Label Me Merrit

Lovevery for Toddlers • Review & Favorites Lovevery for Toddlers • Review & FavoritesI hear a lot of love and reviews on Lovevery products for infants and babies, but I wanted to share how these produ...

A calm kit is a great way to help your child begin to manage their own emotions 😌 Now that my daughter is well into toddlerhood I thought it was about time to get one setup for her.

The first thing I got was this beautiful weighted blanket from . Weighted blankets are an amazing tool for nervous system regulation, both for children and adults! And I just love the soft minky fabric and satin trim design, so pretty😍

Dreamland Baby is actually currently running their semi-annual sale this weekend, so you can get 20% off their entire site! I’ve raved about their weighted sleep sacks before, now would be a great time to grab a few of those if you’ve been eyeing them as well👀

You can take advantage of this sale though the link in my profile and using code MEMERRIT20🤗

I also included a small framed emotions chart for my daughter to help identify the emotions she’s feeling. I made sure to use a light, glass-less frame that would be easy and safe for her to use independently.

Finally I finished my little calm kit off with a few soothing sensory items - a popper and a soft cuddle friend. These items will help her independently regulate any big emotions she experiences.

I plan to add some more things in the future, but I’m really excited to have this area started!

Do you have a calm kit or corner? What are your littles’ favorite items to use in it?

I’m starting to get things planned and together for Stella’s Easter basket and wanted to share an awesome company with you. In addition to making these adorable hand knit friends, uses their profits to do some serious good in the world!
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Each of these stuffed cuties provides 10 meals to children who need it! What am amazing way to make a positive impact while filling our littles' Easter baskets this year!
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Stella has friends Daisy and Stella, and absolutely loves them. They have held up incredibly well to her playing and loving on them, and they honestly still look brand new!
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They also have some sweet little mini bunny and duckling stuffies launching specifically in time for Easter, which would make a perfect little Easter basket stuffer, and they provide 5 meals to children in need. So you can do some good whatever your budget is🥰
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I'd love to hear what else you're excited to include in your littles' Easter baskets this year! I'm really trying to be ahead of the game so I'm not scrambling last minute😆

I have been drooling over the adorable dresses by ever since I found out I was having a little girl, and I finally decided to splurge on Stella’s Christmas dress this year😍

The quality in person is just as stunning as I hoped, and I am so excited to see my little girl twirl around on Christmas Day!!

Never running the risk of not having a clean Dreamland Baby] weighted sleep sack😂

I shared in my last post how much of a game changer these weighted sleep sacks have been for my daughter. She absolutely loves them, and actually gets excited to put it on each night!

As any parent will tell you, multiples are your friend and I didn’t ever want to run the risk of not having a clean one available, so I stocked up!

And if you’ve been wanting to stock up (or try one for the first time) now is the best time. You can get exclusive access to Dreamland Baby]’s BEST deal through tomorrow by using code MEMERRIT20🥳

You can also follow the link in my profile or stories to have the discount automatically applied to your cart.

I’m so excited to share this discount with you guys, like I said these were a game changer for our family, and I’m now a firm believer every toddler needs a weighted sleep sack! (They also have swaddles for babies and blankets for bigger kiddos)

Happy snoozing!! 😴

I could legit cry tears of excitement right now 😭 I am sitting here writing this during the first nap my daughter has taken in her crib in ✨months✨ and it is all thanks to this amazing weighted sleep sack🙌🏼

Naps have been our sleep area of struggle for the last 6-8 months. After a brief couple months of napping in her crib after turning 1, my daughter decided she wasn’t into it and has refused to nap anywhere other than nursing on me ever since.

While I don’t mind giving my daughter the support she needs to rest, I *really* missed having those midday breaks to myself to get things done.

I was honestly worried she’d be napping on me until she stopped needing naps.

But let me tell you this sleep sack is a miracle worker! Her first night wearing this sleeping sack she slept for a solid 11.5 hours (she usually bounces between 10-11 hours).

The true test, and what I was really hoping the weighted sleep sack would help with, was nap time. And you guys, she fell asleep without a peep in under 10 minutes🤯

I am so excited to have some freedoms and me time to look forward to in my days again!

This sleep sack is a miracle worker in my book, and if you’re struggling with your little one’s sleep, I highly recommend you try it yourself. I even was able to get a discount for you guys, MERRIT15 gets you 15% off 🥳 and you can find the link to shop in my profile!

Tantrums are an inevitable part of parenting.

As triggering as they may be, tantrums are actually a completely developmentally normal reaction from toddlers.

Their brains are growing at an amazingly rapid rate, they are learning so much every day, and those new thoughts, feelings and experiences can be overwhelming in a tiny person.

They are also unable to fully communicate or express their wants and needs, which is an extremely frustrating place to be. So they tantrum.

As a gentle parent, what can we do to support our littles through these big expressions of emotion and overwhelm? Most importantly, we hold space and be there to support them through it.

We are the adults, and it is our job to lend our calm and our stability to them in the times when they feel the most out of control.

Tantrums are also not a time for teaching lessens. During the tantrum, toddlers enter a heightened emotional state, and their brain is literally unable to comprehend anything you might say at the time. There is no reasoning with a toddler through their tantrum.

Just be there for them, let them get their feelings out and ride through the storm with them.

AFTER the tantrum has passed is a good time to discuss any lessons needed. Once your little's emotions are regulated, they will be able to once again listen and learn.

Everything we do now with our toddlers, is laying the foundation for our relationship with our teenagers. What kind of relationship are you building?

https://www.instagram.com/p/CUIbdobgYt4/

Everything we do now with our toddlers, is laying the foundation for our relationship with our teenagers. What kind of relationship are you building?

Learning the principle of consent from the earliest age is one of the most important things you can teach your little.

Not only has it been proven to protect children from being victimized, having a strong understanding of the importance of consent and how to enforce it has so many benefits.

When we hear the word consent nowadays, our mind immediately goes to sexual consent. And while that is an important piece of consent, it applies to so many more areas of life as well.

Being in control of our own bodies and what happens with them is one of the most fundamental of rights as a human, and we owe it to our littles to teach them that no one has the right to take that away from them.

So how can you teach your littles consent? Here are a few areas you can focus on working into your everyday.

✨Giving Permission for Physical Touch✨

Our children have the ability, even from an extremely young age, to tell you if they'd like to be touched or not. It is our job as parents to respect their wishes, however they choose to communicate them.

For example, even as an infant, my daughter was able to "tell" me that she didn't like her head being rubbed in a certain way. Every time I rubbed her head, she would squirm and fuss. I respected her wishes, and stopped rubbing her head that way.

✨Setting & Holding Boundaries✨

For older kiddos who are able to verbalize, you can start helping them form their boundaries. Boundaries are what helps us move through this world in a way that makes us comfortable.

For example, if your little decides they are not comfortable giving a hug "goodbye" to a family member, that is their boundary. it is so important to immediately and without guilt listen to their request.

With my daughter, we ask her every time "would you like to give a hug or wave goodbye?" This lets her be the one in control of how the interaction goes, and her comfort level, each time.

✨Body Autonomy & Ownership✨

Teach your little one that their body is *theirs*. This can look like allowing them to express themselves through choosing how their hair is cut or styled. This can also look like waiting to pierce their ears until they decide they'd like them done.

You can also encourage body ownership by empowering your child to care for their own body. From washing their hands when necessary, to brushing their own teeth/hair, and any other body care required in their life.

✨Body Awareness✨

Finally, give your child the power of body awareness. This means teaching them about *all* parts of their body, and using proper terminology. This also looks like encouraging shame free exploration. This is the one that makes most parents uncomfortable, but I promise it is so worth it. Your child deserves to have an empowered and shame free relationship with their own body!

How many times a day do you tell your little "good boy/girl!" Did you know that this simple phrase can actually be harmful?

That sounds ridiculous right? How could praising your child ever be bad, especially as a gentle parent?

This is because praising your child as a "good kid" whenever they do something you like, is actually setting them up to expect external validation whenever they complete a task.

Instead of being motivated by their intrinsic desire to do good, accomplish a task or improve a skill, they are being programmed to only work towards that external praise.

Some parenting experts also believe that the constant stream of "good girl/boy" can lead a child to believe they are *only* good when they are being praised.

So what do you say instead? I personally love using "thank you" with my daughter. In fact, this is probably one of my most used phrases as a parent.

This gives me the opportunity to thank her for the specific behavior she did that I'd like to foster in her.

"Thank you for cleaning up your mess"
"Thank you for using gentle hands"
"Thank you for being so patient"

It also emphasized that *she* did something that had a positive effect, and that was noticed. There is nothing like seeing the pride puff into your little toddler when you genuinely thank them for something they did.

This builds up that intrinsic motivation that means your child is doing desired behaviors simply because their internal self wanted to. And isn't that what raising a good human is all about?

A few other of my favorite alternatives to "good boy/girl"

"You must be so proud of yourself!"
"I see that you looked both ways before crossing the street"
"It is so helpful when you unload the dishwasher with me"

Ever wonder why tantrums happen?

It’s super important to get to the root cause of our little’s behavior, so that we can better understand them and how to help.

A lot of the time, a toddlers tantrum is simply caused because they are unable to effectively communicate what they need, which leads to emotional overwhelm, which then boils into a tantrum.

So how can we avoid these tantrums?

By listening to your toddler, and helping them work through communicating their thoughts, feelings, needs etc. It really is that simple!

If you sense your toddler is getting frustrated, and they are working themselves into the overwhelm stage, pause whatever you’re doing. Get down on their level and talk to them in a calm voice.

Our children depend on our emotional stability and calmness in these times. This is what will help them regulate their own emotions.

Walk your little through whatever issue they are facing. If they are frustrated that they can’t do something they want to, tell them you understand and it’s ok to be sad. Acknowledging and accepting their feelings is so vital to healthy emotional development.

If they are trying to tell you something but they can’t seem to effectively communicate it, slow down and help them work it out. You taking the time to try to understand them a lot of the time means more than actually figuring out their message.

Many times, all they actually need is your attention or affection. Simply offering them a hug in times of emotional stress can halt an emerging tantrum right in its tracks.

Have you tried any of these tantrum management techniques? How’d they go for you?

This might be a little controversial, but I don’t believe in forcing kids to share.

To start, forcing kids to do *anything* is not the best way to get them to learn a skill.

But I would even argue that the skill we’re teaching when we encourage “sharing” isn’t even a skill our kids need to learn at all, or one we use as an adult.

Think about if you are actually expected to share your things the way you expect your toddler to.

If a co-worker came up and said, “I like your AirPods, it’s my turn to use them now” you would probably be like heck no, right?

What if your boss then came in telling you “you’ve used your AirPods long enough, it’s time for Kevin to have a turn”

You would probably feel pretty irritated right? Those are YOUR AirPods. And you were right in the middle of using them. Why should you be expected to just hand them to Kevin because he wants them now?

You shouldn’t. And we shouldn’t expect that of our children.

Neither child in the “sharing” scenario is learning a valuable lesson. They are either learning

👉🏼 I am owed anything I want, right when I want it, because the other child *has* to share with me, or
👉🏼 Even if I am in the middle of using my toy, or practicing a new skill, another child can just come interrupt me and demand I give them my stuff

Neither of these are lessons I want to teach my daughter. I suggest re-examining how you handle sharing with your little, and if you’re actually teaching the lessons you think you are.

What are your thoughts on sharing? Do you agree or disagree with me? Leave me a comment and let me know!

https://www.instagram.com/p/CTz6s4UDZmw/

This might be a little controversial, but I don’t believe in forcing kids to share. To start, forcing kids to do *anything* is not the best way to get them to learn a skill. But I would even argue that the skill we’re teaching when we encourage “sharing” isn’t even a skill our kids need to learn at all, or one we use as an adult. Think about if you are actually expected to share your things the way you expect your toddler to. If a co-worker came up and said, “I like your AirPods, it’s my turn to use them now” you would probably be like heck no, right? What if your boss then came in telling you “you’ve used your AirPods long enough, it’s time for Kevin to have a turn” You would probably feel pretty irritated right? Those are YOUR AirPods. And you were right in the middle of using them. Why should you be expected to just hand them to Kevin because he wants them now? You shouldn’t. And we shouldn’t expect that of our children. Neither child in the “sharing” scenario is learning a valuable lesson. They are either learning 👉🏼 I am owed anything I want, right when I want it, because the other child *has* to share with me, or 👉🏼 Even if I am in the middle of using my toy, or practicing a new skill, another child can just come interrupt me and demand I give them my stuff Neither of these are lessons I want to teach my daughter. I suggest re-examining how you handle sharing with your little, and if you’re actually teaching the lessons you think you are. What are your thoughts on sharing? Do you agree or disagree with me? Leave me a comment and let me know!