today, Prayer Bear? He took his medicine! He is such a big boy! I was so proud!" 

I would exaggeratedly whisper this loudly to his little bear making sure Henry heard me.  He would beam and get excited!

Toddlers love this when they "catch" their parents gossiping about how good they have been. 

3. Set a timer

Toddler's have no concept of time, so they need a visual or auditory cue for when something is about to start or end. 

Either use the timer on your phone and give it a fun name like Mr. Dinger or buy a sand one and then set it to go off to let your toddler know when an activity is finished. 

Use a timer for 

• Mealtime
• Before it's time to go up for bed
• Time-ins
• A time out
• Playtime or an activity
• Quiet time
• Bath time
• Storytime

4. Play the fool

Toddlers don't get a lot of wins in their day. Mom and Dad are constantly telling them what they can and cannot do. Toddlers need a win. It builds confidence and improves their self esteem. 

What to do? Play the fool. Or, as Dr. Harvey Karp calls it, play the boob. 

How do you do this? It's simple. Make a silly mistake over and over and then let your toddler be the one to correct you. 

"Does your shoe go on your head? No? Silly, Mommy!"

"Where's Henry? Is he under the block? No! Is he behind the pillow? No! Where could he be?" 

Your toddler will be grinning in no time at how much smarter he is than Mommy or Daddy.

5. Practice patience

Toddlers have no concept of what it means to be patient or wait. To set them up for success and prevent fewer tantrums, start practicing building up their patience in this practice of patience stretching. 

When they want something, act like you are going to give it to them, but then at the last second slap your forehead and say, "Oh wait, Mommy forgot something. She will be right back. Wait. Wait Wait." Usually, I throw the sign language in for "wait" too.

Then, I turn my back on my son and count to 5. After counting, I turn back around and give my son what he wants and applaud him for his "good waiting." Gradually, I work up to 10 seconds of waiting. 

This might sound cruel to you, but this is actually teaching your toddler how to be patient for those times when you really can't be at his or her beck and call. If she gets frustrated during this time, teach her how to take "Magic Breaths" to make the waiting easier. 

Hope these tips help! Leave some of your positive parenting strategies in the comments. And subscribe to get more positive parenting and sleep strategies. 

Buy Dr. Karp's book to get more positive parenting strategies. 

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

What is the Hatch?

The Hatch is a sound machine controlled through your smart phone.

It has eleven different sounds to choose from and ten different colors to chose from.

Parents can program when sounds can come on and turn off.

The product guarantees better sleep with its soft light and white noise. It also grows with your child.  

Should I Get One? 

I originally opted for a cheaper sound machine, but my mom recommended the Hatch to me after someone recommended it to her. I'm so glad that I made the switch. 

The Hatch has been amazing. According to Harvey Karp's 5's, babies need loud shushing in the first 3 months and even beyond to replicate the sounds of the womb. 

Inside the uterus is loud. There is noise 24/7.

Then, one day, your cute little baby is plucked from its comfortable, cozy home and expected to sleep in utter silence in the picture-perfect, gigantic nursery you created . No way! Imagine how terrifying.

Get a sound machine and turn it on for bedtime and naps.
When nighttime feedings were decreasing and we were aiming for that all-night stretch, we would feel dismayed when our son would start to wake and whine.

Then, we learned to try pausing first, followed by turning up the sound machine without even leaving our bed (phone-controlled sound machine for the win).

Worked. Like. A. Charm. Our son was back to sleep in no time, and we could breathe a sigh of relief.

The Hatch also plays an important role with bedtime and daytime routine. We have a getting ready for bed sound (water) and color (pink) and a naptime sound (lullaby) and color (pink) and then a bedtime and naptime sound (wind) and color (orange).

Our son has been conditioned when he hears those sounds that he knows it's time to get ready for nap or bed and soon go to sleep. 

We are still using our Hatch at 21 months and plan to even use it longer. 

​When our son gets older, we will use our Hatch for quiet time. The controlled lights will let him know when quiet time is finished (perhaps a green light) and when he has to stay quietly in his room (perhaps a green light). 

The lights will also tell him when it is time to get up and get Mommy and Daddy. 

​The Hatch is easily one of my favorite products as a mom. I give it 10/10 stars. 

Buy a portable sound machine for traveling. 

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

What is the Snoo?

The Snoo is a smart sleeper bassinet designed by Harvey Karp's Happiest Baby company. It combines three of the 5 S's - safe swaddling, gentle swinging, and a white noise shushing sound - to replicate the calming sensations of the womb. It guarantees a good night's sleep for you and your baby. 

I first read about the Snoo in Harvey Karp's book, "Happiest Baby on the Block," and instantly was intrigued and in awe of such a product. 

However, to shop and buy a Snoo it will run you $1, 395. To rent it costs $129 a month. Is there a price on sleep? 

Should I Get One? 

I hemmed and hawed over whether I should get one, but I decided to wait to see how my son slept with the 5 S's on their own. The Snoo was too costly for me to justify splurging on a sleeping device if my son already slept well. 

My son ended up sleeping well with the 5 S's and advice from sleep expert Cara Dumaplin of TakingCaraBabies. Although in a moment of weakness, I almost purchased the rent option in the middle of the night after two sleepless nights with my son. He ended up sleeping well the next night and pretty much from there on out. 

What Other People Say?

I ended up having a friend find one for half price on Facebook Market Place, and she purchased it for her baby. 

She loves it and says it definitely provides her family with the extra sleep they need. 

Her son LOVES the gentle rocking motion!

The swaddles have holes for the arms if your baby doesn't want his arms pinned down in the swaddle, and the swaddles keep the babies on their backs, for a good night of safe sleeping. 

She definitely recommends this product to all parents. The science behind it is proven, and when a baby and the parents get sleep, everyone is happier. 

She gives it 8/10 stars. 

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.

A month ago, dinners were full of fits, frustration, and forcing food down our toddler’s mouth. Mealtimes turned into meltdowns and tabletime turned into tears.

Toddler eating wasn’t going well for us. So like anything that doesn’t go well in my life, I turned to the experts and read books and scoured Instagrams. If this is you, and you want a change, keep reading. If you rather laugh at the craziness that is toddlertum, read how we used to get a toddler to eat instead. 

In my search for some answers, I found one book and one Instagram page that I really liked, "What to Feed Your Baby” and Kids Eat In Color. I put some of their methods to the test, and here are six strategies that worked for us. 
​

     1. Establish roles for the parents and children.
Our baby used to everything. He ate veggies, fruit, yogurt, meat, and grains.

Then, one day he did not eat all that. It was frustrating as a parent. We made up games and tricks to shovel bite after bite into his unassuming mouth.

He soon grew accustomed to our ploys and would whip his head to the side at the last moment leaving food to fly everywhere. Meals ended in one big mess and little food actually having been eaten. 

As a mother, I always assumed that it was my duty to make sure my child ate a well-balanced meal no matter the cost. I assumed wrong.

In her book, author and pediatrician, Tanya Altmann, outlines the roles for the parents and children when it comes to eating. The parents’ role is to provide their child with a well-balanced meal. The child’s role is to eat. That’s it. The child doesn’t control what is for dinner. The parent doesn’t control how much and what the child eats. The food is simply served to the child, and the parents has to let go.  

After reading this, our stress levels dipped and mealtime became more relaxed. We offered a variety of food at dinner, usually what we were eating, and sat back.

We didn’t stare wide-eyed at our son willing him to eat. We didn’t force feed spoonfuls into his mouth. We didn’t play tricks and do a song and a dance to get him to take one measly bite.

No, instead we gave him his plate and let him do his job once our job was finished. If he ate two bites, ok. If he ate ten bites, good. If he finished the whole plate, great. When he announced he was done, he was done.

Meals are much more enjoyable now that we have established roles. When we stay in our lane and do our job, we usually have a happier, well-fed baby than when we tried to do his job. Set up roles, rules, and boundaries, and you’ll get your serene suppers back in no time.   

     2. Serve a variety of foods. 
This strategy has helped a lot. We used to serve our son exactly what we were having. We still do, but now that he is developing a dislike for some textures and mixtures (Why is this dish all mixed together, Mommy?!), we have been making sure he has veggies, meat, and a starch at dinner with fruit and cheese as an option if he is showing a disdain for the main meal. 

Having options does not mean that you, the parent, should make a whole other meal if the first one goes untouched.

Nope, your job is to serve one meal with variety, and if your child doesn’t eat during the designated meal time (more on that later), he doesn’t eat until the next meal time.

That doesn’t mean you should starve your child. It just means use your best judgment and don’t feel like you have to overturn your cabinets and raid your refrigerator to concoct a meal your child will eat.

​This simple strategy has saved our sanity when it comes to cooking and meal planning. 

     3. Set up toddler time zones. 
Dr. Altmann uses the term “toddler time zones” in her book, and I think it is genius. The idea is to have a time zone for each meal and snack instead of one long trail of nibbling and grazing on food.

Before, it seemed as if our child was mostly snacking instead of eating his meals. Now, our child has a balance of both. 

A time zone is a stretch of time in which the meal or snack is offered.

For example, if our child wakes up at 7:00 AM, breakfast is served anywhere from 7:30 AM - 8:30 AM. Snack would be offered anywhere from 9:30 AM - 10:30 AM. Lunch 11:30 AM - 12:30 PM. Snack 1:30 PM-2:30 PM or later depending on the nap schedule. Then, dinner 5:00 PM - 6:00 PM followed by a before bedtime snack if applicable.

You can adjust the times to best fit to your lifestyle. Just remember to allow a break between time zones. 

And like anything with toddlers, remember flexibility, not rigidness, is your friend. If your child doesn’t eat right away at 7:30 AM, try again at a later time in the time zone.

Also, if your child is begging and pleading for food outside the range of the timezone, it doesn’t mean you have to deny and starve him.

The time zones are put in place to prevent all day snacking and full stomachs at mealtimes. At each meal, our child is more likely to be ready to eat, and so far, we have seen success.  

     4. Make mealtimes at the table. 

We really strive to do both mealtimes and snack times at the table while we are eating too. Experts agree that sitting down together as a family encourages toddlers to eat.

Of course things come up, and sometimes snacks have to be on the go. That’s okay!

However, aim to have those larger meals sitting down at the table. Snacks aren’t always the same thing I eat, but breakfasts, lunch, and dinner are roughly the same; otherwise, our son grasps at what we are eating the whole time, and we end up just feeding that to him anyway.

​This is really a simple step that has changed the way our toddler eats. 

     5. Keep it short.  
KISS. Keep it short, stupid. That’s for sure. Meals, especially dinners, seemed to drag on forever as we kept persuading and begging our toddler to eat more even after he was long finished and had enough.

Now, after 10 minutes or so, and he’s announced he’s done, we let him get down while Mommy and Daddy finish eating. Anything under 10, and we do our best to encourage him to continue eating or at least sit and join us for a meal.

Toddlers are active creatures. 10 minutes is an ample amount of time to eat at the table. You can buy fun timers from Amazon to let your child know how long he has to remain at the table.  

     
Nevertheless, if our son does decide to get down from the table, it doesn’t mean he has free reign to disrupt Mommy and Daddy’s dinnertime.

​You should set rules and boundaries surrounding mealtimes. Once we did, we all enjoyed a nice, peaceful dinner. 

     6. Buy fun utensils. 
 Jennifer Anderson, founder of Kids Eat in Color, advertises fun utensils and plates on her Instagram page. She advises that buying fun and creative silverware will make mealtime more enjoyable and playful for toddlers.

We searched Amazon and found a construction set that our son absolutely loves These utensils make good toddler gift ideas that aren't another plastic toy.

Instead of simply eating his meal, he is now shoveling, dumping, and pushing food around and into his mouth on his construction plate with his dump truck and bulldozer fork and spoon.

​Mealtime is now a blast, and we have a blast watching him. 

SHOP some of my favorites from Amazon now. 

I really hope these strategies help you and your family make mealtime more mundane and less memorable for its mess and mayhem. These are 6 simple steps that you can start changing today. Bon appétit! 

​

Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.
​
Nested Bean products are scientifically proven to calm a baby. Their products mimic a parent's touch when their weighted pads are activated. These bean bags on each side makes it feel as if your children is being held.  They guarantee that your baby will sleep better in 1-3 nights.  

Nested Bean's Zen sleepwear comes in five different products: 

Mothers who have used this product have attested that the products are very calming to their babies. Once wrapped in the swaddle, the babies would immediately settle. 

Not only do the parents love the products, but daycares do as well. Moms and Dads reported to buying two of them. One for daycare and one for the house. One mom said that daycare describes Nested Bean as a "miracle worker" for when babies get fussy. 

Nest Bean products are safe, durable, affordable and machine washable. They are definitely something you want to add to your baby registry today. You will be getting the rest and sleep you deserve in no time and then you will be able to wake up to a happier, healthier, and well-rested baby too! Order yours today!