Category | Blog

Common Sense

 

I don’t know about you, but I am always struggling in my attempts to decide what is age appropriate for my kids.  Always searching for a barometer to help me make decisions.  Do I say “yes” or “no”?  My “go to” website has become Common Sense Media.  Whether it is a tv show that my 8 yr old wants to watch or a movie for a teenager, Common Sense Media gives a recommended age and criteria for its decision.  They even give ratings for books!  It is immensely helpful in maneuvering the world of entertainment and books for my kids.  There is also space for comments from other parents with their feedback about the particular show or movie.  I always check Common Sense Media before any slumber party to make sure that my decision for a movie is appropriate and also so I can see if there are any plot lines that I will need to watch for and explain.  In this world of so much information, it is comforting that there is a website specific to the needs of parents who want to make sure that are kids aren’t exposed to things that they shouldn’t be.  Check it out and breathe easier!

 

 

 

Inspiring

We had such an amazing response to our “What Can You Do With One Hand Contest!”  We may have to make it an annual event as we loved seeing all of the creative submissions.  Some of our favorite entries were of kids who could do amazing things with one-hand because they have to, as they only have one working hand.  Check out Emma- she came in a close 2nd in the voting part of the contest.  Her video is pretty great!  So impressed!

There were a few other inspirational kids that we will post as well.  One even submitted his skill of putting on his Myself Belt independently- pretty incredible.  The pride he felt when he was finished could be felt by all of us who watched him.  Thanks to all who participated in our contest!

Traveling With Kids

With spring break quickly approaching, traveling is on a lot of people’s minds!  I was recently reflecting on the different ways that I have “survived” airplanes and car rides with my kids over the years and thought I would share some tricks!  The challenges of traveling with a toddler are many and 2 things that have helped me over the years are stickers and lollipops.  For airplane travel, small lollipops take awhile to eat and also help with the “ear challenges” of flying.

Stickers and blank sticker books or pre-made sticker books with pages to put stickers take a lot of time to work through.  I often bring new books that the kids haven’t seen before so they are extra appealing.  The challenging task of small hands picking up stickers can often be slow going, which is terrific for a lengthy flight!  As my kids have gotten older, through preschool and the early years of elementary school, stickers still are appealing.  My 7 yr old still loves playing with sticker books and makes up imaginary games while she works on them.

Of course tons of snacks, and maybe some small dolls, cars, or  other small “friends” that they can play with on the tray on the plane or on their lap in a car.  Lapdesks for long car trips are a great way for your child to have space to play, eat, and color.  I also always try to have some wet wipes with me to clean up spills, messy hands, and to try to sanitize the tray on an airplane.  Having a quick change of clothes is also important for spills or for those unexpected potty training accidents.

Traveling with infants, toddlers, and small children can be exhausting.  I remember staring longingly at the people on a plane relaxing and reading their magazines.  But, with some advanced preparation and a bag full of new things to play with the trip can be easier, maybe not relaxing, but definitely easier!

New Contest!!

We have a fun, new contest that we are so excited about!!  The theme is What can you do with One Hand?  As you know, fastening a Myself Belt is easy as it only requires one hand.  The idea for the contest is to think of all kinds of things that toddlers, preschoolers, and all kids can do with only one hand!   Eating, flying a kite, holding hands with a friend, using their Myself Belt- are all great ideas.

We are so excited to see all of the photo and video submissions that people send in(submit through the end of February)!   There will be 2 winners.  A random winner and a creative winner based on votes during a voting period.  We have lots of prizes including Myself Belts, and Kandoo and Boogie Wipes basket of goodies worth $100, and a cash prize of $200!  Enter the contest today!

 

Toddler Products we love!

It seems like there is 1 major topic that is constant during parenting. Sleep!!  This issue literally keep us up at night, is the topic of many conversations with friends, and is an issue where we wish we had answers and solutions.  Parenting is all about the sleep.  Good parenting is best done when parent and child are both rested!  There’s nothing worse than seeing the clock before 6:00am or being up in the night.  When my son was a toddler, I discovered a trick to cover the last 2 numbers on a digital clock to try to get my toddler to stay in his bed until 6:00 am.  This worked because I had a pretty obedient child.

 

Now, there is a great invention that does the same thing in a much more creative and fun way.  It’s called the Good Nite Lite and you can set it to turn from a moon to a sun at a certain time.  This way, your child knows when to close their eyes and when they can get up for a new day!  Pretty smart toddler trick.  At Myself Belts, our focus is on helping toddlers to be more independent with our toddler belts and that is what this product does as well.  Sleep, rested kids, and rested parents, whatever challenge the day brings sleep preps us to handle it well (and maybe a little coffee too!).

New Arrival!

One of our new belts has appeared for spring!  It is an old favorite, our navy/green colorblock belt has returned.  It has been gone for a couple of years, but was missed so it is back!  We are also excited for 2 other new styles to arrive in about 2 weeks so stay tuned!  We have 2 new fun and fashionable styles that you will love.  We can’t wait for you to see them!  Spring is in the air….well, almost!

Holiday Giving

This is an exciting time of year for many reasons at Myself Belts. We love the hustle and bustle of sending off holiday gifts and writing gift notes. We also love giving ourselves. This is the time of year where we donate belts to those in need through the Head Start program. Head Start prepares its students for school and helps lay the groundwork for school success. It is the perfect location for us to donate Myself Belts and help promote independence for its students.

Donating days are a highlight for us as we make it a field trip! We like to size the belts on kids personally to make sure the belts fit correctly and to make sure that the children get a style that they like. It is so fun to see the kids faces as they walk away wearing their new belt, standing a little taller.

Join Myself Belts in helping kids to feel good about themselves and become independent. For every book you purchase on www.myselfbelts.com, Myself Belts will donate one belt to a Head Start child!

Pinterest

Myself Belts has entered the world of Pinterest!  We love having a place to share boards about our favorites in fashion, products, room decor, and more.  Some of our quotes in our Inspiration Board our amazing and reading them is a great way to start your day off on a positive note.  We also have a board with some of our favorite books including Princess and The Potty by Wendy Cheyette Lewison, a must-read if you have potty training struggles.  Please share in our excitement and follow Myself Belts on Pinterest!

Potty Training

Myself Belts was born when my skinny potty training toddler’s pants wouldn’t stay up without the bulk of his diaper. I had no idea that the diaper was serving an additional role of holding up his pants! Without the diaper, his pants no longer fit. This small problem led to the invention of Myself Belts and our easy one-handed belt closure.  Myself Belts have fun, whimsical designs that kids want to wear, which makes keeping their pants up fun.  Myself Belts have become a potty training aid that promotes independence, solves a common problem of droopy drawers and makes life easier for all- parents, teachers, etc!  This fall we added a smaller size, XXS,currently only available in the ABC belt for younger kids who are potty training or just need a belt.  We are really excited about this new infant/toddler size and it will be available in additional styles soon!  

Summer refresher

As the summer comes to a close, I have been thinking about what summer means for my family.  What it gives us and how it refreshes us.

Literally our kids grow in the summer.  Is this psychological?  Do they grow all year and we don’t notice?  Or, does the downtime, sleep, aimless play, and quieted mind make them grow?  It is amazing how they change inside and out…being carefree, I guess makes us all sprout a little!

As a mom, summer for me is about slowing down, re-centering and refocusing.  Summer kind of becomes a time of resolutions, more so even than the new year.  How do we want to engage our kids in the summer? What do we want the new school year to bring?  It’s a time to change gears, spend less time in the car being a taxi for my kids, let myself indulge in a book or 2, and engage with my kids differently.

Yes, the house can be crazy with noise, mess, and chaos, and sometimes I crave the structure that the school year brings.  But watching my kids read for pleasure, choreograph dance routines, engage in imaginative play, have lazy mornings, and overall witnessing the independence that my kids gain over the summer makes the time so special.

So as we all say goodbye to another summer, hopefully we can hold onto the refreshed feeling throughout the year to come.