Everand Logo

Welcome to Everand!

  • Discover millions of ebooks, audiobooks, and so much more with a free trial

    From $11.99/month after trial. Cancel anytime.

    Baby and Toddler on Board: Mindful parenting when a new baby joins the family
    Baby and Toddler on Board: Mindful parenting when a new baby joins the family
    Baby and Toddler on Board: Mindful parenting when a new baby joins the family
    Ebook193 pages2 hours

    Baby and Toddler on Board: Mindful parenting when a new baby joins the family

    By Val Mullally

    ()

    Read preview

    About this ebook

    Here’s how to support your toddler when your second child is born. This is a practical guide to parenting mindfulness and finding peace in the frantic world of babyhood and toddler-dom. It gives insights into what is needed for calm parenting, amidst a sea of nappies, feeds, tears, toys, cuddles and laughter.

    In this story you’

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherKoemba
    Release dateNov 9, 2018
    ISBN9781912328314
    Baby and Toddler on Board: Mindful parenting when a new baby joins the family

    Related to Baby and Toddler on Board

    Related ebooks

    Relationships For You

    View More
    View More

    Related podcast episodes

    Related articles

    • UNLIMITED

      Give Them Presence

      Feb 14, 2020

      HOW do you raise healthy, happy kids who feel at home in the world? Read all the parenting bestsellers, spend hours ferrying them from one extramural to the next, buy them the latest educational toys and gadgets? None of the above. Child experts Dani

      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Mother In Meltdown

      Jun 16, 2020

      Mother In Meltdown
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Parenting Across The Globe

      Jun 24, 2020

      Parenting Across The Globe
      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      What It Means to Be a Bad Mom

      Jul 23, 2019

      What It Means to Be a Bad Mom
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Tots Gone wild

      Jan 4, 2020

      Tots Gone wild
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Milestones To Watch

      Nov 19, 2021

      Your newborn has weak neck muscles at birth, and therefore very little control over their head. By about a month old, they’ll probably lift their head and then start holding it up, while in a sitting position, at around 4 months. Expect more firm and

      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Let Me Do It!

      Sep 17, 2021

      Let Me Do It!
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      20 Terrific Brain-boosting Ideas!

      May 2, 2020

      Every baby is born with 100 billion brain cells. Some of these are connected at birth, but most of them are not. It is these connections that will happen in the first five years. Therefore, more the connections, the smarter and more efficient will be

      5 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      I Won’t Eat That!

      May 26, 2020

      I Won’t Eat That!
      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Are You A Pushover Parent?

      Feb 17, 2020

      Are You A Pushover Parent?
      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      4 Parenting Mistakes to Avoid

      Apr 22, 2019

      4 Parenting Mistakes to Avoid
      2 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Jeanette Sklivanou

      Jun 12, 2023

      Jeanette Sklivanou
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      My Toddler Just Won’t Eat!

      Nov 6, 2019

      How many times have you used this phrase or heard a mum use this statement in sheer desperation? More often than you would like to, or than what should be the norm! Many parents feel that the weaning phase was really simple, and whatever foods they p

      3 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Dinner’s Ready!

      Dec 7, 2022

      Dinner’s Ready!
      4 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Baby Led Weaning

      Sep 2, 2021

      Baby Led Weaning
      6 min read

    • UNLIMITED

      Smarty Pants!

      Mar 4, 2020

      Smarty Pants!
      4 min read

    Related categories

    Reviews for Baby and Toddler on Board

    0 ratings

    0 ratings0 reviews

    What did you think?

    Tap to rate

    Review must be at least 10 words

      Book preview

      Baby and Toddler on Board - Val Mullally

      Introduction

      You’ve probably picked up this book because you’re facing the challenge of how to cope with a toddler on the arrival, or pending arrival, of a baby in the home.

      -If you are looking for guidelines and practical tips on how to create a happy home for your children, and for yourselves, here’s help.

      -If you are in a support role to a young family, this book is also for you.

      It has taken me raising two sons, over quarter of a century’s teaching experience, and years of further training in childcare, holistic development, relationship theory, life coaching, interpersonal communications, and neurolinguistic programming, plus reading a mountain of books, to reach the stage where I term myself Parenting Expert.

      The teachers and guides in one of the most informative parts of my lifelong path of education are my grandchildren. I’m inviting you to share a grandmother’s personal journey - the ups and downs of the parenting roller coaster when the family welcome a second child into the home.

      Whilst this book happens to be set in the home of a heterosexual couple, the principles of this book can be applied to any type of family raising a toddler, or pre-schooler, and a baby.

      There will of course still be unexpected dips and bends in the road of your parenting journey, bumpy patches, and fabulous, unexpected joys. This book offers you a map to guide you through these experiences.

      Are you are asking yourself,

      How will I manage the needs of a toddler AND a newborn?

      In this book you’ll discover three key insights to help you create a more harmonious home. You’ll discover how to interact with the toddler, or preschooler, in a way that will support their needs during this time of change in family life, with a chapter at the end of each section relating to baby’s needs too.

      Ideally read this book before baby arrives, to equip you in setting the groundwork with yourself and your toddler, and your support team, ahead of time.

      Let’s join a grandmother on her journey with her toddler grandson as the birth of his sister approaches, to discover how to create an easier and happier transition when you welcome baby into your home.

      The Journey Begins - How to Connect With a Toddler

      I kiss my husband. I’m not doing a good job at holding back the tears. It’s hard to say goodbye. We will be apart for a month. Our son and daughter-in-law have asked me to stay with them in Denmark. The baby is due any day now. They’ve asked me to be on toddler duty. As the plane steers us through the clouds, away from Dublin, I flick through the pages of the in-flight magazine but my thoughts dance around the weeks ahead. How do I be the grandmother I want to be? I’m a fairly young farmor (the Danish word for paternal grandmother) but do I have the stamina to keep up with my grandson’s energy level? Liam is a twenty-three month old Viking — big, blond and strong, with an adventurous spirit.

      How can I support the family so the arrival of a sibling will be a happy memory for my toddler grandson?

      How can I assist in creating a foundation for happy relationships as the siblings get older?

      My career has focused on working with children and parents - but will my parenting approach be what’s needed when I’m immersed in the world of toddler-dom?

      Will my theories work for my own family?

      The plane taxis into Copenhagen Airport ahead of schedule. Soon my suitcase lurches onto the conveyor belt. It’s good to feel the warmth of the afternoon sunshine as I wait in the pick-up zone outside the terminal. My son’s little black car eases into sight. The family clamber out the car to greet me. My son, Alwyn, bends to kiss me. Sophia kisses and hugs me, her protruding belly reminding me that their family will soon be four.

      Farmor! exclaims my grandson. It’s great to hear him call me by name.

      As we drive home I’m on the back seat next to him. It’s been three months since he has last seen me. That’s a long time from a toddler’s perspective. I know I must connect on his terms — he’s strapped into his car-seat which means he can’t retreat. I need to take it slow so he can feel comfortable with me again.

      Hi, Liam! I smile and make eye contact, but I keep well over to my side of the car so I don’t encroach his space. He gives a quick smile, then breaks eye contact. I wait. I don’t hurry to establish the contact. He stares ahead at the road for a while. I let him set the pace.

      He glances at me. I glance back with a slight smile. But I don’t try to hold his gaze. I follow his lead.

      Then Lello he informs me. He has a yellow toy car in his hand.

      I look at the toy car he’s holding,

      Yellow. A yellow car. You’ve got a yellow car.

      His chubby toddler arm reaches out towards me, so I can see his car. Contact established!

      I am thankful for the parenting insight and skills I can use to establish a harmonious connection, where the interaction flows between us. Join me on this journey of a month with a toddler to discover my experience of what helped, and what didn’t, in making the arrival of a sibling a smooth transition for the family, and especially for the toddler. You will find three sections in this book that explore the three key insights every parent can use:

      Follow the Child’s Lead

      Cross the Bridge

      Hearth Your Home

      I wish I had been aware of this approach to parenting when my kids were young. I thought it was my job to make my kids "behave". I’m the parent. I’m supposed to be in charge, aren’t I? My kid needs to learn to behave! I was an experienced teacher. I thought I knew how to parent. But by the time my second son got to his teens, it was clear my child needed something different and so did I. Show your child who is boss - expecting a child to do what they were told - was causing us all heartache.

      The crisis in our relationship forced me to take a long and careful look at what it means to be a parent and what children need to thrive. Fast forward the clock to the present day — I now have more than twenty years of research into what creates healthy family relationships I’m thankful for the privilege of my adult children and their families in my life. Now I have the amazing experience of revisiting the world of parenting a toddler, with my grandson. Here’s what I discovered.

      SECTION A

      FOLLOW THE CHILD’S LEAD

      To lead the people, walk behind them.

      Lao-Tzu

      1.

      Follow Your Child’s Lead - Introduction

      Life would be so much simpler if your toddler flowed with you and your agenda! But that is not the reality of any parent living in toddler-dom, especially when a baby is welcomed into the home. In this first part of the journey, we will share different ways in which to follow your toddler’s lead, and why this approach matters.

      The term follow the child’s lead is often used in Early Education. Effective educators know the power of following the child’s lead - to start where the child is at. But they also are aware of what follow the child’s lead is not. Follow the child’s lead is not allowing the child to do whatever they please. It is not leaving the child without structure and support. It is an environment with boundaries to ensure safety and respect for child and adult alike, which gives the child the space, safety and support to discover the wonderful and complex world in which they live.

      Together we’ll explore how to follow a child’s lead in different everyday experiences:

      - in simple interactions

      - in art activities

      - in play

      - in supporting the child to risk failure

      - in what matters to the child

      We will take a peek at the everyday experiences of following the lead with a toddler. We’ll discuss the challenges you might face as you follow your child’s lead, as you create a home where you can all thrive.

      Let’s begin as I share the secrets I’ve learned about how to make meaningful connection, even when a toddler is feeling

      Enjoying the preview?
      Page 1 of 1