5 Must Ask Questions For Anyone Potty Training A Toddler
If you are thinking about starting to potty train your toddler, there are a few questions you should ask yourself before you begin potty training. Being well prepared for this challenging transition from diapers to potty is one of the best things you can do to make this as easy as possible on your child.
Before you start potty training, be sure that you have discussed and included your nanny in your plan. Communication is key with all parties involved, so be sure that you are all on the same page when it comes to potty training. If not, it will be frustrating for all when you are not successful.
1. Is My Child Ready?
You want to start potty training at just the right time. You will know that your child is ready when he or she gets more interested in you going to the potty, tells you right away when the diaper is wet or pulls on it and seems uncomfortable with it. Give potty training a try, if your child doesn’t seem ready despite the signs, wait a few weeks and try again.
2. Am I Ready?
Just as important as your child being ready is that you are ready. Prepare yourself mentally for the transition from diaper to potty for your child. You will need a lot of patience and understanding. There are going to be resentment, tears and the occasional accident. Make sure you are prepared for this so you can stay calm and supportive for your child.
3. Do We Need A Potty Chair?
A regular toilet is very intimidating for a child. The seat is rather large and your child will have to hold on to avoid falling in. In addition things vanish in there when you flash which can be a pretty scary thought for your child. Many kids are more comfortable with a potty chair at first. After a few weeks you should be able to move on to a potty seat insert that fits on your regular toilet eliminating the potty cleanup.
4. Should We Use A Potty Doll?
A potty doll is not a necessity when it comes to potty training, but can be a great tool. A potty doll will pee like an actual child and usually comes with diapers, panties and a potty chair. The doll can help tremendously during the pre-potty training phase when you are getting your child used to the idea of going in the potty instead of the diaper. You can illustrate whats supposed to happen on the doll and let your child warm up to the idea by playing with the doll in the same fashion. When you are ready to potty train, put the doll on the potty right next to your child.
5. Should We Use Potty Training Rewards?
Before you start potty training, you should decide if you are going to use some sort of rewards as encouragement for your child, or if you will simply make your child feel great about his successes by being his cheer leader. Simple potty training rewards can include stickers, candy like a few jellybeans or M&Ms, or you can use some sort of tracking chart for bigger rewards (i.e. If you use the potty for an entire week without accident, you get a small toy). Using simple rewards can be a great potty training tool, but it isn’t by any means necessary as long as you get the message across to your child that you are proud of him.
Take a few minutes to answer these potty training questions for yourself and go over them with your spouse and your caregiver, to ensure you are all on the same page before you start potty training your child. It will help you give your child a clear picture of what you are trying to accomplish and will cut down on any confusion for everyone.
Holiday Gifts from Nannies to Parents
During the holiday season, we see lots of gift ideas for families that wish to recognize their nanny or other employee in a special way. But we have also heard from household employees who are looking for ideas for holiday gifts from nanny to parents. In case your nannies have brought up this issue, we have this list of holiday gift ideas for those nannies who wish to show their appreciation for their families at this time of year. 
Top 10 Gift Ideas From Nannies to Parents
1. Photo book with pictures spanning the past year
2. Coffee mug with gourmet coffee or hot chocolate
3. Homemade ornaments
4. Bottle of wine
5. Free date night babysitting
6. Free overnight babysitting
7. Canvas-wrapped photo of the kids
8. Movie night basket – popcorn and DVD or movie tickets and restaurant gift card
9. Homemade cookies or other treats
10. Art projects done with the kids
TLC For Kids, Inc. has been St. Louis’ premier nanny and babysitting agency for over 30 years. TLC For Kids’ dedicated staff is ready to assist you in finding nannies, tutors, newborn care specialists, sitters and more. Reach us at tlc@tlcforkids.com or 314-725-5660
Christmas time Activities for Kids in Atlanta
Christmas time is a fun and active time of year for kids! Today we want to point out our staff’s favorite Christmastime activities for kids in Atlanta. These kid-friendly activities take place during the Month of December and some have already started! If you have a little one that doesn’t want to go out just let us know. You can request a sitter from TLC for Kids at www.tlcforkids.com.
MACY’S PINK PIG Priscilla the Pink Pig was a staple for Atlanta for almost 50 years, from the early 50’s to her close in 1999! She returned in 2004 and re-imagined as a conventional train ride pulled by a miniature locomotive. Priscilla continues to carry children of all ages through a life-sized storybook filled with friends and fun underneath the darling Pink Pig tent. This is an adorable Christmastime activity for kids!
CELEBRATION OF LIGHTS This December families will have a chance to experience Celebrations in Lights. The exciting event explores numerous cultural holidays from around the world with music, dancing and crafts projects for kids honoring Las Posadas, Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and Christmas. Don’t forget the museum has “Sockefeller Plaza”, a sock-skating rink built especially for little ones…no skates required! This Christmastime activity will be a learning experience for you and your kids.
HOLIDAY BRICKTACULAR This cool event starts the first weekend of December with the annual Big Tree Build. Kids and adults can learn how to create LEGO holiday trees of their own, join build challenges, and grab some selfies with Rudolph and his glowing nose. The winter takeover of MINILAND happens every weekend in December. Going to Legoland is a favorite Christmastime Activity for my kids!
ATLANTA FESTIVAL OF TREES This year’s festival is at the Embassy Suites in Centennial Olympic Park. Thirty local charitable organizations are putting up their festive themed Christmas Tree displays in the hotel lobby. Come by to look at all the fun trees!
All these events are fun Christmastime activities for kids, but if you want to leave the kids at home and enjoy them yourself you can! Request a sitter from TLC for Kids at www.tlcforkids.com.
Newborn Nannies Needed
TLC for Kids is having a baby boom! Our families in Saint Louis are having babies and they need nannies.
We have full time nanny jobs in Clayton, Webster Groves, Chesterfield, the Central West End, and Holly Hills. We even have families with newborn twins! If you are looking for a new rewarding job in 2019 apply with us today!
Laughter Is the Best Medicine When Parenting
Of all the different strategies and techniques for handling situations that come up as a parent, laughter is among the best. Not only does humor and laughter help to alleviate tension and stress, it has also been shown to benefit us physically. Here are a few benefits of parenting with a positive spin, as well as ways to incorporate laughter 
into your parenting routine.
Physical Benefits
Laughter helps to relieve physical stress and tension, which leaves your body feeling more relaxed after. A good laugh also gets your heart pumping and gives your heart and lungs a workout. Laughing for fifteen minutes burns almost the same amount of calories as a fifteen minute walk. This means that laughing can really help when it comes to keeping fit and keeping up with the kids.
When we laugh, our bodies release endorphins, which make us feel good and give us a sense of well-being. Laughing also reduces the levels of stress hormones in the body, which eases tension and anxiety. Reducing your stress hormone levels may also boost the performance of your immune system. This means that laughter may also help keep you and your kids healthy.
Other Benefits
When people laugh together, it strengthens their relationship. If you share laughter and humor with your kids, it helps you to bond more as a family. Laughing together encourages people to work together as a team and helps to settle conflict. Your kids will feel more connected to you if you share laughter and will be all the more motivated to do what you want them to.
Humor also helps to relieve distress during times when you are feeling overwhelmed. By making laughter a part of every day, both you and your family can maintain a more positive outlook and healthy attitude, all the way around.
Bring Laughter into Your Life
It’s easy to make laughter a part of your parenting routine, because kids love to laugh and have a good time. If your kids have a hard time getting excited about cleaning up after themselves, come up with an encouraging activity or game to play while you clean. This way, they will actually want to participate and help out, rather than doing it to avoid getting into trouble.
When something bad happens and it’s time to get tough, try to focus on the positive aspects of the situation rather than the negative. Your kids may be more inclined to stay in bed at night if you talk to them about some of the fun things that might happen in the morning, rather than how much trouble they’ll be in if they don’t fall asleep.
Not only does laughter help to keep you and your family healthy and stress free, it also encourages your kids to behave better and enjoy life more. The times your family spend laughing together are the times your kids will fondly remember as they get older and form families of their own. If you encourage them to stay positive, they’ll pass that outlook down to their own kids in the future.
Contact us today so we can help you find the best nanny / sitter / caregiver for your family.
TLC For Kids, Inc. has been St. Louis’ premier nanny and babysitting agency for over 30 years. TLC For Kids’ dedicated staff is ready to assist you in finding nannies, tutors, newborn care specialists, sitters and more. Reach us at tlc@tlcforkids.com or 314-725-5660
How to Reduce Holiday Stress
For many families, the Holiday season is the most wonderful time of the year. But, the high expectations that come along with the holidays can lead to stress, depression or disappointment. With so many things that we need to get done in order to spread holiday cheer, it can be pretty easy to get overwhelmed. Here are a few things you can do to keep yourself feeling merry and mellow this holiday season. 
Get Started Early
It’s never too early to start getting ready for next year. Always keep an eye out for festive decorations or the perfect holiday card while you’re out shopping. Not only will this give you less to worry about when Christmas is just around the corner, but buying holiday supplies off-season can also save you money. If the family holiday festivities are going to be held at your house this year, start preparing weeks or even months ahead.
Connect with Family
The stress of the holidays is much easier to manage when you’re able to use the time to reconnect with family. Find new, fun ways to get into the holiday spirit together. You might try decorating Christmas stockings together as a family, or singing carols around your community. You could even volunteer together at a local food bank or toy drive and help to spread some holiday cheer.
Bring Down Expectations
Over-hype and high expectations make preparing for holiday festivities much more stressful. If you worry yourself over having the best decorations, the most presents, or the most memorable dinner party, you could end up trying too hard (and going a little crazy). Try to keep your family more focused on family and being together than they are decorations or presents.
Cut Down on Spending
Financial issues are one of the leading causes of stress, and the holidays tend to be a very costly time. Try to save money where you can so that you have one less thing to worry about. Think of inexpensive or sentimental gifts that you can give, rather than something costly from the store. The same goes for decorating. Homemade decorations for the house or tree save money, as well as provide an activity the whole family can enjoy.
Ask for Help
It’s very difficult to get everything done on your own during the holiday season. But, you don’t have to get it all done by yourself. The ideal people to go to for help would be your family. All of the stress-inducing chores that you need to take care of can become fun family activities. Not only will this make things much easier, but your family is sure to cherish the holiday all the more if everyone helped make it happen together.
If you feel anxious when Christmas is a few weeks (or even months) away, you’re not alone. Many people consider the Christmas holidays to be the most stressful time of the year. But, as long as you avoid the over-hype and encourage your family to have realistic expectations, everybody in your family should have a peaceful and merry Christmas.
TLC For Kids, Inc. has been St. Louis’ premier nanny and babysitting agency for over 30 years. TLC For Kids’ dedicated staff is ready to assist you in finding nannies, tutors, newborn care specialists, sitters and more. Reach us at tlc@tlcforkids.com or 314-725-5660
Tips on how to enjoy Art Basel when traveling with children.
So you want to bask in all of the Miami essence that comes with visiting for Art Basel. Special exhibits, pre-parties, after-parties, concerts, fabulous restaurants, and more. But there’s just one obstacle: Traveling with young children. Sure, we love to have them tag along and hate to leave them back home with the grandparents, but the multi-day party that is Art Basel creates an environment that is not entirely compatible with the young ones.
With a little bit of advanced planning, you can be sure to enjoy the best of both worlds so that the kids have a great time and you do too!
As so many Art Basel events occur in the evening, one strategy is to take advantage of Miami’s excellent kid-friendly attractions during the early part of the day. Attractions such as the Miami Children’s Museum, Jungle Island, Crandon Park Amusement Center, or an amphibious adventure with Duck Tours on South Beach will provide much needed entertainment for the kids that parents can share and enjoy with them!
Ok, so now the kiddos are entertained and worn out and its time for the parents (who have presumably conserved some energy) to go enjoy the Art Basel action. What now? Yes, we want to expose our children to wonderful art, but the massiveness of exhibitions such as Red Dot, Aqua, Context, Art Miami, and many others is capable of testing the endurance of the hardiest adults, let alone children.
That’s where TLC Family Care can help. Perhaps you’d like to take an early evening stroll through an exhibition hall with your children and have an extra set of eyes, ears, and hands to ensure the kids don’t touch the art (with the big “do not touch” sign on it), break anything, or run around and get lost in the massive halls while you attempt to take a serious and thoughtful look at the abundant and diverse art. One of TLC’s fully vetted and loving caregivers will be glad to join you and look after the kids to allow you to focus a bit more on the artistic treasures. Alternatively (or immediately after) TLC will send a sitter to your hotel room so that you can go out and enjoy the exhibitions, fine restaurants, and nightlife. You’ll be assured that your children are having a great time at your hotel playing, reading, and doing other activities before they get safely tucked in for a good night’s rest.
It’s really the best of both worlds; you can enjoy Miami’s beaches and attractions with your children by day, and also to get in some “adult-time” at night. Art Basel and Children DO go together well when you add a little bit of TLC caregiving to the equation.
It’s easy to book a TLC Miami hotel babysitter. Simply visit TLC Family Care and fill out our short application. A TLC representative will contact you immediately to assign and confirm an experienced and fully qualified sitter who will have fun with your children and set your mind at ease.
Last-minute requests are welcome, but we advise that you book in advance to be certain of getting the coverage you want. This is one of the busiest times of year for our on-call sitters. Use the link above or call TLC at 305.256.5905. We’d be happy to tell you more about our awesome sitters and get you set up with coverage to make your visit run smoothly.
Enjoy the art!
Can You Trust Your Parenting Instincts?
As a parent, there is seemingly no end to the tips and advice you get from guides, parenting gurus or other parents. With words of wisdom so readily available, many parents look to other sources for help over their own parental instincts. Is raising your child best left to the experts or are your parenting instincts trustworthy? 
Trust Your Feelings
It’s true that no one knows your kids better than you do, as their parent. When it comes to what they like or what makes them more comfortable, you have a clearer understanding of your children than anyone. Of course, this awareness doesn’t happen right away. You didn’t understand all of your baby’s needs from the moment they were born. But, you have been with them all of their lives, learning what they like, dislike and need. If following the advice of others doesn’t feel right for you or your kids, chances are that it isn’t.
Don’t Take Things Too Far
While going with your gut could be the best thing to do in some situations, it can be easy to rely too heavily on your feelings. Even if you know your kids better than anyone else, everybody makes mistakes. If you listen to your instincts alone every time, it won’t be long before you make a decision that is not the best for you or your kids.
It’s important to take some time to consider each situation and what your instincts are telling you that you should do. Sometimes it can be difficult to see what is best for our kids, because our gut wants us to do what makes them happy.
Finding a Medium
In order to avoid investing too much in either the advice of others or our own (sometimes misguided) instincts, it’s important to become accustomed to relying a bit on both. If the advice you hear lines up with what your gut was telling you, it may mean that you were right in the first place.
Other parents don’t know every detail of your own family’s unique situation, but their tips can still bring a fresh perspective. It never hurts to learn a bit about parenting styles or strategies different than your own. But, it’s also up to you to decide which of these will work for your family and which you have a bad feeling about.
While your parenting instincts are by no means fool-proof, it’s important that you take them into consideration when you make decisions that affect you or your family. When it comes down to whether or not a particular parenting strategy will work, there are many important factors that only you could know about.
But, no one is perfect and no parent comes up with the best solution to every one of life’s conundrums. While you can’t always trust your parenting instinct, you should always listen to it and consider what your feelings tell you about a situation. After all, if you can’t trust your own parenting instinct at all, how can you trust the instincts of another parent?
Contact us today so we can help you find the best nanny /sitter / caregiver for your family.
TLC For Kids, Inc. has been St. Louis’ premier nanny and babysitting agency for over 30 years. TLC For Kids’ dedicated staff is ready to assist you in finding nannies, tutors, newborn care specialists, sitters and more. Reach us at tlc@tlcforkids.com or 314-725-5660
Babysitters for Art Basel
Art Basel is an exciting time of year in Miami. However, visiting exhibits like Art Miami, Aqua, and Red Dot can be stressful with young kids. It’s hard to enjoy all the beautiful art work when you are worried about your kids touching everything! 
Parents start to wonder what to do with their kids while they are at Art Basel or enjoying the Miami Nightlife.
TLC for Kids Miami has the answer! TLC For Kids has vetted, loving and experienced babysitters who can come to your hotel to entertain and safeguard your children so you can tour Art Basal.
It’s easy to reserve a TLC Miami hotel babysitter. Visit our website to complete the Hotel Reservation form. A TLC representative will contact you immediately to assign and confirm an experienced sitter. TLC sitters will make sure your child is having fun while you are away!
TLC For Kids, Inc. has been St. Louis’ premier nanny and babysitting agency for over 25 years. We also provide caregivers in Miami, South Florida and Atlanta. TLC For Kids’ dedicated staff is ready to assist you in finding nannies, tutors, newborn care specialists, sitters and more. Reach us at info@tlcforkids.com or 314-725-5660.
Teach Your Children the Importance of Giving
Everyone says that it’s better to give than to receive. But, it can be easy to lose sight of this during the holiday season, especially for kids. So much of the Christmas season is focused on toys and presents, kids tend to catch a case of the “gimmies.” Are you having a hard time teaching your kids about how important it is to give? If so, here are a few ways you can encourage them to be more giving, during the holidays and beyond.
Start with a Small Act
Many people have a hard time getting motivated to give because they feel like their
contribution won’t matter in the long run. Prove to your kids that every little bit counts when it comes to donating either time or resources. Look for someone in your community that your kids can help with something like yard work or other chores around the house.
Don’t forget to reward them for their good deeds and show them the ways that even a small act of kindness can be a big help to someone. That way, they’ll probably more willing (and excited) to help the next time.
Set a Good Example
Kids often want to follow in the footsteps of their parents. If you want your kids to pick up on how important it is to give, make sure that you practice a bit of giving yourself. Let them see you putting aside time to help others or donating to a charitable organization. Remember, it’s sometimes more difficult to get your kids to want to give when they’ve never seen you do so. All it takes is once, to set a good example.
Find Other Kids
It will be easier for your kids to connect with the idea of giving if they’re involved in a project with their peers. Look for opportunities like food banks or toy drives in your community. Check to see if they allow children to participate in their programs. If there aren’t any kid-friendly charitable organizations in your area, consider taking it upon yourself to organize a volunteer event. You also have the option of seeking out online charities or volunteer organizations that kids can relate to.
Make Them Feel Empowered
The greatest motivator for giving is the feeling that you can make a difference. If you want your children to feel good about giving, make them feel good about themselves. Let them know that the things they have to say are important and encourage them to incorporate their talents into giving back to others. If they feel empowered, they’ll feel like they definitely can and will make a difference.
If you practice the act of giving on a regular basis, you make a habit out of generosity and charity. This is especially true of kids, who are growing up and developing into the people they will be later in life. Talk to your children about how important it is to give today and they will almost certainly make you proud of their compassion in the future.
Contact us today so we can help you find the best nanny for your family.
TLC For Kids, Inc. has been St. Louis’ premier nanny and babysitting agency for over 30 years. TLC For Kids’ dedicated staff is ready to assist you in finding nannies, tutors, newborn care specialists, sitters and more. Reach us at tlc@tlcforkids.com or 314-725-5660