A Healthy Little Note: Issue #32
Hey there!
Hope you're enjoying the 3-day weekend! So, I got a great question this past week at a sleep talk I was giving and wanted to share it with you.
The question was, "Can we (mom) take melatonin to help new babies sleep?" Well, the reason for this question was because I had just talked about how newborns don't produce their own melatonin but can get it from us through nursing.
So, I do not advise taking anything synthetic - research has not shown that synthetic melatonin is helpful in typically developing children. Plus, it's just not natural, and we don't want to mess with that and our newborns.
However, I did advise to help your own melatonin production naturally through the foods we eat. I shared this article with the group on how to do just this. Also, the National Sleep Foundation has some tips on how to promote a good night's sleep through food and drink, as well - stack up on those walnuts and almonds!
Ok, let's get to this...
In this newsletter, I've also got a helpful article about how letting your kids dress themself can benefit them (and you), a great guide for teaching your little ones about money, a roundup of articles on how we can be the best parents we can be (no army involved), and an article that touches on the real (and not talked enough about) loneliness of parenthood and importance of finding YOUR community .
Let's do this!
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1. THE BATTLE OF GETTING DRESSED IN THE MORNING
Kids dressing themselves can be a blessing and a curse. We so often can caught in a battle with our little ones about what to wear because it's cold out, and wearing shorts and a t-shirt is just not an option. Well, I'm giving you permission to let this one go (more or less).
Ya see, this article discusses how letting your little one dress themself is a low-risk way of being hands off while allowing your little to experiences a sense of autonomy, possibly save you some money, and help them develop their own sense of personal style.
I gotta tell ya, I've had little say in what my daughter wears for the past 3 years (she's 5 now). One thing I do suggest though is to pack away all the other clothes that are not acceptable for the weather to avoid clothing negotiations. ... And save you some mental energy for whatever the next negotiation may be - like breakfast!
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2. HOW OUR KIDS CAN BE SMART WITH MONEY
I've been looking to find ways to teach my kids to make smart-ish decisions with money, and I'm so glad I came across this medium article.
According to the author, we can teach our kids to manage money through hands on experience. The author talks about 1. Giving your kids and allowance (with no strings attached), 2. Making money concrete with a four-chambered piggy bank, 3. Allowing them to make (what you know) is a bad purchase choice and experience buyers remorse ... among other great tips!
I am most definitely starting some of this now... starting with an allowance to be split up - save, spend, + donate. They already have a cash box for savings, and I just bought both of them a wallet for Valentine's Day to put their spending money in, and we've started a donation jar for the charity of their choice (still TBD... stay tuned).
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3. PARENTING AT IT'S BEST...
We all want to raise resilient, confident little ones that are able to handle stress. But how?
Well, this New York Times article features the most popular articles from last year that can help you move forward in 2019.
This round up of articles gives you many things to think about as we continue to grow and think about our parenting.
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4. FIND YOUR GROUP
Becoming a new parent is exciting, scary, and full of numerous emotions. One of the hardest parts is adjusting any expectations you had (or have) once you have your baby.
This medium article by Ann-Marie Gambelin beautifully depicts the experience about not just bringing in a new life, but about the new transition into parent/motherhood. Read on to hear what she has to say about finding your community - I couldn't agree more!
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That's it for this issue!
Hope you enjoyed it and I'd LOVE if you shared it with your friends on social media or spread the word on the local Mommy gossip circuit - thanks!
And as always, if you have a question you can set up a free 15-minute call with me or just reply to this email.
Susie
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