Over the Moon - Pregnancy to Preschool

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Beach Clean-ups with Children

My two children and I recently went to our first Breakwater Blue beach clean up at Nantasket Beach. We brought our bucket and gardening gloves from home and started on the sidewalk. We picked up several pieces of trash before we even got onto the beach. I was pleasantly surprised by how clean the actual beach was but I know that is probably due to previous beach clean ups. We spent two hours combing the beach on a beautiful day, working together to clean up the beach. Beach clean-ups provide a great opportunity to talk about community service with kids….

Cooking with Kids

“Cooking with kids is not just about ingredients, recipes, and cooking. It’s about harnessing imagination, empowerment, and creativity.” -Guy Fieri I started cooking with my two children as soon as they could help mix! Cooking with kids lets them use all of their senses, and teaches them how things they eat are made. It also encourages them to be adventurous in trying new things, and how to be healthy. We have done everything from simple baking and applesauce to rolling sushi. I find they love to try new things when they feel proud of helping in the process. Here are…

How To Take Toddlers Skiing

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…

Sensory Art for Babies and Toddlers

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…

Age-Appropriate Gift Ideas

Over the Moon Parenting is happy to share our list of thoughtfully selected, age-appropriate gift ideas for young children (newborn through preschool years). We have provided samples of safe toys and other gifts we love that are appropriate for each range of development. Please note: although we do think highly of the toys listed, we are NOT endorsing any specific product. We hope to have suggested gifts that will appeal to children over time, promote creative and open-ended play, and support developing skills. Please feel free to share this list with friends, grandparents, aunts, and uncles! Newborn- 6 Months: Rattles…

Teach Tots Giving

Thanksgiving is a season of sharing with those in need – which can be difficult for little hearts to understand. The concept that some families do not have food to eat can be hard for small children. Here is one way to teach generosity and make a positive impact on your community. First, talk about how some families can’t afford everything they need. Talk about how grateful you are to have a home and food and security, but explain that not everyone has them. Ask if they would like to help you put a meal together for a family who…

Tips on Using Humidifiers with Children

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. 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…

Halloween Safety Tips for Infants, Toddlers and Young Children

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

halloween safety for infants and toddlers

How to get your baby or toddler to sleep on vacation

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: 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…

We’re Moving!

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…

Preparing Children for a New Baby

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…

Road Trip Tips for Parents

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. 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. Plan out the rest stops before you leave, and pack plenty of snacks and drinks. Consider driving at night or during nap time. 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…

Celebrating Safely this 4th of July!

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. 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. Apply bug spray if you’ll be anywhere with mosquitos. Check…

Baby and Toddler Sleep Schedules and Daylight Savings

Happy Daylight Savings! Here are 6 ways to navigate your kiddos through the time change. Make gradual changes over the course of a week. In the Spring, each night, put your child to bed 15 minutes earlier, and every morning, wake them up 15 minutes earlier. In the fall, put your child to bed 15 minutes later than usual, and in the morning, wake them up 15 minutes later than usual. This will help you reach your target bed and wake time without causing change too fast. “The biggest challenge of day light savings is bedtime resistance, so you need to…

Our New Over The Moon Parenting Center Opens!

New Arrival Educators opened our new Over The Moon Parenting Center in the former Mamas Move location in Norwell. Our center is a special place for little ones and the grown-ups who love them, offering South Shore families expert education, support and fun from pregnancy to preschool! Over The Moon will offer prenatal education, prenatal fitness classes, new mom and baby groups, new mom and baby fitness, early development, art and music classes for caregivers and children age 6 months to 36 months, toddler play school for children 2-3 year olds, and pre-play school for 3-4 year olds. We will…

How to Pump at Work

Heading back to work with a nursing baby? Read our tips on how to pump at work! How Often? – When returning to work with a baby at home who is 6 months or younger, I would encourage mom to express milk approximately every 3 hours. For example, if you are separated from baby for 10 hours, it is recommended that you pump at work at least three times. Pumping often while away from baby will ensure that your body continues to be stimulated and will keep production up. How much will my baby drink? – Breastfed babies are typically…

Hot Weather Car Safety

Summer is here, bringing the promise of popsicles, fireworks and pretty awesome pedicure colors. It also brings the heat, turning your car into hot box in the scorching parking lot. New moms are, more often than not, overtired, distracted, and burdened with baby paraphernalia. Even the very best moms can forget a sleeping child in the backseat, and heatstroke can affect a baby within minutes. Here are a the top 7 hot weather car safety tips to prevent it. Look before you lock. Before locking up, open the back door and make sure it’s empty. Bag with baby. Make a…

Beautycounter Exclusive for NAE (with coupon code!)

Guest Post By Elise Macaluso-White, Beautycounter Manger, Bonus: Beautycounter coupon for moms: NAE16 Let’s Start at the Beginning and Do It RightThe skin and body care industry in this country is not as regulated as you might think. During the last two decades, the EU has banned 1300 ingredients while the U.S. has only banned 11. There are about 10,000 chemicals commonly found in personal care products —only 10% of those chemicals have safety data. Even more troubling, chemicals linked to breast cancer, learning disabilities, infertility, and other health issues are allowed in the products we use every day. The ingredient…

Summer Baby Safety Tips

I am the mother of three summer babies and live by the ocean, so my babies went to the beach. It is usually cooler at the beach, especially at low tide, so it was a great place to spend part of the day amongst the soothing sounds of the sea. Here are my tips to keeping your babies safe at the seaside! Invest in a good quality beach tent with SPF protection. I like the three-sided ones with pouches along bottom that you fill with sand or rocks to hold it down, in addition to stakes that come with it….

Safe Sleep for Newborns

Every parent’s number one goal is to keep their baby safe! So, of course, many of you devoted parents of newborns were quite upset this week due to an overwhelming number of scary headlines that followed the publication of a new study “Swaddling and the Risk of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome: A Meta-analysis”. Pediatrics (May 2016).“Swaddling babies may increase risk of SIDS,” the headlines blared. Some readers latched on and panicked. But the analysis emphasizes a more nuanced conclusion that supports what many parents and pediatricians already know about safe sleep for newborns. To quote the study’s conclusion: “Despite the…

How to Choose a Newborn Photographer

GUEST POST: Denise Carty, Photographer Your baby is the most beautiful thing you’ll ever create. You’ll probably take hundreds, if not thousands, of snapshots with your camera and phone. If you are looking for a professional photographer to capture your gorgeous bundle of joy, here are some tips! 1. Portfolio Ask to see their portfolio, or just take some time and go through their website. Every newborn photographer has a different style and vision. Photography is a very personal experience, and regardless of trends or what is in ‘style,’ make sure you choose a photographer that’s right for you. Choose…

How to Clean Cradle Cap

Caring for newborn hair and skin, including learning how to clean cradle cap, can be daunting. We are here to help! Your baby is born with several layers of skin, which were necessary when she was living in amniotic fluid for so many months. You may have noticed peeling skin on her tiny body already. This is normal as baby doesn’t require all those layers anymore. Do not feel as though you need to lather baby with moisturizing lotions. In fact, lotion may be irritating to newborn skin. When the skin peels on baby’s scalp it may not look very…

How to Use Cloth Diapers

There are many reasons to choose cloth diapers, and today’s options are incredibly easy-to-use. Here is a guide on how to use cloth diapers. They save money. The savings will depend on what type of cloth diapers you choose, but whichever style you go with , there will be a savings with your first child and a huge savings with subsequent children as you can reuse the same diapers. The environment. By not contributing to the enormous amount of disposable diapers that end up in land fills each year, you are ensuring your little pumpkin will live in a cleaner…

Hospital Visitors

By Cheryl Donahue, LCCE, IBCLC, Med, HBB, and Stacey Stratton, CCCE, CD(DONA) The birth of a newborn baby is exciting, scary, surreal, and can be overwhelming at times. You are trying to learn all about this new little person and your family and friends are excited and eager to welcome the baby. The anticipation is so tempting, when pregnancy is reaching the due date, to want to share your new baby with friends and family! However, stop and consider realistically what your immediate postpartum experience in the hospital will be like. Birth is hard and exhausting on both you and…

How to Choose a Carseat

By Saheeda Mohammed-Kelly RN, CCE, Certified Carseat Technician It can be really stressful parents-to-be begin researching how to choose a car seat. But the best car seat is one that fits your child and car appropriately and you’ll use the best. Not all car seats fit all cars but finding car seat dimensions is easy, and you can pick one appropriate to your vehicle. A quick check on Consumer Reports can give you car seat safety ratings, as well as an indication on how well it will install into your car via the LATCH system or using the seat belt….

Starting Solids

Up to four to six months, your baby only needs breastmilk or formula to grow and thrive. When she’s ready for solids, she will tell you! Can she sit with support and hold her head up steady? Does she mouth her hands and toys? Does she look interested in what you’re eating? If your answers to the above questions are “yes,” and your pediatrician gives you the go-ahead, you can start introducing solids. How fun! Before you even start, you may want to enroll in an infant CPR class if you haven’t already taken one. That will make your baby’s…

What To Pack For The Hospital

The decision on what to pack for birth can be exciting and confusing, especially if this is your first trip to Labor and Delivery. Which bag should you bring? What should you put in it? When should you pack? Remember: as long as the expectant mother is in the car to go to the hospital on the birth day, you are doing great! I’ve had three babies, in addition to teaching childbirth classes for over ten years, and am a birth doula. Honestly, many things you might want to pack will never see the walls of your delivery room or…

3 Breakfasts for New Moms

Today, we’ve got three healthy breakfasts for new moms that you can pull together in under a minute with one hand tied behind your back (or holding a baby.) These recipes involve minimal dishes and cook time, but maximize nutrition. Eat up! Overnight oats. Combine equal parts rolled oats and milk, then refrigerate overnight. In the morning, heat it and top it with your favorite mix-ins. (Note: you can use any milk: cow’s milk, soy milk, or yogurt. If you make it for your baby, you can even use breast milk.) Waffles. Microwave a frozen multigrain waffle topped with frozen…

How to Store Breast milk

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! We feel lucky to have YOU, so we put together a guide to pumping “liquid gold” for your wee ones. Enjoy! Remember: The more you take, the more you make! How to get started: 3-4 weeks after birth, incorporate pumping into your breastfeeding schedule and introduce a bottle once a day. Store breast milk in the refrigerator or the freezer. The best time to pump is first thing in the morning or right before bedtime. Or, if the baby only feeds from one breast, you can pump the other side. Tips: Relax and make yourself comfortable….

How to Choose a Daycare

Choosing a daycare for your baby can feel incredibly overwhelming. Finding someone you trust with your child is stressful enough without the added pressures of cost, pickup schedules and sick policies. We hope these steps streamline your process of how to choose a daycare and you can feel good about your choice. 1. Research online the daycares around your home or work, depending on which might be more convenient for you and your partner. 2. Ask around. Do neighbors, friends or co-workers, have recommendations? Take suggestions graciously, but don’t feel cornered into picking based on those suggestions. This is your…