.@TeddyOutReady: March 2021

Wednesday, March 31, 2021

Ways To Put Your Mind At Ease With Regard To Your Kids’ Safety In This Life


Your kids will be on your mind pretty much every single day. From the day you learn that you’re going to be a parent, their well-being becomes more important than anything else. Typically, when you think of protective parents, you think about young families with small children. The truth, however, is that you’ll be worrying about them when you’re in your nineties and they’re fully-grown humans with kids of their own! That kind of feeling never leaves you and you’ll never completely stop worrying about your child until the day you are no longer.

While you’ll never stop worrying, that doesn’t mean you cannot ease the burden a little along the way. You’ll have to get on with life and allow them to grow – you will not be able to do this if you’re an overbearing parent throughout your entire life.

You can put your mind at ease as your kids try new things and enter new stages. The fears and the thought won’t go away completely, but here are some things you can do to make the journey so much easier:

Understand That They’ll Need To Be Independent At Times

You aren’t going to be able to hold their hands and watch over them throughout their entire life. Some parents struggle with this idea. They’ve looked after them for years and aren’t comfortable with the idea of doing anything else. If you hold on for too long, however, then you’re going to cause more harm going forward. Once you understand that they’ll be better off without you when they hit a certain age, things will be easier for your mind.

Keep An Eye On Things Using Appropriate Software

While you won’t be around them all of the time, you can still keep an eye on certain things. You won’t want to be invading their privacy every single day, but it’s wise to know if they’re dealing with people that are a little suspect. If you visit familyorbit.com and view some of the services they have, you’ll learn a little more about what can be done in this regard. As a parent, you won’t want them to be speaking online with people that may cause them harm.

Think Positively About Their Life

This sounds like a basic idea, but it’s a great idea if you want to be content with things. If you develop a positive attitude, you’ll be able to see all of the good in the life that they’re about to embark on. Negative parents will always see issues and view everything they do as a hazard. A positive attitude will also be a magnetic attitude, so you’ll be unconsciously making them more positive in life before they head out on their own – this will only help them going forward.

Know That Projecting Worries Onto Will Do More Harm Than Good

This kind of follows on from the previous point in that it’s not a great way to behave overall. If you talk to them about all the worries you have, then they’ll slowly-but-surely seep into their young minds. Don’t make them hesitant before they even have a chance at life. Plenty of kids become worrisome because of their parents and they eventually turn into worrisome adults.
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Wednesday, March 17, 2021

Top Considerations For The Incoming Newborn

Newborn

It’s one of the most exciting moments in anyone's life. The arrival of their own child. The newborn. You spend months preparing and waiting, but there’s always the few which slip through the net. The ones which come back to haunt you a little later on. Everyone is different in how they approach preparing for their baby’s arrival. People have different lives, with different responsibilities, budgets and time available. It’s why you need to look at advice objectively and try to apply it in the best way to your own situation and circumstances. It's better to be prepared. You might have thought about some of these already but the others can help you ace the newborn’s arrival. Good luck!

Prepare The Nursery

Some parents like to know what gender the baby is going to be before the birth, others like to wait. Waiting sometimes means you won’t be able to properly decorate the nursery. At least not how you’d like to. Don’t let this throw you. There’s nothing worse than having to decorate a nursery when you’ve got a newborn to look after. Get it sorted before the baby arrives. Sometimes creating a safe sleep environment for your newborn can be a little overpowering. There’s a lot to think about. Decorate it as you see fit. A crib is necessary of course. Useful fixtures and fittings include a set of draws for the baby clothes as well as a side table level with the cot, enabling you to pop a crib camera on it to keep an eye on the baby. It’s likely that you’ll have the criv in your bedroom for a month or so, but you should still spend time on the baby’s room. Is the heating working there properly? Are you happy that there isn’t any mould on the walls or that there isn’t a draft coming from cracked caulking around the windows. Get all of this out of your head and sorted before the baby arrives and you’ll absolutely thank yourself later on.

The Deep Clean

You don’t just want to clean the nursery of course. You need to do the same for the whole house. A proper, top to bottom deep clean. Especially at the moment with elements of covid still flying around. Make sure you use a good quality antibacterial cleaner everywhere you know the baby will be. It’s hard to get the timing right but you need to do it as close to the birth date as possible. This doesn’t just include the house of course. The same applies to your car and anywhere else you know the baby is going to go. Make sure you wash all of the clothes you’ve bought before letting the baby wear them. Same with all of the accessories like blankets and plush toys. If everything has been sterilised and is clean it’ll give you much better peace of mind.


Think About A Side Hustle

One thing a newborn means is more money. Money spent on bottles, clothes, toys, the list goes on. It’s nice to have a little bit of extra money coming in. Whether you’re taking paternity or maternity leave, if you get things set up before the baby you can let it roll in your free time afterwards. A side hustle is anything you do aside from your main job to bring in some money. Some will launch a business on the side, while others will offer up a skill they have. These include things like tutoring, translation, transcription or any other large amount of marketable skills. You don’t have to set up from scratch either. You can use a third party site to help you make your mark. Think about a freelance site like fiverr or upwork, or a website like etsy to sell your small creations. Monetising a hobby is always a good idea if you’re a creative person. Just think how the extra money can help out. Especially if you’re taking a bit longer off work. The flexibility of your side hustle may allow you to make some cash on your own terms.

Know Your Leave Entitlement

You might already have sorted this out, but some leave it to the last moment and let it catch them unawares. It usually happens to those who have not long started a new job because if you haven’t been there long you might not get as much entitlement, or at least paid entitlement. Grab a hold of your contract or better yet speak to someone from HR. If the business is small, speak directly to the owner instead. The key is in knowing. It allows you to properly budget and plan for the baby.

Stock Up

Getting out and about will get a little harder when you’ve got a baby. Especially if you’re on your own. So stock up as much as you can. Go to your nearest wholesaler and stock up on vests, bibs, diapers and everything else you can think of that will help you to stock up. Think about baby food and formula too. Being able to stock up will leave you with a great amount of peace of mind. You’ll know you have what you need to properly look after the baby. You can always buy items online, so you don’t have to leave the house. However, there is always room for deliveries to go missing or to turn up a day or so later. Actually having the physical items there is far more practical.

Childcare

If you have another child you might need to look into childcare options. They won’t be able to come into the hospital with you and your partner will be busy too. Speak to friends and relatives and see if they can help. The problem here is them needing to be alert at a moment's notice. This means they need to be fairly local so you can drop them off or they can get picked up. It depends on how young or old they are but ensuring there’s someone available, just in case, will make things just that little bit easier for you when it’s time.
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Friday, March 12, 2021

Does My Child Need Glasses?


Is your child having problems with their eyesight? It’s possible that they may need glasses. 

Below is a guide on how to tell if your kid needs to wear glasses.

Why do some kids need glasses?
 
Most people that need glasses are usually either far-sighted or short-sighted. Far-sightedness (hyperopia) involves not being able to clearly see objects that are close, while short-sightedness (myopia) involves not being able to clearly see objects that are far away.
 
Eyesight problems in kids are almost always genetic. Conditions such as astigmatism (irregularly shaped eyes) are the most common causes - problems with vision may occur as young as 4 or 5 or may not occur until teenage years.
 
Either way, there’s usually nothing you can do to prevent such a condition. It’s not because your child has been watching too much TV or playing too many video games.

Signs your child may need glasses

Some children will tell you if they’re having trouble seeing things. Others may not mention it at all - if it is very gradual or something they’ve had since birth, they may not even notice.

There are a few ways in which you can tell that a child may need glasses. These include:
  • Squinting a lot - especially when looking at things close up or far away. 
  • Sitting close to the TV in order to see it more clearly. 
  • Holding a book close to their face. 
  • Tilting their head or covering one eye in order to see more clearly (this is sometimes a symptom of amblyopia). 
  • Complaining about eye pain or headaches. 
  • Experiencing difficulties with learning.

Other vision problems to be wary of

Not all vision problems can be fixed with glasses. If there are other symptoms such as itchiness, burning pain or redness, it could be worth seeing a doctor.

Conjunctivitis is the most common eye condition that children suffer from. It often results in itchiness, redness, discharge and pain. It is rarely ever a serious condition - antibiotic eye drops may be prescribed which could help clear it up.

Other causes of vision loss could range from type 1 diabetes to an infection. It’s best to always see a doctor to get an official diagnosis.

Getting an eye test

The best way to diagnose whether your child needs glasses is to get an eye test.

An eye test will tell you whether or not your child has reduced vision - and, if so, which prescription lenses they need. This test should ideally be carried out by a professional optician. You’ll usually have to book it in advance as there may already be tests lined up.

Free eye tests are periodically carried out by some schools. You will likely be told if your child gets a test and needs corrective vision.

If your child’s school doesn’t provide a free eye test or you don’t want to wait, there may still be other ways to get free or discounted eye tests. Some opticians in some states may not charge anything for kids or there may be organizations that can help. There are also free eye tests that you can download online, but these are generally not as reliable.

Even if you can’t get a free eye test, such tests are generally quite cheap. It could be worth shopping around to compare prices.

Where to buy glasses

If a test reveals that your child needs glasses, you can choose to order glasses there and then at that optician - or you can try shopping around for frames elsewhere.

Some opticians may offer discounts for kids or may offer a free pair of glasses to kids. If you yourself need glasses, you may even find that some opticians offer family discounts. By doing your research into different opticians, you can identify the best deals so that you can save money on a pair.

Online stores can have a great selection and can sometimes have cheaper prices than physical stores. Glasses are usually easy to order on these sites and you may be able to pay for extras such as special lens coatings. The disadvantage of these stores is that you can’t try on frames - which some kids may enjoy doing.

You should let your kids choose a frame they want. More funky and unusual frames can be more expensive (particularly from designer brands). Your child may be happy with a basic frame, however some kids may not be happy with these designs, in which case you may have to both find a compromise.

Extras such as special lens coatings will cost more. These include scratch-resistant coatings and anti-reflective coatings. Most opticians are able to provide these lens coatings.

My child doesn’t want to wear glasses!

Not all kids want to wear glasses. Some kids may find them uncomfortable or annoying, while older kids may not want to wear them in fear of looking ‘nerdy’.

You will need to find a way of overcoming this aversion to glasses. If your child refuses to wear glasses, it could have a negative impact on their education and day-to-day life. The strain of having to squint all the time could also make their vision deteriorate further and they may suffer from frequent headaches and fatigue. All in all, you need to encourage them to wear their glasses.

Some ways of doing this could include: 
  • Letting your child pick the frame they want 
  • Building their confidence 
  • Informing staff at school that they need to wear their glasses 
  • Drawing their attention to celebrities and cool pop culture figures that wear glasses 
  • Look into alternatives such as contact lenses (usually only an option for children older than 11)
  • Discussing why they don’t want to wear them and finding a solution together

Encouraging your child to look after their glasses


Some kids like to play rough. Other kids can be forgetful. This can lead to glasses getting damaged or lost - which can lead to expensive replacements.

It’s important to teach your kids to be responsible with their glasses so that you’re not having to spend unnecessary money on repairs or replacements. A few ways to teach your kids to be responsible with their specs could include: 
  • Teaching kids to take glasses off when doing physical activities 
  • Teaching kids to put glasses in their case when not wearing them 
  • Teaching kids to store glasses in a safe place such as a bag or pocket rather than leaving them on any surface 
  • Warning kids not to make DIY repairs such as using glue 
  • Teaching kids to clean glasses with a cloth
Buying a spare pair is often recommended when buying glasses for kids. This ensures that if your child loses their glasses, they have another pair to fall back on.

Monitoring your child’s vision

Prescriptions can change over time - your child’s vision may gradually get worse. Vision can sometimes get better but this is much rarer.

Taking your child for an eye test every year or every couple years can allow you to check for any changes in vision. This can allow your child’s prescription to be updated if necessary. An optician will usually remind you as to when an eye test is due. You can get an eye test earlier if you think your child’s vision has got worse within a year.
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Thursday, March 4, 2021

The Hardy Boys 🔎 Family Mystery Series Premieres in Canada on YTV March 5 🚲 | #TheHardyBoys


First published in 1927, The Hardy Boys series has sold over 70 million copies and continues to grow as new generations of kids join Frank and Joe’s adventures. Mystery, family secrets, and the pursuit of the truth collide in the new YTV Original series, The Hardy Boys premiering Friday, March 5 at 9 p.m. ET/PT. The story follows two brothers, Frank and Joe Hardy as they arrive in the small town of Bridgeport and set out to uncover the truth behind a recent tragedy. 

Filmed in Toronto and Southern Ontario, the much-anticipated Canadian premiere of The Hardy Boys on YTV follows the series’ highly praised U.S. debut in December 2020 on Hulu. Canadians can also stream The Hardy Boys live and on demand on STACKTV with Amazon Prime Video Channels.


The series unfolds after a family tragedy strikes, when Frank Hardy, 16, and his brother Joe, 12, are forced to move from the big city to their parent’s hometown of Bridgeport for the summer. Frank and Joe’s quiet summer quickly comes to a halt when they discover their dad, detective Fenton Hardy has taken on a secret investigation, leading the boys to take it upon themselves to start an investigation of their own, and suddenly everyone in town is a suspect.


After seeing a bicycle, we had an urge to go out and speed up across our town to see how it looks right now after massive lockdowns. The sun is shining and warmer weather, hopefully, just around the corner.  And while the summer has not arrived yet, Canadian winter offers long run sometimes, let's stock up on some popcorn, puzzles, hot chocolate and watch how kids lead the investigation and venture around Bridgetown in search of the clues.

The Hardy Boys airs Fridays at 9 p.m. ET/PT on YTV beginning tomorrow! Every town has its secrets!
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