Dusk to Dawn with Children

Our bedtime routine with our children is a special time of togetherness and sharing. We generally start with an outdoor activity, snack, bath, story time, snuggling and talking about our day. I find it to be a precious time with our children because their high energy has faded and their intellect is piqued. They are then thinking about life at a profound level. It is the best time of day to truly get to know our children more deeply.

There are many reasons why I prefer to keep our baby close at night. I like to know that she's breathing and that she's safe. I'm also able to meet her needs quickly without either of us fully waking up. William Sears explains this well in his book entitled "Nighttime Parenting". http://www.amazon.com/Nighttime-Parenting-Your-Child-Sleep/dp/0452281482/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278723757&sr=8-1 He writes that closeness helps mother and baby to synchronize their sleep patterns. When our baby wakes during the night, it's at a time when I'm entering light sleep. At that point, I can either nurse her back to sleep or assist her with her bladder functions. http://www.amazon.com/Diaper-Free-Gentle-Natural-Hygiene/dp/B000NJMMQS/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1278767056&sr=1-4
Breastfeeding is usually the easiest because then I can stay comfy in bed. We'll both go back to sleep fairly easily, provided that she's warm and the house is quiet.

I read "Nighttime Parenting" with our second baby and I found that I had already, out of necessity, adapted many of his suggestions. His suggestions make sense and his ideas work for most children. I was amazed at all of the advatages he listed for co-sleeping, most backed up by medical knowledge. He gave interesting ideas on how to make co-sleeping doable, such as taking one side rail off the crib in a sidecar set-up in parents' room. Nowadays, we keep a double-size bed pushed against the wall in baby's room. After bedtime reading, our girls fall asleep on either side of me and then I return to our bed. This works well for naps too.

Sometimes I would find that an hour of story time and snuggling still wasn't enough to help her drift off to sleep. I found more ideas from the booklet called "The Little Book of Sleep: 54 Natural Ways to Help Your Child Fall Sleep" by Gerald Markoe found in Mozart's Sleepytime Music Box CD. The suggestions here involve the senses and also have ideas for burning up mental energy. http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias%3Dpopular&field-keywords=Mozart%27s+Sleepytime+Music+Box I found that she would make up for time spent away from me during the day by being up later at bedtime. Gordon Neufeld's book "Hold on to your Kids" explains how to help with separation. He writes that children can endure separation when you increase your attachment and your connection with your child. He gives ideas for focusing on the return connection, rather than on the night separation. http://www.amazon.com/Hold-Your-Kids-Parents-Matter/dp/0375760288/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1278763635&sr=1-1 As parents, we try different things until something works. Hopefully some of these ideas are new and they'll work for you.

Michelle is an author and entrepreneur for a continuing education and business development company showing people how to build business success. Find out more by calling 1-800-719-8268 ext. 45455 or visiting http://www.timewithmama.com We're all in this together. Connect with Michelle at timewithmama@shaw.ca

Income-earning choices impact mother-child involvement

I was always told that having a baby would change me forever. I was thrilled during my one-year maternity leave when I could cherish every moment watching my child grow and thrive. I took so many pictures and videos and created home DVDs, thinking that this was the best time of my life. Were tearful good-byes going to be part of our future relationship? I wanted to keep her by my side forever and this was more important that certain luxuries I was used to having.

My resolve to stay home with my baby came after our difficult birth and lengthy hospital stay. I wanted to make it up to her by allowing her by weaning her naturally, giving her extra health advantages. I was able to take our sweet baby along with me as I did some contract work for companies. I even took he with me to meetings for an up-and-coming MLM company, but unfortunately the company folded after a year. I signed up for an online business, but later learned that it only sold one product to only USA citizens. When our daughter turned two, Daddy started watching her during my 3-hour shifts from home doing customer satisfaction surveys.

I started to discover that important decisions such as breastfeeding, co-sleeping, potty training, education and even family size are all impacted by my earning decisions. I found that my daughter was sensitive to other kids' behaviours so I decided that I would homeschool her when the time came. After reading "Reading Magic" by Mem Fox, I was motivated to borrow extensively from the library and I read to her before her nap and before bedtime. I wanted her to be able to start reading early.

I didn't have a choice about having to earn money, but I could choose options that allowed me to work from home. I found that earning income alleviated my husband's stress and provided extra luxuries for our family. When we both earn money in ways that are comfortable, our appreciation for one other grows. The best thing we can do for our children is to be happy and to have a healthy marriage. Our children need both of us. I'm so thankful to my husband that he has allowed me to branch out in my online business and avoid re-entering the workforce. I can help you to have more time with your children too!

Michelle is an author and entrepreneur for a continuing education and business development company showing people how to build business success. Find out if you qualify to be trained in having your own business by calling 1-800-719-8268 ext. 45455. Feel free to contact Michelle at timewithmama@shaw.ca She looks forward to hearing from you.