If July 31st wasn’t my daughter’s first birthday, I would make my way to Colori in Chicago’s Bucktown neighborhood. Colori is an eco paint boutique and on July 31st they are hosting an all day, hands-on workshop focusing on creating beautiful green play spaces for kids.

I have used Mythic paint, a brand of eco-paint they sell, and it is wonderful.  It has no VOCs, is very durable and is competitively priced.  I honestly can’t think of a good reason NOT to use this paint.

Michelle Quaranta is the owner of Colori Eco Paint Boutique and is a color therapist/consultant.  Friends and I have relied on her eye for color and have been thrilled with the results.  She can consult with you right in the store or can make a house call to really help to refine your color vision.  Really, if you’re going to make an investment in paint for a room or entire house, shouldn’t it be right?!

Two weeks ago I began blogging for giggle on their giggle gurus blog.  The blog is titled Sweet Dreams, and as you may well have guessed, the topic is sleep.  This blog is in great company with some other fantastic blogs authored by a great network of experts in other arenas, such as child development, organization, healthy eating and creating a green nursery. Please head on over and check them out.

Many years ago I was a nanny to four little ones while I was in graduate school.  Whenever we would go on outings, their mother would write her cellphone number on the inside of their arms with a pen.  She reminded them that if they somehow got separated, to find another mommy and ask her to call the number.  Fortunately, we were never separated, but it was good to have this plan.

Fast forward several (ahem, plenty) years and here I am taking my very own children on such outings, without a good plan.  Imagine my delight when I saw a post on Stroller Traffic for these adorable waterproof ID bracelets from Mabels Labels.

It is that time of year again – the days are getting longer and our long-awaited travel plans are ready to be executed. Whether your plans include travel to distant places or places within an hour or two by car, the impact to your children can be the same – lost sleep!

Children are all such creatures of habit. They like routines and familiarity. This is precisely why our travels are often interrupted by our children’s sudden change in sleep habits, as well as other behavioral changes, such a potty accidents or eating less well. Of course it’s reassuring to know that this is normal, but even more helpful (I hope) are the tips that follow.

Prepare your child for the trip

It can be hard to know exactly how much our children understand at a young age because their receptive language skills (what they understand from us) develop in advance of their expressive language skills (what they communicate to us). As a general rule, I would argue that most children understand more than we give them credit for.

I raise this point because I find it very important to let children know that there is a change of routine coming. Invite their participation in preparing for the trip as much as you can, given their age. For tots 12-18 months this means just talking about going on a trip and saying bye-bye to the pets or house as you leave. With a slightly older child you can help to prepare them by letting them share the responsibility of packing their bag, specifically the things they need for sleep. This might include a cherished blanket, pacifier, tub toys, white noise machine and favorite bedtime books

Bring the unwashed crib sheet

A familiar scent can be particularly comforting for children when they are away from home. As such, I often recommend bringing along the unwashed crib sheet from home for your baby to sleep on. For older toddlers, this is not nearly as important.  If you’re planning to use a pack n’ play, sleep with the fitted sheet that fits the pack ‘n play mattress so it has your familiar and comforting scent.

Unpack together

When you arrive at your destination, spend a few minutes getting the room where your child(ren) will sleep ready. This means setting up the crib/pack ‘n play with the sheet you brought from home and any other sleep aids you may have brought with you (white noise machine, monitor). Have your child with you while you do this. Explain to them that this is where they are going to be sleeping.

Also, take a few minutes to unpack the toys and books you brought along. Play with your child in the room for at least 10-15 minutes so they develop a sense of familiarity and comfort, as well as a positive association with the space.

Leave extra time for your bedtime routine

Since most children are at least a little uneasy about falling asleep in a new environment, it makes good sense to devote extra time at the end of the day winding your child down for sleep. Ten or fifteen extra minutes should suffice. While the order of the routine should remain the same, you might spend a little extra time reading and/or snuggling.

Stay on schedule

I know that one of the great things about being on vacation is being spontaneous and free from scheduling. Unfortunately, children really do much better when they have a schedule that is predictable every day. Therefore, it works best when you are able to keep the routine of your daily schedule when you’re away from home. Of course, you should be able to have a late night here and there, but to the extent that you can preserve your schedule, the better your child will sleep and behave.

Adjust for time zone changes

Unless you intend to be gone for a week or longer, I don’t generally advise changing time zones. Instead, keep your child on local time. If your trip is a week or longer and you’ll be in a different time zone, here is how to proceed:

traveling west: This is always the hardest direction of travel for time changes. You’ll need to stretch your child a little bit every day to get closer to your normal schedule per the local clock. Children one-year-old and older can likely stretch one hour each day (less for younger babies). The first few days, however, they will have a very early bedtime and an early start to the day, per the local clock. The stretching begins from the time they first wake up until their first nap. If that interval is normally 2.5 hours, then you’ll try to make it 3 hours.  You will stretch another half hour in the afternoon.  By the end of the day, you should have gotten their bedtime one hour later than the night before. Proceed until you get them on local time, or as close to it as you deem reasonable given the length of the trip.

traveling east: This is much easier. Simply put your child to bed at their regular bedtime at home (this will be later per the local clock) and wake your child up the next morning at the normal wake up time per the local clock. This means your child will be shortchanged on sleep that night by the total number of time zones crossed. Proceed with your normal schedule per the local clock.

Above all, enjoy yourselves.

Recently I was very lucky to sit down with a group of NYC fathers and their little ones to discuss positive discipline at appleseeds in Chelsea. NYC dads is a Meetup group that has been expanding wildly and is now 200+ families strong, and growing!  We talked about the difficulties surrounding discipline and knowing the “right” way to handle each and every situation (think playground politics).  Being a parent awakens many thoughts/feelings/memories from our own childhoods that often need to be worked through.  If we aren’t prepared for this, the who journey can feel overwhelming and needlessly difficult. It was such a joy to be able to talk with a group of fathers who were interested in being proactive with their kids and being the best teachers possible. Oh, and their tots were too cute for school! Thanks NYC Dads!!

On Saturday night at midnight we spring ahead (this means we lose an hour overnight). What does this mean in terms of your child’s sleep schedule? See my tips below and decide which plan is best for your wee one.

Plan A:

1. Put your child to bed on Saturday night at the usual bedtime.

2. Change your clocks so they are one hour ahead.

3. Set your alarm to get you up at the usual wake up time and wake your child up to start the day (this means one less hour of sleep for your child).

4. Put your child down for naps and bedtime according to the time on the clock.

Plan B:

For those early risers, don’t change anything but your clocks.  This means that if they normally nap at 9 am, the clock will now ready 10 am, and so on.  They will be going to bed one hour later and will wake up one hour later… Remember that there is more daylight as we get closer to June so you’ll also want to ensure that you have a good blackout system, otherwise your early riser will be back!

I was recently reminded about this great European snotsucker, the nosefrida, when my daughter caught my cold and became congested.

A client recently turned me on to this great device, which is much slicker and safer to use on our littlest ones’ noses. Consider this improved alternative to the blue bulb nasal aspirators.

A recent short piece in the New York Times Magazine titled “Infant Sleep is Destiny” showcased the research of Bernier and Carlson. In their research they concluded that there is a longer term effect of infant sleep deprivation (aside from the immediate effect on executive functioning). They reported that as toddlers, the same babies who didn’t get good quality sleep as infants showed signs of lingering effects to their executive functioning. I disagree with the article’s closing comment about there not being anywhere to turn to get advice about what to do if you have a poor sleeper. Helping sleepy babies and toddlers (+ parents) is precisely what we do well!

I was reading my Daily Candy emails this morning and was reminded of tremendous need many impoverished mothers have: diapers for their babies.  Help a Mother Out is an organization in San Francisco who collects diapers and distributes them to those in need.

Early in my career I worked for a non-profit program in the inner city of Milwaukee.  There I worked with many teen mothers and saw firsthand how hard some people work to stretch a diaper or two…some for an entire day.  It was heartbreaking to see, and with two little ones myself, I can’t imagine not being able to put a clean diaper on them whenever the need arises.

Fortunately, there are great people and organizations (such as Help a Mother Out) throughout the US, as well as virtual diaper drives who are collecting diapers to distribute to these very needy families. Spread some diaper cheer!

I ran across this potty last night at Right Start where I was doing a sleep talk.  It is the best potty I’ve seen on the market.  It fits my criteria of having a soft cushion seat and a contoured splash guard (= no trauma when your wee one accidently sits a bit too close to the front!).  The height is also adjustable so you can make it a good fit as your child grows.  It’s also pretty darn cute (as potties go…) Definitely a thumbs up from me!!