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Tips to Get Your Baby to Sleep Better

As a parent who has had a difficult time with this, getting your baby to sleep well at night is a very common problem for most parents. Every baby is different and will have a different sleep pattern. Well, you’ll be pleased to know that there are several different techniques that you can try to help your baby sleep better and more comfortably which will also mean a better night’s rest for the entire household.

Consider being consistent with the baby’s bedtime putting the baby down at the same time each night. You might also choose to make sure that the routine that you use prior to bedtime is consistent as well such as feeding time, bath time and even some rocking or coddling time to help the baby feel relaxed and secure.

For bath time, you might consider a warm bath making use of some of the night time bath products that are available for babies that offer relaxation such as lavender and chamomile type products. You also want to make sure that your baby is dressed comfortably so that the night time clothing that you put on the baby isn’t binding or doesn’t leave the baby too hot or too cold. Don’t put too many blankets on the baby in the crib which can make him hot and uncomfortable yet do not cover the baby and allow him to get a chill. A sleep sack is a fantastic alternative to traditional blankets and many hospitals have switched over to using them for newborns. Whatever you dress them in, you’ll learn the things that work well for your baby and what your baby’s preference is for sleeping comfortably in no time.

Be consistent about feeding your baby during the day in order to make sure that you are teaching that eating if for the daytime hours and the night time hours are for sleeping. You may choose to give your baby a bit more formula in the bottle prior to his bed time than you do in his day time bottles to allow him a full tummy and a longer and more peaceful sleep without waking.

Play with your baby in the day hours and spend time making sure the baby is entertained during the day as well, this will help the baby to nap less and possibly sleep better at night. You might choose wind up toys, busy boxes, or just a pallet on the floor with toys that make noises or that provide movement to keep your baby entertained.

Another great consideration may be to lay your baby down at night in the crib with soothing music playing quietly or with relaxation noises such as a waterfall or rain sounds playing to help the baby to relax and to drift off to sleep and to say asleep. Use a crib soother or an old iPod you may have laying around.

Create a nursery atmosphere that is comforting and soothing for your baby. When it’s time for sleep, darken the room by using shades or blinds that help keep out any disturbing light that my shine in. Also make sure the temperature in the room as well as the humidity are set at a comfortable level. If your baby sweats a lot, you should consider an all-season sleeping sack such as the Merino Kids (review here). Make sure that the baby’s room is quiet and that the rest of the house is quiet as well. Once the baby is down for the night, you don’t want to disturb him with loud noises such as vacuuming, loud television noises or the commotion of other siblings that may still be awake. That said, some babies do not let any noise disrupt their sleep. Consider yourself lucky if your little one is like that.

Finally, teach your baby early that night time is for sleeping and day time is for being awake in order to help keep your baby and yourself happy and healthy. You’ll enjoy parenthood so much more when you have a baby that sleeps well at night and wakes feeling refreshed and ready for the day without being cranky and disgruntled.

Sharon Comments Off Family

Updating Your Kitchen Cabinets

When we purchased our first home, we knew there was a bit of work to do on it. Like many other first-time homeowners, the number one thing we wanted to do was update the old with the new. Whether this be carpets or something as simple as kitchen cabinets, they are always looking to improve their homes with something new and pleasing to the eye. Replacing carpets and other various types of flooring is as easy as either calling a professional to come to your home and do it for you, or do it yourself by using materials from a big box home improvement store such as Home Depot. For updating kitchen cabinets, there are a few more steps involved.

Wallpaper

Wallpaper can be an awesome technique for updating old cabinets with a new look. For one thing, you can easily remove wallpaper when you want a new look. For another, you can choose a pattern that matches the look you are wanting for your kitchen. You can choose a multitude of different shades, patterns, and looks for your cabinets. Simply follow the instructions for the wallpaper you want to use and update to your hearts content.

Things to make sure you have when using wallpaper are:

Glue
Water
Stripping tool (in case there is a wallpaper goof-up)
Knife (or scissors) for cutting wallpaper
Smoothing tool (for getting rid of any air bubbles)

Paint/Stain

Another thing that can be your best friend with your endeavor to update your kitchen cabinets is to use paint or stain. Most cabinets are made out of wood, so this is another way to create a uniform look and give you a chance to express your artistic side as well. Go crazy and have fun.

Things to make sure you have when using paint are:

Paint color of your choice
Any texturing tools you may want to use
Paintbrush or paint roller
Paint thinner
Scraping tool
Painters tape
Tarp (to make sure no paint drips on your other surfaces)

If you want to paint the doors a different color than the rest of the cabinets then you can use spray paint as an alternative. Plus, one of the added benefits of using spray paint, you can create patterns by alternating distance between the doors and spray nozzle.

Replace

Some cabinets are in such great disrepair when you first buy the home that the only recourse for updating them is to replace them. This can mean several different things for a new homeowner. It can be a source of great trepidation or great joy, depending on the homeowner. If this is the situation that you are looking at, there are many options available to you.

There are two ways to replace old cabinets. One is to have a professional come into your home and replace them for you. The other is to do it yourself. Since my husband is pretty handy, he actually built new cabinets for us and they turned out great! The previous summer, he did a lot of research looking at portable air compressor reviews online. He had his mind set on a Makita unit since he loves their cordless drill and he found the best price on the Makita MAC2400 online. While having someone come in the home may be more expensive, it can also be the way to go if you want your cabinets done quickly. Let’s face it, not a lot of people are going to want to spend their off time doing repair work on their homes.

One of the best way to determine what is the best choice for you is to do your research and ask questions. Find out how much it will cost you to do the work yourself and factor in the time it will take you to finish the work and compare it to what it will cost to have a professional come in. Look at all your options and determine which is the best path for you to take while updating your cabinets.

New Hardware

New cabinet pulls or knobs are probably the easiest and least expensive way to update the look of a kitchen. There are literally hundreds of different options available. For some, this is all they do. Others add new hardware as the finishing touch once the cabinet faces are redone (recommended). Keep in mind that it’s a little more work if replacing hardware that has a different number of attachment points. With that, you may need to fill in the old holes and re-measure everything for alignment.

Most of all, remember to have fun with your decorating. After all, this is your home.

Sharon Comments Off Projects

Need a Good Baby Gift?

I can’t count how many different toys we have around the house made by Playskool. With the Playskool Busy Ball Popper, babies will get silly with poppin’ and droppin’ colored balls! Pump the plunger and then drop the balls onto the bright spiral track. When the balls reach the bottom, watch out! The balls then pop out of the top! Eight lively songs are guaranteed to supply plenty of laughs and giggles and keep the fun rollin’ along. When your baby’s a little older, they can have even more fun by chasing after the fun brightly colored balls. Ages 9 months to 3 years.

Sharon Comments Off Family, Miscellaneous

Science Experiments for 4th Graders

4th grade science experiments are always one of the more interesting activities to do when it comes to explaining basic science concepts. This stage of learning deals with the study of Matter such as Atoms and Molecules, as well as Force, motion and energy along with Earth, Light, Electricity and much more. It is a very exciting stage for any young student, as 4th grade science covers some of the most important facts and provides the building blocks for higher science education. And as with any good elementary science learning, experiments help keep learning fun and exciting, not to mention it makes absorption of concepts easier since practical applications are being done using the lesson.

Sharon Comments Off Miscellaneous, Projects

30 Fun Cheap Summer Activities for Kids

Once school is out, “I’m bored!” are the two words almost every parent is guaranteed to hear at some point. Fortunately, fun AND frugal do go together when it comes to activities you can do with the kids this summer. Here is a list of 30 activity ideas to get you through the summer without breaking the budget. All they require is some extra quality time with your children, which is always a good thing.