I have found that sitting down and organizing my thoughts on paper is a great way to make sure that I don’t forget anything that we will need while we are gone. I mentally go through my day with my infant daughter and as I come across things that we use, I write them down. The good news about this process is that you only need to do it once. That is, until your baby becomes a little older and starts needing different things. But make the list once, save it on your computer, or put a hard copy on your family bulletin board and the next time you pack, it will be a breeze! Here is what is on my list for when my baby and I are leaving for a trip.

Written By: Kate Beswick
[tags]travelling_with_a_baby, diaper_changes, sleepless_nights, having_a_baby, vegetables, family_bulletin_board, sleep, parents[/tags]

It seems as though as soon as a baby is born, the parents start looking for them to achieve milestones. First we want them to hold their head up, then we want them to roll over and then we start thinking about crawling and walking.

The rolling over milestone is really the first big movement that a baby will make on their own. With my second child, I was just as happy about her rolling over as I was with my first. I still called everyone I knew and applauded my baby as though she had just discovered electricity. Why do we get so excited? Well, it’s partly because it’s the first time that a baby is showing us that she’s well on her way to independence. First she’ll roll over and before you know it, she’ll be helping you make dinner. But there’s another reason. New parents are bombarded with what their child should be doing, milestones they should be reaching, when they should be reaching them, and how to help them achieve these great feats.

This can be a little overwhelming for parents that are sleep-deprived and already have too much to do. Worrying that our baby didn’t roll over the day she turned three months old can be one stress that we just don’t need. It’s easy to look at the ages for milestones and tell yourself logically that they are just guidelines. There’s really no need to worry unless your baby is continually missing milestones or seems to always be much slower than where the doctors and books say they should be.

But it’s important to not just tell ourselves these things but to actually believe them. These days are for bonding with your baby and to enjoy having them as the newest part of our family. Remember that they are just guidelines and if something is really wrong, the parent voice inside your head will nine times out of ten, let you know.

[tags]new_parents, milestones, milestone, electricity, doctors, stress, sleep[/tags]

Taking care of a child is one thing but knowing all the things related towards babies and toddlers should include Sudden Infant Death Syndrome or SIDS. It is something we heard today but we lack the proper knowledge on what it really is.

Here is a video to somehow enlighten us and hopefully help us know the facts about SIDS and why it is a growing concern in babies and tykes today.

[tags]sudden_infant_death_syndrome, toddlers, babies, sids, sleep[/tags]

Some kids remain restless even when suffering from a bout of fever or cough. While they need their rest and sleep, I’m sure every parent knows that sometimes, kids can’t help but do something else other than lie down in bed all day. Here are a few things you can do when your child has to be in bed but would like to have fun, albeit mildly.

1. A good round of memory game or puzzle. I personally do this myself when I feel bored but don’t really want to do a lot. There are several puzzles or memory games you can pick at the bookstore or at the toy store, some even have the child’s favorite characters on it.

2. Have a day out so the child can get some air. A short walk to the park or maybe just outside the porch will do her good. While outside, you can play a game of I-Spy or any of those traveling games kids usually play while cooped in the car during a roadtrip.

3. Honestly, this is a nice time to watch something interesting on TV. You and your child can enjoy a good documentary about pets so switching to the Animal Planet, if you are subscribed to it, can do wonders. Since we all believe laughter is the best medicine, a good round of America’s Funniest Videos will also be fun to watch together.

There’s no reason not to have fun and be creative even as the child is sick in bed.

The different options in acquiring child custody are legal custody, physical custody, split custody, third party custody and combinations of custody.

Couples that aren’t getting along well usually end up getting a divorce. For those with children, another problem that adds up is fighting over child custody. This is a matter of wary consideration. You should understand the terminologies used by Sacramento family law attorneys and the like. Otherwise, you may end up getting the wrong kind of child custody and just be left regretting. Read and understand each option to guide you the right way.

Legal custody

This first option pertains to acquiring the legal authority to decide on major matters on behalf of the child or children. For instance, you get to decide where the child will be getting his education and what type would it be. You also have the right to choose the form of religious upbringing of the child and you can also make a decision on non-emergency medical arrangement. You can also settle where the child will be living without the legal interference of anybody else. Legal custody has two subcategories which are Sole Legal Custody and Joint Legal Custody. First, the parent with the Sole Legal Custody is the only person who can make major decisions for the child. On the other hand, Joint Legal Custody refers to both parents having the legal authority to decide on major matters about the child.

Physical custody

Physical Custody pertains to where the child will be residing most of the time, where he will live, eat and sleep. This child custody option has three denominations namely: Sole Physical Custody, Joint Physical Custody and Bird’s Nest Custody. In Sole Physical Custody, the child only resides at one place and in some cases; the non-custodial parent may visit and have sleepovers. Joint Physical Custody is also referred as “Shared Parenting”, “Dual Residence” or “Shared Custody”. In this arrangement, the child lives in both parents’ custody and the time spent with one is approximately equal with the other parent. Lastly, Bird’s Nest Custody refers to the child residing in one place and the parents will have to rotate in and out of that home. Same as Joint Physical Custody, the division of time spent is equal.

Split custody

Split Custody is applicable for parent with more than one child. In this situation, the decision depends partly on the children. If they prefer different parents, the court may grant this type of custody.

Third party custody

In this situation, neither of the parents are granted custody but somebody else such as grandparents, aunts or uncles or any close family friend. This option is applicable to those children whose parents are not fit to take care of them, whose parents have passed away or if the child prefers to be under third party custody.

Combinations of custody

Combinations of one type with the other can also be arranged. Common blends are sole legal and sole physical, joint legal but sole physical or joint physical but sole legal. There are also rare cases wherein the court orders joint legal with joint physical, only if both parents agree and can cooperate in the upbringing of their child.

Decide this with a lawyer so as to understand more. Never settle on decisions with the other parent outside of court because this doesn’t settle things but only provide temporary custody.