parenting Archives

Five Financial Moves to Make Dad Proud

June 5, 2018 by Momstart Leave a Comment

This is a sponsored guest post.

Whether teaching us how to change a tire or negotiate a raise at work, fathers impart a lot of wisdom to our lives. For many of us, that includes learning a thing or two about money. This Father’s Day is a great time to revisit those lessons — and maybe pick up some new ones along the way.

Here are five smart financial moves to make Dad proud:

1. Live within your means. Spending less money than you make is key to strengthening your finances. While you might need to sacrifice driving a newer car or eating out frequently, you’ll reap the reward of less stress and more breathing room. Mobile banking apps make it easy to set and monitor your spending limits. Axiom Bank’s new app, AxiomGO, features a built-in budgeting tool, My $ Manager, which does exactly that.

2. Master your credit score. Your score affects more areas of your financial life than you may realize – like your ability to buy a home or car, get a credit card, rent an apartment, or even get a job. A free service like Credit Sesame can come in handy for staying on top of your numbers. This tool shows your balance on any unpaid bills, credit cards or loans and offers personalized tips on raising your credit score.

3. Boost your financial literacy. When you understand how money works, you can build an effective budget, pay off debt, retire comfortably and afford (most of) the things you want. Even if the subject feels intimidating, just get started – you may find the basics are simpler than you think. Two free resources: Kiplinger’s Starting Out column and Basics collection.

4. Do your homework. Does carrying a balance on your credit card help your credit? Should you pay down your largest debts first? Do your research and don’t be afraid to ask questions. Just make sure to find a knowledgeable adviser who puts your interests first.

5. Take a long-term view. Amid the financial needs of the moment, retirement can seem far off. But compound interest is a powerful force that can multiply even a small amount of savings. Whether it’s taking advantage of a workplace 401(k) plan or starting a Roth IRA, take steps to secure your financial future. Explore Axiom Bank’s QuickLearn Library and Financial Calculators to learn more.

Axiom Bank, N.A., a nationally chartered community bank headquartered in Central Florida, provides retail banking services, including checking, savings, money market and CD accounts, as well as commercial banking, treasury management services and commercial loans for both real estate and business purposes.

Every Home Needs a Panda Playground

May 4, 2018 by Beeb 12 Comments

This is a sponsored post.

Why Every Home – And Wedding Venue! – Needs a Panda Playground

When Jai and I got married during the eclipse on August 21st, we had five children in our bridal party aged between 1.5 and 10 years old. Their parents all expressed slight nervousness at how their little ones would react to walking down the aisle, so Jai and I made sure to reiterate that we had no expectations – I wouldn’t ask a baby to be my flower girl and expect that everything would go exactly on cue. If one of the kids had a meltdown and couldn’t do it, it wouldn’t ruin anything for us, because we were realistic and just happy to have all our loved ones there with us even if it wasn’t “Perfect”! But you want to know what’s funny? It was perfect! Every single child in our bridal party were so beautifully behaved during the ceremony – they hit their marks like pros and were the most adorable thing ever!

My littlest flower girl, Juniper, who was 22 months old during the wedding! Photo by Jason Hill Photography

Do you want to know my secret for having happy kids at a wedding? Playtime! By great fortune, the church where we had our outdoor wedding had a playground next to the ceremony site, located right behind the building we got ready in. The bridal party walked out of the building, stood by the playground to wait for their cue, and stepped out directly onto the grassy aisle. Because of this convenient location, the kids were able to run around and play right up until the instant they walked down the aisle – Miles, the Ring Bearer, was going down a slide holding the ring pillow! Having a playground at my wedding not only entertained the children through the entire day, but also created the kind of joyful and relaxed atmosphere that was exactly what we dreamed of for our wedding.

Being able to have fun ensured that each child was happy and excited when they walked down the aisle instead of bored senseless. Any nervous energy got burned off as they ran around and played on the swings, climbed around, and went down the slide. We all know that entertained kids are happy kids, and when a child is restless, you get into meltdown territory quickly. You don’t certainly don’t need to go to a wedding for a child to get bored and whiny! Unfortunately, not everyone lives close to a fun playground – or has the time to take their child to visit one. And although outdoor play areas are fun in scenarios like my summer wedding, bad weather can eliminate them as an option altogether. Here in the Pacific Northwest, you’ll get rained out half the time, and other parts of the country will soon be dealing with suffocating heat that is too extreme for outdoor play. So how do you keep kids active when they’re cooped up inside? Well, my friends, you get a Panda Playground!

The Panda Playground is an indoor jungle gym designed for home use. Created by EZPlay Jungle Gyms, the Panda Playground is the ultimate in fun for kids aged 1 to 4 years old. Made from splinter-free Ash wood, this indoor playground comes with a swing, slide, wooden and rope ladders to climb, and gymnastic rings. If you’re thinking, “My tiny apartment doesn’t have space for that”, think again: The Panda Playground folds up in minutes, meaning that you can easily flatten it to store out of the way whenever it’s not in use! Oh, how I wish this had existed when I was a little kid!!

Depending on your home’s aesthetics, you can either opt for a natural finish like the one shown above, or go for the multicolor model featuring non-toxic water paints that are as colorful and fun as my flower girl dresses! Take a look at how these handcrafted playgrounds are made:

And if your children are older, then you’ll want to check out the Koala Adventure indoor playground coming soon for children aged 4-10. It’s currently available for pre-order through June, and if you reserve your Koala Adventure now, you’ll receive an additional $150 off the price!

Take it from me: If a little playground time can keep children smiling during a chaotic 9AM wedding ceremony coinciding with a solar eclipse, then it can absolutely stave off everyday summer doldrums and keep everyone in the family happy!

Panda Playground Exclusive 10% Off Coupon + More Deals!

The Panda Playground is currently on sale for $399.00 with FREE shipping, which is a $100 savings from its normal price; and you can get an additional 10% savings on top of that by using our exclusive coupon code MOMSTART at checkout!

Win a Year’s Supply of Steripod Products + a $50 Amazon Gift Card!

February 13, 2018 by Beeb 49 Comments

This is a sponsored post.

There’s nothing more important than your family’s health. Parents spend a lot of time teaching their children healthy daily habits like hand washing, but it’s easy to overlook one area that every child should get thorough instruction on: Good dental health habits. That’s why February marks the observance of National Children’s Dental Health Month, to help educate families on best practices.

Oral hygiene impacts more than just our mouth. According to Dr. Danielle Gilbert-Fowler, D.M.D., using a toothbrush protector can reduce the spread of flu germs, which is why she personally recommends Steripod products to prevent cross contamination of germs.

According to “Dr. Dani” of PalmtreePediatricDentistry.com: “Especially during flu season as a pediatric dentist and even more so as a mom, we’re always worried about kids getting sick. Steripod can help by decreasing cross-contamination amongst family members when used on your toothbrush with an individual tube of toothpaste for each family member. Daily use of Steripod’s new Tongue Cleaner helps get rid of the bacteria that can cause bad breath, gum disease and cavities.”

According to “Dr. Dani” of PalmtreePediatricDentistry.com: “Especially during flu season as a pediatric dentist and even more so as a mom, we’re always worried about kids getting sick. Steripod can help by decreasing cross-contamination amongst family members when used on your toothbrush with an individual tube of toothpaste for each family member. Daily use of Steripod’s new Tongue Cleaner helps get rid of the bacteria that can cause bad breath, gum disease and cavities.”

It’s no secret that I’m a big fan of Steripod products, from their classic toothbrush protectors to their new Tongue Cleaners, which Dr. Dani also recommends to help get rid of the bacteria that can cause bad breath, gum disease and cavities. Jai and I are in England all this month visiting my family, and we made sure to pack a travel bag with all of our daily Steripod supplies – because dental health never takes a vacation!

To further educate families on the best dental health practices, Dr. Dani and Steripod have teamed up to share 10 tips for healthy smiles in honor of National Children’s Dental Health Month – click here to read them. And to help put these tips into practice, Steripod is offering an automatic 15% off discount on products sold on their Amazon page through March 2nd:

Leading pediatric dentists recommend Steripod Toothbrush Protectors to keep their patient’s toothbrushes clean and safe. In celebration of National Children’s Dental Health Month this February, shop now at http://amzn.to/2E5ARA5 and receive 15 percent off automatically applied at checkout - no code necessary. #ncdhm

Leading pediatric dentists recommend Steripod Toothbrush Protectors to keep their patient’s toothbrushes clean and safe. In celebration of National Children’s Dental Health Month this February, shop now at http://amzn.to/2E5ARA5 and receive 15 percent off automatically applied at checkout – no code necessary. #ncdhm

And as an added bonus, we are also giving away a year’s supply of Steripod products to one lucky family!

Enter To Win:

One MomStart reader will win a year supply for a family of four of Steripod Kids, Steripod in fresh new colors for adults, Steripod Tongue Cleaners and a $50 Amazon gift card!

To Enter:

Enter this giveaway via the Rafflecopter widget below. Giveaway ends on March 1st, 2018 at 11:00 PM PST. Winner will be drawn on March 6th, 2018. Giveaway is open to residents of the continental US, 18 years of age or older – sorry, no PO boxes. Please see widget for full details, and click here to read our giveaway rules.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

How To Get School Lunches Organized and Under Control

January 30, 2018 by Momstart 1 Comment

OMG, how is something so simple so complicated in the morning rush for school. There is nothing worse than running late in the morning and then desperately trying to figure out something you can put in your children’s lunch boxes. Or listening to them complain about how there is nothing to put in their school lunch when it’s the day after you went to the grocery store. If you find your self wondering how to get school lunches organized and under control in your house then you’ve come to the right spot. We have a list of a few things you can do to get school lunches organized and under control. Get organized so fixing lunches becomes quick and easy.

How To Get School Lunches Organized and Under Control

Start With A List And Go Shopping

This is of course if you haven’t already gone shopping. Start by sitting down with your kids and come up with a list of lunches they like. This could include sandwiches and wraps, or even homemade lunch-able, but it doesn’t have to stop there. If you add a thermos to the mix, you can suddenly pack reheated leftovers, homemade soup and the likes. The key is to find lunch foods and snacks that your kids will eat that are also easy to pack. We’ve even sent cooked frozen chicken to school with our kids. It’s a great tip.

Make sure you have appropriate containers, and then head to the grocery store to pick up everything you need for the week. Don’t forget about snacks and drinks as needed. The list should make this much easier. Once you have several different lunch ideas your kids like and will actually eat, you can simply rotate through them and make the ingredients part of your weekly shopping trips. If you have kids the age of mine that can make their own lunches then make sure they SEE that you have the items on the list you made together.

Prep What You Can As Soon As You Get Home

When you get home from the store, keep lunch foods out and see what you can do to prep things ahead of time. Instead of putting that bag of grapes away, go ahead and wash and store them in little bags you can grab and toss in the lunch box. Having pre-packaged with measured servings ready to go is a huge time saver. The same goes for things like carrots and even salads. Slice cheese as needed and just thing about what you can prep as soon as you get home. This is an amazing step to help you get school lunches organized and under control.

Pack Lunches The Night Before

Mornings are busy, the kids run around like crazy and things are never perfect. We don’t have time to worry about packing lunches. Best tip, and one that my parents made us do was making them the night before. And stop doing it all yourself, kids as young as five can start helping to pack their own lunches. Try packing them together after dinner at night. Have them help with lunch prep and clean-up after. You can store cold items in the fridge and have everything else sitting in the lunch box ready to go. I have refrigerator bags and lunch boxes and we just keep them in the fridge overnight. It won’t take you long to get into a rhythm of preparing lunches while you’re cleaning up after dinner. You’ll appreciate this new habit in the mornings when all you need to do is grab a couple of things from the fridge and toss them in the lunch boxes.

Get In The Habit Of Cleaning Lunch Boxes As Soon As The Kids Get Home

OMG, there is nothing more disgusting than food left in a kid’s backpack for God knows how long. To make lunch prep even easier and under control, get the kids into the habit of cleaning out their lunch box as soon as they get back from school. Even the youngest can help with this. Have them toss any uneaten food and bring the containers to the sink to be washed. Older children can easily clean their own containers, while you’ll probably have to do the washing for your youngest. Having everything clean and ready to go will make it easier to get school lunches organized and under control.

Stick to these tips and it won’t take you long to get into an efficient lunch packing routine that will make it a snap. Don’t forget to get the kids involved and put them in charge of much of the preparations. Not only will this make your live easier in the long run, it will give them a sense of ownership over their lunch.

What a Pregnant Woman Can Eat and What A Pregnant Woman Can’t Eat

May 15, 2017 by Momstart Leave a Comment

What to know what a pregnant woman can eat and what a pregnant woman can’t eat?

From Pregnant Woman can eat shrimp

Pregnant women are told they can eat this but not that, this food is better than that food, and that they have to avoid entire food groups just to keep themselves and their baby safe during pregnancy. The truth is there are some foods that are dangerous during pregnancy but there are just as many that are healthy and tasty at the same time. That being said, there are some foods that are dangerous during pregnancy not because of what they are, but because of how they are prepared or because of certain chemicals contained therein.

Foods that are raw like eggs, meats, and fish are always potentially harmful to developing fetus due to the fact there is no heat applied to kill off parasites and bacteria that grow in the uncooked meat. Alcohol is always a no no as well due to the harmful chemicals that are in alcohol that can damage the developing baby. Knowing what foods you can and cannot eat is a big task for pregnant women but there are some guidelines that you can follow to help make the task of eating a bit easier. Here is a run down of what you can and cannot eat during pregnancy.

How Safe Are Your Kids at Home?

May 11, 2017 by Beeb 1 Comment

This is a partnered guest post.

Our home is supposed to be a place of safety, but all too often, it becomes the scene of incidents and accidents. You need eyes in the back of your head when you become a parent, but what happens when your kids are home alone or being looked after by a babysitter or au pair?

We can’t always be there for our children. Many parents have to work and leave their kids at home. Older kids are responsible enough to be left alone, but younger children need to be supervised. You could drop your child off at a nursery, but often the best solution is to ask a family member to take care of them. Alternatively, you could employ a nanny or au pair to live in and be a surrogate parent while you are out of the house.

Peace of Mind

No matter how trustworthy a nanny, au pair or babysitter appears to be, as a parent, you will always have a niggling worry in the back of your head about whether your child is being looked after properly. It’s only natural. We love our kids and the parental instinct is a powerful thing. Sometimes, we have a gut feeling that something isn’t right, or our child says something about a childcare provider that makes the hairs on the back of our neck stand up. In the case of older kids, it might be a quiet word from a neighbor that lets us know we need to keep a closer eye on things.

Of course, we want to know our kids are in safe hands when we are not at home, but without standing outside and peeking in through a window, it is hard to know what’s going on. Luckily, technology is there to give us a helping hand.

Nanny Cam

Nanny Cams are readily available from online electronic stores. They are very easy to set up. Position the unobtrusive camera on a shelf and leave it running while you are not around. When you come home, you can play back the video footage to see if anything untoward happened while you were out. Nanny cams give parents peace of mind, but you need to be prepared in case you capture footage that turns out to be disturbing.

Home Security Systems

Sophisticated home security systems are designed to protect your home and contents. Anyone can buy a home security system and set up cameras in various locations, but if you want the system to be remotely monitored, be prepared to pay more.

With DIY home security systems, such as SimpliSafe, you can keep track of locked cabinets, and receive alerts if anything untoward happens and disarm or re-arm the system using an app. It’s a useful way of watching over your family when you can’t be at home. Since updates are live, you can intervene if you spot something that disturbs you, you can rest assured that you will be notified immediately via text or email, and can even have the emergency services immediately notified.

Home Alone

Remind your kids to keep doors locked at all times when you are not at home. Make sure they understand basic safety protocols and remind them to call you if they have any concerns. Remember, children 14 and under are not mature enough to be left home alone. Once your kids are 14 or older, it is safe to leave them at home while you are out, but don’t leave them home alone overnight until they are at least 16.

Over 10 Safety Standards Parents & Caregivers Need To Know

May 1, 2017 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Safety Standards: What Parents and Caregivers Need to Know

How do we know if children’s products are safe? One way is to see what standards they have been tested to – and by whom. Standards work to provide performance requirements for products – before our children ‘test’ them in our homes. Will the product hold up over time, have hazards such as entrapment, suffocation, or sharp edges been eliminated, and will it work as intended? Some companies test their own products to a voluntary standard, while others are tested by independent third party laboratories to a federal or mandatory standard.

In the past few decades, mandatory federal safety standards have gone into effect for many products that were previously unregulated. Products that are manufactured on or after these standards went into effect meet the strongest, most current safety standards and are safer for children. Below, we’ve listed some children’s products that have federal safety standards, followed by the dates those standards went into effect:

· Cribs – Manufactured on our after June 28, 2011

· Bassinets – Manufactured on or after April 14, 2014

· Play Yards – Manufactured on or after February 28, 2013

· Bath Seats – Manufactured on or after March 24, 2014

· Infant Walkers – Manufactured on or after December 6, 2010

· Strollers – Manufactured on or after September 10, 2015

· Portable Bed Rails – Manufactured on or after December 29, 2012

· Infant Swings – Manufactured on or after May 7, 2013

· Infant Carrier Slings – Mandatory federal standard will go into effect in 2018

· Furniture – There is currently no mandatory federal safety standard designed to address tip-over hazards for furniture. In the meantime, choose dressers or chests that meet ASTM F2057 – 14, a voluntary furniture standard.

· Toys – A new federal toy standard, ASTM F963-16, went into effect on April 30, 2017. This standard replaced ASTM F963-11, which had been in place since 2011.

So now you have a list of dates – but how should you use this information when you’re out shopping, or checking the products you already own? The key is to look for the manufacture date, not the date of sale. For example, if you simply purchased a stroller after September 10, 2015, it may not meet the new federal standard. Check to make sure the products you buy or products you currently own meet these current safety standards.

Although these standards have improved the safety of many children’s products, there are other products that aren’t covered by safety standards. Some durable products, such as crib alternatives, aren’t covered by any safety standards. It’s better to stick with products that meet a standard – especially for sleeping.

Take steps to keep the kids in your life safe by choosing products that meet current standards, registering all infant and toddler products, and staying up-to-date with recalls by checking cpsc.gov. You can also report a problem with a product at SaferProducts.gov.

Carson Gaffney

Program Associate

www.kidsindanger.org

Home Safety Tips for Worried Parents

March 22, 2017 by Momstart Leave a Comment

Things that can be done t ensure safety throughout the house.

For any parents of young children, home safety can be a hard thing to put into place. Children are by nature adventurous, and in the confines of their own home they often feel like they are invincible. They become more likely to look around where they shouldn’t, and take more risks as they presume that their home is going to be as safe as possible. Rather than taste this theory out, you should always look to give your children a helping hand in understanding the importance of home safety.

To help you get to that point, here are some valuable home safety tips you can put in place to make sure your home is going to be secure and safe for the children to explore.

· Safety Gates. An underused and hugely valuable form of security, security gates can stop your little one in their tracks. These can be used at the top or bottom of stairs and, if possible, attacked to walls. By offering better support as well as a clear barrier that cannot be used unless you are there, you can make sure that your little one has nothing to worry about when it comes to getting up and down the house. Use these as often as you can – they are one of the best home safety tips around.

· Water Barrier. Ensure that any locations in your home that house water – pools, baths etc. – are all clearly cordoned off without adult supervision. Children can find themselves in trouble with water much quicker than they would have expected. To help you getting any deadly water-based drama, you should try and use as many blockages as you can to make sure that the parts of the household that have easy access to water can be blocked off without any adult supervision

· Use a monitored alarm system. One of the silent killers in a household can be toxic products, such as carbon monoxide. Some top home security systems all offer secondary safety products such as C02 sensors, flood sensors and more to combat emergencies. Don’t just think of alarm systems as crime deterrents or devices to keep the bad guys out. They can be much more beneficial if the right equipment is chosen upon the time of sign up.

· Get Window Guards. For younger children especially, window guards can stop a child from balancing out the window or taking risks that they shouldn’t. Deciding to do this now is going to go a really long way to making sure that you can make your household much safer.

While some of these tips may seem excessive or overly coddling, safety is vital. Accidents can occur from seemingly totally harmless situations, so being prepared and ready to put a fall-safe in place can be just what you need to ensure a healthy upbringing.

How To Child Proof Your Modern Home

March 19, 2017 by Momstart 2 Comments

We have an on going partnership with Tide.

Beeb and I have both been working with Tide and their safety awareness, “Up, Closed and Safe”. Last year she attended a media day at Tide headquarters and learned all about their safety launch and redesign of the Tide Pods Package with a New Child-Guard™ Zipper. And I wrote about keeping kids safe with Tide Pods #UPUPANDAWAY.

As Tide is gearing up to raise child safety awareness during National Poison Prevention Week we wanted to share a few findings from a new study by BabyCenter on behalf of Tide.

As a parent, I never thought about keeping the laundry room safe. I mean I keep everything on the top shelf but is that enough?

· 1 in 3 parents say their laundry room is located near spaces where the family spends most of their time such as the kitchen and living/family room

· Only 17% of laundry packet purchasers consider laundry packets a top 3 safety concern

· Just 29% of parents have safeguarded or plan to safeguard the laundry room

· 1 in 5 parents say their laundry packets are in within reach or sight of their child

Remember that Tide Pods now have a much more secure zip-closure. Only handle them with dry hands. Also make sure to clean up any loose packets that fall out of the container, and immediately wash your hands. If you use liquid detergents, you should also wash any items you use to pour or measure products.

How To Get Your Kids To Pay Attention

March 3, 2017 by Momstart 1 Comment

I know that this is something I struggle with. I saw someone post this on Facebook and I can relate. So we have some tips from Mike Prusinski, co-founder of BusyKid, for getting kids to listen.

1. Know What Kids Think – A June study by AVG Technologies surveyed more than 6,000 children, ages 8 to 13 and found that 32 percent of children felt unimportant when their moms and dads were distracted by their phones. In addition, 54 percent of the kids think their parents spend too much time on their phones. Hear that mom and dad? Time to lead by example.

2. A No Phones Meal Deal – Whether you eat as a family at home or in a restaurant, make your meals “phone free”. Make it a family rule that no phones are allowed when the family is eating. No calls, no text, no snaps and no tweets. Most families spend about 20 minutes eating dinner, so I think the world can probably wait that long to hear from you.

3. Suggest Limits – Ever have one of those moments when you look up and the entire family is sitting in the same room staring into their phones or tablets? If so, suggest a time period when phones or tablets can be used. Make sure to leave some time before and afterwards so you can connect as a family, even if it’s watching your favorite TV show together.

4. Put It To Bed – There are numerous medical studies that show why having your child go to bed with their phone or tablet is a bad idea, however, let me pile on. One revealed that kids who go to bed with technology send an average of 34 texts and emails a night after going to bed. Kids need sleep and not midnight texting!

5. Earn The Phone – In the US, kids are getting phones around the age of 6. Now I’m sure parents have good reasons for a phone that young, but to me, that seems a bit early. My bigger issue is that kids are usually just given an expensive phone and plenty of data. Why? Does a 9-year old need a $600 phone, unlimited data and no supervision? For safety reasons, I think getting a child a basic phone that calls and texts is perfect. However, if he/she wants something more, they should earn it by helping out around the house, earning allowance and contributing to the monthly bill.

For information about BusyKid, visit http://www.busykid.com.

What do you think of these tips? Are they spot on or not?