When a vacation is not

| Patti Webb

After my Worst Day Ever, I am very familiar with when a family vacation is more of a gauntlet. 
One of my close friends even imparted that if you are traveling with kids, it’s a trip; not a vacation. The element of “relaxation” that we take vacations for can be non-existent. 

Being a frequent traveler since I was a child, it was very important to me to expose the girls to new places from an early age. Being comfortable on a plane, trying new foods, seeing nature in its different forms; it’s a big priority for us. We’ve taken the girls on a handful of big trips since they were born, but honestly, none of them have been relaxing. 

Beach trips, road trips, family trips; while they all are an escape from our professional jobs, it’s really just 24/7 parenting in a new location.

So here are some things to keep in mind to help you prepare for the additional turbulence that comes with little kids on vacation.

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PTO: Parenting Time Off

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

When we were first talking about this article, Patti mentioned that she needed to teach her kids personal space. It seemed like every time her girls needed something, they would physically crawl all over her. While this is cute with babies, twin toddlers coming from all sides feels a bit like quicksand.

Let’s face it. Parenting is a full-time job. There’s no such thing as taking a real break from it. So, when it comes to catching some R and R for a moment, how do you tell your kid?

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1000 Hours Outside Revisited

| Patti Webb

Our first summer blogging, we did a post about getting kids outside for the summer. We mentioned a project called 1,000 Hours Outside, a movement that challenges families to match their kids’ screen time with time outside. 

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Sensory Systems Assemble!: Sensory Processing and Integration

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L
Photo Credit: Marvel

We’re all familiar with the Marvel Cinematic Universe and the Avengers, right? An ensemble of superheroes coming together to stop formidable foes who threaten our world. Well, our sensory systems operate in the same way.

Each sense has their own set of responsibilities but will team up with one another to understand what’s going on around us and how to appropriately respond. This collab is known as sensory integration.

Sensory integration (SI for short, also known as sensory processing) refers to the processing, integration, and organization of sensory information from our body and the environment. This process allows us to participate in day-to-day functions, from self-care to socializing.

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The Two Sides of Sleep: Part 2

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Eat. Poop. Play. Sleep. Repeat.
That may be your baby’s routine for their first year of life, but as they age, that schedule (and their sleep) become much more complex. The internet is filled with suggestions to ease your kiddo to sleep, but today we’re investigating two things that can affect toddler sleep: melatonin and co-sleeping.

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