By Leah Spina
Parentingbrbabies and toddlers keeps you crazy busy each day. But how can we ENJOY ourbrchildren in the diaper chaos? Here are 10 ways you can slow down in yourbreveryday routine to enjoy your little one.
1.brMorning song. Eachbrmorning when I rip open my children’s curtains to let in the sun, I try tobralways sing a cheery song to start the day. The mother is the heart of the homebrand what better way to set the tone than a merry heart and tune. Sometimes Ibrneed it more than them after a sleepless newborn night!
2.brChanging diapers. I wasbrchanging my baby’s diaper a few months ago, like a mad woman, to get one morebrthing done. But suddenly I noticed that she was in rapt attention, studying mybrface and movements. I felt so bad. How many diaper changes had I not given herbrany eye contact or interaction? From then on, I tried to make diaper changing abrspecial moment with my baby. I make myself slow down and look at her with abrsmile. Sometimes we go over animal sounds or new words. Sometimes we just playbrsilly games. Now diaper changing is one of my favorite times, instead of justbranother task to knock out.
3.brRead a picture book out loud.I try to read at least one picture book a day to my toddler and baby. They getbraffection by snuggling in my lap or by my side on the couch, and I try to revelbrin their smell, baby skin and this fun reading moment.
4. Carbrrides. When I back out of thebrdriveway, I look back in my rear view mirror at my two little darlings,brstrapped in their car seats, and we talk about the weather! (Otherwise I’mbrthinking of all my to-do’s! Ha!) I note, “Oh, look guys, it’s raining! That’sbrmy favorite weather!” or “Look at how sunny it is! What a happy day!” Now, evenbrif I forget, my toddler will chime from the back, “Mama, look what a beautifulbrday God gave us!” Car trips can be a great time to enjoy children, instead of abrhere-to-there duty.
5. Gobroutside.Sometimes when caring for young children all day, you can feel isolated in yourbrown house. Nature offers renewal and calms even the fussiest baby. Each day,breven in the heat, my toddler and baby follow me outside to a patch of shade inbrour front yard for a few minutes. I throw down our “special” blue blanket tobrsit on. We look for bugs, watch cars drive by, pick out our favorite house onbrthe street and tell stories.
6. Carbrseat kiss. Strappingbrchildren in car seats can become routine and tiresome, so I try to make it abrspecial moment. After I snap the last snap, I kiss my child’s little cheekbrbefore moving to the next child. It helps me pause and appreciate my two littlebrangels in the middle of a long day.
7.brRelax after meals. Mybrtoddler knows the word “relax” like the back of his hand. It’s a word I try tobruse after mealtimes to cultivate a loving, welcoming home life. After we finishbra meal – and baby/toddler mealtimes can be chaotic – I smile, “Hey guys, I havebra GREAT idea! Let’s go RELAX in the living room!” We all melt like slugs intobrcushions on our leather couch. The children grab their favorite blankets.brSometimes they play with toys, sometimes they ask for a book, but most of thebrtime we just silently relax individually.
8.brWake up slow. I trybrto slow down and enjoy the morning routine, instead of rushing through it.brFirst I pull the smiling wordless 17-month-old baby out of her crib. I don’tbrdress her or fix her wild night hairs. I just kiss her and hug her. Shebrstaggers down the hallway half asleep to burst open the door to my toddler’sbrBatman room. We take our time getting him dressed then file back down thebrhallway to the nursery to choose an outfit for the live Cabbage Patch dollbrbaby. My toddler loves to put away her dirty diaper and I try to kiss theirbrlittle foreheads at least three times before breakfast.
9.brHappy mealtimes.Mealtimes – no matter how simple the menu – can be an excellent time to enjoybryour children three times a day! We always start with a prayer and then I trybrto make an effort to discuss one happy topic, whether it is a story about mybrtoddler obeying or the best part of our day. If you are in the silent babybrstage, just try to STOP and look at their dirty face and big eyes and rememberbrhow blessed you are to share meals with a tiny person!
10.brTaking out or picking up the mail. Whenbrwe have a bill to put in the mailbox, I choose a child to take it out. If it’sbrEsther (17-months) turn, I show it to her and she nods incessantly back,brthrilled to have a job. I hand her the envelope and remind myself the moment isbrmore important than the welfare of the envelope. She toddles out the front doorbrso excited she often trips at least once, crushing and dirtying the envelope. Ibrpull her up to the mailbox, and let her try an average of five times to figurebrout how to turn the letter so it fits. Her favorite part? Banging the mailboxbrdoor shut. When she helps me retrieve our daily mail, I hand her a piece ofbrjunk mail to “take to Dada!” She proudly trots back in the house and smashes itbron his desk yelling, “DAH! DAAAAAH! DA!” the entire route. Yes, it would takebrhalf the time if did the mail myself. But I would lose the magical mail momentsbrwe share each day.
Takeaway: I believe small moments in parenting young children help busy moms slow downbrand smell the roses along the way. Otherwise these little years can fly by inbrphysical caretaking and we will think where did the time go? Let’s not justbrsurvive these years, let’s ENJOY them! What ways have you found to slow downbrand to enjoy your children?
Photo via Flickr.
Leah Spinabris a former journalist of a national newsweekly turned stay-at-home mom tobrthree children, age five and under. She lives in the Dallas area with her husband,brDavid, and is a speaker to mom groups and conferences. Her new book Stop andbrSmell Your Children: Laugh and Enjoy the Little Years helps parents tobrenjoy, not just endure, the little years by changing their parentingbrperspective. Visit leahspina.com to sign-up for Leah’s free weekly parentingbrblog and video. You can also follow her on Instagram (leahthespina) andbrFacebook. When Leah is not burning macaroni and cheese, she enjoys singingbrItalian opera, riding horses and drinking inordinate amounts of Starbucksbrcoffee.