We’ve made a convenient car kit checklist to stock your car with parenting essentials. It has everything you’d need for when you are out and about with your children, beyond the diaper bag. Print it our and keep it in the same tote you keep your car kit contents. You’ll be organized and prepared for anything.

Fun in the summertime involves parades, fireworks, BBQs, pool parties, and great family time! It also brings some safety hazards for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Here are some tips to keep your family safe this summer.

1. Liberally apply SPF 30+ sunscreen early on children and babies over 6 months. Reapply every few hours and after swimming, running through the sprinklers, or any other water activity. For babies under 6 months, check with your pediatrician about their sunscreen recommendations and keep them out of the sun with a loose cover and a hat. Sun shirts and UPF-rated umbrellas are also helpful for infants.
2. Apply bug spray if you’ll be anywhere with mosquitos.  Picardin is widely available, and is a proven to perform better than DEET for mosquitos everywhere except the tropics. Picardin is safe for infants over 2 months.
3. If you are going to a party, parade or a crowded place, decide up front who will be responsible for watching each child. Consider dividing and conquering. Never assume family or friends are watching your children and be clear when passing on the responsibility to another person.
4. ROADid makes ID bracelets for children to wear when there are crowds and a chance of getting lost, like amusement parks and carnivals. Medical information can be included, as well as contact information.
5. With children over 2, talk about expectations, rules and clear consequences including staying in a designated area, asking before eating and drinking anything, and playing safe. Have them repeat the rules back to you.
6. Be extra mindful of open cups, grills, fire pits, pools, ponds, and other safety hazards. If you are hosting a BBQ, consider putting a play yard around danger zones. One of the most common injuries to toddlers at the beach are burns from digging into the sand where someone buried their leftover coals from their bonfire the night before.
7. If you are celebrating near water, put life vests on all your little ones, even if they aren’t swimming.
8. Make sure your family is staying hydrated, and pack a few extra snacks, too. No one is happy when they are hungry. Extra tip: sugar-free popsicles are a great way to stay cool and hydrated.
9. Try to stick with nap routines to avoid tired meltdowns and to make it to the late firework shows.
10. If your family is celebrating near loud music or noise, use noise-canceling headphones for little ears. Don’t use earplugs – they can be a choking hazard.
11. Consider dressing your family in bright or matching colors so you can find them in a crowd easily.
12. If you’ll be celebrating at a crowded event where toddlers or preschoolers could get lost, designate a meeting place. If you are going on a family walk or hike, consider giving children who tend to wander a safety whistle. Tell them that if they get lost, they should SIT DOWN and SCREAM. Panicking and running will only get them more lost.
13. Frequently check your children for ticks and tick bites, and consider a quick shower before bed to wash any critters away. The warn water of the bathtub brings out the color best of the telltale bullseye rash form a tick bite. If you see it, take a picture with your phone to bring to the pediatrician. Also, if you do pull a tick off your child, save it in a plastic baggie for testing at the pediatrician.
14. Flashlights are handy if your family’s festivities go on into the night, as well as glow sticks or reflective clothing.
15. For extra safety, consider taking an infant and child CPR and Safety class ahead of the holiday. That will arm you with the necessary skills to care for anyone in an emergency, no matter the date.
16. Bring a travel first aid kit in your bag, and keep one in your car, bike bag, stroller bag, and in your partner’s car. Restock them regularly.

This holiday season of giving is the perfect time to teach your little ones about caring for others. Get involved with community service with kids using the ideas below, or come up with your own way and tell us about it in the comments!

1. Take your child shopping for food to donate to our Over The Moon Parenting Food Drive going on now through 11/2.
2.  If you can’t come to our food drive click on the link to Find a food bank.
3. Buy toys for children who may not otherwise receive too many gifts under the tree. Drop unwrapped gifts for all ages in our lobby through Dec. 9 and we will deliver them to Room to Grow in time for Christmas.
4. Visit an elderly neighbor, and bring along some cookies, artwork, or a homemade card. Friendship is a gift!
5. Pull out all your old towels, blankets and sheets, and head to your local animal shelter. You can also bring along dog and cat food, toys, and litter. Homeless kitties and puppies can always use extra love.
6. Round up new toiletries, baby items, and $5 gift cards to Dunkin Donuts and deliver them to your local homeless shelter.  Father Bill’s in Quincy is a great resource for our community members at risk.
7. Children entering foster care are always in great need of essentials. DCF social workers always appreciate backpacks full of clothes, PJs, toys, books, stuffed animals, and toothbrushes for kiddos. The Coastal DCF office in Braintree is close to South Shore Plaza, and the Plymouth DCF Office is across the street from the Plymouth RMV.

We surveyed our team for their mealtime tricks  for toddlers, babies and preschoolers to make life easier.  Enjoy!

• Make applesauce or mashed butternut squash and freeze it in ice cube trays.  So easy to store and defrost when you need it if you are starting solids.
• Color coordinated cups are great for safeguarding against germs, especially during flu season!
• Create a basket of quiet toys/books for older child(ren) to play with while you are nursing.  Puzzle books, etch-a-sketches, playdoh, and small games all work. It’ great to have something to do with older children while feeding your baby.
• Put the “ears” up on juice boxes to avoid the grab-and-squirt.
• If you make instant oatmeal in the morning, microwave it, then toss in a handful of frozen berries and stir – it will be the perfect temperature for kiddos by the time you get it to the table.
• When eating a cupcake, break off the cake bottom, flip it over and put on the top.Then, you can eat it like a sandwich and it is much less messy and easier to eat.
• Picky eaters might enjoy “build-your-own” meals, including tacos, pasta, pizza, oatmeal, yogurt parfait, baked potato, smoothies, and more.
• Dips make everything better and more fun to eat for kids, and adults, too. Let your child dip his food in his favorite dip : ketchup, ranch, yogurt, almond butter, etc.
• When kids start school they are often too overwhelmed by all the socialization to sit and eat. If you are supposed to send a snack to school, try making a fruit and yogurt (protein packed!) smoothie in an insulated pop-up straw thermos cup. They can drink their nutrition quickly while still being able to be chatty social butterflies at lunch and stack times.
• Breakfast burritos, overnight oats, yogurt parfaits and egg muffins are all super-easy, protein-packed and healthy options you came pre-make in batches and store for the rest of the week.
• Try cooking with your kids so they get excited to eat what they made.

Taking toddlers skiing is daunting. It also can be awesome. Here is a list of things I learned from trial and error (mostly error) to make your trip a happier one. Happy skiing!!

Reset Your Expectations
The first time you put your kiddo in boots, they might cry. And Fall. Walking might be frustrating and slow for them in their boots. Just getting them and all their stuff to the carpet lift might take an epic amount of patience, and getting onto the lift the first time might require divine intervention. Go in expecting that the first three runs might be rough, and plan for a cocoa break after #3. The upside is that their center of gravity is really low and most kids are eager learners, so sometime in those 3 rounds they will probably start getting the hang of it. Celebrate small victories and cheer them on loudly. Try your best not to get frustrated. Once they start getting it, the learning curve is steep and you get to sit back and be a proud parent with a camera and some more coffee.

Get the right equipment

An Edge Wedgie, $9, it a clip that holds the front of their skis together so they can’t lose control with their legs everywhere.

Ski straps, $7, are velcro straps for carrying skis. You’ll be carrying your skis, your poles, their skis – plus any extra clothes, gloves, snacks, diapers, etc….and maybe a crying kid. Make life easier and get straps.

A ski harness, $39, is for when your kiddo starts getting fast on the slopes. Look for ones that secure to their boots and not their back – that way, you have more control over their skis and aren’t pulling them back off their balance like you would do with a backpack-style harness.

Mabel’s labels makes labels that work great for skis – and backpacks, water bottles, clothes, and anything kid-related that needs labeling. If you don’t have time to order them, masking or painters tape works great.

Plan Ahead
Before a trip, check the weather report for the mountain, lest you drive 2 hours with impatient kids only to be completely rained out.
Try and get them to sleep in the car on the way to the mountain, and maybe put them to bed a little early the night before. Sleep deprived kids and learning don’t mix.
Try and hit the mountain when it won’t be crowded. Weekdays will obviously be less crowded than weekends, but the time matters, too. The earlier you get there, the less crowded the slopes will be, including during the week when school-age kids pile in around 3 p.m.

Work Smart
Bring extras of everything – but leave them in the car. The less you are lugging around, the better.
Bring one adult per child who isn’t a steady skier. Trying to teach two at the same time is too hard.
Have EVERYONE use the potty before going out.
It might be smart to stay in your winter boots instead of skis the first few rounds down the bunny hill so you can get around easy to help them when they fall.
Bonus Points: I always see moms and dads with a baby in a carrier, walking with their older child learning to ski on the bunny slopes. That is some beast-level parenting right there.

Make the mountain work for you
First, it is worth driving around for a good parking spot instead of taking a bus with wild toddlers and all their stuff from an overflow lot. Also, you can make runs to your car for replacement gloves or nap time.
Get a map and plan your runs. Wachusset has a baby bunny hill to the far right, then a bigger bunny hill to the far left, plus a great green trail via lift right next to that. Sunday River has one bunny slope, and then 2 or 3 gentle green trails all on the far right side. Put all your stuff close to where you plan to be.
Carpet lifts can be amazing but FYI the one at Blue Hills is jerky and your kids may eat all the wax and ice off the sides while riding. (Yay toddlers!)
On lifts: You MUST have skis on to ride lifts (exiting in boots is unsafe.) You can use a ride on the lift as a reward if you need to and you think you can make it down a run with them. Some resorts have glass-enclosed gondolas – these are amazing boot-friendly and kid-friendly rides that are all the bargaining chips you’ll need for the day.
Ski School: If your child is old enough, ski school is the way to go. The instructors are pros at getting crying, face-planted kids into little speedsters. Also, most kids pull less whining and are a little tougher with a teacher as opposed to a parent. They’ll also get the added benefit of being in a group of kids all learning together, which can make it more fun for them.</liL

Money-saving Tips
I bought both my littles the Ikon Pass during the flash sale in April. That is cheaper that a single day-pass at any of those mountains day-of. Mark your calendar.
I rented all their boots and skis in September from Sun and Ski for $90 for the entire season. You just return it all tax day in April. If their feet grow, you just bring the gear in and swap it out. It is amazing, and, again, much cheaper earlier in the season. (Currently, in January, rentals are $130/season.)
Booking ski school early can save you about $10-20 a lesson.

Take care of yourself!

I have arrived on the mountain with 3 pairs of gloves for each of my kids, all their equipment and snacks, plus all their jackets and pants and socks…only to not even bring a coat for myself. Any trip like this (beach, museum, zoo – same thing) is really taxing on parents. Be sure to get an extra cup of coffee, double check your bag along with theirs, and be good to yourself. You’ve got this.
One extra note about you – your feet may have grown with pregnancy. Mine grew 2 full sizes. Make sure your boots, rented or your own, are the correct size before you embark on your ski adventure. Sore feet will definitely put a damper on what could be an epic day.

Go have an amazing time!
Build fabulous family memories of skiing together and then cuddling by a fire with cocoa re-telling stories about how awesome your kids skied that day. Play games on the lifts together, take lots of pictures, and enjoy the glee of a great run with your kiddos.

The minds of babies and toddlers are always growing and sensory art is a particularly helpful way to let them explore! Sensory art for babies and toddlers is different from a standard art class in that the focus is on the experience of creating using all five senses, instead of the final product. Here is why sensory play such as finger painting, play dough, sand, mud, and water play important for children’s development:

• Engaging sensory play uses all 5 senses and promotes integration; the ability of their brains to process all the information they receive via touch, smell, hearing, vision and occasionally taste.
• As children pour, dump, build, and scoop, they explore and learn about spatial concepts like full/empty, over/under, in/out.
• They learn pre-math concepts along with language and vocabulary for important cognitive development.
• Art is an essential component to learning that encourages exploration and discovery through creative play.
• Art stimulates both sides of the brain.
• 33% of children are visual learners.
• Art develops hand-eye coordination, stimulates perception, and encourages children to pay attention to the physical space around them.
• Art is a natural activity giving children the freedom to manipulate different materials in an organic and unstructured way that allows for exploration and experimentation.
• Children can share and reflect on their works of art with loved ones, which is wonderful for their self esteem and for connecting with family and friends.

All of our sensory art classes are carefully designed with creative exploration in mind. Come join in the fun!

It’s getting colder, so you are probably getting ready to turn the heat on – which means you’ll want a humidifier on to keep little noses and throats clear. Read our tips on using humidifiers with children to help with colds, coughs, dry skin and runny noses.

1. Humidifiers put moisture back into dry winter air. Cool mist humidifiers are recommended to help with winter coughs and colds, plus they help make breathing easier on little lungs at night. Consider putting one in the child’s bedroom, carefully choosing a safe place that won’t encourage little hands to pull on the cord or knock it over. You might want to put one in the living room or playrooms, too, during cold snaps or if your child sounds particularly congested.
2. Clean your humidifier once a week with white vinegar and a soft-bristle brush. Make sure you are only putting distilled water into your humidifier.
3. Cheat a little at cleaning by adding an antimicrobial humidifier ball or stick to the water. That way, you can be sure you aren’t circulating germs into the air.

Have a great winter, and we hope you appreciated our tips on using humidifiers with children! For more child safety tips, take one of our Child CPR and Safety classes!

Halloween is here, so we’ve compiled a list of Halloween safety tips to keep your little trick-or-treaters safe!

1. Make sure costumes aren’t too long for little legs. All that running over unfamiliar terrain in the dark and bending over for candy can make trips and falls easy.  Also, make sure costumes are warm enough and wear comfortable walking shoes to keep little feet happy for longer.
2. Give each of your children a flashlight, or, if you are sure they won’t put them in their mouths, glow sticks. For toddlers, consider putting some Glow in the Dark Paint or reflective tape on their costumes – then you’ll be able to find them easily in the dark.  You might consider finding a well-lit neighborhood to hunt candy in if yours doesn’t have streetlights.
3. Make sure to eat a meal before going out so everyone’s tummies are full and less likely to get upset at candy later on. While you are all around the table, talk about Halloween safety. Set expectations around staying with the group and not running ahead, staying on sidewalks and with Mom or Dad, not eating anything until they ask first, and being polite to neighbors. Remind them about taking one piece of candy per house, and to say “thank you” to every person.  Tell them you will always be “waiting behind them at the beginning of the walkway” if you don’t plan on walking up to every house with them.
4. If your child has allergies, go over not eating anything without asking first again, and bring an Epi-Pen with you.
5. Then, visit to the potty before heading out, and go have a great time! You’ll want to take any gum, hard candies, and any too-chewy candy…along with a few of your favorites. You deserve a treat, too!

Routines are great, especially for babies and toddlers. It gives them a sense of control and safety, and also allows you to get more done in a shorter amount of time! Here are a few tips on establishing your routines – what to include, how to get started, and how to keep it up!

Step 1: Figure out what you want in your routine. If you are building your morning routine, you’ll  want to include teeth brushing, breakfast, and getting dressed, but you may also need to include caring for pets, running a load of dishes, or distributing medications. Make a list of what you need to get done every morning, then move to step two!

Step 2: Map out your to-do list according to what chores need to be done where. For a morning routine, you’ll want going potty and getting dressed first if your bedrooms are upstairs, and then eating and packing your diaper bag downstairs in the kitchen. Sometimes doing a walk-through will help you remember anything you missed while making your initial list in step 1.

Step 3: Write it down. For toddlers and preschoolers, picture charts like Schkidules can be particularly helpful. You can also laminate pictures and attach them to a strip of paper or a board. When each one is completed, your child can either remove it or put sticker next to it.  This helps keep kids on track and engaged, and if they get distracted or say, “Oh, I need one more book!”, you can say, “See here? We already did that.”

Having special songs for specific parts of your day are also a great way to engage your little helpers. Search Youtube for songs on cleaning up, teeth brushing, and even making up beds.

Children love clarity and consistency and an approach like this helps answer questions about  the exact limits, what to expect, and what comes next.  Implementing routines will help cut down on tantrums and power struggles. They can also ease tough transitions like drop-offs. A consistent routine of 2 kisses, a fist bump, and see you later alligator! at pre-school drop off can be comforting to an otherwise emotionally trying transition.

Step 4: To get the timing right, start at the time each routine needs to be completed (say, 7:30 a.m. for the time you have to be out the door for work or 7:30 p.m. bedtime,) and work backward from there. Be generous to start, but as you and your children get used to each routine, it will take less and less time.

For infants, the recurring routine of eat, awake, sleep is repeated every 2 1/2 to 4 hours, depending on age, is great.  This will help you know what baby may need when he is unhappy.  If he is crying at 8 a.m., but you just had your full 7 a.m. feed, you can check hungry off your list and then move on.  Boredom? Over stimulated? Tired?  See Tracy Hogg’s Secrets of the Baby Whisperer for more information.

Step 5. Stick to it! Good luck!

First, let’s recognize that this can be incredibly difficult. Sleep – or lack thereof – can make or break your vacation. Here is a list of tips to help your little ones sleep in a new environment when they would much rather play, giggle, and dance the night away:

1. Try to stick with your routine – both the timing and the activities. If you usually have a nightly routine that includes a bath, book, song, or sip of water – make sure to keep it the same on vacation. Keeping your children’s routine the same will make bedtime a more soothing experience.
2. Try to stick to your regular nap schedule. You might be out and about and nothing is worse than trying to nap a toddler at an amusement park – but do you best. If all else fails, it might be worth it to strap them in their car seat and drive around until they sleep. If they miss a nap, they will be overtired at bedtime, making falling asleep even harder.
3. Remember to bring all their lovies, blankets, soothers, sound machines, and pacifiers. Try and recreate their regular sleep space as best you can when you are away from home.
4. If they are nervous about being in an unfamiliar place and you are sharing a room with them, it might help to sit in the room with them until they fall asleep. Only do this is you’ll be there in the morning when they wake up so they aren’t expecting you to be there and find themselves alone.
5. Talk it through with preschool-age children. Explain that taking rests will make playtime more fun.
6. If all else fails and it is safe, pull your newly nocturnal children in bed with you.

With newborns who will probably be in a pack and play, try traditional sleep training techniques for a good night’s rest.

We have big news to share with you – we’re moving! Over The Moon Parenting now lives at 15 Farrar Farm Road in Norwell. We chose our new home because it is more convenient for families coming from both the north and south on Route 3 (exits 13, 14, and 15.) Our new parenting center sits just off Route 53, on the side street to the left of The Fours Restaurant. Our new space is being completely built out to our specifications with 3200 square feet and plenty of parking! The last day at our current location will be Tuesday, August 15th. The official start date for the new center will be Tuesday, September 5th – just in time for the beginning of our fall infant and toddler classes and the new school year for our Toddler Play School!  Follow us on Facebook in the weeks ahead for updates.

For August, we are running a shorter, 2-week art, music, toddler book club, and child development class session – available for registration online now. All classes will end by August 15th. If you have registered and paid in full for a summer class and/or Toddler Play School that was scheduled to continue after August 15th, we are more than happy to credit your account or refund you for the day/days missed. For all who have registered for August classes, but have not yet been charged, we will only charge your credit card for 2 weeks of classes. Our goal is to be as upfront as possible and we are committed to customer care!  Please call our center if you have any questions or concerns M-F, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m., (781) 347-3189 or email us anytime at info@overthemoonparenting.com.

Thank you to all of you for sharing in our growth so far. We feel so lucky and grateful that you share your little loves with us, and are excited to watch your families grow in the years to come.

The most important thing parents can do to when preparing children for a new baby is ensure the older child feels safe and secure in love and importance in the family. Maintaining special one-on-one time with the older child after the birth is crucial to preventing insecurity, sadness, anger, and jealousy, which can manifest in aggression towards the baby or regression in developmental areas.

Planning ahead to register for a special class to take with your toddler, or hiring a babysitter to watch the new baby for an hour so you can play one-on-one with your older child can go a long way in making them feel special and secure. Another idea is to make a daily routine that when your partner gets home, they take the baby so you can focus solely on your older son or daughter.

One warning for preparing children for a new baby: don’t hire a babysitter to spend all their time with your older child while you spend time with baby because that is guaranteed to hurt feelings.

Looking for more tips for your growing family? Check out one of our parenting classes and workshops.

Summer is here, gas prices are low, and road trip season is upon us. Here’s a list of tips to make the drive easier with small passengers.

1. Plan for extra time. If you have to be at your destination by a certain time, add in some buffer so everyone is less stressed.
2. Plan out the rest stops before you leave, and pack plenty of snacks and drinks.
3. Consider driving at night or during nap time.
4. Packing the night before means little hands, feet, and voices won’t get in the way of the job, and leaving the next morning is just a matter of getting dressed, grabbing breakfast, and getting in the car.
5. Pack a bag of tricks of games or toys special for the road trip. Road Trip Bingo, new books, sticker or coloring books, and a new iPad or Kindle game are all good choices.
6. Speaking of electronic devices, make sure they are all charged and the chargers are also packed.
7. Have some fun and make a car playlist.
8. Dress your little loves in layers – and maybe even their PJs.
9. Pack their pillows and stuffed animals to snuggle with.
10. Consider bringing a potty chair for potty training toddlers or recently-trained pre-schoolers. BONUS TIP: Some kiddos are afraid of automatic flushing toilets. Bring along large square stickers to cover the eye of the auto flusher while your child is sitting on the seat. When they are done, just take off the sticker and throw it away.
11. Cool off the car with the air conditioning before you load your babies in.
12. Make sure you have shades on the windows for infants. We find the sticky ones work best.
13. Consider getting the car serviced beforehand.
14. Last, anytime is a great time to make sure the car seat straps are adjusted properly. Read our car seat safety post, here!

The 4th of July means parades, fireworks, BBQs, pool parties, and great family time! It also brings some safety hazards for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. Here are some tips to keep your family safe this summer.

1. Liberally apply SPF 30+ sunscreen early on children and babies over 6 months. Reapply every few hours and after swimming, running through the sprinklers, or any other water activity. For babies under 6 months, check with your pediatrician about their sunscreen recommendations and keep them out of the sun with a loose cover and a hat.
2. Apply bug spray if you’ll be anywhere with mosquitos.  Check with your pediatrician about their DEET guidelines.
3. If you are going to a party, parade or a crowded place, decide up front who will be responsible for watching each child. Consider dividing and conquering. Never assume family or friends are watching your children and be clear when passing on the responsibility to another person.
4. With children over 2, talk about expectations, rules and clear consequences including staying in a designated area, asking before eating and drinking anything, and playing safe. Have them repeat the rules back to you.
5. Be extra mindful of open cups, grills, fire pits, pools, ponds, and other safety hazards. If you are hosting a BBQ, consider putting a play yard around danger zones.
6. If you are celebrating near water, put life vests on all your little ones, even if they aren’t swimming.
7. Make sure your family is staying hydrated, and pack a few extra snacks, too. No one is happy when they are hungry.
8. Try to stick with nap routines to avoid tired meltdowns and to make it to the late firework shows.
9. If your family is celebrating near loud music or noise, use noise-canceling headphones for little ears. Don’t use earplugs – they can be a choking hazard.
10. Consider dressing your family in bright or matching colors so you can find them in a crowd easily.
11. If you’ll be celebrating at a crowded event where toddlers or preschoolers could get lost, designate a meeting place.
12. Frequently check your children for ticks and tick bites, and consider a quick shower before bed to wash any critters away.
13. Flashlights are handy if your family’s festivities go on into the night.
14. For extra safety, consider taking an infant and child CPR and Safety class ahead of the holiday. That will arm you with the necessary skills to care for anyone in an emergency, no matter the date.