Child’s Age: 3 and 1.5 years old
Location: Brooklyn, NY
Fun Fact About You: I just ran my first marathon- NYC 2023.
What has one of your biggest parenting hurdles been?
My biggest parenting hurdle is navigating boundaries. We are currently struggling with our daughter’s bedtime. She does everything she can to push off bedtime. It’s been a struggle to establish boundaries and then hold them. We haven’t fully overcome this, but learned that constant prep is helpful. We repeatedly discuss the plan for the night, remind her how many minutes she has left, and try our best to stick with the same routine every night so she knows what to expect. I also created a picture chart with the routine so that she also has a visual which has been helpful.a parent sitting in the back seat but saves a lot of clean up
- Large bib/beach towel to cover up most of the child/car seat
- Front facing when appropriate
What has one of your proudest parenting moments been?
One of my proudest parenting moments would be watching my daughter take on the role as a big sister. She has been so caring, nurturing and helpful with her little brother. Again, I think a lot of prep is helpful with this. While pregnant, I would talk to her about how she is going to be a big sister and what that might feel like, we read books about being a big sister, etc. I also think positive reinforcement is a great tool. Whenever she does something helpful or kind we would act excited, tell her we were proud, etc.
What’s the parenting advice you wish you got?
I remember feeling very overwhelmed about how to feed my kids (BLW, purees, what recipes to follow, etc.) and I felt like the pediatrician was very vague. We ended up doing a combination (what worked best for us), but I remember my friend telling me to continue to introduce foods even if they did not originally take a liking to it. My friend also said not to put pressure on eating. Just continue to serve the food and if they didn’t eat it that is no problem, but to just continue to offer it. I feel like this advice was super helpful because it’s easy to just stick to what it appears they like to eat. I really think this helped my kids become great eaters.
What’s a perfect parenting product you used?
We love our kitchen tower. We love having our kids help us in the kitchen and feel involved in whatever we are doing. They both love it! This is the one we have. It folds down into a little table with a bench and has a chalk board on it. I like it for the multiple uses. There are many options on Amazon that I’m sure are also great, but can’t speak to it from experience.
What new things are happening in your child’s life this month?
Struggles: My daughter only wants to wear the same dress, socks, and headbands every day (3 yo) My son is waking up and wanting to come to our bed every night (1.5 yo)
Positives: My daughter is in a great routine with school and is so excited to go every day. My son is making friends and loves his music / gym classes.