Busy Mom's Guide to Twitter

I read a funny tweet the other day about a mom tweeting with one hand because her son was sitting on her lap while she sat at her computer. That is my life too so I thought I'd share a couple of tips about how to be most efficient when (and if) you get to tweet.

First of all, Twitter may seem like a colossal waste of time - what you just ate, that you're sitting in the doctor's office, etc. To me, Twitter has almost completely replaced my need to watch the news and is a fabulous resources for anything you may be interested in - specifically, raising kids as a mom.

Not only can you follow all the major news outlets, you can also follow people who have the same interests as you do. There are many, many moms groups on Twitter. One of the biggest is Twitter Moms @twittermoms - with over 357,000 followers! Check out Twellow for specific people who have listed themselves into categories. Here is the Preschool/Toddler category link to find others who most likely tweet about kid stuff. There are over 2,300 people listed in this category!

A great application that can save you a ton of time is Hoot Suite. This application allows for you to centralize your social outlets in one place - your Twitter account(s), LinkedIn, Facebook, etc. Then you only have to log in to one place. The functionality is not 100% that of the actual direct application but it is SO easy to check all accounts, tweet for any of those accounts with one mouse click as well as schedule tweets for later. So if the baby is napping, you can type out your tweets and slowly tweet them throughout the day.

I use Hoot Suite a lot because I tweet for @TeachingToddler as well as my personal Twitter feed @mnewtontinlin and my business @SunriseBusiness. The best part is that I can choose which account to post specific tweets to, or I can tweet to all of them if I think it's a general and important topic that all those followers would be interested in.

Other ways to simplify the process is to link your Twitter account to your Facebook account so when you tweet, it posts to your Facebook page, or vice versa. I have also done this with my LinkedIn status - because it's a business-oriented networking tool, I have hooked my status to the @SunriseBusiness feed so I can post interesting information to both my personal network on LinkedIn and to my business network on Twitter. All of this allows for one less window to manage and "kills two birds with one stone" so to speak.

If you are going to post links (and I recommend you do) you should use a shortener so you can fit more commentary into your tweet. There are many; I particularly like bit.ly. If you set up an account, you can track how many people click your link, when and what country they are from. It's fascinating for a numbers geek like me! Hoot Suite also allows you to shorten as well, and then track the clicks. Shortened links in tweet are an extra reason for people to retweet you as well since it leaves room for their additional commentary.

If there are specific people you really like to hear from, you can create lists of topics and then add those people to the lists - like nutrition, attachment parenting, good deals, etc. This is a great way to filter specific information you are looking for. You can also set up mobile notices for those tweeters you REALLY like. It will text you their posts whenever they add something new.

So, link your account together with Hoot Suite, use Tweet Later for convenience, find others interested in what you are interested in through Twellow and use shorteners to allow for more commenting and a better chance of being retweeted, make lists or set up mobile notices of your favorite tweeters. This will help you maximize your time on Twitter while your little ones are running around (or sleeping, if you're lucky!). Happy Tweeting!

Picture credit: JM Http://www.logodesignweb.com/stockphoto

How I Taught My Toddler Shapes & Colors

I am not getting paid to write this, first of all - but I felt compelled to post this because I feel so strongly about these books:

The way I have been teaching my toddler his shapes, colors, numbers and letters is through a book collection called "My Books" from Southwestern Publishing. There are four books in the series - shapes, colors, numbers and words. The books have bright colors, fun illustrations and are in both English and Spanish for all the words. The books also include large tear-out posters in the back of the different elements from the books.

My son absolutely LOVES these books. We look at them multiple times as day. He is 21 months and knows his shapes, knows about half his colors and he also can identify all the single-digit numbers and half the alphabet. I'm not a trained child development expert - just a mom of five - but to me, that's pretty early and I credit these books.

I took the posters to FedEx/Kinkos and had them laminated, which was not cheap but SO worth it because he loves looking at the posters too. I say "Where's the stars?" and he'll point to all three places on the poster that has stars.

Now here's the kicker: Southwestern is actually a publishing company that focuses solely on helping college students make money from door-to-door sales. They do not sell on-line! Here's the contact form so if you are interested, you can find out when the Southwestern sales people will be in your neighborhood. They have a finely-honed sales pitch that could be off-putting if you hate being "sold" but if you can appreciate the quality products they're hawking (and there are many for all levels of child) and that you are helping a college student build their sales business and make money for the summer, then you'll be very happy with the result.

I can tell you we are.

Top 10 Must-Have Baby Items - and one to forget!

I have 5 kids in my life; my youngest is 21 months - and there are a few things I've learned over the years that you just have to have, and a few things you can forget!

Must have:
1) Cloth diapers - while you may choose to use cloth for your actual diapering needs, I used them for spit up towels, to wipe noses and faces, burp clothes, etc. You can get big pack for less than $5. And you don't feel bad when they get gross.

2) A jogger/stroller - if you have a stroller, you have no excuse for not exercising. I'd recommend finding one with a tray and a cup holder. While it may seem like a pain to drag along with you, it makes it so much easier to keep your little one in one spot and comfortable.

3) White noise machine - with all our other kids being older, it is great to have a white noise machine to keep the toddler's room "sound-proof" while the others get ready for bed or if they get up earlier than him. It also helps your child go to sleep as it cues a calm and quiet environment. Our is from Brookstone but there are many out there from other places.

4) A & D Ointment - While I am not a doctor, I believe this mild ointment is a cure-all! I use it for chapped skin, flaky lips, red bottoms, cuts, whatever. It is very much like Vaseline, which I also love. I kept both tubes - A&D and Vaseline in my diaper bag.

5) Triple Paste - every mom has her favorite diaper rash treatment. I have tried pretty much everything and this is the one I think works the best. It's a little expensive but I say it's worth it because it does not seem to sting and it works very fast! I do have to say that Burt's Bees is by far the very best smelling!

6) A floor "arch" play area - if you ask for any toys on your baby registry, the floor play place is one you will definitely use for a while. This is the kind that has a mat they lay on and then the toys are suspended above. This helps with tummy time, hand/eye coordination, discovering their hands and feet and much more.

7) A "bouncy seat" - I particularly like the kind that vibrate - like the car or the dryer (which are tricks for putting baby to sleep). This is a great place to let your baby be comfortable and safe while you change the laundry, brush your teeth or let the dogs out. Always make sure you keep it on the floor so when your baby wiggles, they don't fall off the counter in the chair.

8) Binky clip/Glow in the dark Binky - you really need a way to make sure the pacifier does not fall on the ground and a clip works great - tack it to their shirt. Also, a glow in the dark pacifier is great because you can find it in their crib in the middle of the night when they wake up.

9) Emory boards - for their little fingernails. I learned the hard way that the nail clippers are just too "variable" meaning it's too easy to clip their little finger tips. Using an emory board is much safer and less challenging. I always used to file their nails after they had drifted off to sleep to reduce the "wiggle" factor.

10) Saline drops - again, not a doctor but my doctor did recommend this many years ago. The drops and eventually the spay keeps their nasal passages irrigated which is really important during the winter months when you are inside, or when you live in a dry place like we do here in Colorado. My older kids still use their spray every day and I'm convinced it helps keep colds away and helps keep noses less stuffy when they do have a cold. It's like a neti pot for little people.

One to forget -

Wipes warmers - is that really necessary? The wipe is only on their bottoms for a couple of seconds.

I hope these tips were helpful for you. Please check out my website http://www.teachingyourtoddler.com/ for more ideas of what to do with your toddler as they grow! Enjoy!

Solve Your Homework Struggles

I know this blog is supposed to be about toddlers, but I have something that is working SO amazingly well for getting my elementary kids to do their homework: study carols!

I got the idea from a recent issue of either Parenting or Family Fun - I'm sorry I can't reference the specific article. I went to Office Max and bought the 3-panel presentation stands (the kind your use for the science fair displays or table-top presentations for a trade show). I also bought cork board, dry erase boards, a pencil holder and some various school supplies so each kid would have her/his own stuff.

I let them decorate their own with stickers, pictures, etc and I posted their "No Excuse" words and other reference materials on push pins in the cork.

Before they get home from school, I set it up in our dining room (a room that's out of the way of the traffic of the rest of the house) and they come in, get a drink and snack and immediately sit down to knock out their homework. No struggle! No tears! No push back! It works so well and since we started it at the beginning of the year, they're in the habit.

There's still time for your kids - just get them going now so they'll be used to it for the rest of the year!

Taking your Toddler to the Swimming Pool

Now that Summer is here, you've probably spent some time at the pool and maybe you had some challenges coordinating all the components of going swimming. Here are a few tips I've come up with over the years of taking my kids to the pool.

1) Bring an umbrella stroller for your toddler - or the littlest child. This works for several reasons - keeps them from slipping on the floor of the dressing room, keeps them corralled while you get dressed or undressed and provides a place for a nap if they tucker out before the rest of your group.

2) Bring a plastic bag for wet suits so your bag doesn't get damp and then smelly. Don't forget underwear for yourself and a new (non-swimming) diaper for the toddler.

3) A brush or hat for yourself - even if you don't plan on getting wet, the other kids in the pool might not be hip to that plan. I've gone home with pretty crazy hair in the past from not planning for splashes...

4) Bring a hat for your toddler and tons of sunscreen. I've heard you need to reapply sunscreen after every 45 minutes of swimming. I put a light sunhat on my son so that when he gets his head wet, the hat dries out quicker than a heavy hat. If your pool does an adult swim once an hour, that's a great reminder to reapply sunscreen then.

5) Bring water in a sippy for your toddler (and maybe a cool drink for yourself too). You might not want to spend the money on a vending machine soda or you might not want to fight the lines of a concession stand. If you plan on spending several hours, you might consider packing a light snack too - Veggie Booty, cheese crackers or even a peanut butter sandwich for your child. Fruit can get brown and cheese won't really work unless you bring an ice pack.

6) Water toys - which can also be sand toys. My son had a blast the other day with a sand sifter in the water. He put it in the fountain and watched the water go through for 20 minutes!

And don't forget a towel for everyone, even the little one. It's amazing how cold they can get even when it's over 85! And you'll want a towel for yourself to get completely dry when you are getting dressed.

Enjoy the summer - and remember these tips for when you go swimming inside this winter - most of them will still work. Have fun!

Sign Language for your Child

If you have not used sign language with your child, I highly recommend trying this with them. I started with three of my kids at age 7 months and they all started signing back anywhere between 8 months and 12 months.

It cuts down on frustration, builds understanding and language skills and makes life a lot easier when they can tell you when they are hungry, want milk or water, need help or want something. My 14 1/2 month-old says "please" in sign when he wants something that's out of reach and asks for "help" when he needs me.

With my two older children, they were never "biters" in preschool and I fully believe it was because they could express themselves from the earliest age and didn't get to the level of frustration where they needed to bite.

I learned sign language from Joseph Garcia's series and I recently found this website that gives a catalog of signs with video - it's super easy to learn and well worth the effort!

Take Your Toddler Outside!

Now that it's officially summer, take your little one outside for some time in nature. Or better yet, take them camping! It's Camping Week - the 4th week of June according for Wikipedia. Celebrate by setting up a tent at a campsite near your home or even in your backyard. Even if you just take a nap out there, it will be fun for your child.

Have your toddler collect rocks, leaves, acorns, etc. You can make a bird feeder from a pine cone you collect or assemble some trail mix for your "hike" - even if it's just around the block. Point out the birds and bunnies for your child; you don't have to see a bear or a mountain lion to make it a fruitful time in nature.

If you'd like more ideas to share with your child for the week, please visit www.teachingyourtoddler.com and find a whole week's worth of fun for you to have with your child.