Sunday, December 29, 2019

5 Ways To Prepare Your Life For Kids

It might seem like a hazy idea on the horizon that you’d like to have kids someday. But does your heart
skip a beat at the thought of the organization levels involved to prepare your life for a new addition? Try
not to panic, as here are some simple tips for you to sail into parenthood with your sanity (hopefully)
intact. 




Get The Right Car
The first question is can you drive? If you haven’t experienced the joys of driving, search
'more info on driving test’ to find out about how you can get in the car and get moving. The second
question is whether you have a child-friendly vehicle. It doesn’t have to be a 7-seater kid mobile, but if
you have a flashy two-seater on a lease scheme, it might be time to consider trading it in for a four-door
if you’ve got kids on the horizon.


Rearrange Your Finances
You might think that your finances are in pretty good shape. But remember, your little bundle of joy will be
a massive gain to your life, but might mean a slight hit to your finances. If possible, try to build a cushion
of 3 or so months of expenses to ease the financial stress of a new arrival. At the very least try and
reduce your debts so you’re not adding to the build-up.


Think About Work
It’s inevitable that both you and your partner will spend some time away from work when your new arrival
first arrives. If you’re planning a little way ahead it could be worth reevaluating your career options. Is this
what you really want to do? It might be worth making a career change if you aren’t happy, so you have
enough time to settle into a new role before planning for kids. 




Consider Your Support Network
Many parents might not have the benefit of going down to one salary, and need to rely on close relatives
at least one day a week. Consider your network and who could potentially provide that support for you. If
that’s not an option and you find out you’re expecting, take the time to explore mother and baby classes so
you can spend time with new parents in a similar position to you.


Don’t Overplan
You’ve done everything you can to reduce stress, so now it’s time to live your life without overthinking the
journey to parenthood. Every new parent will find themselves in the same position, wondering what they’re
doing, or if they’re ready. Try to enjoy the journey and don’t let the decision to have kids stop you from
taking risks in your career or making new decisions.


Taking the above steps will reduce the strain on your finances and get you thinking realistically about the
future. Parenthood is meant to be a joy, but can also be a slog (of love, but still). So here’s to the future and
embarking on the fun ride that is having children with as little stress as possible.

Friday, December 6, 2019

How To Get Your Children Outdoors More Often

With so many of our households relying on technology and using it in some form every waking
hour, it can easily be something that your children rely on too much, and they miss out on things
that you might have done as a child, and that didn’t need electronics like board games for
example. Here are some tips to get your children outdoors more often.


Take Them To A Local Park
The local park is a perfect place to encourage a bit of outdoor fun, and there will likely be one or
two near you. It’s a great opportunity to get them interested in the local area that surrounds
them, and usually, these parks will have swings and other play areas that are worth using. Make
this a regular thing that they can end up enjoying alone when they’re a little older. It’s always
good to scope out the park itself to ensure that it’s safe enough and that no one is loitering
around that shouldn’t be. It’s great as an adult to go back to a park and live out that nostalgic
time but now with your own children.

Organize Days Out With Fellow Parents
A family day out is always a good opportunity to get away from the home where all the
electronics are and make it a no-screen day. Fellow parents that you know may wish to organize
something together, like a trip to a soft obstacles playground or maybe going to the zoo. Set up a
group and take it in turns to organize something fun for your children to get involved with. They
don’t need to be anything too wild but giving your children something to do that doesn’t involve
an iPad or a mobile phone is important. There are plenty of opportunities to see cute animals at
the zoo and campingfunzone.com has a few pictures of some adorable animals that you might
see at yours.

Have Limited Screen Time
Screen time is very important to limit when you can because it can be very easy to let that
screen time go on and on for hours at a time. And although that may keep them entertained, it’s a
good idea to limit it so that they don’t always rely on it to relieve their boredom. They should also
be taking advantage of playing with toys and creating mud pies in the yard. Try to be strict with
limiting screen time and ensure that they’re getting homework done before having fun.

Go Out And Play With Them
Sometimes outdoor play can be boring, particularly when they’re on their own or feeling left out.
Give yourself a break from work and the internet too and get outside to play with your kids. You
only have them around for so long, so it’s important you’re making time for them.


Get your children outdoors more often with trips to the park and cutting back on screen time so
that they don’t rely on it as much as possible.

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