Consent is a huge issue in today’s climate. As we’ve started to realize, kids are never to young to start learning about what consent is, and how to receive and give it. That means you should already be teaching toddlers about consent. As parents, we are the front line in facilitating these discussions and teaching consent to kids. Perhaps more importantly, it’s also our jobs to model this behavior in our own lives. Here are 5 ways to model consent in your everyday lives.
If you have kids, you are NO stranger to all the crazy reasons that they’ll throw a fit. And yet, no matter how many tantrums you’ve witnessed, you’ll never stop being amazed at the things kids can freak out over. So we scoured Twitter for some of the funniest, craziest, most ludicrous reasons kids cry. Then, we asked our followers – Why did your kids cry?
You’re in the home stretch of bedtime. Your kids have been bathed. Their teeth are brushed, their jammies are on, and only a bedtime story stands between you and two hours of sweet freedom. You settle down into your kid’s bed, and ask your child to choose the book they want to read tonight.
And then it happens.
Your child brings you – that book. One of the world’s WORST children’s books.
You beg them to choose another- “what about one of the new ones from the library?” or “I’ll read you a whole chapter of Harry Potter!”- but they simply won’t be swayed. You’re going to have to do it. You’re going to have to read a kids’ book that you HATE.
And the odds are? It’s one of these six. Read on for the worst children’s books- the ones we simply can’t STAND to read.
Ah, one year olds. All the moxie of a full-grown toddler, but none of the interest in Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. And while the real fun and games of toddlerhood seem to hit around two, our kids definitely grow out of the “baby” stage well before then. We’re left with this not-so-fun in between time where our kids are more active than babies, but cannot yet be bribed. Worse still, they often will refuse to sit through a 21 minute episode of something bright and cartoony so we can just make dinner already! It’s not like I don’t love sitting with my one year old and playing Pat-a-Cake until my hands are raw, but sometimes I just have to get something done. And if I could find a way to entertain my toddler while they’re sitting next to me also doing something she enjoys, then hurray for us both!
Here are some things I’ve found that actually entertain a one year old.
Ahhh, toddlers. That beautiful stage full of curiosity, enthusiasm, joy… And tantrums. And opinions. And energy. Allllll the energy.
If you’ve got a toddler, you know that it can be hard to keep them entertained. They want to do everything, but there’s still a lot of limitations to what they can do. Restaurants, road trips, flights, dinner parties at non-baby-proofed houses- it’s enough to strike fear into any parent’s heart.
But it doesn’t have to be that way (well, not ALL the time at least). We’re bringing you a collection of easy toddler busy bags and busy bags for babies for our Littlest Salties.
The kids are going back to school, and we’re having all the feelings about it. But at least we can take to Twitter to know that we are not alone. Check out these sometimes hilarious, sometimes kicks you in the feels, but always keepin’ it real, back to school tweets.
Well when you put it that way….
Everybody wants their kids to go back to school, until they’re stranded on the toilet without toilet paper and no one’s around to grab a new roll.
Just when I think I have this parenting thing down, my 9 y/o daughter looks at me while back to school shopping and whispers “Mommy, my milkshake brings all the boys to the yard” #momlife
First week of school: struggled to wake the kids up at 7am. Everyone in the house in tears.
Saturday: they are both up at 6:30am jumping on my bed. #momlife#parenting#BackToSchool
Told my stepdaughter she could only pick one dress for her first day of school look and she stormed off in a huff so I’m over here in Kohl’s rage sniffing autumn candles if you need me. #momlife#parenting#kohls#momsquad#dadlife
Friendly parenting advice: Don’t start any elaborate and adorable 1st day of school traditions for your first kid you won’t be able to keep up for the rest of the kids.
If thinking this is wrong, I don’t wanna be right….
Am I wrong to expect mimosas at this 9:15am meeting at my child school? It does say on the announcement “do not bring children if possible”. So in my opinion it would be very misleading if no alcohol is served as we prepare our children for Kindergarten.
In case you were wondering if I was a wreck dropping off The Boy for his first day of middle school today, I WAS NOT. I unceremoniously told him to get out of the car and didn’t start getting teary until I was more than 5 miles away. #MomLife
My kids have been fighting like cats and dogs all summer. It’s 10:30 am on the first day of school, and my son is asking when we can go pick up his sister. ??♀️ #Firstdayofschool2018#siblings#momlife#lifewithkids
Today was my kids’ first day of school ever. They were previously homeschooled. I asked my son if he made friends at school. He said he did. I asked what their names were. He responded:
There are a few quintessential truths about summer. There will be lots of sticky kids covered in popsicle juice. We will eat our weight in watermelon. And we will spend loads of time at the beach. Having sworn to never take for granted how close we live to the ocean, we often load the car up with all the kids, chairs, snacks, and toys our SUV can hold for a day at the bay.
My kids each have their own favorite beach activities. Izzie loves to stand at the waters edge and jump and splash – before making a mad dash into the water to try to prove that she can swim. Evie is content to lay on her towel, surrounded by snacks enjoying the sun. And Cole? Cole begins each trip to the beach with his never-ending quest to finally build the perfect sandcastle.
Tragically, no matter how many buckets and shovels and sifters we take to the beach, there will be waves of disappointment when my son just. can’t. get it. right. Try as he, and we, might, we just have not figured out how to build the perfect sandcastle.
Which is why we maybe freaked out with excitement when we found Create A Castle.
What is Create a Castle?
Founder Kevin Lane was as frustrated as Cole with the traditional bucket and pail method of building a sandcastle. He decided to figure out a way to make it easier, more successful, and most importantly to us, more kid-friendly. And did he ever! Here’s our review of Create a Castle’s Pro Tower Kit! Continue reading “Building the Perfect Sandcastle with Create A Castle”→
There are two kinds of toddlers: the kind that are super picky eaters and the kind that aren’t. And there’s a ton of helpful information out there to help your picky eater. Which is awesome! But as much as having kids that won’t eat anything is a major PITA, I’m here to tell you that having kids that eat EVERYTHING isn’t that great either. So whether your kid is a human garbage disposal too, or you just want to feel better about your situation, here are five things that are major downsides to having kids that everyone considers to be “great” eaters.
When Abram was a baby, he was an EATER. Whatever we threw at him- avocado, sweet potato, squash, carrots, cereal- you name it, he ate it. We were so proud of our adventurous eater, a baby who participated in baby-led weaning with gusto. As the months went on, that adventurous palate faded and we were left with a picky eater.
He still ate copious amounts- he had the chubby cheeks to prove it!- as long as it was chips, or something else he loved. When it came to his old favorites- avocado, sweet potato, squash, carrots, cereal- you name it, he took whatever we threw at him, and threw it back at us. Like, literally.
Abe’s pickiness really came to a head one night at dinner. Convinced that we had to get some food in him one way or another, we tried to force him to take some bites of his food. He stalled, we stalled. He cried, we cried. We tried to put the food in his mouth, he tried to take it out. It was a twenty minute battle of begging him to eat before we threw in the towel. The dinner went uneaten, and all we felt was defeated, and sad.
I wracked my brain to try to figure out where we’d gone wrong, and more importantly, where we could go from here. Lila was, and IS, picky, but we’d never had these battles with her. Why was that? And how could we replicate those results?
I hit the internet, scouring for the best tips to help picky eaters, and remembered all of the best practices we’d used to help our picky toddler the first round. It’s been a month now, but I’m happy to say that things with Abram have come a long way. If you, too, find yourself with a picky toddler on yours hands, here’s what research (and first hand experience!) recommend you do.
The Salty Mamas received a 4 month supply of Morning Pep Prenatal Vitamins as compensation for this post. While they did supply the sample and sponsor this post, all opinions – sweet or salty – are the true opinions of The Salty Mamas! Enjoy!
Once you’re pregnant, there’s a lot you need to do. And don’t worry about forgetting to do any of it, because people will be reminding you the entire time. Some of it is the stuff that everyone will tell you about, like picking names, making a birth plan and preparing the baby’s nursery. And yes, you need to do that stuff too, but you should also make sure you’re doing stuff that’s really for YOU. Here’s some stuff that we NEVER heard anyone telling us we needed to do while pregnant, but we’re the kind of friends that will keep it real and tell you what you should actually be focusing on. Plus, one responsible thing, because apparently now we’re the adults and need to make good choices or something.
