Raquel MacDonald, Author at Babymoon Inn Birth Center
Just Add Water! Summer Activities for Kids
Nope, it’s not an ad for an as-seen-on-TV product. We actually apply these words to raising our kids in Arizona – especially in the summer! Water activities + children = winning formula.
The “Just Add Water” formula breaks up tension and gives kids a fun change-up in their day. Whether it’s arguments, exhaustion, boredom, whining, or just big feelings, this trick seems to work – for both our kids and us!
Obviously, having access to a pool is helpful. Yet despite being an Arizona native, I’ve never lived in a house with a pool! But the Just Add Water trick can still be done!
So if you’re like my family, in the desert with no pool, here are 5 simple and inexpensive ways we add water to our day.
Painting in the shower or bath
When our oldest was in his toddler years, we let him paint our tub in just a diaper or nothing at all. After he was done, we wiped everything down and filled the tub for bath time. Now that he’s older, we put paint on the walls of the shower and let him paint while he showers. The best part is, it all washes away! Both bath paint or finger paint will do the trick!
Popsicles in the bath
Indoors and easy, simply put your kids in the bath and give them Popsicles or homemade ice pops. Pro tip: Steer clear of anything that could clog the drain (i.e. no fruit-filled pops). Its exciting for the kids and an easy clean up!
A simple water activity for kids is to “paint” the wooden fence, brick wall, or driveway with water. Get a bucket of water or fill a kiddie pool with water. Grab some paint brushes and let your kids paint with water! No mess, and your kids still get to let their creativity flow. They can then color the wet surface with chalk, and you can dump the water on the fence to wash away when you’re all done!
Have your kids give their toys a bath! Fill one bucket with with soapy water and another bucket with their toys. Give your kids a wash cloth and let them scrub away. Not only does this incorporate water into your day, but it also give your kids a chance to partake in imaginative play. They could be a parent giving their baby a bath like they see you do, or a farmer washing their farm animals. Our kids love marine life and this is always a hit with their collection of plastic sharks.
We try to incorporate our kids into our outdoor chores. In the winter, this is often garage projects. In the summer, we attempt to keep pumpkin seedlings alive for fall harvest. This means watering the plants, spraying off the porch, and stomping in the cool mud!
I hope you enjoy these easy and simple ideas to break up the day and help you all make some summer memories at home. Enjoy!
Bringing Home the Newest Baby
by Raquel MacDonald | May 12, 2020 | Postpartum
Bringing Home the Second Baby
Tips from a Mother of Three
When I prepared to bring home my second child, I had a laundry list of concerns. I chalked most of these up to pregnancy hormones, but there were two questions I didn’t have answers for until the time came:
How will our only child adjust to being a big brother?
How will I do with two, and later three, young kids?
Our days, our camera roll, our everything revolved around our first born. We knew that once we brought home “Baby MacDos,” it would be up to our oldest to let us know how those early days would go.
Coming from large families on either side, we knew that they would have fun together and grow up with a lifetime friend. But we also feared our eldest’s reaction because of one too many stories from individuals who told us their not-so-positive Bringing Home Baby stories.
Now as a mother of three and a birth doula, I’ve collected some no-pressure tips that I applied to my family and have advised over the years to ease the transition to becoming parents of more than one child.
Read books about becoming an older sibling.
Keep the books together and make a basket mixed with your child’s favorites. Read throughout pregnancy and in the early postpartum days when you are sitting and resting frequently. This is a perfect time to enrich their growing brain and get that cuddle time from Mom or Dad. (You can find some of our favorite books in our Amazon shop)
Don’t build up expectations of your kids’ reactions when they meet their newest sibling. Our gentle and sweet first born was sleep deprived and bewildered by the hospital environment he walked into when he met his new brother. Looking back, We realize just how bizarre and jostling that all can be. Your eldest could embrace their new sibling the moment they meet them, or it may be a process. Both are normal.
Allow and talk about all the emotions.
Just like us as adults, your child has to say goodbye to the old way of life. And just like us, they have their own way of dealing with it. You could be experiencing new outbursts and emotions you have never seen come from you child. Allow those emotions. What better gift to have than to know that your child feels safe enough with you to allow you to know how they feel. Talk about the normalcy of feeling sad, angry, frustrated, overwhelmed, etc. When we discuss those emotions we allow our kids to feel them and then make room to have positive emotions and experiences with their newest sibling.
Speak your child’s love language.
My first born loves quality time. This speaks to him more than words or physical affection or gifts “from the baby.” When his sibling was born, we didn’t need to take elaborate trips out of the house. Quality time for us meant trips to the backyard while baby napped, and 15 minutes of pushing him on a swing and chatting. Our second born feels most at peace with physical touch, which made those story time cuddles that much more important.
Include them in the care of their newest sibling.
Maybe they can grab a “cuddle toy” for baby or turn on the sound machine. You know your babies best. Whatever would speak to their heart, ask them to join you in on that! When Baby MacDos became a big brother last year, he wanted to sing to the new baby. His choice of song? The Pirates of the Caribbean theme song. Maybe it wasn’t the song I would have chosen for that picture perfect moment, but it came from his heart and we let him express his love in his way.
Take a sibling class.
Many hospitals and birth centers offer sibling classes to help prepare for the new baby and to help spark conversation about the upcoming changes to the family dynamic. Sibling classes also offer an opportunity for the oldest child to spend quality one-on-one or one-on-two time with their parent.
You just became a parent to a whole new person. Don’t let the fast paced culture we live in bend you into guilt-ridden sobs and negative thoughts over what you aren’t doing.
If getting your toddler in the car has taught you anything, it is that we can’t rush the process.
Embrace the whimsy of your child. Hold onto the weird blend of days as a new chapter in a grand adventure. One day, really soon, you’ll cherish that photo of your older child in his mismatched outfit and pout in the newborn photos. You’ll have a story to tell and it might even be your favorite photo among the files of perfectly posed pictures.