This is a sponsored review. However all my opinions are my own. Please read my FTC for more information.

5 Essential Items for Your Baby Registry!

As a mother of multiple, I know it’s tempting to just buy everything that seems helpful, but only a few items are really ‘must haves’ for the new baby. I’ve narrowed it down for you!

Baby Registry Must-Have #1: Diaper Bag

When looking for a diaper bag two things run through my mind: How functional is it? How fashionable is it?

EliteBaby makes an amazing diaper bag that is not only cute but super functional for any mom. It’s also so adorable! Something that stood out to me is the quality of the zippers. It is so frustrating dealing with broken zippers on other cheap bags. The zipper itself is metal with a leather loop riveted to it; I love it! 

Every time I unzip the big pocket to grab a diaper, it feels sturdy like it is going to last a long time.

Another thing is that it is not a fish mouth diaper bag. This was a big deal for me because my first bag had that feature and it ended up being such a nuisance because anytime I needed something I had to unzip it all of the way to open it.

This may seem like a trivial complaint but when your teething son needs his rattler and you only have one free hand it becomes very inconvenient. All that to say, I love that EliteBaby chose not to implement the fish-mouth opening. I have also enjoyed the cellphone pocket. However, I don’t keep my cell phone in there but my wallet! It is super handy for shopping and easy access! Make sure to put this item on your baby registry!

Baby Registry Must-Have #2: Crochet  Rattler | Baby Teether

Aside from being adorable, this teether/rattler was a godsend! Babies can start teething right away and it can feel overwhelming when your baby is inconsolable because their teeth hurt.

This little crochet rattler/baby teether has been perfect for soothing sore gums on my babe by having different textures. My little guy is currently teething like crazy, I don’t know what he loves more, the wooden handle in his mouth or sucking on the organic cotton ears! 

Baby Registry Must-Have #3: Pacifier Holder | Soothie Pacifier Holder

Keeping a pacifier or a soothie clean is tough work and it is hard not to lose the little things. In my house the pacifier seems to vanish DAILY! They are always falling on the ground, and slipping out of my baby’s hands even when I have a rock solid clip.

These ‘must have’ pacifier holders have helped me and my husband keep track of the pacifier and keep it clean, not to mention safe from my little toddler who likes to collect all the trinkets she finds in the house.

Must Have #4: Magnetic Child Safety Cabinet Locks | Baby Proofing Cabinet Latches

Once you become a mom, all you can think about is how to keep your baby safe! Just put your mind at rest and get some baby proofing done! Seriously, these are a MUST-HAVE item for your baby registry! If you want to prevent your baby from “reorganizing” your cabinets, put these on your list! My favorite place to put the cabinet locks are under my sinks where I keep cleaning supplies, an obvious danger to your lil’ crawler.

The hook, size, and color have also been a life saver for me on the go. The bright color helps it to stand out among the toys and books I keep in the car so it is always to find. I keep one in my car and one in my diaper bag, I’ve also been able to keep at least two pacifiers in one holder which is awesome! 

Baby Registry Must Have #5: Adjustable Child Safety Locks | Child Proof Locks For Drawers

These go right along with what I said about #4 but these can be placed anywhere, not just cabinets. These safety locks can be applied to anything!

As soon as your child starts exploring you will be AMAZED at the things they can get into, for example, the TOILET! Yea.. I know.. Gross!!! That is why these locks are one of my ‘must have’ items. Let’s keep those little fingers out of places they might be eager to explore!

Even if it isn’t necessarily a place a baby wouldn’t explore, think of places where small fingers can get pinched like drawers and cat doors. Our son can’t help but put his fingers in the cat door to spy outside, and those tiny fingers have gotten stuck too many times. Keep those hands safe with these adjustable child safety locks. 

Make sure you visit Elite Baby for these must-have items for your baby registry! Trust me, they’ll make life easier for both you and your lovely new baby! Leave a comment below on your 5 Must Have Items to help all those new moms build their baby registries with more ideas!

The post 5 Must-Have Items for Your Baby Registry! first appeared on True Aim.

Guns are everywhere. You could lock your guns up, but the kids could find the keys. Or you might carelessly leave one sitting out. It would be a stupid mistake, but since when are we immune to stupid mistakes? Your kids may find guns at a friends house. Their friend might bring one to school. The avenues are endless.

So the best strategy is to lock your guns up, but assume that at some point your kids are going to find a loaded gun somewhere, someday. Accept that, and you will begin the transition from “reactive” gun safety to “proactive” gun safety.

Just as the best way to keep your kids from drowning, isn’t to keep them from water, but to teach them to swim, the best way to keep kids from gun harm is to teach them how to handle a real gun. So, here are 8 things every parent needs to know about guns to keep their kids safe.

Gun Safety for Kids

1. A Healthy Fear: You cannot teach your children gun-safety until you have given them a healthy dose of gun-fear. We don’t want kids terrified of guns, but we do want them to respect guns.

Kids are so used to being “over-protected”  that they might not take your “guns are dangerous” warnings too seriously.

Kids need to know the truth about guns. Yes, we use guns for target practice, but that is not what guns are really for; guns are really very efficient killing machines. They were designed for hunting (killing animals for food) and protection (killing animals and people who want to kill us).

You can tell your kids that, but I highly recommend showing them. When I was very young I used to hunt ground squirrels. One minute I’d be watching a cute little furry animal scurrying about, then I’d pull a trigger and he would have a huge, bloody hole in him. He was dead; it was final. There was no way to undo killing.

From that experience, you can be sure no one had to warn me to take gun safety seriously. So, the first gun safety lesson should be a demonstration. Take them hunting. This may seem like a traumatic initiation, but let them see what a gun can do to an animal, and they will be twice as careful when it comes to guns and people.

2. Are Toy Guns the Real Killers? The other day a five-year-old picked up a loaded pistol, pointed it at his grandmother and pulled the trigger. It all happened in seconds because he acted on habit and instinct. This ties into the last point, kids who don’t have a healthy fear/respect for guns are a danger to themselves and others.

And few things give kids a false sense of security than toy guns. The sole purpose of a toy gun is to have fun shooting your friends and family with it. If kids don’t understand the difference between a toy and a real gun, then it makes perfect sense for them to pick up a real gun, point it at grandma, and pull the trigger.

Helping kids recognise the difference is equally important. More and more toy guns are nearly perfect replicas of real runs. Instead of trying to teach young kids to distiguish between the two, they should just assume that it is a real gun, capable of killing, until they know for certain that it isn’t.

3. “One Rule” Gun Safety: There are many gun safety rules to teach your children, but most can be summed up in this one: A gun is always loaded, so treat it properly. This is my version of “Always treat a gun as though it were loaded.”

Kids need to know that every gun is loaded. Even if they check and find the gun empty, it is still loaded. Even if their buddy says it is empty, the gun is loaded. Even if an adult tells them that a gun is unloaded, it is still loaded. The gun is always loaded – period.

After nearly every accidental death, the shooters says, “I didn’t think the gun was loaded.” So as far as our kids are concerned, there is no such thing as an unloaded gun.

4. The Invisible Killer: Have you ever seen an action movie where the hero jumped behind a mattress just in time to stop a hail of bullets? That doesn’t really work, and kids need to know that just because that can’t see something doesn’t mean they can’t shoot it.

Couches, coffee tables, sheetrock walls, bushes, etc. aren’t likely to stop bullets. That is why it is so important to know what you are shooting, and also to know what is behind what you are shooting.

While you are explaining that to your kids, you might as well add that bullets can travel very far, like a mile or two far depending on what they are shooting. So, it is also possible to shoot things that are out of site.

5. The Good News is that Guns are Predictably Dangerous. There are a lot of things that are unpredictably dangerous, like dogs, weather, rivers, people, etc. But guns are predictable dangers.

They will never turn on you, unless you carelessly do the turning yourself. So, if you teach your kids gun safety and they follow the rules, they can just about eliminate the danger completely.

6. The Sky Isn’t Falling. Everyday the news blasts reports of gun related deaths, but don’t worry, the sky isn’t falling.

The reason that we hear so much  about gun deaths is because most news outlets have decided to join the gun-control campaign. And so, we never hear stories about gun owners successfully defending their property or person. They are only allowed to tell reports on guns when things go bad, accidents happen, or gun crimes are committed.

They could do the same thing to, let’s say, kids dying from bee stings, drowning, choking, or falling down, whatever they choose. And by reporting over and over the same terrifying stories society becomes paranoid about those things.

The percentage of children that die every year from gun accidents is very close to zero. In fact, it is much less than the number of children who drown in bathtubs, or in cars, or, well, you name it. But you won’t hear politicians calling to ban bathtubs will you?

7. If We Can Save One Child, it ISN’T Worth it. A while back, the Obama administration suggested that if gun-control laws could save just one child, they would be worth it. This is a silly argument, one that could be used to ban just about anything; legos, bikes, cars, medicine, etc.

And you might flip the argument around. If guns can protect just one child (or person) they are worth it.

8. Your Kids Need Guns, Especially Your Girls. Guns are the single greatest force equalizer in the history of the world. Take a third degree karate black belt and put him up against a 70-year-old lady with a gun, and guess who wins?

Yes, the criminals may use them too, but they will no matter what the laws are. But by arming yourself, you just leveled the playing field.

Guns are especially important for young women to have. In the past, being more vulnerable than men, women traveled (especially after dark) with a male escort for protection. Today, they can carry a gun and feel confident that they can match any criminals force with equal or more force.

This list is not exhaustive, just a good start. What are some of your thoughts about gun safety and children? What would you add to the list?

The post Guns and Kids: 8 Things Parents Need to Know first appeared on True Aim.

So when can your child wear a regular seat belt without a booster seat? Here are some tips to keep in mind. Please know that it varies from child to child and the safest route is to go by weight and height. To learn more, go to www.safercar.gov.

When is My Child Ready for an Adult Seat Belt?

• Be tall enough to sit without slouching;
• Be able to keep his or her back against the vehicle seat;
• Be able to keep his or her knees naturally bent over the edge of the vehicle seat; and
• Be able to keep his or her feet flat on the floor.

• The lap belt must lie snugly across the upper thighs, not the stomach.
• The shoulder belt should lie snug across the shoulder and chest, and not cross the neck or face.
• Never let a child put the shoulder belt under an arm or behind the back, because it could cause severe injuries in a crash.
• Keep your child in the back seat because it is safer there.

Always check your child’s belt fit in every vehicle. A booster seat may be needed in some vehicles and not in others. If the seat belt does not fit properly yet, the child should continue to use a booster seat.

$100 Amazon Gift Card Giveaway!

Help spread the news, share this post and enter to win $100 Amazon Gift Card!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

The post Giveaway! When is Your Child Ready for an Adult Car Seat? first appeared on True Aim.

The following are practical food tips that can help your children perform their best in competition.

Obviously, I’m not a doctor and every kid is different, so please consult a doctor about what is best for your individual kids. And remember that the following are tips, not laws. But when it comes to food and competition, the following tips made all the difference to me.

1: Is Breakfast really for Champions?

Conventional wisdom tells us that kids need to eat a good breakfast the morning of competition. But is it really that simple?

My junior year in high school, I competed in a Chess Championship. My mind was sharp and fast, and completely focused. I breezed through my first three games. The next thing I knew, I was in the Championship match. But before the final game commenced, the tournament broke for lunch.

Wanting to be my best, I ate a huge lunch. After all, I needed the energy. However, the opposite happened.

When I faced off with my opponent, my mind was running in slow motion. It was cluttered and I couldn’t focus. A few moves into the game, I lost my rook and in a Championship match, that is usually gameover.

It was many years before I understood what happened. When you eat a large meal, the energy rushes from your brain to your stomach as the body focuses on digestion. That is why we get so sleepy after a big meal. It takes several hours before we benefit from an energy boost.

2: Don’t eat “meals,” eat snacks.

Kids should never eat a full meal just before competition. If your kid is involved in a day-long tournament, feed him snacks. Maybe a small, healthy snack, once or twice an hour and try to avoid heavy foods. Smoothies, fruit, salads, etc. are best.

3: Not all healthy food, is competition food.

Beans, broccoli, and cabbage, just to name a few, are terrible game-day foods for athletes. These foods cause lots gas.

If your kid is nerious, odds are, his stomach if producing more acid than normal. Adding these foods to his diet will likely cause more gas than normal, and could even lead to trapped-gas. If you’ve ever suffered from severe trapped-gas, you know it is a game stopper.

4: No new food.

My senior year in high school, I was invited to the “World Leader Summit” in Washington D.C. I spent a week playing United Nations with juniors and seniors from around the world.

I made friends with a large group kids from Honduras. If I remember right, there was one or two boys, and seventeen beautiful girls. I had a great time learning their culture.

They taught me to salsa dance, and speak some Spanish, and they also introduced me to a new “drink”. It was something that I had never tasted before, but it was all they seemed drink.

So, I copied their order, “I want an Extra Tall Latte with three shots of espresso.” And like them, I ordered this drink every hour, or so.

That night I called home to tell my father how sick I was. I couldn’t explain it. I didn’t have a fever or cough, but I couldn’t eat anything and was forced to keep a close proximity to restrooms.

What horrible luck. I should have been having the time of my life with my new friends, but I was sicker than sick.

Years later, when I discovered coffee is a natural laxative, it all made sense. Since I had no tolerance to coffee, its powerful effects just about ruined me!

This can happen with all kinds of unfamiliar foods. If your kids are used to eating corn dogs and cheese sticks, game-day is not the time to introduce a salad. Or if your children only eat fruit and salad, game-day isn’t the day to try fast-food.

Changing your kids’ diet so drastically might shock their stomachs. And nothing kills energy, like an upset stomach.

If you want your kids to eat better on game-day, change their diet progressively, a week or two in advance.

5: Don’t Over-hydrate Your Athlete.

My coaches were always telling me to, “hydrate, hydrate, hydrate.”However, it’s more complicated than that. Dehydration can be deadly, so by all means hydrate your kids – just do it wisely.

The worst mistake kids make is coming to the big game dehydrated. Have them drink lots of fluids the day and morning before competition.

Too much water can flush vitamins and minerals, so be sure to include juice. Also fruits and vegetables are a good source of hydration.

Just before the game, cut off chugging! Your kids should drink as much water as they want, but make them spread it out.

When they come rushing off the field, they will want to guzzle all the water that they can. This doesn’t necessarily help, because the body still has to process the water.

In the meantime, that guzzled water sloshes around in the stomach and can make them nauseous and sleepy. And ten minutes later, when halftime is over and the game begins again, they are going to have a full bladder and need to pee.

The better way is to have them drink a few sips, constantly. It is the same concept of substituting many snacks for large meals. The idea is to give them the same amount of water, but spread evenly out.

Be aware of cotton-mouth. When kids are nervous, their mouths can go dry. No matter how much water they drink, they will feel thirsty even if their belly is full of water. During my wrestling days, I fell for this all the time, and guzzled water until I was sick.

All that said, make sure that your kids drink lots of water because dehydration really is very dangerous.

Finally, I hate to even mention it because it is very rare and the danger of dehydration is much greater, but there is a danger of over-hydrating. When I went through basic training, there was a guy in another class who died from drinking too much water.

This is very rare and it takes a ton of water, but it does happen. So, if you see your young athlete walking around the house chugging gallon after gallon, that isn’t necessary, and could even be dangerous.

I hope these tips help. If you have questions, or suggestions of your own, please leave a comment.

The post 5 Food Tips to Improve Your Kid’s Performance first appeared on True Aim.

I was really scared! So scared, I told my mom that I wanted to sleep with the light on. She let me, but not before she made the futile attempt to comfort me by informing me that the movie wasn’t real.

Yeah, I knew that. The cartoon characters gave it away. Yet, there I was, all sick and sweaty nonetheless.

Most people don’t understand how television works.

That is why they innocently assure their kids that it is only “make-believe.” I have never seen that reassurance work.

I have never seen a kid say, “Oh wow, thanks for letting me know mom! I thought Freddy Krueger was real! Now that you’ve explained it, I feel much better. Please turn out the light; I am very sleepy, now.”

Everyone knows that television is pretend. However, that doesn’t mean that television doesn’t have real effects.

Capturing Our Senses

So, how can movies that we know are make-believe provoke real fear?

Well, the conscious mind understands that the scenes are pretend, but the subconscious mind doesn’t.

The subconscious has seen something terrible, and is acting accordingly. A child will make the same logical appeal to himself, “it wasn’t real,” but the subconscious is impossible to convince. The subconscious mind wasn’t wired for make-believe; it sees danger and reacts accordingly.

That is the danger of television.

It has the power to make us think and feel things that are not in line with reality. In the subconscious world, perception is reality.

If you think this is true only of children, think again. The adult brain works the exact same way. Why do you think pornography sells? Jason pops in a porno called “Sally Pole Dancing” and is sexually aroused.

It makes no sense. Sally isn’t in the room. There is nothing in front of him except a screen with colors and back lighting.

Sally Pole Dancing was filmed 30 years ago. The real Sally now lives in a retirement home, but the conscious mind can’t talk reason into the subconscious mind. The subconscious sees a sexy woman and acts accordingly.

This is the power of television.

It has the ability to hijack viewer’s senses, thoughts, and emotions. Viewers imagine they are passively viewing a show, while producers know the show is actively engaging their senses – whether the audience thinks so, or not.

Click to see the full graphic of how brands use your subconscious mind.

Perception is Reality

There are approximately 74,200,000 children in the United States. Of those, roughly 115 of them are abducted by a stranger who intended to harm them (yes, kidnapping is higher, but we are talking about ones that end in murder). That means your child has 1 chance in 645,217 of being kidnapped.

Yet, parents live in a constant state of fear. Obviously, our fear is not substantiated by reality.

The paranoia is driven by television. Everyday parents see and hear the horrors of the few cases that do happen on the news. Every detail is told, over and over, by every news outlet. Because they are drawing from national, and sometimes world news, we hear some sick story every day, and it begins to feel like every other child is at risk.

If that wasn’t bad enough, in the evening we sit down and entertain ourselves with depraved shows, like CSI. Every episode is a rendition of some sick twisted serial killer, rapist, murder, or pedophile.

Of course, CSI is fiction, but again, that doesn’t matter to the subconscious mind. The subconscious is being flooded with vile and terrifying images, day after day, and it responds accordingly, putting us in a constant state of paranoia.

TV’s Impact on Our Kids

The same images have an even greater impact on our children. This doesn’t just apply to violence. The subconscious mind that takes in thousands of scenes of “dumb fathers” will feel that fathers are dumb. The subconscious that see thousands of slutty women, will feel that women are slutty.

Even if the conscious mind is taught otherwise, it will be in conflict with the feelings of the subconscious. In other words, you can consciously read the statistics to know that your children are safe, but you won’t be able to shut off the “feeling” that they aren’t.

Again, where the conscious mind might distinguish between reality and television, the subconscious can’t. The subconscious gathers information about the world and that influences behaviors based on that perceived reality.

From the subconscious, reflexive behaviors are formed. That is why a person is able to hear a gunshot and reflexively duck down. The conscious didn’t give any directions, because the subconscious is able to act on its own.

However, a serious problem arises when the subconscious develops reflexive behavior based on the information and situations it observes from television, and not the real world.

Propaganda in TV

The ability to capture and influence the subconscious mind makes television a most power tool of persuasion and propaganda. Given enough time, television can convince its audiences of almost anything. How does it work? It is really very simple.

The key is to create a theme, and then blast that theme everywhere.

Here is an example to illustrate my point:

Recently, Obama opened the doors for women to join the infantry and special forces. Fifty years ago, Americans would have the thought the idea wicked and stupid. In the past, Americans couldn’t believe that women could handle the physical demands of combat, and the idea of having women shot, or captured and tortured was out of the question.

That is where movies like G.I. Jane came in. Through G.I Jane, the subconscious mind witnessed a female endure rigorous Navy Seal training, POW training, combat and heroism.

More importantly, America got to see the skeptics’ minds changed. Men (actors) who were vehemently against women in combat, grew to respect and even embrace women in combat. And to the average viewer, they had to think, “If women can make believers out of Navy Seals, who am I to say women shouldn’t be in combat.”

Why TV Can be Bad for Our Kids

It didn’t matter that none of it was true. The subconscious doesn’t know the difference. The subconscious had witnessed a woman go through the process, and that observation forced the subconscious mind to reevaluate its perception of reality. For the subconscious, seeing is believing.

This warrior-woman image was continually depicted in movies and tv shows, until the majority of Americans believed woman really did belong in combat. Never mind that they had never seen the real thing.

Whether you agree with women in combat or not, isn’t the point. The point is that television producers have the power to make us like and hate, agree and disagree, all based on the artificial realities that they depict.

Children are much more susceptible to the influences and suggestions of television, because they have so few real-world experiences to combat the artificial reality created in Hollywood.

What’s more, the impact and impressions last much longer. From children’s television perceptions, behavior patterns are formed, so that even when they experience reality and it contradicts the television’s depiction, they will continue the behavior according to their habits, regardless of their new revelations.

What are your TV viewing habits? Were you aware of these things before reading this post?

The post What Does TV Really do to Kids? first appeared on True Aim.

We’ve had good trips, as well as those trips that leave you wanting to crawl into a hole nearby and avoid eye contact with any other adult human being. My children are normally obedient and respectful, but kids are sometimes unpredictable.

With that being said, I have come up with a lot of ways to make life easier, cleaner, and quieter while flying with young children. I hope you find that they are not your typical suggestions. I guarantee that you will be more relaxed and pull fewer hairs out of your head using these tips!

Remember to let go of the stress and have fun, and keep in mind that this trip will only last one day. It is important to be considerate of others, but you should not let your concern with what other people think of you as a parent make you or your children miserable. You should do everything you can to keep the kiddos quiet and civilized and leave your stress and concerns in God’s capable hands.

Flying with Young Kids

1. Have your kids carry their own bags. I know my kids love having little responsibilities and being able to carry/roll a bag just like Mommy and Daddy, so put some toys or snacks in a small bag for them to be responsible for.

2. When in the airport (before your first flight, but especially on a layover), let the kids run around! Don’t let them be obnoxious, of course, but let them burn up all that energy. They will be sitting still for a long time! Play tag in an empty area, go back and forth on those moving walkways, etc.

3. Have the kids use the restroom right before boarding whether or not they say they need to go. They may not feel like they need to right at that second, but 0.17 seconds after boarding or after the captain turns on the seat belt sign, they are sure to feel the urge.

4. If you are traveling with a spouse, it may be beneficial to have one parent board with as many carry-on bags as possible while the other parent walks around with the kids and boards with them last minute. No sense adding 20-30 minutes to the flight time while waiting for passengers to board and get seated.

5. Ask for some water as soon as you board the plane to mix with powdered formula, fill up the kids’ sippy cups, etc. You cannot take water through security, and the bottled water in an airport costs about the same as bottled water at an amusement park. Airport water fountains freak the germophobe in me out, so this is a good way to get water for free before the flight attendants offer drinks during the flight.

6. Give the window seats to the little ones. There will be so much to look at, especially during ascent and descent.

In Flight

7. This is not the time to be an electronics snob. Bring all the electronics you own that will hold your children’s attention and keep them quiet and busy. Playing computer games or watching shows for one day will not turn their brain to mush.

8. Play simple games that do not require any boards or pieces, such as I Spy.

9. Most Moms already know this, but if you are traveling with a baby, try to feed them during takeoff/landing to prevent ear pain. It may not be time for them to eat, so a pacifier is a good alternative option if they’ll take it.

10. Allow your kids to talk with those around them (under your supervision, of course) during boarding and take off. People are much less likely to get upset by noise or crying or whatever if they have previously been charmed by your adorable child.

11. If you are like me, I imagine airplanes to be covered in grime and germs like a NYC public transportation bus in a bad part of town, so I always wipe down the tray tables, seat belts, armrests, etc. with antibacterial wipes. Even if it does nothing, it gives me peace of mind, and I don’t cringe with disgust at all 39 times that my son puts down his tray table. They also work great for any spills or messes to clean up!

12. Finally, RELAX. Kids feed off of your stress like a horse “smells” a rider’s fear. (I’m not comparing your child to a horse, just making an analogy.) So, relax and have fun with them! It is an exciting day for them that they will possibly remember for the rest of their lives.

Be better prepared for flying with kids, check out 19 more tips.

I hope these tips give you some great ideas and make your next trip less stressful! Please comment below with any additional tips that have helped on your family trips. Or feel free to just tell us a hilarious traveling story that happened with your kids!

The post 30+ Tips for Flying with Kids first appeared on True Aim.

Tips for Flying with Preschoolers and Babies

Before take off, being prepared for the worst is always a good idea. Here are some great tips to help you know what to bring and how to be prepared for your children’s needs.

1. Probably the most important thing you can do in preparation of flying is make sure that your children know their full name, your full name, your cell phone number, your address, what to do if they get separated from you, and who to go to for help. I tell my kids that if they can’t find me, they should ask a woman with children to help them. Odds are that a fellow mom is a safe bet to get the proper help for them and less intimidating for them to approach and talk to.

2. Prepare your kids for what flying on an airplane will be like if it is their first time. Talk with them about the airport, security, seat belts on the airplane, etc. Get excited about the trip together! There are plenty of kids books about flying on an airplane available at the library as well.

3. Book your flights early if possible to ensure that you have seats together as a family! We usually fly on Southwest where seats are not assigned ahead of time, but they are on most airlines.

4. Pick a flight time (if you have options) around your kids’ schedule. This could be difficult with lots of children, but just choose a time that will set them up for success, whether that be flying at night or during nap time in hopes that they fall asleep, flying in the morning when they are adequately rested, etc. Morning flights are less likely to be delayed, so that may influence your decision.

5. Lay out comfy clothes for you and the kids for the day of travel, and be prepared for the weather in both your departure and arrival locations. This may mean layers for everyone that can be taken off or put on depending on the temperature. Remember that for the day, comfort trumps fashion. You will be sitting in a small seat for hours on end! Uncomfortable kids are cranky kids. (And an uncomfortable Momma is a cranky Momma, often with less patience.)

6. Have those comfy clothes include bright colors so that you and the kids are easy for each other to spot in the sea of people at the airport.

7. Pack early instead of packing at the last minute the night before. You can always add to the suitcases if you need to pack something that you use daily or have to do a load of laundry that you want to take with you. This will allow you to get sufficient sleep the night before, and taking care of yourself is important before a possibly stressful day of flying with little ones!

8. Ditch the diaper bag and use a backpack instead. They are much easier to carry, zip completely shut, and leave you with two hands free!

9. Make sure that any electronics you are bringing are fully charged, and don’t forget to bring the chargers with you.

10. Pack a few plastic grocery bags in your carry-on to use for trash. Somehow children manage to accumulate trash at a rate 62.7X faster than the average adult.

11. If you are traveling with a baby, pack ziplocs and a changing pad of some kind to place over the changing tables in the airport bathrooms and to use on the plane. Some planes to not have changing tables in the bathrooms, so you will need something for the seat or floor or whatever small corner you can find to change your baby with some dignity. The ziplocs come in handy for dirty diapers on the plane.

12. Pack individual servings of snacks in little baggies (or buy individual size snacks). This makes it much easier to grab for your little one, and there is a lesser chance of spilling on the plane. Or, if things do get spilled, it’s not an entire box of crackers.

13. Be sure to include some of your child’s favorite snacks on the menu for the day! It will be sure to put a smile on that cute little face no matter what is going on.

14. Pack lollipops, candies, gum, pacifiers, sippy cups, or whatever your child is allowed to have during takeoff and landing to suck on and keep them swallowing to help prevent their ears from hurting.

15. Pack some of their favorite small toys at least 3-7 days before your trip so that when you pull them out on the plane, they will be thrilled and play with them like they are new again. You could even buy a handful of cheap small toys at the dollar store that would then actually be new to them, too.

16. Here are some of my favorite travel toy ideas to pack in carry-on bags: finger puppets, books, nesting cups, stickers, pipe cleaners, crayons and coloring books, compact mirrors, toy cars, dolls/action figures, and a roll of blue painter’s tape. Tray tables make superb race tracks, stages, and canvases (for painter’s tape, not the crayons). Painter’s tape sticks onto anything but comes right off! Your kids can create some incredible tray table art with it.

17. Pack extra supplies (i.e. food, diapers, formula, etc.) in case of unexpected delays.

18. Pack your wallet, ID, and documents (such as birth certificates for children who are traveling on your lap) in a spot that is very easy to get to. It is a good idea to pack a copy of all of the kids’ birth certificates, just in case. It may also be a good idea to contact the airline to make sure that you have all required documentation.

19. Arrive at the airport with more than enough time to get checked in, through security, and to the gate. It will not help things to be rushing like chickens with your heads cut off in order to not miss your flight. Checking in, getting through security, and walking to the gate take longer with kids, and oftentimes it takes longer than you think it will.

Some of the best behaved children have their moments, especially when they are excited or anxious about flying. I hope that these tips will help you be better prepared to deal with anything that comes up so you can have a more peaceful flying experience!

Please leave a comment with your tip for preparing to fly with kids!

The post 19 Tips for Flying with Kids: Preparing for the Trip first appeared on True Aim.

We lived in a smaller house when I had my first child. I was totally sleep deprived the first week after she was born and took a much needed shower in my master bath. I had my daughter in a bassinet right outside my door. Then the worst possible thing happened. I thought my baby had died.

I had suds all over my hands and hair, but jumped out of the shower like a swarm of cockroaches had come out of the drain. I grabbed a towel and swung the door open expecting my baby to be on the floor or something had fallen on top of her.

She was in her bassinet, in a deep sleep and didn’t make a peep. The screaming cry was all in my head!

An Easier Way to See if Baby is Safe

With all my babies I’ve imagined screaming cries. It’s only natural to be worried about your precious little one, but now I have an amazing new Ayden video monitor from Levana.

My vivid imagination is soothed, being able to clearly see my baby during the day, or night, with invisible LED lights that won’t wake baby. I especially love the color coded LED indicator ring that displays different colors based on the volume of baby’s cries. That means I don’t have to have the monitor blaring to know that baby is crying.

I can even soothe them without going into the room and disturbing their sleep with features like a two-way intercom, 3 different lullabies, and a gentle light show.

With Levana monitors, I can do more with confidence. Now that I can actually SEE that my baby is safe, I take my showers in peace. I’m even venturing outside to conquer the garden with the 750 ft. secure digital signal.

You can’t go wrong with a Levana video monitor. Baby safety is their number one priority. All Levana Movement monitors are digital and wireless, eliminating the risk of cord strangulation. They have one of the only wireless movement monitors on the market which makes the battery life exceed several days. Finally, ClearVu digital wireless technology ensures no one else is watching baby but you.

It’s an extremely affordable investment that will last beyond the baby stage (nap time will hopefully last a few more years)! But to me, peace of mind is priceless.

Baby Monitor Giveaway

Levana exclusively manufactures baby monitors which allows them to focus wholly on perfecting their products. They know what is important to parents regarding baby safety because they ask real moms, and then develop solutions to meet those needs.

They’re ready to give one lucky reader a chance to experience a Ayden Video Monitor ($119.99 Value)!

a Rafflecopter giveaway
This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Levana. The opinions and text are all mine.

The post Do More Knowing Baby is Safe first appeared on True Aim.

In our home, it is easier said than done.  Thanks to the Purell 30 Day Challenge, I discovered an easy way to get my children to wash their hands regularly.  One of the first challenges was to decorate the bottle.  Little did I know that this would create a big demand for PURELL in my home.

I had my daughter bling my PURELL Advanced JELLY WRAP carrier with stick on jewels.  It looks awesome on my bag and tempts little children to use it.  It got to the point where they wanted to use it all the time from the jeweled bottle.

So I capitalized on it.  Now, if they want to use it, they need to wash their hands first.  This ensures that the dirt and germs on their hands is gone after using PURELL.

Now, they’re in the habit of washing their hands if they want to use the sanitizer.  If your children are going back to school, healthy hand hygiene is even more important because they are spending most of their time in one room.

Here are even more ideas on how to promote hand hygiene habits for back-to-school:

• Hook colorful PURELL JELLY WRAP carriers on backpacks or lunch boxes.  They also come in seasonal scents too.  Keeping it in a prominent place will remind them to clean their hands before they eat.
• Keep PURELL Advanced hand sanitizer in the glove box, or hook JELLY WRAP carriers around the headrests so kids know they need to clean their hands the moment they get into the car.
• Most classrooms don’ t have a sink so help your child’s classroom out by providing their teacher with some extra 8 oz PURELL pumps.

Even though the 30 Day Challenge is almost over, PURELL has even more ways to help you stay healthy throughout the fall.  PURELL’s brand new loyalty program gives members a chance to earn points toward valuable prizes.  Members can join the PURELL Be Well Network at PURELL.com or via Facebook and can earn points for completing specified online activities such as:

• Posting information on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and other social forums
• Engaging with educational content on PURELL.com
• Viewing videos
• Inviting friends and family
• In addition to prizes, members will also have advanced access to sweepstakes, special offers and product information

How do you get your children to wash their hands more during the school year?

The post Healthy Hand Hygiene Habits for Back-to-School first appeared on True Aim.

It started with a sore throat.  My daughter got one on Wednesday and then it spread to the whole family.  Finally on Saturday, with my sick husband resting at home, I decided to drive all 3 kids to urgent care.

Yep, everyone had it!  The doctor was kind enough to write my husband a prescription too, even though they didn’t swab his throat.  So I loaded the kids in the car and it was on to our next stop, the pharmacy.

I got into the car and heard my phone buzzing.  It was my aunt.  She had sent me a text asking if the clothes she’d sent fit the kids.  I started to text my reply…

Then, I was lucky.

There was a loud bang and I lunged forward in my seat; I hadn’t even put my seat belt on.  My eldest daughter started crying so I got out of the car and ran around the back to the passenger’s side to check on her.

The seat belt had scraped her neck a tiny bit.  Everyone else was OK.  Then I went to check the front of the car.  In my moment of carelessness, I had let the brake go and slammed into a light post.  Luckily, I was in an empty parking lot.

Oh the phone call to my husband was painful, but the thought in the back of my mind was how painful it would have been if I had gotten on the road before checking my phone.

That fender bender was a reminder of how important it is to Decide To Drive.

Now, I make a point to zip my phone up in my purse and put it out of reach before I start the engine.  That way, I don’t have the option to get it out and respond to a call or text until I stop the car and turn off the engine.  Turning off the engine is key because even in a parking lot, serious damage can be done.

I also get my children involved.  I simply remind them to help me drive safe by being on their best behavior and reminding me to keep my eyes on the road.  They are extremely good at telling me to do things

According to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA), in 2012 there were 3,328 fatalities and approximately 421,000 injuries in distracted driving-related crashes.  The American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) and the Auto Alliance want to increase awareness about the risks of distracted driving.

The Decide to Drive program aims to empower drivers and passengers to speak up about distracted driving, continue the conversation at home, work and play, and reduce distracted behaviors behind the wheel.  Orthopaedic surgeons—the specialists who put bones and limbs back together after road crashes and traumas—along with our partners, the automakers, would rather help all drivers “decide to drive” each time they get in the car and to keep bones and limbs intact.

Carelessness isn’t an accident.  The most advanced safety feature of any vehicle is the driver.  The AAOS and the Auto Alliance urges all drivers to keep their most sophisticated safety features engaged at all times: eyes on the road and hands on the wheel.

Share this post and learn more about the Decide to Drive program to help reduce distracted driving and save lives.

I was selected for this opportunity as a member of Clever Girls Collective and the content and opinions expressed here are all my own.

The post I Was Lucky #DecideToDrive first appeared on True Aim.