By now most of us probably found a school for our child(ren) already and are ready for the new year.

Going to school for the first time or after a long break can be daunting on our kids (and us). With the pandemic still lurking, a lot of us are still deciding if we will send our children back to school. Some parents don’t have a choice, because they are going back to work.

Children thrive on preparation and it makes the first day (back) at school less stressful. They feel secure when they know what is coming and this also prevent tantrums.

Here are 6 tips to prepare your little one for school:

• Tell them about the school. The name, the teacher and the fun they will have at school. If you have a photo of the teacher, their name and school show it to your child. I would highly recommend starting with this ASAP.

 

• If you can, take them for a drive (often if possible) and go passed the school. Tell them “this is your school and you will start coming here from (date and day)”. This makes them familiar with the environment.

 

• Let them mark it off on a calendar. Make it fun. Take a marker and they cross out the date, if you can put a photo of the school on the start date. Counting “sleepies” to the day is also fun if they are older.

 

• Allow them to choose a snack (that you already have in the house) for school to make it exciting for when you get to point number 5.

 

• Bag the deal! Your little one will enjoy helping you pack their bag for school. Pack it the night before school and add what you need to (things they shouldn’t see) when you can. This will fuel the excitement.

 

• Lastly, assure them at drop off that you are coming back to pick them up. If you need to, leave something of you with them that they are familiar with (e.g a hairband and put it around their wrist) and tell them you are coming back to get it.

 

The first few days might be rough at first (both mom and child) but they will soon love school to the point where they ask when they are going back. I think we as moms have more separation anxiety than our kiddies at times. Enjoy the school year. I look forward to see your little ones grow in this year.

 

A bath routine can set your little one up for a goodnight’s rest (and for you). It also is a great time for bonding and simultaneously learns about body parts and their functions. I strongly believe that bath time should not be rushed.

I always add the PortiaM Baby Oil in the bath water for extra moisture for the skin. I allow my little one to help me with that. It is part of our routine and this step never gets skipped. Even if I forget, he reminds me.

 

While we wash his body I label his body parts and apply deep pressure to ensure that his tensed up muscles start to relax. We love using the baby wash. It is very lightly fragranced and the pump function of the bottle always turns into a fun game “pump-pump squeeeeeze”.

After bathing him I pat his skin dry with a towel and play a game of “row-row your boat” while rolling him in the towel so he can dry. I then start to massage him with the PortiaM Baby lotion. It smells clean and lingers for a while on the skin.

I end this bath routine off by sealing the lotion on his body with the PortiaM Baby jelly. Here we label body parts again and talk about their functions. His favourite part to rub the jelly on is his knees. On that note: let me give you a fun fact. Did you know babies don’t have kneecaps until they reach pre-school age? Me neither! I only learned about it recently.

 

Please note that all products are dermatologically tested and are available at most retailers or on their website here.

Our routine ends with brushing teeth and reading a book or 7.

Please share some of your bath routine essentials with us.