MyTime Calendars

Cleaning can be a fun and productive game for your toddler to play!

I have asked myself this question time and time again as my four children have grown each year. As a new mom with my first, I always assumed that 4 yrs old was just too young to be able to help mommy with the chores. With my second, I thought maybe they could help at 4. With my third I noticed that the desire to clean was motivated by the thrill of learning something new and they really seemed to enjoy contributing to the chores. And now, as I watch my fourth, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that children not only have a desire to help as early as 2 yrs old, but they also think it’s fun! And surprisingly enough, they can do a pretty darn good job!

If you are looking to encourage your child to begin contributing to the household chores, here are a few guidelines:

• The most important thing to remember is to keep it simple, keep it age appropriate and praise, praise, PRAISE!
• It is also a good idea to remember that the younger the child, the shorter spurts you should work in.
• Tackle one job at a time. Don’t throw three “to do” items at them at once or they will be easily discouraged and overwhelemed.
• A chore chart will give your little one an extra sense of accomplishment and a way to have everyone in the family recognize their effort and accomplishment.

Here are some ideas to get you started at the different ages…

Age 2:

• Wet wipes: It’s pretty simple, give them a wet wipe and point them in the right direction! At this age, kids love the magic of the wet wipe. It’s truly amazing…you find a mess, run the wet wipe over it, and presto! No more mess! Let kids have fun with this one. There really is very little damage they can to with a wet wipe in hand!
• Organize: This is a great opportunity to teach sorting skills to your toddler. Get several storage boxes and label them with a picture (i.e. car box, people/animal box, craft box, music box, etc.). Get them started by putting a few items in each box. They will get the hang of this quickly and hone a valuable skill in the process!
• Laundry: Sorting laundry can be a fun learning activity too. Let your toddler help you sort the laundry by color. Have three bins (light, dark, and whites). Put a few items in each bin to start with. You can teach your toddler colors while they help you with your chores!

Age 4-5

• Laundry: Let your kids help you with the laundry by taking their bed sheets off of their beds and bringing them to you, putting them in the correct color bin. Kids at this age are also very capable and excited to both fold and put their clothes away on their own too. Remember that not all will be as perfect as you might like but don’t nitpick (it’s the quickest way to discourage a child from even trying). Positive encouragement and lots of praise will take them a long way to improvement!
• Dishes: Yes, though it may sound crazy to give a 4 year old a breakable object and let them walk across tile floor for any length of time, they are very capable of carrying out this task. Our 4/5 year old has become a very skilled “dish put-er away-er” at our house and knows better than my 8 year old where things go!
• Gardening: This is a fun one for kids. Put them in charge of watering your plants each day. They will love filling the water pot themselves and watching how their plants grow! Pulling weeds, cleaning leaves, and sweeping floors can all be easy activities for these guys.

Age 6-8

• Definitely ready for some heavy duty work! These little ones can handle any window job you can dish out. Dusting is a definite fun past time (turn them loose in the house with a duster and watch the dedication!).
• Organizing: This is a no brainer for these guys, especially if you started at age 2.
• Laundry: Show them the ropes of your washer and put them in charge of a load or two. They can also dry dishes with the best of ‘em!
• Vacuuming: Depending on the size of your vacuum and size of your child, this can be a lot of fun.
• Mopping: Cleaning my kitchen floor is one of my 8 year olds favorite activities!
• Gardening: With adult supervision and a little help, even lawn mowing and trimming the bushes can be a fun challenge for these guys!

I am not a huge fan of letting kids handle any kind of heavy duty chemical while cleaning…especially if you are not planning to supervise the entire process. A suggestion, most things can be well cleaned and disinfected with a homemade solution of vinegar and water. It’s very gentle and you don’t have to worry about your kids around harsh chemicals. That being said, always supervise your young children, even if the only chemical they walk around with is a wet wipe. The best way to teach your little ones is by example and as they are cleaning alongside you, it will make it more fun and safe for them, less stressful for you and you’ll get a lot accomplished in the process!

Remember, good habits start young. The earlier kids learn to contribute to the household maintenance, the easier it will be for you to maintain their involvement as they get older. Don’t get discouraged and remember that praise goes a lot farther than criticism!

What jobs do your young children do around your home? Share your ideas, what works, what didn’t and everything in between in our forum discussion!

Tags: chores, education, Family and Home, fun, holiday activities, homemaking, housekeeping, parenting, safety, tips and tricks, toddlers
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There's something for every age here!

For those of you looking to get your kids into the Halloween spirit, I’ve got a great place for you to check out this season…Jump and Shout Play Center! Located at 1061 N. Dobson Rd., Suite 110 in Mesa  between Bass Pro Shop and Cinemark, they will be converting their indoor bounce and play area into a “haunted” play center for us from 3:00pm to 8:00pm on October 30 and 31 (a Friday and Saturday).

If you are not familiar with Jump and Shout, then you need to get informed about this great Mesa Riverview secret! With the Mesa location of Bounce U closing down, Jump and Shout is sure to take over the area business with ease offering not only great bounce equipment for all ages but also climbing areas, large video screens and “bubble time” where huge amounts of bubbles rain down on our little bouncers!

This special 2-day Halloween event will offer the following features to our eager little goblins:

• UNLIMITED play on their indoor equipment
• Halloween arts and crafts
• costume contests
• games and dancing
• treats
• a real “slime” station!

The price is only $15.00 per child for over 5 hours of Halloween fun! Don’t miss this great safe, clean and fun Halloween party alternative. It’s great for all ages since they have an area for tots (crawlers to toddlers) as well as larger equipment for older children and even adults!

For more information: This facility also offers field trip options for classrooms, party packages, open play  and full membership options. You can contact this Jump and Shout location at 480-834-7529 and you can read more about them at their website or through my previous article entitled “Info 101: Indoor Toddler Play Zones“ which reviews this facility.

Tags: arts and crafts for kids, costumes, Crafts, easy crafts, Family and Home, fun, halloween crafts for kids, holiday crafts, toddlers
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You can build your chore chart by dragging and dropping pictures from our clipart gallery into the columns on the left. Your toddler can then mark off when they have completed something. There is even a space on some of the days to mark off a chore that must be done in the morning and night.

How much should I pay my kids for allowance? When should I start an allowance? How do I make a chore chart for my kids? What are some age appropriate chores I can start with?

Ah, the age old issue of money and work! It starts so young! And yet, we should be glad that it does. The sooner we teach our children about money, it’s worth and the value of a job well-done, the better off our children will be as adults. These are life skills that may seem trivial for a 4 or 6 year old to learn but it is at these early, impressionable ages that these lessons are most effective in turning into lifetime habits.

So when should you start an allowance? Well, here at MyTime Calendars, you can start even before your kids know how to read! Toddlers are very eager helpers. They are just starting to discover that they have a will of their own (hence the “terrible two’s” when you begin to hear the “no” word a lot!) and they are learning that choices have consequences and outcomes. Learning to understand that “cause and effect” is a huge milestone. Helping your kids start with a chore chart can really help them begin to understand their responsibilities in the family as well as this concept of “cause and effect”. It also helps them feel a bigger part of the family by taking on responsibility as a member. How you choose to reward these efforts will ultimately help them understand the difference between what is expected as a family member and what is considered “above and beyond” the normal expectations.

What are some age appropriate chores? Well, as you’ve probably heard a million times before (especially if this is not your first rodeo!), every child is different. But having said that, toddlers as young as two enjoy helping. They love to attempt new things and while that adventuresome spirit can prove to be a challenge at times, it can be turned to your advantage. It can be as simple as folding rags from the laundry (one of my two-year olds personal favorites!) or as complex as putting away the toys or books in her room. Even brushing their teeth can be a new and exciting chore for a two-year old to master and a great habit to start. Here’s a simple list of chores that a young toddler might enjoy (all of which are represented in our MyTime Calendars clipart gallery)…

• brushing teeth
• picking up toys
• putting away books
• cleaning (table, chair, etc. with a damp rag)
• feeding/caring for the family pet

And now the really tough question…what age do I start giving an allowance and how much should it be? From my experience, I have found that the allowance doesn’t really need to start until kindergarten. It is about this age that kids start learning about numbers and that those numbers have value. This then begins to translate into money and understanding the value of what it is and what it can purchase. That said, a toddler still likes to work towards rewards, a concept that is easy in the abstract and doesn’t necessarily have to be quantified to be effective (earn a trip to the dollar store, for instance, rather than earning a dollar). The system that has worked for my kids (ages 2-8) starts with basic chores that are expected because they are a part of a family (making the bed, putting away clothes, brushing their teeth, cleaning the table after dinner, etc.). Then we have the “extra” chores that earn them rewards (helping Dad with the yard work, extra reading outside of school, cleaning the windows/baseboards, etc.).  These extra chores are worth a dollar each while the daily chores can earn them a dime per chore. My youngest gets a pick from the “treasure box” which is where we keep our “trash and trinkets” (remember, one kids junk is another kids treasure!). At the end of the week, we take stock of what was completed and collect our earnings.  Sometimes we have dollar store visits where they can spend their earnings. Some of my kids prefer to save their money for a “big ticket” item while others prefer to spend theirs right away for the quick return. Our choice of 10 cents stems from a desire to teach them about savings and tithing (or other donation). We teach them to give 10 percent of their earnings to savings and 10 percent to tithing. This is an easy way to break down a dollar.

The bottom line is that you need to know your children and decide what works best with your individual family dynamics. But hopefully these few tips might get you going. Give us your thoughts on how you handle allowances and chores with your kids…what worked for you?  Follow this discussion in our forums!

Tags: education, Family and Home, parenting, toddlers
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I would like to take a moment to celebrate and recognize the insensitive and offensive people that roam freely around us throughout the day, unfortunately not unnoticed…

3rd place goes to the obnoxious lady at the PetsMart today who had the audacity to give me a dirty look as she raced me to the register with her 45 items, arriving a split second after me as I quickly checked out with my one bag of dog food and 4 little kids in tow…

2nd place goes to the idiot who attended a children’s animated feature at 11:00am and seemed annoyed and surprised that there were so many children interrupting what was aparently supposed to be his personal, undisturbed viewing of the show…

and our grand prize winner goes to the thoroughly ridiculous man sitting at a CPK restaurant near my amazing sister and her two wonderfully chatty toddlers. He somehow felt justified as he turned around and glared at this woman who routinely sacrifices her social life  just to avoid offending idiots like him with her toddlers noise level. Apparently, this man felt it important to ruin the one social outing she was brave enough to risk in order to support a friend struggling with a premie in the NICU.

Why are people so generally intolerant of small children in public? Are mother’s seriously expected to keep themselves sequestered until their children come of age to be seen and not heard? When did we as a society decide that a family is “not cool”? Funny, I don’t remember being included in that vote.

From people who glare at nursing mothers who are quietly and as discreetly as possible trying to feed their babies to the obnoxious women who exclaim loudly and with sideways glances that “they would like a different table” because they are in too close proximity to a young family. We are surrounded by intolerant individuals. Perhaps society would be a much happier and more forgiving lot if we could remember that children teach us as much as we teach them….sometimes just by the way they mimic our behaviors…

“Children seldom misquote.  In fact, they usually repeat word for word what you shouldn’t have said.” – Author Unknown

Tags: Family and Home, parenting, toddlers
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The better question might be “how do I train a dog to be good with my kids?”.  But I’ll address both questions in this post.

A family pet can offer love, compassion and unconditional friendship to your kids. But it takes effort to make this truly wonderful relationship flourish.

We were adopted by our first pet after we moved into our first house and about a year before I became pregnant with our first child. We found him in the middle of the summer, looking extremely overheated, dehydrated, hungry and thoroughly wiped out from sitting on a curb outside a brand new PetsMart. He was laid out in the lap of a 10 year old boy holding a sign that read “My Uncle bought me this dog but we live in an apartment an dmy mom says I can’t keep him. Please give him a good home.” Having made a deal with my “not so pet loving” husband that once we moved into a house, I would get a dog, I decided that rescuing this poor little pup was as good a choice as any. And so we called him “Chance” since we were definitely taking a chance on this little pup being a good family dog.
I tell you that story to endorse the idea of pet adoption verses purchasing a pet through a typical pet store or breeder. There are so many wonderful pets out there that are in need of homes and would have no chance at all without those of us willing to take a gamble on them. In my case, it paid off. We have probably the best “kid-friendly” 70lb dog I’ve ever owned (and I’ve already been the proud owner of 1 pure bred dog, two “pet store” dogs, and two birds). He has commonly been caught patiently sitting with many of my toddlers while they played with his tongue, used his sleeping body as a stepping stool to get onto the couch, stole his toy and even sampled his dog food (see my other article about strange toddler tendendies)!
Now I have to ad a caveat to this story. Pets do not come “kid friendly” even though some breeds have a better temperment for it than others. For instance, be aware that most large breed dogs are much more inclined to be patient with your kids than smaller breeds. It may make you nervous to have such a large dog in the company of your small toddler but trust me, larger dogs are much less likely to take a snap at your kids than smaller dogs. A great place to find pets in Arizona in need of rescuing is at Circle L Ranch Animal Rescue and Sanctuary. These are animals that are in desperate need of a second chance and as in the case of my dog, these “second chance” animals make the most devoted and thankful pets.
There are a couple of tips for helping your pet become more friendly towards your kids. Dogs, while domesticated, still think like pack animals. Dominant pack members run the show. Your job is to help your dog understand that your children are part of the dominant force in the “pack” family. When your pet recognizes that their livlihood also comes from these small pack members, they learn quickly to respect that pecking order. Here are a few tips…

1. Let your children play a role in feeding your pet. Your dog will learn quickly that these little pack members are a source of their livlihood and will be more likely to assign them respect. On the same note, never let your kids feed your dog from the table…this will encourage your dog to be ever more aggressive at mealtime.
2. Never let your kids walk you pet if they are not strong enough to control them. Once a dog learns that they can easily overpower these “pack” members, they are much more likely to start asserting their dominance. Instead, allow your kids to issue commands to the pet (like sit, lay down, etc.) and reward them with treats. It will help your children understand how to speak with strength to your pets and help your pets understand that they are rewarded for treating these small pack members with respect.
3. Lots of love! Try very hard not to neglect your pets need for love and attention. They are just as much in need of it as your children are. If you are taking on the responsibility of introducing an animal into your family, then this is a crucial component of making that work. You and your children must make time to play, walk, and stroke your pet so they know they are not competing with your kids for love and attention. Allowing your children to interact this way with your pet as often as possible helps both your children and your pet begin to understand this wonderful loving relationship.
4. Early Training. The more you pet, stroke and interact with your dog as a puppy, the easier it will be for them to accept the oftentimes intrusive attentions of your toddlers. Touch their paws, stroke their ears, and most especially pet them while they eat. They are less likely to interpret these attentions as a threat when they are already accustomed to them.

For more info: Check out some wonderful articles on pet safety and care at www.petsweekly.com. You can also build a custom chore chart for your kids to help them remember their pet responsibilities right here on our charts page. Do you have an experience or advice you’d like to share on this topic? Join our forum discussion!

Tags: Family and Home, parenting, pet adoption, pets, safety, tips and tricks, toddlers
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Hit your space bar if the Arizona monsoons make you shake in your boots just a little! It looks like the first of the season is just rolling through my neighborhood tonight and let me tell you, it can be a little nerve wracking! I saw the thunderheads building in the distance and new we would be in for quite a storm tonight so I started our bedtime routine a little earlier than usual. Thankfully, my kids all crashed out before the howling wind started pounding their windows and shaking their screens! Unfortunately for their brave and ever so courageous mother…I will be curling up under my covers with my hubby and my dog for comfort as we listen to the storm wreck our pristine yard!

As parents, we are sometimes called upon to offer comfort to our kids in these scary moments. My husbands nephew was being just so comforted by his dad one night during a monsoon storm. They were looking out the front window across the street. As his dad was assuring him that the lighting won’t hurt him, a bolt of lighting apparently struck the palm tree across the yard with sparking results! As if parenting isn’t hard enough, we have to be mocked by the weather! Sheesh!

I love a great storm but even though I can appreciate them for the blessing they are to the parched valley, they still can make me a bit nervous and generally terrorize my children around bedtime! I learned last year that unless I wanted to have a campout in my bed with all four of my kids (and my scaredy-cat dog), then I’d better plan ahead when I see those stormheads roll in by getting my brood into dreamland quickly!

Share some of your stories! What do you do to help your kids understand and not be overly fearful of the weather? Or is a little fear a healthy thing?…

Tags: Family and Home, parenting, tips and tricks, toddlers
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There are a lot of things we can do for our kids at home that don’t necessarily require a structured preschool. For instance, having a designated “school” hour of the day where you are the teacher works really well at our house. I’ve been doing this at home with my kids this summer and it’s been fun for all of us. I don’t know if I’d go so far as to say it’s “homeschooling” but essentially that’s what I’m talking about.

First, I try to time it with my littlest ones naptime. Pick about 10-15 minutes to work on different concepts…for instance, for 10-15 minutes, you work on making the shapes of the letters (moving the pen correctly, making the sound of the letter, etc.). You could even take a “sound safari” (get some binoculars, safari hat, etc.) by walking through the house and trying to find something that sounds like “a” or makes the “t” sound. Move on to math by having a counting activity (how many toys do we have out, lets count them! or if we have 5 toys out and I put one away, how many do we have out now?). Keep transitioning through activities for about an hour. You could even invite a friend or two over to “play school” with you. Essentially, these are the things they are learning in preschool and there is no reason you can’t duplicate these experiences at home. Just make it fun! Have a singing time, a puzzle time, etc. and read, READ, READ!!

With the Culture Pass available at the public libraries, you can visit 14 different venues in the city for free! Great field trip opportunities to places like the Arizona Science Center, Phoenix Zoo, Phoenix Children’s Museum, etc. A word of advice for Mesa Public Library main location attendees, they recommend you get to the library an hour before opening Tuesday through Thurdsay to get a good spot in line (you want to be in the first few spots in line if you want a decent pick of the passes). Check out our previous blog posts on the subject at

• http://www.mytimecalendars.com/archives/21
• http://www.mytimecalendars.com/archives/293

Good luck and don’t torture yourself for not being able to follow the norm. Your kids will do even better spending quality time with you than they would spending 2 or 3 hours with a stranger and having you stressed out with work worries. It might take more effort on your part but it will be well worth it and rewarding for you both.

Here’s some links that might help you network and get some great ideas…

• www.momsclub.org
• www.learningpage.com
• www.mesalibrary.org/Home.aspx

Do you endorse preschools or have you brought your toddler home because of finances or other concerns? Share your thoughts in our forum discussion.

Tags: education, Family and Home, fun, parenting, tips and tricks, toddlers
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Remember to stay hydrated, wear sunscreen and UV protected swimwear, and don't forget to keep those eyes shaded protected too!

Summer heat is upon us and has finally struck with a vengeance! Families are heading to the pools and lakes in droves to seek refuge from the onslaught of summer heat. In our stampede to our phoenician sanctuaries of water this Fourth of July weekend, I hope we can all accept another reminder about water safety. With over 3,582 fatal unintentional drownings in the United States during 2005 (more than one in four were children 14 and younger), this is an epidemic we cannot afford to take lightly. As we march off to our water related 4th of July festivities, please keep these tips and suggestions in mind.

1. Barriers: Most small children who drown in pools are only out of sight for less than 5 minutes and usually one the watch of one or more parents. A simple barrier can help slow down a curious child and even help alert the caregiver to the imminent emergency. In 1991, Arizona passed the pool barrier law, Arizona Revised Statutes (A.R.S.) § 33-1681, requiring an enclosure surrounding the pool area. Each city has their own ordinance governing the specific application of this law so check your cities website for details.
2. Alcohol and Water Don’t Mix: Alcohol is responsible for nearly half of adolescent and adult deaths dealing with water recreation. It influences balance, coordination, judgement and its effects are heightened by sun exposure and heat (two things Arizona has an abundance of in the summer).
3. Designated Eyes: Decide ahead of time who is in charge of which children and make certain that adult is not involved or distracted by any other activity (such as reading, phone conversation, yard work, etc.). Always swim with a buddy. Mothers should never swim alone with multiple small children.
4. Learn to Swim: Although the American Academy of Pediatrics cautions against swimming lessons as a drowning prevention for children under the age of 4, small children can learn to float on their backs or even tread water. These skills could provide the addition of a few seconds and possibly mean the difference between life and death.
5. Learn CPR (Cardiopulmonary Resuscitation): Average response time for emergency assistance was 5:04 for 2005 (http://www.ci.phoenix.az.us/FIRE/fireinfo.html). Drowning occurs within 20 seconds to 1 minute. if a person can be resuscitated within the next 4-6 minutes, they can be saved from most permanent forms of brain damage.
6. Respect the Difference Between Toys and Life Saving Devices: Do not use air-filled foam toys, such as “water wings”, “noodles”, or inner-tubes in place of life jackets. These toys are meant for supervised recreation, not as life-saving or drowning-prevention devices. Once your swimming activities are over, be certain that all floats, balls and any other toys are removed from the pool area so they will not be an attraction to young children to re-enter.
7. Weather: Pay attention to the weather and the forecasts for the day. Here in Arizona we have entered the monsoon season where weather conditions can change rapidly and become dangerous very quickly. Be aware of your surroundings, pay attention to warning signs and notices and respect the power of our unpredictable Arizona weather systems.
8. Stay Hydrated: Just because you’re in the water, doesn’t mean you are getting enough fluids. Our bodies are two thirds water and when you lose large amounts of water through physical exertion and sweat, you could become very sick, lethargic and dizzy. As of 2004, the Institute of Medicine recommends of 2.7 liters (91 ounces) of total water for women and 3.7 liters (125 ounces) for men. This includes water from all sources (foods and drinks). Drink from measured containers (if you’re drinking from an 8oz bottle, it’s not hard to figured out how many bottles you should drink to stay hydrated). Remember that caffeine is a diuretic (meaning it makes you urinate more frequently) so it would be wise to steer clear of caffeinated drinks during any exercise but especially when out in the heat and water.
9. Wear Sunscreen: Don’t forget to lather up your families! The Arizona sun can be a harsh companion in the summer heat. Remember, a tan is the body’s desperate attempt to protect itself from the powerful UVA and UVB rays of the sun as they damage the skin. Wear clothes made from tight-woven cloth or even UV protection. Wear a wide-brimmed hat to protect face, neck and ears. Remember that clouds don’t block UV rays and won’t protect you and there is no cure for sun damage. Regardless of the SPF rating, sun screen should be reapplied every 2 hours, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics.

Enjoy your Fourth of July weekend and keep your families safe around water throughout this summer. I hope this information has been helpful and will be taken to heart as we all work together to protect our children and each other from the dangers of water activities. We would love to hear your own safety suggestions and product recommendations so please follow up in our forums!

For more info: Center for Disease Control, Kids Health, Kids Safety Products 101.

Tags: education, Family and Home, fun, toddlers, water safety
Posted in Family and Home, Parenting Tips, Safety/Health Awareness | 1 Comment »

From 8:00am to 8:00pm today, we’re celebrating our first week live on the web by awarding some very special activity books courtesy of GrokQuest throughout the day! Be one of our first 3 subscribers of the day and you will receive several of these great activity books for your kids! Don’t miss out on this great opportunity to collect some of these great book titles today only!

Tags: education, entertainment, Family and Home, free stuff, fun, toddlers
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Are your toddler's tantrums getting out of control?

Have you been on a date with your child recently? If not, then this could be part of the problem. With my own toddlers, I have found that their behavior is at its worst when they feel they are not being heard or when they are not a big enough part of my world. We remedy this by having a “mommy date day” or a “daddy date day” where we orchestrate a few hours to be one on one with that child. The “dates” don’t have to be elaborate…sometime it’s just spending an hour or two playing barbies or building train sets. But it is one on one time with that child doing something they requested to do with you. It is important to let them pick the activity (of course, you may have to gently guide them to low budget ideas!). For that time, they are the center of your world and they know it!

That two hours of personal individual time spent provides a refill of a childs emotional cup that can last weeks! It can be equally rewarding for moms and dads as well. This is when you have the humbling epiphany of what a huge part of your child’s world you really are. It also allows you as the parent to reconnect with your child on their terms. They can talk with you without fear of being interrupted by their siblings or by a phone call or by any number of things that steal away our attention throughout the day. If you want to build that trust with your child and mutual respect that will last into their adulthood, it has to start with each of you making each other a priority. And there is not better time to do that than when they are still young enough to want it!

I would warn you of making the “date” a reward for bad behavior. The trick is to make these “dates” a regular part of your monthly schedule with your children. Allow them to look forward to their “dates”. For this reason, it is also important to never cancel a scheduled date day…even if you have to shorten the time, don’t cancel it outright. These dates are promises to your child. When you have to say no to your little one’s pleas to come play because of any number of responsibilities that fall upon us on a daily basis, your scheduled date days can take the sting out of the disappointment for your little one because they will know that their individual time is coming and that Mom and Dad keep their promises!

Try this out for a month and let us know how your experiment goes. If it is anything like ours has been, you will happily make these “date days” a regular part of your monthly routine for each of your kids.

Tags: Family and Home, parenting, toddlers
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